W.O.W. #15 – Flexibility

 

Good Wednesday Morning Everyone! Some words on this sunny Wednesday….

“Blessed are the flexible. For they shall not be bent out of shape”.

~Michael McGriffy

I have learned (and am still learning ehh hmmm…) that the secret to a happy life is flexibility. If we aren’t flexible at work, with our friends, with our family, with our plans, with our training…we’re bound to get pretty off kilter. Things rarely goes as planned – and being so totally stuck on what you had planned would happen is a recipe for disappointment and stress. Trust me, I’ve learned from experience.

“What!” you say?

You?!

Not flexible?

Ha! I’ve recently been compared (by my husband no less) to Monica Gellar from Friends and Kourtney Kardashian. Ok…I’ve been known to be strung a little tightly. But, I have really been working on rolling with punches and accepting what is happening right here, right now. It really makes a difference!

 

The main reason I LOVE this quote – is that it not only is so totally applicable in the context of life – but I love to think of it in a fitness context too! Flexibility is the key to preventing injury, more efficient workouts and improved recovery. Take the time to stretch sometime during your day. Maybe a few good-morning-cat-stretches, some post-run-hip-openers or some relaxing-wind-down-stretches at night. My favorite stretch for anytime of the day? The forward hang! You can do it anywhere and it’s great for stretching your hamstrings and back. And if you are dragging at work – getting some blood flow to the brain can be a natural energizer!

 

photo courtesy of http://www.realsimple.com

 

Have a wonderful Wednesday – don’t forget to go with the flow!

~Alyssa

W.O.W. #14 – Be Positive

 

I subscribe the Runner’s World “Daily Kick in the Butt” – and sometimes the quote they send me really hits home!

“Be positive, ignore the critic, follow your heart, invest in your passions, believe in your dreams and get busy making them a reality.”

~Josh Cox (U.S. 50K record holder)

I think it’s really easy in life to get complacent…to feel stuck. Sometimes I just need a kick in the butt like this to make me snap out of it and reassess my mindset and goals.

Happy Wednesday!

~Alyssa

W.O.W #13 – humor

Happy Wednesday from the lake! I promise one day all my posts won’t be quotes…but vacation is calling my name! We are spending our last day of a marathon vacation relaxing lakeside in Minnesota. We will get to float, paddle and boat with family one last time before we head back to Colorado. It has been an amazing trip; we are so blessed to be able to take his much time to travel, explore, laugh and relax with family and friends. My Words on Wednesday come to you via my uncle who posts weekly quotes on Facebook. This one followed an evening of goofy family pictures and loads of laughter, something I so love about my family… So I thought I would share it with you too.

“A sense of humor… is needed armor. Joy in one’s heart and some laughter on one’s lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.”
Hugh Sidey

I hope you spend time with someone who makes you laugh today, or spread some joy yourself!

W.O.W. #10 – Be a Hill Seeker

I got to return to the hills for a run last weekend. They greeted me with breathlessness and sore muscles. But I loved every minute of it. More on that later this week.

Until then…some Words on Wednesday…

 

W.O.W. #9 – Perspective

This past week I had the opportunity to meet several artists who spent a week at our ranch creating amazing paintings, sketches, photography and other art. I’m not very connected in the art-world, but it was truly fascinating to see the products of just a few hours and a dose of inspiration. I was continually amazed by how each artist would take the same landscape, the same horses or the same people and portray them completely differently.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about perspective. We all look at things from a different angle – and that really depicts how we view our life. I heard this quote and it really got me thinking about taking a step back from your own little world and take it from a different angle. Who knows what kind of masterpiece you might find!

 

“Winners have the ability to step back from the canvas of their lives like an artist gaining perspective. They make their lives a work of art – an individual masterpiece.”
Denis Waitley

Happy Wednesday 🙂

W.O.W. #8 – Wind

It’s windy. Have I told you that yet? If you are a friend of mine, follow my facebook page, or just talk to me in general, you probably know how much I hate the wind. And dang-it it is still windy out here in the valley. I try to stay positive, do my best not to complain, but wind just is my least favorite thing in the world. Someone once told me that wind disturbs the ions around your body, and for some people it doesn’t phase them, or even makes them happy, and others it it affects very negatively. I know nothing about ions and this could be completely bogus, but if it’s not – I’m definitely the one whose ions get all up in a bunch when it’s windy.

I’ve been thinking though, and both realistically and metaphorically wind (like other annoying life situations) puts you in a position to make some choices. I heard this quote earlier this week and it was perfect for today’s “Words on Wednesday”. Perhaps I need to add a “W” to make it “Words on a Windy Wednesday”.

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts their sails”

~ William Arthur Ward

 

I need this encouragement as much as the next person. When we are faced with challenging situations it is so important to look on the bright side and re-adjust to keep on track. I also heard a quote from Henry Ford that that talks about how an airplane has to take off against the wind. That really inspired me!

 

Take the challenges, learn, change and grow from them and then go fly!

 

Happy Wednesday!

 

~Alyssa

Treadmills – not just for winter anymore

It’s Friday! I’m actually having a TGIF kind of day because I’m actually working this week! After 6 weeks of wonderful “me-time” filled with moving, unpacking, organizing, crafting, cooking and  Ellen show watching…I’m back to work. I’m experiencing a whole new world of ranching and hospitality with my new position at Zapata Ranch! It’s a big change from always being involved with health and fitness for work, but I’m ready for the challenge and excited to keep 1 foot in the fitness world with this blog and my own healthful pursuits! And besides, who can complain about an office view like this!

 

While adjusting to the new work schedule, I’m also having to re-think my workout schedule for the week. I’ve been spoiled with complete freedom to do whatever workouts I wanted, when I wanted in the past month. But now it’s back to reality and like most of the rest of the world,  my workouts have been delegated to either before or after work. It’s still windy season here in Southern Colorado (they tell me it ends…I’ll believe it when I see it), so I prefer to run in the morning to avoid the gusts and dust. I also like getting out in the morning because it’s a great way to start the day, and minimizes that excuses that can come up after a long day at work.

Yesterday however, sleep won and I decided to save my run for after work. With the afternoon came wind (imagine that!) and complete dread of running through 15+mph gusts.  So I did what I rarely do…hit the gym treadmill. When I do choose to ditch the beautiful outdoors for the boring ol’ treadmill, it’s usually because it is below zero, or too icy outside to be safe, but I learned yesterday though that it can be totally worth it sometimes to avoid less than optimal running conditions. I ran harder than I have in a while, the change of scenery was actually kind of nice (hello evening news) and I didn’t come back wind burned and wiped out. And it’s much easier to keep a positive attitude when you aren’t focusing all of your power on moving forward instead of backwards or sideways.  I think the fact that I use the treadmill so minimally makes it’s kind of fun sometimes! I don’t think I could use it regularly though, so this wind better get outta here soon.

I know as well as you how boring a half hour of running in place can be, so I created a workout that pushed me and made the time fly by. I call it “3-2-1 Style”, because I run a slower speed for 3 minutes, faster for 2 and then even faster for 1. Repeat for 30 minutes! Don’t forget to warm-up and cool down too. I have my speeds from yesterday below, and I went exactly 3 miles. Feel free to adjust the speed up or down…whatever floats your boat!

 

 

 

What about you?

Do you like the treadmill? Or are you willing to run in any & all  conditions?

How do you fit your workouts into a busy day?

 

Disclaimer: Although I am an AFAA certified Personal Fitness Trainer, you should consult a physician before starting any exercise program or diet. If you choose to do any workouts on this website, you do so at your own risk. 

W.O.W. #7 National Running Day!

Happy National Running Day! The running community is such a wonderful thing to be a part of…pulling people together from all over the world with one common goal. We experience together the highs and the lows, and every mile builds us into the person we are becoming.

Today’s quote comes to you from Amy Marxkors, the author of “The Lola Papers” (one of my favorite running books) and contributor to the Fleet Feet Newsletter.

“Running is such lovely illustrator of life, human nature, and the many and diverse facets of the two. In a single race, we can see qualities that are attractive, qualities we’d like to emulate, qualities we’d like people to see in us, and qualities that we wouldn’t. We learn about ourselves, and we learn about others. We learn that no lesson is isolated to the miles, but that our decisions and actions carry over into every other area of our lives. How we are molded and shaped on the road is not undone when we kick off our running shoes.”

~ Amy Marxkors

 

How are you celebrating National Running Day? I rode my spin bike this morning…I know. Shame on me.

I am a Runner

Oh! Maybe this is how you can tell a runner from a jogger?!

Just last week, I was running with a friend when she told me that she didn’t consider herself a runner. She has completed two half marathons and multiple other races, and goes running regularly. Of course I responded with my personal trainer auto-response of ” if you run, you’re a runner”. Jeez…how clichéd can I be? I hate when I do that.

But it got me thinking, what makes a person a runner? Do you call yourself a “jogger”? What makes a jog, a jog? At what speed does a jog become a run? Does it really matter what you are called?i I think I have pretty much always called what I do running, although it is a slow run. I don’t know why, but I feel like “jogger” has negative connotations sometimes! Like, people who aren’t confident in their fitness call it jogging instead of running. Heck, honestly when I hear the word jogger…I think about the stroller my dad pushed all of my younger siblings in while he ran when they were little! Maybe that’s just me…I don’t mean to offend if you call yourself a jogger.

I know once in a while I will tell someone I’m going for a jog because I don’t want them to think I’m very good. Why do we do this to ourselves? We should be proud of what we do, no matter how fast we are moving, or how long we’ve been doing it. If you are a jogger and proud of it, then you should rock that jog. But if you just don’t think you are good enough to call yourself a runner, think again. If you run, you are a runner. I say it again because it is true.

Today, I read a hilarious article on Runners World about the “Curse of the Jogger” and the perils of even being around a jogger! It made me smile, and is just another reason that we should all just be runners.

If you need another article to convince you, here is the link to one from 2007 called “I am not a jogger”.

No matter what you call yourself, be proud that you are moving, be happy that you are doing something good for yourself, and be confident that you are lapping everyone who is on the couch!!

What about you?

Do you call yourself a runner?

Did it take a moment/race/speed to help you cross over to the “runners” side?

Gateway to Summer – and a Fitness Friday Workout

Yippee! Memorial Day Weekend is just about here! This is one of my favorite times of year…it’s like the gateway to summer. BBQ’s on every block, sunshine, and lots of outdoor fun. This weekend is going to be especially fun for me, because we are finally hosting some friends and family at our new house! One of my high school girlfriends is coming tonight, my in-laws will be in town tomorrow, and my family is coming tomorrow to stay the rest of the weekend! I can’t even wait! I’ve got treats baking in the oven already, and I have some last minute grocery shopping to do this morning and then I’ll be ready to play! We’ll be heading up to the Sand Dunes, enjoying some local food and backyard BBQ’s, I’ll get to show my dad around my favorite running trails and overall have a great time having everyone together. Can you tell I’m excited?!

 

Before we head out to our weekend festivities, you might be trying to fit in a quickie workout.

This LEGS & ABS workout takes just 20 minutes and is great on its own, or a good supplement to a cardio/run day. The best part is, you can do it pretty much anywhere. Use a bosu ball and fit ball if you have it – if you don’t…don’t worry about it! Alternate between a leg exercise and an ab exercise, performing each one for 1 minute. Try not to take breaks between exercise. When you have completed all 10 exercises, rest 1 minute, then repeat.

 

 

 

What about you?

Do you have fun plans for the long weekend?

What’s your favorite ab exercise?

 

Disclaimer: Although I am an AFAA certified Personal Fitness Trainer, you should consult a physician before starting any exercise program or diet. If you choose to do any workouts on this website, you do so at your own risk.