They Invented Cars

People are mysterious creatures. Supposedly, men are from Mars and women are from Venus. It doesn’t depend where you are from; one thing is for certain, exercise is essential for every body (everybody). Of all the workouts available to humans, I prefer to run. You know, of the feet to pavement variety. Here are my top ten reasons why I choose to run:

10. Running is inexpensive. Most of the time, all that I need are a pair of shoes and shorts and a shirt. This allows me to write and not bounce, all of the checks to my exes. They live in Texas. Yee-haw!

9. If I choose to go all DB Cooper sometime in the future, I’ll be in tip top shape. I want to be prepared when I am on the lam. I hear that the arms of the law are long but I’d prefer to not find out.

8. I know the layout of my neighborhood better than anybody else. It’s truly amazing what you can find/see while running. It’s nearly impossible to see all the details while driving through residential neighborhoods at 30mph.

7. I’m trying to make chicken legs sexy. I feel like this revolution has quite the trip ahead of itself. How am I doing so far? BTW, do you ever notice that distance runners have proportionally larger heads? Maybe I am from Mars!

6. Running gives me a little caloric leeway. Hey, I like to eat. My number one food vice? Red licorice, hands down. I have the unfortunate ability to eat it by the pound and not notice.

5. I get to be alone. Don’t get me wrong, I am a super social guy. Running lets me think or lets my mind be free. Long runs are cheaper than therapy, so I’ve heard.

4. It gives me an excuse to have way too many shoes. As an overly macho guy, I need to have reasons to have a dozen plus pairs of shoes piled in my closet. Just don’t let the guys know, my street cred is at risk.

3. You ran how far today?” I continually amaze friends and family at distances covered while running. They’ll say that I don’t need to run so many miles. “They invented cars for that.”

2. I get a valid excuse to travel. I’ve raced in Seattle, Portland, Eugene, Sacramento, Long Beach, San Diego and Phoenix. Running will allow me to chill by the pool in Phoenix come January. Ah the perks!

1. Someday, my future children will think that I am a rock star. Pheidippides, Jesse Owens, Steve Prefontaine, Josh Cox and RJ Lott. We are all running legends.

-RJ Lott

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Motivational Moment

 

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Katherine's Transformation

MY STORY

At the end of August 2011 I felt like I had hit rock bottom. Physically speaking, I was so far from the person I used to be and wanted to be, that I didn’t know what to do. Four years prior, during my first pregnancy, my husband started running marathons and got really fit. Because of complications during that pregnancy, I was put on physical activity restrictions and couldn’t exercise. I gained 50 lbs and unfortunatly, my body held on to more than 20 of that after delievery. I wanted to lose the weight but it took almost an entire year after my daughter was born before I even felt like I was in a place where I could try to fit exercise into my life. I felt increased pressure from people who knew my husband, to be a runner like he was but the truth was, I couldn’t even run a quater of a mile without stopping and I hated it. My best friend and I signed up for a 5k and we ended up walking most of it because of me. After that, I stopped working out completely.

Right before I got pregnant with my second child, I started working out again, mainly in an effort to lose the extra weight from my first pregnancy, so I could be in better shape during my second one. At the time, a friend of mine, who I considered to be a crazy “exercise addict”, referred me to a personal trainer she had used before. I started going two times a week and spent a large sum of money to do so in the hopes that I could quickly lose all of the weight. But you know what? Although she was in great shape and very knowledgeable, she didn’t really help me at all. I dreaded going to my sessions with her, and I never understood what I was supposed to be doing or the purpose behind the type of exercises she was having me do. We never talked nutrition or about lifestyle changes. I would leave workouts feeling frustrated almost to the point of tears, and would be so sore that I wouldn’t do anything else until my next session with her. I continued to go because I wanted to lose weight, but I didn’t feel like I was benefitting from the sessions, and eventually I quit going.

I did lose about 8 lbs before I got pregnant again, but I attribute that weight loss to a change in my eating habits, not exercise. Soon after I lost those 8 lbs, I found out I was pregnant but also had some other major life changes occur that caused some extreme stress. Although I worked out more during my second pregnancy, I still didn’t have any idea how to properly exercise and found myself aimlessly wandering among the weight machines at the gym, doing random exercises here and there in hopes of making some progress. Guess what? I still gained almost 60 lbs before my son was born. In all honesty, there were other physical factors that played into that weight gain, including problems with gestational diabetes and the fact that my baby weighed in at over 10 lbs at birth. However, even after all was said and done, I was 40 lbs overweight and didn’t seem able to lose anymore of it. Complete frustration set in.

Growing up I was always a skinny girl who never had to watch or even cared about my weight. I ate what I wanted and never did any kind of formal exercise beyond dancing, which was my passion. I danced during middle and high school and weighed a steady 112 lbs all throughout my teenage years.

Even though I never worried about my body weight, I grew up very aware of my family genetics and the type of body shaped I was bound to end up with if I didn’t make some changes. I grew up with a mom who always complained about her weight, but never seemed to do much about it in terms of steady exercise or healthy eating. I knew I didn’t want my daughter to grow up the same way. I was constantly complaining to my husband about my post baby body and yet, I wasn’t committing to any steady exercise and I certainly wasn’t watching what I ate. I don’t believe in dieting. Diets NEVER work, and believe me, I’ve seen them all. Ironically, I used to work as a registered nurse at a medical weight loss clinic and I came across several patients who had tried every magic pill or diet plan out there. From the Hollywood Cookie diet to Atkins to HCG, there are several ways to lose weight quickly, but in the end, a lifestyle change has not been made and the weight always comes back plus some. I knew the key to effective weight loss was lifestyle changes, I just wasn't sure how exactly how to go about making those changes.

My husband and I moved to Arizona in August of 2010 when my son was just 6 weeks old. Two days after moving, we went down the street and joined the local gym. I tried setting up some personal training sessions, but the gym screwed some things up administratively, and in the end I didn't get any. I started taking classes and running, and even did a Ragnar Relay and a mud run a few months later. I was able to lose some of the baby weight over the course of the next 8 months, but I couldn't seem to lose much more. I frequently watched people at the gym and wished that I could be as confident about my workouts as they were, and wished I was in as good of shape. There was one one woman in particular who seemed close to my age and always had it together. She knew what she was doing and did it with confidence. Plus, she looked great. I kept wishing I could work out with someone like her. My husband and I again discussed the possibility of getting me a trainer, and then I remembered that a woman in my church group had a sister who was a personal trainer. My husband got the info for me and I decided to call and set up an appointment for a training session. Guess what? The woman I used to watch at the gym all of the time? She ended up being the trainer!

I started training with Bri on Labor Day 2011. I threw up after my first session and felt like I might die, but that day I made a commitment to myself that I was all in, and willing to do what it took to lose the weight and get healthy. I talked with Bri about lifestyle changes I needed to make, and we came up with a realistic exercise plan and weight loss goals. No longer did I feel clueless or uninformed, instead I felt knowledgable and empowered. Over the course of the next four months I continued to train with Bri two mornings a week, and worked out on my own at least three other days. I did a combination of strength training ad cardio, mostly running. I tightened up on what I was eating, making lifestyle changes, NOT dieting. I learned the principles behind clean eating, and together with my husband and our two small children, made nutrition changes for our whole family. I weighed myself weekly and kept track of the changes, not letting the small numbers get me down. As the weeks went by, those small numbers started to add up, but more importantly, my body started to change. I lost fat, built muscle, and became strong in more ways than just physical. I won't say it was always easy, but it was definitely worth it.

By Christmas I had exceeded my weight loss goals, and in those four months I went from 155 lbs to 128 lbs, and I feel like a new woman. Since that time I have continued to exercise regularly and make healthy food choices, with the occasional treat. In the spring of 2012 I ran another Ragnar Relay and my first 1/2 marathon, quickly followed by another 1/2 marathon this summer. My weight has stayed consistent and while I don't look like a Victorias Secret supermodel, I'm happy with my post baby body and I've never felt better. I've heard some people think I am now an "exercise addict" but truthfully, I'm just an average 30 year old busy wife and mom who takes time each morning for ME. I figure if I am healthy and happy, my family will be too!

My take home message to anyone out there is YOU CAN DO IT! Take charge of your life and make a change. Only YOU can become the person you want to be, no one else can do it for you. Set goals, commit yourself, and do whatever it takes to make the lifestyle changes that will help you reach your goal. Don't let excuses hold you back. Everyone has time to be healthy, you just need to make it a priority. Be realistic, work hard and you'll get there. Don't let the bumps and bruises along the way get you down. Take your life back and own it! In the end it will be worth all the blood, sweat and tears, and I can promise you will never regret the person you will become. Love yourself and make it happen. YOU can do it

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Get Your Elbows off the Table

I am comfortable announcing that I am not perfect. I’m also confident that nobody else is either. This is very important to remember, unless you can part the seas or your name is Michael Jordan. Or you can dance flawlessly to Gangnam Style. We are responsible for our actions, intentionally malicious or accidentally misinterpreted. 

The population of my local community is relatively small compared to a large metropolitan area. We’ve got about a quarter of a million people within a half hour radius. Smaller communities have their bonuses as well as their drawbacks. Around here, it’s not uncommon for me to bump into somebody that I know at a random social event. I believe that this is good because I am not able to mask my behavior with the law of large numbers. I’m held accountable for what I say and who I am.

99 percent of the time, I’m happy about where I live. I’m particularly grateful for the circuit of races that are held here locally throughout the year. They are generally held without much fanfare; Carrie Underwood has yet to sing the national anthem and there are no after parties held by Ryan Seacrest. This makes running races easy and fun.

Whether you’re participating in the New York City Marathon or your local Halloween Pumpkin 5K, one thing is paramount; get your elbows off the table! While generally not an issue, manners at road races or the gym or the local bernina retailer appear to be slipping. Unfortunately, I’ve heard words and witnessed actions recently that are unbecoming of a fellow racer. This is a cardinal sin.

I joke and play more than anyone that I know, but I have never insulted or belittled another runner. Each of our circumstances is different. The slightly overweight guy struggling with a 15-minute mile may have just lost a hundred pounds. Don’t snicker at him because he’s in last place; always applaud.  Another racer may just have defeated cancer, or had a baby or is participating in her first race.  You’ll never hear me laugh at another’s effort. Esprit de corps is so very important.

When I run or race or flail about on the treadmill at the gym, I’m pretty tuned in to what I need to accomplish. How can I improve? Can I run faster? Should have I reconsidered washing my running shorts? It’s ok to be a little self-centered. It’ll help erase the stresses of the day. Trust me, my crowsfeet are not cavernous.

Although I might quietly question another’s choice in exercise apparel, I’m upbeat and encouraging. I swear that I’ve seen it all being worn. Some of the clothing is enjoyable and some not so much. But that should be a different post altogether. Positive encouragement should be required of fellow competitors. Remember, that having kismet on your side is always nice. You don’t want your karma running over your dogma.

-RJ Lott

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Wine, Women and Song

Whoa there Don Quixote! This post isn’t about what you think it’s about, right? Confused? Just have your cousin beep my beeper and I’ll find a pay phone and get right back to him.

The time in our lives is very important. We’ve only got so much of it, so we’d better be using it wisely. If time were money, as some say that it is, training for endurance sports would cost us all a fortune. We’ve got to make sacrifices with our commitments to become the best that we can possibly be. Sure, we’re all busy with family, work and socializing. There are more commitments in our lives than there are Kardashian sisters. For me, this involves reducing the countless hours of wine, women and song.

Humans, by nature are social creatures. Just ask Mark Zuckerberg. We like to get together and tell important stories (jokes) that others claim to not enjoy but yet they want to hear more of. Did you hear about the bear that walked into a bar??? Humans require interaction with others. Happy hour really wasn’t invented to save us cash on our indiscretions. It was created so that we could validate our good times.

If you want to finally get to Boston or even just compete in your local 5K for the first time, you are going to have to make some sacrifices. You and Don Julio will have to be seeing less of each other. Training for marathons or triathlons can eat up a huge amount of time in our lives. Weekly long runs can easily exceed a couple of hours in which we are inaccessible.  You’ve got to tell your friends, family and significant others that you have not been abducted by ALF. If you are poised to become what your daydreams produce, you’ll need to make sacrifices.

I am of the breed that it’s difficult to say no to a social invite. For instance, the college football season is just around the corner. College football is in my past. It’s in my blood. My grandmother once asked if Oregon Duck football was my favorite television “show.” Umm, yes, yes it is. I don’t know if I can turn down a guest appearance at a football game party/tailgate/discussion. This is positioned directly opposite any marathon training. Especially if chips and dip are involved.

If you want marathon smiles, you’ve got to put in the miles. There really is no way around it. This isn’t the sixth grade; you can’t trade a test answer for a cookie. Put the time in at the gym or on those backcountry roads and your race experiences will be greatly improved. Just make sure that your football buddies or grandmother knows that you still exist.

by RJ Lott

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Jimmy or Warren?

So...I have this new friend. His name is RJ and with 17 marathons, one ultra-marathon and "a dozen or so" triathalons under his belt, he knows a thing or two about running. Oh, and he's pretty funny.(And I get to post his wit and wisdom from time to time:))

I am frequently asked why I run so much. Do you want the short answer? Running is a buffet. And twenty bucks says that I already know what you are thinking. “What does a sneeze guard have to do with aerobic exercise?” Well, nothing. Absolutely nothing. But a buffet is similar to running in the sense that you can have whatever you want. Do you want an outdoor adventure? Do you want to catch up on your favorite “Real Housewives” cast? Or maybe you are just out to stretch Fido. You can indeed have whatever you want with running. It is a buffet.

When I run, I often do not like repetitions. I am not one to fancy the treadmill, unless there is snow on the ground, and then it’s ESPNEWS on rinse and repeat. The great outdoors is the ultimate place to run for me. It’s not labor intensive if you are enjoying your time. I challenge you to run on a street that you’ve routinely driven down in your car. Perhaps the speed limit is 50 or just 25, but either way, I absolutely guarantee you that you’ll see something that you would have missed in your horseless carriage. Perhaps it’s the cute old guy tending to his garden or the cute little lab puppy chasing butterflies. The cuteness factor of the built environment exponentially increases the slower you travel. How much cuteness to what to see today? It’s a buffet; you can have whatever you want.

I once had this hellish chemistry class in college. In the building where we did our experiments, there was a sign that read: “You can’t have a laboratory without the labor.” Ugh. Unfortunately, for that semester of frustration, the quote was correct. In running, the key is to eliminate the disappointments and sorrow. If you are new to running, make it fun and beneficial. If you are a running veteran, still keep it lighthearted. We aren’t running to put bread on the table; you enjoy you. You can always mix in speed work with long runs and then sprinkle it with cross training. The key to any foodservice industry is to get you to come back. I want you to return to this buffet and frequently.

However, there is always one caveat to the buffet. If you eat too much rice pudding too fast, you’ll get sick. You must always listen to your body. I’ve fallen victim to the perils of the buffet. Crazy ideas of piggybacking marathons in the past have left me with Achilles tendinitis and stress fractures in my feet. Injuries will absolutely put the “labor” back in “laboratories.” The key to enjoying yourself at a buffet is to take your time; there will always be another clean plate to use. This is no different than in running. There is always tomorrow, take it easy and enjoy.

-RJ Lott Pin It

Grab a towel. This might get messy:)

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Hmmm....

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Guest Post:Voluntary Fear by RJ Lott

VOLUNTARY FEAR

“Why, why, why?”

It wasn’t a neighborhood four year-old, it’s your best friend or a coworker or maybe your parents. I was spreading the news of my intent to run my first marathon. “But you’ve never run that far before.” they’d say.  It was the summer of 2005 and I was preparing for the Portland Marathon. I weighed well north of 200 lbs. and  I had no idea what I was doing, but my credit card statement said that I was a willing participant. What can possibly go wrong over 26.2 miles? October 9, 2005, is a day that I will never forget. My efforts garnished a 3:49:40 finish. I was asked if I had won the race, or if I had won any money. Unfortunately, I had neither, but dammit, I was a marathoner! Nobody, at any time, now or in the future, will be able to take that away from me.

Fast forward over 16 additional marathons, one ultra, and a handful of multisport races with a bazillion other races sprinkled in…

“Why, why, why?”

This time around, it’s not about the running, it’s the writing. I want to contribute to a blog, a blog that whose readers will be 99% women. “But you’ve never had any writings published before.” So what? So what if I’m out of my element, AGAIN? So what if I feel like Kody Brown on “Sister Wives?” I won’t get any fame and I won’t become flush with riches. Maybe, just maybe, I’m addicted to voluntary fear?

What’s voluntary fear, you say? It’s a new term that I just made up, made up out of thin air. Fabricated. A term produced, birthed, calved…  similar to fart smucker, but much more classy. Something that my Mom can support.  Voluntary fear is when you put yourself in an uncomfortable situation in which you’re the guppy. Heck, I’m the new kid on the school bus. Is there a seat open for me?

My adventures in blog writing are just about to begin.  This is my initial offering. People always say that you’ll remember your first time. I think they mean something else, probably something that my Mom wouldn’t get behind. This is something that I want to do. Nobody is forcing me, and nobody certainly asked. I want this, I want this badly.

I want my readers to give voluntary fear a whirl. For us guys, it might be hitting the dance floor, getting a pedicure or perhaps asking out that blonde hottie that you’ve had your eye on. For the ladies, try joining the weightlifting class at your gym, or try your first 5K or change your car’s oil. It doesn’t have to be on the grand scale. Have voluntary fear, it builds character.

 I don’t consider these miscellaneous ramblings to be equivalent to walking on the moon.  I consider this to be my trek under the St. Louis Gateway Arch as I travel to new beginnings. Perhaps I’ll become a real-life blogger? I am strong and I am willing. And this is something that nobody, at any time, now or in the future, will ever be able to take away from me.

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3 Reasons To Do The Tabata Training Method Instead Of Long Distance Running (for fat loss)

I talk over and over again about the benefits of Tabata, so for those who have never done a Tabata session and have no idea what I am talking about, here is an overview. (NOTE: The chart at top shows the workout, one excercise, 20 seconds of full intensity followed by 10 seconds of rest, 8 times, then take a short rest, change the excercise and repeat that pattern. 4-8 times total). There are a couple of great ideas for excercises following the overview.

At one point or another, you have probably went jogging and if you’re anything like most people I know, it’s boring. All you do is run from one area to another and run back at a steady, most of the time slow pace. Most of the time jogging sessions last an hour to 2 hours. However, Tabata training is completely different. I’ll give you three reasons why you should use the Tabata Training Method instead of long distance running and other long hours of cardio training.

1. Time
One of the down sizes of doing long distance running is that it takes time to get to the area where you are jogging to and back; and time for your heart rate and metabolism to shoot up. Because it takes time, you’ll have to work longer and harder in order to see the results (losing fat and/or improving cardio). However, with Tabata, you can gain more results in less time.
If you don’t know already, Tabata is a four minute session. Each Tabata has 8 intervals of which you exercise at a very high intensity for 20 seconds. After 20 seconds, you have 10 seconds to rest. Tabata is a form of high intensity training and one of the benefits of high intensity training is that it can boost your metabolism and heart rate up in a matter of seconds. Long distance running requires anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 in order to get your heart rate up. Not only that but you have to maintain that heart rate for the rest of the jog to get your body to burn fat.

2. Losing Fat
I’m sure you’ve encountered various people saying that the only way to lose fat is to jog. The truth is, jogging is only one of the ways to lose fat (and the slowest). As mentioned above, jogging takes time for your metabolism and heart rate to rise. So in order to burn fat while jogging, you have to wait a bit until your body can get into the fat burning zone.
Tabata training will raise your metabolism and heart rate up in no time. Because you are performing these exercises at a very high intensity, your body will have to work much harder to keep up. This will cause your heart to pump faster and your metabolism to rise; which you want if you are planning on losing fat. Your metabolism will stay at a high not only during the workout, but after the workout as well. This means that your body will be burning fat even when you aren’t doing anything.

3. Aerobic and Anaerobic Benifits
Izumi Tabata was the founder and creator of Tabata. He conducted a test which tested two groups of athletes. The first group was ordered to train in moderate intensity exercises (this includes jogging, skipping, swimming, cycling and so forth) at 70% lasting an hour for each training day for five days a week for a total of six weeks. The result from this group was that their aerobic system improved, however their anaerobic system improved little to none.
The second group was ordered to train 4 days a week for a total of 6 weeks at a high intensity (170%) each training day lasting 4 minutes. The results of this training group was that they increased their aerobic system much more than the other group and that they had a 28% increase.
This means that the group performing high intensity training (Tabata) had much more improvements than the group performing moderate intensity.

Basically, you can get much more done in less time in Tabata training than you can in long distance running. You can also put any exercise you want in Tabata to make it much more fun.

http://youtu.be/kDJBjVq_930
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Stay on track through those family Christmas parties.

Five ways to keep your goals on track and still be a gracious dinner guest.

Dinner party dilemma
By Sandy Braz

So you have to attend a dinner party this weekend and you’re excited about it, but you’ve been training hard to hit your goal and you don’t want your investment in sweat equity to suddenly plummet. What to do?
Here are five ways to save your waistline this weekend, without being a party pooper:
1. Offer to help with the menu. You don’t have to announce that you’re “bringing something healthy”– just offer to help the host by bringing one of your favorite recipes. This way you can enjoy other items served that night knowing that you’re only a helping away from a clean entrée or side dish to a clean entrée or side dish to help boost the nutrition on your plate. Check out Oxygen’s online recipes for some great ideas.
2. Don’t skip meals! Even though a big dinner is in your future, don’t think that skipping meals is going to help you save calories. Show up to the party hungry and you could find yourself making some unhealthy choices to compensate for the hunger pangs. Instead, stick with your usual clean diet throughout the day, perhaps scaling back on portions as the evening nears, to save a little room for your evening meal.
3. Exercise! Today is not the day to skip a workout, so make it a priority to hit the gym. Not only will you get your metabolism soaring, which will help blast calories throughout the day, but you’ll also tone your muscles before slipping into that strapless number. A great confidence booster!
4. Hydrate, hydrate. Keep water nearby at all times. For every sip of wine, take three to four sips of water. This will help your drink last longer, plus it will keep you hydrated and feeling full throughout the night so you’re not tempted to snack or overload your plate.
5. Be gracious. While other guests may be loading their plates with all the trimmings, you want to find a balance between sticking to your goals and not offending the host. How do you do it? Have a plan. If you’re encouraged to “eat more,” simply thank the host and say the food and portions are perfect and they’re hitting the spot. Letting your host know that you’re enjoying the meal is a great way to make everyone feel more comfortable.

*What I am finding works well for me is to always have a glass of water in my hand. Sometimes our hands and mouths just want to stay busy;) Pin It