Category: Sweat

In theory, the most important thing about exercising is making the effort to improve yourself. It’s about taking care of your body so you can still be active later in life. It’s about making positive choices.

In theory.

I suspect there’s more to it than that. Secretly, I think people want to look cool–or at the very least competent–while exercising. We hope to look like the sculpted, glistening people at CrossFit or in P90X videos. Athletic wear companies are certainly aware of this. Why else would they spend so much time and money developing and marketing sleek-looking workout gear and colorful cross training shoes?

Reality often has other ideas. I know from personal experience. 

I consider myself a decent athlete. I grew up playing baseball, basketball, football, and hockey, and sports have always been part of my life. I’ve hit the gym several days a week for years. I also like to think I’m more coordinated than the average person. 

Despite this, I’m also very accident-prone. To an almost unreasonable degree. All of this is to say: I’ve embarrassed myself more than a few times exercising. In the interest of healing (literally and figuratively), I would like to share a few stories about looking decidedly uncool while exercising. 

The first incident that comes to mind is every gym-goer’s worst nightmare. 

When I lived in Kansas, I went to a small 24-hour gym in town. The exterior was made up almost entirely of glass windows, which, if I’m being honest, was a bit awkward. Gawking patrons from the nearby shopping center aside, I liked the gym very much. It was small and there were limited machines and equipment, but it was immaculately clean and the people were friendly. 

One day after work I decided to hop on a treadmill for some interval running. For those of you unfamiliar, interval running involves sprinting for a set amount of time then walking for a set amount of time. Anyone who works out during the week knows that the gym is usually packed between 4 and 6 p.m. with the after-work crowd. I numbered among them and felt lucky to snag an open treadmill.

I wouldn’t feel lucky for much longer. 

The sprinting and walking started, and I had a good sweat going. But something was bothering me. Something on the inside hem of my gym shorts kept rubbing me the wrong way. Literally.

I was in the middle of one of my sprints, and I just couldn’t take it any longer. A normal person would have stepped off the treadmill for a minute to take care of the offending loose threads. Or at the very least, waited for a walking interval. I didn’t do either of those things. I did something so stupid, I can’t believe I’m actually about to write it.

Instead of stopping, I thought I could quickly pull out the loose threads while I was running. It turned out to be a poor decision. 

My footing faltered immediately. My legs came out from under me, and gravity pulled me toward the spinning belt of the treadmill. I was able to turn a bit so I didn’t fall directly on my face. I landed on the left side of my back and left shoulder. The belt, which was moving at a considerable pace, immediately tore up a section of my back. It then proceeded to shoot me several feet to the foot of an exercise bike. 

Naturally, the cardio section was full when this happened, and a dozen people saw me embarrass myself in a way that didn’t seem possible until that very moment. I remained on the ground for a little bit to gain my composure. The belt left a sizable burn on my back, and the unceremonious exit from the treadmill left a few bruises on my side where I landed. But otherwise my injuries were minor compared to what could have happened. 

Someone was nice enough to help me up as I assured everyone I was fine. I walked away, nursing my ego and cursing myself for picking such a busy time of the day to act like a jackass. 

Another embarrassing incident happened in high school (insert your own joke here).

I grew up in northern Illinois where it’s winter for roughly eight months out of the year. When baseball season started, my high school team had to practice indoors until the fields were suitable for use. 

A common indoor practice was to separate into groups and do a hitting circuit. The circuit included several stations, each focused on a different hitting drill. Obviously, the best station was the batting cage. After a few stations, my group got to the batting cage, but we realized we had to adjust the pitching machine. One of my teammates went to the end of the tunnel to sort it out. 

He wasn’t doing a very good job, though. 

I was getting fed up since we only had so much time at each station. The longer we took to adjust the machine the fewer swings we each got. I lifted up the net and yelled down the tunnel, “Hey, I think I can do it! Let me try!” My teammate didn’t hear me. He turned around and yelled “What?!” as he put another ball in the machine. Why you would just put a ball in the machine without looking is beyond me.

What happened next was like watching a car wreck in slow motion. 

I was jogging down the middle of the tunnel as he put the ball in. I saw it coming right at me and realized it was too late to get out of the way. My muscles tensed as I briefly anticipated getting Happy Gilmore’d at point-blank range. Taking a fastball to the chest seemed inevitable, but what actually happened might have been worse.

The ball hit me square in the crotch, and my protective cup made a loud “THUNK.” The force of the impact knocked my feet out from under me, and I tumbled to the ground. Sure, the cup mitigated some of the damage, but it was still one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life. I felt sick and weak and had to sit out the next few drills.

I could go on and on. 

During a high school football practice, my own teammate managed to get his elbow in my face mask and give me a mean bloody nose. I also broke my finger simply deflecting a pass during practice the next year. I was fielding a ground ball in a rec league baseball game when I saw it hit a rock and take an unbelievable bounce. The ball proceeded to tag me directly under my left eye. In the weight room, I managed to crush one of my fingers between two metal dumbbells. After a set of bench flyes, I dropped my dumbbells in relief. Someone hadn’t returned his set to the rack and my left ring finger was smashed as a result. More recently, I’m easily the least flexible person in my yoga class and can’t do positions others have no problem with.

I think you get the point. 

Anyway, if you’ve been putting off the gym–or exercise in general–because you want to avoid embarrassing yourself or looking silly, look at me. I work out all the time and still find new and inventive ways to look like an idiot. Those people who look like they have it together at the gym have made their fair share of mistakes, too.

Yes, you might make mistakes, and you might fall, but you can always get up again.

Plus, you might end up with a few funny stories. 

It may not seem like it at first, but working out can be very addictive. This is especially true when you start to see positive gains, and all of that hard work you’ve been putting in begins to pay off.

It is around that time that your exercise routines start to become something you look forward to rather than dread. Going to the gym or for a run no longer seems like a daunting task, but is instead an integral part of your day. So much so, that you may even start to feel bad when you skip a workout. But no matter how fit you become, mixing in rest days should be an important part of your exercise plan.

Here’s why you should learn to embrace those days off too.

Your Body Needs Recovery Time

No matter what type of exercise routine you do your body requires some recovery time to help your muscles regain strength and bounce back to their previous levels of freshness. This is especially true for high-impact sports such as running or cycling, but even yoga and Pilates practitioners need to allow some time for rest too.

If you don’t give yourself the proper amount of time to recover, fatigue can set in, which will in turn drag your level of performance down. That will make it much harder to continue to improve your overall fitness, and could actually compromise some of the positive gains you’ve already made.

Your Mind Does Too!

Rest days aren’t just for the body, they are essential for the mind too.

A long workout can be intense, leaving you mentally fatigued as well. Being overly tired can affect your memory; impact your problem solving skills, and lower your all around awareness. Taking a break from the routine gives your mind the chance to bounce back as well, which may be just the thing you need to return to the gym with a fresh outlook.

So Does Your Immune System!

Regular exercise puts a strain on your immune system as it tries to repair strained and exhausted body parts. By taking a break you give your immune system a chance to work its magic without pushing itself to the limit. In other words, rest days can actually help you to be more healthier.

You’ll Avoid Injury

Rest days can also help you to avoid injuries that can sometime crop up from over-training. For instance, shin splints, minor muscles tears, and bone spurs can all result from working out too much. By not allowing your body to have the time it needs to heal properly you could turn a minor injury into a major one. That could sideline you from working out at all, and cause setbacks to your fitness training.  

Rest days can help you avoid that issue by allowing those nagging little injuries to heal, keeping you on track to reach your goals.

You’ll Sleep Better

Intense workouts can impact your ability to sleep, as tired, aching muscles can sometimes lead to restlessness. By taking a day off, though, you’ll give those muscles time to rest, which can in turn lead to better sleep, which only aids in the recovery process.

You’ve Earned It!

If none of these arguments are convincing, at last keep this one in mind. After working out for several days, you’ve earned yourself a break. Embrace that attitude, and rest day will be much easier to accept. Everything else will just fall into line.

All my life, I’ve hated strength-training. When I used to play competitive sports, I’d sometimes conveniently get sick on our all-too-frequent weight room days in the off season. (Shh. Don’t tell anyone.)
There’s this old storyline that women focus on cardio to get lean, and men focus on weights to bulk up. After polling random friends and acquaintances of both sexes over the last few months, it’s true. Stereotypes and tropes really do exist for a reason.
But as a woman, still, ladies: you’ve got to build some muscle. Not only does muscle help you look leaner, but it helps you burn more calories whenever you hit the treadmill or elliptical; in fact, muscle tissue burns off more calories than fat even when you’re just sitting around watching Netflix episodes of Scandal. And who could want more, right?
Don’t be fooled. You can look lean without bulking up, and you don’t need expensive weight equipment to gain some muscle mass. My friends always ask me how I stay toned. I tell them all it’s a pretty simple process. So simple, in fact, that I hardly think about it.
Since I’m the queen of getting the most bang for your strength-training buck, with as few extras as possible, here are some of my best moves.
The Push-Up
It sounds to easy to be true, but push-ups are the core of my arm routine. But here’s the secret for results: stop doing the “girl version.” Get off your knees, and do a real, honest-to-goodness push-up. This means you’re up on your toes, with both palms flat on the floor, bending those elbows into a 90-degree angle. Do as many sets of 10 as you can muster.
Make it easier: Drop and do push-ups in increments of 10 throughout the day, or in between cardio intervals during your regular routine, working up to a higher and higher total. Then, you’re not absolutely killing yourself. It’ll take like 15 seconds max. (I promise you can survive 15 seconds of pain.)
The Plank
I like to multi-task. The more things I can do at once, and do well, the better. Which is why I love the plank so much. Drop from a push-up position onto your forearms, keep your tummy taut, and hold for as long as you can.
Make it easier: My trick? Listen to upbeat music, and hold for the length of a song. Give yourself a minute break, and then hold for another length. You may have to work up to this from the length of a chorus, or half a song, but give it time. Pretty soon, you’ll be toning that tricky area at back of your arms and flattening those abs.
Wall Sits
No. Wall sits are not fun. I used to loathe these babies back in the day, but now they’re my go-to leg move, as they are very effective for toning your entire thigh. Use the same song-timing trick as you would with your plank, and work up to three sets. To better tone your inner and outer thigh, shift the weight on your foot from the outside to the arch.
Make it easier: As I mentioned, definitely do wall-sits to music if you’re tacking directly onto your workout routine. Or better yet, you can always do these throughout the day. Because, duh: walls are everywhere. I once wall-sat my way up to the front of the line at an amusement park, leaning against a very sturdy fence. My friend thought I was crazy, but hey! I toned up, they didn’t, and random strangers did not seem to judge me.
Yoga Poses
I don’t do yoga as much as I used to, but if you ever want to get toned fast, I’d totally recommend signing up for a classes with a professional. Never in my life was I more toned and taut — arms, legs, core and beyond — than when I was hitting those vinyasa and ashtanga flows three times a week. In yoga, your whole body has to work to support your own weight.
Make it easier: After a month or two (or three) of classes, you’ll confidently know the moves to do at home, so you can tone up at any moment throughout the day. It’s worth the investment.
Five-Pound Weights
Invest in a pair of juuuust-heavy-enough dumbbells. Probably five to eight pounds will do. Then, adopt a routine that you do consistently, every other day, every single week. If you truly get in the habit of tacking this onto the end of your cardio workout, you’ll see the results you want. Toned arms, all around.
Make it easier: You can lift light dumbbells in front of the TV, and you’ll hardly notice you’re doing it. Try this five-minute routine if you need some go-to move inspiration.
Bottom line? You don’t have to do deadlifts or hit the bench press to get toned. Just wedge easy-peasy moves into your day, whenever you can, and you’ll be showing off toned biceps and sculpted legs in no time.

The pushup is one of the simplest and most effective exercises out there. A few sets of pushups will help you sculpt your pecs, tris, and delts with nothing more than your body weight.

But you could be getting more out of your pushups–no, it’s true! These variations will make your body work harder and improve your results.

1. Medicine Ball Chest Squeeze Pushups

Place a medicine ball directly under you in the middle of your chest. Grab the ball with both hands and start your pushup.

You’ll have to work to keep your balance because of the instability of the medicine ball, and it will make your muscles work even harder. If you don’t have a medicine ball, try using a basketball, volleyball, etc…

2. Medicine Ball Extended Rom Pushups

This is similar to the last variation except you’re adding another medicine ball to the mix. Grab two similarly sized medicine balls and put them under you about shoulder width apart. Once you have your balance, move each ball beyond shoulder width. 

This variation will really be a challenge for your core strength. Make sure to keep your core as tight as you can. 

3. Medicine Ball Archer Pushups

Okay, time to simplify and go back to one medicine ball. Put it under one arm and extend it as far to the side as you can. Keep your other hand in a standard pushup position. 

The arm with the medicine ball won’t be able to assist as much because of its position, therefore the exercise will really isolate one arm and one pec at a time. It also works on shoulder stability for the extended arm. Once you can knock out a few archer pushups with each arm, you’re well on your way to a one-armed pushup. 

4. Kettlebell Bottoms Up Pushups

This is like the medicine ball chest squeeze except you’re using a kettlebell. Carefully balance a kettlebell on its handle and grab the round end with both hands.

The handle of the kettlebell will be even more unstable than a medicine ball, so your balance and core strength will be tested. 

5. Band-Resisted Pushups

If you can’t get your hands on a medicine ball or kettlebell, a resistance band is another good option to upgrade your pushup. Loop the band around each hand and wrap it around your back just below your shoulder blades.

Do your pushups as you normally would, with the band providing resistance. Make sure to explode up powerfully to get the most out of this exercise. The great part is the most resistance will come at the top of the pushup where you’re strongest. 

6. Dumbbell T Pushups

Get a set of dumbbells and set yourself up in a normal pushup position. When you raise your body up, extend your right arm up and rotate your body to the right with your arm. You need to roll your feet, so you’re resting on the outer edge of your left foot, too. If you do it right, your body should look like a 45-degree angle T in relation to the floor. 

It will work your obliques, shoulder, and core for greater strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance.

7. Dumbbell Pushup Row

This is another great dumbbell workout. Again, get a set of dumbbells and set up in the standard position. After you get to the top of the pushup, take your right hand and lift it straight up in a rowing motion. 

It increases the intensity of the pushup while working the chest and the back. 

8. Weighted Pushups

This is one of the simplest ways to add intensity to your pushups. Use a weight, sandbag, or weighted vest to add 10 percent of your body weight. 

Do your pushups with the extra weight making each rep more difficult. You can add more weight in 5- or 10-pound increments as you progressively get stronger. 

9. Sliding Single-Arm Pushups

The sliding arm pushup is the same concept as the archer pushup. Get something that will slide smoothly along the surface you’re on and put it under one hand. Slide that hand forward as you lower yourself and back toward you when you raise yourself. 

Your extended arm won’t be able to take on as much weight as your other arm, which will isolate one side of your body nicely. 

10. Spider Pushups

This simple variation on the standard pushup doesn’t require any additional equipment. Start off doing a standard pushup, and on the way up, lift your right foot up off the floor and swing your leg out to the side. Your goal should be to get your knee to touch your elbow.

It will really work your obliques and core.  

Remember, variety is important in life, even when it comes to pushups!

Many years ago, before I was a runner myself, I would hear of someone training for a marathon and assume they were the ultimate example of dedication and athleticism. I mean, running 26.2 miles, who does that? Only a true, badass runner at the top of their motivated, focused game, that’s who.

But now, 8 marathons later, I’ll be the first to tell you that marathon training is not nearly as regimented and perfectly calculated as it may seem. In fact, sometimes it can be messy, chaotic, and seem absolutely foolish, especially for us non-professional, non-elite athlete mortals.

Here’s a few realities I’ve learned while training for marathons:

Your social life will do a 180. Get ready to start turning down all Friday night happy hour invitations, because you’ve got to get up at 4:30 am on Saturday and put in a long run. And while you’re at it, go ahead and scratch out almost every other night of the week as well, because you’ll be far too tired to stay awake much past 8:00 pm. Your non running friends may go from supportive to distant, as they can’t understand why you’d subject yourself to this boring social calendar, simply for the sake of running. But have no fear: your new running partners will become your friends, and you will look forward to the early morning discussions about life, love, and the latest Saucony shoe release. I may be biased, but I think the conversations shared over miles trump any water cooler or happy hour gossip.

You will be hungry all of the time. There is something about a 16 mile training run that will make you absolutely ravenous. The “runchies”, as I like to call them, are relentless.  Some days, especially as your mileage increases, you’ll feel like you simply can’t keep up with fueling your body and therefore you want to eat absolutely everything in sight. Because of this, many people find they actually gain a few pounds during marathon training, rather than becoming some svelte runner, like the ones you see gracing the cover of magazines.

Your body protests non stop. Get ready for sore legs! If the delayed onset muscle soreness isn’t plaguing you, the random blister you got on your last run is. Or the chaffing from that unbelievably humid run paired with a new sports bra. Or the upset stomach from that new energy gel or post run recovery drink you tried. Isn’t all of this exercise supposed to be good for your body? And why do my shoulders hurt from RUNNING? You get the idea. The foam roller and ice baths will become your best friends, and you’ll become used to the “my legs are sore” limp that you’ve adapted.

Your laundry will be out of control. If you are a regular runner, then you are likely used to this phenomenon. But if the 5+ day a week training schedule is new to you, get ready to see your laundry pile spin out of control. This doubles for those of you training in finicky weather. Long sleeves for the start of the run, tank tops for the second half. Socks and sports bras galore, and don’t forget the sweaty shorts and tights and possibly jackets. I bet you never knew running required so much gear?

Whatever you do, don’t let the marathon training laundry pile gather in your car, or one day you’re trunk will resemble something that requires a hazmat suit.

Running starts to become your identity. You’ll have compression sleeves on under your work pants. You’ve replaced your regular Rolex with a sportier GPS enabled Garmin watch. Instead of carrying around a coffee cup, you’ve got a reusable water bottle, quite possibly one that came free with your last running sneaker purchase at the local running store. Instead of watching TV you spend your spare downtime researching different races and chiming in on online chat boards about the best way to prevent chafing nipples. People stop asking about your weekend and instead ask “how that marathon training” is coming along. Which leads me to the next point…

You begin to speak like a runner.“So did you hear that John just got a PR and a BQ last week, even though he almost bonked and thought he was going to DNF? It must have been that new GU he took before he hit the wall!” Your new running vernacular will utterly confuse the non runner crowd. What’s more, you become slightly frustrated over the fact that people can’t understand that a 10K and a marathon are NOT the same thing, not at all.

You will likely question your motives and doubt yourself a million times. Especially on those mornings when you struggle to get out of bed while your family sleeps soundly, or on the miserable long runs when it is raining and cold. You’ll have an absolutely smooth 10 miler one day, only to struggle to run a mere 3 miles a few days later, making you question if you are really cut out for this marathon business. You’ll miss an important training run (or two, or five…), you might even get sick. And more than likely you’ll finally show up to the starting line, fearful of the unknown, questioning why you ever signed up for this race in the first place.

But then you’ll cross the marathon finish line, 26.2 hard earned miles later.

And all of the weeks and months of soreness, runchies, blisters, early mornings, sacrifices, and self doubt will instantly seem worth it. Despite the fact that you can barely feel your legs, you’ll already be thinking about signing up for your next race.

Congratulations, you are a marathoner! You have joined a very small percentage of the earth’s population that has proven you are capable of running 26.2 miles. Now, go wash that laundry!

As with any sport, the running world has it’s own set of controversial debates and hot button topics among its community and athletes. And right up there next to “should headphones be allowed at races?” debate, is the case of the racing “bling”.

Bling. Hardware. Buckles. Medals.

These days it seems finishers medals are as abundant and as freely given as the paper cups of water served at race aid stations. Once reserved solely for race winners, medals are now more often than not handed to absolutely anyone who participates in a given race, regardless of placement, regardless of race distance, and in some cases, regardless if the runner even crosses the finish line at all. Here are just a few examples:

– RunDisney races, notorious for their strict cutoff times and sweeper “balloon ladies“, are widely known for pulling participants who cannot maintain the required pace out of the race long before the finish line, yet giving them finishers medals anyway.

– Spartan Race, an obstacle course race series known for penalizing people who cannot finish an obstacle with grueling burpees, does not referee the open course, and therefore gives medals to anyone who crosses the finish line…even if they didn’t complete the required obstacles and/or penalties that comprise the race.

– Speaking of finish line, in the case of the ever popular “virtual races”, you don’t even need a finish line anymore. Send your money to the virtual race organizer, and in turn they will send you a finishers medal, without you even having to ever leave your computer desk chair.

-In the ultra running community, belt buckles were traditionally given to runners who completed a 100 mile race. Now buckles are often given to those who run shorter distances, such as 100K, 50 miles, 50K, or even less. In fact, you can even earn yourself a belt buckle simply for promising to run 100 miles in the course of a month (see the virtual races above).

As a result of these examples and more, there is often heated discussion among runners over who truly “earned” their medal, and who did not. Runners who feel their achievements are diminished by others who didn’t put in as much effort as they did on the same course. To throw fuel onto the fire, we’ve got a subculture of runners who claim they solely run for the sake of collecting new medals. And who can blame these “bling runners“, really, with races competing with each other to see who can have the largest, gaudiest, and most medals? The traditional runners, that’s who will roll their eyes. These devout runners claim they don’t need any sort of material trinket to validate their accomplishments.

It’s enough to make your head spin, and wonder why any of it truly matters in the first place. After all, unless you’ve won a Gold in the Olympics, a finisher’s medal is truly just a cheaply manufactured trinket.

Or is it?

The thing I’ve always loved about running and racing is that even though the community is huge, the sport itself is 100% individual. Sure, coaches can provide you with tools and knowledge to become a better runner, and teammates can provide you with the inspiration and motivation to get out there. But no one can put in the training for you, and no one can cross the finish line for you. YOU have to do the work.

Therefore, in my opinion, your race is YOUR race, end of story. You know the effort you put into running that race on that day. You know if you completed the tasks required of the race. And you know the training and the hardships you went through to get to the finish line…or even just the starting line for that matter.

So whatever that medal means to you (or doesn’t mean to you, for that matter): own it.

If it is a representation of overcoming difficulties and achieving something you never thought you’d be able to attempt, never mind accomplish, then display that medal proudly.

If it is simply a material trinket that will never embody the experience of that race for you, then toss it in a drawer, donate it, or don’t even accept the medal in the first place.  Do the same if in your heart you feel you fell short or for some reason didn’t honestly earn that medal.

But regardless of what you do or what that medal means to you, don’t let someone else’s opinions nor actions take away from how you feel about YOUR accomplishment.

It’s your bling: own it.

We can talk all day about the unrealistic and unfair expectations of what a woman’s body should look like. I mean, have you seen models lately? First of all, there’s just no possible way that big of an, uh, ‘upper chest area’ could be naturally on that tiny of a waist. It’s just not.

But, for some reason, we convince ourselves it is. And, we try to get that. Us regular, everyday women. Why is this stuck in our heads? Hey, I’m not yelling at you. It’s stuck in my head, too.

I’ve had to work to accept the fact that my more ‘athletic’ body (re: big thighs) is going to be my body forever. I just can’t physically get my thighs to shrink enough to get that coveted thigh gap (re: sarcasm, on the coveted part. It’s dumb. Unless you naturally have small thighs, then kudos for having a natural thigh gap. Keyword there: natural).

Anyway, the point is that we shouldn’t do things with the end goal of being ‘skinny’. Here’s why:

1) Skinny doesn’t always equal healthy.

You know those people that can eat whatever they want and never gain a pound? I’ve always been jealous of them. I have to count every single calorie I put in my mouth. But, really, we’re putting way too much emphasis on weight.

Studies show that those people with lightning-speed metabolisms make up a large portion of the percentage of people that have medical issues we pair with obesity: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. It’s become known as ‘skinny fat’. These people with the envious metabolisms stay skinny, without exercising or eating right, and it’s unhealthy. So, maybe skinny isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be.

2) Skinny has become a state of mind.

When you’re aiming for skinny, are you aiming for skinny because you want to be healthier and weigh less, or is it because you want to be like those girls? Those girls being the ones that I talked about with the impossible-to-get bodies. I’ve aimed for skinny before. I bought into that mindset that to be attractive, you have to look (at least close) to how they look.

But, then I metaphorically slapped myself out of it. When I was aiming for skinny, I wasn’t eating right. I ate way less than what my body needed. I was exercising, but with the little protein and carbs I was getting each day to help my body recover the exercises weren’t helping me be healthier. I just felt tired and wasn’t getting much skinnier.

Working out without eating enough won’t decrease your body fat percentage in the long run. You’ll feel worse, sleep worse, and won’t be able to concentrate (probably because your stomach is growling). It’s an unhealthy way to try to be what we have come to believe looks good and is healthy.

It’s dangerous to slip into this state of mind when you believe skinny is the only way to be. This is where eating disorders take root. Everyday in the U.S. eating disorders affect 10 million women and 1 million men. That should be proof enough that we need to be working to change this ‘state of mind’.

3) Being fit will feel and be so much better!

Even if it is a long journey, both mentally and physically, having a goal to be fit will feel so much better. Having a good balance of calories each day–that includes some fats, some sugars, and, yes, some carbs–along with an active lifestyle, will get you to a body you’ll feel happy about. You might not be a size zero, but you’ll be the size you weren’t meant to be: a healthy, fit size!

Having a mindset for being fit will be more energizing. You’ll feel happier and have better mental health. You’ll be less likely to have health problems. And, once you let go of that nagging feeling, that societal pressure to be skinny, the possibilities of what you can do and how you great you can feel are limitless.

Let’s change the conversation. Let’s stop aiming for skinny and start aiming for being fit, healthy and in love with our own bodies!

One of the number one hesitations I hear from new runners is “I don’t want people to watch me run”.

I’ve known clients and friends who would purposefully run in the wee hours of the morning or late at night, simply so their neighbors wouldn’t see them struggling through their run. I’ve known beginner runners who refused to come out to group runs or races, for fear of people snickering under their breath about how they are too slow, or that they don’t belong there.

Before I even start debunking those fears, I will admit, I get it. Running can be intimidating.

Though I’d argue that our earliest human ancestors were designed to run; namely, running for food or running from becoming something else’s food, it is no secret that running is no longer a necessary life skill in our society. And with inventions like remote controls, moving sidewalks, and cars… half the time we don’t even have to walk anymore if we don’t need to. So yes, perhaps if you haven’t run since the gym teacher forced you to run a timed mile back in middle school, you may feel awkward and uncomfortable the first time you purposely pick up the pace from walk to trot to run. Muscles that have gone years without being fully engaged will jiggle, your stride will feel awkward and foreign, and you will more than likely start out way too fast, causing yourself to start gasping for air in no time at all. Nothing about running when you haven’t run for years (or ever, really) feels graceful.

I also get that runners as a whole can be intimidating. Neon, flashy running clothes, shiny new sneakers, high tech GPS watches. Svelte, tanned, muscular legs from countless hours pounding the pavement. A whole vocabulary of lingo that sounds like a language of its own. Talk of marathons and ultra marathons, when the thought of running a mere mile seems impossible to you. It is overwhelming.

But I’m telling you that you shouldn’t be embarrassed. And as an avid runner for nearly a decade, I will tell you why:

Have you ever been driving down the road in your car, passed a runner, and thought to yourself “Ha! What a fool! He/she looks like an idiot!” Or did you think to yourself “That is awesome! I wish I had that motivation and dedication he/she has to get out there and run.” I’m guessing 99% of you answered the latter. The majority of people you pass aren’t judging you…they are admiring you. You never know who you might be inspiring.

Everyone starts somewhere. Even the fastest runner once had to start with overwhelming task of conquering one single mile. Sure, for some it probably came naturally, but most runners probably struggled through that first run, just like you did (or will). And almost every single runner you encounter will not only remember that, but will be excited for you, because you are taking up the sport that they love so much. And don’t be afraid to ask about all of the new vocabulary, gear, and other things you might not know about. If runners like to talk about one thing, it’s most certainly running.

Your wellbeing, both physical and emotional, should not be negatively influenced by how you think other people perceive you. In other words: who cares what anyone else thinks, take care of YOU first.

Lastly, and most importantly in my opinion, is the fact that you’ll never know your true potential if you let the fear of embarrassment stop you. A quick internet search will reveal countless professional athletes who at one point were told they would never be good enough, or that they didn’t make the team. They didn’t let other people’s opinions stop them. Now, I’m not promising that you’ll be the next Kara Goucher or Meb Keflezighi, but my point is, you never know what you are capable of if you don’t let go of the fear of embarrassment and give it a try.

So, next time you start to feel embarrassment and intimidation creep up on you, remember this: the hardest part of anything new is the act of actually starting. And you are already doing it, so give yourself a pat on the back.  And run on, my friends.

There is a honeymoon phase in all areas of life. Most of us had it when we began a new school year growing up. We experience it when we start a new job or business venture. The honeymoon phase is something we all enter when we start anything new—including a new health and fitness program.

So how do we make it last? If you want to keep the honeymoon feeling alive, there’s no better example to look to than marriage.

When people fall in love, they get married and go on the time-honored honeymoon. While it isn’t realistic to stay on your honeymoon forever (most of us have jobs and have to go back to reality eventually), we can take steps to keep the honeymoon feeling alive beyond the vacation.

Of course we’re focused on fitness here, but marriage and fitness have a number of overlapping principles. Here are some practical tips we can use to help keep the fitness honeymoon alive.

1. Remember why you started.

When I first met my husband, I was completely smitten with him. I loved the way he made me feel so special. I loved his romantic heart and Prince Charming appeal. I even loved his silly jokes. He often teases me saying, “you’re going to miss my jokes when I’m gone.” And the truth is, while sometimes they drive me crazy, I know I would.

It’s easy to lose sight of what made us fall in love with fitness to begin with. We forget all the benefits we gained when we started our fitness relationship—the strength, the stamina, the energy, the improved quality of life, and each little victory we experienced along the way. We begin to take our fitness for granted. Sound familiar?

If we want to keep the honeymoon going, like in a marriage, we have to focus on all the reasons we fell in love with fitness in the first place.

2. Continue the same effort level you had when you started.

When it comes to courting a new mate, there is a certain level of work involved. Dates are planned out perfectly. There is a lot of effort put into appearance and first impressions, as well as overall attitude and behavior.

Men are typically more polite, pulling out chairs and opening doors for their lady. Women are often more respectful, never daring to argue over where to eat or what to do. A date can look very different 20 years into a relationship. That doesn’t have to be the case, however—and it surely doesn’t have to be the case with your fitness journey either.

If you want to keep the honeymoon alive, the first step is to go back to the courtship. If the honeymoon seems to be over, think back to what you did in the beginning of your fitness journey and begin investing the same energy as you did to get fit to stay fit.

3. Keep making new discoveries.

When we begin a new relationship, we spend a lot of time getting to know our mate, learning about what make them tick. We want to know their favorite color, what makes them mad, and what makes them happy. Every new discovery is exciting.

When we start a new fitness program, we are also excited about learning. We are eager to invest the time it takes to understand fitness better. However, we risk losing that excitement if we quit making these discoveries.

4. Keep things fresh and exciting.

As you continue to explore new workouts and methods, you will have more opportunities to try new things. Since there are so many different types of workouts, there is really no excuse to let a workout get boring. Complacency kills. If you are too lazy to venture out of your comfort zone and try new things, you can lose interest very quickly—and your love for fitness will die.

5. Don’t let your guard down.

One of the biggest mistakes a married couple can make is to get complacent and let their guard down. There will always be temptations. We risk falling the minute we think we are strong enough to push the boundaries.

A newlywed is always more protective over their new sweetheart because they see their value. If you want to keep the fitness honeymoon alive, you must set up protective boundaries. You need to establish rules to hold yourself accountable and to protect your investment. As you build this hedge of protection around your health, you will prevent attacks that could lead you astray. The longer you stay committed, the more valuable your health will become—and you’ll learn to cherish it more and more each day.

It’s no secret that these days everyone is obsessed with technology, and runners are no exception. Look through the online photo album of a recent road race and I guarantee you that more than half of the shots will not be of runners beaming cheek to cheek or raising their hands in the air celebrating their accomplishments. No, instead you will see countless photos of runners crossing the finish line, head down, feverishly reaching to stop the clock on their GPS watches.

We are obsessed.

And in a society driven by gadgets and technology, it is no surprise. What was once a luxury in the running world, GPS (Global Positioning System) watches are now as common as a neon colored pair of running sneakers. But who can blame us? What runner wouldn’t want to know their exact distance run or pace at any given second, plus have the ability to immediately upload the data to our computers to analyze our run AND simultaneously brag to our friends on social media? Incase you’ve never met a runner before, I’ll go ahead and inform you: this group typically comprised of “Type A” personalities. And a valuable tool that can give us instant feedback regarding our performance is a temptation very few in the endurance community can resist.

But they (we) should try to resist more often.

While a GPS watch can indeed be a useful tool for training purposes, it can- and has – become a hindering crutch for many runners. So why should you give up your GPS watch…at least some of the time? I’ve got four good reasons for you.

1) So You Can Learn to Listen to Your Body.

So many runners now rely on the numbers on the screen of their GPS watch to determine their running pace, instead of listening to their bodies and running by feel. Relying on these numbers may physically and psychologically prevent you from being able to differentiate race pace, tempo pace, aerobic pace, and so on. What are you going to do if your GPS battery dies on race day? You need to have a general idea of what effort your body is putting forth without depending on technology.

Which leads me to my next point:

2) So you don’t become a slave to the GPS.

Let me ask a question: have you ever delayed or skipped a run because you forgot to charge your GPS watch and the battery is dead? You can admit it, I’m guilty as well. Sure, I totally understand the desire to know your splits or distance for a longer or important workout. But if you have come to rely on your GPS for your ALL of your training runs, finding out that you cannot run with the GPS for whatever reason may become frustrating, or even detrimental, to your training. And let’s face it, it starts to take the fun out of the sport you love.

3) They aren’t 100% reliable anyway.

I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but believe it or not, technology is not always accurate. GPS signals can be delayed, or even off in distance. As a result, the obsessive GPS runner may speed up or slow down their workout based on an inaccurate GPS reading, and therefore not reach their goal. Learning to pace based upon feel, and only relying on the GPS as a backup, will result in more consistent, successful workouts.

4) Don’t ruin your recovery.

Recovery days. We love them and we hate them. But easy workout days are prescribed for a reason; they allow your body to actively recover between more intense workouts. Now, as we’ve mentioned numerous times already, endurance athletes tend to be slightly obsessed with numbers. And being obsessed can lead to a hatred or dread for seeing a pace much slower than what we know we are capable of. For some people, knowing their pace at any given moment may cause them to push harder than they should for that specific workout. Leaving your GPS at home on easy runs will allow you to relax and focus on your pace based upon listening to your body.

Listen, you don’t NEED to know your pace and distance to enjoy a good run.  And you also don’t NEED to know your pace and distance to become a better runner.  Is the data provided by GPS watches helpful? Absolutely. But can it suck the enjoyment out of running? Yes.  And if you lose the love and thrill for running, what’s the point in even continuing?

So if you find yourself getting frustrated by the numbers that are…or aren’t…showing up on the gadget on your wrist, consider ditching the GPS. At least some of the time.  And remember why you loved running in the first place.