Goodbye Cardio!

"If you always do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you've always gotten."

-Tony Robbins

So, most of my friends know that I have been running for almost 20 years.  It's something that I started with my oldest best friend for no reason at all.  There wasn't a whole lot going on in Santa Fe at the time and we were always guaranteed to place because there weren't that many 13 and 14 year old entrants.  Fast forward to today.  I still love to run.  It's mostly because of the endorphins and the stress relief.  Most recently it's because I just enjoy the companionship of my MRTT running buddies.  Also, you can do it anywhere and any time with minimal equipment and preparation.  

But wait a second!  Why the hell do I look exactly the same?  Three miles, or 5 or ten and no change.  WTF?!?!  I've been forced to accept the fact that despite the many benefits of running, muscle sculpting and weight loss are not part of it (for me anyway).  What's the point in hitting that 13.1 if you can't bounce a quarter off your booty? (I haven't actually tried this...yet)

In light of this discovery, I recently joined a weight lifting/figure shaping competition.  It runs for 90 days and to my surprise includes minimal cardio.  I'm back to body weight exercises and good old fashioned heavy lifting.  I didn't expect to enjoy it, but it's not too bad.  Frankly, it's preferable to trying to get in miles with humidity in the 80 and up percentage range.  So farewell to our old friend cardio.  I am on to short runs and HIIT.  

Stay Tuned!

Natasha

P.S.  This post is dedicated to my daughter Olivia who maintains that I look like Beyonce no matter what even thought she has no idea who that is.  

P.P.S.  If you are looking for a running group try www.momsrunthistown.com.

Ten Tunes Tuesday (On the road again... also known as, Becky's never home anymore)

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." -- unknown

Hello, friends! As you can probably already guess, yes... I am on the road once again! I'm back in the San Francisco Bay Area attending a leadership class for work. While I've missed my morning mile already once (more on those in a later blog post), I am happy to report that I kept up my evening strength training and cardio workout. I even managed to get a 3 mile walk in this evening! Woohoo!

I contemplated challenging myself to do a run this evening... I wanted to see if I had improved at all, and figured that the weather this evening was perfect for it. As soon as I laced up my sneakers, however, I decided to take it easy instead. I wanted to actually take my time and get to know my temporary neighborhood in San Ramon. My work commitments have been very stressful over the last 24 hours, so I really just wanted to take it slow, calm down, and relax a bit.

I've taken a number of these "chill out" walks in my adult life, and have found that having soothing accompaning music usually helps prevent me from speed walking and enjoying the feel of the earth under my feet. Tonight's music is just the sort of music I would normally have on my playlist for a walk like today... or any time I just want to slow down, calm down, and relax.

1. John Mayer - "3X5"
2. Al Green - "Take Your Time"
3. Sade - "Mermaid"
4. Ray LaMontagne - "Let It Be Me"
5. Sam Smith - "Lay Me Down"
6. Colbie Caillat - "Droplets"
7. Smokey Robinson - "Tracks of My Tears"
8. James Bay - "Let It Go"
9. Justin Nozuka - "Sweet Lover"
10. John Legend - "Show Me"

Exercising is great. It can make you feel powerful and strong, challenging you to become a better you. It's also a great tool for days like today... when you need to take a step back, relax, reflect, and frankly... just breathe. This music isn't likely to rev your engine, but I hope you find it (or the idea of it) helpful. While it's great that we try to push ourselves daily in our workout routines, it doesn't hurt to take a day off now and then to just regroup too. Remember... even a slow walk is still better than lounging on the couch too!


Anyway, I'm already up too late and have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Hopefully I'll get my morning mile in before class! Wish me luck :)


Cheers!


Becky

Expect Success!!!

I recently wrote this on my mirror at home using an old eyeliner pencil.  I pretty much live my life in various states of stress and duress whether there is a reason or not.  During one of my more recent trips to the negative town I started wondering why I was thinking so negatively to begin with.  Why was I sitting around waiting for the next disappointment?  Why hadn't it occurred to me that a more positive outcome was possible and, frankly, more probable?

Today, I am choosing to be a glass half full kind of girl.  What I've realized is that all of the time that I spend around being annoyed, aggravated, frustrated, depressed, and bored could be better spent putting myself in a position to get the results that I'm looking for.

I forced them to exercise with me by promising them Sweet Frog!

Anyhow, I'm still not in any better shape than I was at the time of my last post (physically anyway). Nevertheless, I am going to continue to ignore my husband's mocking of my motivational mirror messages until I reach my goal.  Stay tuned for news of my upcoming fitness adventure.  If you are too curious, you can visit www.oxygenmag.com/90daychallenge.