Out of Time!

Hello friends!  

Although it has been longer than I would prefer, rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.  Well, maybe not, if you expand your definition of demise to mean the loss of pretty much all free or down time.  Whenever people would tell me that they "didn't have time" to exercise, I would roll my eyes a little.  What do you mean you don't have time?  Obviously, if you're not exercising, you're just not making it a priority in your life, right?  Well, now I just feel like those silly people who give out parenting advice before they have kids.  I really want to exercise, but I can't.  I just don't have the time!




My health is still (sort of) a priority in my life.  (I can say that with a reasonably straight face despite having neither a piece of fruit or a vegetable all day yesterday).  It's just that sometimes it falls down a little bit on the totem pole.  Exercise or sleep?  Exercise or study? Exercise or Young & the Restless? And so on and so.  The days when I can spend a whole hour or more in the gym are gone.  I have to focus on being efficient if I'm going to bother at all.  I've been reduced to quick runs, HIIT training or the speediest of circuits at the gym.  Suddenly, I'm feeling nostalgic about those long runs (unbelievable)!  

So, what's a girl to do?  What are some ways that you have been able to sneak fitness into a busy daily existence?  By all means, let me know and I'll try to post again before 2018.  
:)

Natasha

Good Morning, Miles!

"You only get what the day gives you." -- unknown

Hello, friends. Tomorrow is the first day of our "100 Miles of Running" summer challenge. Are you ready? Did you write it down? Did you lace up your shoes? Are you ready? Are you really? :)

My niece is back for another four week visit this summer, and I talked her into reviving our "Morning Mile" routine while she is here. I meant to write about this last summer, but I never got around to it. Quite frankly, it's hard to keep up with my writing with my work schedule as it is, and having her here makes it even harder to find the time. Alas, I found the time to write this today so here it is!

So, why a Morning Mile? When Kaitlyn visited last summer, she came across an article about a school program with the same name . Dubbed "The Morning Mile," the program was initiated by fitness expert, Fitz Koehler, as a way to encourage kids across the country to incorporate fitness into their morning routines.  The program has flourished, and can now be found in over 200 schools across the country. The purpose? To combat obesity while providing children with an outlet for their energy so they can focus remaining energy on learning throughout the day. 

While reading about the program, I remembered my running routine back in college and how much it would help me focus during the day. While I always enjoyed running in the evening, it was the days that I also ran in the morning that seemed to make me feel the best. Why? Well, waking up with a run (or walk) is a great way to quick-start your metabolism. It helps your body wake up naturally, making you more alert and more productive earlier in the day. And if you run in the morning, you're not as apt to find an excuse to cancel plans to run later in the day. Winning all around! With this in mind, I talked to Kaitlyn and we decided to take the "Morning Mile" challenge. During her three week stay last summer, we completed our Morning Mile routine for about 80% of her stay! Woot!

When Kaitlyn was planning her annual visit this year, she asked if we would again do our Morning Mile routine. I enthusiastically said yes, and added her to our "100 Miles of Running" summer challenge on Facebook. Today was her first full day with me and, true to our word, we did our Morning Mile bright and early with the sunrise. I was so proud of her. She just got out of school on Friday, and she still managed to go to bed early and rise with me and the sun. I really hope we can hit 100% compliance with our commitment this summer. It will be good for both of us!

It really gives me a lot of joy to have my niece here, and to see her so interested in fitness. It also keeps me accountable - I know she looks up to me, so my lazy days mean lazy days for her too. If you care to follow our fitness adventures this summer, I'll try to update this blog and our Occasionally Fit Instagram page. I encourage you to consider committing to a summer fitness routine too. It doesn't have to be a Morning Mile, but getting up (and getting moving) should be something that we all aspire to achieve! Have a healthy, happy week, y'all!

Cheers!

Becky

Century Run in the Sun

"Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must;

just never give up." -- Dean Karnazes

I stumbled upon the Instagram account of a girl who was starting to run shortly after I registered for the Star Wars Half last summer. To keep her motivated, she committed to a challenge she called "100 Miles of Running" for the summer. It was inspiring to watch - I had recently decided to take up running again myself, but was struggling with consistency. She ran over 100 miles last year, while I just hit the 90 mile mark by the end of what she called summer.

That was last year. I racked up well over 150 miles during December and January alone, and have run roughly that in the 3 months since my half marathon (kinda pathetic, I know, but I'm getting back at it slowly). A back and neck injury this week, combined with a crazy work schedule, led to a flirtation with apathy that I would really like to reverse. I started off the month of May strong - committed to my diet, and greatly committed to my workout routine. Post-Tinkerbell, I still did ok. Sure, I had a few slips, but I basically stuck to my diet and did 90% of my scheduled workouts. I started this week out better... but found myself eating popcorn and staying inside almost all day on Friday. This is a slippery slope for a girl who named her blog "Occasionally Fit," so I'm going to do my best to reverse this course of inaction.

Enter... 100 miles of summer! Yes, I've decided to join my Instagram friend, Jenn, and have committed to do 100 miles of running this summer. Now, if I actually stick to the running plan tacked up in my cubicle at work, I should far exceed this 100 mile number. But 100 miles seems like a good goal for two months, so I figure I'll see how it goes. Yes... this is only for 2 months. I have decided that "summer" is not the season in the calendar sense; rather, I am making my "summer" start on June 1st and run through the end of July. Why those dates? Well, most people I know consider Memorial Day weekend the beginning of summer, but I like to start on the 1st so I figured June 1st would work as well as any. I'm targeting to complete this through the end of July because 3+ months gives me too much leeway to be lazy... and ain't nobody got time for dat!

For those of you who follow Natasha and my adventures on Facebook, I'll be setting up an event for those interested in playing or following along (you can join here). You don't have to be a runner to participate - you can walk, skip, or bike to get your miles. This is more for me than anything else, but I'd love to see everyone else get committed to a fit summer too. Hope you'll join me!

Until next time, my friends...

--- Becky

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." -- John Bingham