This week continues where I left off last week. I have 10 Life Lessons I learned from running distance, especially the Dopey Event 3 years ago. 4 days, 4 races. I went through the first 5 last week, so here goes the next 5!
6. Push the Boundaries: We can’t always stay in our comfort zone. Whenever we start feeling comfortable with where we are with our exercise, or running routine, we need to increase the challenge. If not, you will never find out how far you can go. This is me holding my medals for completing the marathon portion of the Dopey race, the “Goofy” medal because I did the Half Marathon and Marathon, and the coveted “Dopey” medal, for doing all 4 races over 4 days. This final day was the last 3 medals, but I earned 7 total for those 4 races.
Life Lesson: Only those willing to push the boundaries will be ready for the next challenge that comes into their life. If you are unwilling to challenge yourself, or push yourself, you will stay right where you are, which can become boring and dull in a hurry.
7. Do not burn out:
There is a reason why you need a rest day when you exercise, or at least have recovery days. If you don’t give yourself a break, things become much more turbulent, and you start to not be as efficient, become frustrated and angry, and have an even harder time getting sleep.
Life Lesson: If you continue to push yourself running, or exercising in general, without taking the time to rejuvenate, you will become less effective in everything you do. We all have to take a break, and learn to recover. Your health depends on it!
8. Cross Train:
We may have certain exercises that we like to do, but we have to be able to engage in other activities in order to work other muscles, and prevent breakdown of other muscles. Cross-training can help build up those other muscles, build endurance, and help with recovery from other activities. I have to emphasize this a lot to my running friends. We cannot just run! We have to do other things, and we have to learn to let our bodies recover.
Life Lessons: We cannot just become good, or interested in one thing. We have to have other interests, and explore other hobbies. Life can get really boring otherwise. Besides, you never know what other things you may really enjoy by exploring, and “testing the waters” of other things. It is also a great way to become more motivated in general as well.
9. To each their own:
Each runner, or athlete, (of which we are all athletes!), has their own unique physical and mental attributes. They may work out alone, or in a group, or may like walking, or biking, better. Whatever! The best exercise to do is the one you are going to do!
Life Lesson: There are many unknowns in life, and each person is unique. You have to be able to focus on your own strengths, and continue to keep working on your weakness’s. Just because somebody else may do things one way, does not mean that it may work for you. The opposite holds true as well. You may do things better than somebody else, and where you are strong at, others are not. Play to your own strength’s!!!!
10. Celebrate your success:
Whatever you set as your goal, once it is achieved, it brings about much satisfaction and joy. So celebrate it!
Life Lesson: No matter how small or big the goal, it deserves a celebration, and someone to celebrate it with! Chances are, those same people you are celebrating with helped you achieve those goals in the first place. They deserve to celebrate too! You should not need to have a reminder for this! Just do it! Then things just seem to flow much better with everything in life. You become more efficient. You enjoy life better. You appreciate your life better, and also those people in your life! Then just remember to keep moving everybody!
Warmer spring weather is finally here! With longer days and warmer temperatures brings the chance to get outside and enjoy some physical activity. Along with a well-balanced eating plan, exercise is important both for losing weight and maintaining an overall healthy body and mind.
It is recommended that adults engage in a minimum of 150 minutes each week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 90 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity a week. With planning ahead and setting aside time, you can easily fit 30-60 minutes of aerobic activity into your routine most days of the week. Examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities: walking, water aerobics, bicycling (under 5 mph), tennis (doubles), or ballroom dancing. Examples of vigorous-intensity activities: race-walking, jogging, running, swimming laps, bicycling (faster than 10 mph), tennis (singles), or aerobic dancing. Be sure to chose an activity you enjoy doing!! I included some pictures of my son Corbin–he loves being active–running, playing tag, biking, soccer, you name it, he loves it. Sitting still is not his specialty–something we could learn from! 😉
Choose activities that you will enjoy and can fit into your daily schedule. If you are starting from little to no daily physical activity, begin with five to ten minutes per day. Then increase your duration every week by 10-minute increments until you are up to 30-60 minutes most days of the week. It is important to remember good nutrition is needed for physical performance; carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water are all a part of a well-balanced and healthy diet. No excuses anymore now that the weather is getting nicer!! Get out and get moving!! -Kelsey
Three years ago we were at Disney, and I participated in what is called “The Dopey Challenge”. It involves 4 different races, over 4 days. It starts on day 1 with a 5K run, then 10K run, then 1/2 Marathon, and on the 4th day, a full marathon. 48.6 miles total. You get loaded up on a bus at 3AM each day, and the races officially start at 5:30. You start off in increments of 1000 people, and then it continues every 5 minutes. For that 5K I had not even got to the start line yet at 6:30, and people were already heading back on the buses because they were done! It was an incredibly tough 4 days, but I tell you, the lessons learned from this were huge. Running has taught me many things over the last 44 years that I have been running, but this was like the ultimate in teaching. I have 10 points to make. I will do 5 today, and 5 next week. Here we go!
Finding a sense of Purpose:
This challenge was the ultimate test of one’s endurance. The marathon, at 26.2 miles, was the biggest challenge I had done before, but I had not run 3 races before it in the past. Completing this took a combination of very well thought out ingredients–training, proper sleep, hydration, strategy so that I would not go out too fast on the early races and have nothing left for the biggest distance on the last day. If I was unwilling to follow through on what I thought was a well-defined plan, I would set myself up for failure.
Life Lesson: Defining a purpose and direction is not easy for all of us, but it still needs to be done. You have to have to have the right ingredients combined in order to be a success at anything in our lives.
2. Break it Down:
If I would have looked at this challenge at only the end point, and not planned for each individual day as it came, I don’t think I would have made it. You have to break it apart in manageable pieces. Everything does not seem at it appears. You can look at something many different ways, and still see something different. If you don’t break it down into manageable pieces, the overall task will be daunting, and you will not do it.
Life Lesson: Every one of us needs to have specific sub goals, and different ways to achieve it. Nobody has one set way. You have to learn to be adaptable, and listen to your body, and everything else around you, in order to achieve your end goal, whatever that may be for you.
3. Fail and Learn early
You don’t just wake up one day and think you have all of the answers. You have to learn to make changes on the fly, and accept it. I had never done this before so I had no idea what I was capable of. Was I training too much? Not enough training? Was I letting my body recover? Was I listening to my body? Was I listening to the doubts in my head? I could go on and on. We all make mistakes, but we have to learn from them.
Life Lesson: We have to be able to analyze our failures, and learn to adapt to our plan for our goals. It is never a straight line to our end goal. There are many up’s and down’s, and zig zags, but eventually we get there. If we do not learn from our mistakes, our own personal history, we will just continue to keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Why would we think that if we did not learn to adapt and change, and we kept our plan and routines the same, that the outcome would ever be any different?
4. Feedback is very important:
Distance running can be both an individual sport, and a group sport. A group sport by the support you get from others. I went on the trip with my family, and our neighbors, who are just an extension of our family. I ran the 5K with Steve Hauck; the 10K I ran alone; the 1/2 marathon also included Sarah, my twin daughters Molly and Megan, and Noah Hauck; and the marathon I ran with Carissa Hauck. I may have done all 4 events, but I had help from all of them as well to keep me going, and finish this. I think if I had done them all alone, the experience would not have been nearly as enjoyable. This support and encouragement is what goes into making me, and each of us, a better runner, or walker, etc.
Life Lesson: While it is important to have independence, and to be strong, it is equally important to have a group of people involved with you who give you support, encouragement, and feedback. This helps not only on your training, but with life’s issues in general. This leads into number 5 for today.
5. Spend time alone and in a group:
Runners are at their best when they can balance their time between solo runs, and group runs. When we are alone, we can lose ourselves in thought. When running with a group, you can learn from your peers, as well as being another ear, and mind, to bounce things off, not just about training, but life in general.
Life Lesson: Sometimes we need to be alone, to gather our thoughts, and to try and figure things out on our own. But, it is important to have other people around to learn from, to get and give support to, and to learn from, and teach to. We do not know everything ourselves. Sometimes we need to hear it from others about what has worked, and what has not, not only with training, but again, life in general. We need to both learn, and teach!
This is my T-shirt from that challenge. One of my favorites! I will bring up another 5 points next week as I continue “Dopey Life Lessons”. We all need to have challenges in order to improve ourselves. The Dopey Challenge was mine. We, and I, just need to make sure that those lessons, and choices, in general, are not “Dopey” decisions! Until next week…Keep moving everybody!
Happy Earth Day! Earth day is a great day to celebrate Earth and the support for environmental protection. This is a great day to learn about the Earth but also get some activity doing so with a scavenger hunt! It’s also a beautiful day to be outside…the sun is shining and the temps are warming up again!!
Grandma Gerry (my mom) took my boys on a scavenger hunt in the yard last year. Some things they had to find were: flower, water, tree, spiderweb, antler (Corbin is demonstrating this one ;)), nest, bug, leaf, butterfly, rocks, grass, flower, dirt, water, cloud, etc. Some of these were staged and others not. Do a simple google search for lists to help you! This is a fun way to learn and be active!
Eating right on a budget can be challenging, but it can be done! Check out these tips below to help you eat healthy while watching your budget!
Plan meals around fresh produce, lean proteins, and low fat dairy items that are on sale and utilize sales and coupons. Check store flyers and coupons for additional savings. Compare brands to choose the lowest price. Once you’ve identified the sale items, incorporate them into simple meals—baked, grilled, or broiled meats and fish, add veggies (frozen or canned…or fresh if on sale), and whole grains (brown/wild rice, whole grain noodles, etc…or even a potato—which is cost effective).
Create a shopping list and weekly eating plan and stick to it! Prioritize your food dollars with nutrient rich choices. Prepare your meals with similar ingredients to keep your grocery list minimized. Skip highly processed and packaged foods. They are not so healthy and can add up in spending.
Choose low-cost recipes and meals. Recipes with fewer ingredients are often cheaper and quick to make.
Shop fruits and veggies in season—seasonal produce is at its peak flavor and typically sold at a lower price.
Canned and frozen fruits and veggies can be just as nutritious and offer an alternative to fresh in regards to being more budget friendly. Be sure to check the ingredients and label to avoid items with high or added sugars or salt.
Meat, chicken, and fish are often the highest dollar ingredient in a recipe. Consider buying a larger quantity of meat that is on sale and preparing extra for a few meals. You can also incorporate more non-meat proteins into meals such as beans, nuts, and eggs.
Save leftovers! Freeze them for a later date. Or, keep them in the fridge and eat within a few days.
You can also double a recipe so you’ll have extra for easy meals later that week.
Reduce waste- make the most of your food spending by cutting down on waste. Plan to use highly perishable items first and save more hearty items for later in the week. Incorporate this into your planning!
Tips: Low-Cost Healthy Cooking
• For canned veggies and beans, drain and rinse them before using.
• For frozen veggies, use those without added sauces.
• For canned fruit, drain and rinse it if canned in syrup.
• For frozen fruit, make sure it has no added sugar by checking the ingredient list.
• Cook with less processed grains like regular oats and rice. They cost less than the instant type.
• Drink water with meals instead of buying soda and alcohol.
• For beef, cook with chuck or bottom round roast. These cuts have less fat and cost less. They need to be covered during cooking and cooked longer to make the meat tender.
• When cooking ground meat, drain and rinse it under hot water after cooking.
We all know we are supposed to eat fruits and veggies…and more of them, but the actually doing it part we struggle with. Today’s post gives you some ideas on ways to get your 5 servings a day of fruits and veggies. Remember one serving is equal to 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked. Fruits and veggies are loaded with vitamins and minerals and aid in disease prevention. Including more fruits and veggies in your diet doesn’t have to be a challenging task! And now is a great time to work on improving your intake with more of them since we are home more right now!! Here are some suggestions to help you boost your intake.
1. Variety abounds when using vegetables as pizza topping. Try broccoli, spinach, green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini. 2. Mix up a breakfast smoothie made with low-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana.
3. Make a veggie wrap with roasted vegetables and low-fat cheese rolled in a whole-wheat tortilla.
4. Try crunchy vegetables instead of chips with your favorite low-fat salad dressing for dipping.
5. Grill colorful vegetable kabobs packed with tomatoes, green and red peppers, mushrooms and onions.
6. Add color to salads with baby carrots, grape tomatoes, spinach leaves or mandarin oranges.
7. Keep cut vegetables handy for mid-afternoon snacks, side dishes, lunch box additions or a quick nibble while waiting for dinner. Ready-to-eat favorites: red, green or yellow peppers, broccoli or cauliflower florets, carrots, celery sticks, cucumbers, snap peas or whole radishes.
8. Place colorful fruit where everyone can easily grab something for a snack-on-the-run. Keep a bowl of fresh, just ripe whole fruit in the center of your kitchen or dining table.
9. Get saucy with fruit. Puree apples, berries, peaches or pears in a blender for a thick, sweet sauce on grilled or broiled seafood or poultry, or on pancakes, French toast or waffles.
10. Stuff an omelet with vegetables. Turn any omelet into a hearty meal with broccoli, squash, carrots, peppers, tomatoes or onions with low-fat sharp cheddar cheese.
11. “Sandwich” in fruits and vegetables. Add pizzazz to sandwiches with sliced pineapple, apple, peppers, cucumber and tomato as fillings.
12. Wake up to fruit. Make a habit of adding fruit to your morning oatmeal, ready-to-eat cereal, yogurt or toaster waffle.
13. Top a baked potato with beans and salsa or broccoli and low-fat cheese.
14. Microwave a cup of vegetable soup as a snack or with a sandwich for lunch.
15. Add grated, shredded or chopped vegetables such as zucchini, spinach and carrots to lasagna, meat loaf, mashed potatoes, pasta sauce and rice dishes.
16. Make fruit your dessert: Slice a banana lengthwise and top with a scoop of low-fat frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of chopped nuts.
17. Stock your freezer with frozen vegetables to steam or stir-fry for a quick side dish.
18. Make your main dish a salad of dark, leafy greens and other colorful vegetables. Add chickpeas or edamame (fresh soybeans). Top with low-fat dressing.
19. Fruit on the grill: Make kabobs with pineapple, peaches and banana. Grill on low heat until fruit is hot and slightly golden.
20. Dip: Whole wheat pita wedges in hummus, baked tortilla chips in salsa, strawberries or apple slices in low-fat yogurt, or graham crackers in applesauce.
Source: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: www.eatright.org. http://www.eatright.org/nnm/handoutsandtipsheets/#.UyHnjs47Bw0
