These words ring so true. Sometimes people’s comments about the amount of time I spend exercising make me feel selfish. Taking care of yourself is not selfish-rather the opposite! Start your week off by taking care of YOU!
Happy Monday!
Category Archives: Motivation Monday
{Motivation Monday-Don’t quit once you’ve come so far!}
I saw this photo below and it has always been one of my motivations to keep training, making new goals, and signing up for new races. The sheer fear of getting out of shape and having to fight and claw my way back to fitness is enough to keep me running often even when I’m not training for something. Even on days when I don’t feel like working out I know the experience will be WAY better than if I miss a bunch of workouts.
Those first weeks of starting anything new are hard, painful, and full of opportunities to fail. For many of you, you fought through those days and weeks like a trooper! Why would you throw all that hard work away? Rest days are necessary, but take too many and you’ll be back to the beginning-a dark place to be!
People often refer to my marathon running to the likes of masochists. To me, the true masochists are the people who start to workout, get frustrated, and quit. Then repeat this process over and over! Talk about painful!
If you’ve recently fought through the rough battle of beginning to exercise, don’t forget how hard you worked. Do NOT give up on the progress YOU’VE made. You deserve to keep going! Think of that struggle as motivation to never be back there again.
If you’ve let yourself slide a bit (or a lot), then there is no easy way to get it back. Put on your big kid undies and saddle up!! In a few days/weeks you will be so proud of yourself and glad you did.
So, don’t be a quitter because you know what they say about quitters!
Happy Monday!
{Motivation Monday-New Shoes}
One of the best motivators to workout is new workout gear. With running, a new pair of shoes makes me smile each time I put one foot in front if the other and am looking down. My knees also thank me and always let me know when a new pair is needed. This is by the way the ONLY time my knees ever bother me for all those people out there that use this as a reason not to run!
Each new pair of running shoes comes with the new running shoe smell that I’ve come to associate with hope, excitement, and butterflies in my stomach. Yes, I spend time sniffing my new running shoes often those first days because we know they won’t smell like that for long!
My new running shoes!
Why am I smelling my running shoes? The smell of new running shoes takes me back to my high school cross country and track days when new shoe smell meant a new season was about to begin. Hard work in the form of hill repeats, tempo runs, intervals, and repeats was all before you. New goals were being written down and imagined in that new shoe smell. Dreams of races, new PR’s, and conference championships were all waiting in that new shoe smell. That smell was both crazy exciting and nerve wracking at the same time! Today one whiff of that new running shoe smell and I am 16 again, butterflies in my stomach, about to start a new season of cross country.
Today new shoe smell brings with its new laces the promise of great runs in the future. Perhaps a new PR will happen in these shoes, a beautiful new trail discovered and explored, or a new favorite race ran. The hope in the new shoe smell is only limited by where your feet take them. Who knows where these new shoes will take me?
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YHqNpto9ooY
Where will your shoes take you?
Happy Monday!
{Motivation Monday-Create a New Playlist}
So even though yesterday’s run was not really helped that much by the awesome playlist I created a couple of days ago, I still have faith in the music. Just because Macklemore didn’t help get my quads going, doesn’t mean anything for future runs. Music has always been a huge help for me when running. I tend to change my playlists up at least each season. Yes, I put some Christmas music on during the months of November and December. I always change up my list before a big race, too.
When I opened the newest addition of Self magazine, which came in the mail Saturday, they are had chosen 50 songs to power your next workout session. Selections were made by Ke$ha, Carly Rae Jepsen, Ellie Goulding, and employees of Self, and some other singers. Their choices are below.
My current playlist has several of their choices on there, too. I like to throw some slower songs on in the middle to make sure I’m not running too fast. I also often start playing my music with these songs so I don’t start runs too fast. I’ve been known to get into my music a bit too much and soon I’m flying along too fast or worse-singing quietly while I run. Nobody wants to hear that-trust me! Often I’m high when this happens. People relax, a runner’s high, that euphoric feeling when all is right with the world and the run. My current playlist is below.
Side Note: Yes, Justin Bieber is on my playlist. Boyfriend is about to be cut though. I used to like the song; now every time I hear it I skip it. I imagine runner hell to be handcuffed to a treadmill with Boyfriend on repeat (or Call Me Maybe) for an indefinite amount of time. Scary stuff!
When making your own playlist Self gave several tips to ensure they help you with your next workout. The list should not be just songs you like and the worst part-they say you shouldn’t be listening to these songs at ANY OTHER TIME! How am I supposed to jam to Get Lucky and Blurred Lines during the day if I follow this rule.
I refuse to follow this rule. I get it, but if I get sick of a song and it stops motivating me then it is cut from my playlist. Then I search for something new. That is part of the fun! Making a new playlist makes me want to run just so I can listen to it.
Self Playlist Tips-
1) Warm Up Music should be about 120 Beats Per Minute (BPM)
2) Sprint or Kick It Up music-around 145 BPM
3) Recover music-130-140 BPM
4) Cool Down-under 110 BPM
If you go on iTunes you can actually search for music by the songs BPM. I usually just choose catchy songs that I like and arrange them by how much they pump me up. Less so at the beginning, more so in the middle, fist pumping next, followed by some chill tunes. Since everybody has a different fitness level and fitness goals, below is a more structured approach if you’d like to get your heart rate going higher than the Self suggested rates.
Stuck in a rut? Feeling unmotivated? Make a new playlist! All this music talk; it’s time to run!
Happy Monday!
{Motivation Monday}
Run for whatever reasons you have…
Source: 30.media.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest
Run from people chasing you. As in one of my favorite Nike commercials starring a former Olympic runner from Wisconsin, a role model of mine growing up, and someone I got to meet with my cross country athletes a few years ago-Suzy Favor Hamilton.
While she has had a rough year, to those who are quick to pass judgement, remember the saying that you can’t really understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. Unless you’ve “run” a mile in her shoes, remember she still earned more records in high school and in the NCAA while at UW-Madison than anyone else from Wisconsin to date. Even elite runners are entitled to run from something. What do you run from?
I run from _________________. You fill in the blank.
Happy Monday!
{Monday Motivation}
So, I don’t know many people who don’t like bacon. That’s the reason you can get bacon inspired almost anything these days. From candles to vodka, bacon is everywhere. Now this post isn’t about bacon rather the idea of working out in order to eat whatever food it is you love. Awww…sad i know! One of the reasons I love running is you can enjoy those foods you love without going up a pant size the next day. I’ve NEVER been one to black list foods or not allow myself to eat the things I really enjoy, however there are too many times when one treat becomes two or three.
Lately as life got busy and stressful I found it hard to eat well. And now I can FEEL it in everything I do. I feel tired, I feel weak, and I feel lazy. My runs feel like crap. My face looks like I should have just turned 13. Today’s motivation is really about the balance between what we eat and how we feel.
Since we really are what we eat, yesterday we went grocery shopping to bring back the healthy foods we like and need to eat. I Pinterested my way through a bunch of new recipes which I’ll share the best ones. Getting organized is what I find to be the key to eating healthy and living a fast paced life.
Step 1-Plan meals out and make lists of what you need to buy. Next to produce rank food with a 1-4. Ones are foods that spoil in one week, twos spoil in two weeks or less, etc. I got this idea from this blog where you can read more about how she sticks to a budget while buying healthy food.
Step 2-Eat before you go to the grocery store. Empty stomachs do not equal good food choices or friendly wives. 😉
Step 3-Buy groceries.
Step 4-Unpack groceries and cut up produce. Yes this takes time, 1.5 hours for me last night, but you are much more likely to snack healthy and prepare meals at home when busy if you’ve taken a bit of time to do this in advance.
Step 5-Put food in refrigerator based on the number you gave it. Shelf 1=eat during week 1.
These steps make healthy eating more convenient and you won’t waste any of the precious produce you bought. This week commit to eating well and making healthy food choices. Make your choices livable, ones you can continue with for life. Sure you can still have your bacon…or whatever your favorite food, but remember to balance it out with some good for you stuff too. Your mind and body will thank you!
Happy Monday!
{Motivation Monday}
Source: ernestnulists.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest
After struggling to stick to my training plan this week and having a rough time with what should have been an easy run on Friday, I need to realize that while my legs and heart want me to be further in my fitness-the reality is…I’m not. I need to adjust my plan while keeping my goals! No matter where you are in your fitness making adjustments is sometimes necessary. It doesn’t mean we’ve failed or that we should give up. Sometimes we simply need to adjust out timelines. Other times we need to add elements that are missing. Or it might be we haven’t put the necessary time or effort into meeting our goal. Instead of getting upset or frustrated remember why YOU made the goal in the first place and adjust. I’m not giving up on my goals, rather just modifying how I will get there. What will you do when you have a setback?
Happy Monday!
{Motivation Monday}
Memorial Day is a day to be thankful for the service of men and women in the military whose dedication to our country has granted us the rights and freedoms we take for granted everyday. As a female American, I often think about how any day or night I can walk out my front door in shorts and run anywhere I want. If I lived elsewhere in the world, those freedoms I have might not be a reality.
Remembering these freedoms should be motivation enough to hit the pavement this week. How fitting that I often feel the most free when I am running, too. How different our world would be without the bravery of those in the military. Thank you to all the men and women who are serving or have served our country. It is because of you I can enjoy these freedoms everyday!
This week run because you are free. Run to be free…from stress, anxiety, whatever you need.
Happy Monday!
{Motivation Monday}
Source: eckerled.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest
As I embark on a new marathon training plan for the Big Cottonwood Marathon in September, I need to embrace the above message. In order to accomplish my goal, I will need to recognize and be prepared for all of the above. Sacrifice, dedication, and willpower will get the goal in the end. Whatever your goals are remember this message. Embrace the sacrifice and hurt. Reaching your goal WILL be worth it.
Happy Monday!
{Motivation Monday}
Source: fitsugar.com via Sarah on Pinterest
It you don’t try, then you won’t have the chance to succeed. If you don’t put your all in, then don’t expect to get your all in results. I’m working on updating my fitness and life goals this week. What are you working on improving? Setting goals and creating change is hard, but worth it in the end. This week find you umph and go for it!
Happy Monday!
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