On Sunday I went and bought my first pair of “official” running shoes.  In my town we have a shoe store that specializes in running and walking shoes so I thought I would start there.  It was a lot of fun because they had me walk on this mat and it showed me where the main pressure points on my feet were and what type of arches I have.  Then the girl helping me had me walk around in order for her to determine my pronation.  After we finished with all that good stuff she brought out about 6 different pairs of shoes to try on and I right away fell in love with a pair of Saucony’s.  The shoes just felt like they were made for my feet.   

     Once I got them home I couldn’t wait to take them out on a test drive.  I laced up and headed out.  I must say my feet felt great.  Since I am started out the running process slowly I was walking two minutes running one minute for 30 minutes.  I must say I was proud of myself because I made it the whole 30 minutes.  It isn’t that walking is that hard or that I am out of shape, but running is a lot harder on your body even if you are used to exercising.   

    Anyway, the next day I could feel some muscles in my legs that were sore because they don’t get used often biking.  Other then that I felt good.  I have decided I will just run 3 times a week every other day.  I know running can be hard on my body so I don’t want to get crazy with it just yet.  Tonight was my third night walking/running and I actually enjoyed my time running even though I still think I prefer biking. 

     Overall, I don’t think I will become an uber runner who focuses only on running.  I do enjoy it but there are so many other activities I still want to be able to focus my attention on too.  So, I will continue running until I am able to run a few miles without stopping but I think that will be the max for me.  My goal is to be able to do a 5k.  I have no set timeline but I just know sometime in the future if I was able to enter a 5k and finish no matter what my time was I would feel like a million dollars.  From a girl who used to hate running it is amazing to me I have actually found a little place in my heart for this sport.   

     Lately, I have seen a trend amongst my friends and family.  It seems as if everyone I know has recently or will be running in a marathon.  They are in all different stages of training but I must say they all look great.  In fact I have never seen a runner with a horrible body.  They all just look lean, healthy, and strong. 

     Honestly, I have never been a runner.  There was always something about it I just didn’t get.  I ran for sports and of course I would run my fanny off if someone was chasing me with a knife but other than that I had absolutely no desire.  It seemed like every time I saw a runner they just looked miserable so I didn’t understand why anybody in their right mind would want to run.  Or maybe it was the fact that every time I ran I felt miserable.  Yet with so many people out there who love to run I am really starting to think I might give running a try once again. 

     There are a two main reasons I feel running may not have stuck with me before.  The first is that I never had the dedication to my health.  I now look at running as something that could be great for my body and will help me stay strong.  Before I used to look at running as something I was forced to do in order to play sports.  Playing sports was number one and running was just something that happened to be a part of it.  Now I see that running could be so much more. 

     The second reason I think I left running was because honestly I was not a very good runner.  I was never trained on how to build up my stamina.  It was pretty much just go out there are do it.  I think when you are expected to go out and run a mile when you body has not been trained you are just setting yourself up for failure.  While I struggled to run my mind would start to think how awful running was and I just grew to hate it more and more.  Really, it may not have been the running at all it was just the circumstances in which I was expected to run.    

     So, I think I will give running a shot once again.  Hopefully one day I will get this grand runners high everybody talks about.  I have found a few different websites that have good tips on how to get started and I hope to try them out on Monday.  We shall see how it goes.  If you are a runner and have any great tips chat it up in the comments.  I can use all the help I can get.  For those of you that are not runners but might be interested in getting started here are the links I have found that might also be helpful to you. 

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/exercise/running/3_mile_training_plan.htm

http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/smartcoach/1,7148,s6-238-277-278-0-0-0-0-0,00.html

http://www.thediatribe.net/2006/03/19/how-to-run/

     The great stretch debate, or what feels like a debate.  There are so many articles out there on when and how to stretch.  Do you stretch before a workout, after a workout, or not at all?  I was one of the many people out there who had no clue when I should stretch.  When I was in sports in high school we always did static stretches before we played.  So, when I started working out on my own I once again did static stretches before I did any physical activity.  It seemed to work out fine but I didn’t really feel I was gaining the benefit of any new found flexibility.

     However, a few weeks back in the September issue of Woman’s Health Magazine they had an article talking about the different types of stretches and when you should do them.  As funny as it sounds I never really knew there were different types of stretches.  As far as I knew the only type of stretch was static where you stretch a muscle as far as you can and then hold it there for a few seconds.  I was not only surprised to find out there were different types of stretches but also that they recommend doing one type to start a workout and one type to end a workout.  So, I thought I would give it a shot and see if I noticed any difference using these different stretches both before and after my workouts.

     They suggest you use dynamic stretches before you being your workout and static after.  I had the static stretches down so I only had to learn some new dynamic stretches.  Dynamic stretches are basically movements you make without holding one position.  They had a good variety of dynamic stretches listed but I will show you a few of my favorites from the article.

Walking Stretch

Stand with your feet together and your arms at your sides. Step forward with your left foot and grab your right foot or ankle with your right hand. Keep your torso upright and your right knee pointing straight down as you pull your calf toward your hamstring. Hold for one second, then release the right leg and step forward. Repeat the sequence on the other side. That's one rep. Do 8 to 10.

Walking Spiderman

Lunge forward with your left leg until your left thigh is parallel to the floor. For stability, lean forward and place your right hand on the floor in line with your left foot. With your left hand, grab your right arm just above the elbow; place your left elbow just below your left knee. Squeeze your glutes, step your right leg forward, and return to standing. Repeat on the other side. That's one rep. Do four to five reps without pausing

Hand Walks

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides. Bend forward and place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart; get them as close to your feet as you can without bending your knees (A). Step one hand forward a few inches, then the other, moving into plank position (B). Walk your feet back toward your hands, keeping legs straight. That's one rep. Do four to five.

90-90

Lie on your left side with your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles aligned. Extend both arms in front of you at shoulder height, palms pressed together. At the same time, bring your knees up so they're in line with your hips (A). Keeping your left arm and both legs in position, bring your right arm up and over your body and twist to the right, until your right hand and upper back are flat on the floor (B). Bring your right arm back to the starting position. That's one rep. Do five to six and then repeat on the other side.

     Overall, after adding these dynamic stretches to my workout I have by far gained a great deal of flexibility.  My muscles feel great and honestly I have less soreness after my workouts.  If you haven’t tried dynamic stretches yet I would highly recommend added them to your workout routine.  I think you will be very happy with the results.

*Note all pictures and descriptions are from the Woman’s Health Magazine and are not my own.

     Right now it is almost 10pm and I just finished a great workout and shower.  I love to workout in the evening.  It helps me sweat out all of the stress of the day and it is also when I feel the most motivated.  I can put my headphones on and not have to worry about the kids since they are in bed and my husband can attend to them if needed.  Also, as funny as it sounds, I fall asleep so much easier after a hard workout and shower.  So, I just find I get the best results in the evening.

     However, I have read so many places that if you want to get the most bang for your buck you should workout in the morning.  They list benefits like boosting your metabolism for the day, giving you energy, etc.  I in fact had switched my workouts at one point in my lift to mornings because of these benefits.  I thought I would give it a shot and see if I noticed a difference. 

     First off I had a horrible time getting myself motivated to get up.  It is funny I used to work a job that I had to get up for at 5am and I never had a problem getting out of bed.  I never hit snooze or anything I just got up and got going.  I knew it was something I had to do.  However, when it came to working out I knew it wasn’t something I “had” to do.  Yes it is great for my body but when my alarm would go off in the early morning hours I would shut it off in my groggy state and say I will workout later.

     Then, if I did manage to get myself up I always felt like I wasn’t able to push myself hard enough.  It was like my body was still trying to wake up and I never felt fully functional till the end of my workout.   

     The last thing I noticed was that right after my workout I would feel pretty energized, but then part way through the day I would get really tired.  It was almost as if I needed the extra sleep in the morning to give me energy rather than the workout.  

     Anyway, I just found that in my personal case I really feel I benefit from my workouts the most when I do them in the evening.  When do you work out and why?

I had my husband take an official “before” picture in my weight loss journey.  For myself I really want to use this as a motivational tool.  I was actually surprised by my reaction to the picture.  Some areas of my body that I have been a little conscious of aka my stomach really didn’t looks as bad as I envisioned in my head.  However, areas that I never put much thought into aka my back looked a little worse than I expected.  I’m not sure what drove me to do this but it really was an eye opener.  This may not be the best course of action for everybody but for myself I really think it will be a positive thing.  It helped me see the areas I would really like to focus on.  So, I think I will pop over to Mark Salinas to reread his article on Abdominal Basics and if anybody has any good back exercises feel free to shoot me a message!     

     When I go to the store anymore I always park by a shopping cart rack.  I know that the majority of the time I will have a cart with me when I leave the store because it is easier with two kids.  Generally the racks are a little further out so I have a little bit longer of a walk, but I really don’t mind because it makes it easier to put the cart away when I come out.  Also, any extra walking I can get in a day is a bonus.  If my husband is with me it really isn’t a big deal because while one of us gets the kids in the car the other one can put the cart away.  But if I am on my own I am always by a cart rack.

     So, the other day I was at Target and was following what I believed to be a young grandma, her daughter, and the daughter’s two kids walking out to the parking lot.  They were parked right up front and of course they were not by a cart rack.  As the mom got her kids into the car the grandma put the bags in the back.  After she was done instead of taking the time to walk down the row a little ways to a cart rack she instead ran the cart up onto the landscaping.  As I walked by I just said, “You have got to be kidding me”.  I guess I said it kind of loud because there was a guy walking behind me who saw the whole thing and laughed at my comment.  I bet he was thinking the same thing.  I mean what kept this lady from not putting the cart away?  She wasn’t in a hurry because her daughter was still getting the kids in the car.  It wasn’t an overly hot day so there was no need to hurry into the air conditioning.  I just couldn’t find a reason as to why she wouldn’t take the extra time to put the cart away other then shear laziness.  Here I was by myself with two kids and I was still able to manage to get my cart put away.  There was just no excuse. 

     I guess what really bothers me is that we really have become a lazy society.  There was nothing wrong with this lady that would have hindered her from walking to the cart rack to put her cart away yet she chose to take the easy way out.  It is just like the mall stalkers who follow you out to your car to see if you are parked in a close spot.  If they just parked further away and walked they could already be in the store shopping. 

     All I can say is that in my quest to keep myself and my family fit you will never see me running my cart onto the landscape.  In fact I think even as my kids get older I will continue to make a conscious effort to park farther out.  As I see it every little bit helps so why not take advantage when you can.