Motivation Boards

[ insert apology for being MIA ]

Hello, hello!

I got the privilege of going home to Cincinnati over the Memorial Day weekend. I use the word privilege because that's exactly what it was: 3 days of expensive good coffee, laundry service and free HBO. (What can I say? I'm a one-legged, single 25-year old...I'll take what I can get!)

Anyway, I came home Tuesday morning to my apartment in Columbus and discovered this in my kitchen:

Okay, so it just dawned on me that none of you have been in my kitchen before, and this above picture of my refrigerator most likely means nothing to you whatsoever, BUT, let's pretend, for a minute, that you have been in my kitchen and you would have remembered the front of my refrigerator being scattered with random Save the Date Wedding cards, expired coupons, homemade flower magnants from an ages 4 and up craft box (thanks Mom) and probably some over-due bills.

So now, when you see this picture:

You'll notice that all the clutter that once decorated my roommate's and I's fridge is now replaced with .... positive words and phrases... a MOTIVATION BOARD, er MOTIVATION FRIDGE!

My roommate got busy over the weekend and put this all together for us. She is getting married in the fall, and we decided together over the Memorial Day Weekend (more specifically during an oh-so-healthy bar crawl to raise money for cancer) that we were really getting down to business in regards to our health. 

side note - I'm still trying comprehend the whole "lets all drink alcohol to raise money for cancer, but increase our risk of getting cancer along the way" mentality. I will say it was a fun day, but one of those days that is only semi-acceptable every 365 days. 

The pictures are all about exercising and choosing the right foods.

Here are some of my favorite:

Yep, I'm not shy about wanting Carrie Underwood's legs. 

On top of healing my ankle and slowly getting back into running, I've got lots going on with multiple weddings and racing events this summer, and I know I need to be in tip top shape in order to put my best effort and performance forward. Everyone needs a little push in the right direction, even perfect little nutrition angels such as myself :) (HA!)

Do you guys like to use visuals to help reach a goal?

Would you ever consider making a motivational board?

Stay Healthy,

Drive and Determination

As of lately, I've been feeling a little sorry for myself. I've been dealing with a running injury for quite some time now and it's finally starting to mess with head a little bit - as any athlete (I use this term very loosely) can relate, it's just a tad frustrating when just a few months back you ran 26 miles and now can't even crank out 1 lonely mile without stopping due to pain and discomfort. But at the risk of getting too personal, I'll leave my little sob story at that.

I bring this up because instead of venturing out for my standard long run Saturday morning, I found myself indoors, on a bike, warming up for an 8am spinning class at my local gym - not the first place I wanted to be, but definitely not the last. Depending on the instructor, the class typically begins with a brief rundown of what sort of ride we would be doing - in most cases it's an interval ride with absolutely no rhyme or reason for doing hills or flat road besides the fact that it goes along with the beat of the newly released, and already overplayed,  Ke$ha song, so I was more than surprised when the instructor began explaining each interval, and how our heart rates were going to increase then decrease then hit our max.... etc, etc.

S, after already surpassing my expectations as a spinning instructor, minutes into the ride, the instructor did a 180, took her fitness hat off and launched into a motivational speech:

"Just think... everyone else is either at home still in bed, or drinking their coffee and reaching for a second bagel, but you are here, strong and ready to work.... why? because you have drive...... and you have determination."

Drive and determination. I loved it.

And I loved it because it is applicable to so many different aspects of our lives.
It takes determination to finish a race.
It takes drive to wake up early and workout.
It takes determination to not give in to that 3pm candy bar.
We must be driven and we must be determined to make healthy choices in order to live a happy and healthy life.

Now. Listen carefully. I'm very reluctant to do this in light of the lack of commenting from everyone who read this - however, because I'm determined to make my idea a success, I'm going to go ahead and follow through with my "aha" moment of the week....

Up at the top of my blog - where the recipe tab is - you will see a brand-spankin' new tab that reads "Drive and Determination."

Everyone with me?
Good. Super.

This tab will serve as a source of motivation for you guys, the readers, to brag and announce about what you did to make your life healthy and positive that day because you had drive and you had determination to do so. This can be as huge as finishing a marathon or as small as taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work. I don't care. As long as it is something healthy, and something positive and something that took you a little extra work and determination to get it done.

You can do this by either tweeting, facebooking or emailing me your accomplishment or simply just making a comment in one of the posts. This is your chance to brag about yourself and your chance to help motivate others.

Let's do it guys.

Stay Healthy,