I NEED ICE CREAM, STAT!!!

Hello! How is everyone? Good? Great? Grand?

Perfect! Let's jump right into things this beautiful Wednesday afternoon, shall we?

Emotional Eating. 

source

Blech. 

To say I've been stressed out lately might be the understatement of the year. In the past 2 weeks, I have gotten my bike stolen, lost my wallet, and destroyed my Macbook - all while trying to prepare for multiple friends' weddings, write a maid of honor speech and find an apartment to move into in less than 3 weeks. AHHH!

Before my ankle surgery, my solution to any kind of stress I've dealt with was to throw on my running shoes and hit the pavement for a good 7 or 8 mile run.... double digits once the weekend came. But since that is obviously not in the cards this summer, I found myself resorting to the next best thing - food.

source

It took about 2 weeks and a minor panic attack due to yet another pair of clothing not fitting, to realize what I had been doing.... emotional eating.

"I'm so stressed out, I need a cookie."

"Happy hour drink? Please. My week has been a nightmare."

"My water bottle leaked all over my computer, I need ice cream STAT." 

With two impending weddings and just wanting to feel better about myself, I sat down and took a couple of minutes to assess the situation and address the following questions - what can I do differently and how can I change the situation. 

The solution was simple - don't buy the junk that promotes emotional eating. That bag of dark chocolate that you think you can have one morsel and stop after dinner. That bag of sweet potato Pop Chips that let's face it, can be downed in one sitting.... don't buy them. If they're there, they will be eaten. If they're not there, you can't eat them!

Some other things that can help when you've hit your max and all you want is a gallon of ice cream:

• Call up a friend and chat. 
• Ask yourself why you're eating. Are you hungry? Are you bored? Are you going to feel any better after chugging that milkshake?
• Go for a run or a walk.
• Read a chapter in a good book. 
• Write in a journal. 
• Keep a food journal. 

I found the below picture on Pinterest. It's a pretty decent flow chart on what to do when you feel like you need something. 

Now I know all this is a lot easier said than done. But next when you feel like you just need that cookie, or you deserve that self-serve frozen yogurt, take a minute and ask yourself why you're eating it. 

Emotional eating happens to the best of us. 

Don't let it control you. 

Stay Healthy, 

Start NOW.

Hi all! Happy Friday! Is everyone ready for the weekend? Anyone doing anything fun? Everyone going to Run Fest tomorrow? I'll see you there!

Anyway, I'd like to take the time to discuss a somewhat personal issue - weight.
duh. duh. duhhh.

Whether you walk away from this post with assurance that you're not alone in this constant battle of maintaining a healthy weight, or if you skip off with a big fat smile on your face, knowing that the girl who tells you to eat broccoli and kale has her own issues with weight - I hope this post serves some sort of purpose for you and isn't solely just a way for me to get my butt into gear.

At any rate, I could talk for hours, and in all reality, easily write a 230 page book about my past history with weight-related issues, but I'm not one to spill my guts on the first date. So with that being said, let's focus on the what's going on today, right now on this, yet again, hot, sticky and humid Friday.

Since graduating college in 2008, I took a very strong interest in running. I went from barely being able to complete a loop around my meager half mile block to finishing 26.2 miles, twice. I found myself opting out of the late night bar scene for the chance to get to bed early so I could wake up early and get an easy 8 miles in before the day started. Between averaging at least 25 miles a week, plus additional spinning classes, there was no room or even desire to not choose a healthy diet.... (with the occasional bowl of ice cream or seasonal draft, of course).

Things were going great, until disaster struck. (ok, ok, that was a slight huge exaggeration)

Things were going great, until a major minor moderate setback struck (that's probably more accurate). After a year of chronic ankle issues, the worst was finally brought to light - torn tendon in the ankle. If I wanted an active life free of pain and arthritis, surgery was the only option.

I went from this:

to this:

That's a whole lot of sitting around. 

And a whole lot of ....

• "suuure I'll meet you for happy hour, I don't have anything else to do!"
• "I deserve dessert, I just had surgery"
• "I can't work out in the morning, of course I can stay out later"

But guess what? Grace period is over. Time to get my butt into gear - not so I can fit into my multiple bridesmaid dresses later this summer, but so I can feel good and feel healthy and feel strong. 

I have officially started physical therapy and have been given a few liberties when it comes to exercise. It's time to break up with my couch and my feel sorry for me attitude and start some new relationships.... stationary bikes? swimming? saying no to evening ice cream trips? I don't know! The possibilities are endless. 

I'm newly motivated and I'm excited to share my enthusiasm for getting back to what makes us feel good and feel healthy with others who may be struggling as well. 

Don't start tomorrow. Start today. 

Don't start later. Start NOW.

On that note... I'm off to the gym... see you guys later!

Stay Healthy,

Eat More Food.

I'm at loss for words today. I figure this will suffice for today.

Stay Healthy,

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,

My Surgery Experience

Alright ladies and gentlemen, since I've gotten ZERO suggestions on topcis to blog about over the past week, ya'll get to deal with my sob story that I've endured for the past week. (not to worry though... we'll wrap this all together with some healthy living tie in at the end)

For as long as I can remember, I've always been involved in a competitive sport:

I started basketball and softball at a very young age, worked my way through several years of AAU teams, played on my grade school's volleyball and softball teams, spent a few years in high school on the cross country team, D1 state champ basketball team and eventually found myself on the tennis team my last couple years. My "adult years" if you will, consisted of 4 years of singles and doubles play on my college's  varsity tennis team, some adult USTA tennis leagues and a few half marathons and marathons.

Believe it or not, throughout all of that wear and tear on my body over 22 years, the only injury I've ever had to deal with was a broken thumb during high school - and even then my participation wasn't restricted in games, practices or even open gyms. So to say I've been somewhat blindsided by this surgery, might, if we're exaggerating a little bit, be the understatement at my life at the moment.

Besides the excruciating pain on day 2 and 3 of this ordeal, I have to admit that life wasn't all that bad the first week or so- I woke up every morning to my mom bringing me multiple cups of quality, I-am-an-established-adult-so-I-can-buy-the-good-stuff kind of coffee, I got to catch up on an embarrassing amount of How I Met Your Mother episodes and sadly, my biggest concern was a toss up between beating my high score in Tetris or when I was supposed to take my pain medication..... as you can see... life was tough, rough, okay, it wasn't all that bad  (minus the times I had to use the restroom, but I think the difficulty of that task is implied). 


Alright. So remember about 20 seconds ago when I said things weren't all that bad for the first week? Haha... well, week 2 started off a tad more interesting to say the least....

After having been off work all last week, and hiding away in the care of my wonderful Mom, I admit I was a tad excited to get back to my apartment, my friends and my work. However, my excitement quickly took a nose dive when Monday morning arrived and I  found myself sitting on the couch, my coffee still in the kitchen, my leg propped up on pillows and my clothes upstairs, that the realization of me being completely on my own smacked me right in the face.

• no mom to bring me coffee
• no mom to give me the TV remote
• no mom to cover my cast with a garbage bag before I shower
• no mom to drive me places and hold my crutches
• no mom to cook me dinner
• no mom to... DO EVERYTHING!

5 months ago I was training for a marathon...I was running 25+ miles a week...I was jumping up off the couch  for more coffee....I had hopes to finish a triathlon this summer,  and now I can't even stand to take a shower, or  even walk up the stairs to get ready for work. 

I wanted to cry. I wanted to call off work. I wanted to call my mom and tell her I was coming home. I wanted to do anything and everything possible that didn't require any effort from me. I gave up before I had even tried - one of the worst things you can do in any situation.


Once my 3 minute meltdown came to a close, I got myself into a functioning state and headed for the stairs. Between my crutches, my totally stylish knee scooter, anything I could grab a hold of and my shower chair, I eventually made it into my car. I had done it. From there on out, I began trying new things and new ways of going about everyday tasks. I past with flying colors on a lot of my tasks, but I also failed miserably on just as many. The important part of it all, however, was that I was trying. I wasn't giving up. 


And that right there is what I'd absolutely love for everyone who is still reading this to take to heart - Don't Give Up. So many times we talk ourselves out of doing things simply because we're afraid we're going to fail, or we think we can't do it. Well, guess what, you'll never know if you don't try.

Take me story and apply it to your life.
Losing Weight?
Needing to exercise more?
Looking to break your half marathon time?

Take chances.

Try things.

Don't give up.

Stay Healthy,

90% - Cap City Recap

Hello, hello!

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. Mine was super busy... full of race expos, quarter marathon walking, half marathon spectating, celebrations with friends and my Godchild's 1st Communion on Sunday.

I recently saw a quote on some social media outlet that read 

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." 

I would absolutely love to take the time and reflect on the different sorts of things this quote can be applied to in everyone's life, but I figured I could waste your time more effectively by sharing my own life event and how I reacted and responded to the situation. (and besides, I've always wanted to do a race recap blog post)

So long story severely shortened, I've had an ankle issue for quite some time now and was unable to run the half marathon this past Saturday. Instead of being a total brat and wallowing in self pity, I decided to make the best of it and walk the quarter marathon alongside my also ailing sidekick:

The above picture was taken at the point when the quarter marathoners veered off the half marathon course. I'd be lying if I said we weren't disappointed, but after boosting each other's morale, we were somewhat happy with the fact that we were at least out doing something and not sitting back at the apartment watching wedding reality TV shows. 

Along our 6.55 journey, we snapped some photos of our favorite city:

Cheered along the half marathoners:

Took some time to document our optimism:

And overreacted to a black cat crossing our paths:

We decided before starting the race that we wanted to run the last half mile. At about mile 6, we picked up our walk to a decent jog and eventually ended up sprinting to the finish line.

We crossed the finish line at 1:34 and averaged a 14:24 pace. We were pleased. Walking is tough. In addition to the multiple blisters I formed, both me and my roommate woke up Sunday morning stiff and sore. 

From what I've heard it was a tough race. It sounds like the humidity was a HUGE factor for lots of people. Hopefully everyone who is reading this, and who ran the race, took my hydration advice and rocked out the race.

Congratulations to everyone who had a successful race!

So whether you're recovering from an injury, trying to lose weight, or just trying to adapt to a healthy lifestyle, remember it's what YOU make of it and how YOU react. 

Stay Healthy and Happy,

Walking... Better Than You Think

Morning!

I think in a past life I was a short story writer, because I always find myself knee deep in a totally unnecessary intro story about a 2- maaaybe 3 minute occurrence that happened to spark an idea for a blogpost. So before I get too deep into this introduction.... I'm going to stop myself and (try to) get to the point....

So Saturday morning I had planned to attend an 8am spinning class at my local gym. I had all intentions of getting there early to start a new weight program my friend at work designed in order to prevent any summer wedding arm flabbiness... everything was going great... woke up early on my own, had some coffee, caught up on what I missed overnight on twitter and pulled into the parking lot with just the right amount of time to throw some weights around before class... only I pulled into the parking lot and noticed a large group of people milling around outside of the gym doors... after noticing some disgruntled faces, and further hearing bits and pieces of members' conversations... my worst fear of the morning was true - the gym was closed.

Something about a fire alarm and the fire department not being able to turn it off and because of this no one could go inside which met no spinning class for me.

No spinning class. No gym. No running.
With all my usual exercise outlets out of the picture I wasn't sure what to do. Initially, I was going to call the day a wash... but what kind of healthy blogger would I be if I did that! So instead of sulking around for the rest of the day, I dug deep and pulled out my inner Cathy Gilliam (that's my mom) and went out for a walk. I did 3 miles at a decent speed. Not only did I feel awesome about getting outside and getting my blood flowing, but surprisingly, I woke up the following morning... sore!

As a die-hard runner, opting to walk over run always seems like a failure... but is it?

The answer is no.
You can reap just as many benefits from *walking as you can from running.

Referring to calories burned... a person walking 5 mph and a person running 5 mph will burn the same amount of calories (given they weigh the same)  Check out this chart:

The thing to remember when exercising is that you will burn more calories at a higher intensity and you will burn more calories during a longer workout. A 45 minute casual walk will not burn as many calories as an intense 45 minute track workout, just as a ten minute walk won't burn as many calories as a 2 hour run. 

8 Benefits of Walking from Rodale.com

• deflects diabetes
• increased sex drive
• saves on gym costs
• decreased use of medication
• can help fade fibromyalgia
• can help beat breast cancer
• reduces your risk of stroke
• better mental health

So, the moral of my long-winded story?

• Walking can be just as effective as running
• Walking is 200 times better than sitting on the couch
• Walking is a great form of exercise

So next time when you are kicked out of the gym, or your spinning class is filled up or you simply hate running... go for a walk.... you're doing more good for your body than you really think. 

Have a great Tuesday guys!

Stay Healthy,

*walking - this is not referring to a brisk pace... not a casual stroll in the park.

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,

Songs that Motivate

Hola and happy Friday!

I'm in a particularly good mood today. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I found out my apartment building is replacing our back patio door and windows next week, or the fact that I can officially throw my hair into a messy bun... but since this is the least of any of your guys' worries... let move onward and talk about what gets you moving or what pumps you up.

As I've said before - eating the right foods is key to a healthy body, but so is exercise. And if you don't have the luxury of a good looking, male personal trainer on a weekly basis to get your butt into gear, the only person who can really get you movin' is yourself. And while there are SO many different ways and methods to do so, only you know what it is you need to work up a good sweat.

How do you motivate yourself to workout?

Music is the one thing that will always fire up my motivation to work out. Whether it be while I run, during a spinning class or even at a gym while doing torture moves to help my ankle... I love it.

I've been listening to my ipod for many, many miles in the past couple years and there are still songs that always seem to make the cut.... here are my
Top 5 Workout / Motivation / Inspiration Songs:

(please take note that you are entering a judgement-free zone

1. Heart of a Champion - Nelly 
2. Firework - Katy Perry
3. Till I Collapse - Eminem 
4. Extraordinary - Liz Phair 
5. Shut Up - Trick Daddy

Fitness Magazine has several different "Best of..." playlists for working out to... here are their top 10 picks for "Best Workout Songs of ALL TIME...."

1. "Get Down Tonight" - KC and the Sunshine Band
2. "Rock and a Hard Place" - The Rolling Stones 
3. "Dancing with Myself" - Billy Idol 
4. "Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor 
5. "Burning Up" - Madonna 
6. "Beat It" - Michael Jackson 
7. "Walk This Way" - Run-DMC 
8. "Strike It Up" - Black Box 
9. "Seven Nation Army" - The White Stripes
10. "Stronger" - Kanye West

Thoughts? Comments? Agree? Disagree? Gettin down tonight?

Or are you so motivated already that you've stopped reading my blog and are already out the door and in your car on the way to the gym?

What are your favorite songs to workout to?


Have an awesome and safe weekend!

and stay healthy,