Setting scary 2015 fitness goals...

In one day we will be ringing in 2015 and I have set myself up for some scary fitness goals. Beginning January 1 I will be running at least 5.5 miles per day in order to complete 2,015 miles in 2015. Yes, that means I need to run EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. and yes, that is a lot of miles, but I am excited and incredibly nervous. Signing up for a goal that lasts 365 days is daunting, but I am ready for the challenge. I am hoping to run two half marathons this year, which will help to get two days of running done in one day, so I'll earn myself a rest day :).

Interested in signing up to run 2,015 miles, check out the Run the Edge site for more information. You can run it solo, with a partner, or with a team of 3. What better way to get moving...grab a friend or 2 and get out there!

My other scary fitness goal isn't nearly as daunting, but beginning the first full week in January I will be starting Insanity Max: 30. I have heard incredible reports from test group participants with this workout! I love that I can get a good butt kicking in just 30 minutes in my own living room. I plan to incorporate what I have learned about nutrition through 21 Day Fix into this program.

Will I be able to run 5.5 miles per day plus complete 60 days Insanity Max:30? Stay tuned for updates...

An attempt at #moveoftheday

I am a follower of many fitness professionals on Instagram and Facebook. Many of them post #moveoftheday video clips for their followers to try. I thought that it might do me some good to give their moves a try. I am hoping to try two new moves per day.

The thought crossed my mind that it might be quite comical to video myself attempting these moves. Not only would I get a good laugh, but I would also get to see how my form was. (I found out that my plank form is awful, but at least now I know what I need to do to improve.)

Included in the clip are moves that I found from following Chalene Johnson on Facebook and fitandfunky on Instagram.

The first move was part of a 2 minute plank core challenge From Chalene Johnson...holy cow was that hard! That is followed by two much easier ab moves from fitandfunky, but were still hard on the core. It probably would have been even more difficult if I had actually had good form! The final exercise is shown from two different angles. I will say that when I first put my feet on the wall it felt WAY higher than where I actually was. Holding yourself up against the wall like that while trying to do movement with your legs is a really great whole body workout!

I wouldn't recommend trying to copy what I am doing in this video. If you are looking for a challenge and a way to mix up your workouts, I recommend trying out different moves of the day by watching people who know what they are doing! If you are on Instagram, look for #moveoftheday. If you try out a move, share it with me to try @amarshnh.

There are more reasons to get into shape than fitting into that bathing suit or little black dress!

Imagine if we could start a health/fitness revolution using the same concept as the current #ShareaCoke campaign or the ALS ice bucket challenge. I can imagine taking a picture of yourself while working out or eating a healthy meal and holding a sign with someones name on it that says, "You're up! Let's see a picture/video of you doing something healthy and tag someone else to join you!"

I had an aha moment in my fitness journey recently. I was reading an article (I wish that I remember which one) about what we are teaching our children, mainly our daughters, about why we should be eating healthier and exercising. Far too often we are focusing our attention on getting into shape to fit into a special outfit or to look good in a bathing suit. Instead we should be focusing on becoming a positive role model who will be around to share many incredible experiences for years to come.

This spring I signed on to be a coach for Team Beachbody. I had participated in a 21 Day Fix challenge group and saw so much success with the program that I knew I just had to share this and many other amazing products with others. I wanted to be involved in helping other people experience the change they have been trying so hard to find. I use Facebook as a driving force in recruiting people who are interested in changing their lifestyles. I am GUILTY of trying to attract people to my challenge groups by posting messages about looking great for a special occasion or for their beach vacation.

I began thinking about how many times I've worn my bathing suit in the last two year...a grand total of 4 times! I'm not a fan of swimming. 1. I'm not very good at it. 2. I wear contacts and I can't stand getting water in my eyes. 3. I don't feel comfortable in a bathing suit because I don't like having that much of my body exposed and truthfully, they are really uncomfortable!

I also thought about how many special occasions I went to that required buying a new outfit and getting a little fancy...I think that was 4 times in two years as well. So here I am asking people to embark on a journey with me so that they can feel good about themselves for 8 different days out of a possible 730! That is crazy!

I want to commit to a healthy lifestyle so that I can enjoy the benefits everyday. I love walking into the house after a run and having my 3-year-old ask me, "How was your run, Mama?" He also enjoys riding his bike and running around the yard to do his exercise. (I'd love to say that our clean eating is rubbing off on him too, but that has been more of a struggle!)

There are four generations of my family (my maternal grandparents, my parents, my husband and me and our two kids) living under our roof. Everyday my 88-year-old grandfather and 87-year-old grandmother, who are completely independent, get to watch their great grandchildren running around. I want to be able to experience my children's children growing up too, so I'm committing myself and my family to a healthy lifestyle.

I'm a second grade teacher  from late August to mid June. I want to be a positive and healthy role model for my students. They should know that playing outside and eating good foods is as important as practicing their reading and math everyday. I don't want to just tell them that it is important, I want to show them that it is important.

Getting in shape and eating healthy is not just for days that we are at the beach or for special occasions that we have to get fancied up for. If we are going to be putting the time in to live healthy lives, we should be doing it for our everyday life!

From now on I will be asking people to join my challenge groups because I want them to change their lifestyle so that they can make the most out of every day for the rest of their days!

Let's start a health and fitness revolution together! What catchy hash tag can we come up with and start sharing today?

Dear Sindy Six Pack, You do not motivate me...

Dear Sindy Six Pack,

You do not motivate me to reach my fitness goals. I appreciate and sometimes spend too much time admiring your completely toned body and flat tummy. I know that you must work hard to achieve your fitness goals and probably eat meticulously throughout the week because you want to maintain your sleek physique. However, when I see your daily selfies from the gym or at home, I find myself growing more discouraged, not more motivated.

Every second of every day? Good grief!

I was not given the gift of a genetic dream body. I have to work hard to see results from working out. I'm the mom of two boys, an elementary school teacher, and a police officer's wife, which means I can't spend hours every day on my fitness goals. I do commit at least 30 minutes per day 5 to 6 days per week to reaching my fitness goals. The other thing is that I REALLY like food. I try to follow a clean eating diet, but sometimes my cravings get the best of me. Honestly, I'm not going to give up a chance to eat ice cream with my boys in order to get six pack abs. 

I find my motivation in people who have the same daily struggles as me. The people who bust their butts most days to see progress, but who also admit to having rough days or set backs. People who are working to find the balance between health, fitness, family and work.

I know that there are people out there who are two abs short of their six pack and are motivated by your daily posts. I know that you will continue to post for them and yourself. I, however, will be scrolling by looking for posts that offer something different. Something that will encourage me to keep working to become the best me that I can be.

Sincerely,

A Motivated Mommy

Running Scared

On and off for the past 15 years I have been running through the streets, trails, and woods of my hometown in the early morning, mid afternoon, evening, or even late at night. Never have I thought twice about my safety while running. My biggest concerns have always been the wild animals I encounter (the ones that usually get me to jump are the squirrels and chipmunks that scurry through the leaves as I run by.) 

This morning I left my house at 5:15. It was a perfect running temperature, somewhere in the low 50s. The wind was gusting (not something I enjoy because I like as little resistance as  possible), and the cloud deck was incredibly low. I had my music on normal volume, quiet enough to hear my footsteps and traffic, but loud enough to keep me motivated...everything was pretty normal...except for a heightened level of anxiety.

A national news story broke out yesterday that hit pretty close to home, approximately a mile and a half too close. For the first time ever, I was nervous about running on my own. It is a completely irrational fear because the person who is causing my fear is now in jail. I really should have been afraid for the past however many years he has been living in my town, but didn't realize it until yesterday.

The situation has me thinking of what I need to do to keep myself safe while running. I could get a running partner (I have not found many willing candidates for that, but I'm still accepting applications), I could carry my phone with me (but I really enjoy the feeling of being disconnected), and/or I could carry mace (but how much is that really going to help me?) 

The safety and security of my small "It doesn't happen here" town in northern New Hampshire was taken yesterday by one person. It will take a long time to get that back...

But in the meantime, I refuse to stop running...

Pacing...Why is it so darn hard?

I cannot figure out how to keep a steady running pace for anything! Ideally, I would like to run my slowest mile first. This way I would have the energy to make my run last longer without feeling like I might die of a heart attack along the way. It never fails that I leave from my house and by the time I reach mile 1 I have run a mile under 9 minutes. I don't recognize that I am running this quickly because I feel great! About half way through my way to mile 2 I begin to feel the fatigue from running such a fast first mile. My second mile ends up being closer to a 10 minute mile. By mile 3, I am tired because I am reaching the end of my comfortable running distance at this pace, but I'm motivated to not see another 10 minute mile, so I push myself to run faster. This usually results in a mile that is somewhere between 9:15-9:30 pace.

I have a Garmin Forerunner 10 that I use to help mark my distance and to check my mile splits. I have not explored the technology enough to figure out how I can keep tabs on my pace. Right now I occasionally check my time to see how I'm doing, but doing math and running at the same time is not a multitasking skill that I have conquered yet. My husband has told me that there is a way to keep track of your pace on the watch and that it will beep to keep track of where I'm at.

Why do I care so much about my pace? I am hoping to run a sub 2 hour half marathon at the end of October, which means I need to be running 9 minute miles. 

I'm looking for advice and tips on how to keep track of my pace. What works for you?

3 Day Refresh Day 3 and Done!

Holy guacamole Day 3 is done and I woke up looking like this! 

Okay, so maybe not and it's not entirely fair that you (probably) didn't know what I looked like 3 days before I started 3 Day Refresh. (I promise I didn't/don't look anything like her!)

All kidding aside, three days done, 4 pounds gone and an inch off of my waist. I'm pretty happy with the results. I'm not going to lie and say that it was the easiest 3 days of my life. I was tempted the entire time to:

(1) Give up 

(2) Eat a little bit more 

(3) Put artificial sweetener in my green tea

(4) Have a Diet Coke

But I didn't! I stuck to the program and found out that even in stressful situations eating away my emotions is something that I can avoid.

If you are looking to start over, break bad habits, or jump start your weight loss journey, I recommend this program. How awesome would it be to begin your weight loss journey with a 4 pound weight loss in 3 days? Things to think about before you begin the program:

(1) Planning: it's important to have everything you need ready and waiting for you!

(2) Timing: Fit it into your schedule so that it will work best for you. Maybe trying it on a long weekend would work best because you wouldn't have to worry about work. Or maybe doing it during the work week would be best so you'd be distracted by work and not thinking about food so much.

(3) You are ready to commit: this program is great, but it took me a bit of mental toughness to get through it. You need to be ready to pass up on things that you are craving and be ready for the feeling of satisfaction instead of fullness when you are finished eating (believe me there is a difference!).

(4) You want/need to feel successful: seeing results is the best way to get on the fast tract to making a difference. By doing this program you will see results in 3 days. 3 DAYS! How motivating is that?

Interested in learning how you can fit 3 Day Refresh into your life...comment below.

3 Day Refresh Day 2

With all new things there is an adjustment period. Day 2 was a bit easier than Day 1. I didn't find myself thinking about food as much throughout the morning. In the afternoon, I struggled with thinking about food again, but I found a very satisfying and filling dinner on the dinner recipe list, which made a great ending to Day 2.

I am a volume eater. I want to feel like I'm eating a lot of food even if I'm not. Recently, I bought smaller plates so that when I plated my food it made it look like I was eating more. I'm trying to trick myself into thinking that I am satisfied with what I am eating. Whatever works, right?

The recipe I chose last night was the spinach salad. Making this salad includes 2 cups of spinach, half a tomato, half a red pepper, half a cucumber and sunflower seeds. Not only did this salad offer a lot of food, but it had seeds in it so it had a crunch to it! I felt very satisfied after I finished eating the salad and had to wait to drink my Vanilla Fresh shake because I would have been too full.

I had planned on eating asparagus with almonds for dinner tonight, but I might go with the spinach salad again. Something about eating 5 asparagus spears just doesn't seem as satisfying as eating that delicious salad!

One thing I have struggled with over the 2 days is drinking half my body weight in ounces of water. This is a daily struggle for me. I am definitely drinking more water than I normally do (this is measurable due to the amount of trips I'm taking to the restroom!)

Overall, I am pleased with the program so far. I am down another pound this morning, I am feeling better, and I am finding new things that I am enjoying eating. It is taking some mental toughness to get through it, but I am proving to myself that I can make the correct food choices!

Interesting in learning more about 3 Day Refresh...comment below!

3 Day Refresh Day 1

How often do you find yourself wondering if you are really hungry or if you are just wanting to eat because it's something to do? After Day 1 of the 3 Day Refresh I found myself thinking this same thing throughout the day. The 3 Day Refresh is a 3 day program that provides you with a fast, clean break from bad eating habits, while dropping a few pounds in the process.

The benefit of this program is that you are cleansing your body while being able to eat light and sensible.  Each day begins with a Shakeology shake, followed by a mid morning tea, then an 8 ounce fiber sweep drink. Lunch is a Vanilla Fresh shake and one serving each of a fruit, vegetable and healthy fat. That is followed by a mid afternoon snack, and then a dinner consisting of a Vanilla Fresh shake and a meal made from the dinner recipe list. An optional evening tea is also part of the daily program. 

After completing Day 1, I can say that I was not starving all day. I was, however, questioning whether I was hungry or if I wanted to eat just because my kids were eating. Breakfast was not any different from my normal breakfast, a chocolate Shakeology shake. I enjoyed the mid morning tea, but found it a bit different from my normal tea because I could not use any sweetener. (One of the reasons I chose to do this program was to try and get away from using artificial sweetener and drinking Diet Coke!) The Fiber Sweep was not my favorite part of the day, but it is only 8 ounces for 3 days so I will suck it up and drink it. I really enjoyed lunch and was surprised by the portion that I was able to eat. For a mid afternoon snack, I made homemade hummus and had 2 tablespoons of that with 2 stalks of celery. For dinner I had coconut steamed veggies with the Vanilla Fresh shake. The veggies were delicious and something I would add to a regular dinner!

What makes this program worth it? After Day 1, I slept great and woke up this morning with no bloating and 2 pounds lighter than I was yesterday morning.

Exercise...what about exercise? Light to moderate exercise is recommended with this program. Last night I went for a 3 mile walk with my dogs and a friend. It was a nice way to get my mind off of eating because night time snacking is definitely a downfall of mine.

Check back for my updates on Day 2 and Day 3!

Interesting in learning more about 3 Day Refresh...comment below with your email address.