I've been training for the last few weeks to run (jog) the Shamrock 5k Run here in Portland which is on March 16th. I'm proud to share this is my second 5k run...I completed the Race for the Cure last September. Infact, I'm the captain of the Itsabelly Team which consists of ten members who are walking and running different events. Thanks to Moe (my sis-in-law) for partnering with me on my 3.1 mile journey to hyperventilation and a beaten down body :) Props to Pauline for actually kicking off sign-ups - I know you'll do great on your 8k run! This will be a fun event because we have some of our hubbies and babies joining us in the walking event, hurray!
No, I do not love jogging and it's definitely not my favorite type of exercise but I do know it helps me burn a ton of calories which is especially good for getting rid of my gorgeous love handles. I've always struggled with my weight since I was a child. I've been as small as a size 5 to as big as a size 14 (LARGE gap isn't it)! I just want to get back to my normal size 7-8. I did receive great news from my OBGYN yesterday and I've finally reached my pre-pregnancy weight, YAY! I was so happy to hear that piece of news because its been a long 19 months since giving birth to Isabella of struggling to eat healthy, exercising, getting enough sleep, taking care of my family/household and being an entrepreneur. If you've ever struggled with your weight you probably feel me here. Ok, so I thought to include some tips in this entry that have helped me continue on my quest of losing that last 10-15 lbs which is ideally where I want to be!
Maybe you have other health and fitness tips you want to share. Or you're setting a new health and fitness goal you want to achieve. What are they? Share your comments with us here.
My Health & Fitness Regimen:
- Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water everyday. I carry my Klean Kanteen bottle around every where
- Eat through out the day (mini balanced meals and make sure to eat a healthy breakfast)
- Eat healthy carbs like fruit and veggies. If you have to eat rice/pasta choose brown rice or whole wheat pasta. Eat more whole foods and cut out processed foods.
- Incorporate flax seed into your diet. I choose to make a fresh berry, banana smoothie with low fat soy milk, protein powder and 2 tblsp of flax seed which I have in the morning for breakfast
- Snack on raw almonds or low fat organic yogurt (we love Trader Joe's Organic Low Fat Yogurt) with 2 tblsp of wheat germ
- Hire a personal trainer and if you can't afford to see her more than once a month cut the cost in half and do some partner training (our trainer kicks our butt, we love her). I do this now with my friend Jil and it's so helpful to work out various types of muscles. It switches your fitness routine up instead of doing the same boring thing.
- Set a goal! I can't stress this enough because if you have a goal it will hold you accountable. This has been my saving grace by keeping me on track everyday to get my exercise in!
- Grab a partner - whether it be your hubby, girlfriend, your dog or a running/biking group it helps to keep you motivated when you have someone to keep you accountable and motivated.
- Buy the book Runners World, Complete Book of Women's Running by Dagny Scott Barrios... It's a great training book that maps out a plan on how to get you from jogging to running, how to care for your body and it addresses pregnant runners too
- My schedule is to run on M,W,F and I do my long run every Friday, increasing my time. Off days I'm weight training (abs, legs, upperbody).
- Last but not least - Get some sleep!! Itsabelly's Marketing Manager, Jennifer and I have tried to commit to sleeping earlier (early to bed, early to rise). If I can get to bed by 10:00-10:30 pm I will definitely have a more productive and less stress free day ahead of me.
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