Sunday, July 6, 2008

Running with my Nikes

I love to run. Sounds crazy? Probably is but it's how I feel when I finish that is so great.

Since I was a junior in high school, I would drag my wanna-be-eating-in-front-of-the-tv self into my blue and white Nikes for a run. I'd pound around for what seemed like an eternity. Fifteen minutes later I would lumber my pace to a walk and with hands on hips, bend over puffing and huffing with a red face. Any passer-by would probably only have one thought. Why bother?

And in college I ran. At first it was only because my Army ROTC drill instructor was screaming my butt all the way to kingdom come. The bottom of my beloved Nikes were worn through with everyday 5 am physical training. By far I was the worst runner and being the shortest, my Nikes and I had to set the pace for these super macho, run fanatics who were easily 6 foot and taller and could outrun a cheetah. No doubt about it, group running is NOT my thing. And neither is running until you puke or to a supposed finish line, until the lead screamer tells you to run passed it and you have no idea where you're headed and there is no way to eke out another heel to toe. Needless to say, I chose not to pursue a career with the Army.


But I did start a decent run program. Ten years later, I run my Nikes in 5K races on a regular basis. The latest run was the 10th Annual Fiddler's Jamboree 5K and it was a hilly monster. Through the woods, down trails, over roots, beside ponds and streams. No matter which race it is though, no one is yelling at me and I can run whatever pace I feel like. Folks along the route cheer, even for the walkers. Volunteers pass out water and the t-shirt at the end is all worth it!

Friday, July 4, 2008

Body for Life

My sister and I are all doing a program called Body for Life. Bill Phillips came up with it in the late 1990s, made a lot of money and taught a whole bunch of people how to trim off the fat in 12 weeks. I think it is one of the best programs ever!

First of all, I get to eat 6 times a day and any program that allows me to eat that much is fantastic in my book. Of course, the portions are small and it's important to include a protein and a carb at each meal. And I don't have to count anything or figure out what a portion size is. As long as it's the size of my palm or fist, then it's the right amount. How easy is that!

The second thing is I exercise 6 times a week. Yep, every day of the week except for one. BUT, every other day is only 20 minutes of cardio. And the days that aren't cardio are less than an hour of free weights. For example, Monday would be lower body, Wednesday is upper body and Friday is back to lower. Then you continue the cycle the next week. Pretty easy, huh?

It actually is. The hardest part is planning. The program requires a good amount of planning. Meals, exact workouts, eating schedule. But the forms are provided to make it a little easier. And they work. I sit down every night and go over what our workouts are going to be for the next day and what we're going to eat. It helps that we generally eat the same thing.

It's also a great conversation topic. The plan gives you a goal and a way to reach it and 12 weeks of nonstop fun! I have become a walking advertisement for it. And since I'm always writing about something, I decided to keep a blog about this as well. If you want more info, click above or go to www.bodyforlife.com.