4 Tips for Getting Kids Active

All kids are different and have their own unique personalities with very specific likes and dislikes. Some will gravitate towards athletics or have a natural ability for a sport, others prefer to read a good book, or can have a natural ability for math or science. Whatever your child’s natural ability or focus is, as parents, of course we want to encourage our kids to follow their dreams.

As parents, we also want the best for our kids and we want them to be healthy. We all know that too much time in front of a screen creates a sedentary lifestyle and we don’t want that for them or for us! So what can we do to encourage our kids to be more active, without making them hate us for it?

When I started running half marathons and obstacle course races, my kids became curious. Why was I coming home drenched in sweat while they were barely waking up? Why did we suddenly have a big tractor tire in our backyard? What was a PR? Why did I need something called GU (gross!)? So, I showed them. They come to most of my races and are my biggest cheer group! They come to boot camps and sometimes they join in on some of it. I got them involved in my new found passion for running and my excitement became contagious. Soon, they were joining me on short runs around the block. They were setting goals for themselves to beat, their own Personal Records. We made up little boot camp style workouts for them in the backyard and eventually we signed them up for some of their own races and then they had to “train”! Then came race day and they were stocked to receive their own medals and see all their hard work pay off.

Tips for Getting Kids Active

Lead by example. Show excitement about going for a run or working out. If you complain about having to workout, there’s no way they’re going to want to join you. As the saying goes, you don’t have to workout, you get to workout! Keep a positive mindset for your own activities because those little ones are always watching us 🙂
Get them involved. Ask them to join you for a run, if running is your thing. Get yoga DVDs that are kid-friendly and do them together. Go to the park and play basketball together. Plan hikes as a family. Whatever gets them excited about being active!
Reward them. Set goals together and when they reach them, give them a reward. It doesn’t have to be anything outrageous, just something that will keep them motivated to keep going.
No pressure! Don’t make it a chore for them. It should never be about punishment, but rather something they look forward to regularly. Keep it fun, change it up a bit, and go with the flow.

It’s not always easy for us. One kiddo likes it better than the other. They still fight and tease each other sometimes during our family runs. They can be competitive, even with the almost 4 year age gap. But, as parents we just keep encouraging them. I keep inviting them on runs with me and sometimes they don’t want to and I don’t make them. Other times they ask to join me on their own. It’s not perfection but they are more active than they used to be and now they are really understanding the importance of taking care of their bodies.

Do you have any tips on how you got your kids excited about exercise? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear them 🙂

I am Enough | Dealing with Self Doubt

Some days I walk into the gym and feeling like a total badass. I feel amazing, like I’m in my happy place. I walk in feeling Comfortable and confident that I belong there. I’m working hard and this place, this gym, is helping me reach my goals. And then. And then, there are days where I walk in feeling like its the first day of freshman year in high school and I can’t find homeroom and I don’t know how to open my locker. I look around me and see only young girls with flat abs, hair & makeup done, and of course wearing a matching Lululemon outfit! I look down at my shorts and top that do not match, I can feel my hair already starting to frizz, and well, let’s just say there are no abs of steel here! I’d love to say that I shake off those feelings and go on with my workout and kill it, but I’d be lying. The truth is, those feelings of anxiety, self doubt, and pity linger on during my workout and beyond. I begin to question everything I’m doing. Am I working out enough? Should I change my diet? Why am I not seeing results fast enough? Should I lift more? Should I add more cardio? And on and on and on. If it’s really bad, I’ll even compare my progress with others. I know this is ridiculous, but when you’re feeling down, it’s hard to think logically.

What makes me snap out of it? How do I get back to feeling like myself again? It’s tough, that’s for sure. It’s hard to just say “enough!” and move on, but that’s what it takes. I just have to say, “Enough of this nonsense, I am enough” and believe it. The believing, that’s the hard part. Believe I’m good enough, believing I’m working hard enough, believing in the process. Yes, it’s tough, but I’m tougher. And so are you! The next time you start feeling down on yourself or worrying that you aren’t doing enough, just remember where you started. I think back at the habits I had before and compare it to the habits I have now. Sure, I have my days where I don’t feel like a rock star, days I’d rather lay in bed and not workout, days I wish I could eat the whole pan of brownies, but they’re only days. They aren’t my life. Moments of weakness don’t define who I am. They don’t make me turn back to who I was before. A moment of weakness are just that, a moment, a very brief period of time. We all have our “moments”, but it’s important to keep them brief because we can’t let a bad moment change the progress we’re making.

So, the next time I walk into the gym and see the 20-somthing girl with booty shorts and crop top walking confidently around the gym, I take a deep breathe (yea, I’m sucking it in) and think of how my body has given me 2 healthy beautiful children. I think about how my body has carried me through 30-something years of life. I think of how my body can take so much more than I thought it could. I think about everything I’ve accomplished so far and I feel proud of who I am. And then, I hold my head up high and I exhale. I am enough.

Have you ever felt this way? How do you deal with feelings of self doubt?

Spartan Super Las Vegas | Race 4 of 14 for 2014

I did it!! I completed my first Spartan Race and I must say, it went better than expected. I completed the Spartan Super in Las Vegas. I don’t want to do a long recap of each obstacle but I will say that I totally missed the Spear Throw, Traverse Wall (my foot cramped), and Rope Climb (honestly, I didn’t try hard with this one because sadly I made up my mind that I couldn’t do it). I also had some help with the monkey bars, bucket brigade, tire pull and of course, getting over those 8 ft walls! I’m super proud I was able to do the Hercules Hoist, Tire Flip, and well, basically just get through the whole thing. I’m wearing my bruises with pride 😉 I’m also super proud of my little guy. He did the Spartan Jr. He’d been running and “training” for his race too and seeing him so happy complete his 1 mile race and get his medal was just awesome!

I had a great team of guys and I will admit, being the only girl on the team, I was a bit nervous that I’d either slow them down or that they’d leave me behind. I’m glad to say that neither of those things happened. They helped me with obstacles when needed, we encouraged each other, and stayed together as a team. AROO!!!

Huge thanks to our support team who kept up on the spectator course to make sure we had enough water, coconut water, and even snacks!! Special thanks to my hubby for taking pictures throughout the course & my sister who always supports me in all I do! I love you so much xoxox

The final obstacle - Fire Jump! Then free beer :) — The final obstacle – Fire Jump! Then free beer 🙂

I got done just in time to go see my son do his Jr. Spartan Race! So excited and proud of him!

I am quite tempted to go for the Trifecta, complete the 3 Spartan Races in one year – Sprint, Super, and Beast! I signed up for the Spartan Sprint in Southern California this September, but logistically speaking I don’t think I”ll be able to make it to one of the Beast events..we’ll see 😉 I’m really excited for the Sprint in Temecula, not only because it’s wine country, but because my hubby will be joining me on this one and the wives of 2 of my teammates will be joining us too! I’m calling it the Couples Spartan Retreat 😉

Transformation Tuesday

This is the first time I post a Transformation Tuesday, probably because I’ve felt I am not exactly where I want to be and I don’t feel I’ve reached my ultimate goal. But today I’m like, hey, I’ve come a long way and I should be proud of all the hard work I’ve put in. You can read all about my journey in detail on My Story page. It’s amazing to see that almost 2 years ago I would not even consider buying running shoes, nevertheless wearing them! Yet, here I am today itching to buy a new pair of sneakers, signing up for races and events I didn’t even know existed and training hard for these challenges.

I’m here to tell you today that you can make changes to your life. You can find the drive and the focus you need to make those changes. It’s not going to be easy and if you’re anything like me, you will have pitfalls and it won’t be perfect success. But, that’s not the point is it? No, the point is that you are out there doing what you thought was impossible. Doing what you didn’t even know you wanted to do! So, whether you are just starting your fitness journey or you’re on the road and think you’ll never reach your destination, just know that it’s happening. It’s not only happening on the outside, but it’s happening on the inside. People are noticing. It’s not about reaching that perfect number on the scale, although that’s nice too, right? It’s more about finding the courage to do something different and focusing on becoming the best version of yourself. Here’s to transformations from the inside out!

It may not seem like a huge drastic change to many, but it is to me and I'm happy with where I am now and looking forward to where I'll be 3 months from now! — It may not seem like a huge drastic change to many, but it is to me and I’m happy with where I am now and looking forward to where I’ll be 3 months from now!

Update: My Fitness Bucket List

Back in July 2013 I shared my fitness bucket list with you! You can read that post HERE! I was thinking about it the other day and I wanted to see how much I had accomplished in the past 6 months. So, here’s the update:

Do a pull-up (yup, just one for now) No progress!
Complete a half marathon (signed up for one in November) YAY!! One thing off the list!! You can read about my Rock N Roll Half Marathon experience HERE 🙂
Run a 10K (Almost! I signed up for a 10K trail run for March 1)
Complete a Super Spartan race No progress! There’s one in April, so we’ll see if I get to sign up….
Move up to 10 lb. dumbbells during P.I.T. class Sadly, I’m still struggling with 8lb. dumbbells, but one day!!!
Do 3 one-handed push-ups
2 minute plank I’m getting close!!
Learn to ride a bike (Don’t judge me) No progress!
Complete a triathlon (hence, the above item) No progress!
Bench press my own weight No progress! Actually, I haven’t even tried this one yet.
Lululemon outfit (does this count? a girl can dream!) Oh yea, I got 2 outfits & a jacket! I know, I’m a lucky girl!!
Learn to rock climb No progress!

So, it’s not a ton of progress, but it’s something. It’s nice to see a few things marked off and see where I’m headed to next! How are you doing with checking things off of your fitness bucket list? I’d love to hear them!

Running, Cheaper than Therapy | Is it?

I’m so excited to have started this blog earlier this year. It’s definitely helped keep me accountable and motivated in my journey to getting healthy & fit and I hope it’s helped some of you out there to stay motived in your own journeys too.

Getting into running races has been much more than just throwing on a pair of sneakers & running! Honestly, I’m not so sure the saying “Running is cheaper than therapy” is very accurate. I’ve had to make some financial adjustments to account for the race registrations, my never ending need for sports bras and running shorts, protein shakes, and running fuels! Then there’s the hydration belts, compression socks, headbands, and KT Tape! Yup, this running thing has not been cheap. But, I love this newfound hobby/obsession and I’m willing to make some changes for it.

I register for races because they keep me motivated and give me something to focus on. I run and workout because it makes me feel strong. It makes me feel happy. It’s something I do for myself and believe me, when you are a mom, wife, and business owner, doing things for yourself can often take the back burner. Who’s with me?

So, although running my not be cheap, it’s definitely better for me. I have more energy and it makes me feel good about myself. I am happier when I exercise and a happy mom makes for a happier family. I’m making a commitment to become a better person both inside and out and that is totally worth it for me. How about you? What’s your therapy?

Tips for Keeping Your New Year Health & Fitness Goals

Right now, most of us are planning, making lists, and getting ready for the new year ahead. We’re reflecting on this year that is so quickly coming to an end – seriously, where did the time go? Just about everybody always adds losing weight and/or exercise to their list of goals for the new year. I know I always do. But what I’ve learned is that just writing down or saying “I want to lose XX lbs. in 2014” or “I want to start working out more” Is not gonna cut it. I know, because I always did this and always failed. I failed because there was no action plan. It’s great to set goals to become healthier or more active in your life, but without a plan, it’s just a dream. This is the year to turn those dreams into reality. Here are a few tips to help you get started on the right track!

1. Have a game plan. Saying and doing are 2 different things. Write down how you plan to lose those XX pounds. Will you do a 21 day sugar detox? Will you practice better portion control? Will you join a gym? Workout 3 days a week for 30 mins? What workouts will you try? Write it all down and keep it in a handy place to go back to!

2. State why you want to make these changes. These statements can be very powerful and have a big impact on keeping yourself motivated to make these lifestyle changes in the coming months.

3. Put it on your calendar. Make appointments, set reminders on your phone, and/or recurring events on your calendar. Whether it be scheduling time to go to a fitness class, go for a jog, or pop in a workout DVD, make it a part of your daily routine.

4. Weekly meal plan. This is major if you are looking to make healthy lifestyle changes. Pick a day out of the week that works for you (Sunday is my day) and write down your meal plans for the week then go shopping accordingly. If you have a super busy schedule, then you can even try prepping your meals on this day to make it easy to just grab & go during the week. This will really help you stay on track and not make hasty or bad food choices because you don’t know what to make for dinner or you didn’t pack your lunch and just went out for fast food.

5. Be realistic. Saying you want to workout 5 days a week can be daunting, especially if you haven’t been on any set routine before! Start off with smaller goals and work your way up to the ultimate goal. Start by making it a goal to workout 2 days a week for the month of January (Don’t forget to put it on your calendar!) Then add a day each month thereafter and by May you’ll be working out 5 days a week!

6. Step out of your comfort zone. Sometimes we need to try new things and go out on a limb a bit because that’s where the magic happens. If you do the same thing over and over, it can start to get boring, so try something new! It could be a new healthy meal, a new fitness class, or even just a different running trail. You’ll never know if you’ll like something new unless you try it. It will be scary, but just think how proud you’ll feel when you actually do it. You may find you really love it and if not, at least you can say you tried it!

7. Keep yourself accountable. Telling someone else about your goals is a good way to stay accountable. Having a good support group will help you stay on track with your goals.

8. Sign up for a race. I know this is what keeps me going and I firmly believe that signing up for a race will keep you motivated too. It’ll give you a goal to aim for. Sign up for your first 5K or your first marathon. Try an obstacle course race or a fun run. There are so many options available right now, that there is bound to be something you’ll find fun. Sign up with a few months in advance and get to training! You won’t regret it.

9. Don’t give up. None of us are perfect. We’re gonna miss a workout or indulge in a meal that’s not part of our meal plan. It happens. The key is to not let one bad day, ruin your goals. Honestly one bad day won’t ruin your progress, giving up will. So, if you know you’re going out for a special occasion, allow yourself a “cheat meal” and move on. So you missed a workout because you worked late that day. It happens. Those are small bumps on the road. We all have them. Don’t be too hard on yourself. I’ve read it takes 21 days to make something become a habit, so don’t give up!

10. Rewards. Who doesn’t love to get rewarded for a job well done? Some people like to buy themselves a new outfit after reaching their weight loss goals others will plan a night out. Workout 3 days a week for 30 days and get a pedicure. Get a new playlist for your ipod after you run your first 5K. Whatever it is, it doesn’t have to be expensive or big it just needs to be something to keep you motivated! Set your goal + reward and you’ll be on your way 🙂

Do you have any tips for staying on track with your fitness goals? I’d love to hear them.

14 in 2014 Running Challenge | Fitness Friday

During my morning coffee and blog reading earlier this week I came across Jill Conyers 14 in 2014 Challenge. Maybe it was the caffeine rush or the lack of sleep from the night before, but I signed up almost immediately! It seemed like such a great idea and such a fun way to stay motivated. Well, now that the initial caffeine rush has subsided, guess what? I’m still excited about this challenge! Yes, it’s a little scary for me to commit to running 14 races in one year, considering that last year I ran 6 and proclaimed it the Year of the Races! Hello!! But, it’s challenges like this that keep me motivated and moving forward, so I’m up for it! How about you?

Yesterday I started researching and writing down some races that I was interested in doing. There will be some virtual races I’ll be participating in too, but so far I have 10ish tentative races on my list, 3 that I am pretty sure I am doing, and only 1 I’ve actually signed up for! Yikes, I’ve got my work cut out for me, huh? Here’s what’s on my list, so far:

Jan:

Feb 1 – Death Valley 10K (Death Valley, CA)

Mar 1 – Blood, Sweat, and Beers 10K Trail Run (Las Vegas)

April 5 or 6 – Super Spartan (Las Vegas)

April 27 – Tough Mudder (Las Vegas) REGISTERED

May 24 – Trails of Fury 10K Trail Run (Las Vegas)

June:

July:

Aug 29-31 – Disneyland 10K or Half Marathon

Sept 21- Sprint Triathalon (Las Vegas)

Oct:

Nov: Napa Valley 10K (date TBD)

Nov: 22: Valley of Fire 10K

Nov: 27: Hoover Dam Half or 5K

(There’s no way I can or want to do all of these races in 1 month, but they all have potential, so I hope to get one of them done)

Dec:

If you’re interested in reading more about the challenge or if you want to sign up, you can check it out HERE! If you know of any other races around Las Vegas, NV, Southern California, Southern Utah, and maybe even Arizona, please let me know!! I’d also love to hear about your upcoming races and fitness goals for 2014! Happy Running!!

Dirty Dash 5K Recap

So, six days after the Rock N Roll Half Marathon I was ready to take on the Dirty Dash 5K with my book club girls! We had my hubby design a shirt for us and then had them printed at a local print shop. Isn’t it a cute shirt? Here’s a little recap of the day and a review of the Dirty Dash event itself.

A few days before the race, the weather in Vegas goes bonkers! Lots of wind, rain, and cold temps. We kept hoping it would clear up by Saturday but it just kept getting worse. So, we all made sure to bundle up with layers, hats, and gloves. We put our big girl panties and drove out to Boulder City for some fun in the mud! I made a “girl power” playlist to help pump us up for the race, which was fun, but I think we were all a little freaked out by how cold and rainy it was. The weather didn’t really clear up and we were actually getting some rain mixed with flurries Brrrrrr…..Once it was our time to go and we started running we warmed up a bit and the rain even died down some. We all made the best of it and had a good time together!

Since the weather was so bad, Jason decided to stay home with the kids until it was time for the kid’s Piglet Plunge. I had already paid for Diego’s registration, but thank goodness we were leaving Elysse’s till the last minute and of course, we did not have her participate since the weather was so bad. So, we only have a few iphone photos of us before and after the race.

As for the race itself, it was definitely not my favorite. I know the bad weather didn’t help but, there were lots of things that could have been done better and they had nothing to do with the weather. It was also a shame they had to deflate the slide at the end and we didn’t get to use it. That would’ve been fun. So, let’s here goes:

Pros

Pre-race communication was great. Emails were informative, albeit a little cheesy, and clear directions were given.
We got a nice tshirt, beer koozie, temporay tatoo, and sticker.
There were enough port-a-potties and didn’t have to wait in line.
The part that had mud was great! It was smooth like frosting 🙂

Cons

Packet Pickup was unorganized and the volunteers/workers were pretty rude. I understand they had to change their setup due to the rain, but seriously a smile wouldn’t hurt!
Not a lot of obstacles. We ran for 1 mile with no obstacles, except for a few mud puddles and we aren’t really sure if they were part of the race or just due to the rain! The obstacles were in mile 2 and again the last mile was running without obstacles.
Beer Chug was actually an obstacle! I would’ve preferred a free beer at the end.
The 3 main obstacles were one right after the other. Having them spaced out would’ve spread out the fun!
The course was not clearly marked. Not sure if the rain & wind washed off their markers, but I had a hard time figuring out where to go.
Piglet Plunge was a joke! It was about 3/4 mile and the kids ran through 2 (maybe 3) watery mud pits at the start and end of the run. That’s it! I think they may have been counting on the slide to be an obstacle, but that was deflated due to the weather.

It was so cold and rainy, I think the photographers, organizers, and volunteers were just ready to go and not at all enthusiastic. Motivation and fun were definitely lacking. I’m sure had the weather been better, that it may not have been so bad.

My First Half Marathon | Rock N Roll Las Vegas

I’m going to start off with a warning: There are lots of pictures in this post! lots!

With that being said, I apologize for being MIA for a few days. Not only was I getting ready for the 13.1 miles, I also had my cousin and her husband (who also ran the half with me) visiting from Texas and we were busy catching up! It was a blast. Now, on to the half marathon…

I survived! YAY!! Truth be told, I trained for over 15 weeks, I was pretty sure I’d finish. What I wasn’t sure of, was how I’d finish. And I must say, overall, I am happy with the results. I finished in 2:34:20. I was aiming for 2:30 but that was ambitious, since I never really trained for speed, just endurance. I’m also really happy that I ran the entire time. No stopping, no walking! Slow jogging? You bet ya’!

So, we checked into The Venetian hotel at noon. Shout out to my sister for the family discount and upgraded room with an awesome view of the strip! We had plenty of time to settle in, have a pre-race snack, change our clothes, and try to relax a bit. Getting a room on the strip was a great idea. Huge thanks to Anya from my fb running group for suggesting it 😉 The kids and my parents had a warm place to hang out and wait till we were done running, we didn’t have to travel far afterwards, and we had a great place to celebrate our accomplishment!!

Here we are, ready to head out the door and get our run on!

My sister and Jason drove us as close as we could get to the pre-race area. They were able to park in a business center and walk with us the rest of the way. Big thanks to the security guard for letting us park there, even though we weren’t supposed to!

Runners were really pouring in now and it was getting real!

Once inside the pre-race area we took photos, rested, listened to the live band, and used the port-a-potty twice. The lines were crazy long! But, I’m glad we went twice, since we didn’t have to stop along the course.

My cousin had custom shirts made for them, since just a few days before the marathon, they celebrated their 20th anniversary!

Here I am at my corral ready to go. There ended up being 36 corrals total, so we were towards the back and although the race officially started at 4:30pm, we didn’t actually get to the start line until 5:15pm or so. Yup, 45 mins. of walking in a huge group of people towards the start line. It was pretty crazy and crowded! Once we got started, it was already dark. If I do another marathon, I will try to have a closer corral number 😉

I was really looking forward to mile 4 because I knew my family and friends would be there cheering us on. It was awesome hearing them cheer and giving us high fives. Next time, I’d like them at miles 9 or 10 because that’s when I started to get tired!! I really could have used the boost then!

Once we passed our family, I felt really pumped! That lasted a few more miles and up until that point, I was right on target for finishing at my goal time of 2 hrs and 30 mins. And then…we got to downtown Vegas. The crowds dwindled, the noise was gone, and the lights were gone. Those were some dark and tough 4 miles. Once we headed back towards the strip and I could see we were getting closer to the end, my mind was ready to push harder, but my legs just couldn’t go any faster. No matter what I did, I couldn’t speed up my pace. I am so thankful for my cousin and her husband for pushing me to keep going and for giving me tips to so I wouldn’t slow down too much.

Crossing that finish line was an amazing feeling. I turned around and asked my cousin, “Did that just happen? Is it done? Can I stop running now?!?” I was pretty chocked up. Crying at the finish line was not something I thought I was going to do, but it’s what happened. I’m blaming it on the adrenaline rush 😉

Celebratory tequila shots with my dad! Because that's what you do when you finish running 13.1 miles!