Thanks to everyone who has started reading my blog! It's been motivation for me, and hopefully for some of you as well. It's great to see how this has allowed me to catch up with old friends, reach out to new ones, and inspire others to get back in shape! But instead of just sharing my workouts each day (because who wants to read that??), I'm hoping to add some new facts about staying healthy this winter.
Of course, my first official day of getting back in shape, the weather decides it doesn't want to cooperate. For my 8am class, it was about 55 degrees (which I considered warm), and by 5pm when I wanted to work out it was snowy/rainy/dark/freezing all in one. Now, before this blog, I would have just said "You know what, it's cold, and I'd rather just stay inside, get some work done, and work out tomorrow." But thanks to all of you readers, I knew I HAD to work out today! So, I drove (all 2 minutes, but hey at least I went to work out...) to the HRC at Butler and did 30 minutes of cardio and 8 minute abs. I've been all about 8 minute abs - and for those of you who are unfamiliar with this great little ab exercise - check out the YouTube video and you can do it in your living room or anywhere! Yes, it is old school (I'd say 1980s or 1990s), but it is easy and you will feel the burn the next morning! Plus, you can do it everyday and who doesn't have 8 minutes???
I'm all about working out quickly and efficiently, and I'm sure everyone feels that way - and when I heard this next "fun fitness fact" I had to share it with everyone. In fact, you can spot me in the HRC with Katie McCabe and Rachel Gold doing this next exercise: Did you know that 10 minutes of moderate jump rope = 30 minutes of jogging? Think about how much time that saves you! But - want to know the catch (because there is always a catch)? Jumping rope is actually really hard. My calves were BURNING! I couldn't go 10 minutes straight - mostly because of my lack of coordination (hence why I ran, and never attempted a sport with hand/eye coordination). I bought my jump rope at Target for $4.99. I recommend if you're trying to do something new, and something you can do inside, go buy a jump rope!
Tomorrow will hopefully be some new, exciting work out and fitness tip!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
My Story
So I decided to start blogging today. I've recently been all about social media - with a new Twitter account (@alicia6565) and everything. I thought for a long time about what I would blog about: What was I passionate about? What am I struggling with? And being healthy and exercising has been the most recent struggle for me.
See, I ran cross-country and track since the seventh grade (and now I'm a senior in college) all the way up to my freshman year at college. I was always fit - I could run a mile in 5:07, an 800m in 2:28, and run 13 miles like it was nothing. Now I struggle to run 20 minutes without feeling like I'm going to keel over. Plus, it goes without saying college isn't typically the healthiest lifestyle a person leads...late nights, lack of motivation to exercise, being over-programmed, work, school - gets to be too much.
I'm starting to realize that to be who I want to be, I need to get back into who I was before college. Back to the runner who didn't mind 6am practice, full day of school, and a hard workout in the afternoon. I loved having friends to workout with on a regular basis, who held me accountable, and pushed me to be a great runner. I'm not saying I need to be back in 5 minute mile fitness, but I think, like most of you reading my blog, everyone needs to be moderately fit - it just takes discipline and motivation.
I hope that through my blog, not only will it be a daily reminder to me that I need to be fit, but it will inspire others to as well. This isn't a weight loss program. It's not a self-help blog. This is just my journey to get back to who I was at my peak fitness - healthy, energized, and could eat anything. Like my coach used to say, "If the furnace is hot - anything will burn." I wish I had that type of metabolism now...
So follow me daily to hear some tips and stories as I reminisce of times when I was "Once A Runner" (which I am currently reading thanks to a Barnes and Noble gift card I just acquired...). Who knows what this blog will eventually turn into, but hopefully it's a constant reminder that staying fit is not easy if you don't have others to share it with!
"Run hard. Dream big."
See, I ran cross-country and track since the seventh grade (and now I'm a senior in college) all the way up to my freshman year at college. I was always fit - I could run a mile in 5:07, an 800m in 2:28, and run 13 miles like it was nothing. Now I struggle to run 20 minutes without feeling like I'm going to keel over. Plus, it goes without saying college isn't typically the healthiest lifestyle a person leads...late nights, lack of motivation to exercise, being over-programmed, work, school - gets to be too much.
I'm starting to realize that to be who I want to be, I need to get back into who I was before college. Back to the runner who didn't mind 6am practice, full day of school, and a hard workout in the afternoon. I loved having friends to workout with on a regular basis, who held me accountable, and pushed me to be a great runner. I'm not saying I need to be back in 5 minute mile fitness, but I think, like most of you reading my blog, everyone needs to be moderately fit - it just takes discipline and motivation.
I hope that through my blog, not only will it be a daily reminder to me that I need to be fit, but it will inspire others to as well. This isn't a weight loss program. It's not a self-help blog. This is just my journey to get back to who I was at my peak fitness - healthy, energized, and could eat anything. Like my coach used to say, "If the furnace is hot - anything will burn." I wish I had that type of metabolism now...
So follow me daily to hear some tips and stories as I reminisce of times when I was "Once A Runner" (which I am currently reading thanks to a Barnes and Noble gift card I just acquired...). Who knows what this blog will eventually turn into, but hopefully it's a constant reminder that staying fit is not easy if you don't have others to share it with!
"Run hard. Dream big."
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