Running Like A Mother

Running Like A Mother

So I Ran Like A Mother and completed the 5K yesterday. I planned to walk it since I haven’t run once during my “training” for the 5K. But the atmosphere and my friend encouraging me to at least jog got the best of me and I ran (actually jogged) about half of it. It was fun! And I really like the idea of setting a good example for my daughter and making exercise a part of her daily life. I think that will be a great gift to her that will help her stay fit for life.

So that’s the good news.

The bad news (not really that bad) is that I am no longer losing weight. I reached my goal (which is a weight range) about a week ago by just adding light exercise to my daily schedule. You can see what I’ve been doing on my exercise log. Which means that it is now time to start focusing on my diet.

I don’t like to diet in the sense that I can’t have certain foods because, for me, telling myself that I can’t have something is more likely to make me want to eat it! So I count calories and call it an eating plan. I find this really works for me because I can eat anything I want so long as my daily calorie count is within my acceptable range (again, I like ranges not hard numbers). Of course, once you start counting calories you learn quickly what is high and what is low in calories and what fills you up and what leaves you wanting to eat again in an hour. Ultimately, I end up cutting out the “crap” because when I eat it, I am hungrier than when I eat healthy.

Enough of that for now. I’ll keep you posted on my eating plan and progress.Wish me luck!

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6 Reasons to Stand Up Straight

I previously blogged about good posture and how it can instantly make you look fit and trim. Here’s a great post about good posture, why you want it, and how to get it. It’s geared toward moms, but is applicable to everyone.

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Run Like A Mother!

Part of my plan for losing my last ten (now four) post-partum pounds was training for and running a road race. It’s only a 5K, but you gotta start somewhere, right? Yesterday I registered for the Run Like A Mother 5K race that will take place on Mother’s Day, May 8. And great for me: registration includes a free training plan.

Here’s what the Run Like a Mother website says about the race founder Megan Searfoss:

Megan … was active in sports throughout high school and college, [but] she started running only 15 years ago, when her younger sister encouraged her to run a marathon. At that point Megan had never run, outside of sports, and her first mile was torturous, so she started her own “training” program and trained via the telephone with her sister, Mele. She trained erratically but devoured everything she could find about running.

She ran the [Big Sur Marathon] and was hooked, quickly realizing that running was a gift to a working mom. All you need is sneakers and a good sports bra. No gym fees, no excuses.

Megan’s oldest daughter was three at the time of her first race, and she ran her next two races a year after each of her next two daughters was born. Running was great motivation to lose the baby weight, yet it was much more than that. It was (and still is) a mind-clearing way for her to start the day. And it’s during the day-to-day running when she has time to think, solve the world’s problems and come up with ideas. It is also through running that she has met her closest friends.

You can also learn more about the race and the Run Like a Mother lifestyle on their Facebook page. If you live near Ridgefield, Conn., join the race and come run with me! If not, just wish me luck!

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11 style mistakes women make in middle age (what’s middle age?)

I clicked through to this article on Shine from Yahoo! because I wasn’t sure what middle age is. I think when I was growing up, middle age was 40. Now, according to this article, it is 50. That’s great! So I’m not middle aged or even that close to middle age (ok, I’m not that far either). Nevertheless, I read the article and I think it applies to anyone over 30. Some of the “mistakes” include:

• Not realizing you need to change
• Comparing yourself to you in your 20s
  
• Skipping exercise
• Not getting enough sleep
• Using the wrong make-up

Enjoy the article – whatever your age. And look and feel your absolute best!

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10 Rules To Be Brilliant

This post — 10 Rules for Brilliant Women — at The Huffington Post is geared toward women, but the rules apply to everyone, regardless of gender.

In her introduction, Tara Sophia Mohr writes that she works with many brilliant women, but

Most of the time, they don’t know their brilliance. They are certain they “aren’t ready” to take on that next bigger role. They are more attuned to the ways they aren’t qualified than to the ways that they are. They are waiting for someone to validate or discover them. Sound familiar?

I love these rules, which include things like supporting yourself like you are your own best friend, envisioning your dreams, suppressing your inner critic, letting go of needing to be liked (that’s a tough one for me), and telling other women that they are brilliant.

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