First Half Marathon - Check!

I am happy to report that I have survived my very first half marathon today! I can't believe it is over and that I didn't perish! It was such a great experience and I feel great about accomplishing one of my goals.

I started out feeling pretty good and keeping a good pace but of course as the miles passed it kept getting harder and harder. By mile 11 I was really struggling and trying to mentally push myself through to the end. Crossing the finish line was such a good feeling even though I felt like I was about to fall over my own two feet with my legs made out of jelly.

My time was 1 hour 58 minutes and I was really happy with that! My goal was to make it under 2 hours and I did just that! I couldn't help but laugh to myself when I found that part of the race was through the cobblestone streets and at the end I was rewarded with a baguette - only in France!

Big thanks to my supporters! I'm lucky to have such great friends!


Now it is time for recovery which might be as hard as the race. Is it normal for my ribs/stomach/lungs to be aching so badly?!

Have any of you run any races or accomplished any goals lately?
You runners have any recovery advice for me?

Ah, now off to the sweet dreams of advil pm induced sleep. Excited.

Runner's Block

I developed a love for running towards the end of college and have been thinking about running a half marathon ever since then. Now, I am 6 days away from finally checking that off my to do list and I feel like my body is trying everything it can to stop me!

I have been suffering from pretty bad shin splints for the past month and have only been able to run 6 miles once in two weeks and it was a painful experience. Shooting pains up my left leg with each step I took. On top of that, I have been sick all week and on antibiotics but still not feeling normal at all. UGH! I'm so frustrated that this is all happening NOW when I have been training for this for two months!

Do any of you runners have any advice for me? I have a compression sleeve to help with my shin splints but I know it is going to hurt either way. Definitely a mental game involved now. I hope I can finish it! Wish me luck :(

Work It! Wednesdays: Arms

Personally, I enjoy working out my arms. There are so many exercises to try which is a good thing because your arms are one of the more exposed areas of your body. Now, I'm not saying lets go get ripped massive hulked-out arms but if you are like me, you are trying to have thin but toned arms. You want some definition but you want to keep them lean and feminine.  

Here are my simple "go to" arm workouts that you can easily conquer at home or at the gym.

1. Triceps. My favorite! A simple tricep extension is great! I really love this one. Simply grab a light weight and hold it evenly with both hands. Put your arms above your head (legs planted shoulder width apart and core held tight!) and bend at the elbows to 90 degrees, then straighten again. Repeat 15 times.

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2. Biceps. Not my favorite, but necessary. I'm sure you are familiar with this baby but remember to engage your core while doing these. Also, for a bit more of a challenge, balance on one foot while doing bicep curls. This engages your core for stability. Anytime you can practice that is an added bonus!

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Also, turn your hands to make this movement into a hammer curl.

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3. V-raise. Hold your arms straight but don't lock your elbows. Raise the weights diagonally in front of you so that your arms make a V shape. Hold and slowly release back to your sides. Engage your core and repeat 15 times. 

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Always, always remember to engage those sexy stomach muscles when doing any exercise! You can also always change up the pace of your reps. Do a set of slow lifting and then a set of quick lifts. Changing up your routine is what keeps your body changing and growing stronger!

 What are your favorite arm exercises? 

Work It! Wednesdays (I'm late!)

I guess you probably expect this whole "I'm never on time" thing with my "scheduled" blog posts. I'm terrible but in my defense my internet was down yesterday so I was disconnected from this little world. Anyway, apologies for awesome punctuality skills but I still wanted to get a health post in this week!

I've mentioned before that I love running. It is, hands down, the best therapy out there. I'm not saying its easy, it is actually really hard to get into if you are not a runner yet. When I started running I never expected that I would ever enjoy it. It was like slow, painful, hot, sweaty self-inflicted torture. Actually, sometimes it still feels like that but now I know that pushing through the pain and the voice in your head saying "its okay, 3 miles is good enough for today" is worth it. Are any of you runners out there? What do you love about it?

Running has so many health benefits to offer you. Its the best workout for your heart, that thing inside that keeps you alive day in and day out despite how you treat it? Help your little ticker out and give it some exercise to make it stronger! Running also helps improve: bone density, immune system, energy levels, mental alertness, weight loss/control, better sleep, lung function, muscle tone, confidence and lowers your chances of anxiety, depression, obesity, diabetes, and more! Don't believe me? Click here, here, here or here to see for yourself!

Still not sold? Give it a try for two weeks and see for yourself. There is such satisfaction in the feeling of a strong, rhythmic stride. Get lost in your mind and your surroundings. Set a goal to give you something to work towards and accomplish. Mine? I will be running my first half-marathon here in Paris in October! We can keep each other encouraged as we go!

Other benefits of working out? Buying cute workout clothes and inspiring music! I love me some Lululemon.

Bon Courage!!

Work It! Wednesdays

First of all, I have been LOVING everyones funny and awesome comments on my blog the past few days. You guys make me smile! Keep them coming :)

So its another Wednesday where I am actually not going to be hitting the trail or the weight routine just yet. I am actually physically sore from work yesterday. Moving around 50 lbs bags of sugar for three hours will make your poor little arm muscles shake and feel like jello. Clearly, I need to step up my workout routine! haha...eek!

Okay, so as I'm sure you know - health is not JUST physical. It is just as much a mental game. It is so incredibly easy to get caught up in the little dramas of life and let them get you down or to let your stresses overcome you. I know I was feeling that way all last week. I was a huge stress case/emotional wreck! (Thank you for the supportive comments last week!) Sometimes you just have so much on your mind that that you don't think you can escape the grey cloud hanging over your head. Do you know what I'm talking about?

When this happens (and I know this is easier said than done, but...) try to take a step back and take a deep breath. Take a few deep breaths actually. Just this simple thing will calm you down ten fold. Close your eyes and just breath, remove yourself from the situation just for 10 seconds and then you will be able to see things much more clear. If you need something more, don't forget about walking. Take a walk around the block, put in your favorite song on your iPod. And my personal favorite mood-changer and de-stresser: running. Run, don't look back, just run and get it out.

Being stressed out can really take a physical toll on your body. Bad stress can give you stomach aches, head aches, chest pain, elevated blood pressure, loss of energy and can lead to things like depression, anxiety, rashes, lowered immune system and other more serious dependencies and disorders  - if not dealt with. So when you are feeling overwhelmed and under pressure just remember to take a step back and decide if this issue is really worth what you are feeling. Breathe, this will pass and everything will be okay.

Remember, being happy is a choice! Every day.

Have a healthy, happy and stress-free Wednesday!

Work It! Wednesdays

Ah, the fun always has to come to an end. My brother and his friends left this morning to go home to the US. The past three weeks have been just amazing! My family came to Paris, I went to Alsace with my classmates, went to Amsterdam and Munich with my brother and then had him in Paris for the last five days. Psh, that is hard to beat! Oh yeah, add the start of my internship to that list of activities. I am e.x.h.a.u.s.t.e.d!

Today is the perfect day for my first "Work IT!" post because you know who needs some motivation? ME! Three weeks of eating, drinking and not working out will throw a wrench into your fitness. (it was totally worth it!), but now I need to get back on track and burn off those three spoonfuls of nutella I may or may not have just eaten...eek!

Since it's the first post and my first post-vacation work out I think we should start simple. Walking.

Don't roll your eyes just yet. I know your thinking "wow, thats lame" but walking can be a really great workout! I used to doubt its powers a few years ago and then I started the Susan G. Komen 3 day walk and never looked at walkers the same again. I could run 8 miles, no problem but after walking 20 miles in one day...I felt like I got my butt kicked. Times that by 3 days and you will understand why there has to be beer involved over that weekend! So, before you decide to dismiss walking as legitimate exercise, lets take a look...

Walking has the power to:

• reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes
• strengthen your heart and reduce your risk of heart attack
• increase bone density
• strength and tone your muscles
• elevate your mood and cognitive function
• help with weight loss
• lower blood pressure
• decrease bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol
• be a stepping stone to other workouts!

my favorite walking path - SD bay!

Other super-awesome things about walking:

• it is a great way to get some fresh air and vitamin D ...walk outside!
• it is social! call up a friend and instead of hitting happy hour go for a walk around the city, lake, park, mountain..wherever! Time flies when you are catching up on all the latest gossip!
• it makes you an explorer! Walking around your city, neighborhood, or a new place is the perfect way to explore and find news things (restaurants, parks, secrets!) that you might not find if you were driving by in your car.
• turn it into a hike. Nobody said a workout has to be in the gym or around the neighborhood park. Drive out to whatever version of the "backwoods" your city has and hike up the mountain, through the woods, down the beach...get in touch with nature!
• use it to set your first fitness goal. Find a local walk in your area and use that as a goal marker. It will feel great when you finish and it gets you involved in your community!
• Short on time? I go for short walks on my lunch breaks at work. Walk to the cafe instead of driving. Not only will you burn a few calories but you will be refreshed and more awake when you return.

Alright, are you ready to get out there?!

No matter what...just remember...

my other hobby

I talk a lot about food around here. I mean, I live in the pastry and culinary capital of the world, what can you expect? The truth is, I actually have another favorite thing to do besides creating delicious little works of art - working out. 

Freshman year of college, I was definitely not bringing sexy back. I suffered that horrible "freshman 15" that a lot of you are probably familiar with. Its pretty evil but at the time, I was having so much fun it didn't even matter. I loved college, I had the time of my life there! But it also made me a pretty unhealthy person. I was not working out even though I lived 50 feet from the school gym, eating the terrible-for-you dorm food and partying it up! It took until my junior year until I started getting active and eating the right foods again. Once, I started up again I couldn't and haven't stopped.

I became a bit of a gym rat, then started to run outdoors, realized how amazing fruits and vegetables taste and realized it is really not difficult to be a healthy person. It is SO important to make the right decisions for your body. It is the only body you've got so you best be treating it right if you expect it to carry you through those 100 years you want to live.

Moving to Paris, I was really worried about gaining weight and my workouts since I don't belong to a gym here (they are so dang expensive!). It has been more challenging to maintain decent workouts here than at home but I've learned that it is possible to get a great workout without hitting the gym. I definitely miss getting my butt kicked by my favorite gym instructor (Gale, I miss you!) but I think she would be proud that I've kept it up with my lovely little 3 kilo (7lbs) weights in my apartment. Don't judge, 3 kilos is the heaviest ones the sport store sold!! The French don't really...you know...work out.

From now on, I will be posting tips on working out, being active, eating healthy and all that good stuff on Wednesdays. Mid week is always a struggle so hopefully this will inspire you to keep it going on the toughest day of the week! Are you with me?! :)