Exercise

Running: Think you can’t? Think again.

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It’s Father’s Day and I’m reminiscing about Dad when we (my 2 brothers and I) were growing up.  This is also an eventful weekend for me because I completed another running goal.  My goal was to get an official 5K time of under 30 minutes.  Yesterday, I completed a 5K in 29:33.  I was pretty excited, especially since I ran 9 miles the night before and have been battling a super sore left SI joint and tight right piriformis/IT band/hip flexors of right hip for about 10 days. I still got goal! I haven’t run an official 5K race in at least a year…if not longer, so it’s a big deal for me.  In the meantime, I’ve been running half marathons, 10K’s, and even completed a full marathon without proper training last October. (Not recommended!)

Back to my Dad…..when I was a preteen Dad hurt his knee and had some extensive surgery.  Back then, they casted him from hip to toe (unheard of today) and I often went with him to his physical therapy sessions (this is how I got the fever to become one myself!).  Well, Dad was on crutches for a long time and my brothers and I used to tease him by taking his crutches away or putting them across the room.  It was all for a good laugh!  Well, weeks later, Dad was outside with us and on crutches.  My brothers were teasing him saying, “You can’t catch us!” Dad threw down his crutches and to their surprise started chasing them!  They didn’t know he was working hard in PT and didn’t need the crutches anymore.  Oh….it was so funny and a great memory.

I am the face behind the facebook page www.facebook.com/yourfitnessinfo.  I always hear people say, “I can’t run.”      Quite frankly, I’m tired of that excuse.  There IS a small group that cannot physically run, and I am fully aware of this.  However, for the most point….I bet you can run.  I always think, ‘heaven forbid someone takes off with your child….I bet you would run after them!’  Or, ‘what if someone was chasing you with a knife?’  Our bodies were meant to run.  Think about all the activity that the human body had to do hundreds of years ago to catch food and such. The human body is NOT meant to be sedentary.  It developes skin wounds, breaks down, gets stiff, deteriorates, etc.  I personally believe this “I can’t run” is an excuse for numerous reasons.

1.  People think it’s too difficult to run.

2.  People believe they have ‘bad knees’ and cannot run.

3.  People get bored with running.

4.  Laziness

Listen, no one is saying go out and run 2 miles right now.  And, it’s not necessary to run fast.  If you have curiosity about running or wish you could and not sure where to start, here’s a guideline.  Start with intervals.  When you go for your walk, add 30-60 seconds of a light jog every couple of minutes.  It’s that easy!  Eventually, you will find yourself jogging for a few more seconds.  Jogging/running is a great cardio burner, it’s mentally good for you (a psychologist friend told me it has the same benefits as an antidepressant drug), the ‘runner’s high’ is an amazing feeling, and it’s time to yourself.  I strongly encourage you to try it! Here are some pointers so you can start to try jogging and reap the benefits.

*  Ladies…make sure to wear a supportive sports bra.  HIGHLY NECESSARY.

*  Music.  You can get lost in the music and before you know it, you’ve gone another quarter-mile.  I can suggest some good songs if you would like.

*  SHOES – not all shoes are made for running.  Proper footwear will make it easier for joints and muscles.  I always know when I need new shoes…my joints start to ache.

*  There are many apps available to assist you with distance, time, and motivation. RunKeeper &Joggy Coach are some of my favs.

*  Vaseline is my friend. 🙂  It stops friction burns.

*  If running is boring to you…..you need to learn to be alone with your thoughts more often!  It’s a great exercise for working through difficult situations and being able to set your mind straight.  I jog a lot of mileage and often times find clarity through thinking/praying while running.

*  Jogging can lubricate joints.  Proper exercises (strengthening and flexibility) can help knee and hip joints to be able to run.  Don’t fool yourself into thinking that just because you have arthritis or a previous injury/surgery you shouldn’t be running.  It is more difficult on the joints, but if you are kind to your joints and take care of them, it won’t be a problem.  This is another reason why cross training is so important for joints!

* Technique….often times people have poor technique which causes pain and tightness.  Have someone access your technique.

*  Intervals…..this is how you start!  I have some programs that I recommend, so contact me for more information.

Once again…there are a few people who should not be running.  But, too many people are using excuses not to run and it’s frustrating.  I’m not a fast runner and I’m not out to beat anyone. I’m not a professional runner.  I’m just a Mom, who wants to stay fit, LOVES accomplishing fitness goals and doing what people say I cannot, enjoys the alone time that running provides for me, gets super excited to feel a runner’s high (feeling post run), and likes toned legs.  I’m also a therapist, fitness coach, and studying to get certified in sports nutrition. I’ve learned a lot simply by running often and finding what works and what does not.  I have a lot of friends who are runners and I ask a lot of question.

 I love receiving texts, emails, and facebook posts from people who didn’t think they could run…..and are now doing it!!!  That’s the best feeling as a coach!  Do I always love to run?  NOPE.  Do I dread it some days?  YEP.  But, once I get started, it’s worth every step.  Do what you cannot think you can.  Try it….if you don’t like it, THEN you can say it’s not for you.  Otherwise…don’t give yourself an excuse NOT to try something and be active !

Be like Dad….surprise yourself and others with your running ability!

Life is Busy….

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Life is Busy….is that an understatement or what?!  I have 2 children (ages 7 & 4), and between baseball practice/games, working as a physical therapist assistant, playing league Volleyball, answering health/fitness emails, maintaining a business facebook page, marketing, the kid’s school VIP weeks, and various other appointments, I can barely wrap my mind around what to make for dinner and continuously stare at the laundry that needs folding.  However, I still manage to get a daily workout in….whether it’s once the kids go to bed or sometime throughout the day.  The kids know that when it’s Mommy’s time to workout, they must keep busy.  I don’t care if they are in the basement with me playing….they just need to try and not interrupt.  I need at least 30 minutes and if they are having a good day….I get 45-60 minutes. Working out is as much of a mental release for me as a physical one.  I am a much better Mommy and more fun when I get my workout in for the day.  I realize this and let go of the ‘guilt’ of working out a long time ago.  My kids are learning the importance of exercise….and it’s need in their lives along with mine.  I can hear it now as they talk to their kids….”Your Grandma used to always workout!”  Ha Ha!

But, I was chatting with my cousin the other day and she said, “Working 60+ hours and putting the finishing touches on my upcoming wedding is really stressing me out.”  She needed to be up at 5:15 the next morning for work.  Her statement got my mind racing.  You see, I work a PRN status.  This means, that the company I am employed with contacts me and asks me if I am able to work that day or the next.  They can call at any time and I can say “YES” or “NO.”  I like to say “YES” but that can be difficult due to having to find a sitter at the  last minute.  Therefore….it’s easy for me as a health/fitness coach to say, “A workout is only 30-60 minutes/day and you should be able to get that in!!”  After chatting with Audrey and really thinking about it…I realize…..that can be really harsh to say and some people are working sunrise to sundown (esp. in this economy) and literally have no time to squeeze in a hard workout.  YES, they understand it’s good for them physically and mentally to work out…..YES, they want to do it….but there just isn’t enough hours in the day!!  I GET IT!  🙂  (As a therapist I struggle getting my patients do to their quick home exercise programs….let alone a hard workout!)

So….you may not get time to workout and may be exhausted.  NEVER FEAR….options are HERE!  🙂  There are plenty of ways to get little workouts in and YES….it does matter!  Something is better than nothing!  When you cannot get a workout in….focus extra hard on your nutrition and water intake.  Then, try to add in a few of these ideas.

  • You have to get to work, right?  Are you close enough to ride a bike somedays?  If so…do it!
  • Driving?  While sitting at the stop light do isometrics.  These are exercises which contract the muscles, but no joint movement.  Such as butt squeezes or posterior pelvic tilts (fancy name for tightening lower abs and pushing your low back against your lumbar support).  Do as many as you can while at the stop light or hold them 10 seconds and repeat throughout an entire song.
  • Do squats while brushing your teeth.  Make sure to keep your butt back and knees behind toes to protect those knees!  Push up through your heels.  You can get into the squat position and stay there a few seconds, or do them one legged and stay shallow.  (I should blog about different kinds of squats!  lol)
  • Wall sits.  Helping your kids with homework?  Put your back against the wall, feet about 2 feet away from wall and slide down until your knees are 90 degrees bent.  Hold 60 seconds and repeat 3x.  (BURN QUADS, BURN!)
  • Do pushups or abdominal crunches or planks during commercial breaks on your TV shows or during movies.  How many can you do?
  • Stretch hamstrings/calves while sitting on floor folding laundry.
  • Run sprints with your kids!
  • Make your own circuit with jumping jax, tuck jumps, high knee running in place, squats, and push ups.  Do each one for a minute and then repeat 3-5x with a 30-60 second rest between reps.

Get the point?????  (I always do the car exercises and random squats throughout the day)  🙂 Every little bit helps….seriously!  Then, on the weekends or whenever you have time…..get that hard workout in…the kind where you are tired, out of breath, and a little sore the next day.

Be creative!  Post your creativity on my facebook page so others can learn and be motivated too!  I would LOVE it!  www.facebook.com/yourfitnessinfo 

If you have any questions, concerns, or need assistance, please contact me at bashford.lisa@yahoo.com

Life is busy…..so the next time you are driving somewhere…think of me and squeeze those buns!

WALL SITS!! :)

…like PB & Jelly.

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PB Jelly
I was ill last week and had a hard time keeping much food down.  When I did get hungry, I found myself making a PB & Jelly sandwich.  It tasted wonderful and made me start to think about what a perfect combo it is.

When you think of a PB & Jelly sandwich, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?  For me, it’s the memory of being a kid and swimming at my Aunt or Grandma’s pond on a hot summer day.  After a couple of hours of swimming, we would come home and eat PB & Jelly sandwiches.  To this day, after swimming, I crave one of those gooey sandwiches on super soft bread.

PB & Jelly is a perfect combo.  The nutty, pasty goodness of creamy PB with the sweet, cold fruit spread on soft bread.  It’s a childhood staple (before all the PB allergies emerged).  It’s so good, that it’s even used in language as a reference to 2 things perfectly fitting together ‘…like PB & Jelly.’ 

This is exactly how Nutrition & Exercise fit together also.  They blend perfectly with one another to create a strong, healthy body inside and out.  Think about it….not only are they both very important in a weight loss program, but in life in general.

Proper food choices are essential for our health – fighting against illness, disease, fatigue, emotions, weight gain, etc.  We need food to survive!  The food choices we make each day are a continuing choice.  Exercise is a 1x/day choice.  Therefore,  food choice makes up a lot of our daily decision-making.

If you only focus on your food choices, you will lose weight.  There’s no doubt about it.  Typically, if you lose significant weight, you will notice loose skin and find yourself wanting to be more active now that you actually can without all that weight!  This is where exercise comes into play.  It tones musculature and cont. to push the body through plateaus.

Exercise aids in prevention of injury, illness, mood swings, joint pain, and fatigue too!  It also helps with weight loss and changing the body composition from flabby to firm and sexy.  A nice little bicep/triceps combo is sexy….and shows the effort that a person has put into their own body…which leads to pride.

But, neither of these is as effective alone as they are together.  Nutrition and Exercise work so incredibly well together!

If you exercise often, but fill your body with junk, then your body is going to perform poorly, muscle soreness will hang on longer than typical (longer recovery post exercise), weight loss/toning will not be as rapid as it could be, and you won’t reap the benefits of exercise.  And, let’s be real…..if you are putting forth the effort of exercise, you want to see the results!!!  Nutrition fuels your workouts.

Often, my workout quality is related to what I have eaten recently.  Fill your body with junk, and it’s going to perform like junk.  Pre and post exercise nutrition is a whole other topic, but to be discussed another time.

So, just as PB & Jelly are perfectly matched for one another, the same can be said for Nutrition and Exercise.  They are each other’s perfect mate and complement one another creating a yummy goodness…..whether it’s a childhood memory, a tasteful treat, pride, or eye candy!

(Notice I never used the word, ’diet.’ I really dislike that word.  It has negative connotations associated with it and to me, ‘diet’ is temporary, but proper ‘nutrition’ is a lifestyle.)

Here’s an article on this topic.  Just more info!  🙂

http://www.livestrong.com/article/451983-the-importance-of-exercise-nutrition/

Nutrition + Exercise = Success.

PB + Jelly = A childhood memory for me. 🙂