Monday Motivation

No matter what yesterday brought you good or bad today is a new day...a new beginning...a new chance.  Take a big deep breathe and proceed with purpose!!  This week I'm taking the leap and trying new classes at my new gym.  I am taking a huge, deep breathe and I'm proceeding with the purpose to push and challenge my body to reach new heights!

What will you do with this new beginning?

Fitness Friday...Are you part of a pack?

Lately I have been running in a pack of one...

Since I was about 7 months pregnant until now I have been running alone most of the time.  Let me tell you something about running alone...many times it is fabulous.  I have quiet time to think and listen to podcasts and no one is asking me for anything.  However there are times, which are often lately, that I am needing a pack to push me along.  After running with Jill last weekend, I know I need that pack to not only keep my mind off the hurt but to also push me.  Something about me that you may or may not know is that I don't like saying I can't do something....or even give the illusion that I can't.  I've said it before but when I first started playing soccer and had to run in a group, I used to hold my breathe so no one would know if I was sucking wind or not!  This fact worked really well for me in the past 2 years while I was running with my running group.  The fear of being left behind forced me to push the pace and as a result I was faster than I had ever been before.  This fact works against me in cases such as right now when I don't feel like I can keep up with the wolf pack!  However I know I need to push myself and get out of my comfort zone in order to reach awesome status...

What about you?  Are you a pack runner? workerouter?  Do you work better alone or in a group?  Favorite line from "The Hangover"...go!

Wordless Wednesday-Jelly Bean and Spatula Love

What's in your Fitness Closet??

Fellow Fitfluential Ambassador and amazing runner Brian at Pavement Runner...did I mention he just PRd at the Oakland Marathon...challenged us to open up our closets and show some of our gear!  Well my closet is such a hot mess so you are only going to get a tiny peak at my shoes, shirts, and hats! 
It should be no surprise that my shoes are all things Saucony...they are so good to my feet and have kept me hitting the road for 15 years now!  There's no going back! I've donated quite a few pairs so these 5 are still hanging out!  I try to donate a pair every time I buy one.

Shirts are my weakness....I keep just about all my race shirts good or not!  I would say I'm a huge fan of UnderArmour and Nike shirts...they're super comfy and well yes they come in awesome colors and have fun sayings!

And since you all rock and apparently I had a lot to say....I made a vlog just for you all!!!  Em decided to join me and it took a few takes since she also wanted to add her two cents every minute!

Head on over to Pavement Runner to check out other FFAs and their closets!!

Fitness Friday...Gym Must Haves

Well over the summer I claimed my independence from the gym.  I said I didn't need a membership to get into shape and I know that that is still true.  Many people have amazing results from working out in their own home.  Yesterday however I realized a few things about myself....

• I LIKE going to the gym...walking in the door, going to classes, using a variety of weights and machines, talking with others(I met my husband at the gym-technically we had known each other for years but we were reunited at the gym where he saw me flexing and knew he couldn't live without me:-))
• I am a gym girl...yes I am a runner first...but I love the classes (spin, body pump, etc)
• Lifting heavy weights in front of a huge mirror makes me feel very bada$$...I kid about the mirror part!
• This is not going to happen any time soon:

 My current gym can best be described as the latest episode of Jersey Shore at night...

which would be great if I were in my early 20s and wanted to spend my precious gym time texting my friends and flirting but well...

Sooo yesterday I headed over to a different gym to check it out and see if I thought it would be a better fit for me....and walked out with a shiny new gym membership!  Ha!  The gym really does have what I'm looking for/need.  It's an all women's gym which is something that I didn't need but the features of the gym fit.  They have some great classes which is really what I was looking for.  I'm looking forward to getting back to spinning and taking a Team class which can be best described as CrossFit meets athlete training.  Who knows...all I know is that I saw TRX bands, AstroTurf, Kettlebells, and punching bags and I was in love! 

Now I'm always a runner at heart....and even though my hubby went there and said something runners never want to hear "What if the trainer tells you you need to run less?"...I know in order to change my body shape right now I need to mix it up.  When I had Em I was whipped into shape that way...I logged 1500 miles but I also did and LOVED bootcamp classes and other HIIT classes.  I'm looking forward to changing things up and seeing results!

What do you look for in a gym? 

TTT

What's that?  It's Thursday already?  Well then that means it time for another random...

Foodie Friends...I am so thankful I opened up about Em and her eating.  Thank you so much for all your awesome advice and support!!  I have so many ideas that I am going to try out!  She loves to help me cook in the kitchen but I think that a few of the things I make I am going to have to do alone so I can sneak in some goodies!  My hubs spoke with the teacher yesterday and they did a little damage control.  We also let her pick out her dinner which she not only ate all of but there was no battle which was what I wanted to avoid.  Plus it was pretty healthy!!!  Thank you again for all your support!!

Time for Change...For whatever reason Easter time brings in me a desire to change my hair...could be the Spring is finally here (well according to the calendar) and I'm ready to be done with Winter or just ready for a change.  Now let me say that I have the DESIRE for a change but I have had relatively the same haircut and color since I was in high school...yes my friends high school!!!  I did cut all my hair off once when I was in college going from Rapunzel to a Meg Ryan look alike (something about a boy...and a breakup...we all make dumb decisions).  Hubs knew me then and said some not too flattering things about my very short tresses basically ending with "Don't do that again!"  I am going to get my hair cut next Friday and I'm facing a few issues that I need to address.  First up is that my hair is falling out at an alarming rate (heads up to all you pregnant readers...it falls out!)  Fortunately I have ridiculously thick hair to begin with so it isn't too bad but it is getting a little ragged.  Second issue at hand is that I am now 34...ugh... and well my once dark brown hair is showing it's age (i.e. white hairs are no longer blending in with my blonde highlights).  So yeah I'm thinking about maybe a change in color too!  For a cut I was thinking a lob...aka the long bob circa Rachel McAdams (Does Ryan Gosling come with the haircut?)

I need a little length since I want to still be able to pull it back and because my hair is so curly that when you cut it short it recoils like nothing I've ever seen...no poodle do for me thanks!  We shall see though...

Pumping Iron...No I'm not talking my hubby's favorite movie:

I'm talking getting my -ish together and hitting the weights.  Now that my half marathon is in the bank my next half is in May (I have a 10k and 10 miler in April) and I have some very specific goals for that.  Being that that race is on Memorial Day aka the unofficial start of summer, I am going to want to be ready to flash my guns!

 Beautiful baby has left me well....for the lack of better more flattering term...giggly.  The plan is being formed and the iron is going to be pumped!!!  What's your favorite body part to train?  For me it's legs and shoulders.  I feel like I can beat up my legs pretty good and I can lift crazy weight with them! (Thank you 13 years of being a catcher in softball!)

What She WON"T Eat Wednesday

I could title this post a number of things like...Desperate Diner or Nutty about Nutrition or maybe even Toddler Tantrums but instead I am reaching out to all of you.  A desperate mom who just wants her daughter to be healthy.

Meet Em:

Our beautiful, funny, caring, wicked smart, toddler who up until last week could be categorized as your average picky eater.  Yes she would refuse to even try most foods but she had her set of foods that she would accept on her plate and I worked my hardest to make those foods the healthiest I could.  Until last week...

A very well-meaning mom, who is also a nutritionist, came to her class to talk about nutrition.  She did activities with them about what foods were healthy and what foods were treats and why it was important to eat healthy foods.  She obviously used words like "nutritious" and "protein" since those are some of the words being fired back at me!  Her lesson I'm sure was very well planned and for the average child was a great time learning about foods...but for our picky eater it was the fuel to cut out even more foods from her VERY limited approved list. 

Which leads us to today and my real concern for her.  The foods she cut out of her diet yes were not healthy foods (grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, pizza, and waffles) but I made sure that those foods were all organic, packed with as many nutrients as I could so that I could be sure she was getting what she needed.  The past 4 nights have been a battle that has resulted in her eating a handful of carrots or apple sauce and being done.  My concern is not only in if she is getting the proper nutrition (she only gets about 10g of protein a day and very little of anything else) but also this behavior around food.  She'll even ask for foods (smoothies or peanut butter and jelly) which I gladly make for her and when it is on her plate she says it isn't nutritious enough and she can't eat it.  I am at a loss....it makes me very sad and as much as my husband says it is nothing to do with anything we did I can't help but feel responsible. 

Any advice? Has anyone dealt with a picky eater who uses nutrition facts as a justification NOT to eat?