Does Running Really Suck?

Mandy, Shalene, Brandy & Deb
 After surviving a rainy 13.1 miles

Four half-marathons. Yes, I have run 13.1 miles  in 4 different cities, Chicago, Indianapolis, Louisville and good ol' Nashville. 

Call me a runner? Nope. 

Do I always love running? Nope. 

My very first training program for my very first half-marathon is one I will never forget. My "long" run at the end of the week called for 3 whole miles. 


It was a cold day so my running buddy and I decided to run inside on the treadmill. After 1.5 miles, I held onto the sides and very slowly and painfully dragged my feet and watched as my mileage lifted to 1.6...1.7...1.8. I stopped. Maybe signing up was a bad idea. Then I looked over and noticed my friend struggling a little too. I guess I only have 1.2 miles left and I thought about rocking little black dresses, feeling my best at a high school reunion, and imagining the feeling of crossing the finish line. 

The last 1.2 seemed to go by a little faster. 

7 weeks later a group of 4 girls went out and ran 12 miles. I nailed it. I was going to rock this half-marathon. Until a few days later, I went out and barely managed .37 miles before I had to turn around. 

10 days later, I finished those 13.1 miles and felt great. There were a few moments when I wanted to quit believe me, but my friends definitely helped me push through to the end.


I ran the next 3 with friends, family and other various forms of support. It's the only way to do it in my mind, which is why I am so passionate about our Go Commando Half/10K/5K Training Program here.

Which is just 8 weeks away: http://gocommandoclarksville.com/


With our 8 week program, Monday-Friday we provide an at home run schedule as well as 2-3 days of crossing training with our Boot Camp Challenge program then on Saturday, we run our long runs....together as a group. 


Race Day is October 18th which will also be my 30th Birthday and I cannot imagine doing anything different than running with the biggest and greatest support group of them all. 

So make up your mind now...can you run 13.1 miles? 6.2 miles? 3.1 miles?

Absolutely. 

Will you be alone? Nope. 

BOOT CAMP CHALLENGE 8 WEEK TRAINING PROGRAM

August 25th-October 18th 

Email mondaymorningfitness@gmail.com for more information 

This year we will have two different guest bloggers, writing about their training experience.

Emily Jones, Clarksville CVB

Brandy Marik, Personal Trainer and Author of "My Daddy is Deployed"

Discipline

"We can become the masters of our own destinies by practicing self-discipline and by setting worthy goals" -  M. Russell Ballard

The discussion of children and "crying it out" came up the other day while training a client.  When RLP was born, I decided right away, that although I hated to hear her cry, I wanted her to learn to sleep in her crib. I simply placed her in her crib, set a timer, and waited see if she fell asleep.

And she did.

It was difficult at first (huge understatement). I wanted to grab that sweet baby and put her in bed with me, but each night got easier.

My client looked at me and said, "You are way too disciplined"

I have not stopped thinking about that word since our conversation. As a child, growing up, I always thought of the word defined here:

the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.

As I got older and into personal training, I immediately think of this definition:

the controlled behavior resulting from discipline.

Discipline.

It's why I set my alarm at 6AM on Sunday, my only day to sleep in with my family. However, it's my only real day to get in more than 30 minutes at the gym.

It's why I really do enjoy that protein shake while my significant other eats pizza.

It's why I muster up the energy to grill chicken or make an omelet when I am just down right "too tired" to cook.

I love sleep.

I love pizza.

And I really do not need to cook.

However, my long term goals...my purpose of staying fit, maintaining my current body fat %, and let's face it, just being a fitness badass trump all of the above.

Motivation is when you see a picture of either your old self or a fitness model and you say, "I want to look like that!" so  I am going to start working out, eating right...

Discipline is used when that motivation decides to disappear. And it will.

Motivation comes in waves, discipline helps us stay the course.

 When you know your goals, really know them, and want them more than that extra hour of sleep or a few pieces of pizza, that is when you will become successful in your fitness and wellness journey.

Use pictures.

Recite quotes.

Write your goals in a place you see every.single.day.

So when that motivation decides to leave you on a Monday morning at 5AM, when you swore up and down that you were going to start today, you'll have those reminders, those reasons or that purpose that will beat out those daily excuses.

Success in Goal Setting

"You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine"- John C Maxwell

Boot Camp Challenge and numerous other workout programs are short term goal programs, meaning 30-60 days.  Most individuals join a workout program and focus just on their long terms goals of "I want to lose weight" or "I want to be stronger"

In order to be set up for success, instead of concentrating on the long term, we first shift the focus to your short term goals also known as your action steps. Most of our campers don't even know where to start.

Is your goal:

Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant/Realistic Time Based

"I want to be healthy" - Not specific, measurable or time based

"I want to lose 100lbs"- It might be realistic, but is it attainable in 30 days?

Say your long term goal out loud, better yet write it down!

Once you have your long term goal, directly under it, we put the SMART action steps needed to reach it.  

A client, Mari recently came to me and said she wanted to work on her "stomach" this summer.

We broke it down...3 things will help that area, nutrition, core work and cardio.

Instead of just writing down, "I want my stomach flat" and leaving it as that, she continued to write her action steps:

1) Improve 5K time to under 30 minutes by practicing intervals 2x a week
2) Food Journal everyday
3) Core work- 100 V-Ups/10 minutes of plank per week

✅ Specific

✅ Measurable

✅ Attainable

✅ Relevant

✅ Time Based

Lose body fat? Focus on that "pinched" area that is high
Lose weight? What specific steps are you taking in nutrition/cardio/strength
Toned legs? Work more on leg strengthening exercises 

Add it to your daily or weekly routine:

Small, Smart Choices + Consistency + Time = Radical Difference

If we start off too big with our long term goals, we might get discouraged and think it's impossible to reach. By starting with small, daily and manageable goals, we set ourselves up for SUCCESS.

* This summer our campers will earn their T-Shirts and will be writing their goal on the front of an index card. On the back, they will write their specific action steps. Once the goal is reached, they will be rewarded with a sweet T-Shirt :) #earnednotgiven *

Muscle Does Not Weigh More Than Fat

Fitness Myth: Muscle weighs more than fat

Truth: 5lbs of muscle weighs the same as 5lbs of fat

Muscle = More dense than fat + takes up less space = looks better :)

I usually share my top secret weight loss secret with clients and campers and will share it here:

Pick up your scale.

Open your window.

Throw it out the window and hope it breaks. 

So how do you set weight loss goals?

Know your body fat %. Focus on those numbers. 

Our program uses the Jackson Pollock 3 Caliper Method, testing these 3 sites.

Women: 1) Tricep 2) Suprailiac (stomach) 3) Thigh

Men: 1) Chest  2) Abdominal 3)Thigh


For example, comparison on my own body fat % 4 months postpartum & again 8 months postpartum

         JAN 2014 vs APRIL 2014

TRI:      10                   9

SUP:     20                   17

THI:      15                  13

BF%      19                  16.88

I did not lose a single pound according to the scale.

However, when using this site:


http://www.linear-software.com/online.html

My actual lbs of body fat dropped from 23 to 20. 

Meaning I replaced 3lbs of fat with 3lbs of muscle. 

I am more than OK with not losing a single pound. 
 

Where to start?

At the beginning...

Breakfast. Is it your biggest meal? Are you eating within 30 minutes of getting out of bed? Does it include a protein source that will help you feel fuller longer or include a high count of added sugars?

At 120lbs, my BMR (basal metabolic rate: rate I burn calories at rest) = 1695. Which means 25-35% should come first thing in the morning, meaning to start my day off right, I need to be eating 400-600 calories. 

I know, I know...but Courtney, I am not hungry in the morning. Well...

Skip breakfast, count your coffee as a meal, or grab a 100 calorie protein bar? Always eat your lunch on the go? You. Will. Be. Starving. by mid-afternoon. So what do we do at dinner? Stuff our faces, eating somewhere between 700-1,000.

And what do we do 2-3 hours after dinner? Go to bed. I wouldn't be hungry in the morning either. 

On the flip side, if we eat our biggest meal in the morning, a slightly smaller lunch, add some snacks and eat a small dinner (because you're SO full from eating all day), you will set yourself up for success.


IRON MAN MAGAZINE writes:

Don’t skip breakfast! Breakfast is exactly what the name suggests — ‘break fast’. It’s breaking the fast your body had while you were asleep for 8 hours. 

A study once found that although skipping breakfast may seem a good way to eliminate calories, breakfast skippers tend to be fatter than breakfast eaters. And when people eat a larger-than-normal breakfast, they end up eating almost 100 fewer calories by the end of the day, an amount that can help your summer fat loss campaign.

Skipping breakfast in order to lose weight is a big and common mistake and is counterproductive because it actually slows your metabolism and can lead to over eating. Always include protein foods in your breakfast as they takes longer to digest and will provide sustained energy and keep you feeling full longer.

A good mantra that you have probably heard is to ‘Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.’

This means the majority of your calories are consumed in the early part of the day, giving you the chance to burn them off via your daily tasks. This also means that you don’t go to bed on too much food which may otherwise be converted to your fat stores.
People who eat a healthy breakfast have fewer weight and health issues than those who don’t.



Got breakfast covered?

Great! Through the many, many books on nutrition, I have found Bob Harper's Skinny Rules an amazing foundation to proper nutrition.

Pick 1-3 rules in those areas you feel you struggle the most, try to improve in the next 30-60 days. You will not regret it.  

 

 WRITE YOUR RULES/GOALS DOWN!

Breakfast Ideas:

100% Whole Wheat Toast/English Muffin w/Peanut Butter

Scrambled Eggs

Hard Boiled Eggs

Banana/Apple/Grapes/Blueberries

Oatmeal w/ Nuts or Fruit

Protein Shake (+fruit/spinach/PB) 

Some of my favorite recipes:

Protein Waffle Recipe

1/2 Cup of Liquid Egg Whites/Egg Beaters (or 2 Eggs)

1/4 Cup of Vanilla or Chocolate Protein

1/2 Cup of Whole Wheat Flour/Oats

1 Large Banana

 *Blueberries/Chocolate Chips

Egg Cupcakes (great for freezing)

10-12 Eggs

8 slices of cooked bacon

+ Vegetables of your choice- Spinach/Tomatoes/Zucchini/Onion/etc.

Preheat oven to 350, grease 2 muffin pans or place cupcake liners, fill cup with 1/4 c each

Bake for 20-25 minutes

Egg McMuffin

1 Egg Omlet (2 eggs)

2 piece of bacon

Whole Wheat English Muffin

Cook 2 eggs in skillet, cook bacon, place on English Muffin!

Workout in the morning? I do too...I stick with light carb + protein pre-workout meal:

banana + tbsp peanut butter

handful of almonds + apple

1/2 protein bar (sugars < 10g, protein > 10g) and eat the other 1/2 afterwards :)

Those with "GRIT" stay the course.

There's been a trend on Facebook of sharing different blogs with advice on married life and the whole  "sticking it out through the good times and the bad".

I love these stories. Now maybe it's my profession, but my mind immediately relates the underlying theme with fitness.

Grit

We end every Boot Camp with that word. Heck, it's on the back of our shirts. 

When I started this program back in 2011, I came across this article in Women's Health:


http://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/success-secrets

And I found our new motto


"...in 2002, Angela Duckworth, Ph.D., interviewed high achievers in various fields and found that they all shared one personal quality: grit. Defined as "sustained perseverance and passion for long-term goals," grit seemed to explain why more top CEOs hail from state schools than from the Ivy League, and why some people gut out that last series of sit-ups in boot camp while others flop on the floor when the burn really kicks in. According to Duckworth, "Grit entails working strenuously toward challenges and maintaining effort and interest despite failure, adversity, and plateaus." While some people cut their losses when faced with boredom or disappointment, those with grit stay the course"

Those with grit stay the course. All quotes can be tied into "grit".


Fall down 7 times, get up 8
Will it be easy? Nope. Will it be worth it. Yes!
Show up even when you don't feel like showing up

Life would be great if we could remove ourselves from the situation and actually see the "falling down" or the "hard times". Instead we feel it...hopelessness, the urge to give up, the what's the point, or the it's never going to happen.

How do you "sustain perseverance"? Everything that makes Boot Camp Challenge great:

Group Accountability. Find a group or a buddy. They will encourage you when you don't feel like it or better yet, you might just encourage them. And misery really does love company!

Routine and Scheduling. Campers know that if they sign up for our 9AM class on MWF, they will avoid scheduling appointments and put BOOT CAMP in that 9-10AM time slot.

Variety. It really is the spice of life. Strength training, flexibility, cardiovascular, medicine balls, dumbbells, partner work, running, sandbells, bands, battle ropes... check all of the above.

Progress. We all need a way to track progress and not just with the scale. My favorite milestones are the ones that go something like, "I ran the entire time, I couldn't do that 4 weeks ago" or "I did 10 push-ups on my toes!".  Not just the scale which can be discouraging.


And I came across this today...


"Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow'"


Having a bad day. Try again tomorrow.


..."maintain effort despite failure, adversity, and plateaus".