Category: Heath
Operation Fridge Makeover
| March 23, 2012 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Health, Heath, Wellness |
I guess I surprised quite a few of you yesterday with the fact that I am indeed 24. I am kind of an “old soul” so I am not surprised many of you thought I was older 
Emmie and I survived the drive to Springfield to pick up my MIL. Yon, Em, and I spent the afternoon doing what we do best … shopping. I have some fun new things that will be making an appearance in upcoming “Sweat to Street” posts 
Guess what we are doing today? Shopping. Hehe. Emmie is getting some ridiculously cute clothes courtesy of her grandma.
I have a confession you guys … I have been finding myself slipping into bad snacking habits and too many Diet Cokes. I blame it on Emmie teething and us spending a lot of our afternoon on the couch which can lead to mindless snacking. I know that I will probably have snack-attacks, I AM still a breastfeeding mama needing to consume 2300 calories, however, I can definitely do better in regards to what I am choosing to snack.
Enter Operation: Fridge Make-Over! Here are my tips for making over your refrigerator so it works FOR you and not AGAINST you in your healthy eating endeavors
1. Pre-cut your fruits and veggies at the beginning of the week. I have found that if I cut my fruits/veggies ahead of time I am more likely to eat them during the week. Making them easily accessible saves me time and keeps me from being lazy. Cutting your fruits and veggies does make them spoil faster so even more incentive to eat them now
2. Store your pre-cut fruits and veggies in glass containers. If you can see them you are more likely to eat them. End of story. Please, glass containers don’t contain the chemicals that plastic does.
3. Store your healthy eats on the top shelf. You are more likely to eat things at eye level. Grocery stores have mastered this by putting high-selling products on the eye-level shelves in the store. Use this this trick to your advantage
4. Put your treats on the bottom shelf or even in the drawers. I am ALL about good things in moderation. So, out of sight, out of mind. :)
5. Only buy the good stuff. If it’s not in your house, it’s not in your mouth. This is where I definitely #fail. Plus, it’s hard when the husband brings it into the house to begin with and temptation is ever-looming … IE: the chocolate graham cookies in the above picture. Do your best … aim for 80% clean
Have you ever made over your fridge? What are your “go to” tricks?
Getting Dirty in Atlanta
| March 20, 2012 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under FitFluential, Georgia, Heath, Running, Wellness |
I am so flipping excited … VERY soon I will be doing something that I have wanted to do for awhile. What is it you ask? I will be running a mud run on April 28 in Atlanta, GA! Which one you wonder?
That’s right! I am running the Dirty Girl Mud Run! Dirty Girl is a women only 5K mud run that is suitable for women of any age or athletic ability. It is a relatively new series having just debuted in 2011 in Wisconsin. The amazing thing is that a percentage of the proceeds go to benefit the National Breast Cancer Foundation. In it’s first year, Dirty Girl raised $50,000!
I LOVE that this is a female-centered mud run. The 5K consists of 11 fun obstacles with hilarious names like “H2 Oh My God”, “Utopian Tubes”, and “PMS” (Pretty Muddy Stuff). Also, the race isn’t timed so you participate for the mere pleasure of doing it. In a recent press release the race directors say the Dirty Girl isn’t a race … it’s an experience. How cool is that??
The Dirty Girl in Atlanta is being held at Live Nation’s Aaron’s Amphitheater at Lakewood on April 28, 2012. There are still a TON of spots open in the later waves. If you want to be a Dirty Girl too you should sign up! Included in your registration is some pretty sweet swag including a t-shirt, a Dirty Girl charm, and a nice adult beverage at the end
The sweetest part of running the Dirty Girl mud run? I get to do it with some of my favorite people:
Maria of A Life to Bragg About
Carissa of Fit2Flex
Victoria of Victoria Runs
Alexis of Fit Possible
To say that I am excited is a vast understatement There may or mare not be coordinating outfits in the works. Read: there is.
Have you ever run a mud run before? Any tips about what to wear?
FitFluential LLC compensated me for this campaign. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Picking Running Shoes
| March 16, 2012 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Cardio, FitFluential, Heath, Running, Training |
Training for a half-marathon means logging quite a few miles per week either on the road or the treadmill. Choosing gear that is right for you is an important part of the training process. Choosing proper gear can make your runs more enjoyable as well as decrease your chances of injury. A solid pair of running shoes tops my list of important gear
There are several different kinds of running shoes to choose from, but some of the main ones are:
- Cushioning
- Stability
- Motion Control
- Minimalist
The kind of shoe you choose depends on a couple of things. First, you need to know your foot shape in terms of your foot arch. Personally, I have semi-high arches. You should also know how you run. Common ways your foot lands/moves are neutral, under-pronation, and over-pronation. There are simple tests you can do at home to determine both of these things, however, my advice is to go to a specialty running store and get fitted properly for your shoes.
Back in September, Chris and I went to the Texas Running Company store in Austin, TX to both get fitted for new running shoes. It was by far one of the coolest things ever.
They put us both on treadmills and had us run (well I jogged since I was 8 months pregnant) while they recorded how our feet moved. They were able to determine that both Chris and I land neutrally on our right feet but pronate our left. Therefore, a stability running shoe was recommended for both of us. We settled with the Brooks Adrenalines.
Hers and His (notice the size difference …)
I honestly have never been happier with running shoes! I am on my second pair of Adrenalines and ran my last 1/2 marathon in them and will do so again for the Go! St. Louis! I will be on the look-out for my newest pair as soon as I finish the race because I will have put enough wear and tear on this pair! It is often recommended that you replace your shoes every 300-500 miles or every 6 months. I totally agree with this … but I also think you should listen to your body! My knees tell me when it’s to start breaking in a new pair Happy running!
Edited to add: For anyone who doesn’t have a specialty running store near them, Runner’s World has an awesome online shoe finder to help you try to find the right pair for you. You can find it here.
How often do you replace your running shoes? Have you ever had how you run analyzed?
Dang Allergies
| March 13, 2012 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Heath, Wellness |
When I was home in Arizona visiting my family I developed contact dermatitis on both my arms. Basically it is a rash, much like the kind you get from poison ivy. My dad is a doctor and told me to try both topical Benadryl and then Cortisone 10 if it didn’t clear up. Well it NEVER cleared up and started showing up on my chest, stomach, and legs. Clearly I am allergic to something and needed to find some answers.
Last Thursday I went to my primary care doctor and she referred me to the dermatologist on post. Well the Army healthcare system is pretty slow to act so I decided to stop by the clinic myself and see if I could get an appointment ASAP since we are moving soon. Luckily for me they remembered me from when Emmie was having a rash back in November and got me in the next morning. The dermatologist confirmed that I am definitely having skin allergies and ordered a patch test to be done on Monday.
The thing that stunk about this? I couldn’t take my allergy medicine starting Saturday. I have REALLY bad allergies so I spent Sunday pretty much in a fog. Luckily I had thought of this and did my long-run on Saturday Good thing because I spent Sunday with a splitting headache and the sniffles. Finally, yesterday morning, I went in and got the patches applied to my back making it look something like this:
Patch testing functions by taping common skin allergens to your back, leaving them there for 48 hours, and then reading the results. I think I am being tested for 30 common allergens and 24 hours in my back is on FIRE. I can pin point which dots are causing extreme itching and burning. Somehow I have to survive until tomorrow … sigh. On top of the discomfort, I cannot shower (eww) or work out during this time … or take my meds. I am really bummed to be behind in my bootcamp workouts. Luckily I will only miss one run for my half-marathon training. Anyways, I can assure you I am not all that pleasant to be around right now … send positive thoughts to Chris and pray for his patience haha.
I am actually kind of thankful that I am reacting to something … I am hoping it gives me some answers. I am also incredibly nervous. My dad and sister are both highly allergic to a ton of chemicals. My sister is even allergic to the primary ingredient in hair dye. Although I am excited to find out what is causing my reactions, I am also nervous that it will be something that is SUPER common and difficult to avoid. Either way I will be glad to not itch anymore … ever since my rash started ALL my skin has been crawling and itchy.
I guess I will just learn to avoid more things … I am already allergic to tree nuts, mango, latex, and most pollens/grasses. Chris on the other hand isn’t allergic to a single thing. I am really hoping Emmie gets his genetics Sorry for the gripe … I am on pins and needles and incredibly itchy. Haha.
Are you allergic to anything? Have you ever been tested?
What Motivates You?
| March 9, 2012 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under ACE, Heath, Uncategorized, Wellness |
Last month I started on a new journey … something I have been wanting to do for awhile. I started studying for my ACE personal training certificate. Fitness has been a passion of mine for most of my life, so it just made sense to pursue it! I am really excited to bring you guys on this journey with me
One of the topics I was studying recently was on adherence and motivation. Motivation is a complex and somewhat difficult thing to understand. I mean, why are some people inherently more motivated than others? What is it in me that motivates me each day to try to be better, do more, push harder?
One of the ways that motivation can be evaluated is in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation, in regards to exercise, means that a person participates because they genuinely enjoy doing the activity. To be purely intrinsically motivation, a person would exercise for no other reason … just for the pure joy of the activity. Extrinsic motivation means that one participates for the other benefits of the activity such as losing weight, health benefits, to look good, etc. Most of us are not purely intrinsically motivated … we require some other factor to get us moving. However, intrinsic motivation is associated with greater adherence, reaching maximal effort,and persistence … even when faced with a challenge.
I found this to be fascinating and spent some time thinking about the factors that motivation me to lace up my sneakers and go for a run. As of right now I think I am 50/50 … 50% intrinsically motivated and 50% extrinsically motivated. I LOVE the feeling I get when I workout. My head clears, my heart beats, and my stress dissipates. BUT I am not currently working out for those feelings alone.
SO, what factors are motivating me to work-out?
1. To lose weight: This is a relatively new motivating factor for me. Before now, I have never had to lose weight. I am blessed with being tall and slender with a decent metabolism. After having Emmie I have been working really hard to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight and have charted my progress via my post-baby body updates. I have to say this is a HUGE motivating factor for me.
2. To be healthy. It is a widely accepted fact that regular exercise is incredibly important for overall health. This is rather important to me since I want to be around for a VERY long time.
3. To be socially engaged. As a new, and stay-at-home, mom finding adult time can be difficult. I love going to the gym for that bit of social interaction. Bootcamp has been awesome for this via the Facebook group created just for bootcamp participants.
And probably the MOST motivating factor in my life to stay active …
4. To be a good example for my daughter. I am a firm believer that children who see their parents as active individuals are more likely to be active themselves. When I was a kid I played outside after school until the street lamps came on. Nowadays more kids are planted in front of the TV or playing video games. I am hoping that by seeing me be active Emmie will want to participate with me and then fall into an active lifestyle herself.
It was definitely food for thought and a good exercise to sit down and evaluate WHY I am working out. What pushes me out the door. I think that understanding that in myself will help me understand it in my clients and provide them with that extra push they might need to accomplish their goals.
What motivates you? How intrinsically/extrinsically motivated are you?
Last month I started on a new journey … something I have been wanting to do for awhile. I started studying for my ACE personal training certificate. Fitness has been a passion of mine for most of my life, so it just made sense to pursue it! I am really excited to bring you guys on this journey with me
One of the topics I was studying recently was on adherence and motivation. Motivation is a complex and somewhat difficult thing to understand. I mean, why are some people inherently more motivated than others? What is it in me that motivates me each day to try to be better, do more, push harder?
One of the ways that motivation can be evaluated is in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation, in regards to exercise, means that a person participates because they genuinely enjoy doing the activity. To be purely intrinsically motivation, a person would exercise for no other reason … just for the pure joy of the activity. Extrinsic motivation means that one participates for the other benefits of the activity such as losing weight, health benefits, to look good, etc. Most of us are not purely intrinsically motivated … we require some other factor to get us moving. However, intrinsic motivation is associated with greater adherence, reaching maximal effort,and persistence … even when faced with a challenge.
I found this to be fascinating and spent some time thinking about the factors that motivation me to lace up my sneakers and go for a run. As of right now I think I am 50/50 … 50% intrinsically motivated and 50% extrinsically motivated. I LOVE the feeling I get when I workout. My head clears, my heart beats, and my stress dissipates. BUT I am not currently working out for those feelings alone.
SO, what factors are motivating me to work-out?
1. To lose weight: This is a relatively new motivating factor for me. Before now, I have never had to lose weight. I am blessed with being tall and slender with a decent metabolism. After having Emmie I have been working really hard to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight and have charted my progress via my post-baby body updates. I have to say this is a HUGE motivating factor for me.
2. To be healthy. It is a widely accepted fact that regular exercise is incredibly important for overall health. This is rather important to me since I want to be around for a VERY long time.
3. To be socially engaged. As a new, and stay-at-home, mom finding adult time can be difficult. I love going to the gym for that bit of social interaction. Bootcamp has been awesome for this via the Facebook group created just for bootcamp participants.
And probably the MOST motivating factor in my life to stay active …
4. To be a good example for my daughter. I am a firm believer that children who see their parents as active individuals are more likely to be active themselves. When I was a kid I played outside after school until the street lamps came on. Nowadays more kids are planted in front of the TV or playing video games. I am hoping that by seeing me be active Emmie will want to participate with me and then fall into an active lifestyle herself.
It was definitely food for thought and a good exercise to sit down and evaluate WHY I am working out. What pushes me out the door. I think that understanding that in myself will help me understand it in my clients and provide them with that extra push they might need to accomplish their goals.
What motivates you? How intrinsically/extrinsically motivated are you?
