Category: Body Work

I have been running for long enough now that I have found out there are certain things that I need to run. Here are some of my “necessities.”

1. Good running shoes. When I first started running, I had a pair of Nike Shox that I ran in and I had terrible knee trouble. After awhile, someone mentioned I might need better shoes, so  I did some research and found Asics Kayano Gel. When I started running in them, my knees quit hurting. I always know when I am ready for a new pair when my ankles start getting a little  tight on runs. This week I was noticing my ankles a bit more, so I decided to start looking for new shoes. Now, the first time I bought shoes, I bought the current year’s “model.” Every subsequent time, I have looked for the best price, which can usually be found on last year’s model. For example, right now, the model is Asics Kayano Gel 18. So I look for 17. Or as in the case today, I found a pair of 16 (which is what I am currently running in) for $59.99. Considering the 18’s are $149.99, that is quite the bargain. (I may have jumped up and down a little.) If you are new to running and haven’t found the right shoe for you, you can visit the shoe finder at runnersworld.com, or better yet, go to a store, like Fleet Feet, and get fitted for your foot and running type. Then look online for last year’s model and the best price.
2. Good sports bra. (Men – you can skip this one.) One thing I have found about running long distances is I need good support and a bra that doesn’t move, because moving causes chafing and that is unpleasant. Here again, go somewhere (I went to Fleet Feet) and be fitted. Your sports bra may very well be a different size than the bras you wear every day. (Mine is smaller around with a bigger cup size to give me what I need.) I use the Moving Comfort Juno. It is racer back, so it hides well under my racer back tank tops, and it is very comfortable. (Like shoes, bras do get worn out. When you start noticing little issues, it is time for a new one.)
3. Body Glide. I don’t know what I would do with out Body Glide. It’s purpose is to prevent chafing, which happens when you run long distances. I have both a Body Glide stick, which I use on key places of my body where I know I have a tendency to chafe, and Body Glide liquefied powder, which I use on my feet and between my toes to keep blisters from forming. It has saved me a world of hurt. And I know that because I trained for my first half marathon without even knowing it existed.
4. Good socks. I learned early on that regular socks just don’t work for me to run long distances in. I get blisters. They get wet and stay that way. It’s just not pretty. And then I found Balega Hidden Comfort socks. They are amazing. So soft. So comfortable. If I run through a puddle, my feet are dry in seconds, due to their moisture wicking ability. (Like shoes, socks do wear out, so I replace my socks about twice a year.)
5. SpiBelt. Spi stands for small personal item. This belt has a little pocket that expands based on what you put in it. I carry my inhaler and phone with me at all times. And the beauty of this little belt is that it doesn’t bounce around while I am running. Which is a big deal. For races, I have toggles that hold my race number (which makes it easier to dress in layers and always have my race bib showing), and there is room in it to put energy chews, kleenex, or whatever small thing I might want to carry with me.
6. Headlight. I know. It is cheesy and I am sure I look funny, but I do most of my running very early in the morning when it is dark outside. My headlight (literally, a light on a stretchy band that I wear around my head) has probably saved my life more than I care to admit. When you are running (or walking) in the dark, you have to make yourself seen. The reflective patches on our shoes isn’t enough. So the headlight it is. I have a blinky red light I have worn on the back of my Spibelt, too, but the bouncing of running makes the battery come away from the contacts and it quits working. As soon as I figure out how to keep it from doing that, I’ll be wearing it again.

There are more things that I like (quality moisture-wicking clothes, something to cover my ears when it is cold, my Garmin watch to track time and distance, etc.), but these are the six things that I won’t do a run without. They are the most important pieces of gear that I have, and I think that they make a huge difference in my motivation to run. Who wants to run when your knees hurt, you’re getting blisters, you have to carry your phone, and your are constantly dodging cars that can’t see you, and then you have chafed areas after your run that make you miserable for the next few days. Not me. It is important to find the things that work for you so you have fewer and fewer reasons to avoid doing what you know you need to do.

What are the pieces of gear for your exercise of choice that you can’t do without?

When you decide to take on something new, whether it is running your first marathon or adjusting to a whole food, plant-based diet, it is important to have people who have done it and can share their experiences with you along the way. For me, that has come in a couple of forms. I have one friend who made the switch in her eating habits about the same time as I did, and we have been sharing recipes, food, and stories with one another.  This friend is also one of my running partners and shared her experiences and a book with me as I trained for my first marathon, and we are training together for the Goofy.

Another friend of ours has been really studying up, attending conferences, and learning as much as he can about plant-based eating. And instead of keeping that all to himself, he is sharing it with people who are curious about this lifestyle change. One of the ways he is doing this is by hosting a viewing of the documentary, Forks Over Knives, next week. Here is the announcement that was in our church bulletin this past Sunday:

Forks Over Knives: Join us for a viewing of this ground breaking documentary, Thursday, October 11, 6:30 p.m., in the FMY Room. This film has won acclaim for its investigation into the widespread
positive effects that diet can have on health. The evening will also include discussion, delicious healthy snacks and resources for those who want to know more. Please email George Barber
or Sue Groves if you plan to attend.

If you are in the Greenville area, this would be a great time for you to come, learn how a plant-based diet can help various health issues, weight issues, and more. Or, if you have friends and family members who have chosen to eat a plant-based diet and you are curious why, this would be a great opportunity for that as well. Coming to view the film doesn’t say you want to commit to doing this, it is simply a way to find out more.

I will be there and will be bringing one of my favorite dishes, Quinoa, Corn and Black Bean Salad, as will others who have found this dietary change to be a good fit for them. Come. Learn. Ask questions. See what others have learned. And if nothing else, come try some delicious plant-based food.

There is a phrase that I don’t let my kids use: I can’t. When teaching them to ride their bikes, they would often say, “but I can’t do it,” to which I would reply, yes, you can. When Ty says he can’t get his room clean, I say, yes you can, you are choosing not to do it. (Or sometimes I say, yes, you are right, you can’t get your room clean when you are out here talking instead of cleaning it, but that’s another blog post.)

But for some reason, I haven’t yet completely banished the words, “I can’t,” from the things that I say, and I would venture a guess you have the same problem.

When on a “diet,” are you more likely to say, “I can’t have __________?”

Or how about exercise, do you find yourself saying, “I can’t stay here (in bed, on the couch) because I have to go do _____________?”

I have learned that as people find out that I don’t eat meat, eggs, dairy, and sweets (mostly), if we are having a meal together they will say things like, “Oh, that’s right, you can’t have ________.” But that isn’t a true statement, which is why I am working on changing my language when it comes to my choice in diet and exercise.

Instead of saying “I can’t” I am saying “I choose.” For example, I choose to not eat meat. I choose to get up at 3:41 a.m. (yes, alarms will set that early in the morning) to go for our long Sunday runs. I choose to eat whole wheat spaghetti without meat and Parmesan cheese. I choose to eat a taco salad covered in black beans instead of taco meat. I choose to make meal prep a little more challenging instead of just opening a box of mac and cheese and a package of hot dogs.

Changing the way I refer to (food, exercise, whatever) doesn’t necessarily make the choices easier, but it makes it feel like I am making a choice, rather than being denied something I would rather have.

Think about it. Which statement makes you feel good and which one makes you want to cheat?

• I can’t have a piece of that pumpkin toffee cheesecake, so I guess I’ll have some fruit.
• I choose to have a bowl of fruit instead of a piece of cheesecake.

It’s more empowering to make a good choice. And the more good choices you make, the more likely you are to continue making good choices. But if you are constantly feeling like you are being denied something because you can’t have it, eventually your inner 4-year-old is going to rebel and you are going to have it if you want it, by golly! 🙂

So today I want to challenge you to change the way you refer to the choices you are making for your health. Choose the good instead of denying yourself what you see as bad (but pleasurable). It won’t be long and you will see a huge difference in the way you feel about your choices.

What area offers you the biggest challenge to say “I choose” instead of “I can’t?”

I have a few different things rolling around in my head this morning and since I can’t decide which direction to go, I’ll just touch on a few things..

• I have never had a terrible complexion; a few pimples here and there with more at certain times, less at others. Since switching my diet to a whole foods, plant-based one, I have noticed that I have fewer and fewer blemishes on my face. I know regular exercise is a key in this as well, but the combination of diet and exercise are having very positive effects on my skin. (And, as if to prove my point, I had some dairy while at a conference this week – because eating out is extremely difficult on a vegan diet – and a couple of spots showed up on my face last night.)
• I need exercise to function well. A couple of days off because of being out-of-town and on a different schedule and I got tired and lethargic and wanted to quit exercising altogether. An hour and a half of yoga this morning (that my body desperately needed) and I am feeling ready to take on this training challenge again. (And it might help that our weekend runs are shorter this time.)
• I made some food choices while out-of-town this week that weren’t great. Fat-filled. Cheesy. Too much. And boy was I not only miserable from eating too much and differently than my body has gotten accustomed to, but I was ready to be back home where I had more control/choices of what to eat. The veggie burger, covered in veggies, that I had for dinner last night was amazing and filling and I was ready for it. I am already thinking about what yummy goodness I will be making for dinner tonight with my slew of fresh produce from the co-op this week.

How are you doing these days? Are you finding the food and exercise combination that works for you?

Exercise is important. It is crucial when you are training to be consistent. And yet there is a fine line between pushing through when you are tired, and getting adequate rest when you are exhausted. And it is a really hard line to distinguish sometimes. How do you know when you are just convincing yourself to be lazy vs. actually needing to take the day off?

Sometimes you don’t.

I am a night person. I would much rather stay up late and sleep in than go to bed early to get up well before the butt-crack of dawn. But I also know that if I had to exercise of an evening, I wouldn’t do it. I am too tired from working all day and my couch just sounds so much better than a long run at 5:00 p.m. Not to mention, if I exercise in the evening, I miss time with my family. So I have had to make the hard choice to go to bed early every evening (usually by 9:00 or 9:30 p.m.) so I can get up between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. to exercise (depending on the day, and anticipated length of the workout). And to be perfectly honest, it stinks. I don’t like getting up early. But once I am up, those early morning runs are beautiful, energizing, and, the best part is, they are done. Before 7:00 a.m. And I have the rest of the day to do with as I please.

But sometimes, after some less than stellar nights of sleep, it gets really hard to get up. I’ve been known to turn my alarm off in my sleep and not even know it. When that starts happening, I know my body is crying out for more sleep. But rather than skip a workout, I will first try to get to bed earlier that night. Or if it is the weekend, try to catch a nap. Because training and exercise are so important, I don’t want to miss a workout unless I absolutely can’t do it. But sometimes, it is necessary to get more sleep because the effectiveness of the workout is going to be lessened by the fact that I can’t give what I need to give to it. Or because I my defenses are down and sickness is trying to creep in. So I sleep. And that is ok. The important thing is not to let it happen often, or consecutively. Because it is a lot harder to start again when you have gone a few days (weeks, months) letting yourself sleep in than it is to get back up the next day and get back at it.

Today, my crew and I all slept in instead of doing our Friday yoga. But tomorrow we will be back at it, hitting the roads to log our miles.

What time of day works best for you to workout?

Learning to cook vegan is quite an experience. New ingredients, new rules, and new ways of doing things bring challenges. And fear. I know what I like and I have known that for many years, so to suddenly be cooking with different ingredients and in different ways than I ever have before makes me a little nervous sometimes. Is it going to be any good? Am I going to hate it? Will my family even try it?

Last week, I had three different things I hadn’t ever worked with before, one of which I had made a commitment to cook with before September 1. So on August 31, I set out to reach my goal.

What was my goal? Tofu.

I had never eaten it and never cooked with it.

I also had some fresh ginger root and Napa cabbage that I wasn’t sure exactly how to use either.

Enter Asian-Inspired Fall Spaghetti Squash Noodle Soup. A friend posted this recipe and I decided this would be a good way to try them all.

Even as I was cutting up the tofu, I was panicked because I wasn’t sure what to expect. And as I watched it cook I wondered if I would like it. The soup smelled wonderful and the broth tasted great as I tested to determine if it needed more salt/pepper.

But the moment of truth came when I dished up a bowl and purposely made sure my first bite had a chunk of tofu. And it was DELICIOUS! It had picked up the flavors of the soup beautifully, the texture was more tender chicken-like than I expected and, I even got Mike (Mr. Meat and Potatoes himself) to try a piece. And he liked it. (Although he won’t be changing to a whole-foods, plant-based diet. Ever.)

Dinner that night for me. Lunch the next day for me and a friend. And three more meals over the next three days and the soup is gone. It was filling. Tasty. Just a little spicy. And one of the best vegetable soups I have eaten. I will make it again. And I am already planning for my next “cooking with tofu” recipe. And tempeh. And polenta. and seitan. But with a good first try under my belt, I am feeling a little more ready to see what’s next!

Do you have any stories of cooking with new and different things that you would like to share? We would love to hear them!

The last few weeks have been less than ideal for me in a number of ways, and the result of that is a less than stellar exercise record.

So what happens when you jump back on the exercise wagon?

It hurts.

A lot.

My legs didn’t like the walking, lifting and running this week. At all.

But, I have informed them that they need to get used to it. Because Monday begins a whole new level of pain.

Training for Goofy’s Race-and-a-Half Challenge at Disney World.

In January, three “goofy” friends and I will run a 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) on Saturday, and a full marathon (26.2 miles) on Sunday, for a total of 39.3 miles in two days.

And if you are my husband, you say not only is that “goofy,” but it is just plain stupid. At which point I remind him that we don’t use the word stupid in our house. 🙂

So, here’s to miles and miles of running, pain, laughing, talking, more pain, hills, more miles, and the all out fun that will be had, both during the process and after the completion.

(When I am complaining about having to run 20 miles in 20 degree weather, remind me that this is supposed to be fun.)

I am up for the challenge. And that means my body is up for the challenge whether it likes it or not. And if you had told me even three years ago I would be doing this, I would have told you that you were “goofy.”

You may not want to complete this challenge (and really, who could blame you!), but what is something that you have been wanting to challenge yourself to do in the area of fitness?