I'm Melting...

Summer is in full swing here and this is exactly how I feel when I'm running.

To help you beat the heat, here's a few of the things I (try) to do.

1) Drink plenty of fluids.  Try to add some electrolytes.  I prefer nuun over any of the other popular sports drinks.

2) Run earlier in the day or later after the sun has gone down.  I tend to run early in the morning because the rooster wakes me up early =)

3) Wear light colored clothes and light weight fabrics.

4) Pick routes that are shaded.  My tree tunnel is perfect for this, although it gets boring going back and forth, back and forth...

5) Carry water with you or stash it on your route.  Freeze part of it and top it off when you head out to keep it colder longer.  

6) Run by effort and not pace.  This is the hardest for me to do.  It's so hard to see my pace/ mile slow down as it heats up.

But, I suppose I can't complain too much about the heat.  There's crazy runners out there who purposely train to run the Badwater Ultra Marathon.  You know, in Death Valley, where temperatures can reach 130* F?  Yeah, I'm not that crazy... 

Fit Tips

Starting a fitness program can be overwhelming.  Everyone has an opinion of what you need to do, need to eat, need not to eat...  It can be tough to figure out what's best for you.  

To make it easier for you, we've scoured the latest research and taken the top essentials you need to get fit.  Are you ready?

1.  Find a workout partner that is committed and won't let you slack off

2.  Sign up for a race or competition and let everyone know.  They'll help keep you accountable!

3.  Set 3-5 goals each morning that you can accomplish each day.  Make them reasonable and smaller steps towards your bigger goals.

4.  Commit to 30 minutes of intense exercise at least 4 times a week.  Make it an appointment with yourself.

5.  Add weight training to your weekly work outs

6.  Make a food journal.  Be honest about what you're eating.

7.  Drink plain unsweetened teas- green, black, oolong, white, rooibos...

8.  Make sure you're getting enough sleep every night- aim for 7.5 hours.

9.  Eat foods that are spicy.  The spice helps boost your metabolism.

10.  Never go to the grocery store hungry.

11.  Include your kids in your fitness activities as much as possible.

12.  Try a new activity.

13.  Teach someone else what you're learning.

14.  Connect with Mom 4ce every day for support and motivation =)

15.  Spend as much time outside with your kids as possible.

16.  Write down 10 reason why you deserve to be fit and healthy

17.  Focus on berries for fruit.  Frozen they make a wonderful addition to your water.

18.  Stop complaining or making excuses.  Take responsibility for your own actions and create change.

19.  Write a 1 year goal that seems so impossible that you think you'll never reach it and then challenge yourself to do it.

20.  Create a new habit by doing it everyday for 21-28 days.

We hope these tips help get you started or challenge you to continue with your healthy lifestyle changes!

To Eat or Not To Eat

This month I have been conducting a little self experiment.  I have been playing around with my eating pre-workout. 

There are several people out there that don't eat before they workout.  The theory is that they want to burn fat and not what they just ate.  There are others out there that eat beforehand to give themselves fuel for the work they are about to perform.  

 I was already having major crashes in the middle of my workouts so I figured it wouldn't hurt to play around with what I was eating. 

The first week I did not eat before my morning workouts, I drank water.  Personally, I felt TERRIBLE!  I ran sluggishly, if I could run at all and when I went to Crossfit I struggled through my WOD.  The next week I ate a piece of fruit fifteen to twenty minutes before I started my workout.  I performed better than the week before but halfway through I could start to feel myself lag. 

The next week I ate a protein.  This week took a little more planning.  I made sure to have bit of roast chicken, egg, or something leftover from dinner portioned out.  I performed GREAT this week.  I was really impressed with how I felt and my endurance throughout the workouts.  

The last week I mixed a piece of fruit and protein together.  I have read that using both carb and protein together helps create a slow burn.  This did not work for me.  I felt sluggish again and a few mornings I was nauseous in the middle of my workout. 

Now, I want you to remember that this is ME; not you!  Different people are going to respond different ways so I want you to do what works best for you.  

So tell me, what are you eating before you workout?  Have you played around and figured out what works best for you?

Staying Cool

I get asked a lot how I workout when it is so hot outside.  

To be honest, I don't always enjoy it.  

I live outside of Dallas so we are already getting 80 degree days with a bajillion percent humidity.  It is barely June so it will only get hotter.  

In fact this weekend some friends and I were talking about what a mild June we were having. 

I break a sweat by stepping outside, I'm not kidding.  

All of that being said there are some tips that I want to share about staying cool and not getting overheated when you are working out in the summer.  

Tip 1: Drink Water- I know that this is said a lot but drink water, try to drink a gallon.  I know that a gallon is a lot but you need to stay hydrated!  If you don't like water add fruit to your water, or essential oils, or cucumber, or mint leaves!  Right now I am loving water with three drops of grapefruit oil.  It is very refreshing and I am staying hydrated.  

Tip 2: Workout Early- My goal is to run around six-thirty every morning.  (okay fine, I make it out the door by seven-thirty but it's good to have goals!)  The whole point of this is to make sure that I'm not working out in the heat of the day.  

Tip 3: Workout Late- For those that prefer to workout at night try to do it as the sun is going down.  Right now the Mom 4ce workouts start at six-thirty.  That way we are meeting AFTER the heat of the day.  One day last summer I tried to run at five and it was still too hot to run and I ended up getting over heated.  Learn from my mistakes, please don't do what I did!  It is no fun to stop a workout because you are beet red, shaking, and sick.  

Tip 4: Workout Inside- There is nothing wrong with exercising inside.  Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday I go to a Crossfit class.  My favorite spot to be is in front of the giant fan.  I also LOVE to do my workout DVD's under the air vent.  Some people love to run on the treadmill in the summer, if that is you go for it!

So tell me, how are you staying cool in the heat?