Challenge: I CAN…Be Active

It’s that time of year again when people say they are busy but aren’t too busy to eat. The holidays are about spending time with family and friends and buying gifts, so why not give yourself a gift? The holidays are filled with treats and great food so practice moderation with those foods. BUT I’m also asking you to get active!

My best friend Mandie has already jumped on the challenge and she’s been working out to shed some pounds and just get an active lifestyle. Why can’t you do the same over the holiday season? There’s A LOT of talk about gaining weight over the holidays but I want to focus on something else, BEING ACTIVE. I’m not saying I want you to gain weight by eating your weight in your pie of choice. I’m asking you to give yourself one of the greatest gifts you can give by starting or continuing on the road to a healthy active lifestyle. Starting November 15 – December 31, 2013, I would like people to just get up and get active. (There will be another part of this challenge starting in January 2014.)

Every week you’ll come back here and leave a comment on the blog post telling me what activities you took part in the previous week! I want everyone to set a goal at the beginning of the week and really try to obtain that goal. I am asking that you have a min of 2 days of being active. It can be anything: Zumba, spinning, running, walking, dancing, biking, gym workouts…anything that will get your heart rate up and could qualify as EXERCISE!

ACTIVE

Each week, I’ll give out a prize to one random person who left their comment on the blog post. The prizes will change from week to week! Your first check-in will be November 24, 2013 so stay tuned for that. So what do you need to do join the challenge? Fill out this form, set your goal for the first 10 days and come back on November 24th to tell me what you did to meet that goal. You can also FB, tweet or e-mail me pictures to show me how committed you are to the cause.

Here are your check-in dates:

November 24, 2013
December 1, 2013
December 8, 2013
December 15, 2013
December 22, 2103
December 31, 2013

This is a fun challenge to show how just a little bit of physical activity can make a big difference. Are you ready to accept the challenge? Please sign the form and commit to being active!

I’ve been cooking

I’ve been cooking

There’s been so much focus on Willie cooking, I think people may have forgotten that I like to cook too.  I must admit he’s been picking up a lot of the food slack in the house because marathon training has kept me busy.  He keeps me well fueled. I’ve had a little bit of free time to make some food lately and I wanted to share with you what I’ve been making. The Runner’s World Cookbook hit stores in October and I couldn’t wait to get a copy.  I was trying to find one in stores but no luck so…

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What did you eat to lose all that …

What did you eat to lose all that weight?

This week I’m taking the time to answer the many e-mails I get about our weight loss journey.  Most of the questions are the same, but this question is the most frequently asked question.  Before I venture any more into this subject, I want to remind everyone that it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle change.  Also, there wasn’t one magic food that changed our lives and helped us drop the weight.  The weight didn’t come off overnight because it was a process. The easiest way to answer this question is to tell you what we stopped eating.  We stopped…

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Do you reward yourself with food? Stop it!

Do you reward yourself with food? Stop it!

If you answered yes, let’s stop this bad habit.  When I was heavier, food was always apart of the celebration.  Had the best day of my life? I had ice cream because I deserved it.  It’s my birthday or Willie’s birthday or my cousin’s twice removed birthday; let’s chow down.  Got a pay bump?  Let’s spend that extra money on a really decadent meal that will leave me knocked out later. Food is used as a celebratory manner in our lives, but does it always have to be that way. I even fall victim to it now.  I run a…

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Foodie Friday: Let’s make some chili!

Foodie Friday: Let’s make some chili!

I haven’t been eating very balanced lately. Ever since I’ve come back from Denver I really haven’t been eating…correctly. I haven’t had a taste for anything so I’ve ended up eating things like oatmeal for dinner or just peanut butter roll ups. Those aren’t the worst things in the world, but they definitely aren’t the best. This week I decided to get back on track and the easiest way for me to get a balanced plate of food was to make CHILI! I love fall because this is my favorite thing to eat and with the time changing this weekend,…

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Six reasons to exercise

Six reasons to exercise

I was thinking about some of the reason I like to workout. It’s not just running folks, I like to do other things too. This was the perfect time to talk about a few reasons to exercise and get on the road to an active lifestyle. 1. We all need to live an active lifestyle.  It’s about getting up and getting moving.  Want to lose the weight? The best way to start is just to get moving. 2. It makes you happy. People have commented on my cheery disposition and I have to say, it’s all due to exercise.  I…

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It’s National Oatmeal Day

It’s National Oatmeal Day

I don’t know about you but I love oatmeal. In fact, I’ve been eating oatmeal a lot lately. Last week, all I wanted to eat was oatmeal so I proudly shamefully admit I ate oatmeal for dinner last week and tried to do it last night, but Willie stopped me. This is how much I love oatmeal! I had all of these pictures and more on my phone. Most mornings you will see me eating oatmeal. I love steel cut oats, but for time I make overnight oats almost every day. When I’m not eating oatmeal, I’m probably eating pumpkin…

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Nothing went as planned this weekend

Nothing went as planned this weekend

I had a pretty uneventful weekend but it should have been eventful.  There was a Halloween party but that was really bust and I was supposed to run a relay with Willie on Sunday but the skies opened up and he didn’t feel comfortable running in the rain.  It was a wash! That was really a shame because we woke up at 4 AM to make it to the race and then it was delayed so we sat around wet for almost 2 hours by the time the race was about to start it was still raining but we were…

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Believe in the better version of you

Believe in the better version of you

I was thinking about all the changes that have occurred in my life over the past three years.  I am a much different person than I was back then and I feel like I’ve made a lot of changes for the better.  There are things that I still struggle with, but for the most part I know I’m definitely a healthier, happier and focused person that I was before. I am still the same person, but I’m just a better version of myself. I struggled with depression.  I’m not afraid or ashamed to admit it.  I had a really horrible…

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Race Recap: Rock n Roll Denver Half Marathon

Race Recap: Rock n Roll Denver Half Marathon

There are a few things you should know before you read this recap. 1. This wasn’t really supposed to be a race for me.  It was supposed to be a training run.  My training plan called for 15 miles so… 2. I got up early and ran two miles before heading to the start line. I’ve never ran 15 miles before, ever. 3. Even though it was just supposed to be a training run, I put my race face on and was ready to roll. 4. I shouldn’t have done that because ALTITUDE is a horrible thing and it will…

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ABC: My 9th Half Marathon Race Goals

ABC: My 9th Half Marathon Race Goals

Happy Friday! I’m waiting at the airport for my flight so it’s the perfect time to think about my weekend goals. Run Eat Repeat taught me a thing or two about setting a/b/c goals for my races.  I usually set change my goals to make myself feel better when I’m done running a race.  I thought this time I would hold myself accountable and really stick with my goals…and find another way to make myself feel accomplished after a race. <\center>Packing for this race was a huge challenge for me because it’s going to be cold, like 40 something. I’m…

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