Summer Runs

Well, it's about that time again. More like past that time... Anyways, it's summer, and that means time to run outside! There are a few things I wanted to share with you regarding my outside running experiences and just some reminders for those of you who do plan on running this summer :)

First off, make sure you have nice shoes, and the right shoes. If you plan on running outside, then get some running shoes. I understand that there are many different types of running shoes and it can be overwhelming to try and make a choice, especially when you are new to the entire thing. I would recommend that you go to a store such as Dick's and ask for help. People there are always able and willing to help you find whatever you need. Sometimes it make take more than one attempt to find the right shoes, but know that you will eventually find the pair of shoes that are right for you!

Secondly, don't forget to stretch! It's is something that many people forget while they are running. Stretching before and after are a must in order to prevent excessive pain the next day or two (you may still feel it the next morning, and in fact if you worked hard then you will), I would also personally recommend stretching in the middle of your run. At this point I would also recommend doing some abdominal exercises however I leave that choice up to the individual. :) otherwise, stretching before and after are a must. This will also assist with your flexibility.

Thirdly, drink water. It's warm outside people, don't forget to drink your water. There are water bottles that are specially made for runners that allow you to hold on to them comfortably while running. Otherwise, make sure that you are drinking plenty of water throughout the day.

Forth, sunscreen! I've gotten burnt so many times in my life that you would think I have learned my lesson. But here I am reminding you to put on sunscreen before you go out running. You don't want to have to deal with a sunburn on top of everyone else! Make sure you use sport sunscreen or stuff which you are sure won't sweat off while you're running.

Fifth, don't give up! Running is hard and in the heat there are many things to be worried about, but make sure you have fun and keep your goal in mind. Whether that goal is to run two miles or twenty-two, remember it whenever you feel like giving up. Put up inspiring pictures or get into the habit of running everyday, find something that works for you and stick with that. :)

Good luck with your summer running! 

Also, quick update: I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday to find out if I can finally take off my boot and how long until I'm back into running and biking. Wish me luck!!

Knee-Up Update

Alright, so I have a confession. I haven't been able to keep up on increasing the number of knee-ups I can do. I've been doing them and pull-ups nearly everyday, but my progress forward has ceased for the time being. I've just finished day 13 of the 21 day challenge, and I'm still resting at 10 knee-ups. I'm hoping for this to increase soon! But I am only pushing my body as hard as I can right now, and its actually my arms that are struggling here. Any suggestions?

Getting A Good Night's Sleep

Sleep (n): "a condition of body and mind such as that which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended", this is the definition given to us by dictionary.com. This is great to know and all, but what about getting a good night's sleep? Are there directions on how to do that?
Actually, there are. You can Google search 'how to get a good night's sleep' and follow the links that show up. Or there's always my favorite, Pinterest, where you can always find something on how to get a good night's sleep. But what I'm going to do is give you some things that have helped me to earn a restful night's sleep, it may not work every night, but if I follow these tips then I tend to feel more rested when I wake up.
First off, electronics. This is something that I have heard again and again and never really paid it much mind until I found that I wasn't sleep through the night: turn off your electronics and don't use them within at least 15-20 minutes of trying to fall asleep. There are studies saying longer, but for me the 15-20 minutes works just as well. I have found that if I just read part of a novel, a short story, or 3-4 poems (depending on length) before bed instead of checking Facebook for the last time or checking on my ebay site, I get a much better night's sleep and am more likely to fall asleep faster.
Secondly, exercise. Again this is something that my parents tried to tell me for years and I barely acknowledged: do something physical during your day. In other words, engage in a regular exercise routine. This is where what you do during the ret of your day can affect how you sleep. If you sat around at a computer all day, chances are that you won't get a great night's sleep since your body is still full of the energy you gained throughout the day from eating. So, seriously, exercising has more than one benefit!
Thirdly, food and drink. Let's face it, more the majority of people, if you drink a cup of coffee right before bed you aren't going to get a good night's sleep, same with eating chocolate or cake or any sort of high calorie food. So, just don't go there! Instead, how about having a Naked juice, or some water. It's important to not go to bed on a full stomach or an empty stomach, both can cause a disruption in sleep. Plus, a full stomach, don't you get that feeling like you just don't want to do anything? Well, sleep is included there! On the other hand, with an empty stomach, your stomach keeps you up growling all night, begging for food! Not to mention you feel like you haven't slept at all when you get up the next morning. The moral here is to eat healthy before bed and don't over indulge or under feed yourself.
Fourthly, your bed. Well, your bed being the mattress and pillows and blankets. If these aren't comfortable then you are in for a long night of tossing and turning. Even in college dorms, it's better to  be safe and to get a nice mattress cover to go over those thin and uncomfortable dorm mattresses, I know that's what I did! Face it, if your pillow is too hard or too soft, then there is no way you are going to be comfortable enough to sleep.
All of these factors are going to be different based on the individual person and that is acknowledged. I have a friend who used to sleep without a pillow because the pillows didn't work for him to sleep, and another who claims that a cup of espresso helps him to sleep at night. Every person is different and that's what makes up the human race. So, sleep on my fellow human beings!

Knee-Up Update

I'm up to 9 knee-ups my friends! It's hard work, the 5 seconds is also getting pretty long, and that very well could be my downfall in this challenge. I'm breathing hard and my hands are starting to hurt by the end. Don't forget to breathe when you do any sort of strength exercise, breathing is important! I could go into the scientific part of that, but I'll save that for another day. I have another longer post coming up right after this one, so you guys are lucky, it's a 2 post day! :D Enjoy!

A Balanced Breakfast...Nutella or Peanut Butter

A balanced breakfast is usually advertised as a glass of orange juice, a piece of fruit, and a piece of toast with some sort of topping. The two most common toppings for this toast are peanut butter and Nutella. I'm here to try and figure out which one is healthier. Now, I agree they are both very tasty and I enjoy them both (together they are magical!). I'm using regular Nutella and creamy Skippy peanut butter with a serving size of 2 tablespoons each. Lets compare, shall we?

Nutella

Calories: 200

Calories from Fat: 110

Total Fat: 12 grams

Protein: 2 grams

Peanut Butter

Calories: 190

Calories from Fat: 140

Total Fat: 16 grams

Protein: 7 grams

I didn't expect to have one be clearly more healthy than the other, but in my opinion, it seems that the Nutella is a bit better since fewer of the calories are from fat. He body does need a certain number of calories per day, and getting them at breakfast is a perfect time. There are studies out saying that breakfast should contain more studies than the rest of your meals. Nutella also has fewer grams of fat per serving by quite a few, and fat is something that many people, especially Americans, eat too much of. I would probably also go for Nutella as far as taste goes! However different people have different tastes, so I won't be judging on that aspect :P For instance, I had a discussion with someone from school who was a firm believer that peanut butter is better. I'm open for debates!

What are your opinions on these two toppings as far as a balanced breakfast go?

Pull-Up Challenge Update

Progress has been made! I'm up to being able to do 5 knee-ups at a time :) and it's only day 2! I think that things are looking pretty good. Foot is doing better. I'm working on a longer and more informative post for you guys, so expect one soon!

Pull-Up Challenge

My first challenge on this blog! How exciting! Now, since I can't run or jump or anything, I've decided to do a different sort of challenge, a strength challenge. Yesterday, I was lent a piece of equipment that will help me with this challenge: a pull-up bar. My challenge? Knee-ups.

What are knee-ups? 

Grab the pull-up bar, and pull your self up until you arms are at a 90 degree angle. Then point your toes and bring your knees in to your chest, hold them there for 5 seconds before lowering them slowly. Keeping your arms at that 90 degree angle, raise your legs again.

What is my goal?

My goal through this challenge is to try and get up to 25 knee ups without straightening my arms. Think I can do it? I do! I give myself 21 days to get there, while I know that might ne pushing my luck considering I tried this morning and I can do 2 and I'm out of breath... But I'm not one to say no to a challenge!

What am I getting out of this?

I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to get myself if I accomplish this task. I'm big on having rewards for doing something challenging and achieving my goal! It won't be anything big, maybe a new sports bra or I may do a painting for my room...we shall see! I'm up for suggestions!

Wish me luck guys! Updates to come over the next few days!!

How to Exercise with a Broken Foot

As you know, I have this problem called a broken foot. Quick explanation: I was skateboarding and fell off just right and landed on the side of my foot, consequently breaking it and causing a minor sprain at the same time! In fact, this has been a problem for about a month now, and it looks like I'll be in a boot for another month (I even walked across the stage for graduation in a boot!). So, how do I exercise? The thing is that now I can't run, causing a bigger problem of how I keep active. Well, allow me to present you with a few things that it turns out you can still do with a broken foot.

First, I should explain a bit about having an avulsion fracture. An avulsion fracture is quite common and (according to dictionary.com) is "a fracture occurring when a joint capsule, ligament, tendon, or muscle is pulled from a bone, taking with it a fragment of the bone to which it was attached". They are apparently quite common on the 5th metatarsal (pinky toe), which is what I broke. These specific breaks are often called a dancer's fracture because it happens so often to dancers. The picture to the left, is of an avulsion fracture, not my own, that I found online.

For the first week and an half I was on crutches and in a boot (I later learned that it probably should have been a cast for the first 2-3 weeks), and remain in a boot, but off of crutches since then. I am allowed (after a month) to do some basic exercises with it, but no dynamic exercises. Which means no running or jumping, which is fine since that stuff hurts. Yet, I am allowed to go on the elliptical and the bike for short periods of time (like 15-20 min at a time short), and I can go swimming! :D I went swimming for the first time yesterday and it was super nice! I did have limitations even in the water due to the injury, but overall, I could swim laps and even do some fancy tricks with my younger sister :)
I'm attempting to find an abs challenge that I can do even with my current limitation. If you have any, please send them on! Otherwise I'm taking from some sources and I will try and make my own workout (wish me luck with that).
Have any of you had to work through major injuries or surgeries due to a workout? What happened? Storytime? :D

Let's Get Some Things Straight

I have been an athlete for nearly all of my life, it wasn't until college that I actually stopped participating in sports. And I stopped because I developed a mild version of compartment's syndrome. That was my freshman year in college, less than a month into track season. Currently, I have a different sort of obstacle: an evulsion fracture on my 5th metatarsal (in easier words, I  broke my foot). I graduated from college with a BA in exercise science just over a week ago, and I'm using this blog as a way to document my fitness travels and experiences and what I have learned through my time.

Let me get a few things straight now, before I get too into this fitness blogging business. First off, I am not an athletic trainer. I am not a physical therapist. I am not a personal trainer (yet, gonna be working on that over the next year or so). So, what I say should not be taken as fitness law or anything. I am a mid-twenties post-undergrad student, trying to share my love for health and fitness with those who want to listen! Secondly, I am a vegetarian. Well, more a pesc-itarian, meaning I still eat fish, eggs, and milk. On my main blog, The Backup Zone, I do post some recipes when I get the time and the motivation to exercise. Third, don't expect this blog to be updated daily. I'm not a super human and I do need to go out and actually exercise and I am in the struggling path of finding a job currently...ugh. I will update as often as I can, and hopefully each time it will be with interesting facts and/or updates on my fitnessing (yes, that is now a word).

I would like to try some challenges, and I hope to use this blog to keep myself honest and to keep track of what I am doing. I'm not setting a goal weight, because right now, at 5'2" I weight a comfortable 127 lbs. I do want to work on toning, and if that means losing weight or gaining some, I don't mind so much. This is my outlook on fitness, that it is to show us our bodies as they can be, because they are what we make them into.

I think that's all for now, I'm sure I'll come up with more later, but for now I'll just say later, fitness friends!