Sunday, November 24, 2013

I'm an Elf for Health

After a very lazy weekend with family and a number of weeks without a blog post, I decided to sit down and type up an update.  With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I am finally getting into the holiday mood.  One thing I am determined about is staying healthy through the holidays.  This includes not overeating, not over stressing, and not forgetting to exercise.  I stumbled across a great challenge that is all about staying on track during the holiday season.  And with that I am happy to announce, I am an Elf for Health.


You may have seen the hashtag #elf4health on twitter and been wondering what it is all about.  Well, it is a 4 week challenge hosted by nutritionella and the lean green bean.  These two lovely ladies have put together a list of daily challenges to keep you focused during this extra busy time of year.  They send weekly emails that include that week's challenges as well as tips to be successful.


In addition to these awesome daily challenges, each participant is partnered with an elf buddy to stay accountable and encourage one another.  We just got our elf assignments today.  My buddy's name is Anna and she is also a blogger.  Check out her blog here.

Anyway, I'm super excited to get started tomorrow.  It's not to late to join.  Sign-up here.  You will start receiving the emails and will get assigned an elf for round 2 (weeks 3 & 4).

And because I know I will not blog between now and Thursday, Happy Thanksgiving!!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

November Goals

I went to Macy's this Saturday with my mom.  They were already playing Christmas music over the intercom.  Alas, the holiday season is upon us whether we like it or not.

Before I dive in with my new goals for this month (yes, I know I'm 3 days late), let's review October's goals and see how I did.

October Goals

1. Run a long run each week.  Check.  This was an easy one as my half marathon training is in full swing.
2. Drink less soda.  Epic fail.  I think I'm more addicted than when the month began.
3. Stretch after every workout.  Check.  I've been consciously stretching more.  I only had one bad ache/pain last month in the form of splints last week, but it's already gotten better.
4. Workout my core 2x per week.  Check.  I don't have a six pack, obviously, but I'm happy with my efforts.

Overall not that bad of a month.  I bet you can all guess what goal will be at the top of my list for November.  So here we go, shall we?

November Goals

1. Drink less soda.

I think part of my problem is getting enough sleep, so no more late night blog reading.  I'm going to aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night and start my mornings off with green tea if I need an extra boost.  The vending machine and I will be enemies for the next 27 days.

2. Continue smart half marathon training.

My boyfriend pointed out that one week, all of my runs were the same pace.  I need to vary my workouts and take my EZ runs easy and save my speed work for those days.  That way my body can improve.  I read a great blog post this week on how not to race your training run.  Check it out here.

3. Work out my arms at least once a week.

I'm starting small here.  Every time I make a workout schedule for the week, I write down at least one day to focus on arms.  That always ends up being the day I skip my workout because I need to "rest".  Well, it's time to pony up - a few push-ups never killed anyone, so it is time for this girl to get going.

4. Yoga once a week

This goes along with my stretching goal from last month.  Earlier this year, I made a habit of waking up one morning a week and doing a 30 minute yoga flow.  I want to get back to that habit.  One of my favorites is Tara Stiles This is Yoga (4 DVDs).  I also want to check out doyogawithme.  A girl I follow on IG found some great Yoga for Runners videos on the site.

Alright, that's it.  Hopefully I can stay focused this month.  Do you have any good goals for November/pre-holidays?