Some Updates

The floors in the studio were just refinished, and I can't even begin to believe how great they look. They were absolutely beyond trashed, and in my heart, I thought there was no saving them. In my head, I was figuring out how to justify the fact that my kids' rooms have faux-wood linoleum from 1964, but I was scrounging up the cash to put brand new floors in another person's building. Crisis averted, they look like a jillion bucks.

Mike was the magician who made this happen. Thanks, Mike. I know I barely know you, but rest assured, I love you passionately.

But wow, that floor refinishing sure didn't mush up well with a busy (and icy) Saturday morning. I ended up combining the Winter Warriors Running Group with The Fifty Pound Club all in Jared's overloaded office. Oh holy night, it was a zoo. I can see posts on facebook and Daily Mile that people had a good workout. Always a huge, giant phew on my end.

This week I'm planning on starting two new blog series (or maybe they'll each be single posts, we'll see...).. One will be a series about winter running and one will be a series about my experience of running pregnant under the care of an OB who also ran pregnant. I'm not pregnant, but maybe someone is.

Oh, and we have prizes for our February Facebook Challenge! They're these cute insulated lunch bags that my friend Amy Lane sells. The idea is that once you win the challenge, you'll want to bring a healthy lunch to work with you and skip the drive-thru all together. Aren't they sweet? I probably bought one for myself, too.

 I hope you all have a happy, restful Sunday. I have a long date with my treadmill and a trashy movie tonight. 

The Newest Online Fitness Challenge

If you're on facebook, and you're looking for a little bit of motivation to improve your diet and exercise situations, check this out:

It's $15, and you can register here.

There are 2 different parts to the challenge. You can try for 1, or try for both.

The 1st option is the diet option. We're shooting to follow the 90/10 rule of eating. 90% pure, unprocessed, single ingredient foods (obviously you can cook and mix single ingredient foods together). And 10% whatever you want.

The 2nd option is the exercise option. We're aiming for 20 minutes a day, every day in February.

Everyone will set a motivator to help get them through the month. Maybe buy a cute, new dress that's a leeetle bit tight. Schedule a boudoir photo shoot for yourself. Buy a new belt to keep you motivated. Shoot to run a 5k race. You get the idea.

At the end, we'll pick a winner from each category.

The last challenge was super fun. One winner ran over 150 miles between Thanksgiving and January, and the other winner lost 9 pounds.

That could be you! And all it takes is a little online fitness challenge...

Progress Report

Today I counted. We've still got about 95 little projects to do before we can call it a wrap (painting trim, outlet covers, organization, you get it), but she's coming along!

Plus, I hired on 2 new teachers today. I'm so grateful that it's no longer a solo show. Check the site for some details on Alicia and Michelle. They're fab.

Check 'Er Out!

 I wish you could see the giant chalkboard in this picture. It's a gem.

 

Thanks to some seriously generous Kennebec Valley Coachers, the training studio is totally coming along! I cannot freaking wait for it to be all finished.

Phew!

Today I'll Run

I'm a girl who likes to have a lot of things going on at once.

Why put the baby in daycare when I can bring her to work with me?

I'll just nurse the baby before the marathon and right after. 

Why take 15 credits when I can take 21?

He's 5 weeks old, it's time to go back to grad school.

True story. All of 'em.

I thrive when I'm busy--it's usually when I excel. So I've never quite gotten it when I've heard people say things like, "I need a few more hours in the day," and "I'm too busy to exercise."

But guess what. I need more hours in the day, and this week my training's been non-existant. I'm 18 weeks out from a marathon...this is when the training usually ramps up...and I'm too busy to run. Between Kennebec Valley Coaching taking a huge leap in business, renovating the new fitness studio, my kids and my day job, I'm wiped.

But I feel like running, because I love it.

So guys, when you come to the first boot camp class on Wednesday and the floor's not perfectly refinished, and the trim's still unpainted, I hope you understand. It's because I've been running.

The good news is, you can do squats no matter what color the walls are.

Nothing But a Chair: A Workout for the Office

I'm gonna be really honest with you here. Before I started Kennebec Valley Coaching, I had absolutely no idea how hard it can be for people to stay fit when they work behind a desk. A desk job is far and away the number one answer I hear when I ask people why they started to fall out of shape, or when their weight initially became a problem for them.

This is due to two different factors: lack of planning with food choices, and a good old fashioned shortage of moving around.

I've worked a desk job for about 4 years, and so far, I've been lucky enough to have stayed pretty fit. But believe you me, I can see how it happens.

I try hard to do two things to keep me on track. First I bring enough healthy food to keep me going without an everyday candy bar trip to the gas station:

Pear, Apple, Greek Yogurt, Carrots, Pistachios, Tuna, and Dark Chocolate

About 800 calories, with good fat and lots of protein.

And second, I do little exercises in my office all day long. Which, you'll be lucky enough to watch me do on my webcam. 

Who wants to watch me try to do one-legged squats in a pair of jeans that are way too damn tight? 

You do? Well okay!

I like to do walking lunges to the bathroom, too.

What do you do in your office? We're talking exercise here people, not facebook.

Good Luck, Megan!

Happy to be this girl's sherpa tomorrow when she runs her very first half marathon.

Megan, I'll always carry your Gu. I'll always help you hit your pace. I'll always get up at 3:30 to take a bus to the starting line of a race that starts at 5:30, but you accidentally signed us up for the very slowest corral and we probably won't start until 7. And most of all, I don't do costumes. Ever. EVER. But for you? Fine.

Happy running, Meggers!

An Airport Workout

Once upon a time, I actually ran 5 miles in the Chicago O'Hare Airport. James was a toddler, so I had his stroller with me for a 2 hour layover between Dallas and Hartford. I've got to admit, the run took a little bit of pre-planning--I wore sweats and a sports bra, and I wore my running shoes. When we landed in Chicago, I packed all of our carry-on craps down below, and ran up and down every single hallway I could find. It kept James busy and happy for almost an entire hour, and you'd be surprised how many nice little hills there are inside an airport.

The beautiful thing about that airport run? As far as I know, no one--not a single person--thought I was crazy. They probably just thought I was late for a flight. And when I did get a handful of weird glances I just told myself what I always tell myself--Amy, they're clearly jealous of your mid-grade stroller and average looking body.

Today, an airport run just isn't an option for me. I'm flying solo, so I'm lugging two bags everywhere I go. I guess I could finagle an airport cart, but I thought I'd show you another option (since I'm too cheap to spring for the $1.25).

Behold my first ever webcam blog video. Let me tell you, I catch all kinds of flattering angles in this lil' masterpiece. And fair warning, she's a little hard to hear:

All in all, this workout takes between 12 and 20 minutes to get through. You can take as much time between sets as you need to, but make sure you to the 4 exercises back to back to back to back.

Not gonna lie, this is a kickasstic workout no matter where you are. I do this kind of this at home all the time. In front of the TV. When I feel guilty for eating too much pie.

In other camera-magic related news, I'm totally putting a webcam in Kennebec Valley Coaching's new fitness studio, that way, all the long distance coachers and jump in and snicker at me from all corners of our fair nation (and Canada. We have a real-life Canadian.)

Body Fat Check In...For Real

Checked in on the old body fat this morning and I was happy to see 24.9%. I'm down 1%, with only .9% to go to hit my first goal and get into the fitness range.

Here's how it's been happening:

1) I've been eating lean protein with fruits and veggies for breakfast, because seriously, who says breakfast needs to look like breakfast? Cereal is not required by law, people! I usually eat a baked chicken breast or some hard boiled eggs, a piece of fruit, and some carrots. A nice omelet would give me the same effect while being more 'breakfasty,' but in my world, that's a lot of dirty dishes for a weekday morning. I make my eggs and chicken breasts at the beginning of the week, and they're always right there, super easy to grab.

2) I've been adding strength training or pilates after my runs 3 days a week.

3) I've been running faster on all my training runs and doing HIIT at least once a week.

4) I've been watching my portion sizes and saying no to more things.

What little tweaks could you make to change up your body composition?

By the way, I'm heading down to Florida tomorrow to run the Disney World Half Marathon with an old friend who also happens to be a Kennebec Valley Coacher. I've got a long layover in Boston, so guess what? You're gonna get to see me exercise in an airport. Like real exercise, no fluff.

Body Fat Check In and Other News

Yeah, uhhh, I have no idea.

I think I'll give myself 5 more days before a re-check.

In other fantabbulous news, Strollers Rollers Snowed In and The Fifty Pound Club both start tomorrow! The time for The Fifty Pound Club has been moved up from 7pm to 6pm to make way for Before & After Boot Camp.

And guess what? Maybe you already heard, but Kennebec Valley Coaching is officially expanding to its own space, and it's expected to be up and ready to go by January 18th! I'll chronicle the whirlwind renovations right here on Run Muffin. I've never been so excited about anything in my life!