Life Update!

My current life:

• I started work exchanging at a wonderful hot yoga studio in Glenside, PA that opened up right by my house. I'm there about three times a week, and I practice Monday nights, Wednesday mornings, and Saturday mornings. I must say, a more regular and intense practice has really helped. I'm calmer, more accepting, and just more in-tune with myself and body. 

Just hanging out in pincha mayurasana. I can't stay up very long, though!

• I am training for four runs:
• The Frostbite Five Miler -- Saturday, February 22.
• Only five miles, but I'm doing it to stay on track for the half marathon.
• The Philly Love Run Half Marathon -- Sunday, March 30. 
• I'm actually shitting my pants over this. I don't even want to think about it. It's not actually happening. I think I had an aneurism and signed up. 
•  The Hot Chocolate 15k -- Saturday, April 6
• I will probably be dead for this race because it's less than a week after the half. I will probably not do anything between the two except rest, rest, and rest.
• Broad Street Run (hopefully!) -- Sunday, May 4.
• A lot calmer about this since I've done it. BRING IT!

My thoughts on all this!

I'm lying if I said I was totally calm like, yo just running some races, bro...but I'm not. It's a bigger deal than that. I'm extremely worried about the half marathon, and even more worried about the Hot Chocolate run. However, I know these pre-pre-pre-race jitters will only make me faster and more prepared in the long run. It means I care, right?

I'm just going to keep running, foam rolling, cross training, and practicing yoga to keep myself and my body in balance. It will all be fine in the end!

BROAD STREET.

That's right, everyone.
I got in (I can only assume it's because of my Blue Cross health insurance, not because of my running abilities).

Nonetheless, I will be running the Broad Street Run 10 Miler on May 5th.

I live just outside of Philadelphia, so I am somewhat familiar with the route. I've been running three miles comfortably for a while, but I fell off the exercise/running wagon a bit from December (post-gobble wobble) - now. Sure, I did some intermittent exercising, yoga classes, but I was not showing my face at the gym 5 days a week.

So, thank you, Broad Street Run Lottery, for selecting me and giving my tush the push it needs.

So, the way I plan to increase my mileage is to start at three miles every 2-3 days. I ran Tuesday night on the treadmill and did three miles no problem (a little slow, but no problem).

My alarm was set for 9am this morning but I managed to wake up on my own and decided I should run before work today!

YEAH.

I'm feeling three miles with a brisk .5 mile cool down. That should do it.

Valentine's Day - Love Yourself

Valentine's Day has never really held much importance to me other than you either hate it or you love it. I personally enjoy the pink, purple and red hearts and I think that the idea of LOVE on Valentine's Day is beautiful. To me, Valentine's is a day of appreciation and kindness-- no hate allowed. Anyone can celebrate! You don't need a Valentine, you just need a positive outlook.

That's why, on Valentine's Day, I take the time to appreciate myself. I focus on the positive things in my life and I try not to dwell on the fact that my boyfriend has never once gotten me flowers EVER in the three Valentine's Days we have been dating and this Valentine's is not going to change this winning streak of his. Not bitter, not bitter at all. 

But really...we all need to hone in on the positive aspects of our health-- so why not love your body on Valentine's Day? 

If you're reading this on a computer screen, you have access to eyesight (and technology). If you're reading this, you are breathing. Your heart works, your lungs work and you are literate. You, my friends, are lucky. Some individuals are currently in a hospital bed, waiting for a heart transplant or some may be hooked up to a ventilator. 

I know I'm focusing on the internal aspects, but really, isn't that what counts? Yes, you still need to love yourself externally, but you need to appreciate that your internal organs are (hopefully) doing what they should be. 

Give your body a dose of appreciation today. Thank your body for what it does for you. In my case, I might just go for a run after work tonight and stretch it out really well! Ah, can't wait!

So, love it up!

Keeping up with your workout

So...you're working out, and you realize, "when was I here last?"

It's a common problem. Time slips away from us all, and you have no idea when you were last breaking a sweat. You wrack your brain for answers, but you can't come up with a valid date.

You need to track your workouts more often! I'm not talking about calories burned or minutes spent at working out...but I am talking about knowing when you were last at the gym!

What Works for Me

I find that I am most motivated by having a calendar on my bedroom door. I check off each day I workout with a red crayon. I can then see, at the end of the week or month, the last time I worked out. 

This calendar method works best for me, but I also use dailymile.com. Dailymile is a website where you can track your workouts. You can track everything from you running route, to gym routine, to calories burned. You can even log past workouts--so it's great if you go on vacation. You can still easily log your miles and workouts. 

For some reason, I stay more motivated when I discuss and post about working out. I think that's the main reason I love this blog as well as working out in general. I feel like I have to "practice what I preach" and that motivates me. 

What might work for you

• Making calendar appointments in your planner, phone or computer. The reminder can help motivate you and keep you going!
• Talk it up! The more you talk about being fit, healthy and living a healthy lifestyle, the more you will want to do it.

I hope that these ideas work well for you and your lifestyle. If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them! Everyone has different methods. Let me know what works for you and how you track your workouts. 

Happy tracking,

Katie

Gobble, Gobble!

 Ah, the savory smells of roasted turkey linger in the kitchen. The fluffy, hot mashed potatoes are sitting on the table. Cranberry sauce is ready for consumption. Pumpkin pie and ice cream are all set for dessert.

The problem is you’re trying to eat healthy! All these smells wafting from a relative’s kitchen (or more dangerously, your own) will be tempting.

Here are some tips on how to eat healthy and keep in check come turkey time:

• Keep your plate colorful. This is the best way to avoid a carb overload! Too much bread, potatoes and stuffing (beige food) can be a bad thing. Try to fill your plate with nutritious options first like carrots, peas, corn, string beans, spinach, asparagus, salad, cranberry sauce, or sweet potatoes. Then fill in your plate with the carbohydrates!
•  Eat slow. Eat less. The idea of eating slow (allowing 10-12 seconds between loading another forkful of food into your mouth) gives your stomach time to realize it’s full. Your brain will get the signal to stop eating before you overindulge.
•  Choose only what you really want. This is a great way to “rank” your food. Take what you really want on your plate and put the rest aside. Ask yourself, “Will I eat all of this?” and "Do I really want this, or is there something I like more?"
•  Don’t load up on unhealthy hors d’oeuvres and appetizers. First, Eat small amounts of appetizers. Yes, the Ruffles chips and onion dip that my family serves are sinfully delicious, but is it healthy to load my plate up on just that? No. It’s not! I’ve got an entire plate of delicious Thanksgiving goodness that only comes once a year. If you can't resist those unhealthy options, just eat small amounts and you can always indulge on a fruit or veggie platter instead!
• Live a little! You may not feel guilty about overindulging once you start eating, but come Black Friday, you might have a case of the post-Thanksgiving blues. Try not to think about it. Most likely your Thanksgiving overindulgence only lasted one day, or one evening. Keep that in mind! 

I find that it’s best to just let the holiday be exactly that—a holiday. Don’t count calories or force any strange healthy options down your loved one’s throats. Thanksgiving will not sabotage your healthy lifestyle unless you allow it to. Come Monday, get back in the swing of healthy eating and activity! You will be just fine! Your healthy life will resume at some point, I promise!

Happy gobbling your Thanksgiving meal!

Katie

Exercising my fitness commitment

Excuses

• You don't have time to workout. 
• You are busy. 
• You are stressed. 
• You have classes. 
• You have assignments to do for your classes.
• You have work.  
• You just don't have time for anything else in your schedule.

So, how will you find time to workout?

I solved this dilemma for myself. I have two jobs, an internship and I go to school full time. I make time to workout. No, I don't magically have 26 hours in a day, but some days it sure feels like it.

Starting a workout regimen is complicated and hectic. It doesn't have to be! That's why I'm here, to hold your hand and motivate you to put one foot in front of the other until you're breaking a sweat.

What works for me

I have a little secret tidbit of information to help you better understand time management.

There are individuals out there who are busier than you and they are carving out time to exercise.

If you can't make your workout fit into your schedule, then you need to make your workout more accessible.

My dilemma and how I solved it:

I want to work out at the gym where I work, but the hours just do not fit my routine.

Question: Now, you may simply ask me, why don't you just work out at home?

My answer: Working out at home is not a real possibility for me. My house is old, creaky and tiny and there's not much room do do a full-on cardio session in my living room. It's impossible. So, I suggest you, my fellow space-limited friends, to join a gym with better hours for you.

I just joined a 24-hour gym. I can go whenever and it's really great! Especially when I close at my mall job (the mall closes at 9, out of there by 9:30 and the gym wouldn't happen until 10 which, by that point, my old gym closed at 10). Yeah, so a workout would NOT happen.

If you can't make a gym work for you, it's time to start searching!

Commit to fit!
Katie

About Hit the Mat Running

Things to expect from Hit the Mat Running

            Hit the Mat Running is my fitness and active living blog. I hope to inspire others who come from all walks (or runs) of fitness.

 Posts will include:

• Workout tips and photos
•  Information about yoga and my yoga experience
•  Information about running and my running experience
• Recipes
• Photos
• Playlist information
• Motivation!
• Personal fitness posts 

About me and my passion for fitness

            I love keeping in shape and healthy. I find that I think more clearly and my mind and body are in-sync when I am more active. I learned the hard way that recovering from nerve damage is a difficult process that requires a lot of patience (just like any injury). It forced me to slow down, and I will do a lot of injury prevention posts.

Why Hit the Mat Running?

            I chose the title, Hit the Mat Running, because I run and participate in yoga. There’s something about Hit the Mat Running that resonates with me as a yogi and a runner, it shows that from the moment I start working out that I give it my all.

How often will you hear from me?

            My blog will most likely update either every other day to once a week. Maybe some weeks I’ll post every single day. It all depends!

 I will try my best to stay dedicated and maybe, if I get a small community started, I’ll post different challenges and giveaways.

            I hope to inspire others who may have difficulty staying motivated in the world of fitness. It takes a lot of  motivation to walk into a gym, go for a run outside or even put those workout clothes on. I’m here to show you what’s worked for me so far. This blog will help me stay motivated and will hopefully help motivate you all!

Stay healthy and active!

Katie