May the Fourth be with You

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Happy May the 4th internet lovers of all things Star Wars!! Have you brushed up on your Star Wars knowledge or re-watched the movies recently? I have been watching A LOT of those wonderful YouTube videos of kids watching the infamous, "I am your father" moment. Sometimes they are hilarious, sometimes they are borderline sad, and sometimes they are just so cute! For me, there was no "oh my gosh" moment, a kid from school spoiled it for me long before it was socially unacceptable to spoil a movie. I still have harsh feelings towards that kid, maybe a therapist will help me get through it someday. 

But, back to the 4th, this article is a must read for every Star Wars lover, nay, breathing person out there. It takes a cold, hard look at what that simple line was saying, must we be doomed to follow in our parents footsteps? Have their same success and their same failures? Or, can we really, truly become our own person? 

This is such a great question and one that, honestly, plagues a great many people in the world today. And, Steve over at Nerd Fitness tackles it beautifully! 

Happy Monday and May the Fourth be with You!! 

Stop the Bloat for Good!

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Many of us women, and a few men, have a serious problem with bloating. Not only is it a death nail for those bikini and scale goals, it can be just plain uncomfortable. Bloating also tends to pop up at the most importune moments- say, that vacation in the Bahamas that you have been diligently dieting for since way earlier than bikinis were weather appropriate. 

Bloating is one of my biggest diet problems. So much so, that my scale can change five pounds due to water weight. That is, until recently. A few weeks ago I noticed a big difference between the days/weeks that I took my vitamins and the days/weeks that I did not. It may seem like a vain reason to take your vitamins, but turns out, vitamins reduce bloating! That's right, taking your vitamins will not only improve your health, it will also reduce that pesky bloat. 

Now, I am sure many are asking what vitamins to take, how often, and if that is really all you have to do? Right?? Well, let's get into it!

What Vitamins to Take

The vitamins you take will make a big difference to the results you see. I take (and swear by) all Nutrilite vitamins because they are 100% organic, been around for 70+ years, have never had a recall, and have extremely high check and balances. All of this means they are a bit pricey, but you are actually getting the nutrients you pay for with no fillers. That is worth it for me! 

As for what vitamins I take, there are a few. The biggest difference will come from a good multivitamin, a fish oil, a probiotic, and an extended release vitamin C. These do the biggest job for me in removing that bloat and it is what I would highly recommend to anyone with that same issue.

Why an extended release vitamin C, you ask? Fantastic question! Turns out, the one vitamin our bodies cannot make or store is that necessary vitamin C. This means that if we take a vitamin C that just shoots straight into our system, most will go out as waste. We are, literally, wasting our money away. An extended release will make sure that only a small amount of vitamin C is released into the body over a 12-hour period. Making you and your wallet a bit healthier! 

Side note: I would also recommend looking into where your fish oil comes from. Most fish oils from salmon farming are causing  massive ecological damage and should be avoided. As weird as it sounds, the fish oil I take is from calamari- something that, when farmed, does not harm our environment! 

When to Take Your Vitamins

Morning, noon, and night. That is the easiest answer to the question. Take your vitamins with meals whenever possible. There are few vitamins (vitamin D being the only one that comes to mind) that should not be taken in large quantities since it can cause internal damage. 

If you are not able, or wanting, to take vitamins this many times a day (oh boy do I hear you- all those plants mushed up making them taste NOT GREAT), try taking them in the morning with your breakfast and at night with your dinner. Morning really seems to make the biggest difference for me. Just be sure you eat your breakfast before taking your vitamins. Vitamins on an empty stomach can be just about the worst thing ever! 

One More Thing

There is one more thing that you should be doing along with taking those vitamins and it is probably exactly what you are thinking. Drink water. When vitamins are breaking down, they absorb ALOT of water for the process. In order to keep your body hydrated, you should be drinking about 80-160 ounces of water a day. Honestly, eighty ounces of water is on the very low side and probably about the minimum for anyone who has grown past puberty. We just need more fluids than that! 

100 ounces is my daily mile-maker and what makes me feel energized, keeps my skin healthy, and keeps that bloat down. Of course, not eating tons of dairy, fried foods, and salty snacks also helps wit that whole reduced bloating thing ;)

These simple little changes have made my scale seem a bit less bipolar and kept my tum in check. If budget is an issue, start with a simple multivitamin that will give your your daily needs, and go from there. If Nutrilite is not an option, just be sure you are checking what is in your vitamins and reading the small print. And please let me know if this little tip helps you as much as it has helped me! 

What other tips do you have to stop that pesky bloat? 

One Magic Mile Down

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Jeff Galloway has created something called the "Magic Mile" as part of his run training programs. What a Magic Mile is meant to do is give you a reasonable expectation of how quickly you can run a 10k, half marathon, or marathon. For a half marathon, you follow a simple formula after getting a few Magic Miles under your belt. 

Jeff has this mile during a 3-4 mile run and places it right in the middle. The goal is to push yourself as hard as you can without huffing and puffing or running in a way that may cause injury. After a few MM's are done, you average that number and multiply it by 1.2. But, in true cart-ahead-of-horse style, I thought I would tell you what my first MM was and what that could mean for the race. OK! 

I ran yesterday in 82 degree muggy heat with a terribly bad stomach ache (note to self, eating strawberry shortcake 2 hours before a run is a BAD idea) but, a determined mindset. I had a goal of running the whole mile and making it a pretty good pace to boot. Well, it was a push and the mile following my MM was not a super fun happy time of magic and rainbows and unicorns cheering me on as I ran, arms open, while singing "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music", but I did it. 

My first mile out of the three was decidedly slow at a 10:31 average pace and a 3:1 walk/run rate. Then, the MM came and I ran the whole deal (plus three minutes) and made it a 9:30 pace!! My pace got as quick as 8:30 and as slow as 10:00. Thankfully though, it averaged out to something that I can be proud of. The third mile, however, was not. That guy ended up being a crawl at 11:14. Ha! 

So, if my average stays around 9:30, my push-pace come race day will be an 11:24 per mile pace. Not too bad! I am hoping to have a 12 min/mile pace come race day with being able to do some character pictures. Also, finishing under 2:30 would be a dream!!!

So, have you done the MM before? And, was it close to your race pace?

Last Week in Workouts: The Longest Run

Last week, at 2:00 in the afternoon with a cloudless sky and 82 degree heat, I ran my longest run yet. It was hot, It was sunny, but it was also incredible. I keep doing the math and checking on my run keeper apps and Google maps to see that I actually ran that far, because my ody just does not feel like it usually does after a 3+ mile run. 

Maybe it was the heat that helped lubricate my joints and loosen my muscles. Maybe it was the incredible views of running next to the bay and by the beach. Maybe it was the run-walk-run time that I was using, but something was definitely different from the prior week's 5-miler from hell, and I am so happy for that!! 

Other than running this week, I did a wee bit of yoga and walked. That was it. I know, should have done more. But, with Easter, work, and just not wanting to, I just did not want to. So here is my workout sum-up and a hope that next week your will see a bit more yoga on my list! 

Oh, and the picture above, that was taken while on the six-mile run. With that view, running really cannot be too bad! 

Monday: 5-mile long run. This was definitely the hardest run yet. My pace slowed to an 11:33 average and my knees and ankles hurt like nothing else. There were also plenty of side stitches and lots of exhaustion when done. Yuck. 

Tuesday: Rest day. Still in pain from Monday. But, have been using this, and it makes everything better! 

Wednesday: 30-minute run using the 3/1 Run-Walk ration. Ended up doing a bit over 3 miles! 

Thursday: This new yoga sequence from Candace! 

Friday: 6-mile long run. This week I only fit in one 30-minute run since I was still catching up from last week. But, this run was incredible and my pace ended up being 11:16. Getting better!!

Saturday: Some nice walking :)

Sunday: I cooked a lot, but as far as a workout goes, that's about it. 

Happy Monday! Do you have any fun workouts planned for this week?