Fitness Friday: 6 Benefits of Exercise That Have Nothing to Do With Weight Loss

I think a pulled a hammy.  Actually, I have no idea.  Pretty sure I don't remember doing anything like this either:

source/via Pinterest

A few weeks ago I felt a twinge behind my left knee when I was running.  It felt like someone was snapping a rubber band against the back of my knee!  So bizarre.  OF COURSE, I continued running for the next 2-3 weeks.  It wasn't especially painful and the weird sensation would only last for the first 1/2 mile or so, then fade away.  But it has gotten progressively worse, so I finally decided to take some time off.  Trying to be a good Bean here even though it's driving me UP THE WALL.

The strange thing about the pain is that it isn't present on the back of my thigh at all, where I imagine a hamstring strain would be.  The pain is behind my knee only and has me thinking it is an inflamed tendon/ligament (tendinitis maybe?) at the point of insertion of the hamstring muscle.

Why am I telling you all of this?!  Partially because I want someone out there to tell me what this mystery injury could be.  And partially because it relates to the title of this post!

There are SO many other benefits to working out than just weight loss, or weight maintenance.  Now that I am 'injured' I am acutely aware of all of these benefits and missing them incredibly.  These are some of the beneficial side effects I experience from exercising.  What about you?

1.  MORE ENERGY
Even on days when I'm feeling tired or unmotivated, actually especially on those kinds of days, if I get myself to the gym or fit in some kind of workout, it actually gives me an energy boost.  It sounds counterintuitive but it's a real side effect of movement.  And the cumulative effects of working out regularly lead to a steady state of increased energy.  It's akin to a rock rolling down a hill, picking up more and more momentum with every movement. 

2.  BETTER SLEEP
Works with kids, and adults too!  The more you wear yourself out during the day, the more restful your sleep will be at night.  Total nanny knowledge right there.  Even after taking just a few days off, my sleep has been affected.  I am tossing and turning and not sleeping soundly.  I have way too much pent up energy.

3.  LESS STRESS
Exercise is a natural way to release stress (as opposed to throwing back a fifth of Jack).  If I have a lot on my mind, or am feeling frustrated/angry/etc, running is a HUGE release for me.  But whatever your exercise of choice, working out definitely helps release some of the stress hormones we all tend to accumulate over the course of each day.  Since it's only one of my legs that's affected, I'm considering taking up punching, I mean boxing, for awhile. 

4.  MENTAL CLARITY
This is somewhat related to #3 but I feel like over the course of a day, there's a lot of 'junk' that builds up in my brain.  And working out has a magical way of clearing that out.  I think if you exercise you will agree, you feel so much sharper and mentally focused right after you work out. I feel like all those little neurons in my brain are firing a mile a minute. I wish I knew the scientific reason for this but I do not. 

5.  HAPPINESS
One of running's greatest side effects!  Endorphins are nature's pharmaceuticals and working out pumps a bunch of the 'feel-good' hormones right into your bloodstream.  Oh Goddddddddd am I missing runner's high right now.

6.  SELF CONFIDENCE
Working out obviously increases your body confidence, but we're focusing on non-weight related benefits for this post, so I'm talking more about self esteem here.  When you accomplish something physically, it absolutely makes you feel more powerful and self assured about other aspects of your life.  You feel like you can take on the world.  After finishing a half marathon, I almost always feel like I can probably run for President.  Or something like that.

For all of these reasons I hope this hammy, or whatever it is, shapes up and ships off REAL FAST!


How about you?

What non-weight-related benefits do you experience from working out?

Have a great weekend!

Fitness Friday: Pre-Race Rituals

 

 

We are T-2 days from the St. Luke's Half Marathon, so I thought today would be a good day to talk about my pre-race rituals.  Runners are a quirky bunch and I'm sure everyone has their own little idiosyncrasies.  I don't think mine are too weird, but I'll let you be the judge of that!

 

1 Week Before Race

• Increase water/fluid intake.  This is an area of my health that I regularly slack on, so a week before a goal race I try to make sure I'm drinking more water throughout the day.  Unfortunately, I did not do so well this week.  Some hectic days combined with my absentmindedness left me definitely lacking some days.  I'm usually so much more focused on the kids' needs throughout the day, that I end up slacking on my own.  Plus, drinking more water means more bathroom breaks, which I also often don't have time for!
• Start scoping out race day weather.  Weather can change this far out, but I like to check throughout the week so I can generally prepare myself for what to expect.  So far, it looks like race day weather will start out around 40 degrees Sunday morning.  I think I'll probably wear a sweatshirt over my tank top and shorts and check a bag at the last possible moment.
• Get more sleep.  Ah, another area I am continually behind on.  I tried to get more sleep this week but my early work hours combined with my night-owl tendencies seemed to get the best of me yet again!

 

2-3 Days Before Race

• Reduce intake of high fiber foods.  The last thing anyone wants on race day are loose stools!Enough said. 
• Clip toenails.  Is that one gross?!  It's not like I have long, gnarly toenails but I've forgotten to cut them at times and there is nothing more uncomfortable than cut, bleeding feet while running. 

 

Day Before Race

• Sleep in.  I never get much sleep the night of the race so I always try to get more 2 nights prior.
• Pick out race day outfit.  Check weather one last time and plan clothing accordingly.  I don't really adhere to the 'nothing new on race day' rule.  What can I say, I live on the edge!  I've worn new shirts or socks that I bought specifically for a race without ever having worn them before.  The only thing I probably wouldn't wear brand new would be a pair of shoes.  The past few races I've been wearing the same sports bra, which now feels lucky.  Is that weird?!
• Charge Garmin.  This race has pacers and I think I'm going to run with one of the groups, but I still want to keep track of my splits myself.
• EAT PASTA!  I eat the same thing every night before a race: Spaghetti and meatballs and a bottle of Gatorade.  Old school + Italian, there you go.

Sometimes, I let my cats pick out my race day outfit 

 

Race Day

• Eat 2 hours prior to race start.  In addition to eating the same thing every night before a race I also always eat the same breakfast: A bagel (plain) and a bottle of Gatorade.  I also drink at least a bottle of water.
• Go to the bathroom.  ESSENTIAL.  I'm talking #2 here.  And that's all I'll say about that.
• Take an Imodium (optional).  I usually only do this before a half marathon, not shorter distance races.  I don't think I've mentioned it here before but I have a long history of IBS.  Maybe some day I'll do some posts on it.  But, running long distances often exacerbates digestive issues, even in healthy people.  I just do not have time for bathroom stops during the race so this ensures that.  And I've never been constipated a day in my life, ever (TMI?!) so there's no lingering after effects for me.
• Double/triple check that my shoes are tied!

 

Post Race

• EAT!  Anything and everything I want.  VEGAN TREATS!!!
• Thank my family and friends.  For standing outside, often in less than ideal conditions, cheering me on and waiting for me at the finish line!
• NAP
• Sign up for the next race :)

 

And that's me.  Quirks and all.  Hope I didn't scare any of you off.  I'll be back with a recap next week!  Have a great weekend!

 

 

Your turn!  What are some of your pre-race rituals?!  The weirder the better :)

Fitness Friday: 2 Weeks til Race Day, Weekly Workouts and Body Combat Review

It's Friiiiiiiiiiday!  This week flew by, and I suddenly find myself 2 weeks away from the St Luke's Half Marathon.  That's what happens when you sign up for a half marathon 6 weeks out!  HA 

Two weeks left means I only have one more double-digit training run this weekend.  The following week will be a taper week and my last 'long' run will probably be about 1/2 the distance of the race, so around 7 miles. 

Do you embrace the taper before a race?  I just read this article re: tapering mistakes on Runner's World, and it has some good pre-race reminders.  I personally always taper one week before a half-marathon, and I can definitely feel the difference/freshness in my legs and entire body on race day.  Sometimes, I even take a few days off running before shorter races like 5k's too.  After a hard training cycle, you will not lose any fitness in a few days' time, but this break gives your body a chance to reload its glycogen stores and your muscles a chance to rest and rebuild themselves as well.  I really believe it gets you to the finish line faster.

Since I'm currently not in taper, this is what my workouts looked like the past week:

Saturday - 11+ miles outside
Sunday - Rest day (Easter!)
Monday - Strength training (Upper & Lower body - combo of free weights and machines) + core work (variety of crunches/twists)
Tuesday - 3.3 miles outside
Wednesday - 1 hour Body Combat
Thursday - 3.2 miles outside
Friday - Rest day
Saturday - 10 miles (planned)

My friend has been inviting me to take Body Combat with her for weeks and I finally went this week.  It's been awhile since I've taken classes at the gym. I used to take Body Pump religiously.  That was my favorite.  But when my work schedule changed a couple years ago, I couldn't get there for awhile and then just fell off the wagon.  I've been lifting weights on my own but I do miss Pump.  The only other Les Mills class I've taken is Body Attack and I am not really a fan.  It's HIIT which I like but there's too much choreography to learn!  Most of the time I was getting lost with the moves so I didn't feel like I was getting the best workout. 

But I thoroughly enjoyed Body Combat this week!  It was a great way to mix up my cross-training workouts and left me sore (in a good way).  I definitely used muscle groups in that class that I haven't used in awhile/forgot existed!  A bit of history here.  Years ago I used to take a kickboxing class at my old gym that I LOVED.  The instructor was phenomenal and many of us developed a personal relationship with her.  A coworker and I used to attend her classes 2-3 times a week.  After a year or two, she had such a following that she was able to coerce the gym to get us standing bags like this:

which were AWESOME!  Obviously, I'm not a physically violent person but having something to punch and kick after work was pretty cathartic! Hahaha

Ok, getting back to Body Combat.  If you've never taken it, Les Mills describes it as "the high energy, martial arts-inspired, non-contact workout".  If you did Tae-Bo back in the day, it's like that!  This is a non-contact class, meaning there are no punching bags, so you are punching/kicking 'air', however it is definitely a high intensity class that moves quickly.  If I did not have a history with kickboxing, I probably would not have been able to pick up the moves so fast on my first class.  Luckily, I remembered most of the punch and kick moves and was able to get into the combos pretty quickly.  There are low and high intensity variations for most combos so you can adjust the workout to suit your current fitness level or needs.   My shoulders, biceps, triceps and back are sore today so I guess I've not been working them as much as I should be!  Upper body strength is an area often neglected by runners (myself included) but the more of it you have, the more power you will have for your runs.  True story.

A few tips I would offer for those new to Body Combat.  First, if you've never taken a kick boxing type class, go slow the first class.  It is high intensity and you don't want to overdo it or pull something your first time out.  Secondly, and this one is for myself as well, wear proper shoes.  I wore an old pair of running shoes (I never wear my current pair of running shoes for anything other than running), which was not the smartest choice.  The cushioning in them was long gone, and since I'm a neutral/supinating runner, there is very little support.  Because of all the pivoting and jumping, I could definitely feel some discomfort in my feet and I was wishing I had a more supportive cross training shoe. 

I'm looking forward to working more classes back into rotation after my race and Body Combat will  be one of them.

Hope you had a great week of workouts and enjoy the weekend!  Catch you on the flip side :)


Do you like taking group exercise classes or do you prefer solo workouts?

Ever take any Les Mills classes (Body Pump, Body Combat, Body Attack, etc)?

Any spring races coming up?

This OR That: Fitness Friday Edition!

It's Friday!  Raise 'em up.  Even though this week was a bit shorter for me, it was somehow still hectic.  In fact, the last couple of weeks have been kind of crazy, despite having my birthday festivities thrown in there.  My thoughts, plans, desires and musings have been all over the place.  I've been in my own head a lot, which is never a good thing (right Suze?!).  So let's lighten the mood and kick the weekend off with a game, shall we?  Play along!

This or That: Fitness Edition

1.  Sprint OR Long Distance Running?
Long distance all the way.  I never was much of a wham, bam, thank you ma'am kinda girl.  I prefer to take it nice and slow and enjoy the ride.  But seriously, as with most things in my life, it takes me a little while to warm up, but after that I'm usually in it for the long haul.  I think the only time I enjoy sprinting is when I'm running away from a bad date.  I kid.

2.  Cardio OR Strength Training?
Cardio.  It's not that I don't like strength training, because I do love the definition, results and power it brings, but I pretty much live for the high you can only get from running.

3.  Push-ups OR Burpees?
I'm old school so I'm going with push-ups.  I can pump out a lot more of them than burpees too!

4.  Crunches OR Planks?
Both have their advantages, but again I'm retro and was working out for at least 2 decades before planks were even a thing, so I'm going with crunches.  There are so many variations and you can add things like weights, exercise balls and more into the mix to make them more challenging and up the resistance.

5.  Treadmill OR Outdoors Running?
Is this even a question?!  Would anyone willingly choose treadmill?  I love being outdoors and that is probably at least 1/3 of the reason I am so drawn to running.  (Other 2/3 are probably the shoes and the food Hahaha)

source

6.  Sport to play:  Baseball OR Soccer?
Well considering I played both of these and pretty much stunk at both, this is a tough one.  Let's go with baseball/softball since I honestly could not master running and kicking a ball at the same time.  If that was part of a DUI test I'd fail even when sober.

7.  Sport to watch:  Football OR Basketball?
I don't really watch any professional sports regularly.  I guess if I had to pick I'd say football because I've been watching and/or attending Penn State games since I was little.

8.  Race/Long run Fuel:  Gels/GU OR Candy/Real food?
Gels.  I've always tolerated them well and I really don't ever feel like chewing or eating food while running.  After running is a different story, but I like just sucking down some liquid sugar.  I'm not sure real food would settle properly during a run.

9.  Water OR Gatorade?
I prefer Gatorade.  I don't think Gatorade is necessary on shorter runs/workouts, but for long runs, races and more intense workouts, I always drink it.  Plus I like how it tastes!

10.  Workout out alone OR With a group?
Mostly alone.  I focus and work harder when I'm alone than if I'm working out with friends.  I tend to goof off or take it easy if there's someone there to chat and hang out with.

11.  Running: With OR Without Music?
Training runs, mostly with music.  Racing, no music ever.  When I'm running alone I usually run with music because I like to zone out.  During a race, I like to pay more attention to what I'm doing so I never use it.

12.  Certification:  Personal Trainer OR Group Fitness Instructor?
This is something I've been contemplating forever.  I prefer one-on-one settings in most situations (that's why I disliked teaching but love nannying!) so I'd choose to go for PT certification.  But, what I really want to do is become a running coach.  I've tried to get into the RRCA Certification Courses several times, but they get sold out instantly.  In fact, I just got an email from them yesterday with a course offering in Baltimore in June and by the time I logged onto the site, it was already sold out?!  If anyone wants to give up their seat, I'll take it!

13.  New workout clothes OR New jeans?
Running clothes for sure.  My goal in life is to have a job that allows me to wear workout clothes All. The. Time.  I'm kind of already doing that with nannying so my next job has got a lot to live up to!

14.  New sneakers OR boots?
Not even a question.  I pretty much wear sneakers 24/7.  Running shoes, casual sneakers, cross training shoes.  I live in them.  If I could get a job testing and designing sneakers I'd be in heaven.

And now for a completely unrelated one:

15.  24 Hours of Daylight OR 24 Hours of Darkness?
I don't think I could ever live in Alaska for this very reason, but I'd take 24 hours of daylight for the rest of my life.  You can always block out the sun in your home but there's no substitute for the warm sweet feel of it on your face.  This also confirms I could never be a vampire, even for true love.  Sorry Edward.  My fantasies of relocating south are obviously still going strong. 

I hope you have a great weekend!  For everyone who has been experiencing murkiness and general feelings of uneasiness lately, I hope the tide turns soon.  If you have any doubt this weekend is going to be great, let me just remind you that the season premiere of Call the Midwife is happening Sunday!!!  Ahhhhhhhh, I can't wait.


Your turn!  Pick any of the questions and tell me what you'd choose!

Fitness Friday: Half Marathon Training, and some Friday Faves

Well hello and happy Fitness Friday to you!  So, this finally happened last night:

And it's about time because apparently the registration deadline is March 15th?! Leave it to Bean to leave everything to the last minute.  That's my trademark.  I was hemming and hawing on registering for this because I felt my running has been spotty and somewhat lackluster this winter.  The snow, all my random illnesses, etc had me feeling like I wasn't in the best shape.  And I only just recently started what I would call 'training' for this.  And by 'training' I mean ensuring I'm running 3x/week and slowly upping the mileage on my weekend runs.  And this race is only 6 weeks away.  Oy.  I always do this.  Ideally, if you are training for a half marathon your training cycle should be about 12 weeks (I'll talk more about this later). 

To give you an idea of what my training typically entails, I'll share the workouts I did this week:

Sunday:  8 mile run outside
Monday:  20 min bike interval workout // 1000m rowing // 1 min plank
Tuesday:  5K interval/speed workout (treadmill) // 30 pushups // 1 min plank
Wednesday:  Strength training - Upper and lower body (combo free weights & machines) //static crunches and Russian twists w/ 12lb dumbbell
Thursday:  5K easy outside (in shorts!)
Friday:  Rest day (Planned)
Saturday:  Rest and/or cross-train (Planned)

I think I will feel more confident if I can get at least a couple double-digit runs in over the next few weeks.

Now, back to the topic of training for your first half marathon.  I ran my first half in 2011 in Atlanta:

Prior to that race, I had never done a double-digit run.  So if you're in the same boat no worries!  If you have a plan, you'll get there.  I didn't follow any specific plan for mine, but I did research some of the big ones and then created my own plan around those.  Below are some of the best resources for choosing a half marathon training plan:

Hal Higdon
Runner's World
Jeff Galloway
Active.com

Most of these resources have plans for beginners, intermediates and advanced runners.  One caveat here:  Before attempting any training plan you may want to consult a professional.  You should also be running regularly (at least 2-3 times/week) and can run a minimum of 3 miles at one time.

My half marathon training cycles usually look like this:
Running:  3x/week  (2 shorter weekday runs/1 long weekend run)
Cross-training:  1-2x/week (Biking, Hiking, Walking, Swimming, HIIT)
Strength-training:  1-2x/week

Some half marathon training plans prescribe 4 days of running per week.  Personally, I find that to be too much.  With my history of shin splints, I need a day off between each run day and I've always trained with only 3 days of running.  But if you can do back to back run days, then more power to you!  If you want me to go into more detail in the future re: half marathon training plans, please let me know!


And now to end this post with some of my Favorites from the week!

 

• I got 7 hours of sleep on Wednesday night!  Glorious.  I usually average 5 hrs/night during the week so this was a nice treat.
• I love folding baby laundry at work.  I find it adorable and relaxing.  I also love washing dishes.  I have a dishwasher but don't use it and wash all my dishes by hand :)

• On the same note, is there anything better than a baby falling asleep on your chest?! Heaven on earth, truly.
• I got an email this week entitled "The Best Bras for Big Boobs" HAHAHA Good one.  Maybe in my next lifetime.
• And I ran outside, in SHORTS yesterday.  Thanks Daylight Savings Time.  You're the best.



That's it!  I'm going to live it up TSwift 22 style this weekend because come Monday, it seems I'm going to find myself in my late 30's?! 


Have a great weekend!


If you run half marathons, where do you get your training plans?

Tell me some favorites from this week!