While running this week, I realized I can truly say I am a runner now. Over the last 2 months, every day has included a run. My runs have become journeys for me. Most mornings, I wake up and start my day with a run. My body tells me I am runner with the aches and pains that come with it. My mind agrees as I find the motivation and drive to begin my run, stretch my run, and finish it. My weekly mileage average is between 30 and 40. I am truly a runner.
Up until now, I have sometimes thought of myself as a runner. I would run a couple of miles here and there but I didn't have the dedication and passion I do now. I have even participated in some big races and somewhat trained for them. It wasn't a big deal to cut a run short or miss days here and there though.
This realization is big for me. I feel like I have transformed. I used to run for the cardio to maintain and stay in shape. My running has taken a turn though where I truly am training and running to get better and go further.
To me there is a fine line between running and being a runner. I believe we all can cross that line and can even go back and forth. It's a nice feeling to be able to push myself and take on the physical challenge. The first step out the door used to be the biggest running challenge for me but now it is after mile 9. I look forward to the rest of my running journey and am excited to continue to face my mental and physical challenges!

Fed Up 10 day Challenge Complete

Yesterday marked the final day in the Fed Up 10 Day challenge. I successfully completed the challenge, learning many things along the way.
I did feel different being sugar free. At first I was irritable and when that passed, I was more energized and slept much better at night.
I learned that sugar is literally in almost everything. The biggest part of this challenge was finding things that were truly sugar free. There is sugar in sausage links bought from the butcher, there is sugar in garlic salt and season salt bought from Costco, and in frozen sweet potato fries, and everything that is even the slightest processed.
When cutting out all the added sugar, fruit and food in general tastes so much sweeter.
My kids truly are addicted to sugar. During this time when we had limited amounts of sugar at home, they went crazy when given the option of having it at other places. They couldn't get enough.
I also learned that condiments contain a ton of sugar! 

I think this challenge has changed my relationship with food. I find myself eating less. I think a lot of that is because you can't just have whatever you want when you want it. I find that planning is required to eat sugar free with a family. We found ourselves getting creative with recipes and treats. When not having a sugar choice, I didn't have any complaints from my kids. They would gladly eat what we had and ate a lot of fruits.

Now knowing that females should only eat 20 grams of sugar a day, I will make sure I eat below that range. I am sure I can easily get up to that number by eating fruits and finding it in places least expected. After going 10 days without processed foods, I plan to continue that for the long haul. Going into this, I really thought I would want to use honey and agave after the 10 days but after 10 days, I don't have the sweet cravings or need to incorporate it back into my diet.

I highly recommend everyone giving it a try. 10 days goes fast. If you are not ready to go sugar free, try to cut out one processed or sugary item a week.

MM- A day of Rest

Although I am not officially training for my marathon yet, I am training very hard and getting into a great rhythm of running and lifting. I have found a nice balance. I am now on summer break from school so my workout routine is always at its best, as I can always find a way and time to fit a workout in during the summer.
My biggest struggle right now if giving myself rest. I have not taken a day off from working out in a long time. Sometimes, I will skip lifting and just run or I will skip running and just lift. I have been justifying those as my rest days. I hit a point yesterday where my body screamed for a rest after I completed 9 miles and then lifted for an hour. Mentally, it is hard to listen to my body and stop. I gave myself permission to take today off. I enjoyed a lazy morning instead of my usual cup of coffee and then out the door for a run. I even ate breakfast and had all intentions of not running. After cleaning up from breakfast, I just couldn't justify not doing anything. I decided to go for a short and slow run. I even pushed Tate in the stroller to slow me down. We ended up going 3.5 miles. I felt like I took it slow and it actually felt good to loosen my muscles up by running. At least I would be taking the day off from the gym!
My newest challenge is going to be letting myself stop and rest here and there when I need to.

Happy Summer!

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start to the summer. We just so happened to have started our summer break from school. As we settle into the summer, we start to define our routine and get into a rhythm. While developing this routine, I have asked the kids what they want from this summer. Not only do I want them to tell me where they want to go and who they want to arrange summer activities with, but what they want to accomplish this summer overall. I have asked for a physical goal, a scholarly goal, food ideas, places for the family to visit, ideas for outdoor activities, and of course the fun kid things they want to do.
Before coming up with their individual lists, we talked about ideas for each of these categories.
Physical Goals- participate in a family fun run, ride bikes to a specific destination, participate in a swim meet, practice soccer x amount of days and so on.
Scholarly Goals- read x amount of books, a certain series, read x amount of minutes/day, keep a journal, memorize math facts, etc.
Food Ideas- I think it would be fun for the kids to come up with signature dishes  or smoothies that they create, have assigned days for each kid to participate in making meals, take the kids grocery shopping and let them pick out their own healthy snacks.
Places for the Family to Visit- We searched local tourist attractions for our state. These would be great day trips. The kids looked through a list of them and came up with what they thought would be the most fun.
Outdoor Activities- Rent a boat, fishing, build a tree fort, lemonade stand, slip n slide, hikes, river fun.
Fun- Water park, play dates, amusement park, mini-golf, movies
I worked with the kids to make the list to make sure the ideas were realistic. We have our lists posted and will check them off as we go.
I made a family list as well. I feel like it is so easy to get in rut during the summer. We strive to go on a family outing a week and many times we always go to the same few places. I feel like having the list to refer to will help us do more and accomplish more.

approaching the half way mark

Tomorrow will be the half way mark for my 10 day sugar free challenge. Half way through, I wanted to share my feelings. There are a couple of things that I have noticed. I don't think my body went into shock or had huge withdrawals because I really didn't eat a ton of sugar to begin with. It was hidden in foods I ate and I definitely consumed some sugar on a daily basis but I wasn't eating candy and desserts or drinking sugary beverages.
 First, I am sleeping better at night than I have in a really long time. I feel I fall asleep really quickly and sleep solidly through the night. I have always been a light sleeper and find myself tossing and turning a lot at night but that hasn't been the case the last few nights. The first three days, I felt pretty lethargic during the day. Today was the first day that I didn't feel that way. I was really energized and still am.
My appetite has changed. I find myself eating less and eating smaller portions throughout the day. I am more conscious about being full. This to me seems weird but if sugar is addictive I guess this could make sense.
I am also eating a lot of fruit- not because I crave the sweets but I do snack and cutting out the processed snacks, that is what I am left with. I am glad that I took this challenge on! I look forward to what the second half brings.

Favorite sweet snacks and treats

Frozen bananas- plain or sliced with almond butter

Paleo Fudge- 1 cup almond butter, 1/3 cup melted coconut oil, 2 tbsp. chia seed, 1 tbsp. cocoa powder mix, put in wax paper lined pan, freeze






fruit and nut balls-  1 cup almond flour, 1 cup dried dates or apricots, 1/3 cup coconut flakes, 1 tbsp. chia seeds, 1 tbs. cocoa powder if desired. Put all ingredients in a food processor. Once mixed roll into balls. Store in the refrigerator.
 

popcorn- pop your own or make sure there aren't any added ingredients. I like mine with coconut oil and a little salt.

Just Fruit- dried fruits

cacao nibs

almonds
Can make your own trail mix with the above

cottage cheese with fruit

smoothies- skip adding yogurt and just use fruits

fresh squeezed juices- orange carrot has been a favorite combination

Kids Movement

I am so very fortunate to work at a school and in a district where movement is still a huge priority for children. I have heard so many stories where recess and PE are being cut or reduced in school schedules. This year, my school focused on movement. Classroom teachers incorporated 30 minutes of movement into their daily schedules and we held school wide movement once a week as well as participated in the 100 Mile Club school wide this year. As the year is coming to an end, I have the opportunity to reflect on the year as both a teacher and a parent. I have seen the research in the past that connects achievement and behavior with movement and this year I was able to live it.
A highlight for me as a teach and parent at my school was the 100 Mile Club. I saw my students set goals, physically improve, build endurance, and develop bonds through this club. As a mom, I was able to run with my daughters and share my passion with them. It was such an amazing way to start the school day. I learned this year that my 8 year old will tell me all the world's problems and joys on runs.
Last week, the running came to an end for the school year and each child and teacher was recognized for their accomplishments. The smiles on the kids faces and the excitement to attain even more goals next year was amazing. I encourage everyone to implement this club at your child's school or even at your workplace. If it is not a possibility, I encourage you to get moving with your children! It is amazing to see the positive relationships, academic achievement, and health benefits!
        100mileclub.com

A very special thank you to our fabulous PE teachers for bringing this program to our school and all the work they put into making it what it became! 

MM- Growth

Last week was the first week that I felt I was starting to make growth with my running- both mentally and physically. This training is really quite the journey. The first part of the journey for me was making the commitment and developing mental strength. I think I got there pretty quickly. The next part of the journey is where I am right now. It is all about progress and growth. I feel that in the month and a half since I have committed, I have made tremendous growth. Starting out, my daily runs were 2 miles. Last week all of my runs were at least 4 miles. I decided to run the same route everyday. It was really neat for me to see my time improve each day and the hills seem less steep. It made me think how incredible it is to have so much growth in a week.
Goal setting has been huge for me too. I have learned that I really don't want to let myself down and that I am very competitive with myself. If I set a goal, I really push myself to achieve it.
At this point, I truly believe that anyone can join this journey on any level. It starts with an idea which generates a commitment and mind set. Then with time and goals, growth happens.I look forward to the rest of this journey!