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  • Tag: Workout

    • Cardio Conundrum

      Posted at 8:43 AM by Brittany, on January 23, 2014

      Over the last few weeks I’ve noticed some changes in my every day life. My mood has elevated, my hunger is under control, and best of all…my pants are fitting better.

      biscuits

      So what’s my secret? I’ve stopped doing intense cardio..and continued eating cookies and chocolate. OK so that is an exaggeration, but I do have a good balance with sugar right now, along with food as a whole. Intuitive eating has a whole new meaning for me.

      20121211-085756

      After my recent trip to Arizona I had somewhat of a small epiphany if you will. I was anxious about not having access to my gym, but instead of dwelling I focused my thoughts onto what I was eating. Hunger cues became my friend, and with no access to my gym I was forced to get outside and run. I ran short miles, and tried to run for the simplicity of the run itself. I was forced to step away from my routine. Hence my last post.

      20130208-080024

      I didn’t do any intense cardio workouts, instead I ran a few 3-4 mile runs, I hiked, I biked, and I listened to my body cues on when I needed to eat. I didn’t worry about burning calories and I finally just…relaxed. This is when I realized nothing I’ve been doing has worked. The intense cardio has not been working, and a couple weeks ago I decided it was time for a break. Are we noticing a trend with my constant breakups?

      The only problem was that I LOVE intense cardio. It feels like a waste of motivation, but with nothing to loose I decided to give it a shot. This has allowed me to eat smaller, more frequent meals which has helped my digestion and overall I feel better. With minimal cardio in my daily routine, it was time to start some new workouts.

      pilates

      Along with casual runs I’ve been doing yoga, walking, hanging with Jillian, and Pilates. Let me preach for a moment..Pilates is a dirty demon that I can’t get enough of. My legs have never hurt so good. After a class I can’t walk right for days. The weight work that I’ve been doing through Pilates and my Jillian DVD have already started making small differences. I’m still doing intense cardio here and there, maybe once a week, but earlier in the day and I’m fueling accordingly.

      So why am I sharing all of this? Well, for starters it just feels good to purge all the chaos that swirls in my brain from time to time. As a devout cardio junkie…I am admitting to the world that cardio is NOT all there is to life, I’m officially a strength training believer. I honestly don’t feel like I was fueling properly for the workouts I was doing, and since I don’t want to change my intake, this was the solution I needed.

      20130226-075133

      I still love you spin class…

      As humans we are constantly changing and growing, reinventing and reevaluating. The trial and error with my workouts, and finding my perfect balance can relate to my personal life too. I am at a place of peace, and all the mental hurdles I’ve overcome within the last year have givin me the ability to switch my mindset when it comes to lower intensity workouts. It sounds ridiculous, and makes more sense in my head (per usual) but I’m saying it anyway! It feels good to start gaining back my confidence in a round about way.

      Q: Do you feel that confidence in your workouts helps with confidence in your life? YES!

      b

      | 51 Comments Tagged Cardio, Gym, Life, New, Random, Running, Spinning, Workout
    • Back to the Beginning

      Posted at 8:23 AM by Brittany, on January 20, 2014

      I’m not a natural born runner. When I first started running I got excited when I accomplished one mile without stopping, working my way up until I finally ran my first 5K race. I’ve also never been a graceful runner, more like a frantic monkey with an annoying tick on his rear. Everyone has to start somewhere.

      20120429-164707

      Then I ran my first half marathon, and my second..third…and fourth.. and suddenly 3 mile runs were a sad excuse for a workout. I started to believe that if I didn’t run at least 5 miles in one period of time it was a waste, and my workout would suffer.

      20130922-164836

      Not only did I worry about miles, I started to obsess about time. Always wanting to improve and get faster. Overall, I don’t see anything wrong with this. As humans we should want to improve and better ourselves in all aspects of our lives, but not at the expense of our happiness. I started to loathe my runs, and I stopped running all together.

      20131223-034554

      A few months ago I wrote a post about switching up my workouts, with hopes that I would fall back in love with running. While stepping away from running was beneficial, I ended up mentally stepping away all together and not fully enjoying any run I would do. Running felt forced, and relationships should never feel forced, in any aspect of life.

      fart

      Lately I’ve had a strong mental desire to run, but anytime I started I wanted to stop. I’ve decided it’s time to go back to the beginning, and run the way I did when I first started. 3 mile runs are better than no runs. If I enjoy the miles that’s what matters. Along with taking the stress away from the miles, I’ve forced myself to slow down my running pace. This is much easier said than done! Fellow runners can relate.

      20130622-112213

      Over the last couple years I worked my way from 11 minute miles..to 10 minute miles..to 9 minute miles, with a few runs in the 8 minute pace. I’m very proud of this, and I proved to myself with a bit of hard work and motivation the increase is possible. Now that I know I am capable of running “faster” it’s easier to settle back into a 10 minute mile and still hold onto my confidence as a runner, because we all know every runner thinks about pace.

      One day my comfortable pace may be a 9:00 min mile, but for now I only foresee quicker runs happening during races, and on days that I’m feeling wild. I’m going to listen to my body and base my pace strictly on how I feel -fast or slow.

      My favorite reason to run, endless cupcakes.

      My favorite reason to run, endless cupcakes.

      Long story short: my overall goal is to feel just as accomplished with a slower shorter run as I do with a shorter faster run, or a longer run. A run..is a run.. is a run. Plain and simple.

      Will run faster for money.

      Will run faster for money.

      Q: How do you feel about the constant need for improvement?

      b

      | 52 Comments Tagged Cupcake, Garmin, Running, Workout
    • Early Morning Confessions

      Posted at 7:14 AM by Brittany, on January 15, 2014

      1. I have a new favorite snack/dessert obsession, originally inspired by Britta. I’ve taken it to the next level..dates OR figs, dipped in peanut OR almond butter. Plus 2lbs of cinnamon.

      Photo taken with my new camera, more on that in my next post!

      Photo taken with my new camera, more on that in my next post!

      2. I’m trying to figure out new workout ideas in an attempt to maintain my weight. I’ve gained about 12 pounds the last year and would love to shed that. I’m thinking runs between 3-5 miles, walking, yoga, Pilates, and LESS cardio. Yes, I said less. Ideas?

      3. I finished Mocking Jay..but I wasn’t blown away.

      20140112-183644

      4. I haven’t been to the dentist in over a year. Did you guys know I was going to school in hopes of becoming a dental hygienist?! Not very hygienically savvy of me. Speaking of school, I have a new direction. More on that..in…the future. I do still love teeth though…

      5. I went out after the sun went down for the first time in..forever. I had one drink, which left me completely sober and completely bored. I don’t like being out late, and I don’t like missing my sleep..that wont be happening again anytime soon.

      I'm squinting because my eyes are BURNING FROM LACK OF SLEEP!

      I’m squinting because my eyes are BURNING FROM LACK OF SLEEP!

      6. I would really like to hang out with Jillian Michaels..maybe get some cupcakes or something. I bought one of her workout DVD’s, we’ll see how that goes.

      7. I am LOVING spending one or two days a week at Starbucks in the morning when I have a day off. The atmosphere is just amazing.

      Last red cup of the season!

      Last red cup of the season!

      8. I successfully wandered World Market on Monday and didn’t purchase a single thing.

      9. I am missing the warm temps in Arizona, and really missing the outdoor adventures I went on. The cold air in Washington makes me want to curl up and not move.

      20140112-183634

      10. I never updated all you loyal readers about my end of the year haul I found using my coin counter app (scroll to the bottom of that linked post, number 10.) From March-December I found a whopping $9.37. That’s $4.37 MORE than I predicted! SCORE!

      Side note: Rereading that post I linked to made me laugh because not only was it another confession post, but it included food I was obsessing over, something I finished reading, something about sitting in a coffee shop, and something about the coin counter app. At least I’m consistent…We won’t talk about the other things in that post…haha.

      Q: What’s your confession?

      b

      | 59 Comments Tagged Confessions, Random, Starbucks, Workout
    • Balance is Bliss

      Posted at 8:06 AM by Brittany, on January 3, 2014

      I have been running nearly every day since being on vacation in Arizona, if you could call it that. My runs have been getting progressively worse, starting at 4 miles and going down to 2 miles. My body feels heavy and I can’t really get into a groove. Thankfully I have found other activities to get me moving, so that I can eat my weight in these almonds.

      almondsThe mountains in Arizona are nothing like the mountains in Washington. I go from green- moss filled paths, to brown- dirt filled paths. The change up is fun though, and I love hiking in both states. I just love hiking in general. Give me a path that goes up and I am happy.

      20131229-151831

      I went hiking with my sister and my dad a few days ago and the weather was perfect.

      20131229-151901

      I have hiked this mountain many times, but it’s still just as exhilarating and exciting reaching the top. Looking down over the city is magical, and surprisingly peaceful.

      20131229-151948

      I had a sudden desire to partake in some mountain yoga, and thankfully my photographer was happy to oblige. Thanks dad, I never claimed to be normal.

      20131229-152439

      Close up

      Close up

      Far away

      Far away, and stamped with an Instagram filter

      Balance is bliss – this is clearly my phrase of the century.

      I’m amazed by the weather in Arizona right now, and going back to temps in the 30’s wont allow for leisurely bike rides in a tank top. I’m taking full advantage while I can.

      Q: What’s your favorite outdoor activity? Mine changes by season…and by day! 

      atterned-n

      | 50 Comments Tagged Arizona, Balance, Hiking, Mountain, Outdoor, Running, Workout, Yoga
    • BOOM!

      Posted at 8:01 AM by Brittany, on June 14, 2013

      I have kept to running anywhere from 3-5 miles the past month and the shorter distances have been great. A while back I mentioned I am no longer watching my Garmin like a hawk while I run, instead I will look at it when the run is complete. Every single run has been getting faster..and faster..and faster. I’m naturally a slower runner..think 10m/mile range, so you can understand my excitement when I ran my fastest run everrrr this week.

      20130611-104914

      BOOM 9:18 pace! This convinces me that in time I will be able to run my 3-5 milers within an 8:XX range. It’s the little things..finding excitement in something simple! I want to run another half marathon in the near future, but for now I am happy focusing on the shorter/quicker runs. These quicker runs have been consistent, so I hope this isn’t a fluke.

      The past week I have been living in the 90’s while doing a series of “8 minute ___” workouts. From arms, to buns, to legs, to abs. I’ve been doing them everyday and I am still sore. These YouTube videos from the 90’s are no joke. I find myself looking forward to them. I may have busted out my leotard from when I did ballet. I was 4 when I did ballet.

       

      8 Minute buns makes me want to die. I just love it.

      I’ve been obsessed with soy lattes since discovering them a few weeks ago. I just can’t get enough. I’ve also been obsessed with breakfast for dinner. Lots of cereal with LOTS of fruit. I do eat things other than cookies and cake, but they just aren’t worth sharing usually

      20120707-200615

      My cat peed on my laid out workout clothes for today, so I think I’ll call it a rest day. On that note I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Eat your greens and drink your water!

      Q: Favorite coffee beverage when at a coffee shop? NORMALLY just a basic drip, but these lattes are making my mouth foam..haha oh coffee humor..get it..foam..?

      b

      | 92 Comments Tagged Coffee, Running, Vegan, Workout
    • BRITTANY- Self proclaimed minimalistic nomad striving to maintain a balanced, healthy life with good food, long bike rides, deep connections, exploration, and lots of cucumbers.
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