Tips From A New Runner

The past couple of months have been about running, working on my endurance and setting a better PR -that's Personal Record. I have been learning from avid runners what to do and what not to do, I have a better idea of what I should be eating and what will help me reach a better PR.

I've learned to listen even more to my body, in order for one to achieve what we want our bodies to do we need to be in tune with them.  Here's a list of what I've learned that works for me and may work for you too:

- 8 hours of sleep per night is a must, it allows my body to recharge and prepare for the next day even if it's a rest day.

- Eating before running gives me more energy, in fact when I've ran without having a small breakfast I end up having reflux and have to stop continuously or run uncomfortably.

- Eating a balanced diet lets me run smoothly without feeling the need to gasp for air.

- Dressing appropriately for the weather is best. For the past 2 years we were in the tropics which means that our wardrobe consisted of mainly summer clothes. Now, we live in cooler temperatures.  I've run in 39ºF temperature and it was truly uncomfortable. My legs felt stiff and my cheeks, lips and hands were numb which is why my family prepared me even more for my runs with weather appropriate attire and I've felt more comfortable running or taking a walk in warmer clothes.

- My lips have been burning from how dry the air feels, I've tried several lip balms and ended up going back to Burt's Bess my preference is for the pomegranate one but recently tried the grapefruit one. They both work on my lips. 

- I recently read that you should change your running shoes every 300 miles or 6 months. At first I will admit I thought it was a marketing ploy to get us to buy new sneakers often, but the past couple of weeks I've noticed my right foot keeps bothering me to the point where I end up taking brisk walks and just maybe it could mean it's time for a new pair. I added up all my miles since I got this pair in Spring 2015 and although I'm not at 300, my shoes do need replacement and pronto.

- Hydration is key, as a high blood pressure patient that takes medications for to help control it I need to drink water while on my runs and my parents found the perfect running belt for me that has 2- 6oz water bottles and a place that keeps them safe on my belt plus there's a zip pocket for my phone, keys and whatever else I might need. It also helps to have my hands free of holding the water bottle. 

It's amazing how great one feels when working towards a goal and I've been working towards mine at my own pace. In running, just like anything else you shouldn't compare yourself and your achievements to others. Instead you should compare them to yourself a few weeks or months before. You will surely notice milestones and how far you've come.

Let's BollyX!

*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, all opinions and images are my own. I was invited to attend a class free of charge to facilitate my review and experience BollyX.*

Sometimes life takes over and you just have to surrender, you have to do what it takes to keep you calm and collected through a little caos, because as the saying goes "this too shall pass".

On the very last day of  February we flew out of Costa Rica back home to California to start a new chapter in our life. Moving was the easy part, finding a new preschool with availability for our son, our new home, buy big ticket items wasn't. This lead me to being tired and overwhelmed with the long list of decisions waiting to be made each day and I felt that was enough for me to handle while continuing to be there for my family, so exercising wasn't my priority and neither was watching what we ate.

Finally, settled into our new life in June I began looking for ways get back on track with our usual exercise and healthier lifestyle. We began with baby steps, because we were recovering from all the commotion.  

That is when I received an email inviting me to try a class of BollyX, I began researching all I could on it. From what it is to watching videos about what it looks like. Immediately I began feeling excited, because I love to dance  and I love exercising without feeling like I actually am. BollyX was co-founded by Shahil Patel, Mayuri Bhandari and Minal Mehta in June 2013 and taught their first class in Boston.

I realize now by seeing how excited I was to exercise, that it would've kept me a little more calm, because exercising relaxes and makes me happy. In addition I feel so accomplished when I do exercise and my energy levels last me throughout the day without needing a break. 

The class was being taught by Tamara a fun, energetic and always smiling BollyX certified instructor. We began with warming up to Bollywood inspired music, Tamara noticed a familiar and new faces in her class and made us all feel welcomed. She greeted us and gave us a run down of the movements and most importantly she reminded us to have fun!

FUN!

Something I had forgotten about exercising is that it has to be fun and BollyX delivered so much fun. I confess that there were moment that I wanted to break out in salsa movements, but quickly would go back to moving and stretching my arms. BollyXFitness gave us all a great workout, during class I could feel my limbs stretch, my abdomen work and my biceps were burning.

The movements are easy to follow and of course Tamara would notice if we were having some sort of challenge keeping up, this is when she would smile at us and remind us that we got it and we are doing fantastic.

During the class we were also given the alternate to jumping or other movements that were challenging us.

The class is broken down to 3 different parts: warm up, high energy and cool down. In the middle of the hour we were at our peak level and I had forgotten I was in a class, I honestly felt I was at a celebration and got caught up in the moves. The 10 minutes before cool down were the most amazing in the class, we were divided into 2 groups for a "dance off" each group would get their chance to dance to the beat of the music and the other would respond with the same moves and it was amazing. The energy and vibes felt in the class at that moment can only be described as pure joy.

During the cool down I could feel the sweat dripping from my arms and face, while exercising I tend not to look at my calories burned and this time was no exception but as soon as I arrived at my car to go back home I checked it and there it was 505 calories burned in an hour of fun.

Of course when class ended I approached Tamara to thank her for the fantastic workout and great start to my day. She encouraged me to go back and I certainly can't wait to continue and enroll after today, I'm already following them on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on everything BollyX.

BollyX is taught in several cities: New York City, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Houston, San Francisco, Richmond, Westwood, Washington D.C., Phoenix, Atlanta and more coming soon and they have over 300 certified instructors and are adding more! They currently have 6 regional trainers -among them is Tamara-, that expand from coast to coast. You can visit their website to find a class near you.  

*Thank you BollyX for inviting me to try a class near me.*

Go, go, go...

Last Wednesday I went for my morning walk/run, but on that day it was very different though. I decided to get out of my comfort zone/area and head to downtown where I usually go for walks with my neighbor, I had yet to do this on my own. It is all uphill, nonetheless I decided early on to run a bit. As I was running getting passed by professional runners  {you know the ones that have been running for like forever with the body to show it} In my personal opinion these people are professionals.

All 3 of them cheered me on! they said:

 "Go, Go, Go"

 "you can do this!"

 "Yes! go for it!" 

"dale!" 

I have to say that I smiled and it truly encouraged me to keep going, I am truly thankful that these rockstars took a second to cheer me on! It really empowered me to keep going, I didn't last long though running like I said uphill and I'm just starting out I felt like I was going to hit the pavement and not in a good way... but the fact that they said that, means a lot! 

Next time you are going for a walk or run instead of just glancing over the person you pass by walking smile at them and cheer them on! I am sure going to do the same. Sometimes we need cheerleaders to remind us that we got this.

Today I pushed myself even further and walked over 3.5 miles, that felt incredible my legs didn't feel tired at all. They feel stronger each and everyday and today is proof better yet I know at the end of today I will have walked a little more as our car is still in the shop getting fixed and I am walking everywhere! 

5 Ways to Workout with Kids!

As a parent I can attest to somedays I can't fit doing exercise in our day, my son is with me 24 hours a day and though he does go to preschool twice a week I still take that time to run errands. Basically working out without him is rare. I've been coming up with ideas on how to accomplish doing exercise even with my children. 

I figure it's a win-win situation, first of all you get to move and burn calories but also your heart thanks you for it and your body feels amazing after you've worked out. Ever notice how you can feel your blood flow rush through your body after a great workout?? I have and I love it!

Second you teach them to be active, nowadays I know people complain about kids not playing outside as much. Have you ever thought if you are leading by example? If you are teaching them and encouraging them to go outside and play? 

Third they burn energy and are ready for a good night's sleep! This is key for me, because the past couple of days after a whole month of our son waking up he is sleeping through the night again :D 

Here is a short list of ways I figured out to include exercise and get it done even with my own children in tow. This is what I am doing to stay active and healthy.

1.- Bike Ride: You know how much I love riding my bike, back in 2010 a close friend in San Diego invited me on a bike ride along Coronado Island. My son was only a year old, she offered to loan me her bike trailer so that was my first time using one. I was hooked after that ride! It was a 7 mile bike ride alongside the beach, the city and beautiful views my son was safe and comfortable in the trailer and he was enjoying the bike ride as much. A couple of weeks later I got my own bike trailer and have used it so much. The trailers are very stable and run anywhere from $89 - $600 depending on brand. They hook -up to any bike and they fold flat which makes it easy to store.

2.- Walk: I love walking, it's easy and you can do it anywhere! We have gotten into the habit of doing pickup walking. Leave the car parked at home and walk to pickup or drop off your child, I have been giving my son the option of walking or sitting in his stroller for our almost 4 mile roundtrip to school and back. Sometimes he chooses to walk and others he chooses the stroller, but when he is in his stroller I can do a brisk walk while pushing him {this is double the work and helps me burn more calories}. We also like taking walks to our local park, it's a great way to get to and from places too. 

3.- Dancing: It's late afternoon, homework is done and the kids are in a bad mood. They are cranky and have energy to go well until next week, you could use some fun. What do you do??? You put on some music and dance with them! It will shortly change their moods into happy ones sometimes even silly ones and you don't even notice you are exercising. You feel happy and your body is moving left to right, front to back. Did you know that when you dance for 30 minutes you burn at least 200 calories? 

4.- Play at the park: I can't count how many times we've been to the park and I join in the fun! We chase each other or play kick ball or even try to finish the monkey bars. Climbing the structures is also a great way to have fun with your kids and burn calories. Plus your children will always remember how much fun they had at the park with you. ;)

5.- Another great way to exercise with kids is to just do a routine at home, every time my kids see me doing jumping jacks, ab-crunches, squats they are sure to join in without me telling them. Then they ask me to count how many jumping jacks they do. 

You can get creative with exercising with your family, the important thing is that you do it. Don't make it too complicated and have fun because when you enjoy exercising they learn to enjoy it too and then it becomes part of your life.

For more routines and ideas make sure you check out my "I'm a work in progress" board on Pinterest where I share my journey as well as others and have pinned workouts I enjoy or products that help keep me inspired to exercise.