Happy Birthday Betty!

There were no dangers of any wildlife encounters this morning, as 52 of us hit the trails in Golden Ears Park for our Saturday morning run.  Celebrating a birthday today was the lovely Betty (not to be confused with Betty Blisters, who is also lovely) so we sang somewhat in harmony and unison Happy Birthday to her; I think that our singing may have scared off any remaining wildlife in the area!

Because of the fantastic weather that we have had for the past week, the trails were dry and relatively mud free, I wore white socks and kept them clean. We headed up Corral Trail, up Mike Lake Trail to Mike Lake, did a little out and back and then headed back down.

As always the company was great, as was the conversation, such a fabulous group of people!  I love Saturday mornings.

Chew your food

Earlier this week I had part 1 of some dental work done.  To cut a long and boring story short, part 2 cannot take place for another 10 days, and I am left with a temporary filling or “soft filling material” in one of my teeth, so I have to chew on one side of my mouth for the next little bit.  I am finding it totally inconvenient, it takes me forever (or at least twice as long as everyone else) to finish my meals, I look stupid because I tilt my head to one side when I chew to prevent any food from getting stuck in that tooth/material, I can’t chew gum (I am a major gum chewer) and I am missing out on some of my favourite foods because they are hard to chew with one side of my mouth (seaweed is very hard to chew with limited teeth).

So this morning I was complaining to my class about how it was taking me so long to chew my food, and because of my impatience I have not been eating as much as I usually do (and really, who wants a second helping when everyone at the table is dying for you to put your utensils down so that they can leave the table) and thought that I would lose weight (for the record I don’t want to lose weight) because of it.  It sparked several comments and snickers that I have incomplete mastication; oh how they laughed although they assured me that it wasn’t premature (they are sooooo bad).  There was even a comment that I would gain weight (although I don’t want to lose weight, I certainly don’t want to gain it) because of my incomplete mastication.  So I decided that this warranted further investigation.

As digestion starts in your mouth, it only makes sense to chew your food into tiny pieces to make the process easier, not to mention the digestive enzymes that are contained in saliva, also choking is not fun.  So how many times should you chew your food before swallowing? According to many advocates (advocates for chewing, that’s funny) 25-50 times, or use the rule of thumb if you can tell what kind of food you are eating from the texture of the food in your mouth (not the taste), then you haven’t chewed it enough.  I had to know, do I have incomplete mastication…I counted how many times I chewed my toast before I swallowed it, 35 and I could not tell what I was eating from the gooey texture in my mouth, so Betty Blisters, I do not have incomplete mastication!

As for the weight gain issue, thoroughly chewing your food (like I do thank you very much, even if it is on one side of my mouth) reduces the risk of overeating as it allows time for your receptors to send a message to your brain saying that you are full.  So there it is, I am not going to gain or lose; life will go on as I know it and I am counting the days until I am able to chew gum again.

How much exercise is enough?

Being smack in the middle of Move For Health Week, it brings up the age old question, how much exercise is enough?  Even with all of the science and resources available, there really is no magical amount; it depends on the person as well as their goals.  There are however exercise guidelines for training, (I love the word guidelines, it sounds so official like the word protocol, another word that I love), really they are more like recommendations.

Depending on what you do and how long you do it for, there are two different types of benefits that you will get from exercise, they are health and fitness benefits.  Health benefits come from lifestyle physical activity and enable you to enjoy life and protect you from chronic disease (lowering cholesterol, blood sugar, etc) whereas fitness benefits come from a moderate or vigorous exercise program, the benefits can be seen as well as felt (weight loss, muscle development, increased cardiorespiratory endurance).

Depending on your goals, here are the guideline breakdowns….

1. Lifestyle Physical Activity

• Walking, dancing, housework, etc
• 30-60 minutes
• 4-7 days a week

2. Moderate Exercise

• Cardiorespiratory endurance
  • Running, cycling, swimming, aerobics
  • 30-60 minutes
  • 4 days a week
• Strength Training
  • 1-2 sets (8-12 reps) of 8 exercises working all major muscle groups
  • 4 days a week
• Stretching
  • 4-7 days a week
  • Moderate Exercise

3.  Vigorous Exercise

• Cardiorespiratory Endurance
  • Running, cycling, swimming, interval training, etc
  • 30-60 minutes
  • 5 days per week
• Strength Training
  • 3 sets (8-12 reps) of 10 exercises working all major muscle groups
  • 5 days per week
• Stretching
  • 6 days per week – hold each stretch 10-30 seconds, 4 repetitions

Also keep in mind:

• Always receive clearance from your doctor prior to starting an exercise program.
• Start slowly and listen to your body
• Always warm up and cool down
• Keep your routine fun and fresh
• Exercise safely
• Cycle the volume and intensity of your workouts
• Train the way you want your body to change

New trail

I have been driving and running past a mysterious gated access road now for the last six years. Today Conny and I decided to put the mystery to rest and go on an exploration mission. As exciting as it may be to imagine Conny and I in our black cat suits, smoky eyes and stiletto boots scaling a ten foot high barbed wire gate posted with warnings signs and surveillance cameras, shimmying down the other side into a tuck and roll and massive hair toss…quite a visual I know…it was a yellow four foot high gate with a path around it and we were wearing trail runners, a bit of a letdown sorry.

It has been a while since we have gone on an official exploration mission so armed with our bear bells, Garmin and my blackberry we were ready for almost anything. We headed out along the trail up and around Iron Mountain and did a bit of bush whacking, I have the superficial flesh wounds to prove it. When it comes to bush whacking I am a bit of a wuss. For me, when the trail ends, it’s time to turn around and I am ok with that, but Conny likes to see what is around the corner. I know that she loves hearing the uneasiness in my voice when I am teetering on the edge of exploring and being lost, I think that she may do it on purpose. I have no wildlife sightings to report or even evidence of, which was a bit unexpected. I guess those dinner bear bells must really work! The mission was successful, we found a great new trail, but more exploration is necessary, I will bring my orange tape next time…stay tuned.

The run started from my kitchen so it was only fitting that we ended it in my kitchen over a cup of kick ass coffee (not kidding, that’s what it’s called) and I wouldn’t call it a slab but Conny did, more like a large piece of brownie birthday cake (must have been 1000 calories, thank goodness it’s double cardio Tuesday). Conny mocked me about Bret Michaels and I mocked her about ‘The Situation’… oh how I have missed Bad Girl Tuesday coffee.

Mother’s Day

As Mother’s Day winds to a close, I hope that all of the ladies had a fabulous day and that everyone got to spend some time with the special ladies in their lives.

I was served my very first breakfast in bed ever (have been known to have a picnic or two in bed but never breakfast)… bacon, smushed eggs and hash browns made with a whole lota love and very little help!  It’s been a while since I have eaten bacon, so I had to have seconds, and thirds.  Mmmm so yummy, whatever it’s Mother’s Day.

I didn’t head downtown with the masses for the Sun Run but I did manage to get out for my own 10km run in the sun with Tommy, Chad and JT.  I found out at about the 6km mark that although my bacon was made with love it probably wasn’t the best pre run meal (or maybe it was, it was just the sheer volume that I consumed).

Mother’s Day wouldn’t be Mother’s Day without going shopping. You know that you are a Mom when the bags that you accumulate as you shop are no longer for you, and you are ok with it.

I had a wonderful Adams Family dinner (and I mean that in the nicest possible way) with my Mum, Dad, bro, sis in law and my gang. My Mum’s birthday falls either on or around Mother’s Day and I always feel like my Mum gets a bit robbed because the two occasions are so close together. Kind of like a Christmas birthday, one always overshadows the other, to top it off the Canucks game was also on….my poor Mum, good thing that she is also a super fan. When I said goodbye to her she said that she “had a lovely day” and that’s what it’s all about right?

So to my Mum and all of the Mumas I know, I hope that you all had a lovely day, you deserve it. Xoxo

Exploring the trails

I spent the most fantastic morning with my running friends today.  Definitely a contender for my top 5 trail runs of all time.  The sun was out, the sky was blue; it was a perfect spring morning (the one I dreamed about earlier this week when it felt like the middle of winter again) and I got to wear my new running skirt!

So 42 of us drove out to the East Canyon Trail parking lot and headed out along Menzies trail in Golden Ears Park.  We talked life, love, lovin’, kids and cups (not coffee).   The conversation must have been stimulating because when the trail zigged, we zagged, and we ‘explored’ a new trail!  It was quite lovely, it took us right down to the lake and to an out of the way campground, had we smelled bacon we may have not been so quick to turn around.

For the record I would like to state that there is a HUGE difference between exploring and being lost.  I liked Kelly’s definition, and that is the one that I will use.  Being lost is not knowing where the F you are and how the F to get back (ok, the F’s were mine), unlike when you explore, you may not know exactly where you are, but can easily find your way back, which was the case today.  Even with our minor detour on the lovely trail, we returned to our start point, according to my watch, with 17 seconds to spare.  It was like we planned it.

We finished our run with a stretch, congratulated and oo’d and ah’d at Dave’s Vancouver Marathon shirt and then headed to our favourite Starbucks for post run coffee talk…on the patio!

International No Diet Day

Today is International No Diet Day.  Happy No Diet Day everyone!

The concept originated in 1992 by Mary Evans Young as a celebration of body acceptance and body shape diversity.  Today is dedicated to raising awareness of dieting dangers; it is a free day from diets and obsessions about body weight.

So step away from your scales, the hell with your calorie counter, close your lifestyle logs, for today is calorie free!  Today love your Buddha belly, back fat, cottage cheese, bingo arms, fluffy butt, front bum stomach (when you put your hands on your sides and squish your belly, looks like a bum, always cracks me up when I hear that), muffin top and fat ankles…it’s all you and it’s all good.  Stop talking crap about yourself, even if it is only for today.

Check out this short and very powerful video….Beauty is not how skinny you can be

The greatest line “get to your right size, not someone else’s”, love that.

Enjoy what you love today! xoxo

New running skirt

Ok, it’s May and I am still running in gloves…what the hell?  I know that it is just a matter of days until the warmer weather arrives (please), and when it does I am going to be ready for it.

In anticipation of the impending fabulous weather, I dropped by Lululemon this afternoon and had myself a little fitting.  Lots of bright and vibrant colors (blue, purple, yellow) in the store right now and also a lot of white.  Being the dirty girl that I am, I steer clear of white because it doesn’t stay white for long.  I think that even if I were a tennis player and never went near the trails, my beautiful Wimbledon whites would be stained with spaghetti sauce or coffee in no time at all!

I stayed safe with my purchase today, nothing crazy although it is a skirt.  I bought a running skirt a few months ago, and although I have only worn it once or twice, I decided that I must have another.  It is the Run: Energy Skirt, says on the tag that I will lead my running pack with this running skirt. It is very light weight and has the built in “knickers” which I love and are a necessity.

The need for speed

For the past six weeks, I have been busting the Speed Demon’s butts on the track. They have squatted, lunged, leap frogg’d (not a crowd favorite), fartlek’d, glided, skipped and fast footed all for the love of running and the thought of doing it faster. The workouts were tough; I was even called a bully (that hurt) by a track user! So was the abuse worth it?

To establish their baseline for training, I used the 1.5-mile test, six laps around the track as quickly as they could, which was timed at our first session. The group ‘informally’ (yes, I did record the times) ran the 1.5-mile test again on week three and ‘formally’ ran it again on week six. The goal was a bit ambitious, but we were aiming for a 5% improvement in six weeks. Drum roll please…EVERYONE improved! The group average was a 4.6% improvement (highest was 8.3%, congratulations Jim)! Yeah, give yourselves a big pat on the back!

Sometimes we get stuck in a comfortable running rut.  The pace feels good, but we aren’t breaking any personal records or challenging ourselves. I know that the end goal is always to be able to run tomorrow (or your next running day), but you would be lying if you said that you wouldn’t like to do it faster. If you want to run faster, you have to train faster. Let your body feel the speed at least once a week, you might even enjoy it.

My tips for speed training:

• Ensure that you have a strong running/fitness base before starting, and that you have been injury free for past 6 months.
• Your body cannot be expected to function at its best without proper fuel. Fuel and hydrate before, as well as after.
• Do a comprehensive warm-up. I used a 15-minute warm up before starting any speed/agility/quickness drills.
• SAQ drills for 20-30 minutes.
• Active rest such as walking or light running (notice I didn’t say jog) between interval drills and at the end of the session to cool down.
• Stretch, stretch, and stretch some more,
• At the first sign of any red flags (inflammation, pain, an area not functioning properly) discontinue the workout and take a couple of days off.
• Schedule a rest day after speed training sessions.

Duck!

Well D, you aren’t the only one to leave a chunk of your scalp on that branch at the Woodlot! No stitches required, but Gisele is now officially a trail runner! I would also like to congratulate Anna who officially became a trail runner as well this morning when she took an unexpected dip in the creek. Welcome to the club ladies.

Wishing everyone running the BMO 1/2 and full marathon tomorrow a fantastic race.

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