Hello! How was your Monday? Are you off to a great start for the week, whatever it holds for you? I’m checking in for the second time today to talk a little about end of summer fitness and health. I have spent the last few months kind of following my own groove, doing whatever exercises feel good that week and eating what works in harmony with our easy-breezy summer schedule here at the farm. Not surprisingly, this has meant a few skipped miles and more than one bowl of ice cream. It’s no big deal; this approach has also meant lots of new HIIT workouts, extra very yummy yoga, and delicious, healthy meals in between those ice cream bowls, haha! I still feel really great and have maintained my stamina, maybe even gaining a tiny little bit of speed. But now? Now it’s time to focus. I am giving my mind and body six weeks of TLC for these reasons:

1. I’ll be running a half marathon the first Sunday in October, and while finishing it is not a worry, I want to finish it really strong, like maybe under two hour. This may not seem so amazing to more experienced runners, but for me it would be quite an accomplishment. Also, I want to feel comfortable running it race in shorts, haha! Personal vanity, yes, but it’s a goal that will require some discipline.
2. The next three weeks will be HECKA busy here at the farm. We have Handsome’s fortieth birthday, yay! I’m not sure yet what we’re doing but it should be a fun and busy week. Plus, he has some car-related projects upcoming that may require extra time and energy. We have our niece’s wedding here on Labor Day weekend (over the moon excited!) and possibly some lovely overnight guests thrown into the mix. It’s also time to transition the gardens. So clearly my to-do lists are beautiful and filled with loving things, but they keep growing and gaining density. So, yeah, keeping my energy up and my nutrition really vibrant will help everything go well.
3. Accountability. Some close friends, mostly here locally, have joined forces with me to encourage each other toward healthier living. We chat pretty regularly and share hurdles and ideas. I love it. Everyone is in a different boat health-wise, but we all motivate each other. In a recent conversation on Facebook I jumped in with Mysti (also a book club buddy!) and joined a challenge to meet any personal goal by October first. Perfect, right? For my race date? So my October 1st goal is two-fold: Trim down my legs enough to break a weird 7-pound yo-yo cycle I’ve been on since April., and get my mile pace to a comfortable and sustainable 7 or 8 minutes.

The cool thing about making cleanish eating and challenging exercises part of your normal life routine is that everything else you do is then made so much better. Our energy levels skyrocket. Our appetites tend to adjust to crave fuel foods more often than bad habit foods. Our thinking and concentration is easier, swifter. Our complexions clear up. Our moods are lifted. And, oh yeah, if we stick with it, slowly but surely, our clothes fit better and better or maybe even not at all.  : )

So those are the three reasons I am focusing sharply for the next six weeks. Here is my plan, against which I invite you to hold me for even more accountability:

Increase running mileage starting this week. Over the weekend Handsome bought me a treadmill, which I broke in today. Yay, I love it! No more driving to either Harrah or Midwest City and not feeling safe while running at public parks or golf courses. Things were getting pretty sketchy in recent weeks, but I just didn’t want to admit it. I couldn’t stand the thought of not running long anymore, and looping the quarter-mile in our back field for two hours, well, we went through that last year. The treadmill is repetitive, sure, but the speed work is controllable. A huge plus. And the treadmill of course is impervious to our weather fluctuations. Anyway! Much more running starting today. Kicked off the new week with 5 miles plus strength and an elliptical cool down.

Shake up the variety in my miles. Short runs will be all about speed work. Most longer runs will be intervals, like first a warm up, then a lightning fast half mile, then a slower one, then fast, etc. There is a cool workout called lassos that makes a lot of sense to me. The treadmill timer should help me tackle that. Very excited. Also, the HIIT nature of this workout is supposed to be great for fat burning.

Slash the foods that always trip me up, just for six weeks. Tortilla chips, late night bowls of cereal, and excessive scoops of peanut butter. I will enjoy birthday parties and the wedding reception, and depending on the day I might have a controlled portion of tortilla chips, but these things will not be the endless summer treats they have been lately.

Continue good habits like drinking seven thousand gallons of water, taking iron and vitamins, and doing strength and yoga on off days. Yes, for sure, the foam roller feels great and makes a difference. Doing more of that.

Just daily stuff, you know?

On Saturday Handsome and I went to an invitational car show that was partnered up with the One Healthy Bod fitness expo in downtown OKC. We had a ton of fun! The cars were all gorgeous, of course, and we chatted with several people with special Smokey and the Bandit memories. Fun fun fun!

The fitness expo part of the day was a great mix of stuff, and overall it was all super inspiring. The men and women who do Crossfit are a whole other breed. WOW! So strong! And those who compete in bodybuilding? Well, my friends, this is how I feel about it…

Okay, thanks so much for checking in twice today! I wish you the healthiest, happiest, most trailblazing week you’ve had in a very long time. Treat yourself well, okay?

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
~Mahatma Gandhi
XOXOXOXO