Confession: I'm nearer to the end of my 40s than the beginning of my 40s. In fact, it won't be long and I'll be talking about fitness in my 50s. Gulp. But I have a goal of still running races in my 80s, or maybe even my 90s, so I need to focus now on setting the framework for that. I want to make sure my body is as strong as it can be now, so that fewer injuries happen later. Here's what I'm going to create a functionally fit and healthy body heading into my 50s. Use those muscles - In our 40s, we start losing muscle mass. There are plenty of studies showing this loss, but there are also studies that show that it is possible to maintain or even regain some muscle mass as you age. The key? Weights. I'm not a trainer, so I'm not going to … [Read more...]
Time for coffee with some friends
Coffee time! I don't often make it for a coffee date with friends these days, but I'm trying to be better about being social. So, I'm joining up with Deborah and Coco for a virtual coffee date. I managed to get a run in with Deborah recently and ran into Coco at an event, so I'm even doing some real life socializing! I’m also linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday Five 2.0. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I went from no races to a huge number of races in a flash this spring. I didn't mean to, but somehow it just happened! Somehow I've run 17.75, a timed trail race, and two half marathon that I did not have on my race calendar. This weekend I'm finally running the Frederick Half Marathon - … [Read more...]
Practicing Self Care in my 40s
I read an article recently about how self care is not all spa trips and girls' night outs. It's more about doing things that make your whole life better rather than trying to recover from a life that's wearing you down. I realized that many of the changes I've been making in my life in the last 6 months had exactly that goal. I was tired of feeling run down and stressed and I started making some changes. I'm still very much a work in progress and there are definitely areas that are as yet untouched, but I feel like I'm moving in the right direction now. (Links below may be affiliate links that if you use them to buy, I get commission.) I joined the Faster Way to Fat Loss program. I've been struggling with balancing running and my … [Read more...]
Strategies for getting to bed earlier
This post contains affiliate links, which means I get a commission if you buy through the link. Note that the title of this post is not Strategies for Getting More Sleep. Oh, no, that's an entirely different issue (and one I will address in another post.) But in order to get more sleep, you need to get to bed. Period. And that's been a weakness of mine, given that I'm a major night owl. Lately, though, my usual 6 hours a night is not cutting it - I struggle to get up in the morning and I doze off mid day. Also, the Faster Way to Fat Loss program I've been using, regularly reminds us that sleep is essential for muscle growth and body changes. So, I've been working really hard to get to bed at 11 every night. Here are the steps I've … [Read more...]
Because coffee is its own food group…
Have you ever had a week where you are pretty sure that without coffee you would have fallen asleep standing up? This was definitely one of those weeks. I've been really good at getting a decent amount of sleep lately, until this week. The combination of a short month (which meant cramming my usual number of miles and usual work hours into fewer days) plus Beer Geek being on travel (so there was no one to tell me to go to bed) meant I saw 1am on the clock every night this week. Oops. Good thing I recently got a coffee delivery and have enough to keep ALL of us awake now. Anyways, I'm joining up with my friends Deborah and Coco for a virtual coffee date as well as linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday Five … [Read more...]
January Ultimate Coffee Date because BRRR…
I can't believe it's been a year since I last had coffee wth everyone. I don't post on the weekends these days and I never seem to remember to post the Friday beforehand. I like combining Friday Five and Coffee, I'm just a slacker apparently. But I've been drinking so much coffee to stay warm that it seems appropriate to meet up with friends for coffee. Anyways, I'm joining up with my friends Deborah and Coco for a virtual coffee date (they are both local to me - I should meet up for a real coffee date...) I’m also linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday Five 2.0. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I'm really struggling with my goal of rolling with the punches. I want everything on the … [Read more...]
