Nike Women's Half Marathon/Marathon Registration

We noticed a lot of new faces on our Fitness Mama facebook page!  Welcome!  Thanks so much for stopping by.

So we announced earlier this week that Fitness Mama would form a group to enter into the Nike Women's race.  We were so excited at the response!  Some of you guys are seasoned runners.  Some are new to running.  Some have never ran a race.  But you all have questions!  Below are some of the questions that were messaged to us.  We don't know all the answers but hopefully the below will help a little.

When is the NWM?  Where is it?  
The Nike Women's marathon is on October 20th, 2013.  The race takes place in SF.

How do I register?  What do you mean its a lottery?  How much is registration?
Registering is a process.  Nike accepts registrations for a small window of time (like two weeks).  Once you register though it does not mean you automatically can run on race day.  There is a lottery draw.  Don't ask why because we don't know why either.  This is just the way Nike does it.  :)

We are going to complete a group registration.  What this means is that we will register as a group so if our group gets chosen, then we all are in.  If our group does NOT get picked, then none of us run the race (and I will be very, very depressed).

Fitness Mama will obtain a GROUP NAME and PASSWORD.  You will need both of these to register with our group.  So wait until we release these to you before you register.

You must give Nike a credit card number when you register.  It will not get charged unless we are picked in the lottery.  If we are picked, Nike will automatically charge the cards.  The price of the race has not yet been put up.

Need more info?  Click here for Nike Group Registration info.

I've never run before, is there enough time to train?
YES!  There is enough time to train.  There are a lot of training programs out there that will help you and we can talk more about this later.  Fitness Mama will also support everyone as much as we can on this road to race day!  We can put together training schedules and group runs every few weeks until October 20th.  In the mean time, it couldn't hurt to lace up those running shoes and take a walk NOW right?  Start working your way towards running around your own block.  This will give you an extra head start on everyone.

We think a good question to ask yourself though is do you have time to commit to training?  There is definitely time from now to October to slowly and safely get you ready to complete a half marathon without injuries.  BUT you will have to commit to this goal and put in the time it takes to reaching it.

Sweet Tiffany necklace that we got at last year's NWM

So the registration process opens up on June 3rd...next Monday!  Look for updates from us on the FB page to get that Group ID/password.  Once you've registered, all there is left to do is wait to see if we got it!

And what if our group doesn't get in? 

It would be a very sad day indeed.  BUT it would be such a waste to just throw away all of this enthusiasm just because we didn't get into one race.  There are PLENTY of races we can choose instead of this one.  So we'll definitely all move forward with one race or another....TOGETHER!  

Family Fitness

Juggling staying fit  and taking care of the family can be really challenging.  Some days, I know that the only time you get alone is when you're driving in your car.  It's tough!  But it's all about switching priorities around.   Can that load of laundry or the pile of dishes wait?  Absolutely.  They can wait the 20-30 minutes it takes to get a quick workout in.  I know with my family we get so busy that sometimes, I can't get a workout in until late at night when the kids are asleep!  It's difficult to think of taking care of yourself when so many other people need you but your health is important to you and your family.

One KEY element in this is that you are also demonstrating a healthy lifestyle to your kids which will have a domino effect on them.  If your kids are seeing how important it is to make fitness a priority, they will pick up these same habits as a young child which they will take with them as they become adults.  Finding time to workout really is an investment in your kids' health.  

One way to manage finding time is to include the kids in some of your workouts.  Here is a list of some fun ways to get active with the kiddies!  

-Sign the kids up for youth sports.  Then sign up to be a coach!  Even if you don't want to be the head coach just yet, the head coach more than likely is looking for a few set of hands to help out.  Offer your time, pick up a baseball/softball glove, run up and down that soccer field, run some basketball drills.   If the sport doesn't allow you to participate, then the kids' practices typically last an hour.  That's an hour when you can walk or run around the neighborhood on your own until your child is out of practice!

-Every month, pull ideas out of a hat.  Write down new activities you and the kids can try (the kids can throw out ideas too!).  Yoga, karate, gymnastics, tennis, swimming, even an hour at Pump It Up (yes, you'd have to jump mom!).  A lot of places offer family classes you all can do together.  Some places also have free introductory classes.  Try them all and see if any of them is something one of the kids absolutely loves.  You'll never know what will stick!  Switching up your workout is also a great way to keep things interesting because running on a treadmill can get SUPER boring and then you're more likely to quit and be unmotivated.  

-Red Light Green Light.  Remember those school yard games?  These games are perfect for the littler kiddies.  You all can take turns so you can get a chance to sprint too, mom!  These would be great games to play at a big field or playground so that you get a good workout.  The living room is not going to cut it.  Other games you can play: Duck duck goose, Steal the Bacon, Cartoon (or Color, animal, etc...the possibilities are endless!) tag or Line tag, 

-Mini Boot camp at home.  I posted on FB about Miyah's mini workout at home.  It went something like this:  Jump rope-1 minute.  Sit ups-2 sets of 15.   50 jumping jacks.  Planks-6 x 10sec. hold.  This is something both you and the kids can do together.  It keeps the kids' attention because the activity is constantly changing. 

You can combine some of these to create your own family workout.  For example, mini boot camp routine and then a game of tag for some cardio.  Or make it fun by doing a challenge night once a month with incentives.  Whoever can run around the block twice the fastest gets to choose the next movie for the family to watch.  Whoever can hold the plank the longest can pick a board game the family can play together.  You can also make a cumulative goal starting at the first of the month.  Like if you set a goal of run 10 miles by the end of the month, the kids get to pick a movie if you guys reach that goal.  You can split the miles up daily.  Half a mile one day.  Half a mile on another day.  Or more if your kids can keep up!  

But with whatever you decide, commit to it.  This goes back to what I was talking about in the beginning of this post.  MAKE IT A PRIORITY.  If you need to, create a calendar and put it up somewhere for the whole family to see so that everyone can be accountable for the day's activity.  Just print out a calendar (this is cute, so is this one) and write down what you plan to do.  Kinda like this....I didn't fill out the whole calendar but you get what we mean...

Let me know if you end up trying any of these with your own kids!  Take pictures and tag me on Instagram (@fitnessmama_) or post them on the FB page.  I would love to see what you guys did and I also want to share how you stayed fit with the family with the rest of the FitnessMama community!  Also let me know if you guys want us to create a family fitness calendar all filled out and ready for you guys to download!

Weekly Running Posts

Hi guys!  It's Christina.

Once a week, we hope to write a post all about running.  Past race reports, training, running gear, ups and downs with the running, etc.  I've been running for about a year and a half and I feel like there is still plenty of room for improvement.  I feel like I've conditioned my body to run long distances but am I FAST?  Hell no.  My pace is really slow and I'd like to work to improve this somehow one day.

So my next running event is the See Jane Run Half Marathon.  I've done this race once before (last year) and it was a wonderful experience.  I would totally recommend this race to everyone.  From the online registration to the post race finish line bash, everything just goes so smoothly.  This is a women's run; women from all levels of fitness participate and are all so supportive of each other.  If you've never done a race before, this is the most perfect one to try out first.  I have no doubt you will be inspired to keep going to even more race events.

The course is an easier one in that it is completely flat.  The race is in Alameda (an island) so a lot of the course is along the water.  Hello, cool ocean breeze!  Last year the day of the race was sunny and clear and so we were fortunate enough to get that million dollar view of San Francisco towards the end of the course.    The view is stunning.

Me on the course last year.  Right behind me is the beach!  

Training for See Jane Run is not going as well as I would like.  The kids' schedules are so hectic right now that it is really challenging for me to find time to get out there and run.  Right now, I'm running maybe 2-3 times a week and then try (key word: try.  As in, it doesn't always happen! oops.) to fit a long run in on the weekends.  The race is on June 8th.  I'll let you guys know how it goes.  

I wanted to quickly talk about this Nike Run.  It's another race geared towards women.  This is the race where you get that gorgeous Tiffany necklace as your medal.  Team GIG is going to enter as a group.  Let me know in the comments if you guys are interested in getting into this race with Team GIG!  There are so many that want to get into this race that Nike does it by a lottery system.  If our team gets chosen in the lottery, then we ALL get in and we can run the race together.  Wouldn't that be awesome?!  I'll update you guys on when the registration opens.  Be sure to follow us on Facebook to stay in the loop.  For now, some pictures from last year's race....

Taken at the start line.  It was still dark when we lined up and we waited for the race to start as the sun rose.

SF is known for its hills.  And there are definitely some on the course!

Christelyn did the full.  I did the half.  

Thursday Treats: Cherry Season

Cherry Season in California has started!  I always get so excited with cherry season.  My family loves cherries so much and I think the excitement is mixed with knowing that cherry season doesn't last very long.  You always want what you can't get right?

Cherry season only lasts about six weeks from about mid May to end of June.  Head out to your local farmer's markets now and you should be able to find some.  After June, you will probably find some all summer but the quality is never that great.

Here in Northern CA, there are many cherry farms to take the kids out to harvest your own cherries.  Click here to find some cherry farms in the Brentwood area as well as other u-pick fruit farms.

cherry fruit salad

cherry vanilla smoothie from missindieblog.com

I couldn't resist posting this picture!  How cute is this cake from renetakesthecake.com?  Perfect for a cherry themed birthday party.

Getting Active

While working on my diet/nutrition did a lot for me, another key to my weight loss was getting active consistently.

I know you've seen this saying everywhere and it's probably not a super accurate statistic but my diet did play a huge part in my weight loss.  The other part was hard work at the gym or just plain getting active almost daily.  I wanted to share just a bit of how I got to start being active because I get asked this question often.  

I didn't have a gym membership at first.  I didn't let this stop me because it would be yet another excuse and I was done with excuses.  I traded in my 4 wheel stroller and got a 3 wheel jogging stroller and walked outdoors.  Once I was walking long distances, I tried jogging but that didn't go so well.  It was really tough for me.  It was hard for me to even breathe.  I have to say that I was never a runner.  In fact, I hated running growing up.  I was that girl who was always last to finish running because I walked.  I would see people running while I drove down the street and think HOW do they do that without dying and also WHY do people do that to themselves?!  I didn't get it.   Having a difficult time with jogging was discouraging.

At this point, I decided we should invest in bikes.  We didn't have money to spend on brand new bikes so I went to Craigslist and found two used bikes for my husband and I that were in great condition but dirt cheap.  Then I found a bike trailer for my youngest daughter at a second hand children's store.  We biked everyday.  After building up more stamina and endurance, I tried jogging again and was surprised that I didn't feel that it was as hard as before.  It was still difficult but I did notice a change.  My husband and I jogged and everyday we went a little further than the day before, from a few blocks to half a mile which then was pushed to a full mile.  This didn't happen overnight.  Maybe a whole month passed before I got to a mile.  As the days passed, running daily, I noticed that I ran better and with ease.  I actually began to enjoy running and looked forward to it (and began to understand why so many people love running!).  Before I knew it, I was running for half an hour straight without walking.  This was huge for me.  And it dared me to come up with a goal that seemed super crazy at the time: run a full marathon.  

Team In Training

I decided to do the SF Nike Women's Marathon with Team in Training.  TnT is an organization that helps raise money to help find a cure cancer as well as raise awareness.  You help them with fund raising, they help you with your running goal.  It was easy for me to decide to go with TnT because I've had several family members who passed away from cancer and have always wanted to do something to help find a cure.   Training for NWM was very intense but the group of people I trained with at TnT helped me.  

During training, I eventually got a gym membership...and actually used it!  So different from the past.  Joining the gym helped me incorporate weight training into my workouts.  I had a lot of time from the day I signed up  for NWM to the actual race day itself so I set smaller goals along the way to continue to motivate myself.  I invited a few friends, as well as my husband, to do some shorter distance running events.  We eventually got a little group going regularly and that is how Team Get It Girl was formed.  I completed my first half marathon in July of 2012 at the Davis Moonlight Run.  It took me forever to finish but I did it.  I was so emotional at the end of that run because the sense of accomplishment I felt was overwhelming.  Remember, it was only less than SIX months ago that I started walking down the block and back home.  Never in my life did I think I was capable of doing anything like this.  But I did.  And that is the exact moment I knew that anything is possible.

me with my cheering squad at the end of my first half marathon

In August of 2012, I incorporated CrossFit into my workouts.  CrossFit helped me build lean muscle and stamina which in turn helped me run faster and helped my marathon training.  I only share this because I do feel it is important to switch up your workouts to continue seeing improvement in your health.  Doing just one activity would have caused me to get bored and perhaps eventually quit.  Also, by doing these different activities, I was able to get over some plateaus by working out different parts of my body.

The day of NWM was amazing.  So much hard work, blood, sweat and tears culminated for this day.  I will never forget that whole experience from the start line to finish.  All of the thoughts going through my head as I ran really made me emotional.  How proud I was for coming this far.  How my daughters would be proud of their momma.  How I was running for my family who I loved but passed away too soon.  How I have proven, not only to myself, but to everyone around me that I was capable.  I remembered those who put me down and put my goals down and in turn, put down my dreams but this just fueled me even more.  I looked back on this whole journey leading up to NWM and those who always supported me and encouraged me everyday.  I completed my first full marathon feeling accomplished and humbled.  I was thankful and blessed to be surrounded by those who really loved me and encouraged me to live and be healthy.  

NWM finisher medal: a Tiffany necklace

After NWM, I tried new ways to keep active. I participated in my first mud/obstacle run.  I practiced Bikram Yoga for two months.  I also went to try my first Hot Hula Fitness class and was hooked.  So hooked that I was inspired to become certified as a Hot Hula Instructor in January of 2013 and the rest is history.  If you are in the area, come check out a class and say hello!

me with the hot hula fitness class

So eventually I arrived at goal weights and made new goals.  My journey to this point was agonizing yet so gratifying at the same time.  I started at almost 200 lbs.  My goal weight is to be at 124 lbs and TONED with a four pack.  But today I am 60 lbs. lighter than what I started at.  This is a major accomplishment for me but I'm also left with questions.  How do you maintain after losing so much weight?  What is normal?  The answers I find keep changing and I hope you follow me as I continue my journey.  I really had no frame of reference for my new body and weight because I was used to living my life overeating and then crash dieting.  Learning to maintain my weight and continue to lose was, and sometimes still is, as hard as losing.  

The First Step is the Hardest

I'm not a medical doctor.  I'm not a registered dietitian.  In the end, what I do know a lot about is myself/my body and my family.  I want to start by saying that what worked for me, may not produce the exact same results for everyone.  You, yourself, know your body the best.  My main goal is to inspire all the mamas out there to be the best they can be for themselves and their families.  By telling my story, I hope to inspire you to make your own goals--whatever they may be.  I want us all to get to the same place...a happy, healthy frame of mind and body.  How we all get there will be different depending on your body or where you are in life.  But hopefully, by telling my story, I can inspire you to take that first step on your own path to your own goals.

Once my husband and I decided our family would move forward in eating a healthy diet, I felt a bit overwhelmed.  I had no clue where to start or HOW to start for that matter.  I knew we needed to eat more veggies.  I knew we had to eat in moderation with proper portions.  But I needed some kind of guide.  During that time, I turned to Dr. Oz and The Doctors; both are talk shows all about health.  I recorded all the episodes and watched every single one!  There was this particular book called 'The 17 Day Diet' by Dr. Mike Moreno that was featured on The Doctors.  It is a step by step meal plan to eating clean, eating in moderation while losing weight.

What intrigued me was the fact that this book had a ton of useful research (that was cited!).  From understanding how lack of sleep can interfere with weight loss to how high fructose corn syrup affects the body to the latest research on caloric cycling (eating more food one day and less food the next) to breaking through weight loss plateaus and how to keep your metabolism fired up and guessing.  Also, there are a number of great tips on how to eat out, how to adapt the diet to your cultural eating preference, and even how to make you PMS symptoms less intense through healthy, natural lifestyle changes.

Keep in mind, some of these things may be common knowledge to many.  But I literally had to start at step one (which was really discouraging at times!).  Waiting around for something to magically fall into my lap to make me lose weight was a complete fantasy.  I finally knew I had to make it happen for myself.

So I watched these shows and read this book and kept learning something new every day.  Initially, the weight came off drastically!  We went from eating white rice, fried eggs plus some kind of red meat in the mornings to 2 egg whites, a piece of whole grain toast, and a cup of fruit for breakfast.  We ate every 2-3 hours which we were not used, but it helped to keep us fueled and always content, yet never disgustingly full and sick.  I read somewhere that nutrition is 70% of your weight loss while the other 30% is working out.

typical food prep for a few days

There are four stages to this book but we only completed the first stage.  My husband and I lost 10-15 lbs each just by changing what we ate for 17 days without completing any exercise.  We eliminated a lot of our bad eating habits during this time.  As we moved forward, having the knowledge base from '17 days' helped me build meal and snack ideas I can offer my family.  Mainly, the book helped me change my outlook and helped me learne new ways to help support our plan to eat healthier.  For example, we started grilling and baking instead of frying our food.  We haven't made white rice in our home since this time; the only time we have white rice is when we visit friends/family.  These were significant changes to me because remember, I had to start at step one.

My Journey Thus Far....part 2

In November of 2011, I attended a friend's  wedding (photographed on the left).  All smiles right?  What you don't know was that I agonized with what to wear to this wedding.  It stressed me out so much because it was SO difficult finding something that would fit me.  I just felt so frustrated with constantly struggling with this same issue all the time.  I always looked for something that would be flattering, but would also help camouflage my problem areas.  I knew it had to be something stretchy, loose and/or have big prints on it.  Or if not, it had to be all dark colors.  I hated having this constant stressor whenever I needed to attend a party.




 Not being able to wear what I want to wear, plus having some serious health issues finally pushed me to make a real change in my lifestyle.  Two weeks after the wedding, I felt some chest pains that I had never before felt.   I've felt chest pains here and there in the past but nothing like this.  This time it was much stronger.  I placed my hands on my chest and I couldn't move because the pain was unbearable.  Actually I couldn't move also because I was terrified for my life.

Luckily, I ended up being ok.  But I knew that if I didn't make changes, I will not live long enough to see my girls grow into beautiful young ladies.  Also, I realized that I was paving an unhealthy lifestyle for them as well.  I sat for a moment, taking everything in and I literally told myself ''enough is enough".  I had to just stop with all of the excuses and make a change for myself and my family.  If I didn't, no one else was going to do it.

my husband and I

I took it upon myself to clear all the cupboards and refrigerator of all things unhealthy and start completely over, from scratch.  It was pretty drastic, but I was feeling dramatic and motivated after that scare.  I had to devise a plan to get my husband on board  with me as well though because while I was feeling super motivated to start eating healthy, he was not.  So I made him a deal.  I would prepare all of our meals--breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks--for the next two weeks just to try to see if it would be something he can enjoy and be satisfied with.  He wouldn't have to lift a finger in the kitchen if he would just stick to what I gave him.  Just two weeks.  He agreed to the plan.  Having this goal of having something to prove to someone kept me motivated for the two weeks.  The thought of successfully breaking the cycle of eating unhealthy when it comes to my children also kept me motivated.

Left: July 2009 Right: March 2013

After the two weeks passed, my husband and I both realized that:
-we lost a little bit of weight
-we didn't feel as tired or sluggish
-we had more energy
-we felt satiated after every meal but didn't feel disgustingly full and sick to our stomachs

Just knowing how this felt like motivated me to keep going.  It was like a feeling I didn't want to lose.  And it was this feeling that helped motivate me to do a ton of research on healthy eating and practicing it to a point where it is now second nature.  There is a learning curve and do not get me wrong, I don't eat clean every single day of my life.  But life is all about learning and adjusting, making mistakes and then getting back up and trying again.  Just hang in there.

We have since made significant changes to our diets like eliminating white rice completely and changing our cooking methods to grilling/baking from frying.  I will discuss all of this in a different post.

My Journey Thus Far

Where do I start?

I lost a lot of weight.  But how did I get to being overweight in the first place?  And how did I get to where I am today?  These are the most common questions I get.  Firstly, I'd like to mention a few background tidbits just to put it all out there.

-As a child, my parents never really encouraged me to eat healthy, like I do now with my own children.  I do not blame my parents for what I came to be.  They loved me, wanted the best for me.  I was encouraged to eat my vegetables and drink water but that was it.
-I come from a Filipino background and typically, white rice is eaten with almost every meal.  We ate a lot of white rice, white bread, white pasta.  Carbs can be good for you, they give you energy.  But I didn't know about proper portions.  Or that whole wheat or whole grain carbs even existed.
-My family was super busy.  Exercise or daily active play was not something I remember being encouraged. My dad was in the Navy and was overseas 6-9 months at a time and my mom worked at a hospital, sometimes working double shifts. Usually, my grandparents watched my brother and I.

I only mention the above because I know a lot of people can relate to growing up this way.  Or perhaps you can even see some commonalities in your life today.  Busy families.  Little to no time to focus on nutrition or exercise.  It remains to be one of my own daily struggles each day.  I can't point out one specific thing that caused me to be overweight but I think it was a collection of reasons.

I was always on the heavier side as a child and because of this, I think that I have struggled with body image issues and self confidence my whole life.  In my teens, my weight fluctuated a lot.  I would go on extreme diets, lose some weight....but then gain it all back and then some.

I remember people telling me that I 'had a pretty face'.  And also, if I would just lose weight, I would be even prettier.  It hurts to think back on these underhandedly negative words. I don't know if people even realized just how much they hurt me by saying it.  There was even a point when people would outright ask me if I was pregnant.  I think most people know to NEVER ask a woman that question even if she's in the delivery room giving birth.  But people asked.  And it hurt.  Most of my life, I let all of those negative comments take over me.  I resigned to thinking that I was that fat girl who had a pretty face.

So, I lived my life that way.  I always had make up on, fixed my hair, had my nails done.  I took great care of my appearances but inside, I was very unhappy.  Also, I felt uncomfortable in my own skin.

In the back of my mind, I knew I was overweight and that I had to do something about it.  But that was all it ever was...just a thought that I didn't do anything about.  I knew that it was going to take HARD WORK and to be completely honest, I was LAZY.  I couldn't find any motivation.  There would be times when I would be really spirited about working out, but that drive would only last a couple of days, sometimes a week.  In my late teens/early 20's, my eating habits were the worst.  Almost every meal was fast food.  I had chips for snacks.  Ice cream for dessert, almost daily.  Can anyone relate?  Just me?  Ok.

There were a few times sometime in my mid 20's that I remember being somewhat active, being on a softball team with my husband (then boyfriend!); we would also go to the gym together 2-3x/week for some cardio. This lasted a few months and I did lose weight but ultimately gained it all back because our terrible eating habits hadn't changed.  There was also another time when I lost 20 lbs. after working with a personal trainer.  After awhile, having a personal trainer was difficult to budget but it didn't matter anyway because I still wasn't eating right.  I gained back the 20 lbs. and then some.  These are just a couple of examples of how my weight fluctuated greatly.  Below are more background details that contributed to further weight gain....

-I had my first daughter in 2005.  I had my second daughter in 2010.  They both brought me so much joy.  Having two young children, 5 and under, left me little time to focus on anything else though so watching what I ate or working out wasn't something I really set out to do.  I know a lot of you mamas get this.  I won't elaborate.
-After working for the same employer for almost TEN years, I was let go.  I was jobless.
-One month before I was let go, my little family had just purchased a our first new home.  With a brand spanking new mortgage!

The above definitely put a lot of stress on me and I remember reaching for food a lot for comfort.  It was this time that I feel that I hit my rock bottom, my weight was at the heaviest.

Click here to continue.....