On the dusty trail... Pixie Dust, that is!

**this post was written out last week but not published**


Hellloooooooooo Glisteners!!

I know. I know. It's been a while. We don't have very good excuses. In fact, we don't really have ANY excuses. We just flat out didn't post. Bad Bloggers! 

2014 New Years Resolution: 

Have more of a presense online! 

Here we goooooooooo! (Off to Neverland!) 

As I compose this, I'm getting ready for a fantastic weekend at my most favorite place in the (small) world!! If you haven't picked up on my not so subtle hints... I'm going to Disneyland!!! 

This weekend is the Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekend!

I'm signed up for not only the Half Marathon on Sunday, but I also registered for a 10K the day before! Craziness, I know! But I'm excited!

I'll have a full blog post up for you to recap the weekend but if anyone is interested in running a RunDisney race, check out their schedule of events at www.rundisney.com  I'll be participating in the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge this coming fall at the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend.

Till then, keep on Glistening!

 

Listen to Your Body

Hello all my Glisten Girls! (and Guys!)


I learned an important lesson last week that I thought I'd share.  And that's what we're all here for, right? I love watching and listening to other people's life experiences.

Well, these last few weeks I've started a whole new routine that includes moving around my job, fitness, freelance work, eating, coaching cross country... you name it, I pretty much just restarted EVERYTHING.  I'm not gonna lie, it's been rough!
I've struggled all my life in setting a routine and then actually sticking to it.  I am a PRO at making plans and then not following through. (With myself, not with other people.  I promise, I'm totally dependable! LOL)
So you can imagine it's been a little hectic.  One of the things I restarted that I really want to stick with is my T-25 workouts.  It's important to me, not only because it was an expensive motivator, but because I know I can accomplish and kick butt on that workout challenge! Dude, I have come SO far in the last few years.  I know I can do anything I set my mind to.
 
So here's the problem.

I also have the last 1/3 of my Half Marathon training ahead of me.   This is the point in my training where the runs get longer, the runs get harder, and I have to stay focused.  This also means that I take extra care of my body in between these long training runs.  I need to make sure that I'm fueling and hydrating efficiently each day so that when I step outside that door on saturdays, I am good to go the distance.

After completing 4 days of the T-25 workout plus a crazy week of my daytime teaching job and a night  time freelance illustration job... I was pooped!! In my head I started to hear those negative thoughts;

"You can't do this"

NO! I'm not going to let my brain tell me what I can't do! I've worked too hard to just give up on something and I have set my goal!

That thursday night, I just kept thinking about the dreaded double workout scheduled on Friday.  And then jumped to my scheduled 8 mile run the very next morning.  Was I crazy?! I was so tired.  To make matter worse, the fires up in Yosemite have lovingly sent all its contaminated air down into the valley where its been just sitting on top of all of us down here breathing it in. But was I just making excuses? Surely a fire throat, clogged sinuses, and a migraine is a sign I should maybe take heed to?

Finally, I picked up my phone and texted my lovely friend who happens to be my own personal pocket coach.  I told her how I was feeling and the advice that came back was so needed.

"LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!"

She was very stern with me.  She told me that I needed to listen to the signs my body was practically screaming at me.  She explained, (and I don't know why I didn't come to this conclusion on my own), that the Beachbody workouts like T-25 and Insanity and P90X were all put together for clients who don't usually delve deeply into the fitness world.  Of course there are always exceptions to this and we all have to find our own routine.  Each program is set up to be fool proof with a specific meal guide, exercise plan, and Shakeology to assist those who do NOT have a regular fitness plan.

I do.

I have a complicated training plan for my Half Marathons throughout the year.

Can I do both? Of course! but I need to be willing to adjust. What's most important?

At this point, my race is the most important.  I can't go out on training runs and try to prepared for a distance race if I have physically exhausted my body during the week.  I could try... but that's asking for an injury.  No Thanks!

I had to re-evaluate what my goals were.  Yes, I very much want to continue with T-25, but instead of hitting 2 workouts on fridays, I need to incorporate an active rest day to gear up for my run.  For that, yoga is my best friend.  I can still rest my muscles but I get in some balance and strength at the same time.

After my Half Marathon, I can absolutely start up on the 2 workout fridays because my training runs will be back down to shorter distances.  That's an attainable goal for me!

To drive home the point of this entry... Listen to your body!  Everyone is different.  It's ok to have a rest day even if it's not in your schedule.  Sometimes we just need a break.  Find what works for you.


Hope you guys have an awesome week!! Hit it Hard!

Weekend Motivation

Hey Guys!!

I just wanted to stop by and leave a little note of inspiration for you.

Over the last few weeks I've been talking to a handful of friends about their fitness goals.  Many of these goals have been in place for years but were never fully realized.  Why? Why is it so difficult to get to our goal? Why do we feel like we are constantly fighting a losing health or fitness battle?

Sometimes we lose sight of our motivation and our goal.  Making a change is hard!! If it were easy, we'd all be running around in size 0 pants, munching on celery and no one would have ever heard of the word "Diet".  We all wish it was so simple, but the truth is... it's not.  No big surprise, right?  We have to keep pushing and get through those bad days that will inevitably happen.  Let it go. The important thing is to start the next day fresh.

I want to give you guys a challenge this weekend.  There's no deadline or due date.

I want you to think of your main goal and write it down.  BIG and BOLD.  Get crafty or colorful if you want, add some glitter!! Then I want you to surround yourself with positive inspiration and motivation! Find pictures of HEALTHY body types you want to strive after - sorry, most fashion models are not healthy.  Hang up that bikini or little dress you want to fit back in to.  Find fitness or motivation quotes and put them up on your mirror.  Put them up where you will see them everyday and take a few seconds before walking out the door in the morning to remind yourself that you are worth it and you deserve to feel good about yourself.

When I first lost the weight, it was about feeling better in my skin.  I didn't want to feel my stomach hanging over my pants and the tummy aches I would get in the afternoons from my jean buttons digging in when I sat all day in school.   I refused to look at pictures of myself.  I made a deal with myself that I would never weight that much again. That was my goal.

When I finally hit my weight goal (lost 35lbs!), my fitness goal changed! I wanted to be stronger! I saw what I could accomplish when I put my mind to something.

This weekend is the official Disneyland Half Marathon weekend at the Disneyland Resort.  2 years ago, I saw my first RunDisney race and I was hooked.  That became my ULTIMATE goal! I wanted to RUN in a race that took me through my beloved Disney parks! (Did I mention the running costumes and sparkle skirts??)  I trained HARD for 10 months. Starting from 0 and ending at 13.1 miles.

I leave you with this.  Dream BIG. Find your ultimate goal and believe that you can achieve it!! Surround yourself with positive inspiration, motivation, and like minded people. Stacee and I are always here for you if you need a little extra encouragement.  Call us, text us, Instagram us, tweet us! Now we're even on Facebook! (https://www.facebook.com/wakeupandglisten) We've been where you are and we still struggle. And that's okay! :)

My Original Fitness Motivation: To Earn My Wings! 

Annie's Journey, Part 2: How I became a Runner

Hi Guys!

Hope you all have had a fabulous week so far, it's Friday!!!

Today I'm going to go into how I became a runner. As I'm sure you've picked up from previous posts, I have no Athletic background. In fact, I'd classify myself as a band geek and theater nerd LOL but that's another story.

If there's one thing you figure out about me, it's that I LOVE Disney! Yup, I'm that girl. I will do anything if it has some tie in to Disney... including running.

I'm going to back up a bit and tell u a little of my running background before all this.
But wait! You just said you weren't athletic!
You're right, I'm not. Haha but I did for one year in high school decide that I was going to join Track and Field.
I actually "trained" for Track and Field by joining a club cross country team that my friend's dad coached. I definitely got in shape but I gave out minimal effort and was always the last to finish. Everything. When T&F season hit, I was pretty much over it after a coach (specifically my high jump coach at the school) showed little effort in helping me or anyone else actually succeed in the event. He had more interest in being on the phone with his business during practice than dealing with us. After the school year ended I said good bye to sports and advanced in my music, theater, and art classes.

Fast forward to January 2012. My cousin who's an avid runner had asked me numerous times before if I wanted to ever go running with her. Usually my answer was a laugh and a polite no. By this time I had lost the weight and was feeling pretty good, but I had also noticed that I didn't have any muscle definition. The diet had melted away a lot of my muscle mass with the fat. This is a normal reaction when your body drops weight, which is why it's important to combine BOTH diet and exercise.
One day i got a text from her saying that she needed a driving buddy down to Orange County. She had signed up for the inaugural Tinkerbell Half Marathon! Promising me that it wasn't a trick to get me to run she asked if I would go down with her and check out the expo at the hotel before her other running buddy arrived. All the while full well knowing I'd have a hard time passing up a chance to experience something new at Disneyland. She hooked me.

If you want to see photos from the Tinkerbell Half, I have a similar post on my Disney blog here

Long story short, I was completely sucked in to the whole RunDisney movement that weekend.  Even though I wasn't running, everything, including the expo, was extremely exciting and all the merchandise... all the merchandise!  Did I mention the medals?!

The morning of the race my cousin had to be at the start line suuuuuuuper early in the morning.  With Disney races, the entire race route in the parks has to be cleared and cleaned before the parks open to the public.  Disneyland opens at 8am.   Disneyland park is not the start line.  This means crazy early call times!
We had set up a system where she would text me when she got within a couple miles of the finish.  Standing there watching all the runners come through the finish line before her was so inspiring! I saw a lot of people that looked like my level of fitness finishing the race! Not only were they finishing at a great time, they were finishing with huge smiles on their faces!

It was at that point I said to myself.... "If they can do it.... why couldn't I?"


That was all it took.


The next month the 2012 Disneyland Half Marathon registration opened up and I was among the 17,000 runners who signed up.  A few weeks later, I joined a local running club, got my feet fitted for the right shoes, and worked my booty off training for my upcoming Half Marathon which was months away in September.

It was one of the most fulfilling days of my life when I crossed that finish line.  It changed me.  It changed the way I feel about myself, the way I fuel my body with food for training, and the way my body works and feels now.  I honestly can say that Disney - RunDisney specifically - changed my life.

I wrote up a post on that day.  You can check it out here: Disneyland Half Marathon 2012

I hope that this post inspired some of you on getting into shape or finding something that you're passionate about.  Fitness doesn't have to be going to the gym and facing miles on a treadmill in the same 4 x 4 square all year long.  Find something that you enjoy doing and work your fitness into that!

I think I'm stuck on RunDisney races for the rest of my life LOL My same cousin and I are planning a year's worth of Disney races for 2013! It includes the Coast to Coast challenge (Disneyland and WDW) and hopefully the Dumbo Double Dare challenge at Disneyland. Can't wait!!


Hope you all have a great week and let's work to stay inspired!

What got you started getting in shape?