Aspire, Perspire, Nourish Yourself

Make a date for your next workout!

Do you have trouble getting to your workout some days? You know, those days when even doing laundry seems more appealing. What do you do on those days? Well, one option is to enlist the help of a workout partner like a friend, family member, or an organized group you join every so often. Meeting someone else for a workout will get you out the door, and I’ll bet that once you get started you’ll work harder than you would have if you had worked out on your own!

Sometimes it’s the extra push or the structure that we need, while other times it’s just the company we want. Depending on your objectives, you will want to carefully choose your workout partner(s). Your goals, fitness levels, and needs are important factors to consider. Regardless, being around others and engaging with them while doing your activities gives you the emotional boost that you need. It is a win-win situation since you achieve your goal for the physical activity and nourish your soul at the same time!

After countless hours training, we ran Boston Marathon together, 2010.

Even professional athletes need comaraderie. A recent article in Runner’s World magazine about Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan (professional runners), who train together and compete against one another, reminded me of the fun and the deep connection I have shared training with a group of girlfriends. As Kara says in the article, “As soon as we start our watches, we start talking, and we talk the whole time…we talk about our husbands, we talk about my son or our cats, we talk about our training, we talk about Boston, we talk about goals, we talk about so much stuff. We’ve had really deep conversations where we’ve talked about our childhoods and then we have conversations about Downtown Abbey. And it never gets old. It never gets old.” (May 2013, p. 64)

As human beings, experiencing this kind of social connection enhances our wellbeing and leads to more enthusiasm, aliveness and energy in our lives. Feeling renewed, I have more patience and time for others in my life after my social workouts!

Keep in mind that working out with others is a relationship that involves give-and-take. Sometimes your partner is going to need more from you. Sometimes one training partner just won’t do; and sometimes you just can’t find someone with similar goals. In these cases, look beyond your current friendships. For instance, consider joining a group like Team in Training, or a bootcamp, CrossFit, or hot yoga class. There, you will find people with similar interests and goals. Our friend, Laura Corbett, credits Team in Training for helping her achieve her goal of running marathons. The support she received while training and during the races was incredible. Through Team in Training she has found a strong support system and a kinship that lasts beyond race day.

Laura with her Team in Training Group

Laura with her sister and their kids. Team in Training is a family affair!

Many people rely on the social boost to stay active. In the summer of 2011, we asked friends, family and whoever would participate to fill out an informal survey about their fitness routines and motivation. At the time, we had no idea where the survey was going and that it would result in this blog. Our objective was to learn about what people did to get motivated and stay committed to their fitness activities. A total of 84 people responded and more than 80% of them were active adults who had been exercising for 5 or more years. Although the sample was small, the lessons imparted from these people are very valuable.

When we asked them about the most important things they did to stay motivated, participants talked about things like:

Setting goals and routines,
Monitoring their health and wellness,
Focusing on the personal satisfaction experienced after exercising, and
Enjoying the social opportunities with others during exercise.

In particular, today we want to highlight what they said about the importance of the social side of exercise. We’ll get to the other themes in future posts.

So if you need motivation to get going, here are the survey participants’ wise words of advice:

Find an activity you enjoy doing and find someone to do it with.
Make it part of your lifestyle and share it with your family to motivate each other.
Make plans to have fun with someone, i.e. daily walk or travel for event together.
Train with friends or family with similar goals and schedule.
Hang around people who like to be active or who will help motivate you.
Be accountable to someone else if you are not self-motivated.
Have a good support network to help make time for your fitness and healthy living.
Sign up for something (either classes that you have to go to every week, or a race/event to train for).

If you are looking for support, friendship, coaching, or a teammate, check out these organizations:

Team in Training Canada: http://www.teamintraining.ca/

Team in Training USA: http://www.teamintraining.org/

The Running Room (across Canada and some US states) : http://www.runningroom.com/hm/

Calgary Outdoor Club: http://www.calgaryoutdoorclub.com/

Toronto Outdoor Club: http://www.torontooutdoorclub.com/index.asp

Calgary Triathlon Club: http://www.calgarytriathlon.com/calgary-triathlon-club.html

Toronto Triathlon Club: http://www.torontotriathlonclub.org/

There are also hiking clubs, track and field clubs, yoga retreats, and so many other opportunities to be active and connect with others. Just search in your area for these organizations.

So, no more excuses. The laundry can wait!

This week’s recipe: Red Lentil Curry Soup.

Eating Healthy = Eating Simply

“The journey isn’t always perfect, but always worth taking.”

Kara Goucher, USA olympic marathoner

Recently, a friend said, “I want to start eating healthy. What should I eat?” With this simple statement and question, she cut right to the core of the challenge. Many of us want to eat healthy and have the motivation to do it but don’t know how. There is so much information available about nutrition on the internet, in the magazines we read, from our friends and family, and from professional sources like nutritionists, doctors, homeopaths, and so on. What to believe? Where do you start? There are great tidbits of information from all of these sources; however, they may not be right for you.

Keep in mind that everyone’s circumstances are different. Some people turn to nutrition to resolve digestive issues, while others want to improve their competitive edge in sports. Many people just want to feel good and want to eat healthy to increase their lifespan. Everyone also has different tastes. Some people like spicy foods; some prefer meats over vegetables; others like nuts and some have nut allergies. All of these different circumstances and preferences play into your eating habits and are things that you need to seriously consider when embarking on a successful strategy for “eating healthy.”

So, considering your own circumstances (including your family’s), here are some simple suggestions for your journey to healthier eating habits:

Eat simply. Buy local, fresh foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, meats, poultry and prepare them simply by grilling or baking rather than frying. Our bodies need to eat locally grown foods as they are attuned to what is naturally good for us in our local environment!

Make your own foods and drinks from scratch rather than buying packaged foods that contain high sodium and preservatives. Making your own burgers, rice dishes, or granola bars allows you to have control over what goes into your food. Make lemonade using water, fresh lemons, and a few drops of Stevia rather than consuming high sugar juices.

Mind your portions. Follow guidelines to determine the proper size of average portions. For example, using your hands, proteins should be about the size of your palm; added oils/fats – tip of thumb; carbohydrates – size of your clenched fist; snacks – handful; vegetables – what you can hold in both hands or unlimited depending on how they are prepared.

Understand what the labels mean. Read the ingredients on the labels of the foods you buy. The fewer the ingredients, the better. If there are any ingredients you can’t pronounce or don’t understand then leave the product on the shelf!

Plan your meals. Ideally, plan your meals for the week, or even a day ahead for those of us who dislike planning! Knowing what you will be cooking will allow you to have all the essential ingredients at home and will keep you from ordering takeout. Your stress level will also be lower when you get home from work knowing what’s for dinner!

Make extras to save time. Cook a little more so that you have leftovers for lunch the next day or enough for another meal. For example, prepare extra chicken that you can add to a salad or that you can use to make quesadillas on another day. Cook extra quinoa that you can use for a simple dessert or that you can have for breakfast.

Buy some convenience foods. If you are always short on time, then buy some convenience foods like packaged lettuce or green beans. Read labels to ensure preservatives are not added to these foods. As we suggested in another post, you can also pre-wash and store some foods ahead of time like lettuce, carrots and other veggies.

Eating healthy is a state of mind and a consistent practice of helpful habits. Start today by taking small steps and before you know it these small steps will take you to a healthier you.

We would love to hear from you. Please share with us your helpful tips for eating healthy either by leaving a reply below or by emailing us at aspireperspirenourish@gmail.com.

Recipe of the Week: Quinoa and Black Bean Salad