Inspiring Fit People!

Happy Wednesday! We’ve already almost made it through the week! :) So, I want to know what motivates you what gets you going? When you are in a slump, what motivates you to get moving?

Here is what motivates me….

• new music on my iPod (aka my phone)
• new workout clothes
• a new pair of shoes
• watching one of my friends or family members cross a finish line
• 30 for 30’s
• championships of any sport

Today, it’s rainy and gross and FREEZING. I do not want to run. Luckily, it’s not technically a run day for me. But, I didn’t get in as many miles as I wanted to yesterday because it got dark too early. Anyway, I can’t convince myself to run 3 days in a row which means I HAVE to run tomorrow. I have class tomorrow night so it HAS to happen tomorrow morning. So, the question is, what can I do to motivate myself to get up at 4:30 to go run? Well, today it’s music. I am going to download new music and make a new playlist tonight. I know that will get me going in the morning. That, and the guarentee that I have two friends anxiously awaiting my arrival. :)

That motivates me! What motivates you??

Hi! First, I want to sincerely apologize for taking so long to post a blog. I have had SEVERAL (thank you my loyal followers) people ask when I am going to post a blog again.

The following aren’t meant to come across as excuses but in all reality, they actually are. Every year, at the beginning of the school year, I get extremely caught up in school. It’s not a bad thing but it isn’t good for my body. I don’t exercise as much or eat as healthy as I should. On top of it being the beginning of the school year, I also accepted a job as a GFI (Graduate Faculty Intern) at Regis University which ultimately means I will be teaching graduate level classes. AND on top of that, I have decided to get my principal’s license which means I attend class every Thursday night and will continue through June. What can I say? I like to stay busy.

While I am doing a lot of things that are pushing me in a positive direction for my career future, I have put one of the most important things to me on hold and that is taking care of me. Now, I have been exercising just not consistently. Starting today, I am planning on beginning a new plan and staying consistent with it.

How am I going to do this? Two ways.
1. I am creating a personal plan for myself- Today I am creating a calendar that works just for me. I will schedule out what exercise I am going to do and when I am going to do it. I am using a couple of resources to help me with this plan. The first resource is runnersworld.com. I am still training for a half marathon and this will help me know what I need to do to be ready. The second resource I am using is toneitup.com. They start a fall challenge TOMORROW! Be sure to sign up! Put my name down as your reference if you’d like. (Kait Whitaker) They are asking for that this time.

2. Set new goals.- I created a blog post over the summer about goal setting and how important it is. Well, I currently only have one goal. Today I am going to create two new ones. I will share those with you when I have them all set. Remember, when setting a goal it needs to be specific and have a time period. My current goal for example is, “I will complete my first half marathon on October 9, 2011.

The moral of this post is the following— Don’t get so caught up in your career that you put yourself on hold. Putting yourself on hold is only going to hurt everything in the long run. You can get sick, you can get burnt out, etc.

Until next time…. TAKE CARE OF YOU!

PS I seriously, highly encourage you to sign up for the toneitup.com Fall challenge. I am going to try to post updates on here to keep you motivated as well as keep myself motivated.

PPS I am most likely going to switch my blog to another site. I really want people to be able to respond to my posts directly on here. I’m just not sure which one. I would LOVE suggestions.

I’m sitting here watching the 6:00 news and a story just came on about a camp for kids with disabilities. The goal for the camp is to get the kids on a wakeboard even though they are unable to stand. At the end of the story, one of the camp participants, a boy who was probably 12 years old and bound to a wheelchair, said, “If you don’t have fun, it’s not worth doing.” WOW! That’s an awesome quote and it really got me thinking.

This weekend, I will be participating in my first ever triathlon. A lot of people think it’s crazy that someone who swam in college, has never done a triathlon. Well, I haven’t and neither has Paul. I’ve spent this summer putting in time to train for this event. As of a week ago, I felt like I was not only ready but that I was going to kill it, maybe even win. (HA!) Well, this week, I’ve had 2 extremely rough runs, one of which was today and was only 2.5 miles. The heat has been KILLING me. My attitude isn’t bad but I’ve become really nervous. Then today, this kid who is in a wheel chair and just enjoying life says, “If you don’t have fun, it’s not worth doing.” My focus has now changed from being super competitive to just getting out there and having a good time. I can’t wait to get out there, finish my first triathlon, and completely enjoy myself while I am doing it. (I have a smile on my face right now.)

I encourage all of you to exercise and exercise daily but if you are doing something that isn’t fun, it really isn’t worth doing. Try something else. If you are running and you hate every minute of it, go hike 3 times a week. If you hate the treadmill, get outside and run. If you hate to swim, get on a bike. No matter what you do, make sure you are enjoying yourself. I think this kid’s quote has a bit of genius to it.

Get out there and do something fun. If it’s not fun, it’s not worth doing….

Today’s advantageous device (Useful thing) is two fold. First, it is an amazing website. Second, it is an awesome app for your phone.

MAP MY RUN

1. The Website- the website is www.mapmyrun.com. It is super! I use this to map out where I am going to run to ensure that I am going to hit my goal miles for the day.

2. The App- Download this app at the iTunes app store. I’m sure they have it for the Droid and whatever else type of phone you may have. The app is super cool. It uses GPS tracking to determine how far you ran. When Kaiya and I go on our daily walks, I use this to figure out how far we have gone. I also use this app while I am running. After I map out my run, I have the app record it so it keeps a log of my workouts. When I’m having a “blah” day, it’s nice to go back and look at all the work I’ve done.

So, I highly suggest that you check out either the website, the app, or both!

Stay excellent my friends!!!

For some reason, I do not feel like it is Monday. It may have something to do with the fact that I am not working right now but, I love today. I’ve already walked Kaiya, made a protein pancake and am heading to the gym in a bit. Anyway, I have a few songs on my playlist that I am loving right now so HERE is your MOTIVATION MIX:

Katy Perry feat. Kanye West- E.T.
P!nk feat Eminem- Won’t Back Down
Lil Wayne- A Milli
Miley Cyrus- Can’t be Tamed
Soulja Boy Tell’em- Pretty Boy Swag

Download some music and go get active!!! Happy Monday! :)

In my family, we always joke about how my dad would make Erich and I write down our goals as soon as we could hold a pencil. “Kait, what do you want to accomplish in preschool this year? Let’s write that down.” While we tease him quite a bit, he was on to something. Goal setting is a VERY powerful tool for life. (For those of you who teach with me, don’t worry, I won’t start rambling about my fantastic research on academic goal setting with children)  

Every year, many of us set New Year’s resolutions which essentially are goals. While this is a great tradition, I believe we need to set goals more than once a year. In terms of fitness, setting a goal can help you stay focused on what you would like to accomplish.

Goals can be as simple as, “I will get up and walk 30 minutes every morning.” “I will be able to run a mile by the end of August.” etc. I choose to set goals based on events. It also helps if you set a date or a timeline for your goals. When I chose an event to participate in, the timeline is already set for me and I know exactly when I will accomplish my goal.

A couple of tips for you:
1. BE REASONABLE. If you don’t know how to swim, don’t set a goal to swim in the La Jolla open water swim in 2 months. Set a goal to learn how to swim.
2. CHALLENGE YOURSELF. Don’t set a goal like, “I will run a 5k,” if you were on the cross country team in college.

Once you decide on a goal to set, the next step is to write it down. Goals which are written down are more likely to be achieved. After you write your goals down, share them with people. If you are talking about what you would like to do, whether you realize it or not, you are holding yourself accountable.

Finally, REWARD YOURSELF! When you achieve a goal, reward yourself with something you love. I like to reward myself with treats from Lululemon.

Here are my current goals:
1. I will compete in my first triathlon on July 24, 2011.
2. I will run in the Denver Rock and Roll Half Marathon on October 9, 2011.
3. I will commit myself to my training.

As a reward, I will buy myself a super cute, comfortable outfit from Lululemon for the Denver Rock and Roll Half Marathon and probably a new Sweaty Band. :)

I encourage you to take some time to set goals today. I’d love for you to share them with me. :)

the.fit.teacher@gmail.com

Happy goal setting! :)

That’s my really obnoxious way of saying “Useful Things.” How very Olive Penderghast of me…. that was an Easy A reference.

Anyway, I want to start posting little things I find along the way that somehow support fitness or general cuteness. (Kidding, it’ll totally be fitness related stuff)

Enter the SWEATY BAND. I have a small head and I’m pretty sure it is also misshaped and therefore, I can not wear headbands that wrap all the way around my head. Before our 150 mile bike ride, Carlynn bought me a Sweaty Band. She told me it wouldn’t fall off my head and naturally, I didn’t believe her. Well, I went 150 miles on a bike with this sparky piece of heaven on my head and not only did it not fall off, it didn’t move AT ALL. Of course, I needed more. I now have 4 sweaty bands and they are AMAZING! They hold back my hair and are SUPER fun! :) GO GET SOME!

Have a fit day! ;)

(Source: sweatbands.com)

Here’s a little treat for you. :) My sister (or soon to be) Carlynn is, as you know, a personal trainer. She deals with people who have body issues regularly. It’s an important issue to talk about because as ladies, we have some issues. My friend Julia and I have talked about how we think we are crazy because we have some insecurities yet know we are more fit than a lot of people. What Carlynn has to say below is amazing. If you get a chance, read the article. Her and I don’t agree with everything in the article but it does have some good information. She is an amazing trainer and one of the most beautiful and confident people I know. (And she should be, you should see her in a bikini!!!) Best of all, she knows what she is talking about! Enjoy! :)

I just got this email and I thought it could be another good blog for you to write about sometime.

http://www.refinery29.com/body-positive-blogs-helpful-or-hurtful?utm_source=email&utm_medium=editorial&utm_content=everywhere&utm_name=110701-hairstyle-dress-combos

It’s all about body image. As women, we experience lots of body image pressure instead of focusing on the fact that every women is unique and every body type is different. I go through this on a daily basis with my female clients and I even deal with it myself. We may see something or an area on our body that we hate, but others may see it as beautiful. We may never be perfect to societies standards, but we can be perfect to ourselves in our own ways.

I emphasize to my clients that being healthy, fit, and happy is perfection in my book. Healthy meaning that they are conscious of what they are putting into their body. Keeping their nutrition in check by getting rid of processed food and aiming for healthy choices by filling up on lean proteins, veggies, and fruits. Fit meaning that they are making an effort to get in exercise, I HATE SKINNY FAT! Muscle tone is much more sexy in my book! Most of them have already made the step by coming to me for help, but the even bigger challenge is doing it on your own, or by finding a buddy to workout with (loved your blog on that by the way). And happy means that they are still doing the things they love =) making time for themselves, getting together with friends and loved ones. Healthy, fit, and happy are the keys to me staying positive about my body image and I truly believe that those 3 can be the key for any women.

Isn’t she great??? :) I’m sure this issue will come up again. Today, I challenge you to embrace your body. Find one thing you love, absolutely love, aout yourself. My thing is my legs. I will wear shorts today and embrace my legs :)

Have a great workout and a great day! xoxoxoo

Whoops! Looks like the 4th of July threw me off a bit. I was super busy laying by the pool. ;)

Anyway, here are some songs I am hooked on right now during my workout. Here’s your Motivation Mix:

Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce- Telephone
Kanye West feat lots of people- Monster
Lil Wayne- 6 foot 7 foot
Dierks Bentley- Am I the Only One
Cee Lo Green- F**k You (Forget You if you prefer the clean version)

Enjoy! Now go sweat! :)