Who We Are
We are both mothers of three boys. We met at our kids’ school and quickly bonded over survival stories of living in messy homes overloaded with testosterone, and the tricks we each use to find time amid the chaos for a little exercise. We became close friends, supporting each other and constantly wondering “how DO you do it, girl?” We started with simple ideas to help each other get fit and stay accountable. It worked so well we started asking, “how can we help other moms?” Hopefully this website will provide some answers. It is our goal to lead healthy lives, to live by example for our children, and to give them the skills needed to make healthy choices in their lives. We hope that we can provide ideas and support for you to do the same for your family. We are FAR from perfect ourselves (all caps added for emphasis by my husband/editor), and we don’t want this website to sound preachy. We promise we will never say, ‘All you have to do is get out there and DO IT…” or,“I went from a size 24 to a 4 in 7 weeks”, or, worst of all, “Run you lazy broad!” YUCK!! We know it’s not that simple, but we also know that it is possible, with a little sister support, to slowly but steadily get healthier.
Posted by Katie at 8:42 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Inspiration
The Night Before A Marathon
Tomorrow will be my 4th marathon and I still get jittery the night before. I have all my gear packed and ready to go, I’ve checked it twice. Safety pins are in my bib, chip is attached to my shoe, sunglasses, Vaseline and MP3 player are by the front door with an array of various nutrition options for the race. I’ll have my standard breakfast of a toasted raisin bagel with butter and a diet coke, only this time I’ll be eating at 4:00 am instead of the usual 7. My ride is picking me up at 4:30 and I have checked my alarm three times. I think all of my bases are covered. So why the nerves? I know I can complete this race, I am hoping for my best time, so that might be adding a little tension. The forecast is for 86 degrees which is a bummer. We had snow earlier this week, and we were hoping for low seventies. I have endured heat before, last summer I completed a ½ ironman in 97 degree weather, barely, but did. One thing I do like to do the night before any race is look back on previous races and what I have accomplished. I know the night before my first marathon I didn’t sleep much at all. My husband gave me a bunch of letters from friends wishing me luck, and I totally started crying. I was so proud of myself for having come that far and I couldn’t imagine what it was going to feel like to cross the finish line. It was sweet, and every race since then has been just as sweet. They’ve all had different meanings for me; some were with Team In Training, which added a whole different element of accomplishment. Yes, I have come far in my quest for health and fitness, and I am so grateful to my family for supporting me and allowing me long hours away from them. The last thing I will do tonight before I fall asleep is say thank you to my body for bringing me here, for the strength of getting through another day, and the energy to wake up and do it again. Life is good, and I am grateful for even being registered to complete a marathon tomorrow, that is worth a lot!
Posted by Katie at 8:31 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Inspiration
FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2008
Considering A 5k?
Here’s some tips for you. If you are starting from scratch, and have never run further than to the bathroom, we can help. The first step is to get your self a decent pair of running shoes (see tips for finding running shoes). You don’t want to start off by creating unnecessary shin splints or ankle problems because of your shoes. The first time you go out for a jog, set reasonable expectations. Aim for jogging for 10 minutes. Don’t go out and bust your butt trying to run 8 minute miles because you think you can’t be in that bad of shape. This is when you ignore the NIKE commercial and don’t just do it, because you may end up on a stretcher. You can just do it in the sense of getting out and choosing to be active, but don’t just do it and run as hard and as fast as you can. Be smart, stretch first. Loosen up your hamstrings, quads, and ankles. After your 10 minute jog, assess how you are feeling. Keep moving, even if you are just walking around the driveway. If you feel pretty good after a 10 minute jog and a 1 minute walk, jog another 5 minutes. If your lungs are tight and you are breathing pretty hard, stop after 10 minutes. Do some stretching again after the run and slowly cool yourself down. Stretching is very important, I know I’m negligent a lot of the time, because I’m low on time and just need to get a run in. But when you are first starting to run, it is even more important to stretch and get the oxygen and lactic acid flowing through those unused muscles. It will help your recovery as well as prevent soreness and stiffness. Find a base to build from, whether it’s a 10 minute slow jog or 15 minutes of running for 5 minutes/walking 1 minute, running 5 minutes/walking one minute, etc. The second time you run, do the same route. Don’t increase your distance yet, but see if you can add a little intensity this time. Pay close attention to how you feel and see if it’s noticeably better. It takes 2-3 runs before your body really starts to adjust and thanks you for getting out and doing it. (A thank you will be recognizable in the form of feeling good when you finish). After 3 runs, add a little distance. How much really depends on where you are starting from, but never add more than 2 miles at once. Drink plenty of water before and after your run and try keeping a log of your runs. Write down not only how far you went, but how you felt, what you were thinking about, and what the conditions were like. Heat and wind can have a HUGE impact on a run, so make note of it. Figure out if you’re a better morning exerciser or evening. Personally, I’m at my best at about noon, which makes it hard when I’m working. I may go out and occasionally do some early morning runs, but I know they won’t be my fastest because my eyes are barely open enough to focus. One thing that has always been true for me, and I often share with friends is that the first 2-3 miles of any run, always sucks. Whether it’s a 3 mile, 10 mile or 26 mile run, the first few are always rough. It takes some time to find my running legs and get into my zone and relax into form. So remember that, it does get better after you’ve built some stamina and get past 3 miles. It will not always feel like you’re running for the very first time and you’re praying to just get around the block. Keep us posted on your steps to doing a 5k and tell us what other tips you have and what works for you!
Posted by Katie at 10:11 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Inspiration
Celebrate
Put yourself into uncomfortable situations and allow yourself to experience the full evolution of the physical and mental process as your body exhausts and your mind opens up - deny, accept, rejoice.
Posted by Kalina at 8:18 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Inspiration
WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2008
Kalina's Story
I started seriously exercising after my first pregnancy. The pregnancy was a complete surprise and unplaned. My husband and I had been married for nearly 13 years and never really talked about having kids. In fact, I never saw myself having kids or being a Mom. Unfortunately I lost the baby after 8 weeks. I was convinced it was because I had not been taking good care of myself. Of course I have no way of knowing for sure why I lost the baby but after the terrible disappointed of loosing the baby I decided that I would work for the next year eating better and exercising so I could have a successful pregnancy. After one year we got pregnant. I stayed active during my entire pregnancy, continuing to run, play tennis and swim. The result was a beautiful baby boy named Ethan and a couple of years later I had Dane and most recently Garin. The pregnancies were great success's and frankly pleasant. I continued to run and do my best to stay fit through all three pregnancies. Not only was I keeping myself and my baby healthy but I was able to maintain a positive attitude. It reassured me that I was strong and I could deliver a healthy happy baby. There was another influence in my life that kept me pushing to stay healthy, my Mother. She was a wonderful parent and woman. She worked hard and dedicated her life to her family. Unfortunately this meant my Mother spent no time taking care of herself. I will never forget one spring I was at her house with my husband taking care of her. She had gotten very sick and was diagnosed with COPD. She looked up at me after doing a breathing treatment and said how much she loved her family and that she wouldn't change a thing, except her health. She explained to me that her only regret was that she did not take better care of herself. When my husband and I did eventually have children she reminded me of this continuing to impress upon me the need to take care of myself and to enjoy life to the fullest. My Mother was right. It is important and it does make me happy to take care of myself. I am a better person for it. Although my Mother died a few years ago she is still a tremendous influence, pushing me to get out and exercise especially on the days it is the hardest.
Posted by Kalina at 10:33 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Inspiration
Katie's Story
After my third son was born, I knew I had an uphill battle to get the weight of three pregnancies off. I had not been physically active since high school and had the body of a fairly large woman. I didn’t exactly need a pully system to get out of bed, and I could still wash all parts of my body without using a mop handle, but I was out of shape and overweight. I vividly remember lying in bed one night, after a typically productive evening of watching TV and eating ice cream, looking deep into my husband’s eyes, and saying, “I want to do a triathlon.”. He laughed, not because he thought I couldn’t do it, but because I always have to reach for something big. For some strange reason, he thought I should start with a 5k first. I thought, “No, I need to reach for this dream. I need to swim farther than I have ever swum, bike farther than I have ever biked, and run farther than I have ever run…all in the same day. Seems reasonable.”
The first thing I started with was swimming. I know, most people get the running piece down first and swimming last. But after having a baby, getting in the water was very appealing. The heaviness of pregnancy was still pulling me down, and the buoyancy felt so good. Plus it was nice to get in a zone in the water where I couldn’t hear any whining or crying, no one was trying to get my attention, or if they were I couldn’t see them, and I kept on swimming. If your house is loud and crazy like mine was, I highly recommend diving into the pool and swimming a couple laps. No matter how slow you go, or how hard it is, I promise it’s better than doing laundry.
I worked hard on the swimming, and I had always been a fairly solid biker. I added the running piece last, that was my weakness. I always believed I had bad knees. Truth be told, I think I just hated running and used that as an excuse in high school to get out of running. It stuck with me. Turns out, my knees weren’t so bad; I just hadn’t developed the discipline to stick with running long enough to get through the rough part.
Eight months later I completed my first triathlon with my friend Lisa, also a mom working to be fit. Since then I have completed 8 triathlons, 2 ½ Ironmans, 3 ½ marathons, 1 century bike ride, and 3, soon to be 4, full marathons. Endurance events have become my thing I guess and my goal is always just to cross the finish line in one piece.
I believe there was something more than just wanting to get fit that kept me working hard. As I became a mom, I felt like I had started to lose a part of myself. In taking on the role of caring for everyone else first, a mom’s life is completely turned around and there’s no time to figure out who you are, or what your goals are. Even if you managed to figure that out before motherhood, it often changes when kids come along. I loved being a mother, but I lost myself in motherhood. I embraced it so much because I always knew that being a mom was what I wanted more than anything in the world, and when it happened, whoa, I jumped in full throttle. But at some point, I started evaluating who I was, what I was about, and what I could achieve. The irony I discovered, was that I needed to be me in order to be the best mom I could be. It took awhile to explore what that meant. For me it started with writing down the dreams I once had but had not yet achieved. One dream I wrote down was the idea of completing a triathlon, and telling my husband about it brought it to life. Crossing that finish line for the first time showed me a deeper part of myself than I had ever known, and helped me become a better mother in the process.
Today, I still train for endurance events to keep that part of myself alive, to not lose track of who I am and to show my children what they can accomplish with hard work and dedication (the fact that I can get out of the house for a couple hours of alone time might have something to do with it too!). I feel passionately about the connection between a healthy mom and a happy mom, a happy mom and a happy family, and a happy family and all sorts of good sh**!! They all cycle together and we want to help women make that connection. It’s a busy world and joining a health club might not be feasible for everyone. We want to share simple ideas you can use for exercising at home, getting your kids involved, making healthy choices about food, keeping life simple, what gear to get, and how to train for a marathon. You can do this, because we did. What dreams are waiting for you?
Posted by Katie at 10:10 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Inspiration
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