race – Jenna Jamieson, Author

Slow, steady, and consistent wins the race ;-)

By Jenna Jamieson | October 23, 2014 | Comments 0 Comment

I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to write about today, but as I drove my boyfriend to work he brought up his half marathon that I “spectated” over the weekend…if you can even call it that! It was more like I got to see him start and finish the race, which honestly was a pleasure and while the 5:30am alarm was not what I would call pleasant, it was an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. After all, it was his first half marathon and, well supporting him is what it’s all about, right?

I was people watching, talking, and kind of doing my own thing as I passed the time until my boyfriend would come running across the finish line. I began to believe and probably even realize that these half marathoners and full marathoners might be considered half crazy or completely crazy. (No disrespect to those who train, love, and compete in them, but I got this feeling the more I talked and overheard competitors discuss the race…most said race day would come and they would wake up feeling crazy!) Sure, I can get my butt out of bed to do interval training early in the morning because it’s fast paced, interval exercises that go quickly and are ever changing, but running? Really, are you kidding me? Get up at 5:30a and be ready and willing to run at 7am seems nuts! I hand it to any and all runners who choose to get up and run 13.1 or 26.2 miles before the sun has even begun to come up, but I will stick to my interval training that keeps me on my toes and my eyes wide open! That’s why a 5k would need to be fun or adventurous for me to take part. Maybe even a triathlon at some point…that would at least be more similar to high intensity interval training…kind of, right?!

So, you might be asking yourself what’s the point of this post? Talking about half and full marathon runners along with high intensity, fast paced interval training is like comparing apples to oranges…or is it?! This is where the important stuff comes in. 😉 Both are very different exercises and both fit different people’s lifestyles, interests, and personalities, but one thing is that both are workouts. And with workouts, especially running and long, cardio interval training is that the best way to maintain your workout is to go at a slow, steady, and consistent speed to maintain pace throughout your entire workout.

Whether it is running, interval training, yoga, or some other type of workout, it is best to build yourself up as you go through your workout. The best way to go about your workout without getting tired too soon is to realize that going at a slow, steady, and consistent speed will allow you to keep pace. Don’t challenge yourself or go fast too early in your workout. You should think of the beginning of your run or interval training as your “warm-up” so that you get your muscles moving, ready, and prepared for the middle part which should be the most challenging part of your workout. The middle part should push you to your limits. This is the part of your workout where you can increase your speed, increase the number of reps and sets, and set your goals higher than the beginning or end.

The moral of the story? We may all be different shapes and different sizes with different personalities, hobbies, interests, and even different fitness goals, but in the end we are all working out to stay healthy. So whether you are running, walking, doing interval training, or yoga you should still realize that we are all in it together when it comes to working out. This means we all need to maintain a slow, steady, ad consistent speed in order to get the most out of our workouts. After all, while being fast may seem to pump you up and get you going, it is slow, steady, and consistent that wins the race!

Happy running, training, and working out! 🙂

~jj

Small progress should make you happy!

By Jenna Jamieson | August 23, 2014 | Comments 0 Comment

Small progress may be frustrating, but small progress is better than no progress, moving backwards, or having setbacks. While you may wish to see more progress in terms of weight loss, muscle tone and definition, or in your energy level, remember that progress takes time, especially when it comes to changing your habits and body. It is safest to see slow, steady results that are consistent and maintained over time.

Changing your habits and making changes to your body through exercise and nutrition can take time (and should take time). Quick weight loss and sudden food changes such as eliminating caffeine, sugar, or carbohydrates may not only be dangerous, but also may present side effects including mood changes, increased anxiety and stress levels, or even could be harmful if you have rapid weight loss in a short period of time.

It is important to be happy with small milestones as those add up and help you achieve your overarching fitness and nutrition goals. So as you workout and make fitness and nutrition goals (see Fitness and nutrition goals to the rescue!) remember that your small progress should be motivation to keep you going and further your desire to see your end result. My boyfriend likes to sign up for 5ks as a goal to work toward for himself and is now signed up for a half marathon in October. It is a great goal and is something that he can slowly train for. He signed up for the half marathon in April to give himself plenty of time to train and work up to the 13.1 miles he will be running. Setting large goals for yourself that are 3-6 months or more out is great because it allows you to slowly make progress over time. For example, my boyfriend can set a goal of running 3.5 miles for 3-4 weeks (he can already do that because that’s about the distance of 5ks) followed by increasing his distance to half of the marathon of about 6.5 miles and do that for about 2-3 weeks and then do three fourths of the race by increasing to about 9.75 miles for 2-3 weeks and then do the full 13.1 miles for at least one week. This is just an example, so do what you feel the most comfortable with and works best for you based on your fitness level and experience.

Just remember that building yourself up by slowly making progress over time is much healthier than pushing yourself too hard in a short period, losing weight rapidly, or cutting out food or food groups too quickly. Small progress is not only great progress, but will make life less stressful over time and is proven to make it easier to maintain and sustain.

~jj