Guest Blog Post: Inspiration from Team in Training and Upcoming Races For Charity

Today's guest blog is brought to you by Team in Training (TNT), an organization that brings together runners, cyclists, and sports enthusiasts to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. TNT provides fundraising support, coaching, training and more to help athletes along the way as they fund a great cause. Learn more about TNT at: http://www.teamintraining.org/ma/.

With the Boston Marathon quickly approaching on April 15^th, the dedicated group of individuals running with Team In Training (TNT) keep on fighting! Having just completed their 20 mile run, the team stays focused, while keeping their eye on the prize- the satisfaction of knowing they run for something bigger than themselves. Having already raised over $770,000 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the team keeps pushing to reach that $1 million milestone. Their efforts bring us one step closer to finding a cure to cancer.
 

With race day around the corner, former Boston Marathon participant, Whitney Olson, can’t help but reminisce about her experience with the team last year:

“Team in Training touched me in a way I didn't realize it would. I never thought that I would make friends with women that I’ll undoubtedly stay in touch with for years to come. I never thought that I’d actually consider raising thousands of dollars again, but I am. It felt so good to be a part of something that is bigger than myself. Everyone of those Team in Training members was utterly committed to that marathon in ways I didn’t know possible. To say they impressed me is an understatement. I’d recommend Team in Training to anyone looking to run with a charity. And to my team, friends, running partners, coaches, volunteers and staff, thank you from the bottom of my heart for the experience of a lifetime!”

If Whitney doesn’t inspire you to tie your sneakers today, I don’t know what will!  The sun is finally beginning to shine, so with the new season, try something new and experience this satisfaction by putting meaning behind those miles!  With the support of your team members, coaches, and mentors, we will get you from the couch to the finish line!

Check out our exciting fall season line up:

NEW ENGLAND SPARTAN SPRINT

Amesbury, MA – August 11, 2013

NEW BALANCE FALMOUTH ROAD RACE

Falmouth, MA – August 11, 2013

THE NATION’S TRIATHLON™

Washington, D.C. – September 8, 2013

MAINE MARATHON AND HALF MARATHON

Portland, ME – October 6, 2013

TUFTS HEALTH PLAN 10K FOR WOMEN

Boston, MA – October 14, 2013

NIKE WOMEN’S MARATHON

San Francisco, CA – October 20, 2013

MARINE CORPS MARATHON

Washington, D.C. – October 27, 2013

Interested in experiencing TNT for yourself? Attend one of our exciting 5K’s to receive more information and get your workout in for the day:
 

Run Club 5K Featuring the Nike Women’s Marathon

NIKETOWN Boston

200 Newbury St. Boston, MA 02116

Monday, May 20, 6:00 p.m.

Try a Training 5K- North Shore

1 Church St. Wakefield, MA 01880

Wednesday, May 29, 6:30 p.m.

Try a Training 5K & Right Fit Clinic

Marathon Sports

1638 Beacon St. Brookline, MA 02445

Saturday, June 8, 9:00 a.m.

Whether you’re a runner, cyclist, triathlete, or are just looking to try something new- TNT is perfect for you! Visit our website (http://www.teamintraining.org/ma/) to learn more about the program and our exciting fall season events, or call 508-810-1341 to speak with a member of the TNT Staff! GO TEAM!

Spring Clean Your Diet and Your Kitchen

Laura Hartung, MA, RD, LDN

www.laurahartungrd.com

Today's Guest Post is from Laura, a Boston-based Registered Dietitian and exercise enthusiast. Read Laura's bio here. As part of our blog series to spring clean your life, Laura's post below details how you can pack more veggies into your diet and go through your cabinets to clean out the junk!

 

Let’s face it, a healthy and happy home starts in the kitchen!  Do you know what’s in your cabinets and refrigerator? You know how great it feels to get the junk and garbage out of your closets, car and storage spaces, but now it’s time to spring clean your EATING!   

YOU CAN DO IT!!! 

First and foremost, you need to GET MORE VEGGIES, people!  Fresh, frozen and canned are ALL great choices!  How many of you are getting 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetable per day, as recommended by the American Cancer Society? Most people get enough fruit, but it’s the red, yellow, orange, purple and green veggies most people lack! 

HOW DO YOU GET Em’?

• Fresh: buy local veggies when you can, they are even better than going organic! Find your local farms and load up weekly on seasonal produce!  Spring brings in broccoli! 
• Canned: pumpkin and tomatoes canned are chocked full of vitamins and antioxidants that aren't as available when uncooked.  Add canned plain pumpkin (chocked full of vitamin A) and canned tomatoes (loads of lycopene) to your daily diet!
• Frozen: stock up on the plain frozen veggies that are on sale so you can make stir fry and veggies side dishes in minutes!  Get some green bean and veggie medleys.  Don’t forget about frozen blueberries!  They are cost effective and can be thrown into smoothies, salads, yogurt and your morning oatmeal!

Note:  Rinse canned vegetables to reduce sodium content by 40%.  Buy frozen veggies without added salt and frozen fruit without added sugar.  

Research show that people who eat more vegetables and fruit are have smaller waistlines. You also gain a plethora of plant chemicals and antioxidants, which help keeps inflammation and disease at bay.  Make sure your produce is in sight and not out of mind!  I call the refrigerator “crispers” the “rotters” because veggies usually go in there to perish!  Make sure you keep your greens and other vegetable in plain view so you can eat them while they are FRESH!!

 

A serving of veggies = 

• 3 cups green leafy veggies (kale, spinach, romaine)
• 1 cup chopped veggie (cabbage, carrots, tomatoes)
• ½ cup cooked vegetables (green beans, zucchini)
• ¼ cup canned plain pumpkin

CHECK OUT YOUR CABINETS!

Did you know that people who read the nutritional information on food labels are generally thinner than those who don’t read labels? April 11th was recently appointed National Read Your Nutrition Labels Day by the Citizens for Health advocacy group. Some things to look out for include:

• SUGAR FREE – More and more consumers are looking for products that are low in sugar; however, beware of sugar-free claims as these foods typically use artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols which often cause digestive issues.
• Label Lesson: Be on the lookout for ingredient lists that include artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols such as aspartame, saccharin, sucralose and erythritol.
•  LIGHT – A product claiming to be light must have one-third fewer calories, fat or sodium than the regular version of that same product. Be on the lookout, though, as a light ice cream, for example, may have less fat but around the same calories.
• Label Lesson: Before piling up on what you believe is a ‘light’ snack, be sure to read the label to see which category the food has less of and more importantly, stick to the serving size! 
• NO TRANS FAT – Any products with less than 0.5 grams of trans fat – an artificial ingredient that leads to increases in artery-clogging bad cholesterol (LDL) – can be legally claimed as having zero trans fats. If you happen to eat several servings or a few different ‘trans fat-free’ foods a day, you can wind up consuming a measurable amount. 
• Label Lesson: Avoid products with partially hydrogenated oils, which contain trans fats, listed as an ingredient. 
• MULTIGRAIN– Many of us confuse the ‘multigrain’ claim on our bread, pretzels and even chips to be the same as “whole grain” or “whole wheat” – both of which are associated with reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes. Don’t be fooled – multigrain means the product is made from several types of grains which can include refined and less nutritionally-positive varieties.
• Label Lesson: To make sure the product is made primarily with whole grains, check the first ingredient listed on the label – it should have the word “whole” in it.
• SUGAR –  Americans are averaging 88 grams of added sugar per day or 22 teaspoons!!!!  Health experts cap added sugar intake to no more than 40 grams (some say even lower @ 36g  for men, 20g for women and even less for kids) or 10 teaspoons,  per day. Although the food industry is going for 50 grams.   Too much sugar can crowd out more nutritionally dense foods and cause inflammation in the body, which is the root all disease.
• Label Lesson: Check grams of added sugar to see how your favorite sweet can fit healthfully (or not) into your daily eating plan!
• SALT –  Let’s decipher- salt is comprised of about 40% of sodium. The risks to your health: Too much SODIUM can cause high blood pressure- a known contributor to CVD and stroke. Nearly all of our sodium intake is from salt added to food. The vast majority is already in processed and restaurant foods. A small amount of sodium in food occurs naturally (e.g., fruits, vegetables, and whole grains). More than 75% of the sodium we eat comes from restaurant, prepackaged, and processed foods. Only 5% of dietary sodium is added during cooking, and only 6% is added at the table. The remaining 12% occurs naturally in foods. So: THE SALT SHAKER IS NOT TO BLAME!
• Label Lesson: If you must buy a processed food, check to see if it is 250-300 mg of sodium per serving.

So, get out there and take control over your diet!

Taste of Spring: Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas & Spring Herbs Recipe

Stacy Schwartz, Health Coach

At Ultimate Bootcamp, we love cooking up recipes using seasonal ingredients and spring is the perfect time to do just that! To help keep you on your nutritional track this spring, Stacy Schwartz, a nutritional health coach in Boston has shared a quick and easy healthy spring recipe to add into your repertoire. You can read Stacy's bio here.

Quick-cooking chicken cutlets are paired with an elegant but easy light sauce of sugar snap peas and artichoke hearts. This dish can be made without the sprouted beans, but is especially delicious with them – if you have extras, try them on a salad.

Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas & Spring Herbs 

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon flour, divided
• 1 pound thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces sugar snap peas, cut in half (2 cups)
• 1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed
• 1/4 cup sprouted beans, optional
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs, such as chives, tarragon or dill
• 2 teaspoons champagne vinegar, or white-wine vinegar

Preparation

1. Whisk broth, mustard, salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons flour in a small bowl until smooth.
2. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in two batches, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning, until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm. 
3. Stir the broth mixture and add to the pan along with snap peas, artichoke hearts and sprouted beans (if using). Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the snap peas are tender-crisp, 3-5 minutes. 
4. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the vegetables, and simmer until heated through, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in herbs and vinegar.

Enjoy!

Healthy Holiday Recipe: Honey Macadamia Halibut and Holiday Eggnog Protein Shake

Stacy Schwartz, Health Coach

With two weeks until Christmas, we're right in the midst of the holiday season and at Ultimate Bootcamp, we know it can be tough to keep your healthy eating habits on track. That's why we've enlisted the help of Stacy Schwartz, a nutritional health coach in Boston, to give us a few of her favorite healthy recipes for the season! Read Stacy's bio here. Enjoy!


Family and friends come together for the Holidays, and a house full of hungry guests can make it hard to please everyone. From a halibut entrée to a holiday ‘nog with a twist, check out these two delicious healthy holiday recipes.

Honey Macadamia Halibut

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup macadamia nuts
• 4-ounce halibut fillets (1-inch thick)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 1 tablespoons coconut oil

• 3 tablespoons honey

Directions:

• Chop nuts, spread on a cookie sheet, and toast in the oven or in a toaster on 350 degrees until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Check every minute or two and stir or spin tray around to toast evenly.
• Rinse fish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a skillet.
• Cook one side of fillet over medium heat for 4 minutes.
• Flip each fillet and cook for 3 minutes on the other side.
• While fish is in the pan, spread a layer of honey on each fillet and add a layer of nuts on top.
• Flip over and cook for 2 minutes and add honey and nuts to the top side.
• Flip again and cook 2 minutes.
• Halibut is cooked when the meat is no longer translucent.
• Remove from heat and serve.
• (This dish goes great with steamed string beans).

       
Holiday Eggnog Protein Shake

•  ½ cup coconut milk
•  ½ cup almond milk, unsweetened
• 1 tray ice
• 1 tbsp. raw coconut oil
•  2 packets stevia
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
•  ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder

Blend this all up! Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of nutmeg! (serves 2)

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Relaxation: A Key To Health And Wellness

Natalia Sedo, NP

Today's guest post is from Natalia Sedo, a Boston based Adult Nurse Practitioner, Integrative Nurse Coach and Personal Life Coach. She has over 20 years of experience in helping people identify and achieve their personal, professional and wellness goals. Exercising is just one aspect of living a healthy lifestyle, something we know that our Bootcampers all strive to do. Read Natalia's blog below with some tips for how to manage and deal with stress levels for overall improved personal wellness. For more information about Natalia and to read her bio, visit Nataliasedo.com.

As a seasoned nurse practitioner and personal life coach, I have counseled thousands of people on how to improve their health.  An emerging and significant concern among my clients is how to deal with stress. High levels of stress can negatively impair our personal and professional success in ways we may not be aware of. It can also contribute to health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity.

A 2010 report from the American Psychological Association entitled "Stress in America" identified the most prominent adverse effects of stress:

Cognitive ability

Reacting prematurely, reduced impulse control, greater use of stereotyped judgments, making greater mistakes in cognitive tasks, poor memory, slower performance in shifting attention between tasks, and difficulty making decisions.

Body

Headache, muscle tension or pain, chest pain, fatigue, change in sex drive, stomach upset, and sleep problems.

Mood

Anxiety, restlessness, lack of motivation or focus, irritability or anger, sadness or depression

Behavior

Over-eating or under-eating, angry outbursts, drug or alcohol abuse, tobacco use, and social withdrawal

Incorporating relaxation techniques into your life can help reduce everyday stress, boosting your energy and mood. If you can put aside 10 to 30 minutes a day, one or more of these techniques will be highly beneficial.

Exercise

Chemicals called neurotransmitters, produced in the brain, are stimulated during exercise. These neurotransmitters decrease pain, influence our mental acuity and emotions. Exercise helps us to feel better and to feel less stressed.  To achieve this, aerobic activity 20 minutes, a minimum of three days a week is recommended. However, even a 5-minute walk can produce a benefit.

Take a “time out” to breath 

Take 3-10 slow, deep, breaths, pausing after each breath. The key to deep breathing is to breathe deeply from the abdomen, getting as much fresh air as possible in your lungs. When you take deep breaths from the abdomen, you inhale more oxygen. The more oxygen you get, the less tense, short of breath, and anxious you feel. You also feel more alert. Allow the stress and tension to be released with each breath. Deep breathing triggers a relaxation response in your mind and body.

Express gratitude

A positive outlook decreases stress and increases the feeling of joy or wellbeing. Before bed list the best things that happened during the day or week. Fall asleep with those thoughts. In the morning, you will wake up in better spirits.

Do things you enjoy

Scheduling activities, whether it's dropping by your favorite bookstore or taking a long, hot shower, can quickly bring your life back into balance. Even the anticipation of doing these activities decreases stress. Give yourself permission to enjoy life in frequent bursts.

Get a good night sleep

Sleep deprivation leads to fatigue and decreased mental and physical effectiveness during the day. Most adults need around 8 hours of sleep. Since caffeine and alcohol disrupt sleep, it can be helpful to avoid them up to 8 hours before bedtime. Doing a meditation before bedtime is also a valuable technique to transition your body and mind into a peaceful state.

Relaxation techniques reduce the harmful effect stress has on your mind, body and spirit. Just as importantly, relaxation techniques provide clearer thinking during potentially stressful situations. Incorporating one or all of these tips into your life will help you open the door to a more productive and relaxed lifestyle.

Guest Post: Healthified Stuffing Recipe

Elina, Satisfied Cravings

Hello bootcamp lovers! My name is Elina; I’m the founder and coach behind Satisfied Cravings, offering private custom cooking lessons and hosting custom cooking parties right here in Boston. I’m a big fan of bootcamp as well – I call it sweat therapy and I definitely feel off balance when I skip a few days of workouts. Those exercise endorphins are a real thing and I’m a real addict!

So we sweat hard and we don’t want to undo all this hard work with sneaky calories and unworthy indulgences, right? With the holidays coming up, I know this task becomes a little trickier so I’m already starting to plan ahead to make sure that every workout and every meal counts.

After the big candy rush of Halloween, the next big challenge is Thanksgiving. So today I come to you with a super yummy healthified recipe for stuffing. My husband looooooooooves stuffing – it’s the highlight of Thanksgiving dinner for him. So I wanted to create something that’s a bit lighter and a whole lot tastier. And of course I had to add a twist to it with the addition of fall favorites – roasted sweet potatoes, cranberries, pecans… and bacon (because it makes everything better!). Feel free to make it your own and use whatever leftover veggies or mix-ins you have.. or none at all - it will make the process even faster (just use the same egg/broth/bread/herb proportions). I hope you love it as much as we did! :)

Healthified stuffing with roasted potatoes, cranberries, pecans and bacon (serves 8)
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs hearty sourdough bread
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 slices bacon
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs, s.a. sage, thyme and rosemary (I often find “poultry herbs” packages in super markets which are perfect for this)
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 20 oz beef broth, room temp

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 425*F. Cut sweet potatoes (no need to peel them, the peel has lots of fiber!) into 3/4” pieces, transfer to 2 baking sheets (single layer), drizzle with a bit of olive oil (1-2 tablespoons, depending on how large they are), season with salt and pepper, and bake for approximately 20 minutes until tender. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• Reduce heat to 400*F. Slice bread into 1/2-3/4” slices, remove crusts, then cube into 1/2-3/4” pieces. Transfer to 2 baking sheets (single layer) and toast for approximately 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• Reduce heat to 350*F. Place pecans on baking sheet and toast for approximately 10 minutes, until fragrant and toasted. Set aside.
• In the meantime, crisp up bacon in a a large skillet. Blot bacon slices on paper towels to remove excess grease. Do not dump the bacon fat out of the skillet.
• We’re almost ready to assemble! Halve the cranberries, roughly chop the toasted pecans and bacon slices, finely mince fresh herbs and whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Ok we’re ready to go now!
• To the bowl with bread cubes, add minced herbs, whisked eggs, beef broth, 2 tablespoons of reserved bacon fat (or olive oil), a pinch of salt and pepper and toss to combine. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes – turning on occasion to make sure all of the bread cubes are well coated.
• Add roasted potatoes, cranberry halves, pecan and bacon pieces. Toss to combine again and transfer the mixture to a 9x13” baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350*F for 45 minutes. Enjoy with gravy and your favorite Thanksgiving fare!

Make this soon and let me know how it went over on my Satisfied Cravings facebook page or shoot an email to elina at satisfiedcravings dot com. Hope to hear some success stories soon! For more info on me and my biz, check out the Satisfied Cravings website.

Pre-Race Fueling: What to Eat Before a Race

Hannah
Fit Girl, Happy Girl

Today's Guest Post is from Hannah at Fit Girl, Happy Girl. Lots of our bootcampers use Ultimate Bootcamp to cross-train for other sports--particularly for running. Ultimate Bootcamp is part of the training plan for our members' races, from 5K's to marathons and triathlons, and while we help make our runners faster and give them more endurance over time, there are day-of factors to take into account when racing. Check out Hannah's take on pre-race fueling, and read her bio here!

After months of training for any race distance, one of the most important things to plan out is how to fuel your body on race day. After putting in the time and dedication necessary for training, the last thing you want to do is ruin it by eating the wrong food the morning of the race. I recently finished training for my very first half marathon and during the week before the half, I was trying to come up with the best pre-race meal.

I asked some friends and sought advice from Runner’s World and Active.com and the one major take away from everything was: don’t change anything. I’ve known this all along: the worst time to try something new is on race day, but I have a problem. In my training, I really didn’t have much to eat on long-run days besides a cup of coffee and some water. Even when I did a 14-miler, the only thing I ate beforehand was a pack of Chomps and Gatorade. However, I had fueled before some smaller races before with a slice of whole grain toast, some fruit (usually strawberries or oranges) and some coffee.

This has always been a pretty good pre-race meal to me so I think I’m going to stick to this for the half as well. After further research however, I had questions, like how much time should I leave between breakfast and start time? The answer I found from Runner’s World was at least two to three hours before. Although this meant a very early morning for me (the race started at 8 a.m. but I had to be there at 7 a.m. and it was an hour away), it would allot enough time for digestion so I could start feeling nourished but not full and heavy.

According to the Runner’s World article as well, I should sip water up to a half and hour before the race starts, this way I’ll be hydrated but not over-hydrated and have to stop at a port-a-potty along the course. Since I had basically already decided on doing my toast-fruit-coffee routine, I was not planning on trying anything different but, I was interested in why this has worked for me in the past.

According to an Active.com article, a solid pre-race meal should consist of 80 percent carbohydrates. The article said the type of carbs isn’t as important but many runners, like myself, tend to choose more bland foods like a whole grain toast or some runners like oatmeal. Some ideas for pre-race fuel could be:

• Bagel or toast topped with either peanut butter or a low-fat spread- many people eat this for breakfast routinely so it’s always good to stick to routine come race morning. Also, bagels and toast are chock-full of carbs which are needed for fuel during a race. 
• Bananas- lots of runners love bananas as an addition to any pre-race meal (personally, I hate bananas so I can’t speak to this very much). They have 30 grams of carbohydrates, low in fat and high in potassium which is lost while sweating during running. 
• Energy Bar- a lot of runners eat energy bars before a race but this is something you really have to be careful with in terms of not trying anything new. Stick to a bar you know that’s rich in carbohydrates but not too high in fat or protein (save those bars for after the race). 
• Shakes- there are a lot of runners who like to make a real-replacement shake before a race. I’ve never tried this but there are tons of recipes out there for these kinds of shakes. 
• Oatmeal- this is another good fuel-boosting carbohydrate option. It’s bland and won’t upset your stomach while racing. 

I would also recommend drinking some kind of caffeine if you’re a frequent morning caffeine-drinker. I have coffee every morning, so I try not to change this on race day but sometimes I’ll opt for caffeinated tea on race day instead of coffee (because I like cream in my coffee and that can be weird). As always, DON’T try anything new on race day. A poorly picked pre-race meal could possibly wipe out all of those months of training and preparation. Stick to what you know, race hard and look forward to that amazing post-race meal!

What is your go-to pre-race breakfast fuel? Share your thoughts with me in the comments section below!

Guest Post: Life Lessons Learned from Fitness

At Ultimate Bootcamp, we always love to hear from people who love health and fitness and get their perspective on what makes a great workout. This is the first in an ongoing series of fitness guest posts sharing fitness tips, advice and ideas for our Boston and Providence Ultimate Bootcampers and fitness enthusiasts!

Hi everyone! I’m Erin, and I am a yoga-loving, whole-food eating Creative Soul in Motion based in Boston. Through writing and coaching I empower people to find growth and happiness through active, courageous and mindful living.

Have you ever noticed that fitness instructors are a pretty wise and knowledgeable bunch? Not just about physical activities, but about life in general. In fact, I’ve found that most of the advice they give in class is valuable for life outside of a workout as well.

For instance, one of my spinning instructors starts every class with the resounding words: “this is YOUR ride, YOUR ride only.” It’s her way of reminding us to push ourselves rather than competing with our neighbor. This is great advice on and off the bike as I have recently understood that we’re all on different bikes. Not just in spinning class – but in life.

Every single one of us is as unique as our fingerprints: we have different backgrounds, history, lineage, passions, personalities, struggles, breakthroughs, paths. So why do we bother with jealousy and comparison when there is absolutely NO way to compare yourself to anyone else?! You can’t control anyone and you can’t be like anyone else – all you can do is live your own life and do the best you can. It truly is your ride, your ride only.

Another life lesson I learned through fitness was actually grasped on the yoga mat… It was the first time I nailed Crow – a super hard position where you essentially lean your entire body weight on your triceps while trying not to face plant into the ground. Well, I held the super hard position for 10 seconds (a record for me) – my instructor even clapped a little when she saw me – and just as I was about to come out of it I fell forward and then over, loudly landing in a pile on my yoga mat. Not only did my instructor notice, but the entire class did – and everyone was staring at me waiting for my reaction.

And at that moment I realized that I could take it way too seriously and get frustrated OR I could laugh at myself. So I laughed out loud, a big belly laugh and soon the whole class was laughing too. You know what? Not only did it make me realize how fun and silly the situation really was, but it also helped me feel confident to try again later. The world didn’t end when I fell over, so why get all upset? Why feel embarrassed or frustrated? I chose to see the humor instead and since then I’ve realized: Life is a lot more fun when you learn to laugh at yourself.

Lately I’ve been noticing that there are lots of these “learning moments” in my fitness classes:

During Zumba the instructors encourage us to “dance like no one is watching.”
My boxing coach reminds me “to focus on one thing, one thing only.”
And throughout sports conditioning the instructor yells at us to “give it our all.”

Not only is this advice useful in class but it’s valuable for all of life. These lessons aren’t meant to be left on the gym floor along with my sweaty towel. They’re meant to be taken to heart and carried with me throughout my day, throughout my life.

So I’m curious, what lessons have you learned through fitness? I’d love to hear them! You can share them in the comments here, or connect with me through Twitter (@IamCre8tiveSoul) or on Facebook.

Remember: Life is a daring adventure!