alpine1994 Member

I think eating more whole grains will help lower your cholesterol, especially LDL. I eat whole grains every day (oatmeal for breakfast and usually brown rice with lunch or dinner) and my cholesterol has never been better. I can't eat eggs because they make me sick so maybe that helps too, but I eat anything and everything…

I definitely understand. There's a park near my house with a 1 mile running loop and I always run alone. If I go before work around 5:30am, there's always the same small group of walkers/runners and that's it. Since it's still dark and the park is not lit, my senses are always heightened to what's around me and I think if…

Hey! I just did my first half marathon a couple weekends ago and I made my own training plan based off of the Hal Higdon program and some others that I found. I trained for 16 weeks, and I started at a base "long run" of 3 miles, so you have plenty of time. A few things I learned during training: 1. Don't beat yourself up…

There's a zumba-like class at my gym on Monday nights that I love. During half marathon training I did my long runs on Saturday morning and then was fine to go to the class on Monday night. The last month of training (before the taper) my runs were 10-12 miles and I felt that my legs needed two full days of rest (Sunday…

Congrats everyone!! Looks like we have a group of certified butt-kickers here!

I finished my first half marathon in 2:22:47. I'm still riding the high 2 days later. Can't wait for the next one!

It's a website called Nerd Fitness. Try their bodyweight workout. http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/ I also love fitnessblender.com. They have tons of free workout videos. They have all different types of exercises (strength with weights, strength with bodyweight,…

I crossed the starting line AND the finish line! It was an amazing experience. I actually slept pretty well the night before (I think I got all my nerves out in the beginning of the week!) and I just kind of entered a zen-like zone as I was waiting in my corral before the race. My goal was 2:30 because I had been pacing…

Thanks so much guys! Two days! At this point I'm a little less nervous and way more excited. I'll let y'all know how it goes!

100% agree. I like to think about it this way: there are lots of things in life that we can't control. The one thing you can always control is what goes into your mouth. Sure it's hard to resist yummy things but it is what it is for us. Don't blame other people for trying to "sabotage" you. Treat yourself every now and…

Fitnessblender.com is awesome! They have a youtube channel too. All of the videos are free. You can put together your own workout plan (like pilates one day, HIIT the next day, weightlifting the next, etc) or they have plans that tell you which videos to do on which days. I think those might cost extra though. You can…

There was just a post about this the other day, but to me they are very different workouts. When you're running outside you're propelling yourself forward and dealing with wind resistance and terrain and all of that. Just works your body differently, but there's nothing wrong with enjoying the treadmill and just wanting to…

Hi Stef, Dealing with injuries is awful. I had to drop out of my first 5K years ago due to a stress fracture in my foot. I was upset but thankfully races happen ALL the time! I just signed up for the next one. If you can't participate in the HM you signed up for, your training will not go to waste! Take some time to heal…

Thank you all so much for the support! I feel better already. About starting too fast (definitely a concern with adrenaline and fresh legs!) I was excited to find out that there are pace groups! I've been targeting around 2:20 in my training so I'll probably run with the 2:30 group for a while and see how it goes. Slow and…

Spin is awesome! The classes definitely vary depending on the instructor. There's one instructor that plays hard rock (it's just not my thing) and turns the mic up so high and SCREAMS into it that you just hear distorted mic sounds and not actual words, haha. I leave angry and with a headache...so I definitely avoid his…

Yep, there have been two times. One was when I first started working out regularly a few years ago. I was doing a Jillian Michaels DVD and couldn't get through more than 11 minutes of the workout. I sat on the floor and cried. The second time was actually this past spring. I was training for my first 10K and I was just…

My great-grandmother was mad at my entire family and nobody could figure out why. She finally told my mom "I can't believe Jen is sick and nobody told me." She thought I lost weight because I was DYING. Unreal. So yes, I experienced that with a much less drastic weight loss than you so I can only imagine the comments…

I just moved to Texas last year after being in Massachusetts my whole life so it's a huge adjustment for me! I live in Dallas and the traffic is terrifying so riding my bike in traffic is no-go for me. Also, the landscape is completely flat so that also crosses off hiking up mountains, which I loved. I honestly don't know…

This was exactly my issue for a while. My arms were crossing the middle of my body and I was having a lot of hip pain and generally just wearing me out. I read an article about not crossing your arms over your body so I worked on it and it helped so much. See if that works for you too OP!

I agree with this. I spent way too much time (years) trying to run too fast. I would end up dreading it and/or hurt myself and stop running. Slow and steady has definitely kept me on the road regularly for the past 7 months or so, and I'm running farther than I ever thought I could. As far as the transition from treadmill…

I'm really not a fan of C25K. I don't like the run/walk method personally. I originally did it for my first 5K 6 years ago but had a lot of trouble with it. I was just trying to run too fast so that I was desperate for the walking breaks, and then it was really hard to get running again. When I trained for my first 10K, I…

I was previously running in Brooks Ghost 6 (after having a gait analysis/fitting done). When I had worn them out and needed new shoes, I had another analysis done and was recommended the Brooks Ghost 7 and the Adidas Supernova Glide 6. The difference between them was VERY subtle, but I ended up going with the Adidas…

Good for you for deciding to run your first 5K! They are addictive so I have a feeling it will not be your last! I like to run alone. The reason is because everyone's pace is different and I don't want to feel like I have to run slower/faster than I feel like I need to in order to match someone else's pace. I wear a Garmin…

I was actually thinking about this today. I am 2 weeks out from my first half marathon and I've been training since July. I realized I hadn't weighed myself in a while so I stepped on the scale this morning and I weigh exactly the same as I did in July before I started training. My long runs make me RAVENOUS afterward and…

Hey! I really feel for you. I've had insomnia my whole life and my doctor and I have tried every OTC and rx medication, we've done sleep tests, meditation, aroma-freakin-therapy...everything. The only thing that kinda-sorta worked was a heavy dose of Ambien but it made me feel like I was extremely hungover the next day so…

Hi! Here's today so far which is a pretty average day for me: Breakfast at home (after 4 mile run): Oatmeal made with 1/2 cup quick oats, 1 cup unsweetened coconut/almond milk blend, 1 tbsp or so each of raisins and brown sugar and a ton of cinnamon. Coffee with natural bliss cream. I also have a giant bottle of water with…

I wouldn't call myself "bike-y" but I think it's worth a look. I signed up for a duathlon and I have a Giant hybrid bike that I love but was kind of peeking around at entry-level/used road bikes. I decided they are way out of my price range especially for my first duathlon and not knowing if I will want to continue. I did…

I've always been in the mindset of attaining weekly goals instead of daily ones, so I would definitely carry over those extra cals to Sunday if I didn't feel like eating them on Saturday. You could also use them earlier in the week too if you were going out and wanted more lee-way, etc.

This. In the beginning it was a little tedious and of course I had to deal with comments from people that I was obsessive about how much I was eating. After so many tried-and-failed attempts at weight loss for years, it's the only thing that worked though. It took me a long time to lose the weight but over that time I've…

I'll have a cup of brewed dark roast with a little bit of vanilla coffee creamer (the natural bliss one) at home while getting ready. When I get to work, I have a hazelnut kcup, black. I don't like it black at home though. I'm weird I guess.