Category Archives: fitness

The fit truth

Posted by Jess Sutera in balance, blogging, challenge, confidence, fitblog, fitness, healthy eating, strength, sweat

I’m all about the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth these days.

I routinely own up, confession-style on this blog. If you don’t believe me, check out some previous confessions here, here and here.

So when I saw Ms. Tina’s takeoff on Fit Bottomed Girls “Fitness Truths,” I just knew I had to steal borrow the idea for my own list of Fit Truths…

…if I could live in my coveted Lululemon groove pants and bliss top 24/7, I’d be one happy (fit) camper. I feel beautiful in my workout gear. Sweatastically so.

…lifting teeny tiny 2 and 3 lb hand weights are my favorite form of strength training torture fun. I’ve done my fair share of strength training routines, but those teeny little weights are what makes me feel fierce and strong. Tiny. Sure. Fierce. Definitely. Don’t hate until you’ve tried it.

…I tweet. I blog. Because I love to share my love of all things sweaty. But I also blog and tweet for accountability. Sure. I love to sweat like nobody’s business. But even I need a little accountability now and then. I’ve been known to tweet my intentions the night before a workout just to make sure I don’t re-neg on it when the alarm blares at 4:55am (like it did yesterday morning…*yawn*).

…running still scares me. Or should I say – racing does. At least the first few minutes before the race starts and even into the first couple of miles. The runners around me throw shadows of doubt into my mind. But I think that’s why I continue to do it (hello third half marathon on Oct 23…I’m coming for you!). Because it (sometimes) scares me. Because it keeps me uncomfortable. Because I can. And I do. And I will. 

…I eat for fuel. (hello giant bowl of irish oats mixed with sauteed apples and peanut butter – I HEART you so!!). But not always. I wouldn’t classify m&ms or a bite or three of a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie that I made for my husband “fuel.” But I love chocolate. It makes me happy. Ditto (x1000) goes for wine. So I eat(or drink) it. I don’t fuel by it (though, the thought of a handful of m&ms mid-half marathon is just as good as a gu, right??). But I heart it so. It still has a place in my healthy and fit lifestyle. And it mostly certainly fits into my fit truths. Wine + chocolate = happy Jess. Happy Jess = balanced and healthy and fit Jess. 

…26.2 intrigues me. Fit. Truth.

…staying fit, active and healthy is effing hard work. As I sit here typing this post, my eyes are drooping ever so slightly. It’s been a long week of hard work. My body feels worked. I dig it. But don’t ever for a second believe that if you saw me walking down the street, that maintaining a healthy fit and active lifestyle is easy for me. It’s work. Every. Single. Day. But it’s worth it. Because I’m worth it.

…Fit.
…Truth.  

On practicing what I preach

Posted by Jess Sutera in barre n9ne, cardio, Core Fusion, fitness, perspective, running

Soooo…apparently I’m *really* good at doling out advice and chatting up words of wisdom with ya’ll but the real question is:

Do I practice what I preach??

I give myself a “hell yeah!” on that one, and here’s why…

…last week I talked about my love/hate relationship with the dreadmill. You all offered up some awesome advice — and made me feel much better about not being the only one who has a hard time staying on the treadmill longer than a couple of miles.

So guess what I did the very next morning? I faced that dreadmill vs. going for a run outdoors (which I totally could have done that morning, too). And I managed 6.4 miles in just about an hour. On the dreadmill.

Amazing, right? Wellll…kinda.

Two things that worked for me and got me over that 6.0 mile hump:
- I tweeted out my intentions the night prior. Holy motivation and accountability! Whenever I wanted to hop off the treadmill early the next morning, I thought back to that tweet and soldiered on. Call it pride. Call it stubborness. Call it accountability. Whatever. It totally kept me moving, no matter how much I wanted to call it quits early.

- I found a TV show on-demand that I hadn’t watched in awhile and figured it would keep me good and preoccupied for the hour. Totally worked. I got caught up in the storyline and it was enough distraction to keep me chugging along (that and once I got over the 3 mile hump, it somehow felt less painful as the miles started to tick by, oddly enough).  And believe it or not, the longer I stuck to the miles, the quicker my pace – by the end of that hour, I was running in the 7.0- 7.5 range, with a final kick of 8.5!

…I mentioned staying “there” in the final mile or two of each run, focusing on pushing hard, staying in the moment versus letting my mind wander. On Sunday, I put that one to the test as well. My legs were kind of unhappy with me after Saturday’s 8-miler so we went with an old familiar 4.5 mile loop of ours. It was a gorgeous Sunday morning, nice fall feel to the air, ideal for running. My legs got me through the first 4 miles and I was about ready to phone it in for that last .5 mile. But I thought of that post, and my husband’s advice to stay ‘there” and I focused as hard as I could that final half mile. ANd I pushed it. Wicked hahd. Kinda felt like I wanted to puke near the end. Mission: accomplished. 

So yeah…I ‘spose I do practice what I preach, huh? Who knew?! ;-)

And on that note, cheers to what I’m hoping will be a fantastic week, filled with awesome running weather, lots of barre n9ne and maybe, just maybe, a surprise visit to Core Fusion (more on this later).  A fun, fitness filled week…I’ll throw that on my “to enjoy” list for the week. How ’bout you? 

Quality time…with the dreadmill?

Posted by Jess Sutera in barre n9ne, fitness, intervals, running

Sooooo I’ve decided it’s time I find a way to befriend my dreadmill, for better or worse.

Especially as the fall/winter months arrive and I continue on my goal of focus - running + barre n9ne = best focused workout plan ever (not that I’m biased or anything…).

And not just through intervals – I learned from last winter’s interval work that I inadvertently overdid it on the interval training…my endurance for longer jaunts on the dreadmill (or outside) were seriously impacted. My body was no longer used to steady state running because well, I wasn’t doing enough of it over the cold winter months. At best I was running outside maybe once or twice (that’s a stretch) a week and spending the rest of my days on the dreadmill, keeping myself occupied with intervals, intervals, intervals.

Now, don’t get me wrong – intervals have a time and a place in my life. They’ve totally helped me increase my speed and stamina. I just need to find a way to balance interval work dreadmill-style with steady-state work, dreadmill-style. Because I *really* want to keep up my distance and endurance this winter, as best as I can anyway.

Therein lies the problem – longer runs on the dreadmill bore me to tears. Hence my SOS to ya’ll:

Help me figure out a way to spend quality time on the dreadmill when running outside (mostly during the week) isn’t as feasible (snow, ice, utter darkness at all times of day…*sob*).

I’d love to be able to rack up the miles a little bit less painfully this winter – usually anything more than 4-5 miles on the dreadmill and I’m ready to gauge my eyes out. The only thing that used to work was throwing an on-demand TV show that would last an hour and at least that would keep me distracted long enough to get through the workout. My only other thought was watching a movie – y’know, if I wanted to run more like 5-6 or so miles on the dreadmill, maybe a 90 minute movie would keep me preoccupied enough??

But then I think – doesn’t this go against that thing called focus with running?? Or do I throw that out the window when it comes to running on the dreadmill?

Ahhhh. What to doooooo.

As you can see…I need your help. Any and all ideas are MORE than welcome….the crazier, the better. ;-)  

Signed,
Your ever-grateful EatDrinkBreatheSweat Editor-in-Chief,  Jessica ;-)

Focus (the little things)

Posted by Jess Sutera in balance, barre n9ne, breathe, fitness, half marathon, running

One of the (many) things that barre n9ne has shown me is focus.

…focusing on form during class (core engaged, hips tucked up and under, eyes fixed on that mirror)

…focusing on less is more (running + barre is proof that “less is more” in the form of a focused workout regime just works.)

…focusing on moments. Moments in class when things just click. When that leg shake that happens at the barre is something I work for versus stopping just short of the shake.

But that focus on moments has also extended to running (I’ll get to that in a minute) and everyday “little things” that make an otherwise mundane day seem just a wee bit brighter.

Little things like the woman at Starbucks on Monday who stopped me in my haste to get out the door and on the road to say that my dress was awesome and where did I get it. Or the woman in the hall at work – a woman I’ve never spoken to in my life – who said that very same dress was great, so “classic.”  Or coming home after barre n9ne on Monday and on Tuesday to dinner on the table and a smiling husband ready to burst with the details of his first few days of new hire orientation. The smile on his face is seared in my brain. So proud.

Or today – running at dark o’clock, focusing (on moments):

…setting foot out the door in the dark, sort of dreading the run ahead. Which quickly changed as we got moving, in the near silence that surrounded us. The sounds of our feet on the pavement the only thing keeping us company. Blissfully quiet. 

…turning the corner down the hill and around the bend and spying a brilliant orange and pink sunrise just peeking up over the horizon. Seeing the way those colors bounced off the glass-like water like a mirror. Worth the 5am dark wake-up call to see that. So worth it. 

…watching and listening as the world stirred from slumber. At first, just the sounds of our feet and a few peepers chattering away. And then, the birds start to chirp, a couple of cars start up in driveways as we pass by. A biker whizzes by. Awake.

…feeling my legs, back, core, arms all very sore from barre n9ne but in the best possible way. Proud that that sore body was carrying me through a fast-paced run, faster than I expected us to go. Envisioning that finish line again coming up on Oct 24. Ready.

…and remembering, out of the blue, my old running mantra from way back when I first started to run… “start strong, just finish.” And thinking that that phrase doesn’t fit anymore. Instead – “Start strong, enjoy the journey…the finish is worth it.” Suits me so much better today.

All of this, these thoughts on focus, on moments, on little things. I would have simply whipped through my morning without a second thought. But just having that focused mindset, and all of this came to me during our run today. All because I focused. On moments. On little things.

Imagine if we all did that more often. Every single day. No more rushing through the day. Missing out on moments. Give it a try. I bet you’ll be as surprised as me what focus can open your eyes to. 

Plotting and planning

Posted by Jess Sutera in barre n9ne, challenge, conditioning, fitness, half marathon, Newburyport Half Marathon, running

So apparently a ‘staycation’ in my book involves lots and lots of “things” and not very much down time.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done my fair share of lounging this week too – this picture is proof of that:

But it’s also given me plenty of time to sit back and ponder, plot and plan.

There’s been lots of cleaning, organizing (buh-bye FIVE bags of clothes to goodwill from my closet and Scott’s combined) and prepping. For Scott’s new job that starts on Monday (YAY!!!) and for my return to work with a renewed and refreshed focus (I hope!) and getting back to what I love – barre n9ne and running. While I have definitely fit in some great workouts this week, it’s been more of what I’d call an “active recovery” week – a term I use loosely, haha.;-)

So what have I been plotting and planning? Well – what’s front and center in my mind is the next half marathon (that I have yet to officially register for but I will be doing so on Monday – Scott challenged me to “wait and be patient” and to register on Monday so I’m trying very hard to obey, not something I’m used to doing, waaaay too stubborn for my own good!).

The big question for me – how how do I want to train or continue to train for the Green Stride race in October?

What it comes down to is this. I’m pretty well trained now and simply want to keep my legs happy and conditioned for the two months. Yes, that means training, but I use that term “training” rather loosely this time (there’s that phrase again!).

For one – it’s getting darker in the AM and with Scott’s new schedule, we’ll be running around 5am in the morning which means a largely dark AM run from now on (*sniff!* summer please don’t leave me!!). And given what time he’s got to be out the door, our weekday runs will be limited to the 4-5ish mile range for the most part.

So what I’m thinking is this:
- For the next few weeks, we’ll do 2-3 runs during the week in the 4-5 mile range with a “longer” run on Saturday in the 6-7ish mile range.
- From there, we’ll continue our fairly shorter weekday running but turn that longer run on Saturday into progressively longer runs – mainly in the 8′s or so until about a month before the race.
- Pause for our return to wine country in mid-September (wine country three-peat baby!!) where any running we fit in will be short, very short.
- Upon our return, kick it up a notch – get back into the double-digits for our long runs
- And before we know it, race day will be here.

See? Doesn’t that seem nice and loose and kinda fun?? Especially since I’ll still be embracing my love of barre n9ne throughout (I *am* a barre n9ne spokesmodel afterall, haha). I’m thinking the next two months are going to be just as fit and fun and balanced as the last two. (I say “balanced” because I’m pretty sure those 2 rest days a week will still be part of the equation this fall…who am I???).

So yeah, that’s where my brain has been wandering in between bouts of relaxation and fun this past week. And with that…I’m ready to live the sh*t out of the rest of this week and weekend, starting with some sushi and wine tonight with my love. *cheers!!*

Two days later, ruminations…

Posted by Jess Sutera in 60 day transformation, barre n9ne, challenge, DOMS, fitness, half marathon, runner's high, YuKanRun Half Marathon

Two days, post-PR and my brain is whirring away over here. 

…did I really PR that half marathon, to the tune of 13 minutes faster than the last half?? Holy sh*t I did.

…ouch. Perhaps back-to-back barre n9ne classes last night wasn’t my best idea yet, but it *did* honest-to-God loosen my legs up last night (a certain Heather would laugh but know exactly what I’m talking about here…). Today? Two days later – I hurt everywhere. I’ve always been a two-day-later DOMS kinda girl, so I don’t know why I’m surprised by today’s extra big ouchies. Thank god for rest days (and staycations that involve a mani/pedi date with my sis later today!).

…what’s next, what’s next, what’s next? Just two days later and I’m already wondering what my next challenge can/should be.

…there is one challenge coming up that my sister is concocting (more details on her blog soon!) that I’m especially excited about. But after that? I’m itching for more. Yes, I’m Type-A, thanks for asking.

…but what else lies ahead for me? More barre n9ne epiphanies and learnings while watching and mentoring the 60-day challengers conquer their own 60 days? Yup, you betcha. More runner’s highs and maybe more running milestones? I think so, too. But what else? Hmm…

…two days later, mind whirs on (and dreams on, and on, and on)…

(and I really hope I’m not alone in this “what’s next” vibe after completing a challenge or reaching a goal…or am I??)

Defining “healthy”

Posted by Jess Sutera in fitblog, fitness, healthy eating, perspective

A couple of weeks ago, Fitblog chats held a twitter chat session that involved the question: How do you define ‘healthy’? Of course, I always end up missing out on the fitblog chat fun each week (I blame it on my barre n9ne addiction, ha!), but this question in particular got me thinking.

How do I define ‘healthy’?

Especially in light of my recent post on imperfection, I thought it was time to really sit back and think about what my definition of healthy is and how I try to live that philosophy every day.

So here goes.

Healthy is…

…excitedly opening up this week’s farm share goodies. Seeing purple carrots, (more) beets (I know what I’m putting on my salad today!), swiss chard and fresh, still-on-the-stock garlic waiting for me. Joy. 

…happy. Happily enjoying my favorite breakfast lately – a sandwich thin toasted with all natural peanut butter and sliced banana on top. With a side of iced coffee. Perfection.

…knowing when a splurge is worth it. For a special treat now and then, to fulfill a craving, etc., and how to work it into my eats for the day without overdoing it. (a lobster roll at our favorite seafood shack in Maine comes to mind…) And not feeling guilty over the treat, but enjoying and savoring every single bite. That’s healthy in my book.

…a community. Each of you have taught me so much about being healthy, have opened my eyes up to new ways of thinking, and have been a gigantic support system for me. That is the beauty of healthy living for me – the community of support, from bloggers to friends, to family, to my husband. Healthy is unifying.

…exercising and truly loving it. Not dreading every single step from the parking lot to the gym, or the living room to the front door for an outdoor run. Working out is so tightly woven into who I am, it makes me feel alive and energized and strong. It makes me, “me.”  It’s about finding sweatastic workouts that YOU love, not relying on someone else’s definition of what a “good” workout looks like. If you love to run, run. If you don’t love to run, don’t. Find what works for you. You’ll naturally stick with it if you love it.

…balanced. Balance means so many things to me, but it mostly means learning to weigh the hard work I put into my workouts and healthy eating, with enjoying the things that I love that might not quite fit the typical definition of healthy – but it fits my definition. Like wine. <3 Or a dove chocolate. <3 Or a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie right out of the oven. <3 Or our famous Sutera pizza (that we will be thoroughly enjoying next Saturday the night before the half marathon!). <3

…a lifestyle. Like I’ve said before, living healthfully doesn’t have a start and end date, it’s a lifestyle. But that lifestyle doesn’t equate to deprivation. Nope. That was the “me” I tried to be years ago – the one that would try Atkins diets or Weight Watchers points counting, or any other fad diet I could find that I thought would magically make me “healthy” (and by healthy, I mean skinny, something I thought I wanted to be back then). But guess what? There is no magic potion to being healthy. There isn’t just one “thing” that makes for a healthy lifestyle – it’s a combination of things: balanced, nutritious, wholesome foods; a workout schedule you love and can’t help but coming back to everyday; and a healthy body image, where embracing your (perceived) flaws (hello, crooked nose!) is most certainly part of the equation.

All told, healthy isn’t always easy, it takes dedication, but it’s so worth it. Healthy is who I am. 

So now the burning question(s) — does my definition of ‘healthy’ jive with yours? Did I miss anything (I’m sure that I did)? And ps if anyone knows a good way to use kohlrabi, I’m all ears…we now have three of them sitting in our fridge from our farm share, no idea how to use it, but dying to try it! ;-)

 

11, my new favorite number?

Posted by Jess Sutera in confidence, fitness, half marathon, runner's high, running

11 miles. All done. 

11 incheslost (and counting, I hope!). 

Yup, I’m pretty sure 11 is now my new favorite number. Kicking lucky #3 to the curb (a favorite because it signifies being a triplet!). 

Another thing I’m pretty sure of? That I’ll be ambling around like a zombie for the better part of the day. Wow. 11 miles zapped every last bit of energy out of me. Even after a nice long, hot shower and a fueling breakfast (scrambled eggs and a bagel thin with peanut butter, mm), I’m still sort of out of it.

But today’s run was so worth it. It gives me full confidence that I can run all 13.1 of those miles on August 14 and will walk away from that race having ran a race I’m proud of. My #1 goal in all of this.

To finish what I started. And to run proud. 

And I have to say – I felt really good for the vast majority of our run. I made sure to stay hydrated (thanks again to the hubs for wearing the hydration belt!) and took a blox around the halfway point (which really helped). It wasn’t until about mile 8 or 9 that my knees started to yell at me. I remember this distinctly from the last half marathon training – my knees are definitely MUCH happier at the 7-8 mile distance, once I start going longer, they get a little cranky. Nothing some extra stretching and ice won’t cure. But after the knees starting acting up, it was distracting – but I’m happy to say I chugged along and even surprised my husband by going the final loop to make the full 11 miles (he was thinking we’d cut it to 10.5 since my knees were bugging me)!

Even more surprising? When I looked down at my watch at the finish line, it read 1:55:06. That’s pretty fast for me. And it made me SO happy to see. I was thinking we’d hit about 2:00 or so, but coming in under that felt like such an accomplishment! I’m still not talking PR or any race day time goals, but I am pleased with that number, I’ll at least say that. ;-)

With just 16 days until the big day, I am loving how I’m feeling right now. Confident, strong, ready to kill all 13.1. Can I get a hell yeah??

“No love, no friendship can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever.”

Posted by Jess Sutera in 60 day transformation, barre, barre n9ne, blogging, challenge, fitness, journey, motivation

“No love, no friendship can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever.”

This is exactly how I’d capture the barre n9ne 60-day challenge – and meeting Tanya – in a nutshell. It (and she!) has left an indelible mark on my life, on my sister’s life and continues to leave a mark today. Something I am eternally grateful for.

I’ve been wanting to share the “what’s next” in this barre n9ne journey and am finally ready to share…at least *some* of what’s to come.

For me, what’s been truly awesome about this challenge wasn’t so much about the physical changes to my body (which I’ve loved, don’t get me wrong), but the mental strength I’ve found and, maybe even more so – that this challenge gave me a chance to inspire those around me.

I know, I know… isn’t that what this blog is for?

And it is…but the blog has been more of a way to virtually reach people who are like me and love to work-out and stay fit and/or those that are trying to get and stay fit. And I’ve loved the outlet that my blog has been for me to channel that passion. But what the barre n9ne challenge gave me was an opportunity to both challenge myself and share those challenges on the blog, but it also gave me a chance to meet some awesome people through the challenge – at the studio (hello Tanya – rockstar!;  Julianna – fantastic instructor and all around good person), during class, on twitter and through blogging.  It’s been an outlet for me to find “me” – and the “me” I can identify with in others.

I’ve loved that the challenge became this new outlet for me – a way to share my passion, to hopefully inspire others to seek out new challenges and goals, and even a way to fill a whole that teaching Group Kick left once I stopped teaching last winter. And that’s sort of where the next phase of this experience is leading me. Tanya is kicking off the next 60-day challenge on August 1st – where she’s opening the challenge up to anyone and everyone who wants to transform their bodies (and transform it, they will!).

And who better to lead and mentor the next round of barre n9ne challengers through the next 60 days but the original barre n9ne 60-day challenges themselves – my sister and I!

I LOVE this next phase of the challenge – everything about it:

…watching the group of challengers get excited (and a little bit scared!) about what the next 60 days holds for each of them.

…hearing about their goals and what they hope to get out of the experience.

…sharing more about how this challenge has changed me indefinitely and passing along any learnings I gathered from my own 60-day journey.

…and encouraging each of them every single day of the next 60 days of their own transformations.

And why not kick things off in high style at a fabulous 60-day challenge launch party?? Yes, a launch party – complete with a demo class, a Q&A with yours truly (and my sis!), and lots of time to talk to the other challengers and potential challengers who attend the party to see what this 60-day challenge is really all about. It’s happening next Sunday afternoon at the barre n9ne studio and I think it’s going to be a blast.  <–if you’re in the area, seriously stop by, it’s going to be a TON of fun, I promise!

But seriously, I’m just so thrilled to finally have that outlet (beyond the blog) to inspire and motivate others to live their best life right now. And that’s truly what this challenge has taught me – how to live my best life. Every single day. And I cannot wait to experience the next 60 days with each of the barre n9ne challenges. I promise you ladies, it will be life-changing. Utterly and truly. Let’s kill it together, shall we?? ;-)

Like I said, “No love, no friendship can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever”…and I hope this 60-day challenge leaves an eternal mark on each of you. In the best possible way. 

Can’t. Stop. Sweating.

Posted by Jess Sutera in confidence, fitness, half marathon, runner's high, running, sweat, YuKanRun Half Marathon

Can’t.
Stop.
Sweating.

And I knew it the second I stepped outside that this would be the end-result.
Total sweatfest.

I guess that’s what happens when your long run ends up being on the hottest day the Boston area has seen in ten years. Hottest – and also the most humid. I swear it was like running through soup, humidity felt like it was at 100%.

So I guess you’re all wondering  – “did she make it all 10 miles?”
The answer is no.

And I’m totally fine with the 7 miles we put in this morning. Which is a transition for me. I’d normally sit around beating myself up after for not doing the workout “as planned.” But smarts kicked in for a change (doesn’t always happen!) and I knew it would be safer to cut it short than to push it out another 3 miles. It was just too muggy, too hard to breathe and honestly? I wanted to finish this run and feel proud of it – that I pushed it, but not so much so that I’d feel downright sick afterwards. Score one for me?

Speaking of transitions — I got to thinking about my training last summer versus this summer. And how I felt, how I trained, how I reacted in certain situations.

I am pretty sure one of three things would have happened if this was the “me” from last summer:
…I would have taken one look at the forecast and canceled the run outright; or
…I would have attempted to run but given up about 2 miles in; or
…I would have attempted the run but felt panicky and nervous about how I’d feel during such a tough weather run that it would end up being the worst run ever.  

But the “me” today tackle the run today entirely differently:
…I woke up and bounded out of bed, excited that today was our long run day.
…I set foot outside and knew the muggies were pretty bad and wasn’t afraid. I set my mind to running this long run, and running it well.
…I kept my pace up and made sure to hydrate throughout (thanks to Scott for once again being the iFitness hydration belt wearer!).
…and finished the 7 miles strong, a dash through the sprinklers and with a huge smile on my face. Proud of what I accomplished. Not frustrated that we didn’t do what we “planned” to do mileage wise.

This is a transition that I’m really proud to share. I think it shows growth, maturity, strength in how I’ve evolved as a runner. And it gives me even more confidence in my abilities leading into August 14 and the YuKanRun Half Marathon.

I got this. I know I do. :-)