I want a perfect body, I want a perfect soul.
“You pretended the snooze button didn’t exist. You dragged your butt out of bed while others slept. While others ate their pancakes you had a feast of protein, glucose and electrolytes. You double-knotted. You left the porch light on and locked the door behind you. You ran. 5ks, 10ks, 26.2 miles. Some days more, some days less. You rewarded a long run with a short run. And a short run with a long run. Rain tried to slow you. Sun tried to microwave you. Snow made you feel like a warrior. You cramped. You bonked. You paid no mind to comfort. On weekends. On holidays. You made excuses to keep going. Questioned yourself. Played mind games. Put your heart before your knees. Listened to your breathing. Sweat sunscreen into your eyes. Worked on your farmers tan. You hit the wall. You went through it. You decided to be a man about it. You decided to be a woman about it. Finished what you started. Proved what you were made of. Just kept putting mile after mile on your internal odometer.”
—Nike Ad
May 2011
45 posts
So halfway through my run, i stop to do abs in this little inlet in the sidewalk, it turns into a gravel trail. I saw a motorcycle sitting there but I ignored it and carried on. after 5 minutes, a truck pulls up and three guys jump out and scare the living daylights out of me. They had come to get the bike. -___- scared me so bad.
I ran home, and found 5 dollar on the ground. so I guess it makes up for it
Went to the Cross Country meeting at my school today
everyday during summer starting June 13th at 5:30 conditioning starts.
ready to die.
The Skinny: Top 25 Fitness Motivational Quotes
Top 25 Fitness Motivational Quotes
1. Strive for progress, not perfection. -Unknown
2. You want me to do something… tell me I can’t do it. -Maya Angelou
3. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. -Wayne Gretzky
4. If you don’t make mistakes, you aren’t really trying. -Unknown
5. You live longer once you realize that any time spent being unhappy is wasted. -Ruth E. Renkl
6. Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. -Mahatma Gandhi
7. Motivation will almost always beat mere talent. -Norman R. Augustine
8. I’d rather be a failure at something I enjoy than a success at something I hate. -George Burns
9. Energy and persistence conquer all things. -Benjamin Franklin
10. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
11. No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted. -Aesop
12. Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. -Albert Einstein
13. Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. -Lou Holtz
14. Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. -Jim Ryan
15. I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. -Michael Jordan
16. Fear is what stops you… courages is what keeps you going. -Unknown
17. The finish line is just the beginning of a whole new race. -Unknown
18. The difference between a goal and a dream is a deadline. -Steve Smith
19. Just do it.™ -Nike
20. In seeking happiness for others, you find it for yourself. -Anonymous
21. The secret of getting ahead is getting started. -Mark Twain
22. It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not. -Anonymous
23. Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity. -Oprah Winfrey
24. It’s never too late to become what you might have been. -George Elliot
25. Clear your mind of can’t. -Samuel Johnson
long run today
fingers crossed
Getting Fit: 9 Exercises That Boost Your Metabolism You Can Do at Home
Here are 9 great exercises you can do right in the comfort of your own home that will burn a tone of calories and maintain good strong muscles and boost your metabolism even when you’re not working out:
1. Bodyweight Squats - Stand with feet shoulder width apart squat down like you’re sitting back into a chair, drive your heels into the floor a return to the starting position. Try 10 reps to start working up to 20, and then 30.
2. Y-Squat - Same as above, with your arms up and out to your sides to make your arms and body resemble a “Y” shape. Try 10 reps, working up to 20 and then 30 reps.
3. Squat jumps - Starting in the same position as above, squat down as if you’re sitting back into a chair and then jump up from this bottom squat position. When you land from the jump sit right back down into this squatting position and repeat. Try 8 reps to start, working up to 12, 15 then 20.
4. Lunges - Standing with feet shoulder width apart talk a long step forward with your right foot lunge down touching your left knee to the ground. Drive your right heel into the ground and push yourself back to the starting position and switch legs. Try 10 reps per leg to start, working up to 15 then 20.
5. Reverse Lunges - Standing with feet shoulder width apart talk a long step backwards with your right foot, touch your right toes to the ground lunging backward touching your right knee to the ground. Drive your left heel into the ground and step back forward with your right foot, then switch legs. Try 8 reps to start working up to 15 then 20.
6. Push-Ups - Lying flat on the ground face down. On your toes and hands push yourself off the ground. If toes and hands is too difficult, start with knees and hands. Try 8 reps to start, working up to 12, 15 then 20. (once you can do more than 20 on your knees and hands, start trying to do some on your feet and hands)
7. Push-Up/Stick-Up - Do a push up the same as above, now in between each push up stand up and raise your arms above your head (like your being held up at gun point…this is why they call it a ‘stick up’) and then get right back down and do your next push up. Continue doing each repetition like this. Try 8 to start, working up to 12 and then 15.
8. Step-Ups - Go to a set of stairs and step up to the second stair with your right foot. Step back down and then switch feet. Continue alternating feet until you’ve stepped up 20 times with each foot.
9. Bridge - Get into a traditional push up position on your hands and feet keeping your body rigid and hold for 30 seconds. As you get better at these work up to 45 and then 60 seconds.
Start by working through one set of all of these exercises. As you get better at them you can progress to adding another set of each, or choose which exercises you like to add more sets. Take 30-60 seconds rest between each exercise.
1. Bodyweight Squats - Stand with feet shoulder width apart squat down like you’re…
If you’re looking to shed those last 10-20lbs, you need to increase the intensity of your workouts. I don’t want to see you carrying a conversation on with some good looking guy or girl next to you on the elliptical. I want you breathless, heart pumping, working around 85% of your MHR. Then cut the booze, processed foods, reduce sodium to 1500mg a day & up your water intake to 80oz. Voila - skinny jeans.
-Jillian Michaels.
This weekend
I’ve found that when I drink, I don’t eat as much and for some reason every time I eat I weigh less in the morning. This could be a really common thing but it’s just something i’ve noticed. My brother comes home tomorrow and my training for cross country starts, by the end of summer I will be running 20 miles a week. I’m ready to die.
So this dumbass decided to run without shoes on the treadmill,
ow. now my toes feel burned, lovely.
Motivation
I see the boy I’ve fallen head over heels for in 41 days. We’ve discussed and compared workouts for the past 6 months since i last saw him. At camp he wants to go running/workout together. I will NOT look like a weakling in front of him. I WILL keep up, I WILL win him over.
The 51 Fastest Fat Burners
1. Catch the running bug. You’ll continue to burn fat after your jog: People who run for at least four hours a week melt more calories than non-runners, even when they’re not running, a Yale University School of Medicine study reports.
2. Crank it up early. Working out harder during the first half of your workout and taking it easier during the second burns up to 23 percent more fat than doing the opposite, according to a study from The College of New Jersey.
3 & 4. Go hard — and make it quick. Staying at 80 percent of your max heart rate for 40 minutes can amp your metabolism for 19 hours afterward, research published in Obesity notes. And doing a shorter workout at 75 percent of your max aerobic capacity will give you a greater metabolic boost than sweating longer at 50 percent, a Colorado State University reveals.
5 to 7. Lift dumbbells … slowly. More muscle equals mega metabolism boost. Strength training can help you trim major fat, research reveals — and doing super-slow (versus normal speed) reps increases strength by 50 percent.
Plus, using dumbbells activates more muscle fibers than using machines, explains Gregory Haff, Ph.D., an associate professor in the exercise physiology department at West Virginia University.
8. Speed up, slow down. Alternating bouts of high-intensity and low-intensity cardio has been shown to torch pounds.
9. Put on weight (literally). Wearing a weighted vest (about 10 percent of your body weight) while walking can boost your calorie burn by 8 percent.
10. Download Rihanna, not Brahms. Listening to up-tempo songs actually makes you run faster and harder than listening to slower-paced music, British scientists say.
11. Let kettlebells ring. Not only does working out with kettlebells build muscle, but doing it for 20 minutes burns as many calories as running at a 6-minute-mile pace for the same amount of time.
12. Keep it up. As few as 80 minutes a week of aerobic or weight training helps keep you from regaining belly fat after losing weight, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
13. Add poles. Use Nordic poles while you walk, and you’ll burn 20 percent more calories, says research from The Cooper Institute in Dallas.
14 & 15. Lift first, nix the rest. Doing strength training before cardio can torch more fat than cardio alone. And if you do one move after another without pausing, “you’ll see more gains in strength and muscle mass,” says Dr. Pierre Manfroy, M.D., consultant for the book “100 Ways to Supercharge Your Metabolism.”
16. Add pounds. Lift heavier weights for fewer reps to make your workout more intense — and burn more fat — Manfroy says.
17. Try aromatherapy. Exercisers who inhaled strawberry and buttered-popcorn scents torched more calories than those who sniffed neutral odors, according to research from the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.
18. Box yourself in. Wii boxing knocks out nearly twice as many calories as some other games, like Wii golf.
19. Kick it. Playing soccer not only torches more fat and builds more muscle than jogging, but it feels less tiring, Danish research reveals.
20. Stay in shape. Fit people have more fat-burning metabolites in their blood than couch potatoes do, scientists say.
IN THE KITCHEN
22. Get more protein. Eating a protein-packed breakfast and lunch helps you burn more post-meal fat than if you eat lower-protein meals, according to Australian research.
23 & 24. Guzzle green tea — or coffee. Downing five 5-ounce cups of green tea a day boosts metabolism, says Lyssie Lakatos, R.D., author of “Fire Up Your Metabolism.” Two cups of coffee will also do the trick, one study shows.
25. Have an omelet. Eating two eggs for breakfast while dieting will help you trim more weight and body fat than if you ate the same amount of calories noshing on a bagel, scientists say.
26. Stay above 1,200 calories… ”The average person’s body goes into starvation mode if she eats fewer than 1,200 calories a day,” says Eric Berg, author of “The 7 Principles of Fat Burning.” “That’s stress, and stress creates more belly fat.”
27. … and cut calories gradually. If you diet, don’t trim more than 250 calories a day. Cutting calories too quickly slows your metabolism down, Dr. Manfroy says.
28 to 33. Munch on these. Almonds, cherries, yogurt, grapefruit, whole grains, and spicy foods have all been shown to torch fat.
34. Fuel up right. Eating a low-glycemic-index breakfast (such as muesli and peaches) will help you burn more fat during a subsequent workout than eating a high-glycemic-index meal (like waffles), researchers from the University of Nottingham reveal.
35. Think before you drink. Sipping as few as 90 calories’ worth of vodka can slow your metabolism by 73 percent, one study shows.
36. Graze. Women who go without eating for long periods are more likely to have higher body-fat percentages than women who nosh more regularly, one study notes.
37. Dine like a Greek. Eating a diet rich in monounsaturated fat (think olive oil, avocados) can help trim both weight and fat, research published in the British Journal of Nutrition shows.
38. Stop gorging. Your body can only handle so much food at a time, so stick to 600 calories or less per meal to maximize fat-burning, says Leslie Cooper, co-author of “Flip the Switch: Proven Strategies to Fuel Your Metabolism and Burn Fat 24 Hours a Day.”
39. Skip juice. Reaching for an apple instead of apple juice is not only better calorie-wise, but it’ll also do a better job of boosting your metabolism, Dr. Manfroy explains.
IN YOUR LIFE
41 & 42. Get C and D. Vitamin C can help you burn more fat, and D may help you lose fat, research notes. Aim for 400 to 500 mg of C and 800 mg of D a day.
43 & 44. Walk more (in denim). Researchers found that fitness-friendly offices (think treadmill desks, mobile headsets) helped people trim pounds and fat, as did wearing jeans to work, since dressing casual encourages you to move more. Wear comfy clothes when you can, pace while on the phone, and stand while chatting with co-workers.
45. Add fish oil (And work out). Taking 6 grams of fish oil per day and hitting the gym three times a week can help nix body fat, an Australian study reveals.
46. Work the day shift. Keeping nontraditional hours lowers levels of hormones that trigger satiety, increases blood glucose and insulin levels, and raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol (which can drive you to eat more), scientists say.
47. Nix the boob tube. Cut your TV time in half, and you’ll burn more calories each day, research from the University of Vermont suggests.
48. Go mental. People who visualized themselves training a specific muscle boosted the strength in that muscle group, researchers found.
49. Eat a smaller dinner. Your body may not digest food — and burn fat — as efficiently if you down a huge meal right before bedtime, especially because your metabolism is slower while you sleep, Dr. Manfroy says.
50. Jump-start your morning. Wake up your metabolism — and get fat-burning started — by doing some sort of exercise within the first few hours of being awake, Cooper suggests.
51. Get your snooze on. Sleep for a solid 81D 2 hours instead of 51D 2, according to research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, and you’ll lose more fat. Sweet dreams!
Fitness goals for this summer
- to run 20 miles a week
- to run 3 miles under 25 minutes
- to run a mile in below 8 minutes
- to be at least 140 by the beginning of next school year
- to be able to rock a swim suit by the last week of summer
- Be ready to join cross country in the fall
When I step off that bus June 19th,
I don’t want you to recognize me. I want you to marvel at my collar bones and be happy that I’m able to reach goals just like you are. I want us to be able to go running together in the mornings before breakfast and me be able to keep up.
I’m doing this for me. I’m doing this for you. I’m doing this for us.
