Hiking in Umstead

I spent the weekend in Raleigh, NC where I used to live, catching up with friends.  It was so nice to see everyone and relax.  I cant go to Raleigh without hiking in my favorite park, Umstead State Park. Located right in Raleigh, its soooo beautiful and you'd never guess you were just a couple miles from a bustling downtown.  This park is immaculate and so peaceful, I love it!! 

I went on an 11 mile hike through the park (I had thought it would only be 8 miles, but I really underestimated!!). It started thundering and was getting dark, my cell phone was running super low on battery, but I made it back to my car just fine. My knee was pretty good. Just started bothering me towards the end but nothing too bad. 

It gives me hope for some half marathons this fall.  Maybe I'll try to find some to run on trails instead of pavement?! If you are ever in the triangle area, I highly recommend visiting Umstead. You'll be so glad you did!

Beach time! :)

We spent last week at the beach in South Nags Head, NC. It was such a great time with my boyfriend's family.  I kept up my running pretty well and even took my kettlebells out to the beach for some core work.  Thats probably what I like best about them.  Just take a 20lb KB out to the beach and do some swings, windmills, lunges, cleans, deadlifts, russian twists and one of my favorites, the crunch-to-situp.  

Why trainers want trainers

"You have a personal trainer? But YOU are a personal trainer!" I heard that a lot this past spring.  As a personal trainer we are obviously qualified to train and we are without a doubt interested in the field of fitness and have a plethora of experience. So why would we pay money to have a personal trainer? Why don't we just use our own brains?

Well, we do! All the time! For all of our clients, for our friends, for our families, on our blogs, we are constantly applying the education and experience we have gained.  Sometimes, just like you, we want to relax and not have to think. We want to get our own workouts in and would like someone else to come up with it for once :)

I had the chance to train with one of my coworkers, Chad Jackson at ACAC this past spring. I knew he came from a body building background and was interested in what he would come up with to help with my goals. As I have mentioned in previous posts, my focus in the winter was strengthening my glutes and core to help with my running so I wouldn't have any issues with my knee.  That plan was wildly successful until the day before my half marathon in April.  Aside from that weekend, however, I felt very strong and biomechanically correct while running. I think it really did make a difference in everything else I did, from walking around the gym, playing sports (I play volleyball on Monday nights and softball on Thursday nights), teaching classes, and my running workouts.

It was very motivating having these appointments with Chad to look forward to and know I was going to get a great workout that was a different style and variety than I would do myself.

Sample workout:

Cardio Warm Up
Foam rolling of hamstrings, glutes, calves, and quads

Legs:
Good Mornings
Straight Leg Deadlifts
Lunges
Offset Plie Squats
Hip Thursters
Leg Extensions
Leg Curls

Abs:
Bosu crunches with medicine ball, switch hands
side planks, feet on bosu
regular planks, feet on bosu
Russian twists with risers
V-ups with Medicine Ball

So just like everyone else, its nice to have someone else come up with our workouts and stay motivated for our own fitness goals.

I love summer!

 I love summer for so many different reasons, but one of my favorite things is getting to eat out of the garden! I have enjoyed having an actual garden that is productive this year. Usually I kill everything I try to plant which is so frustrating!! I love growing things but it seems I have a black thumb.  This year I guess mother nature took the initiative to rain every day so that my plants would finally stay alive for more than a month. I have been blessed with a few peppers and cherry tomatoes so far. Not bad for a tiny garden in the city!

Overachieving running buddy!

I went for a run with Georgia last weekend since my usual running buddy was out of town.  We ran down a trail by the river and since it was so warm, we stopped off so Georgia could cool off! I love that she is literally smiling in this picture!! Once she got wet we ran on a few more miles and turned around to come back to the car. When we got close to this same spot she ran right on into the water again, swimming around a bit. I guess she wanted to show me up and turn our workout into a biathlon!! She's such an overachiever! :) 

4th of July

Our Fourth of July was pretty low key due to the passing of a family member, but we did take some time to relax.  A little time at the pool, grilling fresh veggies and watching the fireworks from the top of Carter's Mountain Orchard was just right.  

Grilled veggies, grilled corn on the cob, and pasta salad with homemade basil pesto fresh from the garden!

He loves taking pictures with me!

A little pool time with Becca

Garden Fresh! :)

Photo update on my little garden! 

Lady bugs are said to be good luck and there's one on my basil plant!!

Who needs a garden nome when you have a cute yellow labrador to be the decoration?

Tuesday Trainer Tip!

I was featured on our ACAC Facebook page for the Tuesday Trainer Tip! Woohoo! 

When I saw it come out I had a momentary panic about "oh crap, what was it that I said? Did I sound like an idiot?"  I think it sounds pretty good though, gets the point across that you should be deliberate about what you are doing during the day.  We all need rest breaks, but its a break, not a habit. So make sure the majority of your time/effort/decisions are pointing you towards your goals! 

Tuesday Trainer Tip: Write out 3 great reasons to workout or what is motivating you. Ask yourself if what you are currently doing is helping to reach your goal. If not, get moving! ~Kathryn Tice