Fill up to Spill out

  Happy April ... just a few days late, as I decided to start April with getting really sick.  I RARELY get sick, or at least not sick enough to miss a day or 2 of work, so when I do, it is always a good reminder for how much I APPRECIATE my body when it feels GOOD.  I am used to having energy and working out daily.   What a GIFT it is to be able to take care of my body!   In the last couple of weeks, I've been reminded, not only in my own sickness, but in other ways, WHY I do the things I do to stay healthy.  I want to AGE WELL!!  Last week, so many of my patients ages 40 on up kept telling me how horrible it was to get older.  When, I told them, "well, it beats the alternative... as in being 6 feet under," they laughed and said it might be better to be dead than alive.  Their aches and pains, fatigue, weight gain, and more made them wish their life was over, instead of just beginning another season.  How sad it that?!?!   As a family nurse practitioner, I am reminded ev

 It's March and time to Spring into Summer!  New month, new season, NEW GOALS!  Since I am done with my marathon training cycle and don't have another big race until December, it is time to focus more on strength training and nutrition in order to gain muscle and get leaner and fitter.  Marathon training is really hard on the body, as in physically and mentally stressful.  So, it's always a good idea to switch gears for a while after coming off a marathon training cycle.  Spring and summer are the perfect time to focus more on strength training, nutrition, and weight loss (if desired), and I AM READY!   Next week, I will be doing the new 3 month BODi program called Dig Deeper with Shaun T.  It is already getting rave reviews from people in my community, and has the power to truly change your body composition if you put in the work.  These are longer workouts (close to an hour), so I will definitely have to start waking up at 4:30am again in order to get it done before work,

  Yesterday was a tough one.  I ran my 6th full marathon, and it ended up being my longest, hardest, hottest race to date.  What's funny is that I had hesitated to sign up for Cowtown as I worried about it being too cold as this is a week in Texas that has been known to be icy and snowy with freezing temperatures.  This year, it was the opposite.  We were issued a heat advisory the day before the race with temperatures predicted to be in the 80's at the finish line.  And the heat and hills definitely got to me and others racing the marathon and the ultra.  A lot of runners finished an hour past their predicted time.  I was one of them.   I won't take you through every mile, but instead I will focus on the highlights and some lessons learned.   Highlights... 1. Getting to meet up with a couple of friends in my running and BODi community that I mostly know online... Crystal who I met in person for the first time last summer, and Kary who I connected with in the last several m

Next week is Valentine's Day, but instead of talking about the people in our lives that we love, let's talk about FALLING IN LOVE with RUNNING and FITNESS.  Did you know that the best way to LOVE yourself (and others!) is by taking care of your HEALTH?!  And when it comes to being the healthiest version of yourself, it's ALL about fueling your body with foods that BLESS your body, moving your body every single day in a way that makes you feel STRONG and ENERGIZED, finding an activity/sport that you LOVE, and working on your MINDSET.  Getting healthy starts in our MINDS.   We have to fall in love with the process of taking care of our bodies!  Because this is not a short-term goal, a way to lose weight and then stop doing it.  This is a lifestyle.  And we only get one life and one body, and even though some days or years feel long, life is actually pretty short.  And don't you want to FEEL good and have lots of fun and adventures in this ONE life you get?  I know I do!

  Happy February , the month for LOVE, right?!  It's fun to celebrate those we love by gifting them flowers, chocolate, and enjoying a fancy meal, whether it's with a significant other, our kids, or our galentines.  My husband, our girls, and I have always celebrated Valentine's Day at home with seafood/steak, wine, and chocolate covered strawberries.  Simple, but special.   February is also a month I like to focus on SELF CARE!  It is actually one of my least favorite months of the year, because it is often COLD, brown, and dreary.  As someone who thrives in sunshine and warm weather, I tend to get depressed if I don't have something to focus on, which is why I often run a marathon in January or February.  It forces me to get outside and run and train and show up even when I don't feel like it.  In addition to training for a race, I also try to focus on other things that FILL MY CUP like my early morning routine, reading and listening to books and podcasts, getti

 If you had to pick one... what motivates you to keep going?  Is it failure, success, or inspiration/encouragement?   Does failing at something make you want to try again?  When you receive criticism, do you want to work harder?   Or is success and achievement what motivates you to keep going?  When you do well at something, does it light a fire in you to do it again, but even better?   Or is it neither failure or success, but maybe encouragement from someone, a like or a nice comment, or just feeling inspired by others around you to dream big and keep growing that motivates you to keep going even when it's hard and your goal or dream feels so far away?   I've been thinking a lot about this as I have always been someone with goals and aspirations.  But most things I have chosen to do haven't came naturally for me.  I have fallen and failed A LOT.  I have wanted to quit, and sometimes I did for a while, but something or someone eventually told me to keep going.  But what was