'Twas the Night Before a Big Race

If you know me or have been following my blogs for a while you may know that I have a penchant for bad poetry. I like playing with words, putting them together like a puzzle to tell a rhyming story. Someone once said to me, "Your poems are getting better." I laughed because my poems are supposed to be bad, that's the fun part. 

In the spirit of Christmas please enjoy my own runner's version of "Twas the Night Before Christmas."

'Twas the Night Before a Big Race - A runner's poem.

'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE A BIG RACE

Twas the night before a big race and all through the house
This runner’s not sleeping, so neither's her spouse. 

Compressions were laid by the front door with care
In hopes that fresh legs would magically appear. 

The runner was nestled all snug in her bed
While visions of PRs danced in her head. 

She slept in her race gear, with shoes on the floor
So with a quick morning dash she’s out the door.

Then from the alarm clock there rose such a clatter
She sprung from her bed, hoped the lost sleep won’t matter.

Away to the race, she flew like a flash
To the packet pick-up like she was running a dash. 

The moon was the only light at the start
But she looked at her wrist and it sunk her heart.

She forgot her GPS watch, this should be expected
She’d forget her own head if it wasn’t connected.

But what to her wondering eyes should appear
But her hubby waving and flailing her gear! 

He followed behind her so lively and quick
With watch in hand, he laid it on thick:

He whistled and shouted and called out her name
"You owe me big time," he loudly exclaimed!

With great relief and her watch in hand
She was ready to run this race as planned. 

She flexed and bent, the stretch felt so good
She was off at the gun sound as fast as she could. 

And as she was running, he flew to her side
Hubby huffing and puffing, was matching her stride. 

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
He’d run this race as her pacer, and he turned with a smirk

“I wanted to help you to not hit the wall!
To keep up with me, you’ll give it your all!”

As they ran through the course, along the streets,
They heard nothing but foot strikes and collective heart beats. 

They sprung through the finish in record time
Her PR achieved with her partner in crime. 

As the race was ending, with much delight,
The runners heard him exclaim as he ran out of sight...

"To all the walkers, the runners, and all the racers
In my heart, you are all age group placers!"

Merry Christmas, Friends! I hope you all have a happy holiday! 

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COACH LEA

ROLL THE DICE WORKOUT & A FITNESS DICE GIVEAWAY

Welcome to an exciting edition of workout Wednesday! Each week I share a new running or strength training for runners workout, but his week I am sharing a unique workout idea and am giving away these fun fitness dice that I found at the store Five Below. 

These are 12-sided foam dice with bodyweight exercises on each side. Set the timer for 20 minutes and start rolling. See how many exercises you can get in during that timeframe while maintaining proper form.

I am a big believer in workout programming, structure and progression, but there is nothing wrong with having a little fun with fitness once in awhile. While I wouldn't usually assign exercises at random, it's a fun way to shake things up. Exercise doesn't have to be boring.

If you don't have these dice at home you can enter to win one or create a workout use my dice chart below with regular dice. 

Roll the Dice Workout. Save to Pinterest for later.

Not everyone has these special fitness dice or access to buy them, so I transferred the exercises to the below chart so you can play with regular dice. 

Roll the Dice workout. Save to Pinterest for Later

Always progress or regress the exercises as necessary for your fitness level. For example, if jump squats or jump lunges are too advanced (or hard on your joints), then replace with regular squats and lunges. If 15 burpees are too many (that's a lot of burpees!) then do 10 or 5 instead. Exercise is not all-or-nothing. Do what you can. Always adjust to your own fitness level. It's not a good idea to blindly follow workouts on the internet (or on fitness dice). Know your limits. Push yourself but use common sense. Deal? Deal. 

Download a printable version of this workout or save to Pinterest for later.

Do you want to win a foam fitness dice? It's easy. It only takes one entry to win. Follow me on social media or share this post for additional entries. You must claim your entries in the raffle form below. Good luck. Winner must reside in the United States. Winner will be randomly drawn from all entries. All winning entries will be verified as completed. Inaccurate or unverified entries will be disqualified. If a winning entry can't be verified it will be disqualified and a  new winner will be drawn. Winner will be notified by email. Winner has three business days to respond to email notification or a new winner will be drawn. Prize will be shipped from Fort Worth, TX within one week of contest end. Lea Genders Fitness paid for prize and will cover shipping costs. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries. 

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COACH LEA

How to Stop Relying on Willpower and Motivation To Make Healthy Living a Habit

Habits shape our lives. Good or bad, habits are the activities we do on autopilot without thinking about them. We get out of bed and make a beeline for the coffee pot. We brush our teeth before bed, we drive the same route to work, sit at the same table at lunch and go to the same restaurant on Friday nights. I have good and bad habits, we all do. Every night after dinner, I do the dishes, then sit on the couch for snack and (currently) an episode of Game of Thrones. (Cersei? Really? You're pulling that crap again?) Could I do more productive things with my hour? Sure. Am I hungry? Do I need a snack? Probably not. It's just what my brain like to do, it's what's normal. It's what feels good and safe.  (This may be the first time in history that anyone ever said Game of Thrones makes them feel good and safe.) 

I conditioned my brain for this to be normal behavior after dinner. It's not bad, necessarily. Spending an hour in a guilty pleasure to unwind at the end of the day is probably fine as long as I am taking care of my responsibilities first and there's nothing wrong with a healthy (or even an occasional less-than-healthy snack) as part of balanced nutrition. How can I make this habit better? Usually we fall into habits without much thought or planning. They are just the things we do because our brain is used to doing them. 

The beautiful thing about habits is that we can work on developing new healthy habits so that our exercise and nutrition are on autopilot too. It's a simple concept but it's not necessarily easy. It's hard work. It takes time, but once developed the habits of eating healthfully and regular exercise can become effortless activities that you do because they makes you feel normal, safe and good. (Just like Games of Thrones. Just Kidding). No more daily forcing yourself to go to the gym against your will. no more internal battles in your head about your choices for lunch. Once the habits of healthy living are established, (it takes time!) it makes it all so much easier.  You don't have to rely on willpower or motivation. It's all in the habits once you train your brain. 

Some people take the white-knuckle approach to healthy living. They hold on tight, bear through it, grit their teeth and force themselves to eat kale and hit the gym at the busiest hour every single day. That may work for a time, but only for a time. How long will you endure punishment? How long until you fall off the wagon? Light the wagon on fire and live your life without strict exercise and nutrition rules while still living a healthy lifestyle. You can't fall off the wagon if there is no wagon. How do you turn healthy living into a series of habits on autopilot instead of a series of punishments? 

AWARENESS

The first step in changing our habits is awareness of our current habits. Do you check your phone as soon as you wake up? Pop open a beer every Friday night? Take a walk after dinner? Eat a snack at 3pm everyday? Good or bad we all have habits. Some are bringing us closer to our goals and some are (subconsciously) taking us further away. We don't even think about that candy from our co-worker's desk we pop in our mouth every time we pass. What are the automatic actions that are driving your day?

Spend an entire day writing down the actions you take on autopilot. Good, bad and neutral. Pay attention. What actions are you repeating on a daily basis without thought? There is no judgement in this exercise. It's just an exploration of current habits. Not all habits are bad and need changing. 

HABIT SWAPPING

After you spend a day writing down your daily habits, think about which habits you may want to change or improve upon. It's important to note that you should not attempt to change all your bad habits at once. As I mentioned, this takes time. Choose one thing to work on at a time. Maybe you hit the soda machine everyday at 3 o'clock for a mid afternoon caffeine boost. If you want to reduce your soda intake, this habit may be a good place to start. 

Maybe you could replace your soda with a sparkling water. I personally found the fizziness of sparkling water makes a suitable replacement for soda without the calories. If that is too much of a jump for you then maybe you could replace a full calorie drink with a diet drink.

"But Lea," you ask, "I thought diet drinks weren't that healthy either?" My philosophy on healthy living is that it is not about being perfect, it's about improving habits, one tiny step at a time. If you are not ready to switch from soda to water because it is too much of a jump, then a diet drink may be the bridge that gets you there eventually. It's never about being perfect, just a little bit better than before.

Maybe I can stretch or foam roll during my Game of Thrones hour. I could do a burpee everytime someone dies or says "winter is coming." (That could be exhausting.) That is taking a current habit and improving it. 

Maybe you could get your mid afternoon energy boost by taking a 10 minute walk instead of drinking a soda. What do you think would work for you? What would be a suitable swap for this habit? There is no right or wrong answer, just the right or wrong answer for you. 

We are not trying to go from bad habit to perfect living (spoiler alert: there's no such thing). We are aiming to improving our habits one small step at a time. What could you work on first?

ENJOYMENT

I said it once before but it bears repeating now (if you get the reference, I love you). Healthy living as punishment for being overweight or eating "bad" foods is not an effective long-term strategy. You can not force yourself to do things you view as punishment for an extended period of time.

You don't have to atone for your food sins with exercise. You don't have to give up every food you ever loved in exchange for chicken and broccoli. These things don't work for long term weight loss. 

You have two options that do work. You can either find the activities/foods that you love that also happen to be healthy and do more/eat more of those or you can learn to love new activities/foods that are healthy. 

If you hate running, then please don't try to force yourself to run. What do you love? Weightlifting? Zumba? Yoga? Walking? Rollerblading? Trampoline acrobatics? Find a way to move your body that you enjoy and do more of that. Does everything feel hard and uncomfortable? Of course it does. That's actually normal.

Give it a real chance. Try something new. Start small. Stick with it long enough to get through the newbie pains and benefit from the newbie gains. There are definite benefits to being a newbie. Whatever you try, give it three months. If you still hate it after three months, find something else. Movement is natural. Find the movement that feels natural for you. Start as small as you need to...

SMALL STEPS

The biggest mistake people make when trying to make lifestyle changes is that they attempt to change too much at once. You can't change your whole life in one day. It's just not how humans function. "Starting in January I am going to get up at 5am, exercise, eat a salad for lunch and dinner, read a book and clean my house every day." It won't last for long. Most people in this scenario will quickly become frustrated, overwhelmed and go back what feels good. 

Take one thing at a time. Want to get up earlier? Set the alarm for 10 minutes earlier and get used to that for two weeks, then add another 10 minutes until you are at the time you want to get up. It takes longer to get there, but the habit sticks. If you set your alarm for an hour earlier then turn it off every day until you eventually stop setting it at all, you'll never get there. Slow, small steps are more effective. 

If you want to eat healthier, start by adding vegetables to every meal. That's it. Do that for a while, then decide what feels like the next natural small step. Need help? That is what my nutrition habits coaching program is all about. 

CONSISTENCY

The most important piece of building a habit is consistency. The way you train your brain for a new habit is by being consistent. Want to get in the habit of exercise? Set aside 10 minutes a day, every single day. In the beginning it is more about the consistent action than it is about the exercise.

Tell yourself you can never miss your 10 minute exercise session. Do it at the same time every day if you can. Whether it is a mile run, a quick bodyweight strength routine, a Yoga sequence, a walk or mobility work, get in the habit of 10 minutes every day. It doesn't matter what it is. If you can do more than 10 minutes, even better, but stick to at least your 10 minute a day bare minimum goal. 10 minutes too hard? Start with five. Move up to 10 later. Start as small as you need to in order to be consistent.

At the end of the week, even if you only got in your 10 minutes every day, you completed an hour and ten minutes of exercise, which is still better than nothing. 

Whatever habit you choose to change or improve upon, It is important you do it every single day. Consistency is key to building a new habit.

EXPECTATIONS

Change is hard. Healthy living changes are extremely hard. Set your expectations up front. Don't expect that your 10 minute a day exercise habit will cause you to lose 30 lbs in three weeks. Don't imagine that switching from regular soda to diet soda will melt your fat off or doing 100 crunches a day will give you six pack abs (spoiler alert: it won't). When you change your habits the changes start on the inside that you can't see. You are improving your health from the inside out. 

You will mess up. Repeat after me, "I will mess up." We all do. It's part of that whole human thing. Do the best you can, when you do mess up (you will), get back up and move on. Leave the mistakes behind you, learn from them, try to do better tomorrow. Failure is part of it.

Jaime Lannister: There are always lessons in failures.
Olenna Tyrell: Yes. You must be very wise by now.

Ok, I'm done geeking out now. 

Extreme measures might have faster short-term results, but are those results sustainable? Consider this: If you lose 20 pounds in four weeks but then 12 weeks later gain it all back (plus more) was it worth the extreme measures? Or is it better to lose twenty pounds in six months but keep it off forever, because you lost the weight slowly by changing your lifestyle habits in a sustainable manner? 

When we shift our focus away from quick fixes, fat loss shakes, supplements and extreme exercise programs in order to focus on healthy habits then a healthy lifestyle naturally emerges. It takes longer but it is worth it because you don't have to beat yourself up trying to force behaviors that are unnatural for you. Manage your own expectations. Focus on health and wellness rather than weight loss. Love the process.

SUPPORT

One of the biggest factors in success when making changes is support. Who can you lean on? Do you have an accountability buddy? One idea is to simply find a friend with similar goals and agree to hold each other accountable to your new healthy habits. Send an email or a text every day confirming you are staying on track with your new habit.

Join a run club, find a meetup group, join a Facebook group, hire a coach, go to a fitness class, surround yourself with like-minded people. It's easier than ever to connect with people with similar goals.

Need more support? My online nutrition habits program from Precision Nutrition is a year-long curriculum designed to build healthy habits from the ground up. It's the sane and sustainable way to healthy living. Learn more about how you can quit diets, stop relying on willpower and motivation, and make healthy living a habit once and for all. The first month is 75% OFF to try!

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EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED ON THE LONG RUN

I publish three posts a week on this blog. My blog writing process usually includes cramming all three posts into one day on a Sunday while all my household chores go untouched.

Writing is the easy part for me. It's coming up with three new and interesting topics each week that is harder. I usually keep my mind open to ideas all week and text myself if anything comes to mind. Then when I sit down to write on Saturday and Sunday, I review my notes and start writing. Sometimes before I begin to write I have no idea what I will write about and wonder if I will be able to crank out another three posts. Inevitability it all comes together by Sunday night and I am all set for the week. 

Last weekend I had an incredibly full and busy Saturday and then a long run planned for Sunday. I wrote two of the blogs on Sunday morning but my mind was going blank for today's post. With two blog posts done I hit the streets in Fort Worth for an eight mile training run for the Cowtown half marathon in February. There is nothing like a long run to get those creative juices flowing. I came up with the idea for the post and wrote it mostly in my head over those eight miles. If only I had a voice recorder I may not have had the hard part of translating it all to the keyboard once I returned home. 

What did I think about on my long run this week? I thought a lot about how running teaches us life lessons and the parallels between life and the long run. 

EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED ON THE LONG RUN.

YOU CAN'T RUSH PROGRESS

You can't rush progress or results. If you try to go out too fast you will lose steam. It you try to increase your miles too soon you could risk injury. It's detrimental to do too much too soon. A better strategy for life and the long run is to take things slowly and progress as you are ready. Slow and steady may not win the race, but it gets us across the finish line happy and healthy.

YOU NEED TO PUT IN THE WORK TO REAP THE REWARDS

Have you ever showed up for a race untrained? I have and it makes for a miserable experience. In order to reap the rewards you have to put in the daily work. It's the consistent hard work over weeks, months and years that pays off in the end. You can't cut corners on the path to success. Consistency is the key.

YOU NEED TO REST AFTER WORKING HARD

After a long run it's best to take a rest day or two. You have to recover after putting in hard work. You just can't keep grinding without a break. Work hard then recover hard, both in running and in life. Schedule a massage, take a vacation, lock the bathroom door while you take a bubble bath. Work hard, recover, repeat. 

BE IN THE MOMENT

On a long run it's not a good idea to think about how much farther you have to go. You'll do best to focus on the mile you are in. Appreciate where you are, don't focus too much on how far you have to go to reach your goals. Focus on the things you need to do right now to move yourself towards your goals.

ACHIEVING HARD THINGS GIVES YOU CONFIDENCE, CONFIDENCE HELPS YOU TO ACHIEVE HARD THINGS

One of the great life lessons that running teaches us is that we can do hard things. Remember the first time you ran one mile or a 5K? It seemed like an impossible feat. Then you did it. Then you knew you could do it. Then you realized you could do more. Then you did more. Achieving hard things gives you confidence, confidence helps you achieve hard things. Get out of your comfort zone and try new things that seem hard. You never know what you are capable of, you may surprise yourself. 

IT'S A MENTAL GAME

As much as running is physical, it is mental. Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right. Sure, you need to be prepared, but a positive mindset and a few well placed mantras can get you through the tough times during a long run. Keep your chin up, look for the bright side, stay positive and you'll do great on that run and in life.

YOU HAVE TO BE FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR PLANS

As a running coach I will tell you that the best training plan is one that is dynamic, one that changes over time as you do. It's impossible to know sixteen weeks in advance exactly how your body will respond to various training. In life and the long run, have a plan, but be flexible. Life changes. Stay consistent but have flexibility in the path to get there. 

WHEN EVERYTHING IS GOING WELL YOU CAN GO AT IT ALONE, BUT WHEN TIMES GET TOUGH IT'S BETTER WITH FRIENDS

A long run can be a lonely run and when things are going well, you can surely do it alone, but when times get tough the support of running friends can help you through those tough miles. Whether it's a cheering family member on the sidelines, a friend joining for you for the last five miles or words of wisdom from a loved one that you repeat in your head, lean on your friends when you need them most, ask for help and welcome their support. It's a lesson that will serve you well in running and in life.

YOU CAN'T CONTROL EVERYTHING, TRY TO MAKE THE BEST OF EVERYTHING

You can't control the weather, that loose dog or that jerk that yelled "Run, Forrest, Run" out of his car window at you. It rained during your long run, It was 90 degrees and humid during your race. $hit happens. You can only control the things you can control, for everything else do your best to let it go. 

USE GRATITUDE TO GET THROUGH THE PAIN

Sometimes when I am having a particularly hard run, I try to focus on the things I am thankful for instead of the pain. I have two strong legs and a healthy heart. The weather is nice today. I have the drive and motivation to be out here in the first place. I live in a neighborhood where it is safe to run on the streets. I have enough food to fuel my body for runs. I have enough income to spend some of it on race entries and gear. Shifting my focus to gratitude helps get me through those miles and my life. 

What has running taught you? 

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COACH LEA

GOT 15 MINUTES? TRY THIS 3X3 RUNNING HIIT WORKOUT

Welcome to the latest edition of workout Wednesday, when each week I share a new running or strength training for runners workout. The theme lately has been quick and efficient workouts. I know we are all busy this time of year so I've been focusing on workouts that you can get in and get back to life. 

This 3x3 running HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout is only 15 minutes but it is sure to keep you on track with your running goals when you're busy.

This workout is appropriate for runners that have a strong running base (runs several times a week on a consistent basis for four to six weeks). I recommend that most runners limit high intensity workouts to one or two times per week with recovery runs or rest days between hard workouts. We get stronger and faster during the rest after the workout, not during the workout itself. If you don't allow proper recovery, you won't see the full benefits of your hard work. 

Always warm up before beginning a running workout. I suggest a dynamic warm up like this one, then three to five minutes of an easy jog. 

In this workout you will run 3x3 hard effort intervals (about 8 out of ten on a scale from 1-10 or 80-90% of max heart-rate) with two minute jog recovery between reps. Be careful to pace yourself during the hard effort intervals, three minutes can feel like an eternity when you are pushing yourself, choose a pace that you can maintain for three minutes. It may take some experimenting to find the right pace for you. 

3x3 Running HIIT workout. Save to Pinterest for later

There's a reason I don't assign specific paces for workouts posted on my blog. If you pace yourself by effort, you will always run the correct pace for your abilities. One runner may find that a nine minute mile pace is a hard effort, while that may be an easy recovery pace to another runner. Never try to hit arbitrary paces assigned on the internet. Work at your own fitness level and abilities to avoid injuries, burnout and to progress properly. 

If you would like personalized running coaching, we can work together to reach your running goals. I can help you determine the exact appropriate pace based on your fitness level, experience, abilities and goals. 

download a printable PDF of the 3x3 running HIIT workout or save to Pinterest for later.

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COACH LEA