Fitness – Page 10 – Naturally Lindsay

Best Body Bootcamp: Week 1

June 18, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

Yesterday marked the start of this summer’s Best Body Bootcamp (BBB) and I am so ready to get back in shape. I have been kind of lazy lately. Yeah, I said it LAZY. I don’t know why but after training for my last race I have just been feeling unmotivated and my workouts have been basically 1-2 short runs, 1 strength training session and 3-5 walks per week. Nothing to intense and to top it off I have more races coming up in early August so I need to get my act together.

When I found out that there was a bootcamp session this summer I decided to jump at the opportunity to work with Tina and be apart of the BBB community. This was just the support and motivation that I needed to get back on track and reach my goals. Also after going clothes shopping and finding clothes that once looked good on me just didn’t work I was feeling even more motivated to get back to my dedicated workout self. Side note: I bought a dress for a wedding at the end of July and it’s my goal to look great in it versus the okay that I look in it right now.

Yesterday I did the fit test which was actually somewhat embarrassing and alone is motivation to get myself back to work because honestly I have never run so slow in my life. Back before I was pregnant I could do a straight mile about 5 minutes faster (and without the BOB) versus right now. I also could hold a plank longer than 45 seconds. So I have a lot to work towards and it feels good. I also want to lose inches. I am not so worried about the weight number but I’d like to get more toned. I am almost a year postpartum and I’m so ready to get back to my old body or at least closer to it. Although I will probably have another year or two before that happens due to breastfeeding (my goal is to breastfeed until at least two). I’ll share my weight-loss while breastfeeding issues in another post soon.

So while I’m not up for sharing my numbers (weight, measurements, etc) with you I will share a before picture. I will also share progress photos at 4 weeks (half way) and then at 8 weeks when the program is complete.

Who else is participating in BBB? Or have you before?

Vacation Workouts

June 5, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 2 Comments

Am I the only one who actually enjoys working out more on vacation than at home? I find it really fun and motivating to get up early in the morning and heading the the hotel gym or out for a run. It also helps me feel a little better when I inevitably enjoy a sweet treat or maybe something a little less than healthy.

During our latest excursion to Seattle I did a little research before we headed out and found that our hotel had a huge cardio room, a weight room and a pool. They also had these great little cards created by Runners World that have 3-5 mile running routes near the hotel. On top of that they had workout clothes and shoes that you could rent for $5/day if you forgot yours. Could you really ask for more?

We took advantage of the cardio room which had treadmills and ellipticals with personal TV’s at each which is always a nice distraction. We went to the pool as a family and had some fun splashing around and Neil went on the 3+ mile run on the card in the photo above. On top of all that we did some major walking, about 15 miles over the entire weekend and if you have been to Seattle you know that there were some major hills as well.

On our next trip I will me in the midst of training for my half so I will be researching good running routes in Charlottesville, VA. If you have any suggestions let me know!

Do you you like to workout on vacation?

Half Marathon Training #IWILL

June 4, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 4 Comments

As I mentioned before as a Fitfluential Ambassador I am participating in the Under Armour What’s Beautiful Campaign. My goal is to complete my first half marathon no matter what, even if it means crawling to the finish line. That being said I need to get my butt in gear and start training! The problem is there are so many training plans out there it can be challenging to decide which one to follow.

When I did my quarter marathon I followed the RunKeeper 10k training plan app on my phone. I really liked it and thought about using it for my half as well but couldn’t find a plan that really fit my needs. I then thought about doing the Hal Higdon novice plan or the Mother Runner finish plan but then Neil started a new job and that threw a wrench in my plans so back to the drawing board.

So I really made a list of my needs and how much I would be able to commit to training:

Two or Three runs Monday-Friday that are 30-45 minutes
One long run on the weekends
16-18 weeks long

In the end I found that the Jeff Galloway plan was the best fit for me. After sitting down and laying things out I realize that I won’t have as much free time to run during the week so I need to have a plan that sets me up for success. I also have come to terms with the fact that I am not ready to exclusively run my first half and that I will be following a run/walk method which is the Galloway plan in a nutshell.

That being said training week starts this week, which is exciting because that means this race is real. On my non-running days I am planning to do strength training, yoga and cross-training workouts. I am planning to workout 5-6 days per week.

P.S. It’s not too late to sign up to be part of this amazing campaign!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Under Armour through FitFluential. My compensation was clothes to wear for the campaign. I received no monetary compensation. As always all opinions are my own.

Letter To Myself #IWILL

May 23, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Under Armour through FitFluential. My compensation was clothes to wear for the campaign. I received no monetary compensation.
As always all opinions are my own.

Dear Self,

On May 11, 2013 you ran your very first quarter marathon. You ran your first postpartum race, 10 months after giving birth to a You ran the farthest you have ever run in your life. You dedicated yourself to running 3-4 Times per week for the last 4+ months and stuck to it. So what happened last week? Did you know that you went 10 days without running? On top of that nine of those days you weren’t working out either!

So how do you feel? Probably pretty sluggish, tired out and probably a little disappointed in yourself. Let’s be honest there really isn’t any good reason why you couldn’t have gotten in a workout or a run. You were being lazy. You were getting in your own way.

So move. Get out of your own way!

Okay so let’s talk about something positive. Monday you sat down and wrote a training plan for your upcoming races. Nice job!

Tuesday you were supposed to run based on said training plan, but you didn’t. Instead you did a HIIT workout. Not what you had planned but you didn’t just sit on your ass. Nice job!

Wednesday you got out and did that run you were supposed to do Tuesday. On top of that you did it in the cold, windy rain while pushing Edith in the BOB. Nice job!

Now how do you feel? Still a big sluggish and tired, as well as a little sore, but I bet you are also starting to feel better and stronger.

See you can do it. You just need to get out of your own way. Only you can hold yourself back. If you want to accomplish your goal to run a half this October than you have to work towards it. Really work.

So lets make a commitment right here, right now:

I WILL sick to my training plan. I will not get in my own way. I WILL remember that you never regret a workout. If I find myself getting in my own way I WILL ask for support to help me push through because I WILL accomplish my goals.

You can do it just get up off the couch and move.

Love,
Lindsay.

If you have a health or fitness goal, big or small, I encourage you to come on over and join myself and the hundreds of supportive women at Under Armour’s What’s Beautiful Campaign. Let the world know your goal and work towards accomplishing it in a supportive and inspiring place. Everyday I get more and more inspired as I check the What’s Beautiful activity feed. So much inspiration and support in one place, what more could you ask for.

What is getting in the way of your accomplishing your goals?

#IWILL Under Armour What’s Beautiful Campaign

May 16, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

As a Fitfluential ambassador I have been lucky enough to participate in a number of campaigns and I am so excited to tell you about the current one that I am participating in. Myself and a number of other ambassadors are taking part in the Under Armour What’s Beautiful campaign. This campaign is a competition to redefine the female athlete but beyond that it is an opportunity for you to push past where you have been before. To put a goal out to the world and go after it in a big way.

The Under Armour What’s Beautiful site is a venue for you to let the world know your goal while getting inspired by other women and getting the support you may want or need to accomplish your goal. On top of that you also have the ability to create teams or join a team of women who want to complete goals together.

My goal is to run a half-marathon and to not only run it but improve my performance and form while training for my half. I have already registered for a half in October and I have a 7K, 5K and 10K between now and then. I have only been participating in this campaign for just over a week now and I am already feeling more motivated and inspired by the other women who are participating. One thing that has been really helpful in keeping me motivated are the challenges that are hosted on the Under Armour What’s Beautiful site. These challenges are meant to pull you out of your comfort zone or at least pull me out of my comfort zone and really get down to work. Plus, I feel a sense of accomplishment when I upload a new challenge that I have completed.

If you have a health or fitness goal, big or small, I encourage you to come on over and join the fun. Let the world know your goal and work towards accomplishing it in a supportive and inspiring place. If you like the group setting you can find a team that is right for you or create your own team.

What is a health or fitness goal you want to accomplish?

Race Recap: Hippie Chick Quarter

May 13, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 4 Comments

On Saturday I completed my first postpartum race and The Hippie Chick Quarter Marathon…

The night before my race I set four alarms. Yes four, I didn’t want to wake up late! I woke up at alarm #1 (5:27am) and lingered in bed until after alarm #2 (5:34). I rolled out of bed and headed to the kitchen where I made coffee and bagels <—from my mom in Vermont because you can’t get real bagels in Oregon with Toffutti for Neil and I. I was so anxious all morning that I think I was giving myself and upset stomach but I managed to get through it and we packed up and headed out the door to the race.

After getting a little lost trying to find the parking we finally did and I stretched and we walked over to the starting line. My first impression was that things seemed super unorganized. There were people everywhere and no real orderly set up for the race. On top of that I couldn’t hear what the race coordinator was saying over the speakers so I just made my way to the back knowing that I was going to be on the slower end of things.

All of a sudden I hear the starting gun go off announcing the start of the quarter and half marathons (they started at the same time). Startled I started slowly walking forward with the group and finally started running once I crossed the starting line. My plan was to do 4:1 run/walk intervals throughout the entire race with a goal of finishing in 95 minutes. I ended up running the first 10 minutes because it was so congested and I wanted to get by the slower walkers. It took about a mile for things to loosen up but still had a lot of trouble getting around the walkers, no hate to the walkers just a challenge to get by groups of walkers going slower than I was running.

Around mile one there was a water station that also had a team handing out Luna Bars and a group of teens cheering. I didn’t end up stopping for water although now looking back at things I probably was a little under-hydrated and could have used a few sips.

By mile two the sun overhead was getting hotter and that is when I started to overheat which resulted in chills for the remainder of the race. Just before mile three three there was another water station and I grabbed a cup and had a few sips before heading on. At this point I found myself saying I might not make it back without walking the majority of the way. My legs were feeling a little heavy, the slanted and torn up road was bothering my right IT band, I still had the chills and I was just losing steam. However, I pushed through made it to the turn around and head back stopping at the same water station for another cup of water which I had a few more sips of before heading back towards the finish line.

Shortly after that (around mile four) I had my chews which seemed to help rejuvenate me and reduce the chills. Just before mile 5 the stadium came into site and I knew that I was really almost done and talked to myself pushing myself forward. I kept at my 4:1 pace until around mile 6 when I really just started to hit a wall. I ended up doing a 3:2 for one interval then a 2:1 and then it was time to finish the race and I ran and ran until finally I crossed the finish line where Edith and Neil were waiting for me.

After the race we headed up to the finisher area where I grabbed a plate of orange wedges for Edith and I to share as well as some more water. We found a shaded spot for Edith and I to nurse at and we relaxed for a bit and took a few silly photos before heading over to the awards ceremony. We watched some of the awards before going to check the board for my official time –> 1:32:55 <– that is 2:05 less than my goal!! Also a PR for me because well it was my first quarter!

Overall it was a great race but I really could have prepared a little more and been a little more hydrated but overall I am happy with how things went. I was surprised when I came in under my time goal because I actually thought I was closer to 1:40, so not bad.

Summary of the race:

Pros:

Awesome SWAG bag! Shirt, Chinook book, free coffee at Peet’s and a few treats.
Finishing the race in the stadium. So fun to run into the stadium onto the new turf.
Water stations were well placed as well as porta potties and the staffing was awesome.
Loved the cheering squad at the start and end by the first water/snack station.
Great end experience with fun vendors, lots of food and beverages and massage tables (which I didn’t take advantage of).
Had a person staffed at the Half/Quarter split and they were great. Loud and very clear on what direction to go.
Very walker friendly!! For those of you who are not really runners but want to get out this race is super walker friendly. There were tons of groups of women who got out and walked together and seemed to be having a great time.

Cons:

The finisher necklace looked like something I could have gotten out of a quarter machine, okay maybe a dollar one, but either way it was terrible. On the website they had a photo of last years race necklace, which was kind of cheesy, but it said Hippie Chick Half and Quarter Marathon 2012 and was on a metal chain. This years race necklace came in a little blue velour bag and the necklace had a peace sign charm that said Hippie Chick 2013 that was on a black plastic necklace. I was going to take a photo of it for you but I have no idea what I did with it after the race. Either way it was super lame and disappointing. I really would rather of had a race medal or at least the race necklace that was advertised on the race website.
The organization of the race was really lacking. The line-up organization was pretty much non existent and you couldn’t hear a word they were saying over the speakers before the race.
No free beer or mimosas. You could buy them but no free ones for those of age.
The race was on a really uneven road both in that it was angled and it was all torn up. If it had been repaved it would have been better. This is more of a minor thing that bothered me and my legs

Overall I really enjoyed the race but it wasn’t a race that at the end of it I was like I can’t wait to sign up next year. There are so many other races around the area that I think I would try a new race.

Disclaimer: I was comped the admission of this race in exchange for a post. As always all opinions are my own.

Keep Calm & Do Yoga: Link Up

March 10, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

Can you believe we are already 10 days into our month long yoga challenge! We are about a 1/3 of the way through and it is feeling great. That being said this is the time when it can get a little more challenging to find the motivation or we lose interest or other things “get in the way” so I’ve linked up a number of posts in hopes that they will give you a little motivation to keep going strong.

Who says you have to be on a yoga mat to practice?

You can do these poses in bed or how about these.

If the thought of staying in bed to do yoga just makes you want to throw the covers up and go back to sleep than how about you jump out of bed and into the shower where you can wash your hair while doing these poses.

Okay so you maybe you decided to sleep in, you skipped the shower and you went to work and sat all day. Your hips are killing you and you need to relax so why not try out this series of hip openers to help you unwind and get ready for bed.

What is your favorite yoga series? Share in the comments below.

Summary of the race:

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