Cross Training With Pilates

I haven't written much about pilates, so here it goes.

Check out how you can crosstrain with this great exercise.  This post from Christine Luff on www.about.com offers tips on pilates and links to several pilates workouts.

Clean And Lean ADD PHOTO

Sometimes it is hard getting excited about keeping your food intake at a level that's healthy for you.

Here's an idea - the Run To The Finish blog recently reported about a group of friends that committed to "clean and lean" foods for 28 days.  Commitment to something new is always easier when you are doing it with a group of comrades who will help keep you accountable.

One of my good friends who is a fitness instructor used to regularly provide small workouts for her students to do beyond classes.  She had a workout for every day of the month.  Pretty soon . . . all the class regulars start asking one another, "Did you do the workout for today?"

It's infectious when you engage a group toward a common goal . . . especially in the health and fitness world.

Man Keeps On Running

Can you imagine doing 502 marathons?

Sorry, I cannot.  However, I'm glad this man has.  Mike Stewart, of New Zealand, just ran his 502nd marathon.  What an accomplishment.

Read more about Mike here and how he keeps himself healthy.

Extending Life Of Running Shoes

What did you spend on your last pair of running shoes?

I just purchased a pair recently and it was $100.  The new Brooks I purchased were a little cheaper than the Nike Equalons I had liked -- but were discontinued.  The Equalons were about $140 a pair.  In short, purchasing running shoes is an investment -- so take care of your investment.

Do you alternate your shoes with another pair? Do you only use your running shoes for running?  These are just a couple of tips that will help extend the life of your shoes.  Check out this post from Jenny Sugar from PopSugar that will offer you some other thoughts on making those shoes last longer.

Going to take a little break from blogging. See you later in the month.

Workout Playlists

I love folks sharing new playlists.  I'm always creating new ones as you don't want to get into a "rut".

Here is a series of 11 playlists geared toward certain fitness activities from www.active.com.  Check it out.

Do You Have A Log?

How many miles did you run last week? 

Do you know approximately how many calories you consumed?

Let's assume for a minute that you are not meeting training and/or weight loss goals.  It's hard to know where the breakdown might be unless you are keeping track of what you are doing.

Take a lesson from The Happy Runner blog and keep track of your training activities.  By logging your miles, calorie intake and other stats; you can easily identify issues that may be keeping you from the goals you have set.

Kicking It Off

It's never too late to consider what will be your "kick off" to the season.

I'm sure it's warm enough now that many folks have already participated in a race event to "kick off" their season.  Where I live in Iowa, many runners start their season with the Red Flannel Run in mid-February.

If you haven't decided yet on which event will start your season, use this inspiration from the Misson To Another Marathon blog to schedule your next event today.