Looking for a solid workout but you’re pressed for time? This is my favorite (Cross Fit original). Sometimes Ill do it right after a run, and sometimes just as a stand alone when time is short. Try it…you’ll be hooked! 5 push ups/ 25 squats, 10 push ups/ 20 squats, 15 push ups/ 15 squats, 20 push ups/ 10 squats, 25 push ups/ 5 squats! LOVE IT!!!! For a greater challenge if you have more time…Do it again! What’s your favorite quickie workout!
Our Day is Full Of Exercise Opportunities…Nine Easy Ways to Fit Fitness into a Busy Day
I used to believe that if I didn’t have time for at least an hour of fitness, or if I didn’t work up a serious sweat…it wasn’t a real workout. That was my 30 year-old self. My 46 year-old self has a totally different idea of fitness. Basically it can be summed up in the words, “Whatever works”.
There are plenty of days that I wake up and from my too-tired-to-get-up early-and-run vantage point, the day could appear hopeless in terms of fitting in a workout. But I have learned to see things in another way…I now look at it in terms of the opportunities for fast fitness. It’s a challenge, and I think it’s fun to see just how much of a workout I can get by the end of these kinds of days. Don’t believe me? Let me show you nine ways to fit fitness into an otherwise busy day… [Read more…]
A No-Run, Very Good Day….Happy Thanksgiving!
I can’t remember a Thanksgiving day when I didn’t wake up early to run. I can’t think of one! Today was a first. We have kids home from college and they all came in last night. Some by plane and some by car. One brought a girlfriend, one brought two friends who live on the west coast and couldn’t get home. We also have good family friends who come every Thanksgiving. I was up late greeting them and getting some baking done. I didn’t hit the bed until well after midnight. [Read more…]
How To Have a Healthy Thanksgiving (And Still Enjoy it)!
Who doesn’t love Thanksgiving? Food, family, friends… all the ingredients for a wonderful time. Some people believe it is a day when we get a pass on gluttony, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Thanksgiving can be healthy and delicious! There are plenty of great tasting, healthy recipes for the big Turkey Day. I have created a list of healthy alternatives (borrowed from various sources) to create an awesome menu for a healthy Thanksgiving…. Please share your healthy Thanksgiving recipes, too (there are so many)!
Winter Curried Vegetables I don’t know about you, but I love anything curried. This recipe from Elisa Bosley (Delicious Living) looks like it tastes great…I love that it is make-ahead too! [Read more…]
A Prayer For Veteran’s Day
Fall 5Ks are Great Family Fun!
Last weekend my family did the Big South 5K in Charlotte. Well, not the whole family. #1, #2, and #3 are not home, and my husband and #9 (Sam – who is 4) didn’t run but came to cheer the rest of us on. I ran with #7 (C.C.) who is 8. She was trying to break 27:50 which was her last 5K time. We came in a little over that at 28.30 but I was impressed with her mighty effort! She never stopped to walk except to get water. By the last 1/2 mile she was tired and I asked her if she wanted to walk a little. But then as she recognized her surroundings and knew it wasn’t too far to finish…she got a second wind! [Read more…]
It’s Time To Start a Food Journal Again
It has been gradual. It has been subtle. It has gone unnoticed. But it has finally caught up to me. It is now apparent… I can’t keep eating like this. It is time to start writing it all down again. A few years ago, when I first started my 9 Kid Fitness website, I decided I needed to invest in my diet and I hired an online nutritionist to help me get back on track. It wasn’t that I was a junk foodie. In fact, I have always prided myself on my self-control. However, I wanted to see what I could do to feel better and to perform better. I knew that my nutrition could be improved, but I wasn’t exactly sure how.
Unfortunately, I would not recommend an online nutritionist unless you know exactly what you are getting for your money, and I didn’t get much help in the end. The one thing I did learn through the process was the benefit of a food journal. I wrote down what I ate for five days in a row. For the first few days, I tried to eat well, so that I could write down only healthy foods. But then I realized how silly that was since I was paying someone to help me and I wasn’t being honest with myself. So I told myself not think about the journal. Just to remember to write down what I ate. After all, who was I trying to fool? I decided if I wanted to make even small changes, I had to be honest. [Read more…]
Music and Miles…a Sublime Run
I have been suffering from a lack of motivation lately, so this morning I wasn’t expecting much. #4 (Peter) was meeting a friend for a long run (11 miles) on the trail so I decided to come along and run on my own. It’s been a while since I have run long alone (I went 10), so I took my phone and some headphones to keep me company. I ran the first three with #6 (Grace) who was only running six, and then said goodbye, turned on the iphone music, and kept going. [Read more…]
What Do You Do When Your Running Partner is Injured?
I am officially pitiful. I can’t believe how fast I have become unmotivated! My running partner, Susan (the one I run with the most), is injured. She broke her toe when a mannequin at work fell on her foot. OUCH. That was a month ago. Since then I have suffered from a serious lack of motivation (it wasn’t my toe, I know – guess I am a very empathetic friend). I used to meet Susan at 5:30 am about three times a week, but now I have basically almost stopped even setting my alarm for an early morning run. Thank God for the other Susan in my life…my twin sister. She and I run together at least once a week, usually around 6:15 am from her house. I am grateful for her and for that run once a week! But she is training to run the Savannah Half Marathon in November and is therefore in much better shape than me at the moment. With every week I notice how much slower I seem in comparison. [Read more…]
It’s Cross Country Season at my House..Just Watch the Laundry Pile Up!
It isn’t hard to figure out what season we are in. It isn’t summer or fall…it’s XC season (at least at the Hetzel house it is)! As the coach of the Grace Academy cross country team, I am running with the athletes about four days a week…and my kids are running too (#8 and #7 – C.C. and John-run with our group and even # 9 hops out of the baby jogger often). #4 (Peter), #5 (Annie), and #6 (Grace) also run for my team as high school and middle school runners. That’s a lot of shoes lying around…especially when you consider the additional spikes, too.
Many people think of football when they think of fall and the start of the school year…not me. Cross country practices, meets, and invitationals fill our fall days. Tempo runs, stride outs, Indian runs, Kenyan outbacks, track workouts, ladders…this is our language. Unfortunately for me, it means a lot more laundry too. What are your fall days filled with?
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