As I sit here with my “Bye Bye Boo Boo” Hello Kitty ice pack on my knee, I realize that in the beginning stages of my training is the most crucial time for me to reach out and connect with the running community.   I feel as if I know how to train, but I don’t really know how to run.  Does that make any sense?  All these aches and pains are bringing me back to where it all began…

My career experience with running includes a somewhat pivotal and remarkably pathetic year in 1994 as a JV runner on my high school x-country team.   My personal experience never featured breaking records or running first through the finish line.  *sigh* I was driven home from practice one day by an upperclassman and as we stopped in front of my house (which was on a hill), she accidentally released the brake.  And…rolled over my foot.  As I was being taken to the hospital I realized that cross-country wasn’t cutting the mustard.  Ugly uniforms, no cute boys, and I’m always ALONE!

Fast forward a few years (ahem, a few years + a decade) and now the last part of that statement is what most attracts me to running.  Alone time!   I LIVE for my runs, and often ditch my iPod in exchange for the meditative trance that my ‘right, left, right, left’ cadence can put me into.   However as I increase my mileage, I feel like I decrease my chances of actually making it to that 26.2 finish line.    With that being said:  I ask for your help!

Yesterday when I was pounding the pavement, I was thinking the following:

1. At what point in your mileage build up do you start refueling during your run?   It was nearly 80 degrees yesterday in Phoenix, and I felt that even around the 3 mile marker, I could have used a refuel of some sort.
2. With that being said, what do you recommend to refuel with that isn’t loaded with preservatives, corn syrup or artificial sweeteners?
3. What is the best water bottle holder/etc, that won’t make me look like I borrowed my Grandpa’s fanny pack?
4. Who has the BEST online training program for marathons?

The best part about being over on WordPress part-time now is that you can COMMENT!    So bring it on, I’m all ears, eager to learn everything I can about this great sport.  Thanks so much guys and happy sweating to all of you!

JJ

As Sweat and the City continues to grow and expand daily with fresh content, yours truly is spending countless hours manually moving the website around.   Not only is the image at left an accurate portrayal of my frustrations, but  *sigh* last week I pulled out at least three gray hairs, so …we are moving Sweat and the City to a WordPress theme.   Hip…Hip… Hooray!  Estimated launch for our new website:  February 1st.    (Which means, sometime in April)

In the meantime, it’s fitness as usual and you can continue to go to Sweat and the City for new daily posts on nutrition, and to read up on the latest and greatest from our amazing panel of bloggers.   However, this is where you’ll want to visit for my daily workout diary.  I’ll actually be updating this blog with past workouts, and starting (as of today) to post new workouts & photos for you.   I hate to split up the website, but while we’re in the process of moving, it will make my life much sweeter.  (And let’s keep our fingers crossed for no more gray hairs!)

While I have your attention, today is the FINAL chance to join our Resolution Challenge team.   Seriously guys, when will you ever find full meal plans (including 40 recipes), nutrition guides, daily video workouts, personalized coaching and education for $20.11.  Best. Deal. Ever. Get it and Get fit by clicking HERE.

That’s all for now, I’ll be back this afternoon with a new workout!

To your health and happiness,
JJ

Alice: “Well I hardly know sir.  I’ve changed so many times since this morning, you see…”

*sigh*  I can relate.

Perhaps you believe in Heaven, maybe you think this life is all you get, and some of you (who shall remain nameless, Nikki you know who you are) pray for reincarnation so that you can come back as Beyonce.  Whatever your belief system, there is a bottom line we often miss:  You only get one opportunity to live this life as your present self.    With ideals, expectations, plans that others hold for us and plans we make for ourselves, how do you know your authentic self and stay true to who you are?  As the caterpillar says to Alice, “whO R U?” 

How many of us thought we had our lives mapped out at 18?  *Raising both hands*  Exactly.  If we could declare an educational major that would ultimately determine what we did for the rest of our lives, then why couldn’t we accurately plan the age at which we would get married, have our first babies, buy our first house, etc?  Let me tell you… I had an AMAZING plan!   I would meet my future husband in my final year of college, we would date for 2 years and on my 23rd birthday while we vacationed somewhere tropical, he would pop the question.  We would be engaged for a year (time of course to plan my fabulous fictional wedding), and then married for 2 years before I would give birth to my first child.  My perfect first-born would inspire a second child, which would be born exactly 2 years after the first.   Uh huh.  Guess how much of that actually came true?  If you guessed ZERO, you guessed right.  The question is: Did I fail, or did I not really want that life after all?  (I bet you can guess the answer to that question too.)

I’ve done a lot of reflecting this week, and after a fabulous chat with my dear friend Shonagh, I realized how important it is to live in my truth, 24/7.  There’s the fear of judgment, for when we’re stripped of false pretenses and our usual DEFENSES,  critique and judgment hurt all the more.   Not to mention, the big F that most of us are scared to think about, let alone admit to:  The fear of our own SUCCESS.   I’ve held on to that fear for many years, creating my own self-destructive pattern that has kept me down again and again.   What would happen if I let go of that fear, and took my passions, talents, and authenticity to the full potential I know I’m capable of? 

There is an overflowing abundance of self-help books designed to help us decipher WHO we are, but every once in a while we need a little reminder to go one step further and BE that person.   Every second you spend in people-pleasing, fit-the-mold, surrender-to-society mode is a second you lose in living your truth.  The groovy thing is that the choice is up to you.  

Choose wisely.

xoxo-
jenn

What if…

You don’t know how to build a website.  So what!
You don’t even know what a website is.  So what! (But at age ninety do you really want to embark on this?)
You don’t have any money.  SO WHAT!

If you…

Have a passion for a topic or service you want to share with the world….GO FOR IT.
Have the desire to work hard, dig deep and be resourceful…GO FOR IT.
Have an awesome support system around you (even if it’s just your tweeps!)…GO FOR IT.

So here are the steps I took in building Sweat & the City…I hope it helps!

1. Books are pricey, so I hit up the library and spent hours reading the website bible, “Websites for Dummies”.  I’m not a dummy, I know you’re not a dummy, but the book will speaks in normal human, non-techy terms.  Check it out, or order it before you get started.  Read up on web design, blogging, hosting, html…all of it!
2. Once you know what you need, make a list of the services you need to acquire.  Hosting, site developer, email marketing, blog, etc.  Luckily most of these can be free, or come with a free 30-90 day trial.  If you’re doing this on the budget I had…free trials will be your best friend.
3. I chose Homestead for all my hosting/web/email needs.  They came with a free trial, and their website design program included thousands of templates.  I ultimately ended up designing Sweat from scratch, and their design options made it a snap.   I spent hours researching other websites, noting things I liked and things I didn’t.  I began to compile the list of topics I wanted on my website, the style of images I’d like, the palette (see below), etc.  My vision was clear, it was just a matter of getting it from my mind to the canvas.
4. For selecting a website palette, I used Colour Lovers.  I can’t believe I stumbled upon this website on a random day, and I’ve used it for so many things now.  If you have an image that includes the colors you’d like to use for your blog, you can upload and pixelate on Colour Lovers to see the exact RGB/hex codes you need to design your site.  Best part:  It’s FREE!
5. Picnik became my life saver for creating images and creative text effects.  Basically every image you see that is jazzed up on Sweat comes from Picnik, and it is $4.95 per MONTH!  So awesome, and photoshop skills are not needed.
6. Constant Contact was my go-to email marketer, as they again offer a free trial and their email marketing is based on subscribers and not how many emails you send.  I send weekly emails, and to certain groups even more frequent with that.  They were the perfect fit!  Not to mention, I referred two friends to Constant Contact during my trial period, so I had a $60 credit waiting for me once I became a paid member.  Can’t beat that!
7. All of my videos are edited using the free video editing system from Microsoft.  It rivals iMovie, and since I keep it pretty simple anyway…it does the job.
8. Because I’m not cool enough to have extended videos on YouTube, I had to go with Vimeo for my video publishing needs. Ugh.  I want to use YouTube for the social aspect, but the quality of Vimeo and the “you can upload 12 hours of footage for all we care” attitude is what I truly needed.  Vimeo is $9.95 per month for a plus membership, which includes a nearly unlimited amount of uploads.

All of these things add up to a bit of a price, but the priceless & ultimate necessity will be your support team.  If you’re in this alone like I am, you’ll need a support team to bounce ideas off of and to get absolute HONEST feedback from (Thank you Anja, the BF, and Mom!).   The design you see now for Sweat is my 4th attempt, and by far my best.   Allow yourself the time to grow, and respect the critiques you get along the way.

I hope this blogger on a budget guide has helped to put things in perspective.  Starting and maintaining a blog is a full-time profession, but if you have the will…there is a way.  In the wise words of Justin Bieber, “Never say never.”

xoxo-
jenn

Then something happened…

I did the school thing and naturally did the work thing.  I became (gasp) a personal trainer at your stereotypical protein-powder-pushing, meathead gym.  Ugh.  Suddenly my ideas of approaching clients with a holistic outlook and enthusiasm were replaced with the need to hit sales quotas and create instant results.    One day while sitting behind the personal training desk, I watched my coworker put a huge scoop of protein powder and creatine in his mouth, and simply wash it down with water.  It was disgusting, and my friends…it was a turning point.  I got up from my chair, grabbed what I believe was a post-it, and on this wrote a note to my boss that included my immediate resignation.

I went on to start my own business, experiencing a few of the most powerful, challenging and devastating years of my life.  I learned my strengths, I really learned my weaknesses, and I would end up losing my own personal health in the midst of my first attempt at entrepreneurship.  (Who KNEW it would be so hard?!!!)  In August of 2008 as my health was deteriorating and with the big “C” calling my name, I had a breakdown.   Not to worry, because what normally follows a breakdown is a….(drum roll please) BREAK THROUGH.

Fast forward to present day:  I’m healthy, finally getting my groove back and consider myself a fitness expert turned fitness enthusiast.  I assure you…there is a big difference between the two.  It comes down to preaching v. passion.  I choose the latter, and that little workout website gives me the ability to share it with the world.   I don’t care to show you the fastest way to weight loss.  I don’t need to tell you what you “should” look like based on our twisted society.  What I want is to be a support system.  If somewhere on your journey through health & fitness you need a boost of energy, knowledge, or inspiration…that’s where I want this little workout website to come in.

My personal fitness philosophies have evolved with my experience, and while 5 years ago I would have told you to sweat, sweat, and sweat some more, now I’m just encouraging you to be healthy and HAPPY.  While it appears my entire career has been built on improving the exterior, it really all boils down to being happy with the interior.  That’s where life, and the FUN begins.

Cheers & best wishes to you on your personal journey.  Life is quite a ride, so hang on…