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Showing posts from 2016

A Renegade Act of Health and Wellness - My Manifesto for Change

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I am returning from a long hiatus in the sport and I sit here thinking... wow. This is so much more difficult that I remember it being. And I do not mean it in a sarcastic funny way.. I mean that the struggle for me is real. This is going to be a hard fought return. However, I have the opportunity to see this as a re-do. When I left the sport to focus on my personal development I was at an all time high for me. Happy Ironman finisher, 2015 TeamUSA Long Course World Championship Qualifier (declined my spot due to school), and overall having the time of my life feeling fit and fabulous setting PRs all over the place. I felt and operated like some form of well oiled machine. I was in the zone and figured that I could keep doing something while in school, only that never happened. I decided to reach for the stars instead of digging myself a hole. My healthy lifestyle came to a screeching halt. Now here I sit, tired, out of shape and overweight looking at how far I have slipp

Planning races and planning plans

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Today I hit 'send' on my race season form with my coaching team.  I decided to do a 2-part season, one in focusing on my return to racing, the other on focus on prepping for the work ahead of me in 2018.  We will see what coach says about my part 2, however for now I have a solid race schedule for my grand re-entrance into triathlon! Triceratops Tri - June 21st Motor City Sprint - June 25th Pterodactyl Tri - July 19th Ironman70.3 Ohio (Relay) - July 30th The Bavarian Inn Experience - August 5th Swim to the Moon 5k  (Open Water Swim) - August 20th T-Rex Tri - August 23rd Detroit Marathon - October 15th It feels good to have something on the radar now, some goal to work for. The hardest part of coming back from a long time off is taking that first step knowing that it is going to hurt, that it is not going to feel the same as it once did, that it will be something I have to work at and that it is not going to be easy.  Nothing worth working for ever is though. :-

EnSoul Yoga Review

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Thanks to Groupon I was able to grab a 10 session membership to a new Yoga studio that has been catching my eye ever since they started reno on the old Mother Fletcher's location in Ferndale. What really caught my eye on this studio from the outward appearance was the name and logo itself.  I was surprised to see the idea of plugging in when I have always heard to unplug, however I really dug on the idea of tuning in to yourself rather than tuning out the world.    I went for my first class - the Soulful class - and I was beyond impressed.  From the moment I walked into the space I felt at home and like I found a practice that resonated within myself.  The studio space, the overall vibe of Caren Paskel -  the instructor for the class and owner of EnSoul -  as well as the message conveyed and the delivery of the message all made for a very deep and meaningful experience.  I am looking forward to trying out the many different classes that EnSoul Yoga provide

I do what I want! An adventure in using fitness for fun by having fun to gain fitness.

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Do you remember being a child and having your parent tell you to clean your room?  Were you the child jumping up, so excited to get it clean or were you like me and would go up to your room only to sit there and play with toys or look through every single thing that you find in an effort to protest, to push back against parental control?  Some days I feel like that stubborn child but know that I cannot really get away with throwing a tantrum over the inevitable.  In order to be healthy one must adopt healthy habits and work each day on their health.  In order to be fit one must adopt the habits that lead to a state of fitness and work each day on fitness.  In order to have a clean room one must clean the room.  I also know that if I were to just jump right back into hard core training I would quit in a heartbeat.  I have been gone for so long that who I was no longer exists... I need to re-start as who I am. I need to embrace TODAY and not be resentful over the loss of YESTERDAY

2017... Seashell is BACK and bringing you along for the ride ahead to 140.6 for 40!

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It feels so good to shake off the dust, stretch out the arms, inhale a fresh breath exhaling in the final yawn of coming out of a deep sleep, rubbing eyes clear of slumber and seeing clearly what is in front of you.  I needed the break to finish my degree and to find a fresh perspective on my fitness.  A lot has come to light in the last few years than I had ever imagined.  With that a refocus on fitness and health has commenced.  In 2017 I am very excited to be working with people I know and love, as well as to represent a new team that I have been wowed by over the past year in how they support the community at large, and how they stand up for the right thing, not the easy thing.  Their products are pretty amazing to boot, and without them I would not have been able to survive the death-march that Ironman70.3 Ohio turned out to be for me.  Here is the dream team, MY dream team - the teams that I am proud to be racing and training with and representing on my journey.  They h

The Journey Back to Me - 140.6 days of health

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As of September 11, 2016 I am officially done with my Master's Degree academic work!  I have taken and passed my comprehensive exam, and now just need to finish my clinical trial and then in a few short weeks I will have my degree in hand. In December I expect to be able to obtain my State Certification in Nutrition, so another huge milestone is about to be cleared.  What an amazing past few years it has been on my goal of inspiring others to live a healthy and active life. However what has not been so amazing in the past few years has been how far I have fallen out of a healthy and active life myself as the demands of work and school took their toll. The weight my body now bares is the proof of how we must work on health as part of our lifestyle, not a crash fad.  Ironic that I am a certified health coach with a Master's degree in nutrition... and I look and feel like I need to see one myself. I am starting the journey back to consistent workouts and self care, th

Food to Fuel - RECIPE SUPERFOODS SALAD

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One thing I love is an easy to take, nutrient dense meal that nourishes body and tastes really good. My friend and teammate Trish turned me on to this recipe and it has become a training season staple in my house. I make large batches and then keep in small containers to grab-and-go for post ride or run refueling. If you don't need a refueling option,  this is a bomb diggity meal on its own!  Originally this is from Iowa Girl Eats foods blog,  but due to my nutritionist background I have made some very minor changes.  I've included the link to the original recipe. SUPERFOOD SALAD Original recipe courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, Modifications by Jenniferlyn Warstler, CINHC, CFSP http://iowagirleats.com/recipes/superfood-salad-with-lemon-vinaigrette/ Serves: 5 INGREDIENTS: For The Salad: 1/2 cup dry quinoa 1/3 cup red onion, chopped 1 orange, peeled then segmented 1 avocado, chopped 1 cup reduced-sodium canned black beans, rinsed and drained 1 cup pomegranate seeds (abo

Seashells Love Music: My Audible Go-To's For Training, Racing, and Tuning Out to Fire Up.

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  I used to create playlists for races, music for training, and spend hours crafting the perfect mixes of tempos and beats to get me rocking on my feet.  (See what I did there?)  These days though, with the increase in popularity of podcasts and streaming music services like Pandora and Stitcher we can almost outsource the heavy lifting and reap the rewards of another's musical curating.   So here are some musical tools that I use to get going:   MUSIC AND OTHER PODCASTS PODRUNNER: Workout Music (and a subset of that is PUDRUNNER INTERVALS PODRUNNER is great in that DJ Steve  organizes each track (episode) by BPM of the music.  It ranges from 120bpm (great for walking and easy efforts) to 180 BPM - that is what we call WORK!  Some tracks (episodes) contains an interval based workout where he takes the music and starts at a moderate tempo and then adds in faster tempos to sustain a nice workout, or you can just find a BPM that works with your preferred ef

Always Win Monday: A Way To Set Yourself Up For A Great Week Ahead

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I belonged to a motivational Facebook group that was about helping each other get a jump start on any New Year's resolutions.  One of the sayings that I picked up from this group is Always Win Monday.  It serves as the reminder to start off the week on a good foot, get in that workout and win the day. Part of wining Monday for me will be taking in yoga and finally getting my butt back into the pool!  Ironman70.3 Ohio is fast approaching at 145 days away and I will be going from couch to 1.2 mile swim / 13.1 mile run in that time. I can do that by winning Mondays.  I find that it really sets the tone for the rest of the week and I am to the point now that if I miss going to the gym during the week I get cranky and feel out of sorts.    My Monday Win looks something like this: Get in a workout even if it is Yoga or stretching Stick to the meal plan Get a good night's rest These things help me set the intention for the rest of the week.  I am a p

The Return To Ironman Starts With 1 Step.

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I am on near 2-year return journey to the Ironman.  I am finding it difficult to wrap my head around the new me.  What I mean about that is when I decided to go back to school to pursue a dream, I put my triathlon and endurance training on pause.  Well now that I am un-pausing I am struggling with the fact that my fitness did not pause along with it. I am really feeling like a totally new runner, struggling to find my pace and my level.  I keep thinking that it should not be this hard but the truth is that it is.  It is not because this is difficult, it is hard only because I am comparing it to when I left and I am not at that fitness level anymore. Lesson learned that you cannot rest on your last achievement.  I am embarrassed to even claim to be an Ironman at this point only because I can barely run a 5k. So this is where my health coaching comes into play and I take myself on as a client.  The struggle is mental and because I am comparing myself to a former version of myse