I like to move it move it, I like to move IT!

People often ask me, "How do you stay motivated and exercise even in the winter?" My response, "You just have to make it a priority." I know this is not easy and life gets in the way, but if you start your day exercising, your more likely to stick to it. In my mind, I have a to do list and first thing on it is to exercise.

There are so many great benefits exercising can do for you. For one, it keeps you healthy! Heck ya, how could you not love sweating and getting all the toxins out of your body. All you have to do is get your body moving and you will see those beautiful glistening beads of sweat dripping down your face. Attractive huh?  Second, it helps you lose weight and tone up those muscles. Thirdly, it gives you a natural high. I run because I love it and well I get a huge runners high from it. I could go on and on about the benefits of working out, but I will leave you with these.

 People that know me often ask how I have so much energy and I can honestly say I believe it's from working out. It keeps me in check. Once you make a habit out of this, you won't want to miss a workout. They say it takes your mind and body 21 days to form a habit.  So start your day out right, don't hit that alarm, just get up and get moving! You will thank me in the end.

In addition to my motivational speech, you know your smart enough, good enough, and gosh darn it people like me speech, I have a fun little snack for you crazy folks to try. It's the delicious Spinach chips. Yes call me crazy, but this is a great alternative snack for those that like their chips and salt.

Step 1- Preheat your oven to 350 degree and spray a cookie sheet pan with nonstick spray.

Step 2 - Get a bag of spinach and rinse it with water. Blot the spinach with paper towels so it is dry.

Step 3 - Place spinach in a bowl and add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to the spinach. Lightly toss the spinach with olive oil. Make sure the spinach is lightly coated. You may need to add an additional tablespoon of olive oil to the mix.

Step 4 -Add garlic salt to the spinach. Add a few shakes to the mix and taste it. You may want more than three or four shakes.  If you want to get fancy, add a few shakes of parmesan cheese to it. Then, toss gently to coat the spinach.

Step 5 - Place the spinach on the coated cookie sheet pan and place in the oven. Cook at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Make sure you use a spatula to flip the spinach after baking them for 10 minutes so they are crunchy and cooked on both sides.

Step 6- Remove from oven, let them cool, and ENJOY!!!



Delish!!! You may even start turning into Popeye after enjoying these chips.
He's got some pretty impressive biceps, bet its from the spinach.

Cha cha cha chia......

Oh hail the all mighty chia seed, this tiny, beautiful seed has so many benefits that you will wonder why you have not been eating them all this time. Ok, well as a runner this seed has many wonderful nutrients. In two tablespoons of chia seeds it contains 10 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein, antioxidants, and Omega-3s with around only 130 calories. What more could you ask for??? This tiny seed is suppose to help your health, provide you with extra endurance, and keep you full longer. Now not all studies have proven this but I can tell you since starting to take or eat chia seeds, I have seen an improvement in my health and I grew a plant in my belly. Haha just kidding, no plants grown in my belly but you can grow one on the side if you want:)  You can find these seeds at most grocery stores in the vitamin aisle and sometimes in the baking aisle. 

A wonderful recipe I love to add chia seeds in is listed below. My sister gave me it from a site she found and I have fallen in love with them. It's delicious and nutritious! One added bonus, sometimes chia seeds get stuck in your teeth and pop out later for a fun little surprise in your mouth. 

Try this wonderful recipe, in addition to it I like to add 2 tablespoons of chia seeds to it. Vegan healthy chocolate date

Well it's the weekend and we are having a bit of a winter warmup so go out and get moving. I am planning on running some serious miles with these milder temperatures and hope you can take advantage of it as well. A song that always gets me moving and will brighten your day is listed below, check it out, you can't help but start dancing! Enjoy and happy Saturday.
Pharrell Happy

Well here goes nothing

Hi everyone! This is my first post, on my first blog ever. Aghhhh. Hopefully you all will find me entertaining and helpful, if not then not sure what to tell ya.

To start this blog many people ask me... "How did you get into running?" To answer that I have to be fair and give the husband a shout out. Yes, I have always run in high school and college but never long distance. When I met him, I told him I had always wanted to run a full marathon. Man should I have kept my mouth shut! He surprised me for christmas and signed me up for the San Diego Marathon. At the time, I was shocked and convinced I couldn't do it. But with a little training, who are we kidding a ton of training, I completed my first one in June 2010. And since then I have continued to train and run marathons. So I guess the husband deserves a thank you for starting this crazy addiction. Running is an addiction and once you start you will want to keep going. All you have to do is sign up for a race and let the craving for more begin.

Check out the Marathon calendar  It is a great place to research races, read reviews, and find one that fits your needs. We like to travel to our races, why not see the world while running. Seems like a good excuse to me.