Gems!

Brrr! It's not easy to find the urge to burn calories during this time of year!

Updates for Sunday:
2-3:00 on Sunday - I'm meeting some Panthers at Dublin Rec Center for a workout. Y'all are welcome to join.

6:00-7:00 Gemfit will be taught by Coach Shawna this Sunday. You'll have a bawl. Shawna is a riot.

Frozen Nose!

Hi y'all!

Sorry for my delay with the post. I was in Indy and now I have this silly head cold. So do tell me about the plan for the Frozen Nose! Vickie had some concerns about the trail being a bit too icy. Updates on that?

Tell me about your training too. How is everyone doing?

A few of the kids on the team have been chatting about the Special K diet. Many want to start on that plan and they want my opinion. I've not ever heard of this. Tell us what you know...

Let is Snow!!!

Gems work out class: Amber, Vickie, Katie and I stretched, lifted and did some dancin'! It was fun . We learned about 6-7 eight counts of dance choreography and we'll keep building until we get about 16 eight counts. Good stuff.

No Gems class next Sunday, January 18 since I'll be in Indy...woo hoo!

I plan to reconnect with y'all the following Sunday, January 25. Run outside around 5:10 and then meet upstairs at 6:05 for stretching/lifting/dancin'. We'll be calling that class "Gem Fit". I'm going to have Heather record me doing the steps and we'll post it on the page so y'all can practice at home!

Frozen Nose 4 miler on Saturday, January 24. Click on link off to the right so you can find out more info. Vickie...do we get to have snacks at your house after? Or do you have a place in Marysville that we can grab a bite to celebrate our victory?

Other updates:
* Babytail (Piggytail's son) turns 1 years old on Friday, Jan 16
* Elaine is starting a jewelry store (online). Be sure to check it out.
* Stu has great photos on his blogsite (link on the right, Jakey's page)

Homestead run postponed

Buzzy's ankles are not strong enough to run on ice. She and I will be going to the gym to run indoors.

Sorry folks, we can handle cold weather (in fact, I prefer to run in cold weather) but Buzzy cannot run on ice.

Y'all can still do your thang and I'll catch up with you on Sunday.

Sunday:
5:10 ish run outside (you're on your own because I'll be with Glam)
6:05 lift upstairs. I'll be there! Get ready for action, we're going to work hard!

Note: regarding Dance Jam...I've taught a ton of dance/cardio classes. Would you like to do that on Sunday? I can incorporate dance + weights + bootcamp

Workouts this week

Saturday, January 10 - Homestead Park on Cosgray 4:00 p.m. (I need to be at Midwest by 5:00)
Please let me know if you plan to come to that one.

Sunday, January 11 - Midwest
5:10 run/walk outside
6:00 lift upstairs

Potential Group Race

Frozen Nose 4 Miler
Saturday, January 24th
http://www.alliancerunning.com/frozen4miler.htm

Updates from the gang

Vickie and Amber are running outside and lifting indoors

Bob and Stuart are running outside. What races do y'all have coming up?

Katie is running on treadmill and working out with Constance

Elaine is working out with EveAnn

Debra is on treadmill

Abigail has been sick. Have you been able to run at all?

Brian/Nicole?? How are you two doing with your workouts?

Piggytail, how about you?

Jenny, Julie and Julie?? Haven't heard from you ladies in awhile...spill it.

How is everyone doing? Do you need a kick in the pants? A pat on the back? Do tell...

Healthy Recipe

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups dry garbanzo beans
10 cups vegetable stock
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 pounds fresh fennel bulbs, trimmed and chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh shelled green peas

DIRECTIONS
Place the garbanzo beans in a pot with enough water to cover, and soak 8 hours, or overnight. Drain and rinse.

In a large pot, stir together the soaked beans and vegetable stock. Mix in 2 cloves minced garlic and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes, or until beans are tender.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the remaining garlic, tomatoes, and basil in the skillet, and cook 2 minutes, or just until the basil is wilted. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Mix the fennel and onions into the pot with the garbanzo beans. Season with salt. Continue cooking 15 minutes. Mix in the tomatoes, basil, and peas, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until peas are tender. Serve hot.

Start Healthy Living Today!

Vickie and I enjoyed a great New Year's Day run. It was a great course! We celebrated our victory with PiggyTail and Elaine at Northstar! Yum.

PiggyTail gave me a training journal for a New Year's gift and I'll use that as a reminder to stay on course. I want to live a long healthy life. I had better stay away from too many cookies and I had better be sure to keep up my exercise plan.

May this year be a fresh start for everyone. It's never too late to take care of your body. I often fall off the wagon and it's hard to get back on track. I don't like to exercise. I like to play sports. So if there is no sport involved, I'm not interested. But that's such a sissy way of dealing with my health. It's not responsible and I hope to stay on track with my exercise this year.

I've spent the majority of my holiday either at the nursing home, the James Cancer Hospital or the OSU intensive care unit. I've been around heart breaking illness. I've listened to families grieve over losing the people they love. And I've seen this horrible disease take the wind out of Mom's sails.

I don't ever want to end up in a hospital like this. It's nearly unbearable to see these people suffering this way. I am just so thankful to be healthy (for now). I want to live; I want to be physically comfortable and emotionally strong. It's very important that I take very good care of my body so that I don't suffer the consequences later in my life. The damage that I do to my body now could show up in 10 years. I want to avoid that.

I encourage you to allow my mother's illness to inspire you to stay on course with your health.

Get out there and enjoy the fresh air. If it's cold outside, then put on a coat and mittens. Each time you have the urge to skip your workout....just remind yourself that if you were in the intensive care unit....you would wish that you were strong enough to get outside and exercise. I will be giving myself that reminder each day. When I try to talk myself out of my next workout, I will remember these patients and I will remember that it's important to celebrate each day of my life. If I was stuck in a hospital bed, I know that I would be wishing that I were running instead.

Gems....we gotta stick together and stay on course. When one of us falls off the wagon, we must nag and get everyone back on track. That's what training groups do...we keep each other going.

Now, most importantly...call your mother. Tell you love her. Call your girlfriends. Tell them that you appreciate their friendship. Hug your children. Don't waste any energy on negativity. Take a few moments to appreciate your life.

Eat healthy. Exercise. Laugh. Enjoy.

Note: Because Mom's health has taken a turn in the wrong direction, I might not be at Midwest on Sunday. We start our run/walk at 5:10 p.m. If I am able, I will be there to join you. If not, I hope you'll celebrate your life by walking/running anyways. If I am there, we will plan to lift upstairs after our walk/run. We'll meet upstairs around 5:40 and lift until 6:10.