Fit Tip: The #1 irritant to the pancreas is...

The #1 irritant to the pancreas is CAFFEINE!! All of you diabetics or pre-diabetics out there, (and anyone who wants to prevent diabetes), please please cut back on the coffee!

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Fit Tip: Remember, You Have A Voice In Your Life

Don't ever forget that the 1 and only voice that matters in your life is your own. There's so much chatter in our world that clutters up our thinking, and sometimes we need to sit back, relax, and be reminded that our voice is what determines our life. Are you going to sit back while someone else's voice speaks for you? While someone else's voice creates your path or destiny? Or will you stand up and make sure your voice is heard, not only to yourself, but to others.

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Fit Tip: Attracting the right types of people into your life: Part 3

Now it's time to put all of the pieces together, if you've been participating in this wellness assignment. You have previously listed qualities you see in those who surround you most, such as co-workers or friends. You have listed your own most prominent qualities and characteristics. Now, let's compare. Do the qualities you see in others mirror or reflect the qualities you see in yourself?

Do you see any comparisons? Do you like the comparisons that you see?

I'm sure you've noticed in your life, that people come and go. That is for a reason. Some people stay. Each person in your life is there to teach you a lesson, or make you a better person for knowing them.

If your qualities and characteristics are not matching, then it's time to start focusing on your true values. What matters most to you. What qualities matter most to you. If you are not practicing those qualities that matter most to you, then you will never attract those qualites from others. It's just how the world works. If you value compassion in others, yet find that you are often uncompassionate, then you'll find it hard to find others who are compassionate. Maybe someone will come into your life to teach you a lesson, or help you to become more compassionate. This applies for any and all traits.

If you want to attract people who value fitness into your life, you must first begin to value fitness. If you want to attract honest people into your life, you must first become an honest person.

Like attracts like. Try it.

-Abby
http://liveforitall.blogspot.com
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Fit Tip: Attracting the right types of people into your life: part 2

So, now that you've created a list of character qualities in those people who surround you most each day, it's time to take a look at yourself.

Look objectivley at your own life, or beter yet, have someone else write down characteristics and qualities they see most in you. Sometimes it's hard to see the good and/or bad qualities we most posess. (Don't forget, that EVERYONE posesses ALL qualities to certain extents). Which qualites about yourself pop off the page. List your qualities in order of most prominent. ie, if your most prominent characteristic in life is that you're a great listener, then that should be #1 on your list. If you find that you are often jealous, then that quality should be near the top of your list, and so on.

Stay tuned for part 3.

-Abby
http://liveforitall.blogspot.com
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Fit Tip: Attracting the right types of people into your life: part 1

It's time to take a look at those who surround us every day. Are they enriching our lives? Are they hindering our growth? Are they helping us grow, in all ways, as a better, happier, more loving person? Let's break it down, with a small assignment, or "homework" as I call it with my clients.

First and foremost, I want you to write a list of 10-15 character qualities that are in the people who surround you most. You can focus on your co-workers/business parnters, or family and friends. Looking objectively at these people, what character traits do they have. Are they loving? selfish? jealous, caring? etc? Make this list. This is your first assignment.

Stay tuned for the next step!

-Abby
www.liveforitall.com

A Runner's Guide to the Napa Valley Marathon

Coming to you as a recreational runner and marathon coach for over 8 years, I am here to share some words of wisdom, experience, and guidance about the Napa Valley Marathon (NVM). Being my 6th marathon in just about 7 years, I thought I knew how to train, and how "little" training I could actually get away with in order to run this race adequately. No elevation, few large hills, should have been a pretty standard training regimin. Yes, I did 10-12 weeks worth of training (could have used a few more), did a 12, 14, 16, and 18 miler pre-marathon, and still got to the marathon, feeling the most unprepared I ever had. Not that I hadn't trained well enough, or properly, but this would be my first ever marathon run in complete rain! I've run in wind, heat, and freezing cold, but never RAIN! A runner's worst nightmare! Will I get blisters? Will my shoes be too heavy? What will I wear? The what if's could go on and on. So, eventually I had to just shut myself up, and say "I'm going to ENJOY this race." And that is what I did. It was one of my favorite marathons, with great scenery, and a fast course (and I was able to do a personal best, even in the rain). Below, you'll read more info on this marathon, and hopefully it will inspire you to choose and participate in your first, second, third, or 30th marathon!

We'll start with registration for this race. If you decide you want to run this race, register early! Don't delay! Too many folks will get shut out if they wait, as this race is surely going to fill up every year. Some just register for the SWAG (stuff we all get), and yes, the NVM has some of the best SWAG of any marathon I have ever run. The duffle bag is great! Plus, now I have another long sleeve running shirt to sport as I run around town. (Though, why do they always make them white? Don't they know that white running shirts are all but see-through in the rain? If they make white running shirts, they should at least guarantee a sunny marathon day).

Next on the agenda is the race expo. Held at the Napa Valley Marriott, I found the expo to be very small and crowded. Sure it had all of the standard expo venders, such as the running attire, marathon snacks, sunglasses, and packet pickup locations, but it was very crowded and scattered in several different rooms. I usually like to stay and look around a while, but I decided to just get out as fast as I could. So, I didn't stay for any of the speakers, but the fact that they had a whole day's worth of speakers and events would make this expo worth it to attend. Best part, they also had RACE DAY PICKUP! May seem crazy, but it was the first marathon I ran that actually did that! Props to the NVM. Sometimes marathons don't realize that folks are traveling from out of town and can't get there until that morning. Even though I didn't take advantage of race day packet pickup, I was sure glad to see it as an option.

Race-Day. Well, driving from Sacramento at 3:45am in the pouring rain didn't get me pumped up for the marathon at all. With windshield wipers going as fast as they could, heat blasting, and nothing good on the radio at that hour, I kept thinking to myself, why am I doing this? A question that marathon runners will frequently ask themselves. (To each his own answers).

With great race-day instructions on their website, and my new GPS in the car, I was able to find the school where the parking and shuttle busses were, with zero difficulty. There were volunteers out there before 5am in the rain, directing traffic to the correct parking lots. Once parked and with a heavy garbage bag draped over me like a stylish dress, I decided to leave my post-race duffel bag in the car, and head to the shuttle busses at the entrance of the school. I could have taken my bag with clothes and sandals for after the race, to the start and had the bag drop bring it to the finish, but I decided that I could just as easily walk to my car after the race, to get my clothes to change into. It wasn't far at all. So, I took my camelback and essentials only on the shuttle bus. Only items that were racing with me came with me.

At the Start: Once the busses reached the starting area, they parked and I tried to stay on the bus as long as possible to stay warm and dry. I got out about 30 minutes pre-race to hop in the port-o-potty line, which was quite long, and took just about all the time I had. I even tried to use my port-o-potty logic. 1: Find the line with the most men. They are usually quicker. 2: Pick the line that has taken over the most stalls. 3: Find the shortest line near the far end of the row. Best quote of the bathroom line was one gentleman who just went behind the port-o-potties and came back saying, "Yea, I had no line, and a great view of the vineyards!" Oh, it must be nice to be a man on race days. Once out of line, the race was about to begin. I was ready, and my feet were already wet.

On the course: Just before crossing the start line, I ditched my garbage bag, and figured, heck with it. I'm going to be wet no matter what. At least the temperature was a mild 50 degrees. A whole lot better than last year at the CIM at a starting temperature of 28 degrees! The first mile was mainly downhill, so I was off to a fast start, adrenaline pumping. Still saying to myself, "I still have 25 miles to go." Rolling hills challenged many runners throughout the entire course, as I heard folks saying things like "I thought this race was going to be downhill." And yes, a net decline overall, but the rolling hills along the way could be deceiving for those ill-prepared to run hills. These hills were nothing, as compared to the Lake Tahoe Marathon or the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. So, I felt confident in my hill running skills on these mild rolling hills.

Aid Stations: The aid stations along the course were great. About every 2 miles, was an aid station with water and gatorade. At the later stations they handed out oranges, banana's and gu. My only complaint: at a few stations, they used plastic cups instead of paper. Which means you can't squeeze the cup to make a funnel, and all the water spashes on your face, and plastic cups are easy to trip on when thrown on the ground. But besides that, the aid stations were not crowded, and there were 3-4 bathrooms at each station, usually with no line.

Volunteers and Organization: From what I saw, this race was extremely well organized. From the parking before the race, to the shuttle busses to the start, the aid stations and mile markers, and even the volunteers at the finish, it was very well organized. There was a volunteer to greet each runner individually at the finish line, give you water, and escorting you to the exit, asking how you were doing and making sure that you were all right after finishing the 26.2. It was a nice touch.

Post Race Festivities: After the race, there were locker rooms and restrooms to use (as there were pre-race before getting on the shuttle busses), hot soup and bread, and an entire gymnasium of massage therapists! It was the most massage therapists I have ever seen at the end of the marathon! It was very well organized and I definitely took advantage of that! Plus, you can't beat a free massage after a marathon! (though it's customary to tip a volunteer massage therapist, so make sure to have money on you!) The soup was delicious, and just what my stomach needed. Best part of all, was the fact that there was a locker room to change out of my drenched running clothes, and into fresh clothes that I had prepared ahead of time, and kept in my car. It would have been a long, cold, wet, drive home to Sacramento if I hadn't been able to change.

Spectators: Well, I can't say there were many spectators along the route. But then again, it was raining the entire morning. Most spectators out on the course were friends and family of runners, so you would see the same few faces pop up along the way. So, it's definitley not a race to run, if you only feed off of the energy of a crowd. If you like the crowds, excitment, music, bands every mile of the race, you may want to try a bigger, more crowded race in a city, such as Chicago, or Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC. Those races are two of the best for spectators and excitement along the way. In the NVM, you had to be your own spectator.

Overall, it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to experience the Napa Valley Marathon. There were a lot of first time marathonners out on the course, which was exciting, and tons of veteran runners. Having to be your own spectator meant you had to go deep inside your soul. You had to cheer for yourself. The hardest thing to do, is to tell yourself to keep going, when all you want to do is stop. But that's what a marathon is all about. It takes guts, determination, willpower, and a strong desire to accompish one of the greatest feats known to man. Knowing you got yourself from point A to point B, and the 26.2 miles in between, makes it all worth while. That's life though. We must learn to "cheer ourselves on." We are the only person that we can count on 100% and like in all tough challenges in life, we must rely on our individual strength. No one else can "do life" for us.

So, get out there. Challenge yourself. Hit the pavement. And someday, you too, can run the Napa Valley Marathon!

www.liveforitall.com

On March 6, I will complete my 6th marathon, in 6 years.

You would think I'd have given up after 1, maybe 2 marathons. You definitley would have thought I'd give up after 3, since my first 3 marathons were all over the 6 hour mark. I don't know what kept me going. Maybe it was my determination, ego, or whatnot, but I kept going. 4 and 5 were both in the 4 hour range, and now I'm on to #6. To me, it even sounds CRAZY! But again, I think you do have to be crazy to run a marathon. I take pride in that title though. It's an endurance event, that less than .1% of the population ever completes, and now, I am definitely part of that crazy, small percentage. March 6, I will run the Napa Valley Marathon, and get the enjoyment of a glass of wine at the finish line :) Though, not sure if that will be what my body craves after 26.2, the thought of it sounds fun.

So, if you've ever thought about running a marathon, but you're holding back because, well, simply you think you're too slow, then STOP YOUR THINKING! You will improve, so long as you don't give up! Who cares how fast you go, just finish and reach your goal!

Join me this April, as we train for the hilly, San Francisco Marathon on July 31, 2011! Find out more at www.liveforitall.com!

Fit Tip: Thinking positively is as easy as a switch. Try it.

Changing your thoughts from negative to positive is as easy as a switch. It doesn't have to take years to change your mind. All it takes is a split moment. Those who are resistant to this idea, and think that it takes years to change your thinking, your beliefs, I challenge you. I want you right now to not think of a "pink elephant." No matter what, you think of a pink elephant, even if I say, don't think of it. Didn't think that works? Now think of a negative thought. If you can't come up with anything, think of a dog that was just hit by a car, on the side of the road, blood all around, etc. Can you picture it? Bet you can. If it's that easy to think of a negative thought, you better believe it's that easy to think of a positive thought. Just takes a simple moment to re-program your mind to be thinking positive thoughts rather than negative. If you catch yourself thinking negatively, take a split moment and think of something happy. Think of a dozen longstem red roses, or a trip that you went on that made you feel at peace, anything at all. It's a simple as a switch. Just do it!

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Fit Tip: You need a "new mind"

"You CANNOT fix a problem with the same mind that created the problem"

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