Become a Runner in a Summer | Fitness

Every summer I get back into running and it reminds me why I love to run. I always regret falling away from running during the school year/winter months- hopefully this year I won't stop when it gets cold! 

I feel like getting back into running is really hard. I mean, the last time I ran (last summer) I was making my best 5km times and now I can barely do a 60 second interval... very discouraging. However, also very motivating because I know where I can get to!

Using my fitness plan from last summer, combined with new knowledge and goals I have put together a weekly plan to get back to a place where I can consider myself a runner.

Here it is:

Monday: 

run 45-55 minutes + brisk walk 35-40 minutes

Tuesday: 

optional cross training day

Wednesday: 

run 35-40 minutes

Thursday: 

run 30 minutes + cross train 30 minutes

Friday: 

complete rest day

Saturday: 

run 35-40 minutes

Sunday: 

cross train 45-55 minutes

For the runs I'm not just jumping the gun and running for the whole time frame. I'm using the app Couch to 5K to coach me through the runs and build my endurance back up in a healthy way.

Week 1: 

brisk 5 minute warmup walk

alternate 60 seconds jogging, 90 seconds walking

5 minute cool down walk

Week 2:

brisk 5 minute warmup walk

alternate 90 seconds of jogging, 2 minutes walking

5 minute cool down walk

Week 3:

brisk 5 minute warmup walk

two repetitions of the following: jog for 90 seconds, walk for 90 seconds; jog for 3 minutes, walk for 3 minutes

5 minute cool down walk

Week 4:

brisk 5 minute warmup walk

jog 3 minutes, walk 90 seconds; job 5 minutes, walk 2.5 minutes; job 3 minutes, walk 90 seconds; jog 5 minutes

5 minute cool down walk

Week 5:

brisk 5 minute warmup walk

jog 8 minutes, walk 8 minutes, jog 8 minutes

5 minute cool down walk

Week 6:

brisk 5 minute warmup walk

jog 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes; jog 8 minutes, walk 3 minutes; jog 5 minutes

5 minute cool down walk

Week 7:

brisk 5 minute warmup walk

jog 25 minutes

5 minute cool down walk

Week 8:

brisk 5 minute warmup walk

jog 28 minutes

5 minute cool down walk

Week 9:

brisk 5 minute warmup walk

jog 30 minutes

5 minute cool down walk

Week 10:

brisk 5 minute warmup walk

jog 32 minutes

5 minute cool down walk

Week 11: 

brisk 5 minute warmup walk

jog 35 minutes

5 minute cool down walk

Week 12:

brisk 5 minute warmup walk

jog a 5k route- try to make good time

5 minute cool down walk

As far as warmup and cool down, the times are VERY short and should be extended. Before running I do a 10-15 minute warmup of dynamic stretches. After my run I will walk around my back yard for about 10 minutes and then spend about 15-20 minutes stretching out my muscles/doing a bit of light yoga. It's so important to not skip warmup and cool down! 

On my cross training days, I will either power walk, go for a bike ride, or go for a swim at the YMCA- whatever I feel like that day!

I'm so excited to get back into running- I'm already two weeks in and I feel great! I have SO much energy and I feel so much healthier than I did before. I think running can be so daunting but if you take it one run at a time and listen to your body so you don't push yourself way too hard, it's such a joy!

Are you a runner? Do you want to be a runner? 

Let me know about your running experience- good or bad- in a comment!

Thanks for reading & check back again to see what KatieDidd, xo

My Progress | Saturday Series: Fit-Spiration 6 of 6

I want to start off by saying that I realize I should have taken progress pictures wearing the same outfits all the way through, but I never thought of it back when I started my fitness journey. I also want to throw it out there that I am NOT trying to brag about my body in ANY way whatsoever. I'm posting my progress to hopefully inspire you guys and to show that if I can do it, then literally ANYONE can do it.

My journey began almost 2 years ago now. I really wanted to lose weight after realizing that I was quite self conscious about my body. I started off by simply altering my diet- less empty carbs and fatty foods and more whole grains and veggies. I was in a really bad place before starting my fitness journey; I was drinking a lot and eating really poor foods. I quit drinking all together (still haven't had a drink to this day), I cut out fast foods, and I limited myself to one "bad" food per day, which eventually turned to one "bad" food per week. I also began watching my portion size and trying to eat mindfully instead of snacking in front of the TV. By January of this year I had already seen such a remarkable difference- in just 11 months I had lost 40 pounds! I kept the weight loss going and began introducing a work out plan and by July I had lost another 15 pounds, making a total weight loss of 55 pounds and I went from a size 12 pant to a size 5. The biggest accomplishment for me wasn't necessarily the weight loss but how great I felt and how happy I was.

Over the summer I had quite a bit of free time and so began working out quite intensely. I would workout for at least an hour everyday, doing a combination of cardio and muscle building/toning. I found that I really love to walk long distances at a brisk pace, and I also really love yoga and pilates. Working out has become an absolute joy for me; it's something I really look forward to as it helps me to relax and feel happy.

This final photo I took whilst I was home this past weekend for Thanksgiving. I am maintaining my fitness despite being away at college by walking whenever I can as well as using the Sworkit app and doing yoga 3 times a week. I'm enjoying cooking healthy meals for myself with good, wholesome ingredients. Not that numbers matter in the vast scheme of things, but just as a reference if your interested my current numbers are as follows:

Weight: 108Lbs

Pant size: 2 or 3

Bust: 32"

Waist: 26"

Hips: 36"

Like I said (and will continue to say until the end of time) the numbers don't matter. They're a good gauge of progress but the important thing is how great I feel now and that I am living a healthy active lifestyle that will carry me through this life. I think a healthy lifestyle is a great thing to adopt as young as you possibly can, I think it will stick with me as long as I live. 

I hope you feel inspired by this to live a healthier, more active lifestyle. Like I said, if I can do it anyone can. It's all about making good choices and loving yourself enough to do so. If you have any questions about starting to live a healthier lifestyle or any tips you could provide me to help with my own journey leave a comment!

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

Staying Motivated | Saturday Series: Fit-Spiration 5 of 6

Hello lovely, bit of a late post today but I'm enjoying being at home for Thanksgiving- keep your eyes peeled for a future post about it! This week's topic for fit-spiration is staying motivated! I feel like starting a fitness plan is the easy part, but sticking to it for the long-term is where things get more difficult. Today I'm going to share with you my 5 top tips for staying motivated!

1. Have cute workout clothes

There's something about a cute pair of yoga pants that really gets me excited about working out! Find clothes that you're excited to wear and also that you feel comfortable in! Dressing the part really does help get you in the mind set for a good workout.

 2. Find a plan that works for you

Saying that you're going to go to the gym 3 times a week is all well and good... until you realize that you can't get to the gym three times per week. For me, working out at home is the best option. I love the Sworkit app so much! Another thing I've been doing recently is keeping these exercises on paper in a mug, choosing out 10 exercises every day and making a circuit to do 3 times over. 

 3. Track your progress

Setting mini-goals to accomplish every few weeks or so and rewarding yourself now and then is a great way to stay motivated! I keep track of my progress by taking photos of myself in the same spot and in the same outfit then comparing them side by side in this book. I also write down my body measurements once per month. I stray away from using weight as a progress tracker because it tends to get me discouraged. 

4. Stay inspired 

Finding new, healthy recipes is something that really helps me to stay motivated. Reading fitness based magazines also really helps my motivation; seeing other women kicking ass makes me want to kick ass too!

5. Make it a lifestyle

Incorporating fitness into your every day life is a great way to stay motivated to live a healthy and active lifestyle. Beyond the little things like walking places and taking the stairs, I love getting outside and hiking around my neighbourhood. It's good cardio but really doesn't feel like a chore at all!

I hope this post will help you to stay motivated on your fitness journey! What helps you to stay motivated?

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

Post Workout Snacks | Saturday Series: Fit-Spiration 4 of 6

Since last week, I shared my favourite workout apps, I thought this week I'd follow up with my favourite part of working out: the post workout snacks! Haha. Of course I'm joking, but these 2 snacks are really really yummy and protein packed for after a good workout!

The first one I'm gonna share with you is this delicious protein pop! I made mine in 3 layers; every layer had a base of greek yogurt and 2% milk.

Layer 1: oats and cinnamon

Layer 2: multigrain Cheerios

Layer 3: cacao powder and dark chocolate chunks

All I did was mix the 3 layers in separate bowls and then spoon the mixtures into my popsicle container! 

One little pop has only 62 calories, 1.8g of fat, 8.5g of carbs, and 3.3g of protein!

I shared the recipe for these 100 calorie protein breakfast muffins in this baking post a little while back! They're really good after a workout with a dollop of Greek Yogurt and some cinnamon. 

One of these muffins has 100 calories, 5.4g of fat, 12.7g of carbs, and 3.8g of protein.

I hope you guys enjoy these little snacks for after a workout. What's your favourite post workout snack? Do let me know!

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

My Favourite Fitness Apps | Saturday Series: Fit-spiration 3 of 6

For the third post in my Fit-spiration series, I decided to share my favourite fitness apps. I think fitness apps can be really helpful, wether its for tracking workouts, monitoring daily intake, or fitness inspiration! They can all be really helpful and conducive to a fit and active lifestyle!

 To start off, this is what my health/fitness folder looks like on my iPhone. I don't use the Apple Health app and I've stopped using Tracker Lite, since my workouts are now part of my weekly schedule I know if and when I worked out.

The apps I use most are MyFitnessPal, SWORKIT, and MapMyRide.

 SWORKIT

This app is so helpful for finding new workout ideas as well as giving you a good workout when you may not have the time to put in to planning a workout of your own. You can choose any of the categories shown above, then you choose from the subcategories, and finally you set your time frame or duration.

The sub categories include:

Strength: full body, upper body, core strength, and lower body

Cardio: light warm up, full intensity cardio, plyometrics jump cardio, and boot camp

Yoga: sun salutation, full sequence, yoga for runners, and pilates

Stretching: head to to warmup stretch, full body, standing only, and back strengthening

My favourite workouts are core strength, full intensity cardio, sun salutation, pilates and back strengthening.

I love this app so much for it's workouts but what I really love most about it is that it provides you with a gif of a person doing the instructed exercise. This breaks down the barrier of fitness jargon, especially in the yoga section.

MapMyRide

 MayMyRide is an app that uses your location and tracks your workout route. You can set it to many different tracking options including: walking, running, interval training, cycling, and countless other options! 

The app tells you how far you've gone as well as your average and split paces. It also keeps track of the music you listened to through iTunes which I think is a really cool feature because I know the songs I listened to for my best and worst workouts.

MyFitnessPal

Saved the best for last on this one! MyFitnessPal is an app that I use absolutely every single day! I love that it tracks my steps on it's own so I can see how much I'm moving. I use this app mainly for tracking my food in take. Now,  I'm not a dedicated calorie counter however, this app shows me my macros for the day as well as how much of each vitamin and mineral I've consumed. This app really helps me to keep on track with a healthy and balanced diet, which we all know goes hand-in-hand with getting fit!

These apps have really helped me out in my fitness journey and I hope you will give them a try! If there are any apps you think I should give a go do let me know.

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

Workout Playlist | Saturday Series: Fit-spiration 2 of 6

If you're like me then a workout isn't a good workout with out a good playlist. I'm a huge music fan! I find, though, that a lot of people's workout playlists consist of very harsh songs that aren't entirely up-lifting. I do love a good beat to workout to but I don't think the songs themselves necessarily have to have harsh lyrics as well.

The playlist below is the playlist I use when I walk, run, lift weights, and do pilates. All the songs have great beats and are great songs to sing a long to! They always get me pumped up and ready for a workout!

This second playlist (below) is the one I play whilst I do yoga or stretch. The songs are calm  and quiet and help me to wind down and relax.

I hope you like my playlists- please do feel free to share your workout playlist or favourite songs to workout to!

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn