Pregnant Running & What I Ate Thursday

This baby has been so cooperative for the majority of my runs. I really believe that he's going to come out wearing Brooks. So long as I have a decent amount of calories in my system about 30 minutes prior to the run, I am G2G. If not, I'll likely be calling the hubby for backup.

This was one of my faster pregnancy runs. I was so close to breaking 11mins/mile. My damn RunStar app kept closing me out. I actually ran 2.5mi.  My goal speed is 10:15. That's not that fast, but it is fast for me. I think it's important to aim for personal bests and not compare myself to other runners. I'm still relatively new to this distance thing AND I have a bum knee that will give out if I push too hard.

One of my favorite go to breakfasts consists of boiled eggs, fruit (usually grapes or a banana), toast (plain or with peanut butter) and some OJ or apple juice. I almost always have chocolate milk for an immediate post-run snack, today I had Ensure.

Ensure caters to my inner old lady.

I love the Dark Chocolate, but I can NEVER find it. Drives me insane. But the milk chocolate is still pretty awesome.

I'm already fantasizing about replacing this with my avocado toast. Mmm...

Does changing your last name mean losing your identity once you're married?

on July 19th, after almost 2,350 days of dating - or seven years (most of which have been living together) - I have finally welcomed a new title, 'wife.'

This feat has been a long time coming for my guy. He has proposed to me more than I can count. Although he is amazing, my greatest supporter and best friend, I have just always dismissed the idea due to a very specific set of personal reasons like completing my BA, starting a career and getting out of debt. In other word, I wanted to establish who I was and what made me happy BEFORE I committed to making him happy. I thought that I had to have everything about myself figured out before I was committed to him.

I've always been on the fence about changing my name also. If I googled myself, I get to see the virtual evolution of who I am. I can easily establish myself as a person. However, changing my name would mean erasing all of that. Leaving it all behind. That scared the shit out of me. So i have always said that the man that i decided to marry would have to accept that I would fall into that 13 percent of women who kept their maiden name.

Advise to my HS Self

I submitted an essay for a scholarship today and it was centered around the idea of advise to the younger you. I have written a previous blog post about advise to my future self, which I will happily share here one day. But I've never reflected on what I would tell my younger self.

Here's what I think, in less than 200 words:

If i could speak to my HS self, I would tell her three key words: take your time. You have the rest of your life to rush to fit into a cateogory. Focus on finding out the young person whom you are becoming and falling in love with her. Nothing in the world could ever make you happier than loving the person staring back at you in the mirror.

Be young. Make mistakes. Change paths. Pursue options. Dance, don't just sit and watch everyone else have fun. Just be in the moment. You will never get these moments again and life will happen to you one day. Happen to life today.

You will have the rest of your life to be accountable for the mistakes that you make. So make them wisely now. Regret is something that you so not won't to truly understand the definition of.

Why I Became a Beachbody Coach!

I am so excited. It's the driving force behind this blog.

I became a Beachbody Coach because I really wanted to take control of my lifestyle. I have always been a pretty active person. I spent the bulk of my life as a sprinter. I have always had this competitive, fiercely courageous attitude about myself and life.

And then I just became really burnt out and bored.

So what did I do in my small city of Lima, OH shortly after leaving college early? I joined the military. Yep! I spent a nice portion of my early twenties in the United States Air Force (both active and Air National Guard). I was very fortunate as a Logistics Specialist-fancy word for desk job-to travel to Korea, Japan and a handful of different hubs in the USA.
I wasn't necessarily thrilled about my job, but I loved being able to travel often. I'm definitely a 'what's next?' kind of girl.
So, I separated from the USAF-AD on a whim. I was in Korea with an assignment to North Dakota and I was focused on challenging myself to do something new. I wanted to challenge myself to step outside of my comfort zone and evolve. So with no money, car or job lined up, I was honorably discharged from the USAF in SOUTH KOREA. All I had was $800 and a lot of faith that lead me to Charleston, SC where I currently reside.
Fast forward a few years, I graduated with my BA from the College of Charleston a few short years later. Armed with that degree, I abandoned the juvenile idea of pursuing a fitness career or becoming a business owner. It wasn't realistic. I allowed so many people to speak that into my life that even I began to believe. I thought that it was time to 'grow up', stabilize and find a good-paying job with benefits. You know, the adult life.

It didn't take long for me to realize how miserable I was doing the 45-hour desk job, while STILL barely living above broke (disclaimer: I still work full-time). There is nothing more depressing than working your butt off JUST to pay bills. No vacation, no new shoes and rarely eating out. It's miserable. It also led me to eating my stress away and finding every excuse to not workout.

Me in May 2010

I was the heavist that I had bene my entire life. I realize that to some this is still not heavy; however, I am 5'5." In this picture, I weighed 160lbs.
And then there was Insanity. Oh, Shaun T. That amazing man brought out something in me that I forgot all about: drive.
So I purchased Insanity and within four weeks I went from that to this:

Me in July 2010

 This was the first few weeks. I wasn't able to complete the full cycle that Summer; however, in 2012 I completed it (with some strength training). In the above picture I lost only four pounds, but you see a big difference. In the below picture, I lost about 12 but I gained muscle and felt so powerful. The transformation that you see below was after only two months of daily training. TWO MONTHS!
See here:

Don't you just love Instagram?!

Me in Summer 2013? Instead of flexing my abs, I'm flexing my uterus. :O I'm currently six months pregnant, but i have maintained a healthy weight, I still weight training, complete a reduced  intensity WOD with Insanity and run a few miles a day.
Having a bouncing baby boy in my belly brought me back to my dreams for myself and passion for fitness. Being pregnant has made me realize how fast life goes and how important it is to be true to yourself. With that said, I decided to start studying to become a NASM personal trainer and decided to become a Beachbody Coach while doing so.
I am so excited that I can't contain myself. For the first time in years, I feel like that fiercely courageous girl again. This girl is truly on fire again and I cannot wait to share my journey with you. Me why is easy: I became a Beachbody Coach because I need to prove my self worth to myself again. I need to be a fitness coach and help people (like you!) to achieve their strongest moments also.

Why We Chose Beachbody

• Beachbody is a highly reputable company with products featured on news media, in magazines, on talk shows, used by celeb’s, etc.
• Unlike many other products, Beachbody’s programs are always in demand. People are always going to want to lose weight and get healthy, and Beachbody is continually updating their product line.
• No pressure to make sales or pressure to increase to a rank. If you want to work it great, if not or not right now, that’s cool too–Enjoy the discounts!
• Free trainings, webinars, conference calls you can attend if you want to learn to be successful.
• I’d be your mentor, so any questions or struggles you have, I’m here to help!
• No stocking of product, or shipping products, or dealing with customer service issues.
• No need for home parties (unless you want to, but that’s not necessary for success…I’ve never even done one!)
• A HUGE support system from other coaches online!! You will feel like you have a whole new family!

If you are interested in becoming a coach, you can email me at runstretchshake@gmail.com or visit my website here

I'm really looking forward to being 100% honest with myself. Are you?!