On the Subject of Exercise

My body is just beyond weird.

Seriously.

It doesn’t take long for it to adjust to my workout patterns and settle into a maintenance mode (thank you, PCOS, for that). Even though I’m walking/running at least three times a week, I’ve maintained my weight for the past two weeks. . . not good for my goal to hit 180 by Thanksgiving.

Thanks to my daily Twitter chatter with my Mamavation girls (Mamavation.com: social media “sorority” dedicated to healthy living), I’ve realized that my body needs to be in constant “What’s She Going To Do Now” mode.

I’m not stopping my running routine — my Commit to Fit goal is still to run a 5K in January, and I need weekly running to achieve that goal.

Instead, I’m going to add cardio and strength training back into my routine; by alternating my routines through out the week, I hope to keep my body in full calorie burning mode.

Plus, the strength training will help strengthen the muscles I use while running; the past couple of weeks, I’ve experienced bouts of back and knee pain. To combat this, I’ve been stretching both before and after running, but I hope that strengthening the muscles in those areas will help.

January is getting closer — I need to do everything I can to be ready for my 5K!!!

On the Subject of Subway’s Commit to Fit Challenge {giveaway}

As I’ve shared before, Subway is committed to helping people get back into healthy living — especially right now as Jared (the Subway spokesperson) is recommitting himself to a healthy lifestyle by training for the NYC ING Marathon.

This week, the Subway Commit to Fit Challenge is offering a VERY fun giveaway:

A Gym Bag and a Yoga Mat from Gaiam and a $50 giftcard to Lululemon Athletica

I have this bag and I love it — it has a huge interior section that’s large enough for a change of clothes, my hair-dryer, and toiletries. There are also several other smaller pockets (inside and out) that will hold keys, wallet, water bottle . . . whatever it is you take to the gym.

The yoga mat (of which I’m TOTALLY jealous since I don’t have one) is perfect for your yoga classes or for at home use . . . like this morning when I used one of my Tracey Mallett DVDS. The yoga/pilates sections would have been so much easier (and comfortable) if there had been a mat between me and my hardwood floor.

If you’re not familiar with Lululemon, it’s a GREAT store that offers athletic wear, with an emphasis on yoga. I have a pair of lululemon pants and they are sooooo comfortable. The kind of comfortable that makes you wanna wear them day in and day out.

(not that I do, of course!)

To enter:

Answer the following: Have you set a fitness goal? What makes you excited about that fitness commitment?

Bonus Entries:

(please leave an additional comment for each bonus entry)

Like Following In My Shoes on Facebook (1 bonus entry)
Follow Following In My Shoes via Google Friend Connect (1 bonus entry)
Follow me on Twitter (1 bonus entry)
Tweet the following message:

I am EXCITED to live healthier & just entered to win a Fitness Prize Pack from @subwayfreshbuzz. #commit2fit http://bit.ly/c6XiWV

(1 bonus entry per tweet – Max of 3 tweets per day; please include the link to your tweet in your bonus comments)
Follow @subwayfreshbuzz on Twitter. (1 bonus entry)
Like Subway on Facebook. (1 bonus entry)
Leave a message on the Subway Facebook wall to cheer Jared on for his race next month (5 bonus entries – in your 1st bonus entry comment, please let me know your FB name so I can verify your comment on their wall)
Blog about your Commit to Fit Goal/Journey and leave me the link in a comment (5 bonus entries – make sure to leave one comment per bonus entry!)

p.s. If you want more info about the Commit to Fit program and for a chance to win up to $26,200 please visit the Subway Facebook page at Facebook.com/Subway

Open to US Residents only. Giveaway will end at Midnight, Tuesday, November 2nd. Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to confirm his/her win.

Disclosure: Subway also provided me with a Gaiam bag and a $150 giftcard to Lululemon when I attended the Commit to Fit launch event in NYC.