Kick Assphalt Running
 
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Testimonials
  • Motivation
  • Events
  • Photo Gallery
  • Store
    • Forms
  • Contact

My magic powder

4/10/2017

1 Comment

 
I have 3 girlfriends that go way back to my years of living in San Diego, CA that I chat with almost weekly via group text.  We joke about our past, vent about parenting and marital frustrations, share dating horrors (2 are married and the other 2 of us are still single), gossip about current events in our lives, and tell inappropriate stories that are hilarious to us but would probably shock and horrify anyone else who doesn't get our sense of humor.  Recently, one of them had major surgery, and as part of her recovery her Doctor suggested she start incorporating collagen into her diet.  So, every day she made bone broth and added scoops of collagen.  Within weeks, she not only noticed a huge difference in how she felt and looked, but other people started noticing as well.  Needless to say, during one of group texts when I was complaining about my ever-growing list of aging woes, she quickly jumped in the conversation just to rave about her new age-reversing obsession and all its benefits.

All of us ended up ordering our own collagen after that group text.  I've now gotten others on the collagen bandwagon.  Results differ for everyone.  Some say they notice their hair is thicker and shinier, others say their nails and skin are healthier, others claim it reverses the effects of aging or cleared up their acne ... as for me, I notice the difference in my joints, which is why I am posting about it on my running blog.  I had knee and back stiffness that I honestly could not seem to beat.  If I sat too long, my knee would tighten up, and my back was always sore when I got up in the mornings or after long runs.  I swear that since I started taking collagen (I mix it in my coffee every morning) - the stiffness and aching/soreness is gone.  I recover quicker from my workouts and just feel better overall. I am telling you, I tried everything - from joint creams to heating pads and KT-tape.  This stuff is miracle powder!  I love that it has no flavor.  I am super sensitive to smells and flavors - most protein powders I simply cannot stomach because of the odor or because they just taste too much like powder or chalk.  But this stuff is odorless and tasteless. Oh!  And, yes - this stuff is pure protein :)

So, what are collagen peptides exactly?  Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. It’s found in muscles, bones, skin, blood vessels, digestive system and tendons. It’s what helps give our skin strength and elasticity, along with replacing dead skin cells, and is essentially for mobility.  It's basically the glue that holds the whole body together.  As we age, we start producing less collagen.  The obvious tell-tale signs are wrinkles, sagging skins, muscle and joint pain, and so on.  Poor nutrition, smoking, too much sun exposure, excess sugar in our diet and other factors can speed the depletion of collagen.  But the good news is that by consuming collagen we can reverse or slow some of these effects, revitalizing our skin, nails, hair, bones, tendons, cartilage, muscles, vital organs and joints.

There are 2 brands I alternate between and I like them both equally.  The only difference is the price.  Below are links to both products.  I recommend that you take the time to read the reviews - I think you will be impressed.  I hope that if you try collagen, it works wonders for you as well.  :)


Vital Proteins Pasture-Raised, Grass-Fed Collagen Peptides

Sports Research Pure Hydrolyzed Collagen Peptides

​

​



Picture
1 Comment

TriggerPoint Therapy - How we runners roll!

1/9/2017

0 Comments

 
As a runner and a running coach, I am always looking for the newest and best products for runners on the market.  I am going to start posting more about those products that I love, have tested myself, and think are a good investment for any runner.  
So let's begin with TriggerPoint!  Admittedly, I am a TriggerPoint ambassador, so I may be a bit biased, but I can attest that their products are amazing and can make a huge difference in any athlete's life.  
What is TriggerPoint exactly and why TP over other rollers?  
​TriggerPoint therapy is a form of self-care and self-massage for athletes through the use of foam rollers, massage balls and the like.  Foam-rolling helps circulate healthy oxygenated blood back into your unhealthy fascia  - it may be unhealthy from overuse, injury, etc.  Fascia is what connects the muscles and surrounds all structures in your body (tissue, nerves, organs, etc.).  The healthier the fascia, the better you will move. 
Foam-rolling can help with the following: it can diminish aches and pains, enhance performance, increase flexibility and range of motion, and accelerate recovery.  I can promise you that these products make a difference - they certainly have for me!  There are products and collections geared towards wellness, foundation and performance - including rollers, balls, cold rollers, the STK and other handheld products.  What makes their Grid roller different from others is that they come in different sizes and intensities, but they also have patterns, called Distrodensity Zones, which are designed to elicit a variation of blood flow. The multi-surface areas provide a variant of pressures as one rolls across. The blood brings fresh oxygen and nutrients to tissues helping speed up healing and recovery. Rolling will hurt but remember, foam-rolling isn't causing the pain, it is removing it.  
If you ever buy Trigger Point, use my 20% discount: TEAMTPCHERIE20  
#TeamTriggerPoint #TriggerPoint #TPTherapy #foamrolling #howiroll #selfcare #runningcare #runnerproducts #rollout #selfmassage #healthyfascia #nopainnogain 
TriggerPoint Product Family
https://www.instagram.com/p/BC0t_WlytFf/?taken-by=kickassphaltrunning
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Why I dumped my scale

8/25/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
I haven't stepped on a scale in over 20 years. True story. My drivers license says I weigh 135. I have no idea if that's true. When I go to the doctor and they weigh me, I close my eyes and won't let them tell me my weight. I even did this while pregnant. I just asked that they let me know if I was underweight or gaining appropriately. I gained 20 lbs - no idea what that ultimately put me at, but my doctor told me I was healthy and I managed to give birth to an 8 lb. 5 oz. child. :)

I really hate scales. I think they are evil. How many times did you do everything right - worked out, watched your calories, and then got on the scale and went - WTF!?! Was I visited by the pound fairy last night? Nothing could ruin my day faster than getting on a scale and realizing I was up five pounds from the day before. How does that even happen!?

In my teens and early twenties, I would read magazines that always had celebrities saying they weighted 120-125 lbs., so I decided that weight was ideal for me as well. I never took my height or body type into account. I became obsessed with my weight. Any day I weighed in too heavy, I'd spend the rest of it trying to eat under 500 calories, doing a 2 hour workout and then sitting in a sauna and sweating off the "pounds". Then, like some cruel joke, the next day my scale would say I'd gained a pound.  WHAT?!  Seriously - is my scale broken!? It HAS to be broken!!! I was ridiculous.  I won't lie - there was little that I didn't try to stay thin...from diuretics, to fasting, purging, etc.  I tried it all.  Maybe that's a lot to share, but I always believe in being open and honest about my truths as you never know who might be able to relate and need to know they aren't alone ;)

But I digress.  So, needless to say, my obsession with my weight was not a healthy one. Something had to change.  Educating myself about fitness, weight and how to be healthy changed my life. So let me share what I learned and why breaking up with my scale was one of the greatest things I ever did.  Now, I don't care about a stupid number on a scale - what matters is how I feel and how I think I look - and that has made all the difference.

1)  Your weight fluctuates.  Over the course of a day or even several hours, your weight can fluctuate by as much as 5 lbs.  Food and beverage intake, physical activity levels, clothing, time of day, going to the bathroom - all those things average into what the number on the scale may reflect at any given time.  

It's important to remember that fluctuations are not representative of body fat lost or gained.  Also keep in mind that water makes up approximately 65 – 90 percent of a person’s weight - any variation in water content in the body can move the scale up or down on any given day.

2) The number on the scale does not represent your level of health.  You can weigh less, but be what I like to call, "Skinny-Fat."  In other words, too little muscle and too much fat.  This is not healthy, and can even be deadly.  Believe it or not, it is healthier to be fat and fit than skinny and out of shape.  A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association claimed that nearly 1 in 4 skinny people have pre-diabetes and are "metabolically obese."  Also, skinny fat people with diabetes have twice the risk of death than their overweight counterparts.

3)  Muscle weight versus fat weight. The more muscle you build, the more fat you will burn throughout the day.  This is a fact.  The more muscle owned, the more fat burned. For every extra 1lb of muscle you have, your body uses around an extra 50 calories a day. Thus, an extra 10lb of muscle will burn almost an extra 500 calories a day without you doing a thing - and that's enough to lose 1lb in a week!

But when you first start working out and begin to see your gains in muscle, and then look at the scale - you may find that statement to be misleading.  The fact is that while a pound of fat and a pound of muscle weigh the same - the volume of muscle is denser and thus, heavier.  More importantly though, while it may be heavier, muscle takes up a lot less room than fat - so while the number on the scale may be higher, the number of your pant-size will be going down.  














4)  Your Ideal Weight. While you may have an ideal weight in mind, it is important to remember that a healthy weight is different for each person, depending on body type, bone structure, muscle composition, etc.  It is much more important how healthy you are in all aspects than what the scale reads.

When your organs work better, your muscles are toned, and your body is getting nutritious fuel to work your muscles and metabolism correctly, you will start looking and feeling better, and YOUR body will transform towards ITS own optimal shape and weight. Please keep in mind that no change ever happens immediately.  It will take time and patience  - but I promise, that once you SEE and FEEL the change - it will have been worth the work and wait.

5)  And, last but not least - Diet.  As discussed above, unhealthy weight loss can be even more damaging to your body and mind than having a few extra pounds.  Being too scale-focused can lead many people to try starvation and fad diets, or worse, diet pills, laxatives, diuretics, etc. While these may help with short-term weight loss, they can hurt your health, body and weight over the long term.  Let me explain something - QUICK-FIXES DON'T LAST! When you restrict calories - your body goes into "Starvation Mode" which is the body's natural defense against starvation - meaning, the metabolism slows way down in order to make the most of the reduced calories you are providing it.  In doing so, it is protecting its fat stores and instead using lean tissue or muscle tissues as a fuel source for the body in order to keep it functioning.  So, what does this mean? It means that when you go back to eating what you like (and most of you will) your metabolism is still going to be operating at that decreased speed and you're going to put those pounds back on faster than you lost them.  Also - a hard working body NEEDS fuel - if you are working out - do not deprive it of the energy it needs or it will steal it from your muscle and nobody wants that!

The sad truth is that most of us regain the weight we lose.  Why?  Because sticking to liquid diets or popping diet pills every day is unrealistic.  Most of us cannot sustain a diet that restricts all the things we love as a permanent lifestyle.  Understand - food is about QUALITY not QUANTITY.  So many diets come with pre-packaged, processed foods that lack essential nutrients and are terrible for you.  Not all fats are bad, not all carbs are bad either - stop believing everything you read!  

When you eat food, your body digests it and pulls the nutrients from the food to feed the cells in your body. If your cells aren’t getting what they need, they will send signals to your brain to eat more food.  If you deprive your body of what it needs, you are setting yourself up for failure.   I'm not a dietician, so I can't recommend any diet or system to follow.  But there is plenty of information out there.  Mostly, just try to eat healthy, eat clean, eat LOCAL (farmer's markets are my FAVORITE!), look for healthy alternatives to the things you love, allow yourself to cheat once in a while but don't overdo it, and get your vitamins and nutrients from the foods you eat versus pills you swallow.  And don't obsess over the scale!  If you feel good and think you look good - let that be enough.  Don't let a little number spoil how you feel about yourself!

Anyway, I hope this helps.  I'm not a nutritionist or a doctor, but I've learned a lot over the years through personal experience, trial and error, and just doing a lot of research and reading. I encourage meeting with a nutritionist if you need a healthy meal plan to follow and nutritional guidance and tips.  A doctor will also help you monitor overall progress in your health. 

And congratulations if you are setting off on a journey towards a healthier and fitter you. I wish you strength on the days you need it, determination and motivation to stay the course, support from your peers and loved ones, and much success with all your goals. Please remember to go easy on yourself.  No one is perfect and there will always be set-backs and challenges; but remember that tomorrow is a new day and another day to get it right.  Never stop trying and don't ever give up on yourself.  I believe in you :)

xxoo - Cherie

1 Comment

Truth or Dare

1/14/2014

0 Comments

 
Dare:

“I dare you to run a marathon and not have it change your life.”

Truth:

Running changes lives.  It's definitely changed mine.  It taught me that I am capable of so much more than I ever knew.  And the changes are so much more than physical. Mentally and emotionally I am stronger, more confident, more determined and less afraid of taking risks – and that, is only the beginning....


You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great' - Zig Ziglar 

Every runner’s journey is different.  Mine began in High School.  For the most part, I took up running as a way to stay fit, but soon I found that running gave me so much more.  It was time spent with “me” --- just me, my music, my thoughts and the views along the way.  It was time to let go and just be.  As for that ever elusive “runner’s high” – yes, it’s a real thing.  There are times that I lose complete track of time and place.  I've zoned out on a run for so long, that my family has had to go looking for me.  I do…I love running – I love getting lost in my own thoughts when I run; I love how strong, fast and powerful it makes me feel; I love the feelings of exhaustion and soreness afterwards and the renewed confidence and sense of accomplishment that accompanies them; and most of all, I love what it does for my body and mind – the way that running makes me look and the way that is makes me feel.


'It's not what you are that holds you back, it's what you think you are not.' - Denis Waitley 

In 1998, I took my running obsession to a new competitive level.  I joined Team in Training and trained for the Honolulu marathon.  Although I was already running considerable distances (6-8 miles), it certainly didn't make the idea of running 26.2 miles any less daunting, believe me!  I was nervous, uncertain, and wondering if I had gotten in over my head.  No way I could run a marathon!  However, every time I went out and conquered a new distance, my confidence grew, and the likelihood of actually finishing a marathon began to seem more plausible.  I owe so much gratitude to my coaches, as I definitely know I could not have done it without them.  Proper training and guidance were  undoubtedly essential to my success – especially if I was going to run such a seemingly formidable distance!  It was hard, don’t think that it wasn't, but it was also absolutely worth all the work and pain.  


There is famous quote by Cicero that I say so often, it’s almost become a sort of mantra for me – “The greater the difficulty, the greater glory.”  I found that despite the pain, the experience of reaching new limits was so exhilarating that I started wondering what else I could accomplish.  I went on to do more and more marathons, as well as some races that were even longer than 26.2 miles.  In 2002, once again training with Team in Training, I completed my first of two Ironman triathlons.  Talk about daunting!  The Ironman is a triathlon comprising of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and finishing with a 26.2 mile run (140.6 miles total) – to be completed in 17 hours.  Honestly, till this day, I can’t even talk about the Ironman without getting choked up.  Seriously, if you had asked me 20 years ago if I could have finished a marathon or an Ironman, I would have said, "you are insane - no way!"  It's still surreal to think about.  

She Believed She Could, So She Did. 

My best friend wasn't much of a runner when I first met her.  But I dared her to run a marathon, and she did.  And it was …. amazing.  Running had always been pretty easy for me, but it wasn't like that for her.  She had to work hard.  The day of her marathon, I ran the last 10 miles or so with her.  When she crossed that finish-line, I was in tears because I knew what it had taken for her to get there.  What a beautiful thing it was to witness. Another moment I can't talk about without getting choked up.  I was so proud and so moved by her.  Once she had decided to do it, she did.  It’s inspiring moments like that which I hope to gain from this venture.  Moments where I hope to inspire a trainee, and moments where the trainee inspires me, the coach.


"When you feel like quitting, think about why you started"

Running, for me, is like a metaphor for life.  Like anything new (a job, a relationship, school) - you start off excited, yet unsure.  You encounter some doubters, as well as find you have many that are cheering you on the entire way.  Getting started can be challenging at first, and you even make a few mistakes along the way - maybe you start off too fast, don't pace correctly, push too hard - but practice makes perfect and eventually you find your groove. As you settle in, you suddenly find yourself moving along with confidence and ease - just cruising along and enjoying the ride.  But as in life, nothing good lasts forever, and eventually you encounter obstacles...hills longer and steeper than any you've climbed before, fatigue, pain, even injury.  In these moments, you want to turn back, you want to give up, you want to stop....but you don't...you don't because you know that if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other you will cross that finish-line - and when you do, you know your struggle and hard work will have been worth it.  So you keep going, and you celebrate when you finish - not just because you finished...you celebrate because you realize that even though you feel tired and sore - you are truly stronger than you ever were before.


'Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.' - T.S. Eliot 

It’s amazing what reaching a new goal - be it a marathon, a 5-K, setting a new personal record, etc. - does for your confidence.  It sounds crazy, but it will make other things in your life seem less challenging.  The moment you dare yourself to try something you deemed impossible, and then realize it never really was all that unattainable, is the moment you start to wonder what else you've held yourself back from accomplishing. No one really knows what they are made of.  But if we are willing to take a chance, more often than not, we surprise ourselves and find out we are built even stronger than we ever gave ourselves credit for.  


There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. Pursue those.' - Michael Nolan 

I love running, I love racing, and love what this sport has given me.  As a running junkie, I am often approached by people with questions about running, so it seemed only natural to get certified as a coach.  Not only because I want people to see me as an experienced and credible source, but also because I hope to be able to inspire and motivate others to run.


Test your limits.

So, here I am with this little side business that I am trying to put together – this is my new “marathon.”  I have no idea where it will take me or what it will bring, but I will certainly never know if I don’t try.  YOU don’t know what you’re capable of either unless you’re willing to leap – so if you’re ready, take a chance on me.  Hopefully, together, we will reach new distances.  I double-dog dare you.  ;-)

'The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.' - John Bingham 



Picture
0 Comments

    Author

    Lover of Running - ready to spread that love and inspire the runner in everyone.

    Archives

    January 2017
    August 2015
    January 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.