• Swimming – You get a double whammy. Not only are you staying cool, but you get a great workout. Even if you don’t live near a natural body of water, it shouldn’t be tough to find a gym with an exercise pool or even a public pool (though those might end up a little crowded) to get your swim time in.
• Running/Jogging – You will need to use your judgement when running in the summer. It may not be the best idea in the heat but bear with me. You won’t be running and exerting yourself during the hottest parts of the day, instead try starting your day with an early morning jog before things really heat up. It will help to wake you up and get you going in the morning where you might not normally be too active. If you’re not a morning person, enjoy a cool evening or afternoon breeze and jog while the sun is going down.
• Summer Sports –  Check your local paper or online resources to find groups getting together for football, soccer, baseball, or whatever else suits your interest and spend your summer having fun and getting a good workout on the side.
• Biking – Bicycling is a bit of a step up from jogging when it comes to your level of physical effort.  Here in Boston many commuters take to their bikes to get in a quick workout while saving the earth. Don’t have a bike” Check out Hubway, think Zipcar but for bikes. I’m not sure what they call it in other cities but Hubway is what we have here in Boston.

Tweet: The weather may be warm, but it’s still the perfect temperature for these warm weather…
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The post Quick Warm Weather Exercises appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Now some of you are cardio queens and will do cardio for a hours on end. I’m sorry to bust your bubble but if you desire to get shredded, ripped or etc. You got to limit your time on cardio. Here are some tips to follow:

1. Your cardio should be limited to 30-35 minutes. You should only be doing cardio 3-5 days/week
2. Do intervals — I mean you go hard for a certain period and then you recover and then go hard (I’ve attached an interval)
3. Make sure you are sweating
4. You should at some point feel uncomfortable
5. Reading a magazine or book should be difficult unless you are looking at the pictures
6. When you hop on cardio be sure to mix up the machines as well as the programs on said machines.

Today’s challenge

1. If you are a cardio queen yes there is a definition in the urban dictionary. Scale back your cardio to 30-35 min.
2. If you hate  I mean dislike cardio then you will hop on for 30 min at least 3 times this week. Something I’ve been doing recently that really helps me to get through cardio is I’ve been doing finisher and then hoping on the treadmill and walking on an incline. I put the incline at 10 and the speed at fast enough that I can walk but running would be easier.
3. Below is a cardio workout for you to try.
   

Don’t forget Leave a comment below. Write a facebook post on the Fabulous Fit Squad. If you have a personal blog, write a blog post. Make sure you link back to the site so we can cheer you on and hold you accountable.

Just joining now” Don’t worry you can catch up.
Day 1 — Intro the challenge
Day 2 — Getting your mind straight
Day 3 — Goal setting
Day 4 — What’s on your plate
Day 5 — Lift

Stay tuned.. tomorrow I will talk about treat meals.

The post [Day 6] I’m A Sweaty Mess! appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

So the run we good but really hot, we ran again yesterday and the 3.5 miles felt much better. I am experiencing so side stitches, need to work getting my breathing in synch as well as my food timing. I think the last two times I had large meals that didn’t fully digest before I went for my run.

We’re suppose to run tonight to make up for our missed run on Sunday, but mother nature had another plan for us. It’s POURING, so we’ll be running both days this weekend to play catch up.

I’ll keep you posted on our progress.  Goal this year is to run 7.1 miles in less than 1 hour.

The post Falmouth Race 2.0 appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

• I use to run about 6 years ago and a half marathon was goal of my and then my sciatica got to bad so I stopped. Read My Ass Doesn’t Do What’
• I ran in Falmouth Road Race (August and November) (7 mile race) and felt really good — I thought what’s 6 more’ Hmm boy was I naive
• I needed a goal to get me through the holidays
• It was something that my husband I could do together — which was AWESOME to finally a hobby together.
• The race was in Miami in January (I live in Boston) who doesn’t like a little warm weather.

My training included running in a snow storm, running in 20 degree weather and finally we caught a break our last 2 long runs we got to run in 40 degrees. I know a virtual heat weave in New England.

The first 10 miles of the run were good. Especially mile 6 when the drag queens were out giving a show, that kept me going for a mile.  Okay maybe 2. Then mile 10 hits and the walls come crashing down! I was DYING! My ankles were hurting and I had major heartburn from the GU.  At this point I was praying to any God I could think of help me get through the next 3.1 miles. Two things got me thorough.

1. my husband and I agreed to meet at the finish line and I knew if I didn’t finish within 15-20 minutes after him he would be worried
2. there was this women in front of me that didn’t look like a runner (for the record neither do I) and she was struggling just like me, but she kept going! So, I decided there and then if she keep running so would I.

Once I crossed the finish line I thought that I would feel this runners high that would keep me going after I finished. Well…. I’m still waiting for this runner’s high. I didn’t get it.

Everyone keeps asking would I do one again. I say maybe.  But here are some changes.

1. I would do short runs at marathon pace
   • this time I only did long runs, not doing the short runs really hurt me in the endurance
2. I would not do a race in the winter
   • motivating yourself to run on a cold and/or snowy day SUCKS out loud
   • I also like running in the AM, and running in the cold and dark SUCKS too
3. I would conserve my energy early in the race
   • Don’t try to fight my way through the crowd early on, take your time and wait for the crowd to think
4. I would run 12 miles as my last long run
   • Those last 3 miles sucked, and the runner’s high and crowds energy didn’t get me through so I would definitely add 2 more miles so I know how my body will feel and react

If you’ve run a half marathon I would love to hear any tips you would like to add. If you are new to the half marathon, good luck!

The post My First Half Marathon appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Well at mile 4 I get sharp stabbing pains in my back, but I didn’t STOP I

kept going and finished the race in 39 min. My goal to run less than 10 min/mile and I did despite the stabbing pains in my back and having to pee. Yes, at mile 2 the coffee that I had to have needed to make an exit. So.. I guess my motivation to run a fast as I could was there.

Lesson learned for the Miami 1/2 Marathon — figure out my food and pee management.

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The post Somerville Turkey Trot appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Now you may want to know what one of my interval cycles looks like.

• 2 minute warm up
• 1 1/2 min sprint
• 30 sec rest
• 2 1/2 min sprint
• 1 1/2 min rest

Repeat 5 times (should take you 30 minutes.
This can easily be done on any piece of cardio equipment, I did this on an elliptical.

Now here’s the plan for my third week  — November 22.

Monday — intervals and strength
Tuesday — 3.5 miles
Wednesday — rest
Thursday — Turkey Trot (4miles)
Friday — rest
Saturday 6 miles

The post November 16th Half Marathon Training appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

It’s been 1 month and I will tell certain muscles have come awake that have been dormant. I was doing deadlifts the other day and felt my inner thighs turn on for the first time in YEARS. I’ve been running regularly and my sciatica has acted up by not nearly as severe as it has in the past.

The morale is if you have stopped living an active life because of pain, STOP and figure out what is causing your pain. Everyone has a right to live actively.

The post My ass doesn’t do what’ appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

The race was so well organized, while you did wait in line it was only because you were waiting with 10,000 people to get on the bus to the finish line and to use the portapotty prior to the race. Typically a race thins out once you get to the 1 mile mark, but no so much with this one because the course is so tight.

Best of all is that I enjoyed training with my husband, this was the first time we have ever trained for an event together and it was so much fun to spend quality time training together and yes we crossed the finish lines together. This year we finished the race in [01:16:09]. Now I have a number to try to beat next year. Fingers crossed I get lucky in the lottery. In the meantime I’m looking for a new goal. Any suggestions’

The post Goal Achieved!! Ran The Falmouth Road Race! appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Now let me explain the type of runner I am vs. Philip. I run to accomplish the mileage set up. Philip is out to break records only to literally feel the burn, 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through the run. Last week we ran 4 miles in 48 minutes which was a little or 10 min miles. When we started we were training we were running 7-8 minute miles. That’s what hard to Philip to come to grips with as you increase your mileage keeping your speed. Again I’m all about survival. So on a hot and humid day we will do our 5 mile run.

The thing I like most about training for the race is that is gives Philip and I something to do together. We both are very active and typically our activities don’t overlap. Now we make time for each other and schedule our runs together, its been really great. So what are some activities that you and your husband/family/significant other do together.
View Falmouth Road Race in a larger map

The post Running Falmouth appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Well, I gave running a try and guess what, it worked. My headaches and upset stomachaches went away.  I actually started to look to  forwarded to running and it felt amazing when I set running goals for myself and broke time records.  It was AMAZING. Then I decided to start doing road races to give me a goal to keep running. Wow how motivating it was  it to set a goal and meet it.

My husband and I met 15 years ago at the Falmouth Road Race, so we decided that this year we would run the race together. Well, fingers crossed we make it in, it’s a really competitive race!

The post Happy National Running Day! appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.