Please to enjoy a semi-adult post up in herre.

Please to not let me stop at six.

Please to chime in with 7+ in the comments.

Whether you have all the time in the world at your disposal (ahhh sweet, sweet pre-child freedom) or only a few minutes in which to cardioyogaliftbikewhatevs your way to health, there are some easy ways to be sure you squeeze the most out of your workout experience.

The below are in no specific order as, in my opinion, we all need to rank them for ourselves according to our unique fitness and healthy living goals.

1. Don’t chat.

Buckle down and make your exercise time one of complete focus. If you’re uncomfortable donning an unwelcoming “mess with the bull and you’ll get the horns” face try kicking your workout up a notch or five!  If people see you working at a level where you *could* carry on a conversation but it would be a challenge they’re less apt to try & chat you up.

(Note: This tip isn’t for everyone & is precisely what I was referencing above. Your gym time may actually be an opportunity to socialize with adults after a morning spent scraping wet goldfish crackers from your shirt (not that Id know a thing about that). If socializing is, indeed, part of your exercise experience just be certain you still complete your intended workout.)

2.     Plan ahead.

This is an obvious one yet, as with the ‘park far from the gym entrance and burn extra calories by walking’ idea, one which many of us still fail to do.  Always take a moment to jot down/plan out your workout prior to starting.  In addition, should you exercise at a gym facility, it’s wise to arrived armed with a Plan B.  That way, if the equipment you wish to use /the class you planned to take be occupied/full, you’ve no built-in excuse to throw in the proverbial towel and head back home.

3.     Change. Change. Change.

Keeping your workouts fresh and avoiding an exercise rut is crucial.  And, if you’re under any sort of time constraints, you want to be even more careful not to let your body plateau. Change your routine every 6-8 weeks so your body (& mind) doesn’t have the opportunity to grow complacent and stale.

Routine changes don’t need to be dramatic.  If you typically do long bouts of cardio try introducing some interval training into the mix.  If you tend to gravitate toward weight machines give resistance bands or free weights a try!  Taken the same 9am Body Pump class for months? Perhaps it’s time to step outside and power walk.

Sure, you can mix things up too much by trying a new workout on a daily basis, but we all know when our body is plain ole used to & burnt out on what we’re currently doing.  Keeping your body guessing is a sure way to consistently increase your fitness level.

4.      Proper form.

No matter what your workout of choice always check to be certain you’re doing it correctly. This tip may sound like a no-brainer yet ponder the last time you were at the gym or walking/running outside. Did you notice anyone and think “Holy moley! She is going to injure herself.” or (and be honest) “Whoa. That’s not how you do that exercise!” & cringe inwardly?

Whether it’s hiring a personal trainer for a session or two, asking an instructor for extra help, or renting a video so you can practice at home: good form is a *huge* way to get more from any time you spend exercising.

5. Set yourself up for success.

As with all things in life, it’s important to create a workout routine which facilitates your success!  Sleep in your exercise clothes so you wake up ready to go, set multiple alarms, find a workout partner, ask a friend to email you at the end of the workday to be sure you’re heading to exercise: take the time to discover what best propels you toward success and harness that energy.

6.     Visualization.

I am a firm believer in visualizing success in all aspects of my life. I know if I cannot imagine something occurring there’s a pretty good chance it’s not destined to happen.  I visualize everything I’m working to create in my life (please to see my vivid vision of plopping on Oprah’s couch before she wraps up her show & cross reference under my fabulous book launch soiree) and exercise is no different.

Make the time to mentally see yourself perform successfully and you’ll begin to gain confidence in your ability to be successful in reality.

Take a moment (before you commence your workout) to visualize exactly what your exercise time will look like.  Incorporate all senses so you can virtually feel, hear, and touch the experience you’re about to have.  Sports psychologists have found visualization key to self-confidence and motivation.

Now you.

Please to hit us all up in the comments with YOUR biggest tip for workout success.

Anything from sleeping in your running clothes to plastering your ‘fridge with motivational quotes.

(Extra credit if it’s something you’ve already learned in these first 48 days of 2010.)

Edited to say: Ive added my own AH HA! moment from this morning in comment 21.

Please to enjoy my foray into what I’d anticipated would be the mind-numbing world of super slow weight training.

Please to indulge me as I realize this is long. I yammer because I love.

Please to enjoy the fact I was entirely wrong.

An important rule with regards to exercise is to never allow your workout to grow stale.

We’re all aware it’s human nature to slack off if not challenged and one can easily see examples of exercise stagnation in my house gyms everywhere.

The same members on the same machines exercising in the same manner they’ve been doing for years.

Thankfully for those of us who are lifeslammed and semi-undermotivated altering one’s regimen in the smallest fashion can serve to break even the most tenacious of plateaus.

It was with this notion in mind I decided to explore super slow weight training.

I’ve lifted weights for weights for eighteen years (!) and had become stuck in a results-free exercise routine.

Clearly I’d hit a plateau.

So clearly, in fact, I’d become obsessed with the idea that members at my gym could tell you which machines I’d use in what order if given only a body part as their clue.

I desperately needed to shake up my workout routine and had a sneaking suspicion I wasn’t alone (am I right, People?).

Enter super slow resistance training.

A weightlifting concept of which I’d been vaguely aware yet hadn’t found the motivation to explore.

In fact, super slow lifting has been around since 1982. Ken Hutchins created the method so older women, lifting weights to prevent osteoporosis, could perform weight-bearing exercise safely.

Beyond the obvious safety factor, Hutchins discovered a reduction in speed of the lift increased how hard a muscle worked on both concentric & eccentric portions of the exercise.

Translation? If you lift weights slowly your muscles are quickly exhausted, rapidly brought to failure, and your workout time tremendously decreased.

Translated even more simply? Less time. More muscle. Higher metabolism. Happier you.

According to Hutchins, our body requires less exercise than we’d previously thought to elevate our metabolism IF that “less” is exercise of the proper variety.

Using Hutchins’ theory, I could cut my lifting back to two twenty-minute sessions per week, endeavor to put on three pounds of muscle in eight weeks, and burn an extra nine thousand calories a month.

Look better, feel better, save time and break through my plateau? I was in.

First, a little do as I say not as I do.

It’s entirely possible to lead yourself through a super slow workout.  The attempt brought to mind, however, the adage only a fool hath herself for a personal trainer.

While my personality doesn’t typically mesh well with the role of the client, I did wish I’d explored super slow personal training & had a little guidance along the proverbial way.

Even sans trainer I was pleasantly surprised by my eagerness to lift on the first day of my new routine.  I hadn’t realized how much of a rut I was in until I committed to (super slowly) shaking things up.   This attitude shift alone was a point in super slow’s favor.

During each super slow session I made a point to wear a watch with a second hand.

I’m  notorious for rushing through my workouts and, since super slow lifting mandates a ten second lift & ten second lower routine, I knew I needed a guide.

Most importantly, however, I planned my workouts the night before.

In detail.

I might have been the fool with herself for a client, but I didn’t wish to waste any of my client’s time.

Super slow training recommends you start gradually doing one or two sets of an exercise, use only machines, and focus on lifting with control over all else.

I chose the basics (chest press, lat pull down, bicep machine, tricep machine, leg extension, leg curl) and did two sets per exercise.  I also stretched between sets for thirty seconds to allow my muscles adequate recovery time.

My first few super slow workouts? One word: burn.

Another word, after 4 weeks, was LOVE and not for the reason Hutchins would have guessed if given the chance.

Sure, I loved that I was once again sore after my workouts (Im weird. I like being sore and hadnt been as of late since my muscles  had grown accustomed to lifting the same loads repeatedly).

Sure, there is a touch less flab and a tad more muscle on my frame after a month of supa slow.

Surprisingly, however, neither my body composition nor the shorter workouts motivated me to stick with the plan.

The bulk of my incentive for remaining super slow was that I now leave the gym far more relaxed and stressfree than before.

I hadn’t realized that Carla’s Frantically Fast method of strength training never let me slow down enough to truly unwind!

Being forced to lift at a snail’s pace transformed my weight training routine into a more yoga-like experience.

My gym time has become both mindful and present.

As a result, my twenty minute lift is far more restorative than my 30 minute “would you like a porch with that swing?” fast-paced routine ever was.

As a result, I wholly and entirely invite you to superslowly join me.

Any takers?

Once upon a time we had a bullmastiff named Hercules (may he rest in peace/spill out some doggie chow for our fallen homie).

Hercules was an anxious dog.

So frazzle-ridden in fact, we nicknamed him Flinchy because of his tendency to (waitforit) flinch at the slightest noise or merest of changes in his surroundings.

Flinchy Hercules, however, possessed a habit which quickly caught our attention:

Whenever he was stressed or anxious he commenced licking his forearms & didnt stop until the feeling subsided.

As you can guess it quickly became a family joke, but there were more than a few things I learned from his odd & (st)icky ways.

• Self-soothing is entirely personal. What felt good to herc may not be what Id have chosen to soothe my stresses away (been there. tried that. didnt like the aftergoop.) but for all of us it should boil down to simple techniques which serve to immediately calm.

• Self-soothing is always about experiencing the positive (as really, the forearm goop/dried crusting wasnt hurting anything) versus something negative or self punishing (for Herc that took the form of nail biting for us it might be over-eating, drinking, over-exercising etc.).

• Self-soothing stops when the feeling dissipates. It never ceased to amaze me Herc would lick his forearms until he felt better & then lollop along his merrybrindleway.  He never licked to irritation. Such should be the same for us & our self-soothing techniques.  All things in moderation are fine but even soothingstuffs (hello, one glass of wine.  nice to meet you one trashy tv show) can drag us down if done too long.

• Most importantly: Herc knew what soothed him & (to anthropomorphize a wee bit here) felt distress and knew he was “worth” feeling better.

(Any of us who have spent time around babies know that self-soothing is something we focus upon with them, too.  I just r-e-a-l-l-y wanted to seize this opportunity to yammer about my dog.  You’ll have that.)

When I first saw Herc goop himself what surprised me the most was that I had zero clue what my self-soothing  technique would be.

After chatting with friends I found that most of them had nary a clue either.

As a result, we gathered as a group (& swore each other to secrecy) and brainstormed about precisely what would soothe our stresses.

Most of our ‘self-soothing ideas took the form of physical experiences. Ways of harnessing sensations to work FOR US and give us the calm, relaxed, centered feelings we desired.

Self-soothing for us had to do with nurturing and being kind to ourselves & we started this exploration by focusing on/writing about what felt soothing to each of our five senses:

• Vision
• Hearing
• Smell
• Taste
• Touch

For me self-soothing takes the form of TOUCH.

For a friend the mere SMELL of cookies baking is enough to spark calming memories/relax her even after the shittiest hardest of days.

For another its all about LISTENING to angry music (!) which allows her to release her frazzle & grow calm.

You get the idea…

So now I turn it back to you:

How do you lick your forearms?  Do you already have a tried & true method of self-soothing which works even under the greatest of stress?

How did you discover what worked for you?

And, if you’re not yet there, I encourage you to take 5 days (any five!) and explore what calms each of your senses.

Not only did I learn how to self-soothe—–I learned a few other important things about myself as well.

Check out my new fave sports bra for running!

(and check out who finally discovered the THUMBNAIL option! )

Being of the small boobed variety it has constantly befuddled me that I struggle to find a comfortable bra in which to run.

Before I decided to join the running masses I either did ZEROimpact cardio (stationary bike) where *anything* worked or I donned two sports bras for highimpact cardio like classes etc.

As a result, it was with more than a little skepticism that I accepted a free sports bra from Kaos (yada yada yada FTC dizclaimer. bra was free & this review is brutally honest.).

Quite frankly I wasnt confident I could “guess” my appropriate size (Im broad around the ribcage which makes me a medium in many brands) & wasnt really in the mood to get a product review done before Christmas (types the Jew).

But for the sake of my sad little tatas I caved.

Not only did the man who contacted me seem to truly believe in his product—-I needed a good bra for my training and was willing to give anything a shot.

It arrived.

I immediately opened, yanked on, loved the hit, & hit the proverbial ground running.

The results? LOVE.

No chafing. No rubbing. No trying to adjust all thru my run because it just wasnt comfortable. And, most important to this 40 year old who’s fighting a war against gravity, it kept me pretty damn immobile.

In a really great way.

(I know. For all 6 of my male readers this post is probably just one big TMI.)

What didnt I like about the bra? Quite frankly I have to say nothing.

I am so smitten, in fact, Im going to check out the entire system of layering Kaos offers.  A layering system which I’d initially scoffed at but, since my bra’xperience, Im now totally curious about these.

Do you need more reasons to go and check out their women’s line? Their entire Lady KAOS line exemplifies a commitment to environmental sensitivity by using an innovative bamboo charcoal fiber (!) that blends luxurious comfort & state-of-the-art performance with the latest “green” technology.  Now, I cant attest to the actual green technology (love the idea) but I can attest to the comfort.

So that’s it, People.

Im still lolloping along in my quest for a marathon & am 100% adding the Kaos sportsbra to my Good Lord I CAN do this! arsenal.

Bottom line? I begged asked nicely and have a sports bra to give away to one winner (*cue confetti*).

You may be entered to win for the low low price of a comment below regarding your biggest sports bra lament.

Cant wait to see if youve won? Canadian? (I know. I know.) you may receive a 15% discount (plus free shipping) on online orders received by 12/31 by using the discount code MIZFIT.

winner announced 12/24/2009

Subtitle: Because really, People, who doesn’t need some extra tips for their arsenal this time of year.

• Find a partner(s). If you missed the boat on this round of MizFit Motivational Match-Ups just take a few minutes, identify the supporters in your life, & ask them if they’d mind helping you stay on track during the holiday season.  Have extra cash? Hire a personal trainer accountability partner for a few sessions.  Nothing sparks gym-motivation like knowing someone is waiting for you …and taking your money whether you show or not!

• Blog about it. If youre reading this chances are there’s no need to tell you this one.  Nothing sparks motivation more  than sharing your goals with the entire healthy living community.  Not a blogger? Consider launching one *just* for the holiday season!  Heck, you can password the blog  if you’d like or not even tell anyone you’ve launched it.  The mere act of typing out & posting your goals may be motivation enough.

• Set new short term goals. Im not one to suggest attempting anything other than weight *maintaining* during this season, however, that doesnt mean we need to roll 100% GOAL FREE!  Try setting challenges which have nothing to do with the SCALE yet everything to do with FITNESS.  Devise your own pushup challenge.  Set a goal of walking your own personal 5k one weekend.  Make the focus on increasing your fitness level before 2010 and not on changing the number on the scale.

• Always have an exercise plan B. Dont let “Im not in the mood for XYZ workout” even qualify as an excuse.  When planning your workouts for the week create a few back-up plans in case time or your motivation threatens to derail your exercise time.  Snag a few workout DVDS, record a couple of workout TV shows, buy a jumprope or hula hoop at the Dollar Store.  Always set yourself up for success & roll with a Plan B.

• Think outside the box. Keep your workouts FUN, ALWAYS CHANGING, & ENJOYABLE.

• Just start! It’s trite but very true that if we begin a workout (even if we decide from the start we’re “allowed” to stop) we typically tend to finish it.  As fellow tribe-member Woody Allen said: 80% of success is showing up.  Make showing up a non-negotiable.

• Set up a reward system. Another well-worn piece of motivation advice yet one which I frequently see people NOT doing.   Make today the day you create a thorough longass list of things YOU find rewarding from the free to the costly.  I carry my list like this with me *everywhere* & use it frequently as an Im stressed what would feel like a reward yet NOT contain sugar? reference.

And speaking of rewards.

Today I have a treat for one of us which would make the perfect reward to a workoutweek completed to perfection.

A spa-themed giveaway from Stonyfield which includes 4 coupons for free containers of Oikos organic Greek yogurt, a reusable Oikos tote bag,  and the “Take- 5″ Anti-Stress spa kit from Earth Therapeutics (a loofah massage sponge, Anti-Stress massage soap, a body brush, Anti-Stress massage lotion and a soothing gel eye mask).

You may be entered to win this fab treat for the low low price of a comment below.

What’s your best tip for sustaining workout motivation when life grows hectic?

Please to hit us *all* up in the comments.

USA ONLY. Winner announced TOMORROW

It surprised me that I found this post to be a challenge to write.

The more I pondered the more I realized if I were grateful for only a few small things it would be an easy blog entry to whip out.

Im grateful for blahblah A.  Im thankful for yadayada B. MizFit OUT!

I think it’s because I work (which doesnt meant that Im always successful!) to operate from a place of gratitude on a daily basis that I didnt even know where to begin.

But here it goes:

Im grateful for BIG FREEDOMS.

Im thankful for my health, my family, my friends, & all the myriad gifts in my life I strive never to take for granted.

Im grateful to be me & thankful I was selfish enough to take the time to work on myself so I could grow to where I am today.

(translation: MizFit in her late 20s? Not so much the grateful sort.)

Im grateful to all of you who take time out of your busy, busy lives to swing by here and read my musings.

Im thankful for all of your kind words when Im feeling frustrated and for the fact you share in my joys as if they were your own.

I know it sounds cheesy and would roll my eyes I think were I to read this on someone else’s blog but I really do greet most mornings with the thought of:

Seriously? This is my life?! Im pretty damn fortunate.

I am grateful.

This year even more so than years past.

And you?

Are you feeling as I do this year (is it the economy? the general sense of life-uncertainty that filled 2009?) & thankful thankful for things which other Thanksgivings you may have taken for granted?

Please to hit us all up in the comments.

DIZCLAIMER:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oTFqEOsj8M

I opened my email

was offered for free

(Blah. Blah. Blah

Take that FTC)

A chance to review

A DERBY WORKOUT

The Ren man? He heard me

So loud I did shout.

I love me some derby

We’ve gone. Took the girl!

For ages Ive longed

To give it a whirl.

Whip It? Loved it.

The skaters are TOUGH.

They’re fearless, inspiring

badass and BUFF.

The DVD? Dang.

A great way to PLAYout.

For a few days right after

My body did *shout.*

What specifically I liked about the DVD:

1. I immediately noticed that the women were all shapes and sizes. The workout is led by the members of the Heart Attacks Roller Derby Team & I adored that they embodied the fact strength & power comes in all different (tattooed & non) packages.
2. It was entirely fun and creative. The women used their derby names (I particularly coveted SHIV) & referred to stretches in “different” ways (for example: The Stripper Stretch and the Skeleton Key).  All of this served to make the workout more fun and go much more quickly.
3. It was a good workout off skates & there’s the option to increase the difficulty with the addition of weights or skates. (Yes. I did attempt to use my skates initially.  I unlaced those things quickfastandinahurry.  These women possess balance I can only dream of at this point…)
4. It was really great insight into what muscles are CRUCIAL for a derby girl to possess. I’d obviously noticed that roller derby called for strong legs—but the focus on balance, plyometrics and core surprised me.

What didnt I like about the DVD:

1. Parts of it seemed a little old school. Im beginning to wonder if everything old isnt new again as it seems donkey kicks & leg lifts are done in many DVDs Ive seen recently.  Old school or not—-these moves are hard as a motherfucker when you attempt then with skates ON.  The extra weight is noticeable.
2. There isnt any real upper body workout That said, the dvd promises a true ROLLER DERBY exercise routine so that’s the reason why.
3. The ending seemed a little abrupt to me/not much cool down time. The sad thing is Im known to be a woman who fast-forwards through the cool down (I know I know) so I almost laugh that I bother to point this fact out.

Would I recommend the DVD?

YES! with the above clarifications/personal Roller Derby Love issues in mind.

I had fun doing it (which isnt always the DVD case) and it’s definitely a workout I could do with the Tornado underfoot as she was pretty riveted just watching it as well.

Now, I have one copy of the Roller Derby Workout to give away and you can be entered to win for the lowlow price of a comment below.

What would YOUR roller derby name be?

I have to admit that after eons of thought Id simply stick with MizFit. It encompasses all that I am (kinda fit & definitely a misfit).

You?

Please to hit us all up in the comments below.

Winner announced 11/16 USA only

KNOCK KNOCK on my door.
A treat plopped outside.
A FREEBIE– FTC
(that Id never hide!)

A Balanceball chair.
Goodgosh can it be?
A corebuildingTREAT!
Less back pain for me!

Into it I ripped.
would this thing take days?
Would instructions confuse?
Leave me in a haze?

Ren Man jumped in.
“Let me help! Look at me!
Im inflating the ball!
Thus far all’s E-Z!”

Seeing the fun
The Tornado joined too.
Flipped over the chair
And jammed in a screw!

In the blink of an eye
The chair was all done!

I slapped on the wheels
And readied for fun.

My hip joints I s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d.
(Just a little did I slide…)

Relaxed. Did the pose.
Felt my tight hips stretch wide.

Then time for the back.
Realigning my spine.
Reversing the ‘hunching’
From my ‘puter time.

All & all? Two thumbs up.
As a chair & as exercise play.
I can tell you for certain
it’s where Miz’ arse shall stay.

What did we I love?

• It was entirely as promised. A simple way to improve my posture while sitting, relieve pressure on my spine and *easily* find exercise in unexpected places during even the most sedentary writing days.

• It was quick and easy to assemble. That’s a big plus for this woman who has surrendered/waved the white paper towel of defeat to more than a few IKEA items in her day.

• We all adored it. Ren Man really liked it for his back & the Tornado & I had fun with the chair and with the ball outside of the chair (we didnt previously have any exercise balls at home).

• It comes with a guide book of exercises from resistance training (ball off chair) to stretching (ball on). I like to think Id have thought of the stretches on my own, but chances are I would not.

What wasn’t my fave part of my new Balanceball chair?

• I wish all four wheels locked. I managed not to shoot the exercise ball chair out from  under me,  but I was nervous about it when I attempted some of the stretches for the first time.
• The Ren Man I initially overinflated the ball & as a result found the chair awkward until I deflated it a smidge. Dont be the Ren Man me.

I ask you to pause for a  moment, People, and give a small shout of THANKS to the Peeps at Gaiam.

Not only did they send me a chair—-you have the chance to win one as well.

I know in this age of Freebies!Freebies!Everywhere! we (the royal) can start to take the offerings for granted.

Let’s not.

You may be entered to win for the low low price of a comment below.

Please to tell me *precisely* why you should  win the chair & please to give a shout out of Ya’ll are AWESOME to Gaiam.  They’re a philanthropic, generous, GREEN pretty-cool-stuff-creating company.

Winner announced 11.09.09 USA & Canada only.

Subtitle: If this were a really kicka** post Id have a pair of these to giveaway. Good GOSH I love me some Five Fingers.

We’ve previously established there are innumerable things I’ll attempt in the name of coming up with a freakin blog post journalism.

I’ve NIA’d

I’ve awkwardly swung a kettlebell.

Ive competed in bodybuilding.

This time, however, I’m letting you down.

I’ve decided upon a post topic I found intriguing (if by intriguing you mean mildly nut-jobbish—which I do) yet one which this MizFit is far too fearful (and delicate) to attempt.

What fitness endeavor turned this intrepid writer squeamish?

Barefoot running.

Yep, you read that correctly.

There’s a contingent of runners regularly exiting their domiciles barefoot and not merely to jog to the mailbox & back praying their In Touch weekly hath arrived.

In addition, if you buy into the group’s motto: one foot at a time, one sole at a time, one hell of a good time, then I’ve not only failed you but deprived myself of a damn enjoyable escapade in the process.

According to its practitioners, the notion of barefoot running started at the beginning.

The beginning, they contend, of us.

Sure we all commence our lives barefoot (and in many cases spend our entire first year that way) yet the fact we also spend the majority of this same year crawling seems not to lessen their zeal-like passion for this point.

In the minds of many barefoot runners the very reason our ancestors survived was the fact they frequently remained shoeless through adulthood.

Those who escaped from predators ran swiftly (according to individuals like Ken Saxton, editor of the web
site runningbarefoot.org) because their healthy, bare feet enabled them to learn to run properly.

If you’re anything like I am, your initial reaction to Saxton’s words is one of confusion.

It was only after a few readings I ‘got’ his point that the discomfort which at times accompanies barefoot running is a gift because of what it tells the runner.

Pain can, indeed, be a signal for us to change our gait or tweak our stride a fact I’m quickly learning is true as I train for my own shoe-clad race.

In Saxton’s mind, only through serving as your own foot whisperer (my phrase not his) will you ever learn to run properly and pain free.

This assertion baffled the  newbie-runner in me.

My feet can throb after just *wearing* shoes for twelve hours.  How badly might they ache if I jogged barefoot for a mile or two?

The barefoot running community would answer a resounding: far less.

They believe our feet were designed to keep us moving upright, at varying speeds and do so in total comfort.   Feet weren’t created, in their opinion, to be swathed in leather or canvas without being sore later.

We think we need shoes, they’d contend, as a reaction to skilled marketing campaigns and a desire for moneymaking by shoe companies.  (MizFit note: I must add that at this point in my research I was thinking constantly of this blogger who is my sole provider of shoe porn.)

I’m nothing if not a skeptic, but I felt my anti-barefoot running resolve weaken.

Why did I love my running shoes?

Was it the support they provided or had I bought into the notion they’d make me faster, stronger, lighter on my feet and look pretty damn snazzy as well.

Grab a sneaker and plop it on it on a flat surface. See how the front of the shoe curves slightly upward?

This curl is added to encourage a heel-to-toe rolling movement when the wearer walks or runs, yet a rolling motion has been shown to cause potential injury to the wearer’s knees and back.

Now stand barefoot and check out how your toes are positioned.

Are they naturally curving upward or gripping downward against the floor?

Barefoot running made much more intellectual sense after I completed this little experiment.

Almost.

Quite honestly I couldn’t get past what I deemed the ick factor of potential disease.

While this isn’t a much discussed topic I’m convinced it poses a rather large danger that my fancypants Nike Air Rifts prevent.

Puncture wounds (!), even on soles thickened over time, pose a real and frequent threat.

One irrefutable fact is the need to start slow no matter your shoe-clad fitness level.

It’s suggested one walk before running to allow the soles of the feet to thicken properly (why does that phrase make me throw up a little in my mouth?).

Sites such as runningbarefoot.org encourage newbies to stroll barefoot at every opportunity before progressing running and, only after time, should one attempt long barefoot running sessions. 

Foot acclimation can vary, but the consensus is it takes three or four weeks to prepare the feet to pound the pavement.

In the end, I wasn’t convinced enough to attempt an outdoor barefoot run.

The promise of running barefoot (imagined as childlike frolicking whist birds weave garlands in my hair) was compelling yet my older, wiser, wet-blanket self really had zero interest in risking injury easily avoided by covering my feet.

As a result, if you need me this morning you can find my cynical-arse running my neighborhood marathon training.

Shoes firmly intact.

Today, People, is National Love Your Body Day (or, if you live in our domicile, it’s simply Wednesday. We like to think every day is NLYBD up in herre).

And Im here to shout from the proverbial rafters that I DO.

I love my body.

I love, appreciate, & take better care of it now at forty than I did at twenty.

I love my body because it complied with my demands yesterday and did a backbend much to the Tornado’s shock & delight.

I love my body because it’s a house for my spirit, my soul & for all the things which truly matter in life.

I love my body because when I am still and when I listen it provides me all the answers I need.

I love my body because Ive finally realized that embracing it and all its imperfections is the is, for me, that path to living fully & with out fear or hesitation.

Because Im one who writes some blog posts over the weekend I had BodyLove on the brain this weekend I tossed this question out to my Tweeple:

why do you love your body? right now. today. precisely as it is.

I received some amazing tweets in response:

@that_danielle: I love my body for growing this baby & I know how fortunate I was that the whole process has been easy for me. #34wks

@trihardist: My body healed enough in 3 weeks to get back to cyclocross, and for that I love it!

@ashleyecarr: I love my bod because it grew my gorgeous daughter… It’s so clever!! I can’t grow basil but a baby? No problem!

@suzrunningmama: Because it finished Ironman, 5 marathons, and gave birth to the kid that took a whole lot to get.

@christie0: it does things I never thought possible!

@pubsgal: It enables me to embrace my family and friends and take care of them and myself. (Also got me through my first sprint tri & hopefully more!)

@dbwrite4u: bcuz it done birthed out two awesome babies – 1 w/o pain meds -& didn’t let me down

@imadedinner: Because no matter what, my eyes and smile sparkle

@fitarella: because its curvy and HAWT!

@joannasutter: because muscles are a sign of hard work and dedication

@katiejoytweets: I love my body today! I feel lean and STRONG and impressed my trainer with my power. Feeding my body w/nourishing foods.

@Kimbrittingham
Imagine a world where your body is The Ideal, no matter how it changes. Love your body, and you’ll inhabit that world forever.

I also had tweeted to me the link to this amazing amazing AMAZING post.

(seriously. go read, comment and then come back. I can wait.)

and yeah.

I’m also here to say that Im not naive enough to think, just because it’s a day when we’re commanded to, bodylove is easy & simple as all that.

It took me decades & lots of work to get to the place I am today.

As a result, you may be entered to win one of my fave things (pictured below) for the lowlow price of an insightful/helpful comment (We’re all about the giving with the strings attached up in herre).

Please to hit us up with either a reason why you love your body TODAY or one tip for how we might find our way to the place of self-love.

I know the tip which helped me the most was to surround myself with people who love and accept themselves for who they are *right now.*

It’s amazing how attitudes like that can be contagious.

I LOVE ME mirror winner announced Friday. USA and CANADA only.