As a kid I loved playing with Barbie because she had no problems. Always able to fit into the perfect pair of high heels (her feet were sloped after all), she had the most amazing wardrobe for any job, party, or sporting event.  There were days I really wanted to be Barbie because she seemed to have it all.

But then I grew up and realized Barbie is not human but plastic. As human beings we all struggle with imperfections from time to time.  I’m sure you can make a mile long list of things you have struggled with and perhaps you are struggling right now.  Me too!  It’s comes along with the territory we call life.

By no means naturally athletic, I was the girl in high school who joked I would only run the mile if I was being chased by a pack of wolves.  My gym teacher threatened to get some but I kept walking until she produced the rabid beasts to chase me.  Instead of sports I played in the band.

But at age 24 I decided I was tired of living like this…

My grandmother took pride in showing off her family in pictures and this one scared the ever living crap out of me.  I was unhealthy and miserable.  I began the journey to health knowing it would be a long one…I just didn’t know how long.

I lost the weight quickly because changing my diet from junk 24/7 to real food made all the excess weight fall off and run away in fear.  I also began exercising from the start, which helped a lot.

Then the problems started.  First it was just a twisted ankle from going for a walk in my small town and stepping in a gopher hole; which required an ace bandage and 3 weeks off my foot.  Then came minor tweaks of my knee from taking too many step classes, sore shoulders due to improper lifting form, and having trouble with my apartment stairs thanks to my Arnold Schwarzenegger like DVD drill instructor from a  DVD encouraging lunge after squat after lunge…trust me he was scary.

None of these were major injuries requiring more than a little rest, some ice and anti-inflammatory medication.  I was tough and could handle my fair share since I had inflicted enough minor pain on myself when I weighed almost 300 pounds and had trouble just living day-to-day life.

When you spend the first 25 years of your life with lots of Oreos, no exercise and new, larger-sized pants every few months, your body starts to wear down.  However at my new healthier, fitter weight I was feeling invincible.  Fit, healthy and strong.

I was trying all sorts of things fitness wise that I would have considered torture in the past.  Including the running…this time with no wolves.  I did the Couch to 5K plan and loved every second.  I ran 4 races that fall and was addicted.  I was a runner.  Minor aches and pains sure, but I was a real runner.

Then the major injuries happened.  Following a 2007 Turkey Trot, I felt a pain in my back that didn’t go away, in fact everyday it worsened.  That injury turned out to be 3 herniated discs in my lower back that were degenerating.  I had spinal fusion to correct that in the fall of 2008 spending several weeks like this:

My worst nightmare came true in 6 months of physical therapy: NO RUNNING!  But I did my exercises and was back running by the following spring at the same speed as before, if not better.

Making a rookie runner mistake, I broke the cardinal rule and increased my speed and distance at the same time. Strike two.  I was training for the Tufts 10K in Boston and spent that race week and several after in Physical Therapy to rehabilitate my IT Bands that weren’t supporting my knee.  With each step it felt like a sharp ice pick was being jabbed into my hip.  Again rehab required 6 weeks with NO RUNNING!

My latest struggle is a calf tear. I did everything right this time.  I followed a training plan.  I didn’t increase my mileage by more than 10% a week. I trained on similar terrain.  I was properly fueled.  Yet I still got injured, tearing a calf muscles and landing me back in PT.  Sometimes, even with proper training, your body isn’t able to handle the strain of a race.

Four months after the race the tear has healed but because of scar tissue the pain continues; therefore still NO RUNNING!  The two most horrible words to hear for a runner. It was such a natural part of my routine its like not breathing.  Go to work, come home and cook Hunni dinner, and go run.  Like clockwork I would throw on my running tights and shoes and hit the treadmill or trail.

Now life is a different routine.  I’m struggling because of my new schedule; full of Physical Therapy appointments, visits to the Sports Medicine doctor to see if he can improve the scar tissue that has formed around the tear as it healed and the dreaded task of finding a new exercise routine so I don’t go nuts in my house and eat all the cookies I just baked for Hunni.

It’s a struggle to not feel like yourself because what you love to do has been taken from you.  Trying to redefine yourself in one area, even if it is only a short time, because for now you have to take a break and rest.

There are a few good things I’ve learned during my struggles with injuries, both past and present:

1. Rest is not a bad thing. Even elite athletes take rest days.  Rest days may be more frequent during the injury but even post injury you have to work in some rest to give your body a break or you will end up back in injury land.

1. Exercise is not over when you step off the bike, take off the shoes, or get out of the pool. We’d all love to think that an athlete’s job is done the second they step off the course.  But have you ever seen the locker room or athletic trainers’ office at a college gym.  There are whirlpools, and massage tables, and bags and bags of ice to be strapped to any and all body parts.  Exercise is hard work and your body needs help recouping after the stress you just put it under.  If your knees ache, ice them; just sore, ice baths or Epsom salts baths are a marvelous invention; and massage can be one of those things that hurt so good.

1. Know the difference between soreness and pain. This is huge.  If you are just achy all over but it goes away in a day or two, that’s soreness.  It is your body’s way of telling you that you have worked hard and to give it a bit of rest to recuperate and build new muscle.  But if you have a pinch, a tweak, a pain in a specific part of your body that is the start of an injury.  Don’t just push through with the old adage “No pain, No gain.”  Give it a rest for a day or two and if it doesn’t fade get it checked out ASAP.  You don’t want to loose 6 weeks of training in the Physical Therapy office.

1. Muscles are key. Having good muscle tone is key to any exercise activity you do.  When you run your entire core is engaged and if you aren’t training your core you will certainly feel it. You may be a runner but having a balanced upper body will really help since all your muscles weave together to keep you moving.  So even if you don’t think you have time for strength training in your already busy schedule…make some.  MizFit has some great shorter routines that you can squeeze in at least 2 days a week.

1. Try new things. Humans are creatures of habit.  We find an exercise we like and stick with it…sometimes for years.  Injuries offer a chance to take the kickboxing class you have been thinking about, go biking with the family, or pick up swimming.  Many studies suggest one of the best ways to avoid injury is to cross-train instead of concentrating only on a solo sport.

1. Don’t forget all you are learning. If you are injured, your Physical Therapist is a wealth of knowledge.  They can tell you how your gait affects your run, what exercises you specifically can do to improve in your favorite sport, and how not to end up back in their office.  Take a lesson from the experts because that’s what they are there for.

I still have a bit of a way to go before I am cleared to run again.  I’m promised if I follow the above I might be ready in time for our local Turkey Trot this Thanksgiving.

It takes a lot of patience to not throw my hands in the air and say maybe I’m not meant to be a runner or in fitness at all.

Just like life there will be potholes and detours along the way and we have to navigate them all. 

I can’t sit here and say I don’t want to move forward.  What fun would that be?

We’ve been talking a bunch around here about bloggers being role models (or not) & the importance of giveaways when blogging (or lack thereof).

On this episode of Two Fit Chicks & a Microphone we are, in fact, three fit chicks.

Caitlin of Operation Beautiful joins us at the mike as we talk blogging, commenting, & post-it notes.

As always, Shauna & I shout out to YOU in blogger/Facebook/whatever news & bore the pants off you delight and inspire with whats happening in our corners of the globe as well.

Click on the image below to listen.

Today Im neither fretting about giveaways & nor yammering lovingly about setting an example for our children.

Today.

This morning.

Right now.

Im bring my excuse-laden arse to the kitchen and choosing to do an exercise I love…to hate.

Im lunging.

Please to join me?

I’ll save you a hand towel…

(Later in our morning) UPDATE.

Mimicking? Mocking? It’s such a fine fine line.

Hi MizFit, I saw you tweet that you dont use a heart rate monitor. what do you do instead? thanks!!!

I’m slowly realizing Im just not a fan of gadgets.

I weigh once a year at the doctor, dont run with an ipod and I dont use a heart rate monitor.

Ever.

I didnt when I was working to lose weight either (oooh how was THAT for heading off additional questions?).

Even then I knew I needed to set myself up for success.

I know me.

Im less likely to do the cardio I already don’t love if faced if the additional burden of monitor.

I guess in some ways Ive always been a body listener (misfit whisperer?).

For example:

I typically do lateral raises with 15 pounds. If today were shoulder day, however, and that 15 pound dumbbell felt frickin heavy beyond belief and I knew I’d be SWINGING the weight not lifting I’d listen to my body, back off to 12 pound weights & increase my repetitions.

The same goes for my cardiovascular workouts and, for that reason, I always go by Rate of Perceived Exertion.

A numerical scale which is used to measure the intensity of exercise and (the one I use) runs from 0-10.

There are myriad ways to define each number. For me zero (nothing at all) is how I feel when plopped in a chair watching Real Housewives of Orange County and 10 (very, very difficult) is how I’d *imagine*I’d feel were I ever to run a marathon.

You can envision the entire scale looking somewhat like this (my personal target for cardiovascular exercise falls into a 4 or 5 depending on the day & whether I’m interval training):

0 – Couch plop

0.5 – Just noticeable

1 – Very light Im probably texting this woman still.

2 – Light

3 – Moderate

4 – Somewhat hard, sweating, breathy, I CAN TALK but dont want to.

5 – Hard, very breathy but can still talk or sing.

6

7 – Very challenging but doable.

8 – Im working hard, can talk but verging on angryexerciser (dont pretend you dont know what I mean).

9

10 – Very, very difficult (read: I dont think, in all honesty I’ve pushed myself to this point….yet.)

The scales may vary (some range from 1-20 instead of ten) but the concept remains the same: perceived exertion is how hard you feel your body is working.

It focuses upon the physical sensations you experience during an exercise period (increased heart rate, increased respiration or breathing rate, increased sweating, and muscle fatigue).

For me this method of assessing my cardio workout works far better (more personal than a heart rate number) & after years of using the RPE scale I find I know, intuitively, when to up my intensity level.

Now you.

Do you swear by your monitor? Never embark on ANY cardio without it?

Are you a sister/brother in the RPE scale? how well does it work for you? how long have you been using it?

Or, and you rebel peeps may be my fave group, are you firmly in the I dont need no stinkin heart rate exertion calculator camp?

Please to hit us all up in the comments.

A week or so ago on twitter I posted the following tweet.

(and, were I far more skilled at computercrap than I am, the below would be a screen-shot not a retyped version):

Dont we all have giveaways every day on our blogs? FREE CONTENT!

I received back about three tweets of agreement.

Two, when I asked if I could repost the tweets here, didnt respond (Im beginning to wonder if many people are like I am and rarely check their direct messages).

The third tweet was from a “bigwig” on Twitter.

She agreed with me and yet didnt want her words cut, pasted & posted up in herre even though she’d announced her agreement to 6-thousand plus followers.

That, however, wasnt the shocking part.

The surprise lay in the fact that within moments of tweeting my in-box was filled.

With shoutouts of hell to the yes! we give away content every day! why is that?!

With remarks of we do giveaway free content daily, but why do I still feel like “small potatoes” if I dont offer freebies, too?

It seemed with the relative privacy of my in-box bloggers felt comfortable agreeing with me.

Yet in the very public platform of twitter—where thoughts can be retweeted into oblivion—only three were willing to concur.

So Im here to reiterate the question (verbosely thankfully in more than 140 characters) & toss it to you my opinionated, wise, always happy to wax eloquent in the comments readers:

Isnt every day we choose to blog a giveway post as we happily, generously share our content for free?

Do you host giveaways of the product-sort on your blog?

If you do—why?

If youve chosen not to—same question?

Over the past year (as I sliiiide on into four years blogging at MizFit) Ive shifted my approach to giveaways.

Initially —I wont lie— I was thrilled even to be asked.

I was flattered a great big faceless company thought I wielded enough social media reach to be worth their while.

These days?

I recognize my worth and have chosen to throw it wholeheartedly behind the tiny folk.

The small companies whose marketing budgets are minuscule & whom I grow excited at the prospect of helping succeed.

I strive to have fewer traditional giveaways around here because I recognize that daily, on each of our blogs, we giveaway our thoughts, tips, feelings (and, yes, some days frazzle) for free.

And you?

What are your thoughts on blogs, giveaways, content & companies?

Do you tend (as I do) to skip the FREEBIE! posts because the very title makes it clear the freebie you desire (content. to hear what’s happening with the blogger.) probably isnt proffered that day?

Please to skip the emailing & hit us all up in the comments.

Edited to say: One of my fave bloggers has also written about this topic today. Charlotte of the Great Fitness Experiment.  Coincidence? Indicative of blogger-frustration? you decide…

deer in headlights.

that’s me trying to write a guest post for mizfit.

this coming from the girl who is never at a loss for words and whose dear blog followers happily scroll down through pages upon pages of my random ramblings on blogging my fitlosophy.

why, I ask myself, can I pitter patter away at the keyboard like a madwoman and turn out a fairly inspiring and often amusing (in my humble opinion) post, but I cannot for the life of me blog-on-demand.

back up. i am not a blogger.

i’m a passionate entrepreneur who loves all things fitness and has the sheer joy of doing what i absolutely love every day.

and i blog.

#1 because i truly love that if one little random thought i have can inspire, motivate, or at the very least make someone chuckle – then by all means it’s my pleasure to share.

and #2 because as i mentioned before, i am a girl with a lot to say and the joy of a blog is that, regardless of if anyone at all is listening, i have the delight of sending my deepest, inner most thoughts out into the blogosphere while simultaneously stroking my own ego as though something i wrote will change someone’s day, or perhaps even their life.

the pressure of following in mizfit’s (size shoes left me (yes, me!) speechless, until I came to the realization (a few weeks after procrastinating) that the best thing I can do for you, her loyal followers, is share with you just a bit of who i am, what i’m all about, and my ‘fitlosophy’ – and then give you something that can (hopefully) take you from where you are now, to where you want to be.

just a bit about me so you know i know my stuff:

i am the founder + chief fitlosopher of fitlosophy, the company behind fitbook: a 12-week fitness + nutrition journal that is taking the fitness world by storm. (i’m not here to sell, so go online after you read my oh-so-insightful post)

i’m sure you’ve read more than you want on goal-setting:

make goals SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely)…yada yada yada.

this is a very valid way to set goals and is actually the methodology we used when creating the fitbook. but i will spare you another goal-setting 101 post and give it to you “mizfit” (read: straight-to-the-point) style. hold on’ and get ready to be inspired.

lose the excuses.

they don’t get you any closer to your goals. everyone else has the same 24 hours in the day as you, and yes while i’m sure you’re busier than they are, you must first and foremost decide to stop whining and start doing.

what is the one thing (you think) comes between you and your goals?

the first step in anything is accepting it right? so identify it, accept it, and then kiss it goodbye.

aim big

how inspirational is it to reach an easy goal? make it challenging and feel that much better about yourself when you reach your goals.

like mizfit says: “be your own superhero”

sit down and think long and hard about what your goals are. is it really just about how you look on the outside? or is it to have more energy to chase your little ones around, feel vibrant and enjoy life, or rock your skinny jeans and radiate confidence?

dig deep.

identify your goal and what the motivating factor is behind it – because that is what will keep you going on tough days. think about it and think big.

break it down

having a big goal is the first step – but in order to tackle it, you must break it down [music interlude]…into smaller, more achievable steps.

this is the premise behind fitbook: set a 12-week goal, then set smaller weekly goals, track daily, and then reflect and reward yourself on reaching goals both big and small. don’t psych yourself out. saying you want to lose 10lbs can seem daunting, until you realize that it breaks down to losing about 1lb per week for 12-weeks, which is doable!

vague is for losers

make it clear exactly what you’re setting out to do. goals are great, but you really must be specific here people.

“i wanna be hot”, while an admirable goal, is a bit foggy. the only way to know if you have reached a goal is to make them measurable with criteria for tracking progress.

specify exactly what you want to accomplish and by when. a better goal: “i’m gonna rock my size 28 skinny jeans by september 30th by working out 5 days a week and eating clean.” then weekly you set even more specific goals to get you there.

write it down. make it happen

okay so this is where the fitbook comes in. writing things down works – and this is why we created fitbook. in a study done by kaiser permanente of nearly 1700 participants those who logged their diet and exercise lost more than double the amount of weight of non-journalers.

in a recent survey we found that 75% of fitbook users lost weight during the time they’ve been using their fitbook – most people lost 1-5 lbs (43%) while 17% lost 6-10 lbs and 15% lost more than 11lbs! but frankly, i don’t care if you write it on the back of your hand, scribble in a blank notebook, or tattoo it on your left thigh (though not recommended).

truth is: putting pen to paper is proven to be more effective than font-to-screen or thought-to-brain – so grab a pen and jot your way to a fit(ter) you!

rally the troops

hold yourself accountable by sharing your goals with friends and family.

why stop there? get them on board!

make exercising a family affair and include the little ones in planning healthy meals – even plant a veggie garden together.

[tip: score a fitbook junior for the little ones and the whole fam can embark on a fit journey together]

flying solo? get your girlfriends on the healthy train and be “that friend” who recommends bike rides over cosmos (ok, or at least bike your way TO the bar).

being a positive influence in the lives of those around you will not only be good for them – it will get you to your goal.

reward thyself

we often get so caught up in focusing on the negative that we don’t take the time out to reward ourselves for what we do accomplish.

so allow me to convice you to spoil yourself! rewarding yourself is a positive way of reinforcing good behavior and the byproduct of doing something nice for yourself is that you will be more likely to continue making positive choices.

workout every day you planned this week? reward yourself with a pedicure.

drink your gallon of H2O 5 out of 7 days? treat yourself to a magazine and americano.

don’t forget to work toward a big reward too. an example: set weekly goals and at the end of each week rank how you did on a scale of 1 to 10 and bank the equivalent in $$.

after 12 weeks you can take that hard-earned money and get that new pair of skinny jeans, hit the spa, or whatever your little heart desires!

reflect. refocus. repeat!

one of the most important aspects of setting any goal is to reflect on where you started and what you accomplished.

so often, we focus on what we didn’t do or what we could’ve done better. while it’s wonderful that you continue to push yourself to be a better YOU, it’s also important that you give yourself a little pat on the back for making progress, no matter how big or small.

and finally, the most important part: refocus.

evaluate where you’re at and where you want to go from here.

how fun would life be if you just reached a goal and then never made plans to push yourself any further? what have you always wanted to try but haven’t?

is a marathon calling your name? do you dream of trying a tri? or (heaven forbid) take a stab at a figure competition (!).

whatever floats your boat – and will really excite and drive you. what would push you to be a better you?

so now consider yourself armed and dangerous – and hopefully a tad bit inspired.

as a treat for all of you that actually hung in there with me all the way to the end of my lengthy ensemble, give fitbook a try and enter promo code MIZFIT10 at checkout to get 10% off…good for 2 days only so hop to it!

Come over an learn more about me at my blog as well—-Id love to meet all of you.

Im over here today serving as the Wednesday WOOT!

Im also hanging out up in herre chatting about the evolution of my definition of the word health.

(are you a blogger? are you a member of Healthy Living Blogs yet? please to check em out.)

Join me?

How about?

M(izfit) I(nto) L(iving) F(ully)?

M(oms) I(ntuitively) L(ove) F(itness)

M(others) I(nstinctively) L(iving) F(it)?

I know they are just MILFing in fun so let’s show em our tattoo’ed, typically disheveled, tutu wearing, no make-up owning  or hair brush or hair dryer but there is a comb here somewhere weights-loving definition of the word.

Help me?

Oh People.

I sit here gazing alternately at the whitewhite expanse of my unwritten post, back down at my pink toe-sneaker clad feet and I’m stuck.

Ive got nothin’

You know that place where you’re so wholly, utterly, completely in LOVE you can think of nothing else & wanna do nothing else but chill with yer beloved (that’s a shoutout to YOU oh Renaissance Man of mine)?

That’s where I am with these shoes.

This is where I am with these shoes:

(if youre using a reader there’s rap rhymin’ video above)

That said, Im painfully aware there are a smattering of you out there who come for the real stuff.

The grown-up reviewage.

Please to adultenjoy.

What I love about the Vibram Five Fingers SPEED edition:

• How they look. I know I should be embarrassed about this fact—but Im not. I’m renown for loving me some weird looking sneakers (I adore these) & from the moment I spied em I was bound & determined to get me some head over barefootheels in love.

• The sole AKA the divoted polyurethane arch covering. Interestingly, this is far more about the heat radiating from the Texas pavement than anything else.  The sprints are great when you’re moving—but if you walk in them for any period of time (at least where I reside) it’s simply TOO HOT on the soles of the feet.

• They dont turn my toes pink. (Yada Yada Yada supposedly Im the only misfit to whom this has ever occurred.)

• They feel far better on my big toes. Sure this could be a me-quirk (see above?) but it’s such a marked difference (when running or walking) it bears mentioning.  Something in the shoe’s structure, perhaps? Who can say…

• They feel cooler (& no I dont mean more hip).  While they are indeed *more* of a shoe than other Five Fingers styles–the Speeds seem to produce less MizFitFootSweat.  Is this a by-product of the mesh upper? A me-foot-quirk?  Again, as the only subject in my study, it’s hard to know.

• All the other benefits I mentioned here remain the same. This wasnt a given either as frequently, when companies release new styles, old benefits/product pluses can be lost.

What do DISLIKE about the Vibram Five Fingers SPEED edition:

• The fact I had to find a non-USA resident to purchase and send.

• That I love them so much I almost don’t want to wear them. I’m working not to be a saver in this fashion, but it’s still my default setting.  Especially given the reason cited above.

• Washability? I havent had the need to wash them yet so I can’t attest to this one.  I am, however, curious to see if they hold up as well as the Sprint style did to repeated washings.

Bottom line: Right or wrong. Too much sole to be truly barefoot or not. I love my Speeds. I adore how they lovingly hold my big toes (as opposed to my Sprints which seemed to Hold!My!Big!Toes!) and are overall a more comfortable fit.

To this misfit they are the perfect running, walking, lifting, playing, movie-going’ grocery shopping, whatever’ing shoe.

So there you have it.

My MizFit Muzings on a shoe I adore…that’s not yet available in the USA.

Now you.

Are you a non-USA resident who now longs for foot-glove lace-ups of your very own?

An anywhere resident who thinks, as many barefoot runners do, the Speeds (with their laces & almostsole) can no longer be deemed birthday shoes?

Do you think Ive entirely lost my MIZmind & should be compelled to wear professional shoes for a full day by way of penance?

Please to hit us all up in the comments.