Tuesday's Training Tips: Strength training

This is a "Do as I say, not as I do" post.  Sometimes runners think that we are especially tough because we can run miles and miles.  While it is true that our legs and lungs are in great condition there are parts of our physique that often get neglected.  It isn't only that we think we are tough, but runners would rather be outside than in. That makes it difficult to implement weight training into our workouts. I know, I have trouble adding weight training into my routine, but I'm working on it!

Strength training can go a long way in injury prevention and improved performance.  You don't have to invest a lot of time to gain those benefits.  That's nice, because we all know you would rather be logging miles. 

Runners World dispels some of the myths regarding strength training in this article ...
Strength Training Misconceptions

For some strength training routines you can implement today visit ...
Strength Training Workouts for Runners

Give it a try.  Add a few minutes (about 30) of strength training a couple times a week and see what benefits you gain.

Tune in every Tuesday for more training tips and visit my Training Tips page to find all the tips you may have missed.

Question: Do you have a training tip you would like to share? Please leave it in the comments below.

Running Granny Green encourages women, especially grandmothers, to gain greater fitness by providing tips and inspiration to insure long years of joyful grand-parenting. The cookie recipes are a bonus!

Happy Running!
Carol - aka Running Granny Green

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

5 Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

This recipe HERE.

 

You've got five days left before Valentine's Day.  What are you going to do?  Here are five sweet ideas for your Valentines!

 

For Your Sweetheart - This idea comes from Hub Pages.  Fill a jar with mixed nuts and add a note that says, "After all these years, I'm still nuts about you!"  Or make up a quote of your own.

 

For the Kids' lunchboxes - This idea comes from The Cards We Drew.  Include a mandarin orange or nectarine in their lunch with a note that says, "You're a real Cutie!" 

 

For Your Running Friends - (You know they love a gift!) A pair of new running socks, headband, cheap knitted gloves for the cold days, or even one of these cute new shirts.  They are made of technical fabric - just in time for warmer temps!

 

For the College Kids - A gift card for a favorite meal.  College kids are always hungry!  You can order online. Try Five Guys, Café Rio, or Chili's.

 

For Everyone Else - You can't missed with My Favorite Sugar Cookies!  I'm going to give it a permanent place on my Home Page.  It's that good!

 

So get busy! You have five more days!

Happy Valentine's Day and ...

 

Happy Running!

 



Food Friday: Roasted Garlic and Mushroom Pizza a la Wolfgang Puck

So ... one bright spot from our six hour layover in Chicago a couple weeks ago was the aroma wafting from Wolfgang Puck's restaurant. Sadly, we had already purchased some oriental food from the food court that wasn't very pleasing.  We were smart enough to visit Wolfgang's place on our return trip and the Roasted Garlic and Mushroom Pizza did not disappoint!

So ... I attempted to duplicate the dish, but I substituted a whole wheat crust. This is how it turned out.  Not a bad substitute!

Here are the links to the recipes I used.  There are only two of us, so I put half the pizza dough in the freezer (crossing my fingers it's good later) and I cut the toppings in half.  It did not disappoint!

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough recipe by Wolfgang Puck



 Wolfgang Puck's Roasted Garlic and Mushroom Pizza

Find more of my favorite recipes HERE.

Question: Do you have a favorite recipe to share?  Comment below.

Happy Running!
Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

Guest Blogger: JoEllen writes about slowing down

Meet JoEllen Claypool, the author of The Secrets Behind the Eyes,  A Realist’s Guide to Being a Pastor’s Wife, Realistic Tips to Being a Pastor’s Wife, Are You on the Verge of a Spiritual Heart Attack  and a contributing author of the Eclectic Collage Volumes 2, 3 and 4. She serves in the ministry with her husband who pastors a small country church in Caldwell, Idaho. Understanding the impact that one person can make, JoEllen is eager to reach out and encourage others to make right choices so that lives can be saved.

 

Slow  Down! You Move Too Fast!

In the busy lives that we create for ourselves, two major things can happen.  First, we don’t allow others to see us and second, we do not slow down long enough to really SEE other people. To make things even more difficult, many people have become accustomed to wearing masks that prevent others from seeing who they truly are.

Why are we so afraid to reveal ourselves and what stops us from confronting the person that is wearing the mask? Either one is scary.  We risk losing friends when we let people see the real us. We risk judgment.  Confronting the mask wearer is just as uncomfortable. We risk making them feel we are judging them.  We risk losing that friend. Is it really fear, though, or are we just too busy to take the time for each other?  

Masks can put us in bondage. I think of the old plastic Halloween masks. They would stifle our voices. Our words would be distorted. Masks can muffle what we are trying to say. The more that people don’t hear us, the more we withdraw into our world. Remember what it felt like, though to take those plastic Halloween masks off?  Whew!   It would feel so good to be free from that moist, stuffy covering!  

I am guilty of wearing masks, but I have to say it really is refreshing when somebody truly sees me. One time that impacted me was right after our house fire.   We were trying to move forward and get back into a routine.  A friend of mine stopped by to see me. She walked in and smiled and said "How are you doing today?"

 I was so thankful that I had remembered my mask.  It was a magical mask with the button so I immediately pushed the button and heard the joyful voice say, “I’m blessed! Things are great! And how are you?” 

My friend lost her smile, pulled up a chair and took me off guard by saying, “Great … now how are you really doing?” Panic! I know I remembered my mask! Is the button broken? Didn’t she hear what it said? I’ve never been one to think quick on my feet. I immediately covered my face and the tears flowed as I whispered, “This sucks!”  It’s okay to admit that sometimes life is hard. I had been trying to convince everybody else and myself that I was okay and I was strong. To quote the Scooby Doo villains, “I would have gotten away with it too if it hadn’t been for that meddling“ friend. Oh, my … thank goodness for meddling friends. It took a huge load off to have somebody have the courage to confront me and the mask I wore. I was able to be transparent with her. My friend had slowed down long enough to look me in the eyes and see past my mask. She took a risk and confronted me.

When we slow down, not only do we see our own surroundings with fresh eyes but we see those around us in a new light. Everyone has a story. Everybody is dealing with something.  So, instead of hurriedly patting someone on the shoulder as we pass by them, muttering a quick but kind word, we can take the time to look into their eyes and have a better chance of perceiving what words they truly need to hear that day.  We need to start SEEING  other people.  Think of the impact that could be made if we would just slow down!

 

You can catch up with JoEllen on Facebook and find her books HERE on Amazon.

 

Watch JoEllen's video, Real Faces of a Pastor's Wife. 

 

 

Visit my Guest Blogger page to get to know all my blogging friends.

 

Happy Running!

 

Love these running shirts!

This just in!  I now have these cute running shirts in my Etsy shop! 
 

Purchase them separate or combine with a copy of The Hard Run for a sweet deal! I am so excited about the way these shirts turned out! 

 

Let me know what you think of them!

 

Happy Running!

Waxing philosophical with Emerson

I’m going to wax philosophical today. This quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson has a permanent spot on my blog:

“That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed but that our power to do has increased.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have always considered this a motivational quote to encourage myself and others to keep trying. Staying on task helps one learn the skills needed to conquer the task. Recently it occurred to me that the same rule applies to negative activity.

“That which we persist in doing …” Do we persist in procrastinating? Do we persist in living a sedentary lifestyle? Do we persist in negative self-talk or holding a grudge?

Does negative activity become easier to do the longer we do it, therefore making it harder to create a positive change? 

Question: What are your thoughts about Emerson's observation? Does it hold true in both cases? Sound off in the comments below.
  
Happy Running!
Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

Tuesday's Training Tip: Calories count!

Chocolate Berry Smoothie

If you are like me you often feel famished after a hard run or workout. You might even think that you have burned more calories than you actually did.  Don't make the mistake of overcompensating for calories burned.

The question is: How do you measure calories in vs. calories out?

The answer?  Use an app! 

My Fitness Pal has a calorie burn calculator that is easy to use.  Just plug in your activity, weight (I know, but it's a critical factor), and duration.  The calculator delivers calories burned.

If you want to get a little more involved, try Map My Run.  You can log in your food and activity and have a running total for the day.

Beyond being aware of your actual calorie burn, you can try hydrating after a workout and before emptying the snack drawer. DO NOT tell yourself, "I worked out. I deserve this ... slice of cake, ice cream cone, or chocolate bar." On the flip side, better to have burned a few calories before indulging than not at all!

Give calorie counting a try, at least until you get a feel for how many calories you really need for refueling. Let me know how it works for you!

Tune in every Tuesday for more training tips and visit my Training Tips page to find all the tips you may have missed.

Question: Do you have a training tip you would like to share?

Running Granny Green encourages women, especially grandmothers, to gain greater fitness by providing tips and inspiration to insure long years of joyful grand-parenting. The cookie recipes are a bonus!

Happy Running!

Carol - aka Running Granny Green

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Monday Mood Mender: This cat!

It's no secret, I love cats!  I especially like black cats (you can read about it in this book).  This little guy, however, caught my eye on Pinterest!  Alas, I cannot read any of the copy on the website.  It doesn't matter, he just makes me smile!

 

Here is the link.  Perhaps you can read it!  I love this lady's work! Enjoy!

Question: What makes you smile on a Monday Morning?

Happy Running!

Food Friday: My Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe

 

This is my recipe adapted from one I obtained from my sister.  It's been years, but I think I added more shortening. I never vary from Butter Flavor Crisco!  These almost melt in your mouth!  Make a batch for Valentine's Day!
 
Carol's Sugar Cookies

• 1 C Butter Flavored Crisco
• 1 C Granulated Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3 C Flour

Cream together shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Blend in one cup of the flour. Add baking powder and salt and blend well. Add remaining flour - reserving about 1/4 cup for rolling dough. Mix well.

Dough will be soft. Do not refrigerate. Use remaining flour to keep dough from sticking while rolling out. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies and bake in 400 degree oven for seven minutes. Do not allow edges to brown. Baking times may need to be adjusted.
Allow cookies to cool and decorate with your favorite frosting recipe. (Mine is in my head!  I just add ingredients until it looks and tastes right, but here are some things to help you...)

My Favorite Frosting Recipe

1/4 - 1/2 C butter, softened
1 tsp Vanilla
Powdered Sugar
Milk (about 1/4 cup)
Dash of salt

Cream butter and add vanilla.  I then begin adding powdered sugar and milk alternately until I have a fluffy white frosting. When I am happy with the consistency, I add a dash of salt. A seasoned southern belle once told me, "The salt makes the sweet sweeter."

Add food coloring and sprinkles - or not. It's really about what makes you happy!

Let them melt in your mouth!

Find more of my favorite recipes HERE.

Question: Do you have a holiday recipe to share?  Comment below.

Happy Running!

Guest Blogger: The Grandkids sound off

Lots of sprinkles!

 

Guest Blogger Thursday is a little different this week.  I've been hanging with the Grandkids this week and they've been sharing some of their wise words with me.  I'm sharing a few of them with you.

• Three year-olds know how to use words like actually and accidentally as in, "I accidentally dropped my banana on the floor, actually."
• Six year-olds can sound out words like "dripping" and "brilliant," but when the waitress asks their age they have to use sign language and two hands.
• The Rainbow Bridge in Niagara is a bridge to everywhere because we are always going over "the Rainbow Bridge!"
• "Pink is my favorite color, actually."
• It's okay to save a loose tooth for Grandma to pull.
• While baking sugar cookies (the recipe will be up on tomorrow's blog), "Make more princess dresses.  Princess dresses are my favorite, actually."
• The favorite thing at Niagara Falls was "throwing ice into the river" and "the walking." The latter from the one that rode in the stroller most of the day.
• "On Top of Spaghetti" is our favorite new bedtime song and we know most of the words, actually.
• "Grandma, did you bring your 'puter? Can we play a game on your 'puter? It's been a minute, Grandma."
• "I'm Anna and she's Elsa, actually."
• "Please." Thank you." "I love you, too."

I should have been making a list, actually, because I can't remember all of the fun things they taught me, but I do know this ... being a Grandma is the best job in the world!

Question: What is your favorite role?  Grandparent? Coach? Spouse? Friend?

If you would like to be a Guest Blogger, leave a comment or email me at cmgwrites@msn.com and we will discuss the details.

Visit my Guest Blogger page to meet more of my blogging friends!

Happy Running!

A little more about Niagara

That's a lot of water! We could use some of it in the Treasure Valley.

If you  read this blog very often then you know that I write about perspective on a regular basis.  If you've followed this week then you know that I visited Niagara Falls recently.  It was breathtaking, both for its beauty and the biting wind!

Ice everywhere.

The riverbed below the falls was full of ice and the mist coated everything in a smooth layer of ice.  It looks like snow, but it is solid! The sign below was found in the visitor's center.

 

Easy directions to follow as this one won't open.

And the ice conditions were truly a problem for doors.  This is a view of the ice filling the pathway outside the entrance.  It's about four feet high - a buildup of ice from the mist of the falls.  Pretty cool, even if it does present "an inconvenience."

 



It's all ice!

 

So ... take a minute and think about the things in your life that are inconvenient.  Perhaps they are just pieces to a bigger, more beautiful picture.

 

Question: What adverse conditions have you experienced that have caused you to grow?

 

Happy Running!



Tuesday's Training Tip: Stay hydrated

How much water is enough?

There is much information available about hydration and exercise.  Some of it is helpful and some is very confusing.  What we do know is that you need to drink ENOUGH water.  There isn't a One-Size-Fits-All measurement.  I know that if I am hydrated I can do a six-mile run without stopping for water. However, if I don't re-hydrate post-run, I will have more cramping and muscle soreness later.

  

Thirst is a good indicator, but it may take some time to learn how much water YOU need and when it is most beneficial for you.  In the meantime, visit this article at Runners World to learn more about the Myths and Truths of hydration.

8 Hydration Myths Busted

And just for fun, you might like to try this Hydration Calculator to get a better handle on how much water you need.

Tune in every Tuesday for more training tips and visit my Training Tips page to find all the tips you may have missed.

Question: Do you have a training tip you would like to share?

Running Granny Green encourages women, especially grandmothers, to gain greater fitness by providing tips and inspiration to insure long years of joyful grand-parenting. The cookie recipes are a bonus! 

Happy Running! 

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Niagara Falls and Ice!

I wanted to share some of the beautiful wonders of this earth.  The Lord has truly blessed us.  We had an opportunity to visit Niagara Falls for the first time.  It was winter.  It was COLD! It was such a beautiful sight, even amidst the freezing mist. Ice was everywhere.  Here is a view from the Canada side.

All that white stuff in the foreground looks like snow, but it is ice. The second view explains itself.  

I am reminded of a hymn ...

 "For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,"
Folliott S. Pierpoint, 1835-1917


I am grateful for the varied landscapes and climates, even the sagebrush desert where I live, that beautifies this place we've been given to live out our mortal existence.

    

Mountains, beaches and deserts make this an interesting and wonderful world! 

Question: What are some of your favorite places? Please feel free to sound off in the comments below.

Happy Running!
Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

Food Friday: Chocolate berry breakfast smoothie

 

This protein packed smoothie makes a quick breakfast or after workout snack.  It's fast and flavorful and it seems almost like treating yourself to a milkshake.  Who doesn't love that?

Chocolate Berry Breakfast Smoothie

4-5 ice cubes
1/2 cup frozen berries of your choice
1 cup fat free milk
One scoop chocolate protein powder (I like Body Fortress Whey Protein)

Place ice cubes, berries and milk in a blender.  Let stand for a couple minutes to allow the milk to get nice and cold.  Use ice crusher setting to break up ice cubes.  Add protein powder and blend until combined. Enjoy!

Variations: Substitute one half frozen banana for berries or use vanilla protein powder in place of chocolate.

Find more of my favorite recipes HERE.

Happy Running!

Guest Blogger: Paulee writes about decorating for you

Meet Paulee, a wife, mother, farm girl, artist, and favorite team member of mine!  Paulee has an eye for style and enjoys helping others work with the things they already have to make their homes a reflection of themselves.  She shares tips on Facebook as Perspective by Paulee.

Why do I like to decorate?  Is it to Wow? No, it is to create a beautiful space and to share moments with those I love, my family, and friends. It is to create a place where traditions are shared, and to bring people together in a comfortable setting. It is a place where I can feel relaxed and safe.  Decorating is a constant forward motion; it invigorates me and rejuvenates my spirit.  It lets me exercise my creative side and it brings me peace, happiness and joy. I think this quote says it all.

"Decoration is really all about creating a quality of life, and a beauty within that life that nourishes the soul, that makes life beautiful.  That’s what all this is about, not just what’s in and what’s out."

                                                                                                -Albert Hadley

Decorate with what is beautiful and with what nourishes your soul.  That is good advice. I would also like to add decorate with what inspires you. Decide if you want your room to look collected or decorated.  Collected is a style of decorating which embraces one’s eclectic, personal treasures by combining them with other items with divergent styles.  It is design without conventional rules.  Decorated conforms more to conventional rules and looks just like it says decorated. 

January is the perfect time to find a few objects that are beautiful and inspire you.  You can snag a few freebees’ if you just look around.  People are putting Christmas away and making room for all the new stuff they got from Santa Claus. The foggy overcast days make us pine for spring and so we clean up and clean out. Just the other day I had a friend call that was remodeling his shop and office.  He is in the upholstery business and was getting rid of pictures that he had acquired over the years in some of his restaurant remodels. I found some pictures I loved. If I find something I love, I usually get it.  If I don’t, I always get home and wish that I had.  I took home seven pictures.  I didn’t know what I was going to do with them; I just knew I wanted them, and that liked them.  It just so happened that three of them looked great in my Living room, and the fourth one found a home on the wall in my husband’s office. 

I have discovered that if I find something I love, there will always be a place for it in the end. So stick to the things you love. Pictures are a great way to change up a room without making a big commitment.  Decorating in a collected way makes it easy to incorporate your finds. 

Everything that matters requires risk. So take some risk this month and have some fun decorating your home!

Follow Paulee on Facebook at Perspective by Paulee or email her at perspectivebypaulee@yahoo.com

Visit my Guest Blogger page to get to know all my blogging friends.

Happy Running!
Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.