Author: Chris Brown (Page 38 of 41)

Chicken Quinoa Tomato Salad for the Family Reunion

June 23, 2018 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

Once a year I play softball, hop around inside a burlap sack, try to run/walk with a partner with one of our legs in a sack, play crochet, and race to the other side while balancing an egg on a spoon.

You got it! This Saturday is a family reunion.

All different ages and generations gather together. It’s a blessing to have such a big family.

It’ll be a time to catch up and reconnect. We will play corn hole. bocce ball, badminton and horseshoes.

I’m glad that my fitness level is strong enough to participate in the games without worrying about killing myself.

I didn’t used to be like that. In fact the other day, I ran across a photo of myself taken years ago at one of the family reunions, before I started really focusing on getting fit and strong. Notice the diet coke can in one hand, camera in the other. It took a long time to quit my diet coke habit and now it really gives me a stomach ache if I drink even a small amount.

Because I felt too out of shape to join in the games, I spent a lot of time going back up to the food table and yes, I felt like I’d gain about 3 pounds in one day.

Of course the family reunion always involves a whole lot of food and usually a huge landscape of high calorie choices.

Pasta with meatballs, pizza, fried chicken, and all kinds of desserts – cake, cookies, brownies, jello-pretzel-cool-whip and fluffy stuff that I don’t know what’s in it except sugar and sweetness. Nary a veggie tray with carrots, celery, broccoli and cauliflower to be found, but that is because everyone brings their most delicious dishes.

Believe me, it’s tempting to overeat. Today I’m going to try to remember all the good strategies for dealing with the food that we’ve discussed in the podcasts.

I’ll spend my time playing games and talking with people I haven’t seen since last reunion.

When it is time to eat, I’ll try to remember the tricks Melanie and Nancy shared with us for not over eating.

Survey the table completely before putting anything on a plate.
Include fresh veggies, whole food choices when possible.
If I really want something that has lots of calories, I’ll take a tiny size portion.

Meanwhile I’ll be drinking lots of water, so I don’t eat when I’m really thirsty. It’s been so very hot lately, I’ve been drinking more water than usual, so that’s a good tip anyway! Gotta make sure I have salt in my diet too.

Chicken Quinoa Tomato Salad

Today, I’m making a new healthy salad recipe and I thought I write it up to share it on Becoming Elli while I’m making it this morning.

First, I prep the salad ingredients for my Chicken Quinoa Tomato salad.

Baste 4 chicken breasts in salt water for one hour. Rinse off and put on a cookie sheet to bake for 40 minutes. (I put the oven on 400, but I suspect my temperature gauge is slightly off.) The salt water locks in the moisture in the chicken so it doesn’t dry out.

Slice several red peppers into strips.(Four nubs on the bottom are females, three are male. The female peppers are supposedly sweeter with less seeds.) Coat with olive oil. Roast in oven for 30 minutes.

Cook 2 cups of quinoa in 4 cups of water for 15 minutes. Take off heat. Fluff with fork. Put lid on for 12 minutes. Fluff with fork.

While the chicken and peppers are roasting and the quinoa is cooking, chop up all the veggies:
Cut 2 pints of grape tomatoes in half.
Dice half of a small Vadelia onion.
Cut a cucumber into strips and dice.
Cut 3 stalks of celery into strips and dice.
Dice up a small handful of fresh basil

Combine ingredients in a large bowl.
Zest 2 lemons. Squeeze juice over veggies.

After chicken and red peppers have cooled a bit and cut into cubes.
Allow quinoa to cool. Fold everything together in the big bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer to a smaller serving bowl if desired.

I am a slow cook, so it took me a while to get this all done.

But now that the salad is ready, I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion and having some fun!

My Experiences with Kinesiology Tape

June 17, 2018 / Chris Brown / 5 Comments

Have you noticed people running and biking with kinesiology tape on their legs, ankles, knees or shoulders? Ever wondered if it works?

After I noticed people with tape, I was curious. Does it work? Does it hurt? How do you put it on?

In my experience, it makes a HUGE difference to my recovery and prevention.

When I’m going on a run, I like to have my right Achilles tendon taped with kinesiology tape. I don’t always use it on a bike ride, but I do if there are hills.

Kinesiology tape helps to increase the blood circulation and reduce inflammation for faster healing. I find that it works well for preventing new flare-ups.

The tape stretches like an elastic, so it moves as you move. It lifts the skin and makes a space between the dermis layer and the muscles which takes some of the pressure off and helps with drainage and blood flow.

I was taped for the first time a few years ago. A friend of mine, who had just taken a course on kinesology taping, asked if she could tape my calf and ankle. She acted like I would be doing her a favor by letting her practice on me. We had just taken a long, strenuous bike ride up some serious hills, so I jumped at the chance to see if it made a difference. In the next few hours, as we enjoyed a post ride beer and chatted, I honestly didn’t notice anything at all.

But the next morning, I remember waking up the next day being AMAZED at how great my Achilles felt!

Instead of being stiff and sore like it usually was when I put my heal to the ground, it didn’t feel like anything. It felt totally normal, without anything. And this was after a very strong, long bike ride with some big hills.

Normally it would have been an issue.

I decided to add taping to my prevention and recovery plan, along with ice, rolling and stretching.

Since then I have learned to tape my own Achilles tendon.

Here’s what I do when I apply tape.

Before applying the tape, cut the lengths you want from the roll. I use one long one (about 8 inches) and one short one (about 4 inches).
You’ll want to round the corners (I didn’t in my photos, but I should have!) Square corners cause snagging. Socks, pants etc. will snag on the corners of the tape when you change clothes and it will start to peel.
The anchor points of the tape need to have NO stretch. The middle parts of the tape should stretch. Each brand seems to suggest a slightly different amount of stretch from 50% to 80%. It’s a guesstimate. They all agree on no stretch at the anchor point. The way you get a percent is stretch it 100% and then back off from there.
To apply the tape for Achilles, you want to do the dorsiflection to get your toes are pulled up toward the shin and knee. This stretches your Achilles tendon long, otherwise the tape will tend to pull off as you walk.
Apply the long tape first, starting at the heel as the first anchor. Peel off the backing from the tape, Attach the tape to your heel. Rub it down.
Peel the backing off the long piece. Stretch it and back off, but don’t attach the long piece to your calf just yet. Peel the top anchor section. Touch the top anchor to the calf and apply with NO tension. Attach the rest of the tape and rub.
Before applying the strip of tape across, you will score the paper backing in the middle. Then tug with both hands to split the paper backing. This allows the stretch of the tape in the middle.
Go across the lump – the painful part of the Achilles. The shorter piece goes across the most painful area to help provide relief to the most tender section. For me it is right where the little lump is just above the heal, just about where the back of my shoe ends.
Give a good rub to activate the stickiness

I recommend taking the time to make the nice rounded corners. (Do as I say, not as I do!) Rounded corners keeps the tape from catching on clothing or when taking socks on and off. I like to roll my sock over the tape.

When I was traveling on vacation, I brought two sets of pre-cut tape with me. I didn’t want to bother with carrying scissors.

You can get the tape wet in the shower, however some brands work better than others. I have used several different brands and there is a difference. KT tape seems like the highest quality but also the price. I’ve also used RockTape, Spartan tape and something I bought on closeout from Amazon. Prices range for rolls from $20 for 16 feet to $7 for 50 feet. You get what you pay for… You can also buy it in precut strips which is very convenient, but of course, costs a little more.

Over the past couple of years I have purchased and used different brands and types. Here is my experience with them:

KT Tape Original Cotton Elastic Kinesiology Therapeutic Sports Tape
$9.95 for 20 Pre cut 10 inch Strips, Breathable.
Feels the best on my skin. I think it works the best. KT also has great videos on how to wrap:
RockTape Kinesiology Tape for Athletes, Water Resistant, Reduce Pain and Injury Recovery, 180% Elastic Stretch, 1 Roll, 16.4 Feet
$16.24 Lifts well, stays on well and doesn’t irritate skin my skin. Good stretching. RockTape Application PDF helps explain how to apply – where and why.
Spartan Kinesiology Tape Perfect Support for Athletic Sports, Recovery and PhysioTherapy
Uncut 2 inch x 16.4 feet of tape with a printed Kinesiology Taping Guide. (Here’s their 41 page guide.) Works pretty well, stays on for about 3 days.
about $9.95 on Amazon.
MetaTape Kinesiology Tape, Roll
2 rolls of 2 in. x 25 ft. Uncut $6.95 by Meta Fitness Gear. This was on close-out on Amazon.
Can’t beat the price, but the tape doesn’t stick very well and the tape just isn’t as effective in lifting the skin.
Athletic tape from a bin in Play It Again Sports. No brand name, just shrink wrapped tape. No paper backing, No stretch. Less than $3.00 for a roll.
Not at all the same thing. Don’t be confused. It gives ankle support, which is great if you feel like you’re likely to sprain an ankle, but it doesn’t move with you and seems like the opposite effect. I used to tape my ankle years ago after it healed from a sprain to give me support when I was doing an activity.

Depending on the brand of tape and how many showers I take, it can last up to 4 days before coming off. I have noticed that the MetaTape may not even last one day.

Back in 2006-7 when I was first going to physical therapy, they only used the regular athletic tape. So I used to use that to give my ankle support. Athletic tape is not the same thing as kinesiology tape.

These tapes have a backing on them which helps in the application. You cut the pieces first, and you don’t wrap the ankle to keep it stiff. The idea is to lift the skin away from the underlying tissue and muscle slightly. This allows the fluid and blood to move more easily.

Kinesology Tape Aesthetics

Tapes come in many colors and some even have prints. On race day, it’s nice to coordinate with your outfit if the tape will show. (ha ha!)

Day to day, taller socks or slacks helps to cover it. In fact, using compression socks can help with the calf tightness which is the actual cause of the Achilles problem for me.

I don’t just use it for running, riding or working out. I like to dance at weddings, but when there is that much sitting before the band starts. (and sometimes a long drive in the car before and after.) I know that there isn’t an opportunity to do my stretching routine before getting up to dance. I like to have tape on my ankle before getting up on the dance floor, but don’t want my tape to show. A bit awkward when wearing a dress, but if you wear a long dress, or if you can wear dark tights, it solves the problem.

Yesterday I did 6 miles of running with a lot of hills in the Cleveland Metro parks. Of course, I taped up before I ran. And today, I’m happy to report, my Achilles is doing very well.

Have you ever tried Kinesiology Tape for recovering from tendon pain or preventing an injury? Let me know what your results have been.

Race Recap of the 2018 Cleveland Half Marathon

June 12, 2018 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

Becoming Elli Podcast Episode Number 11

In Podcast #11 of Becoming Elli, Jill and Chris share their experiences with the Cleveland Half Marathon. Running 13.1 miles with less training than they would have liked, Jill and Chris found that changing expectations made for a fun event.

Listen today to hear about:

* Expo
* Parking
* Expectations and attitude
* Weather and what to wear
* Running the 13.1 mile course through downtown past the stadiums, into the Flats, up into Tremont, past Ohio City, down through Gordon Square and finishing in Public Square
* The food and the medal
* Fun in the Beer Garden and listening to live music

Finishers – 2018 Cleveland Half Marathon

In the tips section, Chris shares her tactics on how she works to maintain her weight loss so she can maintain a healthy weight. It’s challenging road to find the right mix of exercise, sustainable recipes, and mindful eating patterns.

1) getting on the scale
2) keeping track of the food
3) signing up for a race and training for it
4) focus on joints, ligaments and muscles
5) exercise moderately
6) use GO TO recipes

What tactics do you use to maintain your weight loss? Do you feel it’s like a marathon trying to maintain weight after a weight loss?

Becoming Elli where women over 50 inspire each other to become fit and strong.

What I Learned about Myself During the Twinsburg Duathlon

June 9, 2018 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

Last Sunday I learned a few things about myself when I did the 2018 Twinsburg Duathlon. My race recap of this “Run-Bike-Run” event will give you my thoughts as a first time participant.

For all the Becoming Elli women over 50, who want to try something challenging, but have hesitated – I say “Do it!” Maybe you haven’t done it because you are worried about what someone else might say or feel like you might be embarrassed or aren’t sure how it will go. I’m reminded of this quote: “Do one thing everyday that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

I learned that the feeling of accomplishment is even more sweet when you have these feelings to begin with.

Believe me, I had a lot of feelings and thoughts going into this:

Anxious – some “not-so-encouraging” thoughts were popping into my head
Eager – for the biking section, because I felt confident in my abilities on a bike
Apprehensive – those butterflies in the belly feeling
Curious – how does it all work? How should I prepare?
Will my bike look extremely old and out of place?? (Never mind about me!!)
Will I get mixed up in the transition? How does that even work?
Will it be too hard for me and I’ll have the walk the whole 3rd leg?
Will I get lost? (since I know I was going to be one of the slowest, usually I can’t see the person in front of me when there are only a few 100 people in a race.)

If you’ve ever challenged yourself past your comfort zone, I’m sure you’ve felt a lot of these feelings. I had been aware of the Twinsburg Duathlon for many years. This year, I won a complimentary entry into the race at the Team ER annual banquet. My company sponsors the team’s website and this year I competed as a member of the team.

The Twinsburg Duathlon is put on by Northcoast Multisports in the city and township of Twinsburg, Ohio. You may have heard of Twinsburg because that is where the annual Twins Day festival is held, when thousands of twins and other multiples come to celebrate.

The duathlon means that there are two sports. In this race, there are actually three legs to this race: two miles to run, ten miles to bike and then another two miles to run on that same course again.

My overall reaction:

Two thumbs up! A very fun experience! Although I thought it was easier physically than the half marathon, in several ways this race was more challenging mentally. There were lots of moving parts.

It was a very well organized race with great communication, a well-planned course and clever awards for first, second, and third in age groups, first timers, teams, and overall male and female winners. There were about 100 participants with 13 relay teams where one member would run the race and then tag the other member who did the biking. The race director announced that there was even one team of 80-year-olds in the race! I wanted to talk with them. Honestly, they must have looked very young and I couldn’t tell who they were. The ages of the teams weren’t listed in the race results.

Individual participants ranged from 14 to 70. It did feel like a variety of ages, but one of the first things that struck me was how fit everyone looked.

The weather was sunny but 65 degrees. Low humidity. PERFECT!

There were some of the athletes who looked extremely focused and had obviously competed in things like this before. There were plenty of others who, like me, were “newbies” and asked lots of questions.

One of the trickiest parts of this race is switching sports – your final time includes your transition times. I put my helmet, gloves and bike shoes on a little towel next to my bike. Many of the experienced riders put their helmet on their handlebars and didn’t waste time wearing gloves. I tried to follow the guidelines of “Run your own race.” “Nothing new on race day.” and “Stay in your comfort zone – aka – don’t overdo it because the guy next to you is 30 or 40 years younger!”

One of the rules is that you can’t take your bike off the rack unless your helmet is on your head. Safety first!

Most of the bikes were incredible. It was a bit intimidating as my bike is 30 years old, but I know it fits me and the bike can go much faster than I can.

Although I have a lot of biking riding experience compared to the average person my age, I am not an experience racer. This was only the second time I raced on my bike and the last time was 5 years ago.

Twinsburg Duathlon Race Recap:

I ran the first two miles like it was a 5K, trying not to shoot out like a rabbit at the first mile. The course had some hills so that certainly helped to slow me down. I had walked the course the day before I picked up my bib, so it didn’t surprise or intimidate me.

We ran around the football stadium and along the back of the park where the town holds outdoor music concerts. Then around past the outdoor swimming pool. What a great way to showcase the town entertainment.

2018 Twinsburg Duathlon staging area | women fit and strong over 50

My helmet, shoes and gloves are on my little blue towel.

There are five parts to this duathlon:
1) Run – 2 miles. When it was time to start running I had already taken my spot at the back of the pack. I know that other runners are annoyed having to pass slow people and more importantly, it is hard for me to “run my own race” if a lot of people start passing me. Then I go out too fast, which will cause me to finish too slow. This course had a few hills and one water station at the halfway point.

2) Transition – This was the mentally challenging part! Here is what I told myself: Enter at the run in section, find my bike. Take off running shoes, put on biking shoes. Then put on gloves and helmet. Take bike off rack. (The front of the seat hangs off of some pipes.) Walk the bike to the tape, which marks the start of the bike race area. Mount the bike safely. Start riding! This transition took me just over a minute and a half.

3) Bike – 10 miles. The bike portion started on a slight downhill out of the library parking lot, before a sharp right onto the street. About 50 feet of riding and then a right into a lightly traveled condo street, which had a slight uphill grade. I liked that they had so many volunteers pointing the way and helping with traffic. Immediately I felt my anxiousness about that worry fade into the background.

I had clips on my bike sandals to attach them to the pedals. This helped so much going up hills! In my head was a solid chant of “Pull… pull… pull” as I rode up the hill.

Police helped direct the traffic. The right turn onto route 82 went smoothly and crossing lanes over route I-480 bridge was easy. Being that it was 8 am on a Sunday morning helped too. I only saw one car at that area. Not sure I’d want to attempt it without the police because that’s a tough area/intersection. The miles cruised by without too much excitement or effort. I probably should have pushed harder, but I wasn’t sure how much energy to save for the second run.

During mile 7 and 8, there was a lot of up-up-up steady grade uphill climb. Shout out to the woman behind me who had my back! Every time a car would be there, she’d shout out “CAR BACK” which was the nicest thing. I so much appreciated it! I love when competitors are helping each other! We got a photo together at the end of the race, but I can’t find it in my photo gallery.

Just before getting off my bike I saw Jill cheering me on and gave her a thumbs up. It was starting to get hot outside. So great to see a friendly face and hear Jill’s voice supporting me!

Twinsburg Duathlon 2018 staging area - Women over 50 fit and strong

The bikes hang from their seats over a pole.

4) Transition back to running – off came the gloves, off with the helmet, off came the sandals. Popped on and tied the running shoes… ran out the race opening in the back of the pen. Gave two high fives to some Team ER members who had already finished the second run. Ran past the water station (I had been drinking from my water bottle on the bike) and out the side of the chute to begin the second run.

5) Run – 2 miles. This second run was wild. My legs felt really funny like when you hop off the treadmill after doing a run. Kinda wobbly and it took me a while to get back in the groove.

I had already given myself permission to walk the second part of the run course if needed, but my pride wouldn’t let me actually walk when I was starting out down the chute. And then the runners were running their final sprint for the finish towards me. Many of them offered support to me saying things like “looking strong”, “you’ve got this” “You go girl” which was very energizing to me. I tried to do the same for runners coming towards me.

I was trying to remember to keep a smile on my face because I’ve heard from several places that smiling tells your body it is doing great. Something about your face muscles unconsciously tells your brain how you’re feeling.

I finished feeling great. I was delighted with my results. And pleasantly surprised when Jill told me I won my age group! It helped that I was the only one in my age group. Next year I’m hoping to have many more women in my age division for this awesome race. This is a shout out to you to join me as a team member or an individual next year!

I learned this: doing something I’m a bit scared about makes me feel so super charged when it is over and I did it!

Have you experienced that feeling? Let me know by leaving a message below or click here to email me.

The Marathon of Maintaining a Weight Loss

June 2, 2018 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

After gaining weight following a fateful Girl Scout Camp weekend in the mud (injuring both of my Achilles tendons,) I realized I had to get back in shape or I’d continue to gain.

In October 2007, I began eating better. Then I started exercising. Slowly the weight came off and I got more fit. In July 2012, I hit my goal weight, then went a little lower as a buffer zone. I lost 70 pounds and for the most part have kept it off – with a few ups (in the winter) and downs (in the summer.) Right now, at the beginning of summer 2018, I’m about 10 pounds over my goal weight, but am feeling strong and fit from I gaining muscle. Because I’ve been focusing on losing the weight and then getting fit and strong for the past 11 years, I feel younger and am more active now than I ever felt during my forties.

Two weeks ago, I ran the Cleveland half marathon race. Tomorrow, I’m trying something new – a 14 mile duathalon that includes two miles run, ten miles bike and two miles run. I’ll let you know how it goes!

the marathon of maintaining a weight loss

Chris running in the Cleveland Half Marathon on May 20, 2018.

I believe that staying fit and keeping the weight off is a lot like a marathon. It’s a challenging road of finding the right mix of exercise, sustainable recipes and mindful eating patterns. Just like in a real marathon, there are hills – both up and down. There are water stations of support, along with wide open empty spaces where your mental toughness has to get you through.

Music, mantras and crowd support makes a big difference.

Sometime I think it is my activity level of running and biking in the summer that makes it easy to not be hungry. I just feel more focused on fun. But maybe it is the cold, overcast days in the Ohio winters that make me feel like eating and hibernating.

Regardless of the season, I have to be on the lookout for emotional eating. Whether it is too much grazing from a fabulous potluck before the Jimmy Buffet concert, birthday celebrations with double chocolate cake, or giving in to the cravings of “comfort food” following a loved one’s doctor visit – if I give in to emotional eating, it derails my successful efforts in the marathon of maintaining a weight loss.

I have found that there is a lot of support and many resources for losing weight, but not many available for maintaining a weight loss. If you’ve been a loyal reader or podcast listener, you know that one of my goals for the Becoming Elli website and community is to become a great resource for maintaining a weight loss.

Here are some of my more successful weight maintenance tactics:

* Getting on the scale everyday – especially when I don’t want to. Most days I find it routine to get on the scale and record the weight of my body. It’s even more important to weigh on days after an event, when I know it’s likely I’ve gained a bit.

* Keeping track of what I eat using My Fitness Pal. When I first was losing weight, I went to Weight Watchers and logged things on a paper tracker. Then later, I tracked on the WW app with smart phone. Now, when I do track, I use the My Fitness Pal app. I like how it shows the macros. It also works with FitBit so days when I’m super active and need more food, I can eat more while not going over. Even with the ease of an app, why is it easier to measure and track exercise and my weight, but not to measure, weigh and track food? Even when I was seriously dieting, I find it difficult to track my food, let alone weigh it on a scale before the meal. That is a subject for a whole separate article!

* Signing up for a race, then training for it. I’ve heard that there is a calculation that every additional pound adds xx number of seconds on to your time. Maybe 10 seconds per mile? Being “in training” helps me consciously make decisions about food, instead of just digging in.

* Saying “No, thank you” to fancy desserts. In many ways I am lucky in that I don’t really crave fancy desserts. Unfortunately, if they are sitting in front of me, I will eat them, partly because everyone else is. It’s odd. I wouldn’t seek out cake or mousse or whatever, but if everyone else is eating it and I don’t conscientiously think about it, I’ll just eat 600 calories of non-nutritious, high-calorie sugar-filled dessert.

* Thinking about my joints and ligaments. I’ve heard that every extra pound on your body feels like xx pounds on your knees and joints. Maybe 5 times? This tactic is wonderful motivation for me to really continue exercising but make sure I don’t overdo it.

* Making my “go to” recipes. There are various meal plans that I fall back on time and time again — things I love to eat, that are nutritious, satisfying and delicious. You’ll find some of the recipes that I have shared are ones that help me to not regain the weight.

Do you feel like you are running a marathon for maintaining a weight loss? If so, what maintaining strategies and tactics do you use? When you get a chance, please leave a comment below or email me at Chris at my Becoming Elli email address. I’d love to hear your strategies!

Training to Meet a Big Challenge

May 26, 2018 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

After training to meet a big challenge, today feels like a new beginning. Last Sunday was the race – I will talk more about the Cleveland Half Marathon in the race recap Jill and I have planned. We will publish that podcast on the on the second Tuesday of June. Stay tuned!

Today I’m reflecting over the training it took to prepare for the half marathon. In a way, I think of it like a “fun diet.”

(I know! Usually those two words don’t go together – fun and diet.)

No doubt, many women over 50 have been on a diet at some point. I know I have over the years! Lots of them, and it’s usually not all that fun.

It would start with a number in my mind of what I think I would like to weigh. After having a goal weight, the next thought that followed immediately after was a deadline on the calendar – which often revolving around an event like a wedding or reunion or something similar.

Sometimes I still struggle with what to eat and not gaining weight, but incorporating challenges into my exercise has made weight maintenance many, many times more fun.

The other thing that changed the last time I really lost a significant amount of weight, I changed the perspective on the goal. My objective was not to weigh less, the goal was to become healthy.
That is not as measurable unless you look at the whole picture. Training to run a race also involves a number and deadline – but to me it is much more motivating and fun!

Training to Meet a Big Challenge

I will tell you this, the big difference from my mind shift made all the difference in being able to maintain the loss.

So I tried to apply a little of that perspective for training for the Cleveland Half Marathon this winter/spring.

Instead of really focusing on a specific “fast finish time” which is similar to a specific “goal weight” when dieting, I made my overall goal to have fun. And to have fun while running 13.1 miles, I felt like I had to get more fit and strong.

Important benefits of being fit and strong:

I did a lot more cross training – spinning, strength training workouts, and even personal training sessions. Getting my legs, glutes and core stronger gave me a better foundation for running.

It definitely helped with my injury prevention. Unlike training last summer when my Achilles was acting up, I managed to keep it under control.

Training for running a long distance different than losing weight and measuring the amount of weight on the scale. I guess you could measure the time it takes to cover a specific distance by minutes, but I think that makes more sense for a short race like a 5K. To me 13.1 miles is a long distance and something I need to really build up to. I knew that too much stress and strain on my Achilles could make that a tough challenge.

Instead of doing weigh ins, I was tracking exercise and how I did. “How many reps did I do?” “Which barbell did I use?” “How much weight did I lift?” “How many minutes/seconds of rest in between sets?” “What was my average heart rate during the work out?”

Although I wasn’t fastidious with my tracking, I did write down the exercises I did and what I could remember about each workout. I kept a log in my calendar and matched it up to the plan.

The results:

I am definitely stronger than I was back in October and November of 2017.
My recovery after the Cleveland Half was a lot faster and easier than the Akron Half in September.
I weigh more, but my clothes fit better. (Maybe that is muscle?)
My ankle (Achilles) is okay! And definitely isn’t worse than when I started, although as you can see I have it taped up for support.

This is the Memorial Day weekend, which always signals the beginning of summer to me.

Now that summer is starting and the Cleveland race is behind me I’m looking at a new set of challenges. I’m working on changing some of my blood test numbers. More bike rides. Heat and humidity. And training for other events. It’s time to embrace some new goals.

What’s your summer going to look like? Are you at the stage of developing new goals and a training plan? Let me know by leaving a comment below or send me an email.

How Nancy Jasperse Lost Over 150 Pounds and Kept It Off for Two Years

May 22, 2018 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

How Nancy Jasperse lost over 150 pounds and has kept it off for Two Years

Episode #10 of the Becoming Elli Podcast

“Love Yourself more. Love yourself more to take care of yourself before others.”

“My mother’s death scared me into weight loss research.”

“Forgive yourself when you make mistakes and start over. Every day is a new day. Move past it.”

In Episode # 10 of the Becoming Elli Podcast, Jill and Chris interviewed Nancy Jasperse about:

Her struggles with weight
Yo Yo dieting as a teen, into college and gaining weight through 3 pregnancies
How she cleaned up her lifestyle
What she eats now to maintain the weight loss
Where she gets her exercise inspiration
How she navigates restaurant meals
Her Sunday meal prep routine

In the tips sections, Jill and Chris share their thoughts about restaurant eating to maintain a weight loss.

Nancy’s Story

Nancy said she has always struggled with her weight. This is her story:

“As far back as elementary school, I was always the biggest and sometimes tallest kid in the class. I think my love of food started around 4th grade or so. My father was in the Navy and was out to sea often. When he was gone my mother used food as both a reward and a coping mechanism when things didn’t go as planned for me. I don’t fault her for this, she was raised the same way.”

By high school, I was maxed out on clothing options. Lane Bryant was the only clothing store where I could buy pants. So I decided to diet! I didn’t know one thing about nutrition, so I basically starved myself, eating handfuls of raw vegetables and spoonfuls of peanut butter. The weight came off, but of course that wasn’t manageable long term.

College brought on more yo-yo dieting. With each year, I’d go up and down in weight. Right around my senior year of college, I found myself engaged and excited to plan a wedding. So dieting kicked into high gear.

Shortly after getting married, I got pregnant with my first child. It was during this extremely stressful first year of motherhood, my weight gain exploded! Instead of bouncing back, I gained 100lbs. It was the first time I’d see the 300lb number on the scale.

As scary as seeing that number was, it didn’t stop me from getting pregnant two addition times — High risk from start to finish each time. Just as before, each baby brought on a stressful year. I gained 72 more pounds. My highest weight was a whopping 372 lbs. When I saw this number, I was terrified.

I didn’t know where to start. I knew nothing about weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. But I decided the best thing I could do was try and reduce what I was eating and take a small walk each day with my children. Within the first few days, I’d lost 20lbs. Looking back, I know this was a lot of water weight and my body telling me it was so happy to have some water and a walk!

Sadly, what happened next in my life changed everything. My mother died unexpected. One day I was playing Scrabble at my dining room table with her and the next day she had a massive stroke. She was 54. I was 29 with three children.

Her death scared me into weight loss research. I knew I needed to clean up my lifestyle if I intended to watch my children grow up. I wanted to be more active with them, run after them, not be exhausted from simply hauling them out of car seats and walking them into school! Simple tasks at 350+ lbs were so very tiring.

I researched Weight Watchers, Atkins, Keto, SlimFast, calorie counting, liquid diets, salad only diets, every fad diet you can imagine. I settled on calorie counting. Added MyFitnessPal to my smartphone and started tracking all the food I ate. I continued walking around my neighborhood. And in just a couple of months, I had lost 50lbs. Then the dreaded plateau hit. I was stuck! The research started again. I decided to add lifting a few weights at home and walking. After a few weeks, I broke the plateau.

The evolution from 372lbs to just under 200lbs took just over three years. There were several rounds of plateaus and calorie adjustments. I changed up my diet a few times, around every 7 or 8 months to shake up my metabolism. I believe long term weight loss is possible if you’re willing to branch out and try new things, both nutritionally and physically.

I’ve maintained my weight loss for just over two years. Lately, I’ve used the Keto (ketosis) method to keep myself in check. Every now and then I’ll check a keto calculator to make sure I’m eating the correct amount of macros/calories. You can find a keto calculator by simply googling “keto calculator” and entering in a few basic pieces of information such as height, weight and age. Such a helpful free tool to use!

Just recently I’ve decided to try to get to 185lbs. Let’s cross out fingers and hope I can get there!

Listen to Episode #10 of Becoming Elli to find out how Nancy lost over 150 pounds and kept it off for more than two years!

Cleveland half marathon anticipation - expo — Chris and Jill at the Rite-Aid Cleveland marathon expo photo booth.

Thoughts on Tomorrow’s Cleveland Half Marathon Race

May 19, 2018 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

I’m excited, eager, nervous and a little anxious to run in the Rite Aid Cleveland half marathon tomorrow.

I’ve been training and cross training for this race ever since I signed up back in October, shortly after the Akron half marathon race.

Eight months ago Jill and I ran the half marathon in Akron on a very hot day. It felt amazing to achieve such a huge undertaking. It was during the training for that race we become inspired to start Becoming Elli.

As I write this, 24 hours before the start of the race, I’m full of Cleveland half marathon anticipation!

Today Jill and I will head up to the race Expo with some friends. note: this photo is from the expo photo booth.

Cleveland half marathon anticipation- Jill and Chris at the expo photo booth

Chris and Jill at the Rite-Aid Cleveland marathon expo photo booth.

We will be picking up our racing bibs and walking through the exhibitors’ booths. The booths will be filled with shoes, shirts, hangers to display medals, bumper stickers, sunglasses, special laundry detergent for sports clothing, water bottles, other Ohio races, fueling gels, racing mementos, and everything that a runner (or walker) might need.

Because this is only my second half marathon, I have the butterflies just thinking about it. It’s the first time I’ve ever run this distance in Cleveland, but I’ve done a number of running races – 5Ks and one 10K before. And I’ve done lots of miles on my bicycle, but leisure riding, no racing!

In the weeks building up to the race, most of the time I thought about the weather. Will it be hot? or rainy?

Today I’m wondering if I will recognize all the landmarks. Or will I be too busy thinking about myself and my body? Hopefully I’m not too preoccupied thinking things like, “Did my knee just hurt? Am I breathing too hard? Should I speed up a bit?”

I bet I’ll be thinking, “How much longer until the next water station?”

One reason why I signed up for this race is that it is walker friendly with a 4-hour cut off for the half marathon and 7-hour cut off for the marathon. Part of the mission of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon is to provide a running experience for all individuals who want to participate regardless of their abilities.

Water Station

I’ve worked a water station with the ski patrol friends and the Skiers on Bikes MS150 bike team every year since 2010, so I know that there is a variety of ages and abilities. Working the water station is one thing that inspired me to run in this race. I never thought I’d be one of “them” – it seemed like something completely out of my league.

It is incredibly inspiring seeing the determination on their faces, from the moment the first handcycles fly past, through to the final walkers moving through the route.

Shortly after the handcycles go through, the elite runners come shortly afterwards. They are amazing to watch. Their feet seem to almost float over the ground and their legs seem to run effortlessly like a gazelle. Most of them are in contention for prize money. This year totals more than $20,000. Then the serious runners zip by — most of them are looking very intense.

My favorite time in the water station is when the mass group comes through – the big bubble of people run by. Some people are dressed in costumes. Some are incredibly fit, others are limping, almost all are very determined and many are fulfilling a goal that they have been working toward a very long time.

Just being part of the sheer number of people involved – about 30,000 people between all the runners, volunteers and spectators – is exciting and a little overwhelming!

The Cleveland Half Marathon Course

There are three sets of races running – the 10K (6.2 miles) the half marathon (13.1) and the marathon (26.2). This link to the map shows how the three races weave in and out between each other.

It’s got to be difficult to design a course so that each course is exactly the right distance, the runners can get some great views of the city and not too many roads are closed for the driving public. I am sure that there are about 12 other considerations for designing the course (like elevation, surface, parking, great finish area, water stations etc.) I know that this course is considered a flat course, but there are few hills.

Tomorrow will be an extra early morning. It’s about a 45 minute drive from here. We have to be there by 6 am. The race starts at 7 am.

My Goals for the Half Marathon

Part of my Cleveland half marathon anticipation is wondering how will I do? I have three goals for my race:

Enjoy the experience
Finish strong and happy
Cross the line before 10 am

I picture myself fidgeting nervously in the starting corral, talking with some friends, taking photos in early morning hours. I’m going to try to start slowly, pacing my feet, my water and fuel throughout the race. I want to make the last 3 miles the best (fastest) miles. I’m going to try to keep my mind in a positive mode, even when the going gets tough.

Today, I have that feeling I used to get before a big performance when I was in the band at school. It’s not that scary bad feeling of a big test in school, or waiting for results from a doctor’s test that you’re worried about. It’s more like that fun feeling of a much anticipated last day of school as a kid with no responsibilities. I want to do well and meet my expectations, but I’m not sure how it will go.

What event are you preparing for? Or did you just finish a big goal? Let me know what is on your mind today by leaving a comment below.

Veggie Salad Lunch

May 14, 2018 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

I love a Veggie Salad Lunch and this makes an easy lunch filled with vitamins and fiber. All delicious and made up of fresh veggies.

Cherry tomatoes
Green pepper
Green cabbage
Cucumber
Avocado
Onion
Celery
Lemon
Olive Oil
Cider Vinegar
Salt and Pepper

Chop, dice, slice and cut up vegetables to similar size. You can add other things depending on what is in your kitchen!

I used a larger knife to cut some of the vegetables because that little paring knife worked well for some things, not so well for others. I cut just a little bit of cabbage and then diced it really small. It almost looked like riced cauliflower when I was done. I would have added carrots and cauliflower if there was some in the fridge. I did have spinach, but I ate that at breakfast with my eggs.

Mix together in a big bowl. Squeeze lemon juice from lemon. Add oil and vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!!

Not shown: cider vinegar, salt, pepper.

What did you have for lunch?

8 Reasons Why I Should Love Pushups

May 12, 2018 / Chris Brown / 5 Comments

I shouldn’t start out saying I hate pushups… but that is pretty much the truth. Whether you spell it push-up, pushup, push up or even press-up – they all mean a real upper body challenge to me!

Arm strength has never been my thing. Pushups are great it that you don’t need any equipment to do them. Pushups are a “real” exercise. My arms feel like jello after doing them. I’m still struggling to do good form pushups and often complete the round on my knees.

I’d love to be able to do something like 25, from the TRX. I can do four, when I’m fresh and really feeling strong.

More often than not, I’m struggling to keep good form. I don’t want to have to go to my knees in order to keep my body straight. I also find I want to bend my neck instead of looking slightly forward. Good form, which is important for all exercises, is really important with pushups.

Photo credit – Form – via Unsplash.

I know I need to LOVE pushups. Why?

Here are some of the benefits of doing pushups:

I want to be strong. Carrying groceries, lifting boxes, putting a suitcase in the overhead bin – I don’t want to ask for help. Being strong is good.
Good upper body strength will help to catch me if I start fall or help me get up off the floor (after getting worn out trying to do pushups – ha ha!)
Pushups work my core. Each pushup has a bit of the plank in it. Its one of the most basic exercises.
Pushups definitely make stronger shoulders. That’s a good thing for me after a skiing crash on my left shoulder in 2015 that still bothers me when I’m sleeping from time to time.
They help with posture, because pushups work the shoulders, the back and the chest.
Pushups improve balance – very important for bike riding. (I didn’t realize this until I read about it this morning. It must be the core.)
Because they are so hard I feel like they have to be good. Maybe it is because I feel so accomplished after I actually can do them.
Even 85-year-old Ruth Bader Ginsberg does 20 pushups each morning – and not on her knees – in her Notorious RBG workout

They say form is most important. So I’m trying not to just flail up and down but really focus on my form. In fact, I find that when I break them up throughout the workout so my arms don’t get so fatigued, it helps me to complete more pushups with good form. (Okay, now I’m just trying to convince myself I don’t hate pushups.)

Sometimes I distract myself by doing different types of pushups. Here are various kinds of pushups that have been part of my group exercise classes in the last few years:

on my knees (which may seem like a copout, but I find can still get a good work out and keep form)
on a bosu ball, with the solid side up and the rounded side down. We did four pushups and then four mountain climbers – repeat – for one minute
on a raised step – either a bench with risers underneath or an actual stair step
doing pushups off the wall or a countertop – different angles works things differently I’ve found
putting your feet in the loops of the TRX strap and doing pushups while your feet are suspended (YIKES!)
pushup on dumb bells combined with one arm rows
adding a pushup in the middle of burpees (The reason I like these pushups is because then I am concentrating on hating the squat thrust part of the burpee instead of the pushup — ha ha!)
pushups as part of yoga in sun salutations or cobra style (love these!)
hindu pushups (I have not been able to ever do these, but I try. If you’ve never tried them, you gotta Goggle it and try it. Makes normal pushups feel so much better.)
dolphin pushups
suicide pushups – These are not as bad as they sound. Start in a low plank and then go to high plank. Then back to low plank. Switch which arm you lead with each time.

Pushups are a love/hate thing with me. I’d love to love pushups. The only way that is going to happen is for me to do them regularly and don’t give up. And stop saying “I can’t” or “It’s too hard.”

Are you doing pushups? What type do you do? How did you learn to love them? Leave a comment below.