Author: Chris Brown (Page 39 of 41)

Raccoon Run Race 5K Recap

May 5, 2018 / Chris Brown / 5 Comments

Last Sunday I ran the Raccoon Run and had a blast. It was an chilly – but sunny – morning at just over 33 degrees.

It’s always hard to know how to dress when the weather is cold but the sun is out. I figured lots of layers would be good.

I ended up with four layers on top:

compression shirt that wicks on the inner layer
loose fitting sports cover up
the tech shirt Raccoon Run 2018 from the event
my hoodie sweatshirt (and I wore the hoodie up at the early miles to stop the wind!)

Standing around before the race, I joked with my friend that at mile 2.25 we run past my car, so I might just swing by and grab that other sweatshirt I brought to add on top. Since It doesn’t feel good to dress like a snowman when you can’t move, I opted to be a little cold instead.

Most people had jackets and sweatshirts on because it was definitely on the chilly side.

This is the third or fourth year I’ve run this race and I always enjoy it and have fun. It supports the elementary school so there are lots of children and teachers running. One of the cutest fundraising projects makes me smile – little raccoon tails to attach while running.

Between the entry fees, sponsors, and donut sales, the race brought in $40,000 for Fishcreek Elementary in Stow.

Since I’m training for the Cleveland half marathon race in May, I used this race as part of my long training run, by jogging 3 miles before and 4 miles after.

Nonetheless, my 13:51 minute per mile average was enough to have me win for my age group with 7 other women in the 60-64 category.

My friend Susan Grant also runs this each year and also won for her category. It really adds to the fun when you have a race buddy! She runs a much faster pace than I do and was there at the finish, cheering me over the line.

Raccoon Race 2018 Age Group Award Winners – Chris Brown and Susan Grant

It’s a well organized race, with a mile fun run for the kids about a half hour before the 5K. DJ music, climbing wall, basketball hoops, mini bungy jumping and local sponsors were also set up at the start/finish area to give it a festive atmosphere. There were about 300 people total in the race of all ages and abilities. I think because it is a fundraiser supporting the schools, many Moms and Dads with strollers were running with their elementary-age children on the course.

It’s very inspiring to see so many age groups.

I kept saying this in my head throughout the race. I think that this will become my new mantra for more races!

The cold weather definitely made it easier to run a long distance. Having gloves and a hat were a must for me to be comfortable with the temperatures in the 30’s. I kept thinking of the women who ran in the Boston Marathon a few weeks ago when it was raining in the 30’s. It made this chilly race seem much more manageable!

I’ll be back again next year for more fun at the Raccoon Run for sure. If you live in Northeast Ohio, please consider joining me at the run.

Mark your calendar now for April 28, 2019!

5 Reasons to Run a 5K

April 28, 2018 / Chris Brown / 3 Comments

What’s the magic of a 5K? Why is it such a popular race?

If you have never done a 5K, you may be wondering about doing one.

What to expect: A 5K is 3.1 miles. It is a long enough distance that you should prepare. Don’t just decide to run it without training for it — unless you regularly run a similar distance and have pretty good cardio.

I made that mistake with my first 5K. The very first 5K I ever did, I hadn’t trained a bit, I was very overweight and I was shocked how hard it was. The course had hills and it was in the middle of April. It was a race that isn’t held any more – called the Bogsucker Strut. (I think a bogsucker is a bird.) The Bogsucker Strut 5K was held in Twinsburg, Ohio in early April. On that particular cold and rainy morning, I ran it with zero training. I didn’t know about racing. I started off as fast as everyone else, but in less than a minute I had to walk. There is no record of my finish time that I can find on the internet. I’m not even sure of the year, but I think it was 2004. I do remember having ordered an XL shirt. And it was tight. I came in last – way, way last. As in, no one was even at the finish line, except my husband. (Other years’ results show the last place person was at a 11:30 pace, which is faster than my Personal Record.) They had already finished the announcing the awards when I got to the end. Not a good memory. It took me a very long time to ever try a race again.

Now I love to race, but I did most things wrong about the first one. I would suggest if you decide to do a 5K for the first time, don’t do one in Ohio in early April — it seems only the serious, experienced runners go out that early. (The photo to the right is a local fundraiser in 2015 in my town called Race to the Taste, usually held on Labor Day Monday each year.)

There are lots of reasons to run a 5K. Here are 5 reasons I would suggest it:

Fundraiser – many of the 5K’s are fundraisers for disease research or schools or other worthwhile causes. So by registering for the race, you’re supporting a good cause.
Timed results – Year after year, you can compare your results to see your improvement! Many 5Ks have timing chips in the number bibs or on the shoes or at least a giant clock. You can run the race and have a line in the sand. I like to compare my time from one year to another. It almost always varies by the weather and how much I weigh at the time or how much I’ve trained, if my achilles is acting up, etc. But running the same course, at least the hills and terrain stay pretty much the same so I can compare year after year.
Friends – My next four 5K’s were walking with a friend in 2009, I think. We were doing Weight Watchers together and decided to “earn more activity points” by walking some races. Although we came in last or near the last (back of the pack) with the other walkers, it was really fun! It almost took an hour when we were walking. We paced around 20 minute miles and the 3.1 mile distance was a challenging distance for me at the time.
Affordable – Here in Ohio, a 5K in a smaller town is about $25. With that, you usually get a t-shirt, a bottle of water and a banana, plus the bonus of people encouraging you at the one or two water stops. Sometimes there are volunteers holding up traffic so you can easily cross roads where you generally have to wait for traffic.
Motivation – Signing up for a 5K as a first race means thinking about it, working toward it. The couch to 5K program is a great way to start. I find that wearing the t-shirt to remember the race is added motivation afterwards to stay in 5K shape. When I wear a race t-shirt out – it always seems someone comments and makes mention of the event… and that comment motivates me to do another one.

I’m doing a 5K early tomorrow morning and I’ll post my photo on the Facebook page. When you run your 5K, please post a photo of you at the finish line on our Becoming Elli Facebook page! Or if you are shy about it, joint the private Becoming Elli group on Facebook and post your photo there instead! See you at the races! – Chris

walking inspiration with Juel Fitzgerald

Walking Inspiration – Juel Fitzgerald

April 24, 2018 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

We interview Juel Fitzgerald in Episode #8 of the Becoming Elli podcast. This is one of the most inspiring podcasts that we’ve done so far.

In 2008, Juel Fitzgerald lost over 50 pounds and now maintains her weight loss through healthy eating habits and walking.

Not just walking around the block, she is one SERIOUS walker. In fact last year, she walked 1500 miles.

She has walked 6 full marathons, many half marathons and many many many 5K’s!

Juel shares with us her experience with walking the Bataan Memorial Death March, held at the desert of the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. It is known as one of the most difficult marathons in the US. It took her 9 hours of hiking through the desert and during that time, about 25% of the participants dropped out. In today’s podcast she describes how she prepared for this unusual marathon, both physically and mentally.

She also shares the best fitness advice she ever received and plays along with the lightening round.

You can follow Juel on her travel agent Facebook page and read more about the Battan Death March Marathon on her Heart Emissions website.

This episode also includes Jill’s helpful tips for using the elliptical machine.

Cross Training is Better than No Training, Right?

April 21, 2018 / Chris Brown / 6 Comments

One month is the Cleveland Marathon and I am signed up to do the half marathon race of 13.1 miles on May 20.

I signed up for this spring race quite a while ago, after I completed the Akron half. I liked the idea of having this goal and it seemed like a good idea.

Here was my thought process:

It would “force me” to stay in good running shape through the fall, winter and early spring months.

If I sign up early, I would save money – the price goes up significantly as the race gets closer!

Worst case, I could simply walk instead of run. Or I could always switch to the 10K (6.2 miles) if things didn’t go well with my training. When you look at the Cleveland Marathon race, there are actually 7 races that weekend: the full, the half, 10K, 8K, 5K, 1 mile, kid’s fun run as well as walking divisions in both for most of the races. The full marathon even has a wheelchair group that is incredibly fast and extremely inspirational!

I’ve familiar with the Cleveland Marathon because I’ve volunteered at one of the water stops every year since 2010. Seeing all those runners really inspires me. I want to be one of them!

Instead of having bike riding season to help to prepare me for the half (like I did with the Akron half marathon last fall), I’ll have the Cleveland half marathon training through the winter to help to prepare me for biking.

So, did signing up for the half marathon help me? How did the training go?

After I signed up early with Jill, a lot of my water station friends also signed up to run the half (at least 4, that I know of) and we’ve been encouraging each other all winter! A BIG PLUS!

The half marathon has certainly was on my mind all during this past winter. I know I ran more than I would have. So that was a good thing. It didn’t “force” me to work out, but certainly motivated me.

My running plan of 3 days a week (with the longer run on the weekend) has been hit or miss, with more time on the treadmill than I ever expected and not enough outside in the fresh air. Not so good.

On the other hand, my cross training plan has gone better than I anticipated. That’s better than no training, right? And I’ve enjoyed that part – a lot! That is definitely a good thing.

Cross training is the exercise that runners should do to avoid injury of overuse. In looking at my actual results compared to my training plan, I think I’ve done more cross training than I have done regular training runs. My cross training for the Cleveland Half Marathon included a lot of core and strength training, topped off with indoor cycling – spinning. All good.

Meanwhile, my longest run isn’t long enough yet! And I haven’t been practicing which foods to eat and when. I suspect that it will be very evident a month from now. This thought is in back of my head worrying…

Looking Forward

I’m trying to guess what the weather will be on race day.

Last September when I ran the Akron Marathon, I found it easier to do the training schedule with the weather – if it rained lightly, I would still run and if it poured, I’d wait for the next day. The actual race day conditions were much hotter than I had anticipated, but I had done a lot of training in the heat of summer, so it wasn’t an unknown.

May in Cleveland can be cold, wet, snowy or super hot. It has been known to snow and hypothermia is a concern. And it’s been in the 80’s and heat exhaustion is a concern. But I can’t control the weather. I can control what I do to get ready. So why do I obsess over the weather so much?!?

I’m looking forward to getting a long run in today and with the better weather in the forecast, enjoying the outdoor weather for more intervals, tempo runs and long runs during the next few weeks.

When I think about the race, I’m also looking forward to seeing my skiing friends at water station #4 at mile 7.3!! It will be a big mental boost at a point in the race when I will need it. It will be very different this year experiencing the race as one of the runners!

Perhaps most of all, I’m looking forward to getting a photo (or more) with the women from Becoming Elli before the race. I had a daydream while I was running the other day about some of the Becoming Elli women coming out to watch, make a sign and cheer us on. Is that silly of me?

My mantra right now – 30 more days… no, just 29 more days…

Oh, wait… in the time it took me to write this, it’s actually only 28 more days…

Unrolled Cabbage Rolls in the Instant Pot

April 16, 2018 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

I figured I’d try some unrolled cabbage rolls because someone was telling me that they are so easy to make. They were right! While my first Instant Pot recipe attempt was yummy, it didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to, because I “adjusted” the recipe so many different ways.

I usually go grocery shopping on Sunday evening and I wanted to clear out some of the refrigerator before I got back from the store. Since the weather was nice and rainy, I figured a warm, hearty serving of Unrolled Cabbage Rolls would be great.

To start, I googled “cabbage, beef, instant pot” and got lots of choices of recipes. Each sounded better than the next. I picked one that sounded good and started sauteing the beef while I cut up the vegetables.

Here’s a few of the ways I modified it:

Onion was missing, I thought there was still a half somewhere in the fridge, but it got used up on Saturday
Substituted a jar of pasta sauce for diced tomatoes
Missed out on the Worcestershire sauce
Added more cabbage than the recipe called since, I had it all chopped up
Skipped the raisins
Only used about half of the brown rice, since the bag was almost empty
Made chicken broth in the VitaMix to use up the left over chicken meat/stock that was cooked on Friday (instead of using beef stock)

I like how you put everything into one place, press a few buttons, add a bit more and put the lid on to cook. That way, when you come home, it’s all ready to serve. The Instant Pot automatically keeps the food warm until you’re ready to eat. This recipe makes lots of leftovers too which is a big win.

Even with all these revisions and modifications, dinner was delicious. Filling and satisfying on a rainy Sunday!

Do you use an Instant Pot? What’s your favorite recipe?

New Inspiration from Taking Stock and Looking Ahead

April 14, 2018 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

I’m feeling new inspiration. Why? With 100 days into 2018 already, spring is here and winter is behind us (hopefully.)

Best of all… the Becoming Elli Facebook Closed Group is active now. Jill and I have had a dream of finding more women like us who are working on becoming (and staying?!) fit and strong. We started this website and our podcast series to provide a place to connect with others who may have some of the same struggles, concerns and goals as we do.

To that end, we are encouraging you to join the Becoming Elli Facebook Closed Group as a way to connect with other like-minded women.

Why I am personally excited about the Closed Group:

I’ve found I have to keep an eye on my weight – it is a still a struggle for me – and other women are going through the same challenges.
Having friends and acquaintances (or even strangers who I have a lot in common with) who are going through the same things gives me the feeling that I’m not alone in my struggles.
I’ve found that I will do exercise when it is fun, I know I won’t get hurt doing it and I have other people who are “in it” with me.
A closed group offers a more open conversation. It’s easier to discuss something on the internet when I know it’s not wide open to the world.
Sometimes just one person telling me “you can do it, I know you can.” gives me the added incentive to do what I’m trying to accomplish.
Hearing about someone else’s challenges and what they are able to overcome really motivates me

Why you may be interested in joining the group:

Motivation/inspiration
Looking at things from another angle makes a difference.
New ideas are helpful and reinforcing your existing ideas helps too.
Taking steps to do the action plan for a dream or a goal you’re working on feels really good.
You can have questions answered – or discussed with pros and cons – find others with the same concerns
Celebrate your “wins” – with weight loss, muscle gained or challenges met

Please use this link to join the group. Jill and I have a few common sense ground rules. We are eager to connect with you. We review and approve each person’s membership in the group so that it will not be a public group.

Maybe you are like me and are taking this change of season time to look at where things stand with your fitness.

I’m thinking about my fitness – the half marathon I committed to running is coming up fast. I’m thinking about my weight – ready to recommit to eating right by planning and keeping track of what I put in my mouth.

Meanwhile during this past week:

I’ve done 2 really strong workouts – the kind that leave you sore the next day in a good way. Not hurt, but my muscles are building.
I was able to get a couple of shorter runs completed.
Jill and I attended a health fair at my gym that inspired us. I found some new ways to maintain better health and we discovered some new podcast topics. While at the health fair, we took advantage of some free screenings. I was excited to see good test results on blood pressure and bone density, but I found I still have a lot of muscle to gain! More about all that in a later post.

If you live anywhere near me in Ohio, you may be excited that the weather has actually become spring. I’m going to wrap up this post so I can get outside and enjoy the weather. I better be fast to beat those April Showers!!

Don’t forget to connect with us with the new Facebook Group. – Chris

P.S. Leave a message in the Becoming Elli group about why you’ve joined. I’m eager to hear from you!

Diane’s Workout Secrets: An Everyday Woman Shares What She Has Learned

April 10, 2018 / Chris Brown / 3 Comments

Diane is an everyday woman who works a lot of hours at her job, has children and grandchildren, and is active in her church. She finds time to work out in some way six days a week and looks and feels fantastic.

A few years ago Diane Berkley decided to see how strong and fit she could become.

In episode number 7 of the Becoming Elli Podcast, Jill and Chris interview her and she shares her workout secrets with our listeners. In this episode, you will learn:

How she works out
What she did to gain muscle
How she has added running into her routine
How she eats to stay lean and strong
How often she eats

“I see women working out in the gym, struggling to change but things stay the same. So I asked my trainer… What makes the difference?”

Bonus – Stay tuned at the end of the podcast tips for how to get a bit more active!

Please leave a comment below and let us know what you found helpful or interesting about this podcast. Thanks for listening!

Taken on a ride to Cleveland, July 23, 2018 during a lunch break at the marina near the bike trail.

Getting Psyched for Bike Riding this Spring

April 7, 2018 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

It took me a while to really love-love-love bike riding. There was a lot I had to “get over.”

Of course I had to work on my stamina, endurance, and muscles, but that’s not what I’m referring to! Like everything else with exercising and having fun, when I started bike riding, I had to “get over it.”

The helmet hair. Socks with sandals. Lycra spandex bike pants. Funny form fitting shirts with pockets in the back (most of them meant for guys, not women.) Weird sun tan lines around my eye from wearing sun glasses. Self doubt if I could keep up. Lots of laundry with sweaty bike clothes.

Taken on a ride to Cleveland, July 23, 2018 during a lunch break at the marina near the bike trail.

It was definitely outside my comfort zone. Along with the new “get over it” mind set, I had a lot to learn!

How to get the chain back on my bike if it falls off – without getting my fingers all dirty.
How to change a tube from a flat tire.
The best way to put the bike on a bike rack.
How to stuff my bike inside my car so I don’t have to mess with a bike rack.
How to take a wheel off — and how to get it back on – quickly.
Pump up the tires. ETC. ETC!
There are lots more, but I’m still learning.

Now that it is the second weekend in April, I feel like it’s time for me to be bike riding already. I was disappointed that this morning featured a covering of snow on the ground again. While 40 degrees (scratch that, it’s actually 27 degrees), doesn’t seem terribly cold, if I was riding my bicycle along at 12 miles an hour, believe me, the chill would go right through me!

So, I’ll satisfy myself with just writing about bike riding. I know this cold weather snap won’t last forever and I want to be ready when it’s time to get out there and go.

Here are the things I’m doing to check my bike and equipment to get ready for the season:

1) Tires – I like to pump my tires up to the 90 to 100 PSI range. I ride a street bike that has skinny tires. That pressure level seemed too high to me at first, especially since I was used to car tires at 32 PSI. But I’ve found that low tires means that I go much slower, not to mention that low pressure is more likely to result in a flat tire after a nasty bump or pothole. (Not that I aim for potholes or anything!)

I’ll check the wear on the tires and the number of miles I’ve put on them. I’m going to check that my seat pack has a spare tube and a canister of CO2. And double check that I have the two tools I need, the CO2 attachment and the little plastic tampon-looking tool to get the tire off the rim.

2) Chain – My chain was replaced last season, but I want to oil it up again. At the end of the season I made sure it was lubricated before I put it away, but because it is stored in our unheated garage all winter, I think it’s a good idea to double-check that it’s in good shape.

When the chain starts to go it can effect the teeth on the cranks, which is an expensive thing to replace and not something I want to take on. Too much oil on the chain ends up giving me a bike riding “tattoo” since I tend to put my right foot down and the bike leans right onto my calf when I stop. (Another thing I had to get over.)

3) Derailleur – This involves looking at the cable that moves the gears on my bike, all the way down to where the crank meets the chain. A frayed cable is a bad sign. I remember one ride when I thought I’d have to SAG in after my rear derailleur cable broke, but luckily there was a bike shop supporting the riders and they had me back on the road in about 10 minutes. Amazing when you know what you’re doing for fixing a bike! If I tried to change it, that would have taken all afternoon and I’d end up taking it to the bike shop anyway in frustration!

4) Brakes – Are the brake pads worn? Nothing more important than stopping when you need to and worn brake pads are not something I expect to find.

Typically I don’t use the brakes much. It’s not like driving a car. When I’m riding, I usually slow down and just tap the brakes when I need to stop. But from time to time, there is a need to stop fast and I want to make sure the brakes are there when I need them.

5) Spokes – A loose spoke means trouble – the wheel isn’t going to roll smoothly. To check this, I turn the bike upside and ping each spoke listening for a different sound (too low typically) that signifies a loose spoke.

6) Helmet, mirror and flashy-blinky lights – Safety is critical on a bike. The mirror helps me see other bikes and drivers, but the flashy-blinky lights helps other people see me. I like to use the mirror that attaches to the glasses.

I take a look at the battery in the lights and buy a new set of batteries for the upcoming season.

And the helmet… well, I hope I never really need it! Although it has already saved me a trip to the ER once already. I fell over at a simple stop and clunked my head on a piece of concrete. Nothing happened, but if I hadn’t had my helmet on, I bet I would have needed stitches. I jumped up quickly and the other people I was with didn’t even realize I fell over.

7) Bike pants – Last season I invested in a new pair of bike shorts to replace my favorite pair that became “see through.” I still have two other pairs that are usable. Sometimes I don’t have time to do laundry between a Friday morning spinning session and a Saturday morning bike ride, so choices of bike pants is a good thing. Plus I don’t want to have another situation of “see through” pants and not realize it!!

8) Bike shoes – My go to choice for bike shoe are actually sandals from Nashbar. They have 3 adjustment points so they fit! And the open toes are nice for not getting sweaty feet. I adjust the clips so it’s quick and easy to unclip when I’m stopping. You can tell which foot I put down to stop, because that’s the shoe that gets worn. My only issue with these sandals is the nubs on the bottom. It’s too much for my sensitive feet, so I do the unthinkable – wear socks with my sandals. (I got over that one quickly. Comfort over fashion for me!)

9) Bike water bottles – I like the kind that fit snugly in my water bottle holders. They need to also have a soft opening for drinking that doesn’t hurt my lips/teeth. The top has to open and close quickly. And not leak. Or at least, not leak very much. I hate it when a water bottle splashes on my legs when I hit bumps!

I may need to invest in a couple new water bottles this year as the old ones either have the wrong lids or the lids got lost in the bottom of the Tupperware cabinet.

10) Psych myself UP– This is the reward after doing all the other 9 steps of preparation! Getting psyched for bike riding is the best feeling! I’m going to take a look back at the rides recorded on my Strava account from prior years and remember all the fun times we had. l love dong this because it gets me really psyched up for another season. Maybe I’ll plan a few new routes. It’s so fun to look through the best ones from other years.

I’m going to plan on taking more spinning classes at the gym for the next month or so. This will help me to build up my muscles for the season so I can focus more on all the stuff that happens when I actually go outside. Things like: balancing the bike, looking out for potholes, other bikes, cars and changing gears on the bike.

After all my checklist for getting the bike ready for spring, I’ll take it to a bike shop too and have them look it over too. Not many bike shops enjoy working on my bike. My bike is vintage – it’s a Cannondale 53″ made in from 1988. While the gears still shift on the frame instead of the handlebars, I really love this bike.

Do you have anything that you had to get over in order to really enjoy yourself in an exercise activity? Are you a bike riding enthusiast? What did I leave off of my checklist?

Leave a message below or send me an email – Chris@becomingelli.com. See you out on the bike trails!

Finding Inspiration from My Birthday

March 31, 2018 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

Yep, there are 61 candles on this cake! Inspiration from my birthday

This is what 61 candles look like on a cake!

Yesterday was my birthday.

Sometimes on birthdays I just feel older, but sometimes I feel really lucky. This year is a lucky year!

While each birthday is really “just another day” in the year, I find that the blessings of another birthday provides me with one of those pivotal times to look ahead and look behind. A way to gather motivation and inspiration to do better, be better and appreciate life more. A little bit like my very own “New Years Day” or that feeling in early September of new beginnings as the school year gets started.

I really like to draw inspiration from my birthday, instead of bemoaning another year older.

My birthday is a time to review goals and count blessings. It’s a time to re-inspire myself and to regain motivation for the things I’m working toward.

I’m grateful for my health and my fitness; for my friends and family. I’m also grateful for my good luck and circumstances.

Because my birthday is near the beginning of spring, the hint of sun and new flowers poking their heads up fills me with anticipation of warmer days and outdoor activities.

For overcoming the days of overcast and cold – when things seem too hard and I feel overwhelmed – I like to draw inspiration from other people.

I like to find inspiration in videos, from the young and the old. I find inspiration from the 90 year old who ice skates, the 70 year old who water skis, the 100 year old who still skis and from the 20 year old who isn’t afraid to share her convictions.

I admire people who take adversity and do the impossible — like the double amputee who did 31 marathons in 31 days. It makes what I am attempting to do seem much more achievable!

After watching some of the inspirational videos here and here, I can’t sit still anymore! I’ll leave you with one more video (that makes me smile and want to dance!) because it is time for me to go out for my “long” run of the week in preparation for the half marathon I’m planning to run on May 20.

Where do you draw inspiration? Do you find your birthday motivating? Leave a comment below or email me!

Taking Care of Yourself, When You are Taking Care of Others

March 27, 2018 / Chris Brown / 3 Comments

In podcast #6 “Taking Care of Yourself, When You are Taking Care of Others”, Jill and Chris discuss ideas and strategies to keep eating healthy foods and squeezing in time for exercise when it is really inconvenient.

Whether you are called out of town to care for a loved one who is ill, or waiting at the hospital while a friend or loved one is undergoing a procedure, you have to take care of yourself first. Sometimes it sounds easier than it really is.

Logically we know that we can’t take care of others, if we don’t take care of ourselves first. It’s like the way they describe the masks on the plane. Taking care of yourself has to come first – or you won’t be able to help your loved ones.

In this podcast we offer suggestions for what food to pack, how to plan and what not to eat as well as several ideas for unusual ways to get exercise that you may not have considered.

Click on the links above if you want to subscribe or download the podcast. If you just want to listen to this one episode, you can just click the play button below to listen from your computer, tablet or smartphone.

Mentioned in this podcast: Scientific 7 minute app.

Stay in touch with us! We love to hear from you. Either leave a comment below or send an email to Chris chris@becomingelli.com or Jill jill@becomingelli.com.
Quick Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Podcast Feed

Perhaps you have been in this situation too and have some suggestions for us. Please leave them in the comments below!