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Trail Running

August 31, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

I went trail running last week. I live near the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. (For those of you who are not in the US, national parks are parks managed by the federal government.) We also have some great county owned parks in the area so we have lots of trails. Normally, I hike on the trails but occasionally I decide to do a trail run.

Last Sunday was a beautiful, late summer day here in Ohio. The sky was clear blue, not many clouds, and the temperature was mild. Perfect weather for running.

My very rough training plan included a long run for the day and so I decided to head over to the national park to do some trail running. I got in a five mile run, the longest I’ve run this summer, and felt great. My legs felt fine and my breathing was good. You know how you can have a day when everything just feels right? That was my run.

Trail Running

Trail running differs a bit from road running. For one thing, it’s not on a road (sort of obvious, right?) so you don’t have to worry about cars. Instead, you have to worry about roots, rocks, and uneven ground. Because I was in the park on a gorgeous Sunday morning, I also encountered people out hiking and running on the trails. So I paid attention to them as well.

When running trails, plan on being slower than on road runs. I think I easily lose one to two minutes in my pace.

Trails are often narrow. At times the trail was wide enough to run two abreast but often it was too narrow. So single file becomes the norm.

Be sure to watch your feet and the ground while running. It’s easy to trip on a rock or a root. It’s also easy to get smacked in the face by a branch so watch for that as well.

Because the ground is uneven, your muscles will have to work harder to maintain balance. Your body must constantly adapt to keep you upright and moving. It’s a good workout.

Hills can be a challenge. I usually walk up the steep hills and slow my pace when running down hills because I worry about catching my foot on something.

You don’t really need extra gear for trail running. I have a pair of trail shoes that I use at times. I can usually get a way with my regular running shoes because I don’t do that much trail running. If you’re going longer distances, you need to bring your own water and food.

I find little interest in listening to music while trail running. I just enjoy my time in nature and listen to the sounds of the forest.

Do you do trail running? I’d love to hear about it.

Accountability and Consistency Equals Success

August 27, 2019 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

In episode 40, Jill and Chris talk with Kai Boyer, a Certified Master Trainer in Orange County in Southern California.

Kai competed in tennis both in college and professionally. Unfortunately, she had a career ending hip injury and had to give up her sport. She then turned her attention to finishing her degree and starting her business, Kai Boyer Fitness.

She specializes in in Women’s Physique, Weight Loss, Athletic Performance Training, Injury Rehabilitation and Pain Management. With over 5 years experience, Kai has helped hundreds of individuals achieve their fitness goals and transform their lives and bodies through fitness & nutrition.

We discuss:

Questions to ask your personal trainer
Best exercises for women over 50
Modifications for basic exercises when needed
Functional training
Why she suggests the row machine and elliptical instead of the treadmill
Recovery and rest day
Healthy eating tips
Weight loss plans that she offers clients
How she defines fit
Healthy food lifestyle that limits sugar, trans fat and alcohol
Why she encourages food substitutions over food eliminations
How her meal plans are more manageable and maintainable

Those who would like to learn more about Kai Boyer Fitness and how accountability and consistency equals success can follow her:
Website: www.kaiboyerfitness.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/kai_boyer_fitness
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kaiboyerfitness

Chris and Jill discuss the Fitbit app and watches.

- Which features we use and how we use them.
- Exercise
- Food
- Challenges
- Sleep
- Heart rate
- Water proof

What we like and why as well as what we don’t like and why.

Interested in joining a Becoming Elli FitBit challenge group? Let us know by sending an email to Jill@becomingelli.com or calling 330-970-6662 or connecting with us on FitBit. We will be posting our FitBit names in the Becoming Elli Private Facebook group to see who else is interested.

Best Podcasts of 2019 for Women Over 50 Jill and Chris in Becoming Elli sweatshirt

Fit Strong Women Over 50 Podcast – Best Episodes of the First Half of 2019

August 24, 2019 / Chris Brown / 3 Comments

If you’re new to podcasts, you may be interested in learning about the best podcast episodes for women over 50. Because we are more than halfway through the year, I decided to give you a heads up for the top 10 episodes of our Fit Strong Women Over 50 podcast downloaded during the first half of 2019. I’m calling these the best episodes because of the number of downloads. Everyone has their favorites!

These include a variety of episodes. Some are where we (Jill and Chris) interview experts – personal training, nutrition, and healthy living. In other episodes we interview “regular” people about their habits, routines, motivation and success with getting and staying fit and strong. Two of the episodes were just the two co-hosts discussing topics.

Best Episodes of the First Half of 2019
We defined best by the number of our women over 50 podcast episodes downloaded from our hosting platform during the time frame of 1/1/2019 and 6/30/2019. In other words the time frame is just the first six months of 2019. Most of these podcast episodes were released in 2019. Although all of the 2018 podcast episodes were available for download during the same time frame, they weren’t necessarily in the top ten for the first half of 2019

Best Episodes of the First Half of 2019 – Fit Strong Women Over 50 Podcast

How to Crave Healthy Foods & Stop Dieting – Melanie Jatsek
Hormone Health for Women Over 50 Jeannie Beaudin
Tap Into Your True Strength with Tammy Wise
Running and Staying Healthy with Wendy Rivard
Improving Fitness Through Spinning with Sherry Chlysta
Group Exercise Instructor Diane Reuther
Using Triathlons to Overcome Adversity Diana Woolf
Inspiration, Motivation and Discipline Jill and Chris
Becoming a Triathlete After Retirement Linda Brooks
Improving Health with Training, Sleep and Omega 3s Jill and Chris

While these are just a few of our almost 40 episodes, these were the ones most often downloaded during the first half of 2019.

Topics
We primarily focus on healthy eating, working out, positive mental health and other ways we define fit and strong. We’re always looking for guests how have something of interest to the Becoming Elli community and welcome suggestions from our readers and listeners.

Have you listened to these episodes of the Fit Strong Women Over 50 podcast for the Becoming Elli Community?

I know I have my favorites! Which ones are your favorites? Why? Let me know by leaving a comment below or leaving a phone message 330-970-6662 or send an email to Chris@BecomingElli.com.

Running from Dogs

August 22, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 1 Comment

Why am I running from dogs? I love dogs and miss having one to take for walks. Dogs don’t normally frighten me but when I’m running, I worry about some of the dogs I meet. Last week I went running and encountered a few more dogs than I wanted.

I have not been bitten by a dog while I’m running but one time a large dog knocked me down. I was trail running and stopped while three women and two dogs untangled themselves. While I was watching the one dog, the other lunged at me and knocked me over. Fortunately, a tree broke my fall. Otherwise, I would have been flat on the ground.

I’ve also had dogs lunge at me as I run past them. These weren’t unattended dogs; their owners were right there. One time I suppose I grimaced because the owner said to me, “my dog wouldn’t hurt you.” It’s hard to know that for sure when the dog and I are not acquainted.

Running from dogs

So, last week I encountered several dogs who concerned me. One dog was off leash despite being in a park with signs everywhere advising that the dog must be on leash. The dog was clearly trained but his owner still had to call him twice to get the dog to follow. I slowed way down and moved away from the dog.

Next, I saw a young woman walking a large, strong dog on a long leash. She was paying no attention to the dog and had the leash looped over her wrist while she played with her phone. I worried that the dog could break away from her so gave them a wide berth too.

I also met a couple of dogs on long, retractable leashes. Their owners didn’t retract the leashes as I approached so again I had to cross the street to be out of reach of the dogs, should they decide to run at me.

By the time I finished my four miles, I felt like I had played dodge ‘ems with dogs. I would have felt better if the dog owners had been more attentive. Fortunately, nothing happened and perhaps I’m just excessively cautious. Tripping over a dog, being knocked over by a dog or even being bitten is just going to ruin my day.

How about you? Any dog stories to share? Let me know by leaving a comment below or on our Facebook page, sending an email to Jill@becomingelli.com or calling 330-970-6662.

Strava App Review – My Favorite Bike Riding App

August 18, 2019 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

Strava App Review
On most of my bike rides, before we even leave the parking lot, someone invariably says “Strava On?”

It’s become like a mantra. The bike riding (and running) app was originally designed for competitive people who really like to see how fast they are doing a similar course compared to others. I like to use it to document rides. (I guess you can use swim also, but I’ve never tried that.)

I don’t use it as much of challenge but more like documentation or logging my rides. I love looking back over the years of riding and remembering the fun we’ve had.

On this past Saturday, I rode my favorite ride. It’s a large circle that we affectionate call the “Kent Loop.”

It hardly goes into Kent, Ohio at all, just the outer edge. It’s the southern part of the Bike Hike Trail for Summit Metro Parks. If you click through on these links, you’ll see how great this route is! We are so very lucky to have so many trails.

One reason I really like this route: about 70% is on a bike trail, 25% on pretty neighborhood streets and only 5% along or crossing large highway (4 or 5 lane monsters.) Most of them have a cross walk.

The Strava app keeps track of your moving time, so if you’re like me and like to take breaks to drink water or talk a bit, it captures your moving time, not just how long you are out riding. I also like tracking the calories and the elevation. The Watts for average power kind of aludes me, or I guess I don’t care about it as much, since I’m mostly riding for fun and secondarily for the exercise.

Strava lets me document with photos, elevation, speed, the map, and I can text changes to the route.

One of my fastest sections is along a 1 mile flat area that has a hill down from the crossing road. I’ve done this section 55 times, first starting in 2012.

Someone has named various sections of the Kent Loop and this section is called SPRINT! so I guess lots of people like to ride fast along here.

I know from tracking all these rides that I like to ride a little over 11 miles per hour. I’m happiest as a casual ride, chatting and enjoying the wildflowers along the trail.

The SPRINT! section is also one of my running and walking routes. Loyal readers may remember these flowers from last fall!

If you are a bike rider, you probably already know about and use Strava to document and log your rides. If not, give it a try and see if you like it. I used to use MapMyRide and have also tried RideWithGPS. I sometimes use Charity Miles too, but they all offer different features.

Why I Like the Strava App:

With Strava I can connect with friends and give them “kudos.” There’s a friend from Rhode Island who started riding later in life, and we support each other with our bike riding.
I like to look back a prior years and see when was the last time I did this route
If I’m looking for a “new” but familiar route, I can quickly flip back to see my rides
Uploading the photos was a cool way to further jog my memory
It’s easy to let the phone log my rides. Much easier than jotting down on a paper or entering into the computer.
Tracking helps me know how “prepared” I am for a longer or more difficult ride. It gives me confidence.

Do you track your rides or runs with an app? Ever tried Strava? What do you like, or not like, about it? Let me know by leaving a comment below, sending an email to Chris@becomingelli.com or calling 330-970-6662.

Acupuncture and Acupressure

August 15, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

Acupuncture

I had an acupuncture session this week to deal with pain in my lower back and hip and anxiety. I’m not sure if it helped so I may have to go again to see progress. If nothing else, it’s a great way to relax. I felt my hands and feet tingling after a while, which means, I believe, that the qi is working.

I used acupuncture several years ago and found that it really helped with emotional issues. At the time, I was also trying to lose some weight and the doctor said it was challenging to use acupuncture for weight loss but that it could be done. My sessions definitely helped relieve the emotional issues. It was hard to pinpoint but I realized after a while that I definitely felt better.

If you’ve never tried this before, just know that it doesn’t hurt. The needles are very thin and I rarely feel them at all. Occasionally, I’ll feel a pinch but not often.

Acupressure and Skin

I recently discovered that people are using acupuncture and acupressure to treat their eczema. The National Eczema Association conducted a research program at Northwestern University. The study participants were split into two groups. One applied pressure at a certain pressure point and the other half did not. Both teams continued with their normal medications, cleansers, and care. At the end of the study, those who were practicing acupressure had less swelling and itching. You can check out the article about it, Alternate Routes: Acupuncture, Acupressure and Eczema.

I’ve been dealing with skin issues so I may try pressing the acupressure point they used. The nice thing about this is that it doesn’t harm me even if it doesn’t work. I’ve tried oils and ointments and expensive shampoos so pressing my elbow seems like an easy and inexpensive thing to try.

Cosmetic Acupuncture

While checking out information for this post, I discovered that there’s now cosmetic acupuncture. It’s supposed to help rejuvenate the skin and slow down aging. There’s some great before and after photos that make me want to plunk down my money. I’ll probably research that a bit and hold off on that. It’s certainly less invasive than a face lift!

Cosmetic Acupuncture: What You Should Know About Cosmetic Facial Acupuncture provides a good overview of this.

Acupuncture and acupressure uses the meridians that we discussed in our podcast with Holly Timberlake about tapping. I don’t really know why these things work but people do seem to have success with them. All of the local hospitals by me now offer acupuncture services and many insurance plans cover it.

I guess I need to schedule a second visit to see if I can knock out this pain completely.

Releasing Stress with Tapping - Holly Timberlake Becoming Elli

Releasing Stress with Tapping – Energy Psychologist Holly Timberlake

August 13, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 1 Comment

Episode 39 Releasing Stress with Tapping

In episode 39 of the Fit Strong Women Over 50 podcast, Chris and Jill talk with Holly Timberlake, PhD about being healthy mentally as we age. Holly is a Licensed Psychologist who practices as a holistic, alternative psychotherapist. She works with clients on a variety of issues, including overcoming trauma and healing from depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

Holly talks about Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and explains how we can release stress with tapping to become calmer and more relaxed. She describes tapping as emotional acupressure.

One of the questions that Holly answered was about specific advice for women over 50. She gave a great, lengthy answer about adopting a youthful attitude toward life. She wrote a blog post, Youthfulness as We Age: Decreasing Stress in preparation to talk about her thoughts on this topic.

Releasing Stress with Tapping
Holly explains how tapping helps to release stress and bring down the effects of trauma, to allow people to move through life in a calmer, more enlivened way. The conversation also included the value of yoga and meditation, the joys of working with her adult daughter, and eating for your metabolic type.

Holly and her daughter conduct retreats which focus on yoga, meditation, community, and EFT. These are one day retreats offered about once a season. They are adding a new weekend retreat, a mother-daughter rejoicing weekend starting in October 2019.

Some of the links mentioned in this podcast:

HollyTimberlake.com
TodaysTapping.com on Facebook
TappingSolution.com for EFT information
Gary Craig for EFT information
Jack Canfield on meditation.
Louise Hay for affirmations and joy in your life.
Deepak Chopra

Some terms:

EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing
MTHFR: methylenetetrahydrofolate
Nightshades: tomatoes, peppers, potato, eggplant

Photo credit: Debra-Lynn Photography

Bike Ride Recap of the 2019 Buckeye Breakaway

August 10, 2019 / Chris Brown / 4 Comments

Fun. Challenging. Hot. Lots of food and laughs. Exhausting. Sleep Depriving. Happy. Silly. Tiring. Inspiring. Great.

The recap of the bike ride for 2019 Buckeye Breakaway with my team the SOB’s was all these things and more. Take a couple minutes to watch the video below with the Skiers on Bikes, read this recap and learn about my experiences this year!!

About my bike:
My bike is a 1988 53″ Cannondale with downtube shifters that we bought from Craigslist in 2012. The previous owner barely rode it and it was like new. Except for the bent fork. I suspect during one of their first rides, they ran into a ditch and then didn’t ride again. Then 24 years later I bought it. The bike is 31 years old (half my age!) and still has a lot of umph left.

My Goals for the Buckeye Breakaway:

This year for the ride, I used the idea of an A, B and C goal to help me define success. Overall, I met with success because I

A) HAD A LOT of FUN! Lots of silly times and fun jokes along the way.

B) Met my fundraising goal and even went over. Thanks to all those who provided support.

C) Rode all 75 miles the first day, but only 36 miles the second day. So this goal fell a little short, but I feel the effort was an overall success.

This was my annual big ride event (you can read about all my yearly experiences here.) It’s like reading 9 years of a bike ride recap! Click thru to find out:

How many MS rides have I ridden?
Why do I ride?
What’s it like?
What do we eat?
Where do we sleep?
How long does it take?
Is it hard?
Is it fun?
Is it hot?
Did it rain?

There were many funny and inspiring stories from the 2019 ride that I want to include in this bike ride recap:
Here are just a few stories:

Second morning as we were riding out of town, the sun was coming up. A little rooster was Cack-a-Doo-Doodle-Doing all over the place seeing all the bike riders going past. It was like he was talking to us! While the seat was uncomfortable, the weather was perfect.
We rode past a whole group of goats (flock? gaggle?) and I had to stop to get a photo. Reminded me of goat yoga. I think I’m the only one that thinks Goat Cycling is funny. Okay, I’ve got a quirky sense of humor.
We got a corn photo too, and got a SAG driver in trouble for stopping to take our picture!
There was a blue bike on the ride that had a seat approximately 9 feet off the ground. I don’t know how the guy even got on it!
While riding up some steep hills Sunday morning I was super inspired by the handcyclist in front of me. I don’t know that she had MS, but she sure had a whole lot of spunk, heart and determination! I think she did better than I did on day two for sure this year!
I also met a guy who posed under the big orange inflatable for a photo. He had a bunch of medals around his neck from many different years. When I congratulated him, he said, “Yeah, I’ve ridden this 15 years… 14 of them after I was diagnosed with MS.”

Wow. That’s inspiration.

I’m glad I did it. Although I’ve spent the last few days trying to get my “oomph” back, I’m already to commit to next year! How about you? Want to join us?

Do you have a big physical challenging event each year? What is it? How do you prepare? If it doesn’t go exactly to plan, how do you regroup? What’s next on your goal list? Let me know by leaving a phone message at 330-970-6662 or an email to Chris@BecomingElli.com. Thanks!

The Wonders of Walking

August 8, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

Today, I want to talk about the wonders of walking. It’s an activity that can help our bodies in so many ways. Some of the benefits of walking are:

Improves our heart and lung fitness (cardiovascular and respiratory fitness)
Improves our mood and reduces anxiety and depression
Increases our endurance
Helps with balance

Wonders of Walking

One of the best benefits of walking, though, is the opportunity it gives you to see the world. It doesn’t matter where you walk. You can just see a lot of interesting things.

When I go for a run, I’m usually focused on form and speed and my heart rate. I notice what’s around me but I rarely stop to take a photo. I also can miss things because I’m moving at a faster pace than walking. That’s even though I’m not a fast runner.

Walking lets you notice changes in your neighborhood. For example, I’ve discovered houses for sale while out walking or noticing that someone seems to be struggling to take care of their yard. I have noticed multiple houses having their roofs replaced. Does that mean there was a storm that went through or an effective salesperson?

I love to walk on trails in the parks around me so I can see a great variety of wildlife that way. Turtles, blue herons, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, deer, geese, and a wide range of other birds are all around me. I also find wild flowers and notice the great variety of trees in the area. A variety of birds are chirping and calling to each other.

Recently I walked on a bike and hike trail. It’s paved and well used by the community. I saw kids riding bikes, bicyclists swooping past on their fancy road bikes, couples out walking together, mothers pushing strollers, and teens playing Pokemon Go, and still managed to enjoy myself. Seeing members of your community out enjoying walking too feels great.

This is the mental health aspect of walking, I guess. It’s a great way to reduce anxiety and just feel better about the world. I try to take photos of some of the things I see.

What do you see on your walks? What brings you the wonders of walking?

Getting Veggies during My Big Bike Ride

August 5, 2019 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

I posted on Saturday about the fundraising bike ride that I was participating in over this past weekend. Even though I was not preparing any of my own food for the two days of the event, I was still on the lookout for getting my vegetables! Can’t really call this a full #veggiechallenge success, but here are a couple of veggies that I ate during the weekend.

The dinner on Saturday was a great veggie success at the Ashland College cafeteria! There we had an all-you-can-eat salad bar filled with many wonderful chopped vegetables and also a cooked-to-order vegetable bar. Many many other choices too, but I had the salad bar for my first plate. Then I opted for a big plate of steamed veggies mixed with olive oil (spinach, mushrooms, onions, broccoli, snap peas, shredded carrots and maybe cauliflower.) Delicious! Topped that off with dessert from their dairy bar/cookie area.

I was so tired after riding the first day, I completely forgot to take a photo until I finished. Oh well, you’ll have to just imagine.

This photo was my lunch on Sunday. I had a double serving of chicken salad with pecans, some salsa med/mild, bean salad with a heavy dressing of some sort, and a double serving of grapes. Throughout the ride, there were PBJ sandwiches, bananas, pickles and lots of junk food on the ride at each rest stop approximately 8-10 miles apart.

After I fully recover from all the riding and excitement, I’ll do a ride recap. Fun times and tired legs!