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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.

Do I Need a Rest Day?

June 7, 2018 / Jill McCauslin / 1 Comment

Do I need a rest day? And if I do, what exactly is a rest day?

We keep hearing all this information about how many days a week we should be exercising and how many hours per day but then the expert mentions, “oh, and don’t forget your rest day.”

I know that we all need some rest time but I think there are different kinds of rest days:

The Easy Rest Day

The easy day is when you take a break from your workout routine

If you’ve listened to the Becoming Elli podcast, you’ll have heard the different trainers we’ve talked to give us advice on doing aerobic exercise 3 or 4 times a week and strength work 2 or 3 times a week. Everyone always says, “and you need a rest day.”

This rest day isn’t a lie on the couch and binge on your favorite Netflix series. Instead, it’s a good day to still do something but it shouldn’t be strenuous. We all need that off day. Instead of running or using the elliptical, just go for a pleasant walk. Or maybe try a restorative yoga class. If you haven’t tried restorative yoga, trust me, it’s relaxing. A regular yoga class would work too. Just take it easy but still keep moving.

I always try to get my 10,000 steps and I stick to that even if I’m resting. You may decide to do it differently but it’s just a decision I made.

Post-race Rest Day

The days following a race or high-level activity often leave you feeling sore and tired. When you’ve done something more strenuous than usual, such as running a race or doing something like the fitness challenge that I did a few weeks ago, you may need a more serious rest day. In fact, you may need more than one rest day.

Again, if you’ve really strained your muscles, lying around isn’t going to help. I know after I ran the Cleveland Half Marathon, every time I sat for an extended period of time, my muscles tightened and I then hobbled around, looking like a penguin. You’re better off to go for an easy walk and keep moving but don’t really push yourself.

This is also a good time to stretch and be gentle with your body. You could even go for a massage or find a hot tub to soak in.

Pay attention to your body and don’t push it. Let your muscles heal.

Rest Day When Sick

The times when you’re not feeling well often lead to a rest day. This is sometimes the most difficult for me. If you’re not feeling well, you probably need to take it easy. Let your energies go to healing yourself. The problem with resting when you’re ill is that often times we’re ill for multiple days. You feel like you’re losing ground when you don’t work out for all of that time.

If possible, do an easy walk or move around a bit. Be patient with yourself because even though you may feel like you’re falling behind on your training schedule, it’s important to take care of your health.

If you’re not feeling well mentally or emotionally, you have to judge if a rest day is in your best interest. Sometimes I feel down and then don’t want to do anything but doing something often improves my mood. If you just don’t have the energy to go to your HIIT class or run the 5 miles you were supposed to do, try something less strenuous. Again, go for a walk or take a yoga class.

Strolling for Health

I noticed that for every instance of resting that I mentioned, I suggested going for a walk. Perhaps instead of calling it a rest day, we should call it, Easy Walk Day or Strolling for Health.

It’s important to give your body a chance to recover from all of the training you do. It’s also important that you move those muscles a bit so you don’t tighten up and walk like a penguin.

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!

The Peanut Butter Wars: Natural Peanut Butter or Not

May 28, 2018 / Jill McCauslin / 4 Comments

This isn’t exactly a recipe but I thought I’d write about peanut butter. Chris and I recently discussed peanut butter and I was shocked to learn that she eats Jif peanut butter. I don’t know why but I thought nobody bought regular peanut butter anymore. I said I only eat natural peanut butter and that my favorite is Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter. Of course, there are lots of different brands of peanut butter and I’ve just selected the ones that we discussed. Your peanut butter might be a bit different.

Ingredients

Here’s a photo of the ingredients in Jif:

Yes, it says:

Made from roasted peanuts and sugar, contains 2% or less of: molasses, fully hydrogenated vegetable oils (rapeseed and soybean), mono and diglycerides, salt.

I also see that this label reveals that the J.M. Smucker Company now owns Jif as well as their natural brand.

Here’s a photo of the ingredients in Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter:

It says:

Ingredients: Peanuts, contains 1% or less of salt.

You can buy an unsalted version but I usually don’t.

Here’s the rest of the label:

Nutrition Facts

Let’s compare the nutrition facts of these two peanut butters:

So, not all that different except that the sugars are increased due to the sugar being added to Jif. For some reason, the protein changes slightly too.

That Darn Oil or Mixing Natural Peanut Butter

So why doesn’t everyone buy natural peanut butter? Because of the darn oil that separates from the peanut butter. You buy a jar of peanut butter and to use it, you first have to mix in that oil.

I used to do this with a spoon and I’d end up with the peanut butter all over my hands. It was a mess.

Then I would flip the jar over while it sat in the pantry waiting to be opened. Every so often, I would put the jar upside down and then later put it right side up again. That did actually help with the oil somewhat.

One day I was pondering some of the mysteries of life and wondered why nobody had ever invented a tool to mix the oil into the peanut butter. I had an ah-ha moment and decided to try something. It worked and now I mix my peanut butter this way all the time.

I take my hand mixer and insert one beater. I then hold the peanut butter jar firmly (the firmly part is important), insert the beater and turn the mixer onto low. It works great. The peanut butter is mixed without spilling all over the counter, jar, and my hand. This isn’t hard and it works great.

Here’s a demo of mixing peanut butter with a mixer:

I forgot to include a shot of the finished product so here it is:

Blended peanut butter

I’ve mixed peanut butter in both glass and plastic jars. Either way, it’s fine. You do have to make sure you hold the jar firmly and start the mixer on slow.

Some time we can discuss the strengths and weaknesses of almond butter vs. peanut butter. All I’ll say right now is that my stirring method works for almond butter too. It probably works for any kind of nut butter.

I know there are lots of other peanut butters out there. Does anyone have a brand to recommend that doesn’t have anything other than peanuts and salt added that doesn’t have to be stirred?

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.

The Benefits of Hiking

May 24, 2018 / Jill McCauslin / 2 Comments

I thought today we could discuss the benefits of hiking. We’ve talked about running, bicycling, swimming, and lifting here at Becoming Elli but it occurs to me that we haven’t discussed one of my favorite forms of exercise….hiking.

Trail

I really enjoy hiking. I used to love to take my dogs for a hike and it was something my son and I used to do frequently. When he was four, we did the local hiking spree and earned our hiking sticks. Hiking with a four-year-old is a challenge because a mile hike is a lot longer for those little legs. I still remember those hikes with great fondness. Even as he got older, we often hiked together.

Nunu on a hike

Now, my son no longer lives at home and my dogs are gone so it’s just me. I don’t hike as often, especially on the more remote trails because it just feels a bit uncomfortable being by myself. If I can get a friend to go with me, I’m so happy.

I’m lucky to live in an area with a lot of great hiking trails. I have the Cuyahoga Valley National Park just down the road, the county has a fantastic series of metro parks with excellent trails, and my local community has some decent hiking trails in the city parks.

Hiking vs. Walking

What’s the difference between hiking and walking? The consensus seems to be that hiking is walking on trails in nature and walking tends to be on a smoother path or the road or sidewalk. Walking through your neighborhood is probably a walk and not a hike. So a hike tends to be more rugged. It certainly doesn’t have as smooth a path as walking. Hikers are obviously walkers but walkers are not necessarily hikers. Interestingly, my Fitbit Surge has both a walking and a hiking activity on it so apparently even Fitbit considers them to be different activities.

The Benefits of Hiking

Hiking provides a decent workout. For me, it provides hills, both up and down, and some rugged paths. You really have to concentrate on your step when the path is rough. Balance and agility become important.

There’s also the benefits of spending time in nature. I see wild flowers, wild life, and beautiful scenery. I find hiking to be pretty close to meditation. My mind seems to benefit from time away from sidewalks and concrete.

If your hike includes hills, you get a great leg workout. Well, hiking on flat ground also gives you a workout but hiking up a steep hill really gives you a good cardio workout and works those glutes, legs, and hips.

What do you need?

The nice thing about hiking is that I haven’t figured out any compelling need to buy a lot of accessories. I did buy hiking boots after a particularly tough winter. They were expensive but I expect them to last a long time. If you’re going to buy hiking boots, make sure they’re waterproof.

If you’re going to be doing a fair amount of hiking, invest in trail shoes. They’re similar to running shoes but have better traction and might also be waterproof. Starting out, your regular gym shoes would be fine but you might notice that you have a greater tendency to slip.

A hiking stick is often a good idea. This can be as simple as finding a good solid stick on your hike and using it to as fancy as buying expensive hiking sticks.

Blue Heron

Finding Hiking Groups

If you are looking for people to hike with, I suggest looking for a local hiking club. I know there are several near me. Check out meetup.com for hiking groups in your area. Read the details carefully because some hiking groups are more into speed than others. I enjoy nature enough that I don’t feel compelled to power walk through the woods so the slower groups are a better fit for me. I think you’ll find that there’s usually a good variety of hikers in these clubs.

Farm Pasture

Safety Precautions

I always take my phone with me when I hike, especially if I’m by myself. Of course, if you get to a remote area, you might lose cell connection but I always figure it’s better to have the phone than not. Don’t forget that your phone probably has GPS on it so you can use that to figure out where you are if you get lost.

So, to avoid getting lost, I’d recommend staying on a trail. Cutting across wild terrain or deciding to climb boulders is a good way to encounter trouble. A fall or a stumble can lead to a sprained ankle or worse.

Probably the most basic precaution is to make sure someone knows where you are going to hike. This is easy to forget but at least texting someone what trail you’re going to hike is a good idea. Again, this is especially true if you are hiking alone.

With just a few precautions, you’ll be fine on your hike and can enjoy the beauty of nature.

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.

Ultimate Fitness Challenge Recap

May 16, 2018 / Jill McCauslin / 5 Comments

My gym holds an Ultimate Fitness Challenge twice a year. I’ve done it a few times over the years. The first time the challenge was held, the age groups were a bit different, so I was in with all women 40 and older. I came in dead last. The age brackets changed after that and now I compete in the 50 and Over challenge. After the first challenge, I trained like crazy and came in first though the age range had changed by then. Still, it felt great to win. I also compare my time with what others do in their age bracket. Even though the weights or reps are slightly different, I think time is a good measure.

Diane from our podcast is in such great shape that she moves down an age level and participates in the 30 to 49 group. I haven’t gotten there yet but maybe I should try that.

I won last fall’s challenge too but that was because nobody else participated. Don’t get me wrong, I did a good job but still, there was no competition from women in my age group. After that challenge, one of the women at the gym said that I inspired her and that she would join the competition. She participated this time and found that it was really hard to do the whole challenge. Even though she had trained, she hadn’t necessarily trained to move from one activity to the next. I told her my story, of being last and then training and getting better so I hope she’ll do it again.

The spring challenge was held this past Saturday. I was reluctant to sign up because I’d been sick this spring and I’ve been dealing with problems with my Achilles tendon and felt unprepared. Others convinced me to do it again, so I registered for the challenge.

I’m happy to say that I did it and was only 19 seconds slower than last fall when I was in much better training shape. I felt proud of that because I really thought I’d not do well.

Ultimate Fitness Challenge Exercise List

Interested in what we did? Here’s a list of the exercises and the weights or reps for my category of women 50 and Over:

Starting Line

Run 400 meters. The secret to this is not to burn yourself out running.
Dumbbell Farmer’s Carry: 80 yards with 25 pound dumbbells (one in each hand so total of 50 pounds)
Farmer’s Carry
Push press: 35 pound bar and 20 reps
Push Press
Deadlift: 35 pound bar and 20 reps
Sandbag squats: 40 pound sandbag that you have to get onto your shoulders and do 15 squats.
Sandbag Squat
Lateral burpees: 15 reps. Really, these are hellish.
Lateral Burpees
Tire Flips: 5 flips. It’s probably obvious that the tire is heavy.
Tire Flip
Prowler Push: This is a sled that you push. Push it for 80 yards with 70 pounds of plates added to it.
Prowler Push
Medicine Ball Slam & Throw: 20 pound ball for 80 yards.
Medicine Ball Slam & Throw
Sprint: 120 yards shuttle

I did it in 12 minutes 21 seconds, which was not too much slower than last fall’s time.

Why I Participate

These competitions are a lot of fun and it’s great to see the people I know from the gym putting their skills to the test. It really gets exciting when outsiders join us. You don’t have to be a gym member to participate. It’s great when some others join in.

One thing I like about this challenge is that it’s a combination of both cardio and strength. Some of the trainers do a lot of weight lifting but not so much cardio and they’re wiped out at the end. Of course, just getting the sandbag from the ground to your shoulders is a challenge if you don’t do strength training.

The benefit of doing a competition like this is that I get to see how I’m doing with my workouts. It’s certainly motivational to be registered for it and to know that others are going to be watching.

Sometimes I feel weird because there are lots of women over 50 at my gym but there’s only one or two competitors each time. I wish more would sign up for it. On the other hand, I feel like a bad a$$ when I walk back into the locker room with my prize money in my hand.

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?