The proponents of barefoot running say that it reduces injury rates by dialing you into a more natural way of running. They say we were made to run with a forefoot strike, rather than a heel strike. But shoes allow us to land on our heels unnaturally. This heel strike, they propose, is the cause of the majority of running related issues, and shoes are the culprit.

Their arguments are based on sound principles. When we run barefoot, we have to run with more of a forefoot/midfoot strike, allowing our bodies to use our tendons, muscles and joints for a natural form of shock absorption. Running barefoot also tends to eliminate any over-reaching in your stride, and forces you to make contact with the ground directly under your hips.

But as far as reducing injury rates, that is something we just aren’t seeing. There is definitely a select few that can switch to barefoot running and run injury free, but for most of us, this just isn’t an option. Barefoot running requires a totally new set of muscles and tendons to take on the stresses of the running motion, especially if we’ve been running in shoes our entire lives.

There are some good lessons to learn from the barefoot craze, but to start running barefoot you have to work up to it like a baby would. Start with walking barefoot for a few minutes a day. This is great for stretching and strengthening your arches and other foot muscles that have been coddled your whole life.

And when you’re ready, doing strides on the grass barefoot is a great way to learn how to run properly without setting yourself up for overuse injuries.

The barefoot runners will tell you stories about how our ancestors never wore shoes, and they ran with little to no issues for many years. They aren’t lying, but we live in a very different time. If we stayed barefoot from infant to adult, we’d have strong feet and all the musculature to be barefoot runners, but we wear shoes most of our lives, so we can’t compare ourselves to our ancestors.

And since barefoot running requires your muscles and tendons to bear the load, it highlights any extra weight that we carry around. If you are at all over weight, this makes barefoot running that more dangerous, compounding the stresses placed on the body during running.

Takeaway Tips

1. Running barefoot can help you find your optimal running technique, making you a more efficient runner

2. Barefoot running can help strengthen your feet

3. You must be VERY patient when starting any barefoot running as it stresses different muscles and tendons, making it easy to get an overuse injury

4. Any extra weight compounds the dangers of barefoot running

5. Barefoot running is not for everyone

What is cholesterol and how is it used in our bodies?

Cholesterol plays a significant role in how our bodies function. When we think of cholesterol we usually always think “bad” or “unhealthy.” However, while that may be true in large quantities, cholesterol is found in every cell of our bodies and we need it to function. Cholesterol aides the production of hormones, helps the liver create bile which aids digestion, and is one of the components that makes up the structure of each one of our cells. “Cholesterol is there to basically provide a protective barrier. When the amount of cholesterol increases or decreases, the cells are affected. This change can affect our ability to metabolize and produce energy.”

What is the difference between LDL and HDL cholesterol?

“LDL- Low-Density Lipoproteins. These lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout your body, delivering it to different organs and tissues. But if your body has more cholesterol than it needs, the excess keeps circulating in your blood. Over time, circulating LDL cholesterol can enter your blood vessel walls and start to build up under the vessel lining. Deposits of LDL cholesterol particles within the vessel walls are called plaques, and they begin to narrow your blood vessels. Eventually, plaques can narrow the vessels to the point of blocking blood flow; causing coronary artery disease. This is why LDL cholesterol is often referred to as “bad” cholesterol.”

“HDL- High-density lipoproteins. These lipoproteins are often referred to as HDL, or “good,” cholesterol. They act as cholesterol scavengers, picking up excess cholesterol in your blood and taking it back to your liver where it’s broken down. The higher your HDL level, the less “bad” cholesterol you’ll have in your blood.”

Too much unhealthy fats lead to high levels of LDL; which can, over time, build up your artery walls. Foods that contain high levels of LDL are saturated fats and trans fats. Fast food, sugar, beef, packaged food, and whole milk products are usually the culprits in raising ones LDL.

Challenge- identify items in your house, or restaurants that you frequent, that contain saturated fats and trans fats- get rid of them, and find a healthy substitute!

 
The groans are heard by many as assessment day is announced.

“If I knew it was assessment, I would have stayed home.”

“I’m not ready for eval, I don’t think I’ve improved from last time.”

These are common responses to the idea of assessments. But all of these thoughts are lies. There is nothing that should scare you, or discourage you about assessment day. And we hope to dispel some common MYTHS about eval in this article, freeing you from your negative thoughts about assessments, and allowing you to come enjoy the music, coffee and positive atmosphere!

MYTH #1

I wont get a good workout.

If you come to class mainly for a good workout, assessment day is a great day to come! It is a hard workout because you get the opportunity to push yourself more than you usually do.

MYTH #2

I’m embarrassed by my fitness level.

Assessments are for your information only. There is no pressure to run a certain speed, or do a certain number of push ups. It is merely an opportunity for you to see where you’re at. We all started somewhere, and we’ve all had setbacks. We are all here to encourage each other on the journey, and you never know, you might surprise yourself.

MYTH #3

I shouldn’t come if I KNOW I wont improve.

Many of you have seen big improvements from one eval to the next, but you have to realize that you can’t always improve. Once you reach a certain fitness level, improvements get harder and harder to see and make. They get smaller and smaller until you don’t really see the difference. But this isn’t a bad thing! Even if you are a little slower than last time, or feeling a little more tired, assessments are still a great chance to enjoy pushing yourself. When it gets harder to make improvements, you have to work harder, and that should be a good feeling!

Jenni and Greg rarely see personal bests in their races. Depending on the time of the year, how much fatigue is in the body and just how theyfeel that morning, Jenni and Greg can often be considerably slower than their best time ever. But this shouldn’t be discouraging. It is still important for them to go out and race. Not only for the pure joy of pushing their limits, but also because it forces them to work hard. And when hard work is put in, improvements are to follow.

So whether you are coming back after an absence, or are just not feeling energetic, it is still very beneficial, and hopefully you can have fun getting pushed and cheering on your fellow Rough-Fitters.

In short, assessments are a GREAT WORKOUT no matter what fitness level you are, it is IMPORTANT INFORMATION for you to have, and YOU DON’T NEED TO IMPROVE for it to be beneficial.

It was an early morning. I woke up before my alarm and laid in bed for a while. For breakfast it was bananas, peanut butter and bread. Even though I didn’t feel like eating I made myself eat enough. A small cup of coffee, and I was ready for the day.

We shuttled over to the race start, my bike was already at T1, and my run gear was already at T2. So I got to my bike, and set up my helmet, shoes, and sunscreen for easy access and speed. After getting my area all set up, it was body marking and check in time. I really liked the stamps that they used. So much better than sharpie.

About 20 minutes before race start I started waiting in the bathroom line, and didn’t finish with all that until 5 minutes to go. So I ran out to the beach, got my goggles and cap on, and proceeded to swim out to the start buoys.

I positioned myself about 4 rows back of the front. You could see all the pros in their white caps on the front line, and the officials kept telling everyone to move back. Then suddenly the cannon went off and the race had begun.

The swim wasn’t as crazy as I expected at the start. It wasn’t as frantic as an Olympic distance start, there were just more people. I felt more relaxed, and settled into my pace early on. The big difference was that the whole swim was in the pack. There were enough people to always be surrounded. I just kept it controlled and relaxed for most of the clockwise swim. After making the big circle, we cut in and I started to swim and kick just a little bit harder towards shore, trying to get the blood flowing to my legs.

I exited the water and heard my support crew on the beach, and gave them a smile to let them know I was in good spirits. I made it to my bike and had a tough time getting my jersey on, being wet and all. But I managed, and then forgot to spray sunscreen on (no sunburns though!). Otherwise, transition was smooth. I hopped on my bike, and was off.

As soon as I turned south onto the Queen K, I had some time to get my feet in my shoes and relax once again. I made sure I took some sips of my sports drink, my water, and popped my first GU and salt tabs. I took it out like a warmup for those first 20 minutes as planned, and I got passed by a decent number of people. There were a few guys that seemed to be working really hard for the first couple miles, so I tried to remember a couple of their race numbers so I could see when I would pass them back.

After 6 miles south, we made the U-Turn to head north all the way up to Hawi. Conditions seemed good, but I knew it would be a grind. I made sure I never felt like I was working hard on the bike, just kept it at a consistent moderate effort level. I passed a lot of guys that passed me in the first miles, but then I passed this group that was working together, and they stayed with me for much of the way out. I wanted to ditch them, but didn’t want to dig deep, so I just stayed consistent, but they seemed to be inconsistent. They would slow down, but when I would pass them, they must have stuck around behind me, because they would suddenly surge again, forcing me to yield to the pass, and re-pass when they slowed again.

The final windy climb up to Hawi broke it apart, and I got some space. It was pretty windy up there, and tough to control the bike at times, and the climb seemed to last forever, so the turnaround was a welcome sight. On the climb I went through a series of emotions from, mainly revolving around the fact that I still wasn’t even halfway done with this bike ride.

I flew down the descent, hitting speeds of over 55 mph. My legs were happy to have the downhill “rest.” By the 40 mile marker, I was starting to tire. Things just weren’t feeling fresh anymore, it was harder to stay comfortable on the bike, and my mood soured a bit. I took a couple extra GUs during this time to get out of the funk, thinking I might need more calories. I also started to get intermittent cramping a few miles back, and was popping salt tabs to fend them off. At the end of the day, I got through 8 or 9 GUs, and 300 calories of sports drink on the bike. I definitely want to invest in a GU Flask so I’m not going through so many packets.

Nutrition seemed to go as planned on the bike, but nevertheless, looking back, I think I got behind on my nutrition and hydration.

Riding into T2, my water bottles were completely dry, and I took one last GU to help for the run, and an extra couple salt tabs because of the minor cramping. I handed my bike off, and got my run bag and sat down to put my shoes on. The volunteers were a great help, racking the bike, and getting all my stuff out of my bag. Shoes were on, so I grabbed my sunglasses and visor and started running.

I was excited to start the run, but just like we planned, I tempered my excitement and ran easy. The heat didn’t seem too bad either. I kept thinking, this is manageable, just stay at this pace and you will feel fine for the run. Boy was I ever wrong.

I clocked off some easy feeling 6:30 miles, running quickly through the aid stations, which I now know was a big mistake, but I felt so good. When the first person passed me, I was shocked. I thought, that guy must be fast, it wasn’t until 5 more people passed me that I realized it wasn’t them running fast. It was me running slow. The miles slowed down until I was in survival mode by mile 5. The heat was killing me and I wanted to quit, I wanted to walk, I wanted to just lay down and get rescued. But I just kept moving forward, suffering and losing all hope. I’ve never been passed on the run in a triathlon, so I was pretty down. I kept telling myself to be TOUGH, but I’ve never felt less tough. By mile 6 I got smart and started walking the aid stations, doing my best to cool down with lots of cold water and ice, and I remembered something about Coke being a potential lifesaver. So I downed a coke at every mile.

I think it worked, at least a little bit. By mile 10 I was starting to feel better, partially because you get a 1.5 mile stretch where it’s slightly downhill on the pavement, but it gave me a little bit of energy, and even though I still walked all the aid stations from then on, I got my miles sub 8 once again. As I came into the last few miles, I was so ready to just be done, it couldn’t come soon enough. I tried to run with some of those that were catching me, and I actually passed a couple people back in the last mile, and when my crew told me I had to catch those last 3 guys in the last 200 meters, I was pissed, I didn’t want to run them down, but that’s why they are there. I caught and passed them, in my all out “sprint.” And crossed the finish line, ending the longest, hardest half marathon of my life.

All in all, I am very happy with the race, but I have lots to learn.

I remember my first ballet class, back in grade school. We lined up at the bar where I was between girls who had their hair worn in tight, perfect buns while practicing their demi-pliés which were demonstrated with perfection. From the sharp twist of their heads to the delicate flutter of their finger tips, and down to their high-arched feet that were perfectly fanned out, these girls were not messing around. I for one, definitely did not have my hair in a bun, and while practicing a demi-pliés, I noticed that my legs did not touch when standing in first position. It was soon pointed out to me that I was bow-legged. Ballet lessons did not last long, not only because my legs are shaped perfectly for me to be a horse rider, or because my hair bun was a sloppy mess, but because my athletic upbringing and lack of grace definitely stood out, among other things.

I sampled every hobby as a child trying to discover something I was “good” at. However, I missed the point. In searching for my talent, I did not focus on my enjoyment of the activity, but on my quality of performance. The problem is, there is not any freedom in doing something you are merely good at, freedom is found in doing something you enjoy.

I never stopped secretly enjoying ballet. I went to one or two ballet performances as a child and I was stunned by their strength and grace, all while having the ability to share their emotions and story to the audience with just their movements. It is truly beautiful and artistic. I only know how strong these ballerinas are because I have tried it, and a simple demi-plié uses far more muscles and flexibility than it appears.

Reflecting on my childhood, I feel a lot of disappointment that I did not believe the parental reminder of “as long as you are having fun, that’s all that matters. “Unfortunately, in our culture that is a difficult phrase to believe. Someone is always better than you are, and usually the comparison is verbalized. After sampling ballet, sewing, every sport, ceramics, gardening, etc…I felt discouraged, and sadly, I gave up. My insecurities won; and I believed the lies of the world, and wrote myself off as Sara Plain and Tall (a book title, you may have heard of.)

I don’t like to think of myself as a quitter and I used to say, “I’m okay not having hobbies or a specific talent.” That lie I told myself only lasted so long, because I believe we are made to create and express ourselves. The healthy escape a hobby provides is necessary to relax, soothe, and bring joy to our lives. One has to appreciate the versatility of talents we humans have, and our ability to express our emotions and lives through them. It begs the question as to how vast and beautiful the Creator of life must be.

“If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.” One’s personal definition of success will affect how much one tries. What does it mean to succeed to you? Being on top? Being better than average? I have come to say success for me, is finishing. A finished product is very rewarding to me even if it is a little bent around the edges. My freedom comes from finishing, not from my quality necessarily. Quality is nice, but I can still gain the enjoyment of creating, of escape, and relaxation when it doesn’t come out quite how I imagined it would.

Reflections

I made a quilt for my daughter after she was born. It was my first, but it won’t be my last. The squares are uneven and my hand stitching is atrocious, but when looked at from a distance, the pattern is cute and it looks like a quilt. I spent hours making that quilt for my little girl. If nothing else, I hope my daughter will learn an important lesson. I hope she can look and see her mother through this quilt and hopefully say, “it is definitely not perfect, and neither is my mom, but she was okay with being herself and it has character.” I want my children to do the things they love and I hope I teach the motto of, “as long as you have fun,” through my example so they too can learn the freedom of enjoying hobbies without regard for quality.

I am still learning and growing through my insecurities but I hope you can be inspired to look back to those childhood dreams or interests that you have written off. Donʼt give up. Whether it is training for your first race, or learning to play an instrument, you are never too old and you can be your own measure of success. I am glad that I attempted so many hobbies as a child because I have gained an appreciation of so many things. Not until you try, can you sit in awe of people who manifest that talent. For example, my sister and I share the love of running, but not speed. Jenni is fast and she makes it look so easy. I love watching Jenni race because I can sit back and appreciate her God given talent of speed. I don’t need to be that fast to enjoy running; and some of my favorite times with my sister is when she has an “easy” day, and we run through Peterʼs Canyon together. I also have found an outlet to my enjoyment of ballet; yoga. Yoga has the same feel to me as ballet but supports the athlete in me. However, you may find me sashaying around the house with my 3 year old daughter pretending we are Angelina Ballerina.

My identity is like a mirror that has been broken into many tiny pieces. When one looks into a shattered mirror, they don’t see their face perfectly put together, but they see their face divided into many images. Some reflecting off of other pieces multiplying it, and other pieces reflect just a glimpse of the face. I am not defined by one great talent, nor do I see myself as well-put -together either. However, I can enjoy the many glimpses of myself shown in the variety of different interests in my life; art, sports, culinary, gardening, etc. I may not excel in any of these areas but I can laugh at my pitfalls and enjoy them nonetheless.

Happy Earth Day to everyone! We hope you are out there doing something good for our planet today, and everyday! We’re all about keeping our bodies fit and healthy, but we need to remember to do our part to keep our planet healthy as well!

In honor of Earth Day, Rough-Fit Boot Camp and Running Classes went on the perfect combo workout. Something healthy for our bodies and the planet! We did what we call an “Eco Run” around Tustin. We started at Citrus Ranch and went through Cedar Grove Park into Peters Canyon. It was impressive how much trash we actually picked up in an hour! A big thanks to everyone that came out and volunteered their time to clean up the trails around Tustin.

We encourage anyone out there to go on their own Eco Run. You can do it with your family or on your own, and all you need is a little bag to put trash in (and maybe a glove) and your running shoes. You get a great outdoor workout in, and you make it a prettier and cleaner place for everyone!

And if you’re looking for more ways to be green, here are a quick bakers dozen worth of tips, or you can visit Earthday.org

             1)  Don’t leave water running while you brush your teeth
             2)  Use reusable bags while you shop
             3)  Turn off your lights when you leave the room.
             4)  Use cleaning products that are good for the environment
             5)  Use biodegradable waste bags when cleaning up dog waste – (Amazon sells them)
             7)  Switch light bulbs to CFLs�
             8)  Make sure your appliances are energy star.
             9)  Buy a BPA Free re-usable water bottle and re-usable coffee tumbler for beverages and water
            10) Wash laundry in cold water instead of hot
            11) Pay as many bills as possible online
            12) Put a stop to unsolicited mail — sign up to opt out of pre-screened credit card offers
            13) Check for air leaks around doors or windows in your home and look up ways to seal them shut

Keep Running!!

Below are 6 Reasons you should be running from Woman’s Health.  These are great facts whether you are male or female.  Women’s Health Link

1. It’s so easy

Forget about  all that fancy gear all you need is a  good pair of shoes and a supportive sport bra (ladies)

You  know how to run. You may not have perfect form yet, but you already know how to place one foot in front of the other and settle into a comfortable pace….just get out there and run!

2. Yet so hard

No other exercise matches running for its ability to blast calories and get you to sweat. In a study done by the Medical College of Wisconsin and the VA Medical Center, the treadmill (used at a “hard” exertion level) torched an average of 705-865 calories in an hour. The stair-stepper (637-746), rower (606-739), cross-country ski machine (595-678) and stationary bike (498-604) were all lower in overall caloric burn.

Running also gives your ticker a world-class workout. When your legs hit their stride they squeeze blood toward your heart, which in turn forces it to pump the blood right back. The faster you run, the harder your heart works and the stronger it gets.

3. Your knees will thank you

Contrary to what your mom says, running doesn’t wreck your joints. Osteoarthritis (the most common type of arthritis), occurs when joint-cushioning cartilage starts to break down. The biggest osteoarthritis risk factor besides age? Body weight. A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that obese women had nearly four times the risk of knee osteoarthritis than non-obese women; for men, it was five times the risk. Runners are much more likely to be at a normal weight than members of the sedentary population, significantly decreasing their risk of osteoarthritis.

It goes further than just the benefits of weight loss, too. Running bolsters your cartilage by increasing oxygen flow and flushing out toxins, and by strengthening the ligaments around your joints. Hitting the trail also gives your bones a boost, helping to prevent osteoporosis.

Though it’s important to treat all running injuries and to replace your shoes often, in the end, running will build your joints up, not tear them down.

4. You’ll stress less

Runners can provide tons of anecdotes about the stress-busting powers of their regular jog. “Nothing beats that feeling when you settle into a strong stride with a powerful rhythm,” says Brooke Stevens, a four-time NYC marathoner, “The tension in my neck, back, and shoulders starts to loosen up, and I can think more clearly too.”

Many women swear they work out all of their problems on the road, and there’s research on exercise to back them up. The University of Georgia Department of Exercise induced anxiety (no worries, it was with caffeine pills) on subjects and then tested their physiological and mood symptoms after either resting for an hour or exercising for that hour. The exercise (in this case, on a stationary bike), was three times more effective at reducing anxiety.

Running is even used by mental health experts to help treat clinical depression and other psychological disorders such as drug and alcohol addiction.

5. It can prevent disease

Most experts agree that regular exercise reduces the risk of many kinds of cancer, including some of the scariest: colon, breast, endometrial, and lung. One recent study in the British Journal of Cancer calculated that the “most active” (e.g. walked briskly 5-6 hours/week) people were 24 percent less likely to develop colon cancer than the “least active” people (e.g. 30 minutes of walking/week). In a study by the National Cancer Institute, women of a normal weight who reported the highest levels of “vigorous activity” (running, tennis, aerobics) had about a 30 percent lower risk of breast cancer when compared with women who did no vigorous activity. Becoming a regular runner may help you cancer-proof your life.

Joggers also have a leg up against heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, and running has been shown to lower blood pressure, raise good cholesterol, and boost immunity to colds and other viruses.

Your time on the treadmill can even prevent vision loss, it seems. Two studies from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have found that running reduced the risk of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

6. You’ll probably live longer

In perhaps the most surprising study done on the health benefits of running, a team at the Stanford University School of Medicine studied 538 runners and 423 healthy non-runners from 1984 until 2005. All of the subjects were over 50 and were asked to take a disability questionnaire each year measuring simple tasks like cutting meat, shampooing hair, and opening a milk carton.

Every year, the disability levels were significantly lower in the group of runners than in the non-runners, and they became more different as both groups aged.

Even more interesting (though admittedly morbid)? At the end of the study, 85% of the runners were still alive, while only 66% of the non-runners were.

Based on the info gathered during the 21 years, the researchers concluded that regular exercise could reduce both disability and risk of death by increasing cardio fitness and bone mass, lowering inflammation, improving response to vaccination, and improving thinking, learning, and memory functions. We say, is that all?

I was in the pool this morning for an easy swim and it’s crazy how your mind starts to wander as you just stare at the black line beneath you. I haven’t been swimming for very long in the grand scheme of things (3 years), and I’ve been working really hard to improve and get faster. The hard work and consistency has been paying some dividends, but I still am far from where I want to be. As my mind touched on various subjects, it finally landed on the concept of the “quick fix.”

Since I started swimming, I’ve been looking for the secret that will make me an amazing swimmer. I am constantly wondering what I’m doing wrong with my technique, and how much that mistake is slowing me down. I think “if I could only learn to swim properly, I would be fast!” But there is no quick fix in the health and fitness game. We say it all the time in Rough-Fit. There is no magic pill, trick or exercise that will cheat the system.

Especially here in Tustin and Orange County, we are bombarded with quick fix advertisements and promises. This is where we struggle with the Boot Camp label. Boot Camp seems to imply a quick burst of exercise that gives you a dramatic increase in fitness immediately, which is something we know is not a healthy mindset. If you convince yourself there is a quick fix, you are just setting yourself up for frustration and disappointment. Whether your goals are weight loss, better fitness, running faster, or even finding balance, the rules are the same. You must put in the effort, be consistent, and make the changes over time.

It’s hard not to get caught up in the proposed glory of the quick fix though. I am a perfect example of this. Intellectually I know I can’t become a faster swimmer overnight with a special technique, but just like everyone else, I’m impatient. But we know if we make the commitment and put in the time, we can succeed.

Is there anywhere you are looking for a quick fix?

I sat down last night and turned on one of my favorite shows from last year, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. The show is back with a vengeance, and he’s in Los Angeles!!!

Jenni and I both love Jamie Oliver. You can see how passionate he is about getting people thinking differently about their food. His big goal with the Revolution is getting the bad food out of the schools. We are literally poisoning our kids with the junk that they get in their school lunches. You can check his site for all the facts, but I’ll share a couple things that stood out last night.

First, he exposed what is going into our ground meats in fast food and school patties, and even in store bought ground meat products. When we buy ground beef, it is possible, and likely that we have “pink slime” in the mix. The “pink slime” is all the leftovers from the butcher that isn’t a part of any cut of meat. They grind it up, wash it in Ammonia and mix it in with the rest of the ground meat. And there is no requirement for companies to let you know that this is in there. I think he said they can put up to 15% into ground meat and be completely under the radar. This stuff is not fit for human consumption, and the chemicals they use to process it sounds even worse! If you don’t know where your ground meat is coming from… it’s probably going through this process.

He also demonstrated how much added sugar is going into flavored milks in schools. We are just adding unnecessary sugars to milk, and it is harming the kids. You have to watch his bus demonstration to get the full effect!

All you Rough-Fit boot camp, yoga or running clients should really watch the show. It is painful, and it makes you angry, but it exposes the truth in our systems here in America. It is very sad. We encourage you to find out what is going on in your school, and if you have the drive and desire, start a campaign of your own. We really want to help take this revolution to the next level, so we will help you in getting the bad food out of the schools if we can!

Let’s get Orange County and Tustin healthy and lead the charge!

Thanks for letting us post this!

My day doesn’t start as early as Greg and Jenni, but it’s dragging out of bed just after 6am, shower – drink a full glass of water while drying my hair and putting on makeup – fight with three kids to get out of bed and dressed for school … make a hot tea and throw an apple in my lunch box (which was made the night before – times 5 people .. usually a giant salad for me, greek yogurt, hard boiled egg, the apple, pita chips, and some protein for the salad (chicken, salmon, tuna from a can)) – then it’s fight with three kids again to get their shoes on, grab their lunches, back packs, volleyball uniforms, pe clothes, etc and get in the car. Fight the 100 million other moms taking their kids to school too … give high fives and kisses, wish good luck on exams …then back into traffic to get to the office. Today I started the day with a meeting that I chair, and the challenges that come with growing a business. Then it’s back to my desk to eat the egg, apple and yogurt while I read the 15 emails that came in while I was in the meeting, work with my team, eat lunch at my desk while checking more email – surf the web a little. Then hopefully get some actual work done in the afternoon – I am currently working on developing a new accounting system for a 20 million painting company that will provide daily job costing reporting that ties to the monthly financials … I have a diet coke with my lunch, but otherwise there is a 32oz bottle of water on my desk I drain about 3x during the day. Then it’s out the door 10 minutes late to rush in traffic with the same 100 million moms to get their kids. Pick them up at school about 6pm, home at 6:15 … make dinner, make the 5 lunches, help with homework, do a load of laundry. Eat dinner with the family, usually something from Dream Dinners with steamed veggies and a salad (of which I make a lot, which is then my salad for lunch the next day). Clean up the kitchen while Johnny bathes Katie … the I read her a story, tuck her in for bed after 10 minutes of “Just one more Mommy” then tuck in Nicholas and chat with him for a few minutes one on one. Then wash my face, brush my teeth – practice my flute for about 20-30 minutes (this is a favorite part of my day, really relaxes me!), then downstairs to help Zachary with his homework, or hound him to be sure he’s not messing around but getting it done – fold the laundry – watch some TV while foam rolling, spend a little time with Johnny if possible, and pass out about 11:30 … I eat about 1400 calories a day if I don’t exercise, about 1600-1800 on the days that I do, depending on the day. I get about 6-7 hours of sleep a night, but I take a nap most weekends at least once. On Mon-Wed I go to Rough Fit in the morning, so on those days I usually don’t practice my flute but get extra work on the computer. It’s hectic, tiring and stressful sometimes, but overall, it’s a great life – my husband and children are amazing, and I try really hard to find that balance. What I don’t do very well is “do nothing time” (except my naps!); but part of that is because there is always more that I want to do/accomplish/see/be a part of. I try to keep my kids my top priority, especially while they are young.