To Run or Not to Run (with a partner)

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Nikki Bravo Leave a comment

I have just started getting back in stride with my running (pun intended). And what I have found is that I do sooo much better when I run with a partner. I don’t know if he is motivating me or I feel I am motivating him, but whatever it is – man, the difference is amazing.

We are running as part of our 90 day challenge.  We have challenged ourselves to get in shape now. Let me say better shape as we are not happy with our current shape as it is a little to round in the wrong places. We signed up to run a 5k in November called Hot Chocolate which we ran in last year.

So my first day out running I feel great, energized.  When I see my partner is lagging behind a bit,  in my mind I am saying “gotta be his motivation” (shout out to Kelly Rowland). Even though I am not saying anything out loud my actions are acting out the words of her song “..yeah, You can’t stop there..baby imma be your motivation” keeping up the pace.

In the instances when I start feeling little tired as it’s been a while since I’ve run outside I still don’t stop. I think the competitor in me came out. I will not be bested. I will not stop before the end! Win win win. I had so much energy at the end I thought maybe I’m not as out out of shape as I thought.

Next time out, I run by myself. It was the opposite experience. I spent the entire time talking myself out of stopping. It was weird. It was so strange because I knew there was no reason to stop. Nevertheless, endless thought crossed my mind like why was even doing this and what was the raison d’etre (reason for being). Although I did not stop, it was tough run and I was not looking forward to the next one.

Today we ran together and even though we each have on our headphones there is something about the supportive energy that keeps you moving. It’s something I feed off of. I do realize that I will need to be able to motivate myself, but for now it’s nice to have a partner that can support me.

I found an interesting article at Active.com called 8 Reasons to Run With a Partner.   It outlines some other reasons to run with a partner. If you don’t have a partner you may want to join your local running club.

Ultimately, you want to get moving whether by yourself or with a partner.

Enjoy and Be Healthy!

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Best Birthday Gift Ever!

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Nikki Bravo Leave a comment

I am turning 40 this year and I finally decided what I am going  to give myself. I thought of a big bash with family and friends, a new car, a lavish trip – perhaps.

What I finally settled on is what I believe to be the best birthday gift I could ever give myself -wait for it – the gift of good health! This is it, this is the time, I will gift myself with feeling great, now and for many years to come. And why not? I know that what I do now affects my future. I invest in my retirement plan at work, I invest in real estate, I invest in my relationships, I invest in my spiritual growth why not my health and physical well being?

After pondering the questions I realized there is no real reason why not now. With that said, I started making the investment in my health and the payoff will be in a few months when I wake up on my birthday and  look at my 40 year old self, I will be happy with what I see! Even better I will be joyous about the way I feel. I will be healthy. Priceless!

My investment in my health consists of the 90 day challenge I spoke about in an earlier post. It is not just about the shakes or smoothies whichever you prefer, it’s also about my commitment to exercise, eating right and stress relieving activities like meditation. I find sites like Real Age to be places to get a lot of questions answers related to health and well being.

I think this is such a great idea I will be encouraging my family and friends to gift themselves with good health. We give things to people to show that we appreciate them, that they are cared for, to make them happy and feel good. What feels better than walking around free of aches and pain, free of taking lots of pills, free of the constant doctor visits, free to take control.

To be healthy is a present that never goes out of style, fits everyone, does not have to be expensive and benefits everyone. I will share this idea of the gift of good health because I want my people to be around as long as possible, loving and enjoying life with me!

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90 day challenge – Body by Vi

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Nikki Bravo Leave a comment

I have recently joined the 90 day challenge by Bodybyvi. Essentially you take a shake in the morning a shake in the afternoon and eat a sensible dinner. I needed something new and this seemed to be something I could commit to relatively easily. The protein shakes boast plenty of nutritional benefits in addition to tasting good.

I am on day 22 and now I am confident I will make it to the 90 days and beyond. I’ll keep you posted.
Check it out here bodybyvi

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