Jive SBS Syndication Feed

Running towards the finish line

Active_Jess — Sun, 03 May 2009 18:15:55 GMT

So today was my 5K. Before I get too deep in the details, let me set the stage:

Last night my 20 month old daughter began throwing up at 7:30pm. This lasted until about 10:30pm when she finally was too exhausted to do anything else, except fall asleep to the Velveteen Rabbit - a family favorite. With the swine flu epidemic (oh, I am sorry - Influenza A H1N1) closing down 4 schools in my town this week, you can only imagine what my mind was thinking. After a restless night and several trips to the bathroom (I am nearly 5 months pregnant now), I woke up at 6:15 to a yucky raining, windy day - YUCK! Did I really have to go out there for 3 miles. When it rains, I go to the gym to get exercise so having to do my event in the rain wasn't exactly how I had this whole thing planned out.

After fighting off the bliss of leaving a warm bed and a snuggly husband, I made it out of the house, water bottle in hand and ready to accomplish my goal. I got to the race on time, with plenty of space to park and time to grab a decaf cappuccino. Yum...

With 15 minutes still left to stretch, I made my way to the start and chatted with other participants there. For many it was a first 5K or the tenth 10K for others (inspiring to say the least). It seemed like in a flash the turnout went from dismal to completely packed by race start.

Since I knew I wasn't racing and instead simply a participant, I decided to keep to the back and begin my race once the true athletes had their turn. I was surrounded by hundreds of people who were supporters of the cause, happy to be walking or running in the rain knowing that they were getting exercise AND helping to raise thousands of dollars for the Children's Hospital. Since my partner (my daughter) was out with the flu, I decided to keep to myself, turn up the ipod and get a good pace going. It is funny, becuase emotionally I went from not really wanting to be out in the rain, pregnant and cold knowing my daughter was home with the flu; to absolutely loving the moment, happy that I was making the trek and proud of myself for sticking to my goal.

I ended up having so much fun. I ran when I could and walked when I needed to get my heart rate back to below 140 bpm. It is hard to make yourself slowdown when you are on a roll, but Doc said that I need to stay below 140 so I did my best Needless to say, I finished the race in under 43 minutes, so I accomplished my goal. Overall, the program was so much fun and I was thrilled to be a part of it all. Even with the surprise of getting pregnant -- all in all -- this was an experience that will definitely transpire throughout my life as well as in the coming months, as I hope reading our blog's will also help motivate you! Good luck to everyone in their upcoming events, I wish you nothing but success.

Before you leave the post - I do have additional photos that I am trying to get into this post, but for some reason, I am not able to select them. IT is working on it, but for now if you want to see them, please click on the images below (attached).

Cheers' to all and go get em' - signing off - Active_Jess

VOTE FOR DAN WOOLERY - Captain of Soozal and Winner in KEY WEST, MIAMI & MONTEGO BAY! http://sailor.seahorsemagazine.com/seahorse-sailor-of-the-month.html

Active_Jess — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:34:48 GMT

A lot has happened since the end of the Key West event. February and March continued to be a very busy time for the crew. With a few alterations and a little time to pull everything together, the group was heading even further South in order to reach for another win. To recap:

Team Soozal was immediately off to the Pineapple Cup which began in Florida and headed straight to Montego Bay, Jamaica. Just coming off the high of the action in Key West, Soozal kept her cool, remained focused and was able to conquer 2,000+ ocean miles and secure yet another win. With blown newly installed electronics, a shredded spinnaker and a tremendously arduous journey to the islands, Soozal once again astonished all who were there and achieved a second big win, carving out a space for Soozal in the media and creatING a buzz about the new Mills "King 40" design. You can check out the coverage on the events website at: http://www.montegobayrace.com/

With 2 solid back to back wins on a virgin boat, the team was headed back up the coast for Premiere Racing's second week-long regatta, this time located in Miami, FL. Take a look at a professional shot by Tom Wilkes.

What is that saying: "The third time's the charm"; well it must be true becasue Soozal took another 1st in Miami, proving to be the best of all the best of the West - this time on the East Coast. This win proved that Soozal is now the most prestigious boat in her class, and that the West Coast has a new threat out there on the water. You can also get the week's details on the following website: http://www.premiere-racing.com/miami09/pages/AMGP09_entry_information.html

Plenty of media attention has been given to the well deserved team and captain aboard Soozal. Most notably, there has been a spread in Sailing World magazine (April issue) and we received word that Dan Woolery was just nominated as sailor of the month in Seahorse magazine (the premiere International voice of sailing). You can pledge your vote on Seahorse Magazine's website: http://www.seahorsemagazine.com/

If you can't see the link, just search Seahorse Magazine, click the link and you will see the voting call out on the lower left hand side of the screen just to the bottom of the page. As more information becomes available I will fill all of you in. please stay tuned in and go out and vote the American nominee

Cheers'

Active_Jess

Pregnant Training

Active_Jess — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:05:29 GMT

Well ladies - I see that all of you are doing FABULOUS and I am so proud of all of you! Pregnancy has been treating me well have been walking a lot - not running as much as I had previously thought that I would. I am getting really excited for my event -- my daughter will be with me with stroller in tow. I have had lots of support from friends and family in my area and have started a group of waling buddies with pregnant people I know.

I have been working and traveling a ton over the last few weeks, so I apologize for not checking in sooner. It seems as though that by the time I am done with meetings, all I can do is think about eating and then going straight to bed. I must say that by the end of a long work day (which is everyday), I am definitely tired and ready to close the computer and crawl into bed. Now that my travel has mellowed out for the next two weeks or so, I will definitely be writing more

Cheers' to everyone's continued success!

Active Jess

Working out and feeling great contributes to your interpersonal life too

Active_Jess — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:13:20 GMT

As those of you who have been following this blog know, I have had a long struggle with bronchitis over the last month and a half. After feeling like I just couldn't shake the cold, I made my way to the Doctor and before giving me another antibiotic, they asked that inevitable question that freezes every woman's life for one mili-second.... "Could you be pregnant"? Despite life's current short term economic status, my husband and I decided that we were committed to having our children 2 years apart from one another. This was the first month that we began "trying" (repeating... "first month"). Sure enough, when I took the pregnancy test, I found out that I AM PREGNANT!! I was floored; shocked and simply couldn't believe my ears. We had tried with our first baby for nearly a year and the second came on the first try? I didn't even feel like I was pregnant...no symptoms this time at all. Granted, my first pregnancy was pretty smooth, but this had gone completely unnoticed. I guess not being able to shake the bronchitis for so long was the big indicator that I was ignoring all this time.

We are thrilled, and still a little baffled. Working out really does affect your interpersonal life too I guess! I am really glad that I lost 12 pounds before I found out that I was pregnant too - that is going to make the end result so much better!! I also love that I started out my pregnancy on a fitness program. I will be training for my 5K as planned but am altering this blog post to be more about staying committed to an exercise program while you are expecting and the health benefits that you can reap from its rewards. I am sure that like me, there are many of you out there who are nervous about continuing a training regime when you are just getting back into fitness, regardless if you are already a parent or not.

First - Always consult your doctor! If you are already working out regularly, you will likely be cleared to continue, but only a health professional can recommend how you proceed. Everyone's journey is so different and no two babies are the same. Second, drink more water -- I find that I am drinking twice as much as I am used to during my morning classes at 24Hr Fitness. I have had to decrease the amount of time that I can run, but I have added a powerwalk to keep up my regime. Since I am out there for about 45 minutes or so now, I bring a power snack, just in case I find myself feeling a little low on blood sugar. Lastly, I always keep an eye on my heartrate. For me, it is important for my heartrate not to exceed a certain level. If you know what your limits are, you will be able to continue to work out safely and the rewards will be for both you and baby.

I am hear to help keep you motivated and hopefully continue to be the person that you can relate to if you are reading this and in the same boat. If you have questions, please chime in as I would love to hear from you as us momma's have to stick together!

Cheers' and go get Active today - I know I will.

The right Stroller

Active_Jess — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:18:13 GMT

So, I have reverted back to walking these days, as I am still fighting off a horrible hacking cough with bronchitis and am headed to the Doc today to make sure that I do not have walking pneumonia. I refuse to not get any exercise so walking has helped me stay mentally motivated even though my body isn't fighting off this terrible cold.

While out over the weekend, I realized that the stroller that I am using to run with Nora with, is really heavy and isn't really equipped for jogging. I have the Quinny Buzz and I LOVE IT, but it does not have a jogging front wheel and I am afraid that I will break the front wheel if I continue to use the Buzz for 3 mile runs, etc. I do not live in the snow so I don't need an aggresive stroller. I'm also looking for something with low financial obligation for a stroller that fits only one child, as I know that I will be having another baby at some point, and will be buying additional strollers then. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Stay Active and Live Healthy - Active Jess

Strength In Numbers

Active_Jess — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:52:51 GMT

Although it is raining and completely miserable where I am today, I have managed to get myself out there and back in the gym while still fighting off the last little bit of bronchitis. Other than taking it slow and coughing a little bit through my walk run, I would say that it was pretty good.

Besides the "regulars" that I see in class every morning, I have begun to notice a few people who are getting out there and starting their journey to bring fitness back into their life too. I have chatted with a few of them while in line to swipe our gym cards and it is so refreshing just knowing that there are a lot of people beginning their journey. I am a big fan of having strength in numbers and I thought it would be a good time to remind all of you out there that we are here for you when you begin your journey too.

Stay out there and get Active today

My progress thus far...

Active_Jess — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:08:49 GMT

Where am I with my progress thus far? Well, my success with working out is something that I hold very near and dear to my heart. I went from swimming almost 3 miles a day while I was pregnant to having an emergency C-Section, something that altered the way that I lived my life for the better half of 6 months, to getting totally out of shape and cutting out all workouts from my daily routine. My involvement with the Bye Bye Baby Weight Team, has allowed me to now be able to be working out 5-6 days a week. This program has motivated me to get out there and do something all for myself. I look better, I feel better and I am stronger both mentally and physically.

My surgery with Nora was very complicated; I pulled several ab muscles during my labor and after being pulled and pushed all over the surgery table, I was left wounded in both body and soul. Since I was in bed for while after I had Nora, it took a lot longer than I had ever expected to get back out there and join the real world again. Like many moms out there, my body was in different places than it was before I got pregnant. At least when I was big and pregnant, I was pregnant! Now, every time I looked I looked in the mirror, I felt unmotivated, as if this was just "part of the process" and looking terrible was to be expected. Sad, I know.... Well, after several months of still enjoying the foods of pregnancy, I decided it was time for change and that it was time for me to get back in the gym and make my changes happen.

Today, I am suffering from bronchitis (which I just found out about at this yesterday's doc apt), so outside of a minor set back in my daily routine, I am now able to accomplish the following:

Daily workouts at 6am and back home before 7:15pm just before the little one awakes
Strength training to cross train in addition to running
Sit ups - my abs were cut in half but now I can do over 100 sit ups in one session, and my latest feet is 25 sit ups that require you to sit all the way up to your knees!!!!
Went from never running to running fa slow jog for 25 minutes straight - still trying to work up to the 30 minute duration
Dropped inches in my waist, my face is slimmer and some of pre-pregnancy clothes are beginning to feel BIG on me

Overall, I just feel like myself again. I do fall into my sweet tooth cravings once in awhile, but I know what it will take to burn it off and if it means that much to me, I will do it! I like the way I feel, knowing that I am accomplishing my goals. My goals weren't designed by anyone else - just me - so I only have myself to let down and I am my biggest critic. Working out brings good energy back into my life--Not just the physical part, but the mental part too. I find that my work is benefiting from it too! When I am out on Sales related calls, my nervous energy before a presentation is now replenished with a calm positive energy from my workout and solid / regular eating habits. When they say that bringing a workout back into your life is a "life change" it is because the results from one activity really do have an effect on your entire life.

It is so great to see the team doing so well and sticking to what they set out to do and I only hope to support all of them! Cheers' to everyone on the program and good luck to those of you out there reading this for that little extra dish of encouragement. My wish for you is that it is giving you the proof you need to know that you too can make a difference in your own life. Enjoy the weather out there today and start your weekend off right by getting a little exercise in!

Active Jess

Fighting off being sick...

Active_Jess — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 02:39:25 GMT

It is so hard to drag yourself out of the house when you simply don't feel good. My daughter contracted the worst sickness from all the other kids at daycare when we got back from Florida. Even though she was battling a 104.8 fever I was doing ok...That was up until Wednesday. I started to feel bad and then by Friday my voice was gone from coughing all night long, and I think I was at my worst. Valentine's Day was celebrated by staying in bed for the most part, sleeping. Because I don't feel well, I feel like I am getting thrown off track. My lungs are short of breath and every muscle in my body aches.

Today, I was able to get outside before the downpour started today and walked around breathing fresh air, just to get my legs moving and my blood flowing. It has been pouring where I live so getting outside for a second really helped. It is unrealistic to say that you can go get 'em every single and when it is time to rest do it. I am bummed to have missed a few of my runs over the last few days, but took the time to read up on changing things up a little. I read an interesting article on improving your 5K speed. Check it out: http://www.active.com/running/Articles/5_Ways_to_Improve_Your_5K_Speed.htm

As soon as I can go 5 minutes without coughing, I am going to try the short track workouts. If it is raining, there were also a few treadmill workouts that looked rather interesting and worth trying. Let me know if any of you are changing up your workout and if you like what you are doing.

Stay Healthy and Enjoy the day off tomorrow

Active Jess

Strength Training

Active_Jess — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 06:32:17 GMT

I have been strength training for about 3 1/2 months now. I have to say, I love it! I definitely feel stronger and can see the difference in my muscle tone since I began all of this. lately I have been so thankful for the 100 squats that I do in my 24 SET classes and Lift classes, as they are really helping me out with my running game. Granted, I am not a strong runner and with my bad knees, I am not gearing up to take first place in my 5K, by any means, but when I hit 20 minutes of what feels like endless strides across town, I am not nearly as sore afterwards and I think I owe this to my complimentary gym workouts.

If you are debating adding weights into your routine, I strongly recommend it. If you can't afford the gym, make a game out of it with the kids. You will find that they will wear you out and you will get a workout and quality family time in too...It is a win win for everyone!

Active Jess

Cold Lungs

Active_Jess — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:28:23 GMT

It is pretty cold here when I go for my runs in the morning. Now, I know the difference between sore "cold lungs" and actually having sore lungs from breathing (or dare I say panting) continuous cold breaths of air. Is there anything that anyone is doing to combat this? My run yesterday left my lungs not only cold, but very sore- all day! In fact, I can still feel them and I haven't gone for a run yet? Any ideas?

I've tried gum to help steady my breath and I love it - that seems to really work, but I have never experienced anything like what I felt with the cold air yesterday.

Back from my Vacation

Active_Jess — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:55:43 GMT

Well, for the first time since 2005, I took a real vacation. I went down the Florida Keys with "Soozal" the newest King40 in the IRC II class. Most of you are asking what is this? In short - it is a premiere sailboat that is 40' feet long, fully equipped with the highest level of state of the art mechanics and was sailed by some of the most elite sailors in the world.

We were gone for a total of 14 days - and it was amazing. Although the weather wasn't as nice as we were hoping, it still made for a great trip. Once of the coolest things about Key West is that you never drive your car! We rode bikes everyday, everywhere we went. It was Nora's first time on the bike and her helmet didn't fit very well so, I was a little hesitant at first. She fell in love with it and pretty soon, I was hearing "Momma bicycle ride" every other minute. We ate home-cooked meals (made by me and husband and 13 other crew members) so I knew what I was eating and snacking on all the time. There were the occasional days out to eat once the crew went home and it was just my parents and my family in Key West....but hey, we were on vacation right?

I did walk a lot and rode my bike all the time, so I feel like I was able to keep up my routine. Becasue it was more or a less a working vacation (cooking every meal for a crew of 13 hungry sailors) I wasn't able to stick to my running routine they way that I had hoped. Tomorrow morning it is back to SET at 24Hr Fitness and then a good run on Sunday before the Superbowl. We are HUGE football fans at our house and I don;t know about you, but we are doing what ever superbowl party does and snacking basically all day. I will do my best to avoid the temptations while the rest of the house indulges : )

As we leave Key West...

Active_Jess — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 18:09:14 GMT

As we look towards getting ready to pull out of Key West, we leave the marina as winners in both our hearts and on the trophy wall. The team was a perfect fit, the wind blew the right direction and for a virgin boat to take home the crown jewel of Key West is pretty amazing.

I hope you enjoyed getting a taste of the action and were able to check out some of the footage on the links that I sent out as well

WE WON!!!!!!!!

Active_Jess — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:18:47 GMT

Today we took two first places which proudly makes us the best of the best. The entire team has worked so hard for this moment and proving that they could win on a boat that hadn't even set sails in another race before this one, is what made this whole experience worth it. It is few and far between to see a crew who has never sailed together, come together and gel so well. Fueled by team spirit, the desire to win, elite knowledge and lack of ego's - this team proved today that they truly are the best.

We watched both races from aboard the Hindu today. This ship's history began as a submarine spy boat during WWII, then went on to become on the very first Whale Watching boats ever and also shipped spices to and from India. Solid wood and equipped with a cannon, we set sails this morning and headed out for a great day of sailing. The wind was blowing about 10kts and the sun was shinning all day (a first for Key West since we arrived here last Tuesday). Breath taking views of ocean life, birds and dolphins diving and swimming along side the boat as we headed out to see the competition.

Boat owner Susan Woolery alongside John (Shake a Leg leader), my husband, daughter and I as we watched from afar.

We took first on the first race and were able to catch up to Soozal for a quick hello and update on the team. The boat looked great and the team was PSYCHED!

We are heading out to the winner's circle in just a little bit so stay tuned for a recap soon!

Active_Jess

We're looking good...

Active_Jess — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:00:17 GMT

It is Thursday and we are ready to defend our title. We have to secure a top seat in today's races in order to be a serious competitor come Friday. We are looking good.

We were able to secure a spot from a friend of a friend's yacht so we should have a bird's eye view of the races.!http://community.active.com/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/7179/KeyWest2009+081.jpg!

This vessel is amazing. Her name is E-Sea-Go 'N - just like the owners that we sailed with.

As mentioned, Soozal is a King 40 so we were able to gather up all of the King 40 owners and watch from sea as a group...It definitely beats trying to see from land and I am not going lie - I could get use to riding on one of these babies all the time. We had a great view and got right up on Soozal, Hot Ticket and Act One (the three King 40 vessels within the IRC II division).

We ended up with a 1st and a 2nd today, and continue to be the boat to watch. We are all very excited about the big day tomorrow - but know that focus and smart sailing is what it is going to take to beat NGoni - a Mills 40 that seems to unsurpassable heading downwind. With 2,200 less pounds - she is a force to reckon with.

A solid team of the best bunch of guys I have met in a long, long time : ) Go get 'em tomorrow!!!!!

The Bow man up the mast

Helmsman - Dan Woolery and boat owner...Married to "Soozal" - literally, the boat is named after his wife Susan

Boat of the Day

Active_Jess — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:42:45 GMT

Boat of the day is one of the most prestigious honors that you can win down here in Key West. Wednesday, Soozal took on this honorable name. We had a great race day - the team took a first and a second and is really shinning above the rest! We have a chance to win this thing and we could be more excited!

See below for photos from the awards show...