Running Skirts.com: Fashion for 2013

Last Friday I had the pleasure of meeting with Cindy Lynch and Christy Baker, twin sisters and co-owners of RunningSkirts.com. Both Cindy and Christy are mothers who combine the world of fitness, business, and motherhood into a whirlwind of a successful life. The following is the interview I had with Cindy.

Me: How did it all start?

Cindy (paraphrased): In 2008 I entered Christy into the lottery for the 2008 ING New York City Marathon.  I told her not to worry because our chance for getting drawn was slim. Then, she got picked. At the time Christy had no illusions or desire to run a marathon, she was a fashion designer for her own children’s clothing line. Christy was determined not to wear the “regular” gym shorts that everyone else wore and she set out to design something “cute” to wear for the race. She came up with the running skirt. Everyone complimented us on our skirts and when we got home we both put a little money into the business and my husband made us a website. Five years later…. Here we are. Running Skirts is an internationally recognized company that sells skirts online as well as in Dick’s Sporting Goods and other local running and triathlon stores around the country.

Me: Wow that’s amazing! Since you are a mother how do you incorporate fitness into your every day life as well as your children’s?

Cindy (paraphrased): We find that we do most of our training early in the morning before our kids get up. We enjoy running but we also work with a trainer and do a “bootcamp” style workout once a week to keep us strong. As far as our children, we try to be fit as a family. They participate many times in the kid races that are held concurrently with many race series.

Me: What is your favorite type of workout?

Cindy (paraphrased): I like speed workouts the best as far as running goes. I also like “crossfit” type workouts because they help to keep the injuries away.

Me: Do you have a favorite race series?

Cindy (paraphrased): I really enjoy the Disney race series both in California and Florida. They are a lot of fun both to run in and for the family.

Me: Do you see a triathlon anywhere in your future?

Cindy (paraphrased): Well, my husband bought me a road bike for Christmas and is trying to encourage me to do a triathlon in Hawaii this next year. We will see…..

In visiting with both Christy and Cindy I found them to be a delight and an inspiration for mothers today who desire to be fit, do what they love, and dare to take a chance on an idea and make a dream a reality.

Weighing In…

I am sure that most people can relate and admit that there are times when you know you know you are “all that”. You have committed to a healthy lifestyle and have stuck with it for a whole week. You have gotten up before everyone else, gotten your workout in, and have a healthy breakfast on the table. You feel ready to conquer whatever will be thrown at you next. Then, your confident self, steps on the scale for a little extra validation of how great you are doing and then……… it all comes to a screeching halt.

Stepping on the scale does not always make us happy. There are times in our lives that the number that we are seeing does not compute with what we are doing in our everyday life and when that happens our motivation and mood can take a MAJOR nose dive.

It is at this point where your mindset can be a make or break. On a good day you assume that you’re retaining water, fat is turning to muscle and the next day it will be down. On those days it is just a number that will change with variables.

Other times a disagreement with the scale can leave you feeling like you’ve been kicked in the gut. You decide you’re a hopeless case who is never going to meet her health and fitness goals and make your way to the fridge. Or, maybe you’re prone to the opposite behavior and begin restricting your diet and run an extra five miles that day. Either way, there is no healthy escape.

We are all prone to either reaction on any given day. In order to foster a healthy attitude as we work on our healthy bodies follow these five pointers when you’re drawn to check the scale:

1. Don’t weigh yourself every day. Many factors, especially water retention, can cause your weight to vary significantly from day to day. Don’t get sucked into those daily fluctuations in weight—your mood is likely to follow. Who needs another reason to be moody?
2. Your weight can vary 2-4 pounds during the day so when you do hit the scale, do it at the same time each day. Morning, when you first get out of bed, is best since that’s when most of us are at our lightest.
3. Be sure to use the same scale each time to weight yourself to avoid confusing accuracy with variance.
4. Before stepping on the scale be sure to think through the consequences of meeting or not meeting your goal. Only step on the scale if you are confident you won’t let an unexpectedly high number defeat you.
5. Chuck it (as in garbage can not against wall). Remember that your weight doesn’t tell the whole story. Instead of judging your progress by the number on the scale, gauge your success by how your clothes are fitting, your energy level, your body composition, or your general state of health.  After all, that’s  what living a healthy lifestyle is supposed to be anyway.

Going Raw

I just recently purchased an amazing blender called the OmniBlend V. I have to admit that I have been coveting the Vitamix and the Blendtec for a while but could not bring myself (and my budget) to purchase it. With the blender came a book written by Carmella Soleil called “Deliciously Raw”.  In the cookbook I found amazingly simple and delicious recipes as well as Carmella’s story about moving to a fully raw diet. Both Abby and I have long since been a proponent of Clean Eating, which I will go in to more detail about next time, but I felt I needed to do more research about what raw eating entailed and its proposed benefits. Here is what I found out:

What it is:

The raw food diet is based on the belief that the most healthful food for the body is uncooked. Although most food is eaten raw, heating food is acceptable as long as the temperature stays below 104 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit (the cutoff temperature varies among those in the raw food community). Cooking is thought to denature the enzymes naturally present in food. According to raw foodists, enyzymes are the life force of a food, helping us to digest food and absorb nutrients. If we overconsume cooked food, our bodies are forced to work harder by producing more enzymes. Over time, a lack of enzymes from food is thought to lead to digestive problems, nutrient deficiency, accelerated aging, and weight gain.

What do you eat?

There are different ways that people follow a raw food diet. Most people who follow a raw food diet are vegan. Some consume raw animal products, such as raw milk, cheese made from raw milk, sashimi, ceviche (raw fish), or carpaccio (raw meat). Some people eat only raw foods, while others include cooked food for variety and convenience. The percentage of raw food is usually 70 percent or more of the diet. I also found that there were a variety of websites out there that offered recipes and ideas of how to incorporate the raw lifestyle in to a working one. A few are:

The Sunny Raw Kitchen: http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/

Rawmazing:  http://www.rawmazing.com/rawmazing-recipes/

Gone Raw: http://goneraw.com/recipes

We Like It Raw: http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/raw-food-recipes.html

I am not sure that I am ready to completely stop cooking my food but the information out there about the Raw Food Diet is pretty convincing. Since purchasing my blender and doing the research I have tried to incorporate even more raw foods in to my diet then before. I have to admit that I can feel the increase in energy. Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions?

Guilty Pleasures – The True Confessions of an Athletic Mom

I confess…. I am guilty. I love, love, love to workout and compete. I love to set a goal, push my body past where I have pushed it before; I like to sweat, to give it my all as I tackle a challenging workout or athletic pursuit. In this confession, I also feel the need to mention that I am a Mother. Many of you know that I am a Mother to two boys and wife to one amazing husband. I love them all dearly and devote my days and time to their growth and well-being. Of my loves comes my inner battle. Let me elaborate…..

 

This past Monday was a doozie of a day. It began with my kids being cranky and clingy and ended with full blown tantrums (the kids not me) and them trying to reattach the umbilical cord. (Alright, I know I am being a little melodramatic but you are getting my drift). By the time my husband arrived home, I was completely spent. I had not gotten my workout in for the day as I had planned and was sorely in need of one, partially physically but more mentally. Dinner was ready and on the table and the kids had already eaten. I paced the floor in my running clothes wavering between spending the evening with the family or taking an hour for myself to run. During my pace, I tried to override the voice in my head telling me that, “if I was really a good wife and Mother, then I would give up my needs for the benefit of my family”. I believe we can all identify with that little voice. It is the one that we work to override every day as we try to achieve a balance between family and fitness.

 

I am sure that most, if not all, Moms can identify with feeling “motherhood guilt”.  I know I sure can. After I became a mom, the idea snuck into my head that it was selfish to make the time to exercise. Suddenly there was always so much to do, so many new demands and responsibilities; getting in a workout while the baby was sleeping seemed selfish because there were so many other “more important” things to get done. I am here to tell you that while those feelings are normal, to fall prey to them is not the best choice. Remember, “putting the family first” does not mean that you should ignore your personal well-being. Feeling good physically and mentally undoubtedly makes us better at parenting; but in order to do that we need to mentally train ourselves to put aside that voice in our head.

One way to do that is through looking at our calendar and seeing what is there (and in some cases what is not). If there are many trips to the grocery store, doing laundry, and taking kids to camps, but no time to workout, then a change needs to be made. Once you can say “no” to something that is not a priority, you will feel much better when you use the free time to attend to something that is.

Thus, my guilty confession. This past Monday night I chose to take an hour out of my evening for a run rather then spend time with my family and we are all the better for it. I came home a rejuvenated mother and wife, ready to take on the tasks the evening had in store for me. I encourage all mothers to mentally train their inner voice, take time for themselves, and make fitness a priority.

Any thoughts or experience I would love to hear you stories.

-Kristen

Perspectives

Lately, I’ve been writing on perspective. That’s an out-flow of what God’s been teaching me in my own life. So, given that this is a fitness blog, I began to ponder how perspective relates to our physical bodies.

“We as women we look in front of the mirror and automatically jump to everything we hate about ourselves, wish we could change, we’re so overly critical of ourselves,” she said. (The full article can be read at CNN by following the link.)

The more that you visit this blog, or read my personal blog, Predatory Lies, you’ll hear pieces of my story. Briefly, I struggled with an eating disorder and distorted body image for about 15 years. Moms Who TRI is a passionate pursuit for me. I want women to have a confident, Christ-centered view of themselves. I want to enable women to share that  healthy perspective with their children and especially their daughters.

It’s a dangerous world out there. There are advertisements telling you that you deserve every indulgence including rich foods, fast foods, and unhealthy habits. Those are followed by magazines that declare you aren’t thin enough, promise to tell you their special secret to weight loss, and pages of stick-thin models to inspire you. To continue the confusion, there is Facebook and other social media that magnifies the voices of your childrens’ peers and drowns out the value of a mother’s wisdom.

Moms Who TRI wants to be a voice of reason. We want to drown out the chaos and promote simple, healthy habits that you can demonstrate and teach to your children. Exercise can be a fun part of your family’s life. In our bootcamps, it’s a time for moms and kids to enjoy being together, too.

If you can’t join us in Burke, VA, for our moms and kids bootcamps, please join us here online. We will continue to share workouts, health tips and encouragement. If there’s any way that we can help you become healthier, we want to know. Our ears are open, and so is the “comment box”!

Train…Race…Inspire…, It’s Worth It.

If you or someone you know may be struggling with an eating disorder, this is an excellent resource.