2018 New Year New You Weight-Loss Challenge

In our 2017 6-week challenge, as a team,
we lost a total of 157 lbs and we are READY to do it again.

JOIN US as we KICK OFF our
NEW YEAR NEW YOU 6-week challenge...

Fit4Lyfe is READY to help our men and women TRANSFORM their bodies as we work our way through the first two months of 2018. Our goal is to help you focus on resolutions and RESULTS-- giving you the opportunity to learn and work towards understanding what it takes to lose weight, get healthy and ENJOY the process! Whether you have weight to lose or not, in 6-weeks, you can TRANSFORM your mind and body. This challenge is for ANYONE and we welcome everyone to join.

Our fitness concept is unique and top-notch. We promote functional fitness through High Intensity Interval Circuit Training where each and EVERY 60-minute workout is DIFFERENT! You'll be challenged through every workout and our coaches are continuously coming up with routines and exercises that incorporate cardio, resistance & strength training, core focus, flexibility, balance and more. You will increase your metabolism and have a continuos BURN for up to 36-hours POST workout!

Registration starts NOW until January 7th and additional details are listed below.

Basic Details:
Starts: January 8, 2018
Ends: February 18, 2018
6 Week Challenge
Cost: $30/person (http://bit.ly/2018NewYearNewYouChallenge)
Winner: MALE and FEMALE (TOP 2 in each category will WIN cash money!)
*You do NOT need to do this challenge just to lose weight. You can join for the accountability, support, fun and to support your fellow challengers.*

Weigh-Ins AT Fit4Lyfe ONLY:
FIRST weigh-ins need be done during the first few days of the start of the challenge (January 5-7 ONLY). Weigh-Ins can be done at any time you choose; just keep in mind that as the day goes on, your weight does fluctuate. We recommend a morning weigh-in. Wear light clothing and preferably the same outfit; remove shoes and any car keys, wallets, etc etc. You can stop by the gym during gym hours ONLY to complete your weigh-ins and all days/times will be shared in the Private Facebook Group as well as on our Fit4Lyfe Facebook Page. You do NOT need to see or know your weigh-in but your Trainer/Coach will record what the results are.

January 5-7 at Fit4Lyfe: Beginning Weigh-Ins and Optional Photos
January 19-21 at Fit4Lyfe: Week 2 Weigh-Ins
February 2-4 at Fit4Lyfe: Week 4 Weigh-Ins
February 18-19 ONLY at Fit4Lyfe: FINAL Weigh-Ins and Optional Photos

Results based on Total Percentage Loss: The calculation is to take your actual weight (today) and subtract it from your initial weight. Then divide that number by your initial (starting) weight. Take that number and multiply it by 100 and you get your weight loss percentage. (Someone that weighs 200 vs. 160 has the same advantage!)

2018 UPDATE: Although we are encouraging you to commit and work really hard towards your goals, you will be limited to a MAX weight-loss of 4% in any given bi-weekly weigh-in (Total of a MAX overall weight-loss of 12%.). If your bi-weekly weight-loss exceeds the 4%, you will be marked down at 4% for that weigh-in. The purpose of this is to allow everyone to have a healthy steady weight-loss based upon national average weight-loss numbers. We are not promoting excessive diets and/or excessive exercising. We want everyone to have an enjoyable 6-weeks that includes learning how to maintain their desired weight-loss in a healthy and safe way while incorporating healthy eating and a sufficient amount of exercise. This is a challenge and we encourage a bit of "healthy" competition!

Additional Rules/Regulations:

1. This is an individual contest.
2. $30 Entry Fee is non-refundable. We want you to be all in and commit to YOU!
3. MUST workout at Fit4Lyfe a minimum of 3x/week during the challenge period.
4. All weigh-ins are REQUIRED. If you do not check-in, you will be disqualified. Like mentioned, you do NOT need to know the number but we will keep the results for you.
5. Front and Side photos are optional and will be taken at the gym at the FIRST and LAST weigh-in. (recommended to wear the same outfit for any and all photos)
6. Entry fee must be paid by the end of the first week aka January 14th and can be done at Fit4Lyfe (cash or credit card) or NOW online using this link http://bit.ly/2018NewYearNewYouChallenge
7. We discourage participants from using unhealthy methods to lose weight; such as starvation, diet pills, water pills, laxatives and excessive exercise.
8. In the event of a TIE, Fit4Lyfe will make the final decision on winnings to each participant.

But WAIT... we ALSO are going to offer you a VIRTUAL group on Facebook to help you stay committed to your goals. This is a PRIVATE group and you can join after you've paid your dues. In this group, you will get daily motivation, support, accountability, recipes, healthy tips AND some added friendly competition among your fellow challengers. The group is located at:
http://bit.ly/2018newyearnewyoufacebookgroup

Overall, this is a FUN and FRIENDLY COMPETITION! We are encouraging EVERYONE to participate as it helps the moral of our friends and family! By participating, you are leading from the front and encouraging others to stay committed to their goals. Although weight-loss is NOT the only way to track changes and success, it is an added perk and many of us are motivated by those changes. There will be additional FUN mini challenges throughout the course of the challenge to help you SEE those other changes; including strength and endurance.

DECIDE.COMMIT.SUCCEED and HELLO 2018!

December Recipe of the Month

So easy. So yummy. This Indian inspired dish is PACKED with flavor and guaranteed to have you coming back for more. Serve it up with some cooked rice, cauliflower rice or even over roasted veggies; anything goes with this one!

CHICKPEA CURRY

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium serrano pepper, cut into thirds
• 4 large cloves garlic
• 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, (peeled and coarsely chopped)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (1-inch)
• 6 tablespoons canola oil or grapeseed oil
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2¼ cups no-salt-added canned diced tomatoes with their juice, (from a 28-ounce can)
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• Fresh cilantro for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pulse serrano, garlic and ginger in a food processor until minced. Scrape down the sides and pulse again. Add onion; pulse until finely chopped, but not watery. 
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add coriander, cumin and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. 
3. Pulse tomatoes in the food processor until finely chopped. Add to the pan along with salt. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Add chickpeas and garam masala, reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes more. Serve topped with cilantro, if desired.

So I ran the NYC Marathon {Coach Sandy's Journey}

Your GREATEST moments will come when you feel the weakest! 

November 5, 2017, I RAN the NYC Marathon… and I SWORE I would never do this whole 26.2 thing again… well kinda… ya know in the moment when you forget WHY you did this and WHY you're fighting so hard... take a journey with ME as I share HOW I became NYC Famous...

In February 2017, Jason and I entered into the 2017 NYC Marathon lottery for the THIRD time! This has been a bucket list item for myself for many many MANY years and as each year passed, my hopes of one day getting accepted was getting smaller and smaller--- it really does get to a point where you’re like WTH is going on; this shit is RIGGED! So like every other anxious runner, we entered and tucked away that excitement for the next month… #literallycountingEVERYdayasitpassed

Well come March 2, 2017 aka LOTTERY DAY… our credit card was charged ONE entry fee! For those that do not know how these lotteries work, basically you enter and secure your spot with a credit card. When the drawing takes place, the FIRST sign that you are IN is that your credit card is charged #BOOMgoodbye250dollars; later your account on their racing site is updated and you’re able to SEE that you are officially in. Only little mishap for us was that I kinda entered the SAME credit card for Jason and I so when that credit card got charged ONCE, EVERY emotion took place--- tears, excitement, anxiety, fear… and a little anger; OMG, what if JASON got picked and not me. {This is MY bucket list item, not his! Of course I’d be happy no matter what but let’s be real here, I wanted this SOOOOO bad! Please please please let it be ME--- hahaha} So choked up and all, I pick up the phone and call him, calm as ever for a quick second and then I scream “ONE OF US IS IN THE NYC MARATHON”… and then I cried! I was SOOO excited that one of us was in but WHO WHO WHO is it?!?!! What would we do if it was me… but what if it was HIM?! I made him swear that he wouldn’t run it without me. #whatsmineisMINEwhatshisisMINE (hahaha) Refreshing our accounts over and over again for the next 6 hours was all I had in me to do that day--- which I know it’s hard to understand but IMAGINE crossing the finish line in one of the most PRESTIGIOUS races of all. IMAGINE getting that award that you’ve worked so hard for. ENVISION what it would be like to graduate with that degree you’ve dreamed about. Yeah… this falls up there too when racing and fitness is your LIFE! #fit4lyfeSTRONG

Patiently waiting to see WHO it was… I refreshed one more time around 3PM and like a ray of light…IT WAS ME! KICKING and SCREAMING like an excited yet nervous 4 year old... and then...TEARSSSSSS! 

I got in!

Knowing that this is something that Jason and I really wanted to do together, we decided to join the amazing St. Jude organization and raise funds for their charity. Doing so would grant Jason entry into the NYC Marathon as well as race week/weekend perks. This was honestly one of the BEST things we could have done for our NYC marathon experience. Not only did Jason raise an incredible $3600 but each and EVERY person supported this beautiful organization AND a dream that Jason and I had--- THANK YOU from both of us; YOU made this possible for us to do it together! St. Jude was ahhhhh MAZING! Day before the race we had a beautiful lunch where we got to meet other runners as well as get a pep talk from their very own racing Coach. Race day, we were transported from Central Park to Staten Island via a courtesy bus and then provided a heated tent with food/coffee/etc etc as we waited the 3 hours for our start time. For those that race, you KNOW how hectic this “waiting” period can be. You’re already nervous and stressed that the LAST THING you want to do is be uncomfortable for an extended period of time. St. Jude and the entire CHARITY VILLAGE at Staten Island was ON THEIR GAME! I highly encourage anyone that wants to run a race like this to research and get on board; it was an incredible perk and you’re supporting something GREAT!

OK so back to getting accepted and deciding WHAT to do next. Training plans went into full effect as soon as I found out. For me, this would be my 3rd Marathon (Miami 2015 and 2017) and for Jason, this would be his 1st. Being gym owners, coaches and trainers, I was able to take my own experience and knowledge to put together a plan that would work for us. I designed the 20-week schedule around our already HECTIC lifestyle (Jason working full time, both of us teaching classes/running Fit4Lyfe, 3 kids, activities, school, home, keeping our interval training, running, RACES, etc etc etc… ya’ll parents KNOW what I’m talking about!). This 20 week schedule would allow us to train separately during the week (cause ya know these little minions of ours need to be watched every now and then) and then complete our weekly long run together; which is an experience in its own because Jason and I do not race nor train together. Jason and I train “differently”--- I like to blame it on he’s a guy, I’m a girl, and it’s just DIFFERENT and we’ve got different goals and he runs different and I train different and I like to run with no music and he likes music and I like to take small breaks and he doesn’t… the list goes so long that you would think our training together would be a total bust. BUT, we sucked it up, got to work and took it ONE run at a time. We had our arguments and struggles. We’d run and he’d put me in my place and remind me of my goals and well… I just decided to huff and puff and remain quite. What I really wanted to say was…this is my 3rd marathon and I know what I’m doing… but I SAVED my words for race day! #toldyouSO ;-)

With the INCREDIBLE support of our parents and working together to care for our little dudes, Jason and I were able to COMPLETE all but THREE long runs together (one while he was away at OCRWC and two because he got injured)--- this deserved a GOLD MEDAL in itself because it really wasn’t in our cards to be able to stick to this plan! We had doubts when we first started training that we wouldn’t be able to run together BUT we kinda make this commitment that we would just START and figure it out as we went along. Life is like that anyways; you don’t always know HOW you’ll do something but you just gotta put one foot in front of the other and figure it out as you need to. 

We ran just about EVERY SUNDAY together! We ran HARD; like faster than I ever have. We trained HARD; like almost EVERY day with one day being an active recovery. We went out on Friday and Saturday nights and still got up EARLY AF on Sundays to TRAIN (double workouts in our earlier weeks of training). We drank so much water and electrolyte mix and we ate so many CARBS on our carb heavy days and enjoyed EVERY SINGLE moment of it… and oh yeah, we went VEGAN [well me more so LACTO-VEGETARIAN (Google it)] 3 weeks into our plan too--- WTF were we thinking?!?! Not sure on that one BUT that’s another blog in itself because it truly was one of the BEST things we could’ve done for ourselves and our HEALTH.  We made NO excuses for ourselves and even on weeks that were really hard and we had no energy and felt like running was the LAST thing we wanted to do, we set like 3 alarms, pulled our shit together, laced up our shoes and did what needed to be done; not saying one word because sometimes life is just HARD. It wasn’t easy but it WAS possible! And it WAS 100% worth it! CORRECTION... 200% worth it!

Training went well! I put together a very precise plan that included runs, sprints, Fit4Lyfe workouts, lifting and one longer run weekly. It worked with OUR schedule and not a plan that you or your partner could follow; it was personalized and the way EVERY plan should be. This was tailored to our life, our needs, our schedules and more. It worked for US! We fueled our bodies according to our goals and we had FUN doing it--- many times hitting goals that we once thought were impossible!

On October 14, 2017, Jason participated in the 15K portion of the OCRWC in Canada and got injured; we were DEVASTED! Happy that he did AMAZING in this race and marked off another bucket list item but NERVOUS that now we are sitting at 3-weeks prior to the marathon with no telling if he could recover, walk, run or even finish the training that we were doing SOOOOO good with! Talk about an upper cut right hook with a side kick in the gut when you least expect it--- this was NOT in the plan and if you know me well, you KNOW I’ve got NO time for this nonsense! We got plans, goals, a schedule… booked trip… a MARATHON to run! Tears… AGAIN! 

Jason returned home… limping and in pain! My heart BROKE for him. He trained SOOOO hard for this and deserved every ounce of that glory. #BAMF BUT I knew that being strong is also part of the plan. He got checked out by the best of the best at OAUSA (well deserved shameless plug) and they determined that he had a bruised heel with some plantar fasciitis. FORTUNATELY it wasn’t anything worse BUT nervous that we were cutting it really CLOSE with healing time. He was in a boot for a week with doctors orders to NOT run and really take it easy. SOOOOO that’s what he did. He RESTED... in silence because I’m sure it hurt him more to talk about it. 

Race week was upon us and as we made our final preparations, I fell into an anxiety overhaul!!! Kids! Pets! Weather! Travel! Its one thing to race close to home BUT now to travel to another STATE and stay in a hotel with an unfamiliar bed and eating foods you may normally eat and well the list goes on and YES, I’m THAT paranoid person. Running 26.2 freaking miles is not easy and sticking to your schedule is ideal. BUT all in all, everything fell into place the way it should and I was able to CHILL . 

We arrive in NYC on Friday morning before the race and head over to the EXPO. This is where the energy and excitement begins. Packet pick-up, shopping, pictures and more. You get to ask questions, meet other racers, and determine your day of plan and so on. I could honestly say that I stood there, the MOST prepared that I’ve ever been with a feeling that I’ve never had before. I’ve waited soooooo long for this and after weeks and weeks of training, this was IT. 

Jason and I took those two days prior to reflect on the journey, to enjoy NYC, to eat really good food and to attend as many race events as we could. We were honored to be a part of the St. Jude’s luncheon where we got a pep talk from their very own Coach Kevin. Kevin was real and RAW! Everything he talked about was sooooo real and soooo relatable. I held Jason because I KNEW he was about to face one of the hardest things he’s EVER encountered—we were NOT in Kansas anymore babes, this shit was going down!!!

with Coach Kevin

RACE DAY! Waking up at 4am to catch a 530am bus was not something that was new to us. Our mornings at home START at 420am and our days are just are crazy. Taking the St. Jude bus from Central Park to Staten Island was beautiful— but all I could think about was “did I eat enough” “did I drink enough” “I don’t think I went to the bathroom” “shit did I rest enough”. Tears... again! F$$K!!!!! St. Jude provided a heated tent, food, drinks, hangout area and more. Our 3-hour wait was much more comforting knowing we had these amenities. 

After a few more potty breaks, it’s 1045am and we line up for our 11am corral! It’s OFFICIAL, we’re IN this. 3...2...1... we’re OFF! I quickly fall into my pace while Jason whispers in my ear “you need to slow down”. LOL is exactly what I did!!! #truth. Up and over the first bridge and we’re immediately at our training pace— F$$K YESSSS!!! I have NEVER felt this good. No music. No worries. Just us and thousandsss of runners on the same mission; to hit 26.2 ALIVE! 

We hit mile 8 and were being cheered on by our incredible squad, my sister Jessica and our two good friends Kevin and Wendy. EVERY mile was an accomplishment and EVERY step of the way was filled with fans! You honestly felt like EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON was screaming YOUR name—NYC is something else!

Around mile 8-9.. feeling GOOD!

At mile 13 was when it happened... Jason was hurting and of course he needed to pee. HOW this man peed so much is beyond me BUT we stopped, drank some electrolytes and we got right back into it; reaching our pace once again. #YESweareGOOD

Mile 16, he’s hurting bad; or so his mind says! His hamstrings hurt more than anything. I could see it in his face and I had to turn away before I started crying. #tearsAGAIN I reminded him of what Coach Kevin said “your mind is going to tell you everything hurts... it’s a LIE”! He told me to keep going and to leave him. I wanted to. I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about it. I trained SOOOO hard for this. My training was immaculate. My body was in the best physical shape it’s been. I’ve fought the Marathon mind games and I knew how to push myself and him. BUT we talked about doing this together. The thought of crossing that finish line without him was not something I came here to do. I wanted to PR my marathon at a SUB 4:00:00 and I KNEW we could do it but at that moment, I also knew that I needed to accept that wasn’t going to happen. So I looked at him and told him “NO, we’re in this together”. We took it ONE mile at a time from that point on. He struggled and I struggled from having to stop and go stop and go. We met our squad at mile 19 and that was the BEST everrrrr. Mike and Ike’s and Vitamin Water was EXACTLY what we needed!!!! Quick stretch and back to it. Through the boroughs we continued, making memories together. I remember telling Jason that no matter WHAT, he needed to leave it ALLLLL on those streets. His hamstrings were not gonna pop and he was gonna be FINE. He probably won’t remember half the shit I said because he was in so much pain and I was probably annoying him but whatever; that’s what wives do. 

BLESSED for this crew... they SAVED us!

Take a journey with me down the FINAL 2.5 miles through Central Park...

“Its SUPER BOWL DAY and you are one of the top 2 teams in the NFL. You’re jumping up and down getting ready to run out on the field. You can hear the fans yelling YOUR name... TOCCI TOCCI TOCCI... as you say another prayer and take a deep breath. It’s about to go DOWN. This is IT. The day you’ve been waiting for, the FINAL game. The final run. Make it this final stretch and you’re the WINNER! BUT wait... calm down now... don't get too cocky now... you've still got a game to play and it’s NOT over until it’s over!”

And just like that, the small street was LINED shoulder to shoulder with fans; young and old. No matter HOW you were feeling at that moment, it didn't matter, you couldn’t stop now. You’ve been running the last 4-6 miles 100% with your heart. These last few steps were filled with EMOTION! Cold! Rain! Soreness! Exhaustion! Mental GAMES! It was ALLLLL worth it! The fight was WORTH IT!

Jason and I crossed that finish line just as we started--- TOGETHER! This journey would NOT have been what it was without him by my side and I'm completely humbled knowing that NO MATTER WHAT happened, we were WINNERS--- TOGETHER! NO ONE could take away this victory and TOGETHER, we become 2017 NYC FAMOUS! #tearsAGAIN

Jason, babe, THANK YOU for everything! Thank you for supporting my dream. Thank you for ALWAYS pushing me. Thank you for NEVER giving up on me and US. I would NEVER be able to do any of this without you. Words will never express how blessed I feel. THANK YOU!

We DID IT!!!

Thank you again to EVERYONE that has supported us in the past, present and future! Our parents and Isabella for helping to make this possible and to our FIT4LYFE FAM that is truly our BACKBONE in everything we do. We believe in leading from the FRONT because there is NOTHING that you cannot do. Set your mind to it and GOOOOOOO!

So some ask whats next... WELL, now that I am fully recovered, I had some time to pull myself together and work on a few future goals. I could not stay away from the marathon course too long so I'm headed to prove to MYSELF that the SUB 4:00:00 IS possible for me. I will tackle the MIAMI MARATHON come January 28, 2018 and I'm training my little tail off to be BETTER than I was yesterday. 2018 is going to be a different year for me, I'm going to transition into the swim-bike-run world and tackle some TRIATHLONS! Life is a JOURNEY and I believe in constantly challenging your mind, body and SOUL to become who you've always wanted to be. My motto is SIMPLE... "If you never GO for something, HOW do you know you won't be good at it? The ONLY way to know is DOING and DOING is the first step to ACCOMPLISHING"!

Until next time... Peace.Love.Lift.RUN.Fit4Lyfe! <3

I EARNED THAT! <3 

So I ran the NYC Marathon... {Coach Jason's Journey}

About to become NYC FAMOUS!

I always disliked running while growing up and only ran in the Navy when I had to pass my Physical Readiness Test. I NEVER thought I would ever run a half marathon, let alone a marathon and honestly if it wasn’t for this particular race being on my wife’s bucket list, I still may have never had the marathon on my racing resume.

To be able to run the NYC Marathon, you have 3 options: qualify (with a really fast time that we’re not at; YET!), enter the open lottery and get picked OR join an approved Charity and raise monies to support their cause. We both decided to enter the lottery back in January and come lottery day in February, Sandy got picked; but not me. Maybe it was in her cards and not mine; not sure but thinking about how awesome it would be to run this with her, I decided to run as a St. Jude Hero and raise money for their amazing cause.

Fast forward to 20 weeks out from the race where I started my race training… I have a VERY BUSY schedule (yeah yeah, just like everyone, right?). But to give you an idea, I get up at 4:30AM four days a week to teach HIIT classes at our Fit4Lyfe gym and then I work as a CEO of an Orthopaedic practice (M-F) from 9-5  to then return to Fit4Lyfe to teach night classes (3 days a week), get home around 8:15pm(ish), hang with my family, eat and go to bed by 10:30pm to do it all again. So, yeah, it’s BUSY and hard to find the time for training BUT it’s also the lifestyle I choose and one that my wife and I take great pride in.

My workout schedule included going to the gym on my 1-hour lunch break to do whatever type of HIIT/short runs I could fit in and then doing one long run each week which usually occurred Sunday mornings with Sandy. I would also hit as many Fit4Lyfe classes as I could and during the early part of our trainings, we would run from our home to Fit4Lyfe and take a class as well; you do what you gotta do when you gotta do it.  Training was ROUGH and it also included training for my bucket list item, the 2017 OCR World Championship that occurred in Canada on October 13 -15; which I completed with our amazing Fit4Lyfe Team.

Everything was going really well with my training and all on schedule until I injured my foot in the 15K OCR World Championship race on October 14th. Now I stood 3 weeks out from my first ever marathon, injured and freaking out. I saw my doc immediately and followed orders, which included no activity up to the race--- this had to be one of the hardest things to do!

I showed up in NYC, worried (but I am really good at hiding that from everyone), as I was about to attempt to run 26.2 miles in one of the biggest marathons in the WORLD with my longest run (EVER) being 17 miles and not running at all in the previous 3 weeks!  I was calm and collected on the outside until we attended the St. Jude’s athlete luncheon. At this luncheon, Coach Kevin started to talk about all the amazing things about the NYC Marathon and how this was an incredible experience but he also mentioned how difficult this race was going to be and directly but indirectly said “if you didn’t train, GOOD LUCK”. I totally thought he was talking right to me right then and there… I started getting really nervous and doubting myself.  You see, I pretty much doubt myself in every competition and I’m always nervous of failing and letting people down. I know it’s not what most would think but this is the truth of what goes on inside. So to say that I wasn’t nervous would be lying to all… I was the most nervous I’ve ever been!

Just a little nervous...

Race day we get up at 430am to catch the St. Jude 530am bus from Central Park to Staten Island where we would then wait around until our 11am start time; talk about nerves on OVERDRIVE!  I must have visited every single port-a-potty in that whole staging area as the more I sat around, the more my nerves would get to me. It was a rough start before the official start.

Bus ride from Central Park to Staten Island

The “Village” set up was pretty cool. There were tents to hang out; Dunkin Donuts and other vendors were there and of course, plenty of Port-o-potties.  We were hanging out in the St. Jude tent, well really I was pacing around a lot, for a couple hours and then it finally happened, they called our corral number. EEKS! We made our way over to the start line and then BOOM…a huge crowd of screaming people cheering us all on. WOW, SO OVERWHELMING!!!  No turning back now, it’s go time!

3, 2, 1, GO…and we were running the NYC Marathon! Things started SLOW as there were so many people in our way. The first mile was spent jockeying for a good position so our pace was a bit all over the place. At about mile 2 we were able to start hitting a regular pace and begin running our plan; just as planned.

Man o man a marathon is such a mental game!! I run a fair amount and ran a lot to train for this marathon but only a few miles in my mind started telling me that my legs hurt.  At about mile 5, my quads were hurting (so my mind was telling me), then about mile 7 it was my knees and I thought “what happed to your quads hurting” as they weren’t hurting anymore?  We had a quick pit stop at mile 8 to say HELLO and grab some supplies from the amazing support group that was there for us (Kevin and Wendy Updegrove and Jessica Schoonover). That little break and cheer squad was a nice reboot for my legs as I felt fresh starting up again.

The BEST cheer squad!

As the miles kept adding up, I really tried to focus on the crowd (which NEVER ended). All the people cheering, the signs, the kids giving high fives was absolutely amazing and helped take my mind off the fact that I was about to approach uncharted territory at 17 miles.

Runners talk about “The wall”? What the hell is that?? Did I hit it? I have no idea! All I know is at mile 16 I thought “HOLY SHIT, I HAVE 10 MOR MILES TO GO” and started doing math in my head to figure out how much longer I had to run. I mean you do know that every runner is a math genius, right? At this point I told myself to stop worrying about the miles and JUST RUN! That sounded good but mile 17 was approaching and now I was entering uncharted territory! Never had I run one step further than 17 miles and now I was a bit nervous…can I really do this? Will I fail? Will my body hold up?...those are just a few of the things that ran through my head at that time.

Around mile 19...

Mile 18 came and went, 19 came and went but things were starting to hurt worse with every step; especially my hamstrings which I thought at any minute were going to cramp up big time. We were approaching a bridge right before mile 20 and we saw our support group again and THANK GOD because I needed a break. We stopped, refueled and stretched and Sandy and I said we would start taking thins one mile at a time. After that pit stop I thought to myself “You got this, ONLY 6 miles to go”!

Those last 6 miles did not come easy. There were a lot of stretch breaks but we kept pushing forward at a decent pace.  I told Sandy a few times to keep going as I was holding her back and I wanted her to hit our goal of 4 hours. However she would not leave me as much as I am sure it was eating her up inside.

The final stretch was absolutely frigging amazing! The crowd…honestly I don’t think I can explain it. It was a sea of non-stop screaming, cheering chanting people. The energy was palpable and just what I needed to get me through the end. We finally turned into the park and I knew we had shy of 2 mile to go and I couldn’t believe I was about to complete a marathon.

We approached the finish line like we started the race, together. I grabbed Sandy’s hand and we stepped on that finish line together, sticking to our plan of completing this race side by side. It is because of her that I decided to run this race and her training plan that I followed to be ready for this race. Unfortunately we did not hit our goal time and I attribute that to not being able to run for three weeks prior to the race, but who knows. There really is a lot that goes into preparing and running a marathon.

We DID IT!

People have asked me if I will run another marathon and my answer is “yeah, probably”. Because now I want to know what I can really do, how well I can perform! This was an amazing experience and one I will remember; but it will also help me get better.

Again, I want to thank all of you amazing people that helped make this happen…my parents and in-laws for watching our little ones, the many people that donated to St. Jude’s, Kevin, Wendy and Jessica for taking the trip just to support us, and every person that sent a text, phone call or FB post! Most importantly, THANK YOU, Sandy, you are my motivation… I love you!    

12 Days of FitMAS with Fit4Lyfe

On the first day of fit"MAS" my trainer gave to me...
12 AMAZING workouts to BURN SOME MAJOR CALORIES!

The holidays are HERE and during this busy holiday season of shopping, cooking, and traveling, our health and fitness goals often get pushed to the side. The last thing you want during this time is that extra weight gain, right?

Fight off the holiday weight gain with your Fit4Lyfe FAM and our 12 workouts that will be designed to help you BURN an extra 500-750 calories PER workout---- that is 6000-9000 calories in 12 days!

The FUN begins on December 4th and whether you are a local or a virtual client, you CAN participate with us. If you are local and attending classes, the workouts will be designed as usual and you just need to REGISTER and show up READY to WORK for 12 CONSECUTIVE DAYS (YES, this is a 12 days IN A ROW kind of thing. If you are unable to do the 12 days in a row AT Fit4Lyfe with us, JOIN as a VIRTUAL participant and participate that way.). You will also get to participate in the virtual group for the additional support, tips, recipes, etc etc.

If you are a virtual participant, you will need to pay the $20 fee (http://bit.ly/f4l12dayfitmas) and then join the all yvirtual group on Facebook. This private group will provide you with your daily workout as well as give you extra motivation, support, tips, tools, recipes, etc etc to keep you FOCUSED and on track during this time. The at home virtual group does not require any equipment so you can do it from anywhere and participate from anywhere. You will also need to participate for 12 CONSECUTIVE days in the Group.

AND... if you complete ALL 12 consective workouts during the 12 consecuvtive days and CHECK-IN DAILY using your Facebook APP, you will be entered into a drawing to WIN a Fit4Lyfe Holiday goodie bag worth $100! (If you can NOT attend the 12 days at the gym, no problem... just register as a VIRTUAL participant and you can combine all your workouts and get credit.)

Workouts START December 4th so GET READY and BOOK your spots NOW.

Next steps:
1. Decide if you are a GYM or VIRTUAL Participant (ASK yourself if you can commit to 12 days in a ROW at the gym. If not, NO PROBLEM... just join as a Virtual Participant.) If you are a VIRTUAL participant, you must pay the entry fee: http://bit.ly/f4l12dayfitmas
2. REGISTER at: http://bit.ly/12DaysofFitmasSignUp
3. JOIN the VIRTUAL GROUP at: http://bit.ly/12DaysofFitmasGroup

"VEGANIZED" Trader Joe's Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

September 22nd aka FIRST DAY OF FALL can't come quick enough and in my overly excited jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas morning, I kicked it off a day early with some Pumpkin Muffins and a side mini loaf.

BUT lets not get cray here, I kept it as VEGAN as I could and because I can't seem to find the right recipe for "homemade" bread YET (without a tremendous amount of fat, sugar and carbs), I cheated a little and used a boxed mix (Still higher in sugar than I like but ya know, gotta live a little.)------- OH NO, call the nutrition police on me! ;-)

So here you go, ENJOY it with some vegan butter on top and kick off the FALL season in style. #delicious

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Box Trader Joe's Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Baking Mix*
• 3/4 Cup Water
• 1/2 Cup 100% Pumpkin Puree (NOT Pumpkin Pie Mix)
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
• Vegan Butter
• OPTIONAL ADD INS: Vegan Chocolate Chips, Nuts and/or Raisins

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly grease a standard 12-muffin pan with butter or cooking spray; I also had enough mix for a small loaf pan.
3. Combine water, pumpkin puree and applesauce in a large bowl, and then add mix. Fold together with rubber spatula until batter is smooth, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Fold in optional ingredients until well distributed in batter.
4. Portion batter into lightly greased muffin tins and loaf pan.
5. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes. (Keep checking it because it does take a little longer to bake thank traditional breads.)
6. Top with some vegan butter and ENJOY!

*The ingredient list does state that there COULD be traces of milk, eggs and soy BUT there is nothing actually IN the ingredient list that is related to animal products. I replaced the eggs and oil with other options here so try it or stick to the original recipe. Depending on your level of veganism/allergies, this is where you either opt IN or opt OUT. I gave it a try and WOW... delicious! 

Trader Joe's