Christie Koester

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All

MERRY CHRISTMAS

A day late but just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Hope your year is FULL OF JOY (and good health!)

Elf4Health Blog Swap - Want to Become a Runner?

10:28 PM Elf4Health, fitness, health, nutrition No comments

GUEST POST!!!

Hi there! My name is Nicole, one of Christie’s fellow Elf 4 Healthers and blogger over at fitfulfocus.com. If you’re asking yourself, “Who the heck is this? We want Christie! We want Christie!” have no fear (and open your mind – I’m pretty awesome, too… most days). Christie and I swapped blogs for the day! You can find her post over on Fitful Focus.

“Why the swap?” you ask (so many questions have you). Christie and I are both partaking in the Elf 4 Health challenge, a month-long program filled with daily challenges, all with the goal of helping each other lead healthier lives during the holiday season. Today’s challenge is to share your expertise, so Brianna (another Elf 4 Healther – there are a lot of us little elves) put together this blog swap. You can find a whole linkup of posts over on Brianna’s blog, Martial Arts and Hockey Girl.

So onto my expertise. First of all, I should share that I’m not sure I consider myself an expert in anything – unless you consider being able to eat peanut butter by the spoonful an area of expertise. I actually think that’s pretty impressive. Alas, I am not here to share how to devour an entire jar of peanut butter spoonful by spoonful. That wouldn’t be very healthy, anyway.

Peanut butter aside, I’m here to share running tips. I ran my first (and so far only) half marathon in March of 2012, and I am currently training for my first full marathon, so I guess you can say I’m an expert at beginner running! Woohoo!

A lot people hear, “I’m a runner,” come out of someone’s mouth and think its pretentious and show-offy, that these people are bragging about the miles they’ve run and the shoes they’ve worn through. The fact of the matter is, becoming a runner is easy. You don’t have to run a marathon to be a runner. You don’t even have to run a 5K. The simple act of throwing on some sneaks and hitting the pavement makes you a runner. Do you hit the treadmill for 1 mile? How about a ¼ of a mile? Then congrats, you’re a runner!

The tough part comes in wanting to run more. You can’t just wake up and run a marathon. Well, I suppose you could, but you’d probably end up like this:

(Source)

Good luck with that.

If you want to start upping the mileage, here are a few tips:

1)      Invest in a good pair of sneaks. – That pair you used to wear to high school volleyball practice won’t cut it anymore. The rule of thumb is to change your running shoes every 300-500 miles. If you shoes no longer have tread, cushioning, or look like this…

(Source)

…it’s time for a new pair. Head to your local running store and get fitted properly for shoes. Have them assess what kind of running gate you have, if you have flat feet or high arches, if you need more ankle support or a wider toe. Good shoes will protect your knees and keep you comfortable. Comfort and function are definitely the most important factors to buying running shoes, but I would also go for a pair you think are cute. Get a pair you admire and you’ll feel fun and unstoppable when you’re out on the road.

2)      Start small and start slow. – Don’t try to beat the all-time marathon record just yet. Start of with short distances and a slow pace. Try running at a pace where you can still talk with ease. Try alternating running ¼ of a mile and walking ¼ of a mile until you hit a mile total. Then slowly up your distance to 1.5 miles, then 2. Then try running for half a mile and walking for a ¼ a mile. Keep going slow and steady until you can run 1 mile without stopping, then two miles. Once you are confident with the distance, you can try increasing speed. Sprint for 30 seconds, then go at a conversational pace for 1 minute, sprint 30 seconds, slow 1 minute, etc.

3)      Run to the beat. – Good music can solve any problem. If we could all just embrace country music, I bet the world would be a better place. Kidding (kind of). Anyway, pick out some songs that you never skip when they come on – songs that are upbeat and driving. Songs with a beat that match or are slightly faster than your pace will keep you motivated. 90’s boy band songs are excellent for running, but they’re really just excellent in general.

(Source)

4)      Don’t go on a runner spree. – This means two things. One, no matter how long you have been running for, don’t run every day. You need to mix in other kinds of cross training to support your other muscles. Taking a day or two off from running each week to do other exercises will make you a better runner. Two, don’t feel like you have to out and buy all the fancy running gadgets. Good shoes and socks are a must, but beyond that, all you need are clothes that make you comfortable and an ipod/phone/mp3 player for music. You don’t even need to buy a running app if you don’t want to. Simply map out a route on Google Maps ahead of time – but bring your phone if you have a tendency to get lost!

5)      Pick a race. – It helps to have a goal to keep you motivated. Do a search to find some races in your area. I recommend looking for a fun run, like the Color Run or a Zombie Run. These are less intimidating races and are more about having a blast than competing for a certain time. The goal for your first race (which I suggest be a distance of 5K or less) should be simply to get out there and do it with a smile on your face. Set your sights on the finish line, not the clock.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and get to it. Soon enough, you’ll become and expert on beginner running and I’ll be taking advice from you J.

Don’t forget to check out Christie’s expertise over on Fitful Focus, and get tips from a bunch of other healthy elves over at Martial Arts & Hockey Girl.

Is there anything that scares you about running? Leave a comment and we’ll help you scare those scares away!

Any runners out there with additional tips to add?

He Who Has Hope Has Everything

6:00 AM Elf4Health, fitness, health, Love, nutrition 2 comments

Are You Living in the Moment?

A while ago I had a couple people message me asking what my secret was when it came to losing my baby weight and maintaining. They asked to share my top three tips. But honestly there weren’t tips or a grand plan, other than I truly value my health. I’ve made it my mission in life to live as healthy and happy as possible and share that lifestyle with others.

“He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything.” - Thomas Carlyle

I love this quote. I do. Hope is magical.

This week is Thanksgiving (Happy Thanksgiving to All!) – a time to be incredibly thankful and grateful. I’ve reflected a lot on my life this past week, to the point where I scared myself. I think about all the different stages and phases in my life and how they’ve come and gone, fast. How the things that seemed to matter then don’t really matter that much at all now.

And how worry is such a waste of time. Same with anger and stress and negativity.

I think everything that has happened in my life has shaped me into who I am. But I can’t help and wonder if I'm truly living in the moment? Are you?

There are mixed emotions growing inside me right now. I know the moment I’m in right now (as much as I try to be mindful and enjoy) will soon be an awesome, but distant memory. Jackson is going to be a big guy sooner than later – I can’t stop it. I want to hold on to him. Forever. I want to hold on to my husband. I want to hold on to my parents. My brothers. My in-laws. Every single one of my friends. I love them all. So. Much. I want things to stay the same forever.

I get mad that they can’t, but at the same time I’m excited for the future too. The next “big” thing is coming! My mind took off and all of a sudden I was 40, then 50 and then this 90-year-old woman who thinking about her next stage in her retired life, knowing very well what that was…

There wouldn’t be a next phase [on earth]. That scared me.

What would I be thinking then as a 90 year old? I did all I could? Would I wish I did things differently? Would I think everything worked out exactly how it should have?

I was lucky I was envisioning myself as a 90-year-old. What about someone fighting for their life? All the thoughts and feelings and questions and heartbreak. Why them? Why then? What happened? Why? Why? Why?

For example, one of my dear friends (one of the sweetest people I have ever met in my life) lost her dad suddenly to a heart attack last week. Why? A friend from church recently married and was on his way out the door to his honeymoon and his new mother-in-law passed away four weeks after her pancreatic diagnoses. What? How? Friends from high school are losing their parents. A past coworker of mine has a brain tumor. And out of the blue I received an email from a woman sharing her story. Three months after giving birth to her daughter, doctors told her she had 15 months to live. NO!! I can’t even imagine. I can’t. Heather was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma – her dad’s work clothes soaked up asbestos and she was exposed. She was diagnosed in November, making every November tough to face – a constant reminder of that diagnoses. But her mission is to make sure we all take a moment to value life and the value of gratitude. Read her incredible story here.

With all that said, on my drive in to work this morning I was overcome with gratitude for my health, my husband’s, my son’s. It is the greatest gift.

So, answer the above question - how did I lose the baby weight and keep it off? I let go. I started trusting God. I forgave. I stopped pointing fingers and looked deep within myself. I loved who I am, who I’m becoming, who I will be. I fueled my body with good – natural, real ingredients. I treated my body with respect. I danced. I ran. I jumped. I played. I sang. I had fun. I prayed. I shared my world with others. I let God shine through me. I let myself light up the world. I spread my wings. I laughed. I talked. I listened. I hugged. And I LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

God is a loving God. He would never allow us to love this much and take it all away for good. Something grander beyond our wildest dreams is out there, waiting for us. This is where hope comes in. Enjoy this life and your journey. We don’t know when it will end but we do know how to make the best of it and the worst of it.

We get to make the choice.

Month in Review - 19 Months

2:01 PM 19 Months Old, Jackson James, Milestones, toddler journal No comments

Fun Times at The Koester's

So much for those "weeks in review"! This past month has been a whirlwind - but a good one. Below you'll see what's been going on. My goal is to find super fun things to do, but not spend money. Most everything you see below was FREE - minus the open gym.

And I can tell you right now the temperature outside is closer to zero than it is to freezing. BURRRR. This is why I have my famous Split Pea soup cooking in the crock - to keep us warm. Thankfully the sun is out. Oh, and we've been fighting off colds - a lot of them. Tis the season.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner... Can I just say the holidays start taking on a new meaning when little people are involved? Like...I'm right back to that six-year-old girl who couldn't sleep at night because I loved Christmas so much! LOVE IT.