KellyOlexa.com

Hey Kittens!! I'm all about rushing today, so sorry. My BFF is getting in town from Columbus OH (bring me some new OSU sweatshirts! WOOT! Yea, I was a Buckeye!) any second, then I have to drag both her and her daughter downtown because I have a short speaking gig tonight. Poor things. 

Anyway, I squeezed in a kick butt workout this morning and FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE OF MY Polar HRM readout but it was 850 Calories. Nice. Yesterday I did a little HIIT warm-up for like 5 minutes (Cathe HIIT) and then did an Upper Body Blast for Shoulders. That was about 350 calories in 45 minutes. Not bad. I have to get over it, I only had 45 free minutes yesterday. 

So, not only is my BFF and her daughter here for the weekend but Aunt Flo is going to be visiting and let me just tell you that anticipating her arrival has me feeling testy, fat and disgusting. Bigger than a house, wider than a bus, heavier than an alligator and uglier than a rat. 

These are the good times associated with being a woman. Shoot me. Or, just get me some Krispy Kremes. hehehe hohoho hahaha Gotta RUN!!! Have a kick butt day y'all!!

Welcome to Wednesday WOOT! Factor!! Today I am featuring one of my early Twitter besties, Sarah Stanley or @sarahstanley. I remember starting to talk with her on Twitter last year or late the year before and I was like DAYUM!! Read on below to find out more about this fitness fanatic and what makes her get my WOOT! label. 

"My running career started when I was 14 to deal with stress. I would get up at 4:30am and start my day with tattered sneakers & watch the sun come up. Running kept my life sane in a very stressful & uncertain world. I could've turned to drugs or alcohol, but I turned to running because it was positive. And it just may have saved my life. 

I have now run thousands of miles, in numerous states, countless half marathons, 8 marathons (plus training marathons), 6 ultra marathons (including a Double Boston Marathon and a 100mile ultra marathon). I love exploring new ways to sweat. I love Yoga, Pilates, cycling, hiking, weight lifting and any other type of sweat producing physical activity.  I'm still waiting to fall in love with swimming. Maybe tomorrow will be THE day! 

Why do I love running? I love running because I feel free. I love running because nothing can stop me. Not the wind, rain, sun, heat, cold, snow. Well, I take that back. 2009-2010 was the year of the blizzards. It tried to stop me. I fought back. Regardless, running can make you accomplish things you didn't think were possible. Running will make you a better person. Running makes you a winner. No matter if you finish first or last. 

When I was 6 I somehow came up with my life mission statement: "how can I be a blessing to someone, somehow, someway, and somewhere". And that is how I run my life. No pun intended.

My training schedule varies. I run up to 80 miles a week (running marathon distance and beyond as a training run takes on a whole new meaning! No medal, no aid stations, no crappy cotton t-shirt, just you & the trail.) I also cycle anywhere from 150-200 miles a week, weight train 2-3 days a week, swim 2-3 days a week and throw in a little yoga or Pilates.  I typically run 4-5 days a week and cycle 5-6 days a week. 

Because of training routine, I attempt to keep a clean diet. To further complicate my life, I also have Auto Immune issues as well as Rheumatoid Arthritis. So the last month I took wheat & dairy out of my diet. This has been a real challenge. I eat eggs, lots of veggies, fruit and oatmeal. I drink Hemp, Almond or Rice milk. I also make fruit smoothies with Hemp Protein powder. I'm not sure how long I will remain on this, but if I ever go back to wheat & dairy I can't wait to have some cheese, Greek Yogurt and Whole Wheat Challah! Thank god I can still have dark chocolate! I'm a big fan of Bug Bites- little squares of dark chocolate. I still crave chocolate cupcakes, but knowing that I will get sick if I eat it makes temptation a little less tempting. 

I only drink water, 100% juice (when I drink it). I am a big fan of Hemp, Almond & Rice Milk. I don't drink alcohol or coffee, iced tea or any other beverages. 

My eating philosophy is: "keep it healthy with balance". It's okay to have a cupcake, or a glass of wine or ice cream every now & then. And that's the key- every NOW and THEN. Not all the time.  

I keep motivated knowing that my life is an example & other people are watching me. That will force you to not slack Ha! :) I am always inspired & motivated by other people doing incredible things. 

In September I will be riding from Washington, DC to New York City. On a bike. That's over 300 miles. I am riding these miles to celebrate my birthday (August 22, feel free to eat cake & ice cream in honor of it!). And I am also riding to raise awareness and funds for ING Run For Something Better program. Did you know that 1/3 kids are obese? And that the next generation will live a SHORTER life than their parents? It's tragic & it’s something I am passionate about. Celebration Ride is also a part of another project I started called Run Ride Inspire. This project will involve me personally running and/or riding 50 miles in all 50 states. Each run/ride will start and end at a local school. It is slated to start in 2011. Please help support the cause! 

I have been social since I was born, so perhaps I can say I am a social expert? Kidding! I have always been fascinated by people. What makes them tick? What is their life like? What are they passionate about? What's their favorite kind of cupcake? Joking aside, social media has just enhanced my pen & paper world to the digital world. It’s been a great way to not only meet more people, but also share knowledge, causes and things I am passionate about! You can follow me on Twitter here and here

Sarah Stanley Inspired is about health, helping others, running and passion. I write from the heart. I believe content is key, but I don't write for writing's sake. From day one I was committed to no advertising (like Google ads). I want my site to be clean, friendly and inviting. We get enough junk shoved in our face as it is. Being a professional athlete, I do include my sponsor's logos and web links. Visit the site and sign up for my monthly and fun newsletter! 

I have many visions for my year and life ahead. I have a passion to ignite the world on fire that a healthy life is more than just a size. It’s about thinking and helping others. I want to encourage kids to start living a healthy life now. I want to be a positive role model and set an example for others to follow. Personally I can't wait to have kids of my own. I have always dreamed of adopting. Professionally I want to win a cycling race and ultra marathon. I am also working on a book (yeah, just like everyone else!) I have many, many goals and will do whatever it takes to make them happen. I've always believed that my life is here to help others. When things are hell, I remember that if I can help one other person with my story, then it is all worth it. 

Live Inspired. Live with Passion. Live with purpose!"

Sweet Mother of God. This woman is pretty close to the most buff babe I've seen. I think I am marking her down as my #1 workout motivation. 

Anyway, yes, I came, I saw, I kicked serious a** today. I was moody and whiny and angry (um, hello can anyone tell Aunt Flo is on her way for a visit??) and NOT in the mood, especially for a night workout but I went- and drum roll please.....I'm down 1000 CALORIES!! YOU GO GIRL!! YOU GO!!!

I went.

Here is the other thing I have REALLY come to realize about my body. I digest food SLOWLY. I mean SLOWLY. I went to lunch with my mom today at 12:30pm and when I went running at 7:30pm I could still feel that food to some degree in my body. What's up with that? I am Kelly, a slow digester. What does this mean? I don't know.

So it is LATE and I need some down time. My BFF from Columbus OH is coming into town on Thursday afternoon for the weekend!! yay!! You'll get to hear some trash talk from her on my vlog if I can convince her to do it. And stay tuned for tomorrow's Wednesday WOOT! Factor- keep sending me in your suggestions for the WWF days!! This is year-round people and it's only gonna get better!

Um. Who knew? I mean, really WHO KNEW that Joey Lawrence of (well this is MY last memory of Joey Lawrence from the early MTV years at least.):

would end up BRINGING the killer ab shot for Monday Manjoyment in 2010? Joey, I like your workout-side better than the whole "Nothin My Love Can't Fix Fo Ya Babay" thing. #JustSayin

Also check out his workout routine that I stumbled upon over the weekend (and NO I was not BING-ing Joey Lawrence, it was a genuine stumble-upon moment). CLICK HERE FOR THE WORKOUT.

Work that runway Joey. WORK IT.

Ok kids so I have like 30 seconds to blog today but check out my sweaty vlog-o-licious-ness below. That's right, this is my week of starting the Runner's World "Ease Into Running" program designed so that in 10 weeks you can run 30 minutes non-stop. Y'all have paid attention and know that I can already do a full mile, so I adjusted week one's plan:

1. Week 1: Run 2 min, Walk 4, Repeat 5 cycles.
2. Week 2: Run 3, Walk 3
3. Week 3: Run 5, Walk 2.5
4. Week 4: Run 7, Walk 3
5. Week 5: Run 8, Walk 2
6. Week 6: Run 9, Walk 2, 2 cycles then Run 8 minutes.
7. Week 7: Run 9, Walk 1, Do 3 cycles.
8. Run 13 Walk 2
9. Run 14, Walk 1
10. Run 30 and KICK IT UP A NOTCH!!

And, as I said in my vlog today......I have decided I am going to work up to doing a marathon. I'm going to do what I fear. I have feared running, feared not being able to do it. And I fear a marathon, that I can't do it. Screw that. I can do anything! God says I can do ANYTHING! I am UNSTOPPABLE. 

Also, the hat I wear in today's vlog is from Jenny Lynn's site: www.jljapparel.com.

Here is some video Manoliciousness for you: Creed. Yummy.

Gotta run, will update this blog a bit later tonight!!

“Mistakes are the portals of discovery.” James Joyce

Sometimes we get so focused on our goals, we allow ourselves to get sidetracked by mistakes. If we have an eating bender or we get sick and miss our workouts or any combination of the two, we can become so focused on the failure that it then affects the future.

Mistakes happen. Life happens. The most important thing is our inner attitude and determination to KEEP GOING. In a broader sense, mistakes or tough times in LIFE can either sidetrack us, or MAKE US BETTER.

I can tell you from personal experience that this much is true: mistakes or tough times can and should be something that you accept as a GIFT. If you face them head on, and understand that you can LEARN from them, you will become a stronger person. You will develop character, resilience and determination to excel. You will get BETTER not BITTER.

When I was going through my divorce a few years ago, I resolved that I would do just that. I would get BETTER not BITTER. To this day, I resolve in all areas of my life that I will focus on getting BETTER in every way that I can.

Of course I fall behind. Of course I mess up. But that said, I will always bounce back, stronger than before.

To apply this to fitness goals, I have realized that every mistake, every misstep or screw-up is indeed an opportunity for me to DISCOVER something new and get better. This morning, I went out for a run, so thankful to have my health back to normal and ready to make this 2^nd half of 2010 COUNT.  I had my usual cup of cappuccino in the morning, and then I had a banana, because I’d read about eating something like that prior to a long kick-butt running session for fuel. I thought I’d try it. Now I KNOW it isn’t the banana, but I was down with a tummy-ache. Just bloated. Like, when you know that you’ve eaten something your body doesn’t dig so much. I was TICKED OFF. Not only because it FEELS bad but because I was going into my workout assuming I wouldn’t be able to do it.

I had that inner conversation with myself and said, “Let’s just GO to the track and see what we CAN do. Worst case scenario, I’ll do non-jumping, non-running drills and then weights.” I went to the track and guess what, that bloated tummy-ache was still there reminding me “Helloooo!! I’m here!!” but I did my one lap warm-up followed by a 4-lap run, AND my time was better than before!! I was more like 5.5mph than 5mph. (NOT that speed is my main focus right now, but I’m just observing how I’m progressing)

After that, the tummy-ache DID impede my progress. I stuck to a ton of walking lunges, sideways Jenny-Lynn-style drills, straight legged front kicks and a little jump-rope (til I had way too much cramping).

I was NOT happy that I couldn’t run more and that my workout was only a 650 Calorie Burn. However, I see this as several good lessons learned.

Lessons:

• I am clearly more intolerant of dairy products now than before. I'm REALLY going to cut back, and even not have my morning cappuccinos this week to see if it helps. I seem to be ok having a bit of cheese but dairy at more than ONE meal a day makes me sooo sad, tummy-wise.
• I really, personally, do better working out on an empty tummy. My body takes forever to digest food and I'm going to stick to just hydration and then refueling post-workout as needed.

So!! Lessons Learned are good. Now I can ADJUST ACCORDINGLY and do better tomorrow. I’m not going to get down about today and whine. I’m going to LEARN.

Also the Nike tops I mention in my vlog are Nike Women's Pro-Core Sport Top. <--Link provided if you like. 

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What fitness “lessons” or mistakes have you embraced and learned from? How did it make your workouts better??

Here's what I have to say after my 1000 Calorie Burn Sweatfest this morning: WOOT! It felt GREAT to be on the track again today and I made some progress on my run as well! I don't know about you kids but I tend to view my weeks as Sunday-Saturday, so today is like the last day of this week for me and I start again tomorrow. I headed out early- even in the midst of a potential "it's rainy" excuse- to the track. Luckily it had stopped raining and the temp was around 77 degrees. Lovely. I did one lap warming up then 4 laps running at about an 11 minute mile. Then I walked a lap and did 2 laps running at a pace equal to a 10 minute mile. Then I was getting a bit winded/crampy. I do think guys/gals that my cramping is more of a result of my body getting used to continual running. When you do HIIT or Insanity, you are going balls-to-the-wall for 30 seconds then stopping. With running, it is heavy impact and "non-stop", so I can see how that takes some getting used to. 

Here is how the rest of my smörgåsbord run-workout looked like:

• 1 lap walk at 4mph pace, followed by 4 laps run at 11 minutes.
• 1 lap walk at 4mph pace, followed by 2 laps run at 5 minutes.
• 32 Walking Lunges, then 16 straight leg front raise kicks (leg is straight and you raise it up to hit your hand, held higher than your head, alternating legs)
• 4 sets of side squat jumps a la Jenny Lynn
• Standing lunges, jump rope, squats Tabata-Style
• 2 laps walking one minute, running one minute at faster pace, closer to 7mph
• 32 more walking lunges, 32 leg kicks
• Stretch
• Came home and did one giant set for shoulders

Who's Your Daddy?

Kids, we saw SALT last night. If you want to get motivated to kick some serious butt, go see this movie. Angelina Jolie, who CLEARLY needs to eat several large pizzas, still is the queen of badass chicks. I can't wait to see it again. Seriously.

So, I was mentioning this a bit in my blog/vlog from yesterday, about using the latter half of 2010 to KICK BUTT. Time flies people. I feel like it was just yesterday I was saying "It's July 1st and it's the second half of the year!"~ now it is July 24th! And in these 24 days I was really REALLY sick for 10 of them. That bites. But I'm OVER that and because of how annoyed I am at getting sick in the first place, I'm committed to being MUCH more focused on my "diet" meaning; MORE BALANCE.

The second quarter of 2010 was when I discovered "Eat Stop Eat" which totally changed everything for me and really got me started with significant fat loss. AMEN. Now that the ESE approach has helped me conquer a LOT of unhealthy thoughts about "Good Food vs. Bad Food" and binge tendencies, I can focus on ADDING more variety and balance to my diet. No, I will never go back to eating 6x a day like a machine or worrying about "every meal must have protein" like I will drop dead if I have a veggie bagel sandwich sometime. What I will do is start taking my vitamins again every day. Yes, as we age (old people like me do, you know)we need to be proactive in supplementing the diet. I've missed my Green Monster smoothies made with Shakeology (I am including a link to my Shakeology website, so please note that yes, if you purchase from my site I will earn a commission, as I am an independent BeachBody coach.) and added spinach and banana. YUM. I also want to check out Coconut Water and coconut products as recommended by my BFF Amy, who is the one that got me started on running!! She's the bomb, even though she cheats on me by having other friends, but I'm down with that Amy. I'm cool. heheheh

Now, talk about variety in workouts! The themes you will see running through this site over the rest of this year and beyond are:

• NO EXCUSES.
• WORKOUT ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYHOW- Killer, creative awesome workouts from home, no gym required.
• VARIETY: Jazz it up, keep balanced.

Here's what my Future Fitness Crystal Ball Vision looks like:

A whole lotta running. And then some more.

Remembering to STRETCH.

Of course, P90X and Insanity!!!!

Outdoor workouts and some TRX Love. 

Killer barre workouts that make that booty SING!! 

Throwing in some TurboFire!!!

Y'all know how much I love my BFF @ChaleneJohnson. She rocks. Chalene will be making a guest appearance here soon, so stay tuned!!

Yoga and Down Time. 

More awesomeness from my BFF @ValerieWaters. Talk about working the bootay! OMG! ValSlides and Val Bands will blow your mind!! Valerie will be making a guest appearance here soon!

Definitely sleep. Any trainer or doctor will tell you, getting a good night's sleep is KEY to optimal health and wellness. Make it happen. Make your bed the most comfortable fluffy cloud experience you can and focus on getting 7-8 hours! Period! Do it!

So here is my QUESTION OF THE DAY: Are you up for it? Are you game? What does YOUR Fitness Crystal Ball show you for the rest of 2010??

Hey Kids!! Happy Friday! DANG. I was working like a hot knife through butter today! Slicing right through it! It is scary how much I got done and then how much is still left over!! haha

I am glad to be back home, unpacked and feeling better, and ready to RUN. I of course am feeling FAT because of the whole salmonella and being off the workout-mojo for yet another set of 6 days. Oy. I'm letting it go. These past two times of being sick are IT! THAT'S IT! I mention this in my vlog below but I'm getting back to taking my vitamins and making sure that- while I keep my current "diet" approach, that I incorporate more salads and some of my yummy Shakeology shakes. Remember when I first started incorporating the ESE (intermittent fasting) approach, I had a lot more "not-necessarily-health-food" type meals. Now that I've really conquered a lot of my bad eating behaviors, I want to just get back to incorporate more of the yummy but healthier versions of "anything I want." I'll explain more in my post tomorrow. I have plans tonight and have to GO!! 

Enjoy the vloggy randomness below- I will be back tomorrow with lots more good stuff. And I'll be telling you about a kick butt morning RUN!! WOOT!!

This is me right now. It's been a day from HELL in myriad ways. And the past couple of days were like warmups to today, which will explain why there has not even been A BLOG POST FROM ME.

My work laptop has been rather "testy" of late. So it had been getting worse and worse, and usually when I'm at the home office I used my kickbutt, pimped out PC instead of the work laptop. Well, I brought the work laptop back to our offices and suffice it to say, after 2 days of two IT guys at our firm working on it, it is DEAD. Totally DEAD. The first day I gave it to them it wasn't fixed, but still running, so I took it back to my hotel, planning to blog that night- only to realize after dinner and getting to my hotel room that I FORGOT MY VERIZON BROADBAND USB at the office. 

People; ME without INTERNET ACCESS IS A HORRIBLE HORRIBLE THING. I actually TURNED THE TELEVISION ON. I never watch TV in my hotel rooms. Ever. First of all because usually all they have are 17 channels of ESPN and C-SPAN and second of all, well, I'm online all the time. So, me in that room without access was like a fish out of water. Then, after they tried to revive the laptop most of today (which meant that I was without a laptop all day!!! All DAY!!!!!), it now doesn't work in any way- the wireless adapter is shot, so I can't connect wirelessly OR with my VZW Broadband! TERROR. Absolute and sheer terror. I was in the airport like, "What do I DO with an hour and a half of not being able to use this???"

I am four steps closer to Botox today after this arrangement. I felt like I was betraying all of you, my kittens! And then, to make matters worse, I had to FLY UNITED HOME. Let me just tell you that United Airlines is consistently the WORST AIRLINE ON THE PLANET. I have NEVER had a good experience with them, in fact every single time I fly them now, there is some catastrophe where the entire overbooked cranky plane hates the pilot, the flight attendants and United in general.

Suffice it to say I was bumped and threatened to be canceled (along with about 20 others) three or four times- and then United offers a $400 voucher to fly out of Dulles airport (we were at Reagan) the next day! ###&%^@Y&*($!(*%&@(%^Y_

I'm not going to elaborate any more on this because I can't share the story here and NOT swear. 

Dear United Airlines, Stick a sock in it. Love, Kelly

Naughty words Kelly. Naughty.  ;-0

So, I am FINALLY home and had to let you know that I wasn't ignoring your comments and I wasn't dead, just temporarily laptop-less. I'm thinking of buying several backup laptops so this never occurs again.

GOOD NEWS!! GOOD NEWS!! My tummy troubles are GONE! I am on day 2 of being able to eat and not die of pain afterwards!! AMEN!! Thank you all for your prayers and well-wishes!! Time to CRUSH some workouts!! OOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Do you have a favorite airline?? Do you have one that you HATE?? Do tell!!

Bless his heart. He needs some wardrobe help. *Ahem*

So many of us were gabbing about this yummy gem, and I'd featured him in recent pictures of Fergie jogging, so here is Josh for your Manolicious Monday. Take some time and consider Exhibit A. 

Moving along! Um, what's my stomach status? Can I just say DAYUM? I'm really sick of this crap. UGH! As of today, I have eaten some rice with pasta sauce, and a banana. So far nothing terrible. We'll see. The worst part about this issue kids is that there is no way to tell WHEN I'm better except for AFTER I haven't been sick. See what I'm saying? I don't know WHEN it is "safe" to eat normal food?? And I think I mentioned that the results NOW apparently take 5-7 days not the 48 hours I was originally told. WHATEVER. 

Gotta run because I have to pack for this week's trip- and I'm taking my workout gear with me! I'm DONE letting salmonella get in the way of my workouts HELLO!! 

I couldn't really find any footage on YouTube of Joshykins so please, for the sake of Monday Manjoyment, consider Mr. Statham below, who always delivers. Dear God, Thank you for creating Jason Statham. Love, Kelly

Question of the Day: What is your favorite ACTION movie? Me <-- Transporters (all), Bourne (all), Transformers, Wanted, and many more. 

This makes Josh even more cool that he is an avid workout fiend. AND that he wears his wedding ring is a bonus. Good boy Josh. 

Now, for your going-to-sleep-pleasure, here is some vloggy goodness. Amen.

I think I can help this man. I can offer to be a rock for his next workout. I'm flexible that way. 

WHAT? 

One of the themes you might have noticed lately in my blog is "No Excuses" and also the whole concept of "Working Out Anywhere, AnyHOW" - meaning, there isn't only ONE way to get fit, by using a gym and a personal trainer. You won't believe how often I hear this as an excuse. "I don't have a gym membership!" or, "I don't have a trainer to motivate me!" 

WAAAHHH. Whiners are wimpy. Quit WHINING and start WINNING. 

Throughout the year, I will focus on how you can workout, get fit and healthy anywhere, any time, "anyhow". I LOVE the gym, don't get me wrong. I've also said that my dream is in the future to have my own killer home gym like Tony Horton's gym. His looks DREAMY. As does he. WHAT? But, you can get ripped and chiseled at home, even outdoors, weather permitting. And don't even start whining about not being able to afford this or that. Yes, I love fitness DVDs and yes, you have to buy equipment for a home gym. Guess what? You own it forever!! And while I will feature some equipment that is pricey, that doesn't mean you can only get buff using THAT!

Take a peek here, from PopSugar:

Wow. Here is a celebrity couple, who has "a ton of money for personal trainers and a private gym" (Excuse #11) and they are OUTSIDE running and doing push-ups, amongst other things. I told you how excited I was to find these killer stairs at the high school around the corner from me, and now I found a great track at another school. Outside is a GREAT place for walking lunges and to do a lot of fun LOUD moves like throw-downs with a weighted ball. KILLER. Do that at home when you live above another condo and....(well yes I do that on purpose, but that's because I have neighbors from hell that deserve it). 

Who says you can't workout on the beach? When we visit Miami, there is an AMAZING running path all along the beach, fenced in and wow what a view. I'm gonna make sure I take pictures of the hot sweaty gorgeous fine young men working out on the beach in Miami making you wonder why you EVER made an excuse for not working out, even when it's "hot and muggy". 

Think of everything you know that you can use to make up your own mini-circuits outside- Tabata Drills, sprints, conditioning, you name it. Get creative, channel your inner bad self and make everyone stare at you doing a killer workout while they are making a trip to Krispy Kreme and getting FAT. Work it, OWN it. 

Oh wait. You can't go outside because it's cold?

No excuses. Get out there and OWN IT. Create your best body ever. I know I am and it feels GREAT to look better in the mirror every single day. 

Below is a video on TRX. I really have to get this- I know Skwigg loves it. I like how you can use it indoors or outdoors too. Killer. 

Question of the Day:  What is your favorite outdoor workout? Do you have anything creative that you do outdoors to add to your training?