Fancy meeting you here again this afternoon! I bet you didn’t expect to see me until a bit later, huh? Well, with Makenzie in preschool and Braedon getting in his morning nap, I found some extra time and decided to use it to hang out with some of my other favorite people. That would be you.

Plus, I couldn’t wait to give you more of the details on the panel discussion – The Numbers Game -  Janetha, Beth, Lisa, and I shared at the Healthy Living Summit!

What exactly does “The Numbers Game” mean? Well, as healthy living bloggers many of us have goals in some form or fashion. They may be specific…or just to live healthy in general. No matter our goals, numbers usually play a factor in some way.

Allow me to break it down for you here so you can feel like you were right there with us. Or so you can be there again. PS – If you came, you’re my new best friend. <3

Examples of How We Use Numbers In Goals 

• calories/points/number of veggies for a dietary goal
• scale weight or measurements for a weight loss goal
• mileage or pace for a running goal
• number of workouts done a week for a fitness goal
• blog subscribers, page views, etc for blogging related goals

Our panel touched on our own personal goals to share a variety of perspectives on each of these. Numbers can be a very useful tool in our goals and should be used accordingly. The use of numbers has many positives to helps us in achieving our goals.

Positive Use of Numbers In Goals

• to serve as a benchmark to help track our progress in a concrete, measurable way
• to give us feedback on our actions so we can adjust as necessary
• to motivate us to keep going when we see the desired results

Numbers obviously have their place when it comes to our goals. If you want to PR in a race, complete a set of 20 pushups on your toes, or eat more vegetables – you will likely use numbers to help get there.  However, the positives of numbers in goals can easily get sucked into a negative black hole if you don’t proceed with caution.

Some Negative Ways We Use Numbers In Goals

• the comparison trap with others OR with our previous selves
• feeling frustrated and wanting to give up when the results aren’t as great as hoped
• getting prideful and not putting in the effort when get close to achieving a goal
• losing sight of realistic goals or wanting to continue progress beyond what is healthy for you or your body

Just because there are some negative ways goals can crop up doesn’t mean we need to say “forget about it” and not use them at all. Definitely not! They have their place. Our panel hoped to emphasize a few things to help keep that healthy balance and that could take up a whole other post. So, stay tuned for ways to use numbers without going insane in the membrane. I don’t want to send you into overload right now. Heck, my mind still needs a bit of a break so it doesn’t go into overload after this weekend!  

But for a little fun…let’s end this post with some quite interesting blooper shots. I can get pretty intense!

Time for me to catch you later! Now, if only I had time for that little cat nap…

• What are some ways you use numbers for goals and their pros or cons?
• Do you get nervous public speaking? I surprisingly didn’t once I got up there!

Here we go again! Another running thoughts inspired post…triggered by a song. The last time that happened I ended up with visions of my body and mind singing a duet to the tunes of Adam Lambert’s “Whattaya Want From Me”. Luckily this one isn’t quite as heavy on the crazy.

Have you heard the Switchfoot song “This Is Your Life”? While listening during my tempo run yesterday, something about these little lines got the wheels turning in my head.

this is your life, are you who you want to be
this is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be

It struck me. This is my life and I only have one shot at it. Am I who I want to be? And you know the amazing thing? My immediate reaction did not turn to negative thoughts in the slightest. I perked up and knee-jerkingly thought “Yea. I am who I want to be!”

I am a woman of faith, which has turned me into the best version of myself I have ever known and continues to help me grow.

I am a wife, which wraps me in love. And makes me a romantic cheeseball. 

I am a mother, which is only one of the most rewarding experiences out there.

I am passionate and no longer fear believing in myself to go after those things that make my heart sing and light a fire underneath me.

I am all those things and more – everything I shared in my original Strengths Out Loud post, for example. Then before my mind had the chance to whir off in another direction with the twisting of the road, another description of myself struck.

I am a runner.

So that definition of self may not carry near the same weight as the others, but on my run today was the first time it really sunk in that I am a runner. Not just someone who likes to run on occasion. I AM a runner.

I look forward to my runs 99.9% of the time because they give me such vitality. Not a single run ends where I don’t feel more alive inside and a better person on some level. I don’t know why, but it does feel that way. I commit myself to lacing up the sneakers and hitting the road or running path regularly. Running feels like an old friend I can’t wait to spend some time with, even if it means early wake up calls. I have trained for two races, have signed up for a half marathon, and plan to add two more races to the fall. I could talk about running incessantly. I would sign up to go to the Urban Runner Blogging Summit in a heartbeat if a certain thing called money didn’t exist. I want to run into my indefinite future and never stop! I am a runner.

I may not quite know what a “fartlek” is and have only recently learned the word “bonk” (doesn’t running have the BEST words? haha!), but I am still a runner. I am a runner because I choose to run. I never thought any special feat or qualification – sub 10:00 miles, running a half marathon, running for a year, etc - would have to make someone else a runner. Why did it take so long for me to figure it out for myself? I don’t know. But at least I do know now that I am a runner. And it’s pretty awesome.

• Is there something that took you awhile to grasp “Hey! I am a ____”? It took me a bit to grasp being a mother. It still seems surreal some days.
• What is one of the funniest words to you? I get a kick out of silly sounding words apparently, so share yours!