Want The Secret To Being More Active?

Today's 12 Days of Fitness is someone you will really enjoy. I "met" Julie during my virtual book tour when she did a super cute review of my book. I fell in love with her drawings and her message. Julie's blog "Tri-ing to Be Athletic" is inspiring, fun and mostly...an honest view of what it takes to "tri" to be athletic.

For those of us "nonathlete athletes"...I bring you JULIE ERDMANN.

PSST, HEY YOU. YES, YOU! DO YOU WANT TO KNOW THE SECRET TO BECOMING MORE ACTIVE?

Be more active.

Really.  There are no fancy secrets to becoming healthier, fitter and activer more active.  Ok, maybe there is one secret.

Nope.

Yup.
Does your foot start tapping when you hear a good song?  Start dancing in your living room.
 
Maybe clear some furniture first.  And, uh, close the blinds.
If you're feeling good but want some group motivation, find a dance studio in your area that offers adult classes, or join a Zumba, hula, or belly-dancing class!

Well, it was.

But I got talked into it when half of the ladies in my office were signing up.

I would not recommend peer pressure as a way to jump into triathlons per se, but if you're looking for someone to talk to other than your toddler and his Elmo doll, training with friends can be an incredible motivator!  I learned to swim,

bike,

and run because of them.

I started out *just running*.  And that was enough.

Once I got comfortable with that, I moved on to learning *how* to run.  I started finding more people who ran  and learned that the pain in my hips, feet, etc... could be fixed with special exercises and some physical therapy.

 
And in the process I discovered that I love running!  I used to absolutely hate it, but having a goal to work toward allowed me to push past the discomfort and find a passion I didn't know existed.

I found some training plans online, and my friend got me a subscription to Runner's World. At first, I stuck to half marathons.  They were difficult, but a challenge I could manage.

I was amongst the slowest finishers for the first few years, and have moved my way up to the middle of the pack!

A couple of years ago I let myself get talked into signing up for a marathon.

I really wanted to do it. But I injured myself on my very first training run and needed MONTHS of rehab.

Two years later, I was finally ready to try again.  I found a beginner marathon training plan, and had a friend help me refine it to meet my goals.  So in October, she flew out here and joined me and another friend to run the race.  And it was:

What I love about running is that you have the option of running with a group, just one friend, or just with your thoughts.  Running has made me a stronger person, not just physically, but mentally.  After all, you have to be tough to run a marathon!