lifestyle | We RUN Tings!

Events, Motivation, Nutrition, Self-Care

Get ready, get set…get JUICY!

Image | Posted on July 4, 2016 by wrtings

Whether you’re chipping down the road at Carnival, or walking and running down the road on the regular, this collective health experience might be for you! Join We RUN Tings to Get Juicy for Jump-Up!

It has been said that a short juice detox has a whole lot of benefits — boosting energy, healing the body, releasing toxins, losing weight, and flooding our body with nutrients! That’s all good but it can be hard to go it alone. So We RUN Tings invites you to join us for our first group juice detox. For a full five days, wherever you are, we’re in this together.

The Plan? Fresh raw (fruit and vegetable) juice three times a day, supplemented by lots of water and clear tea with no sweeteners. NO SOLID FOOD. It sounds scary but trust us, it can be done! We’ll need commitment. We’ll need willpower. And most importantly, we’ll need eachother. Tell a friend!

We’ll post great recipes and lots of tips to support the process. We encourage you to ask questions, tell us about your progress, and share your ideas with the rest of the group. If you’ve done this before, bring your wisdom! We’ll need it.

If it’s convenient and cost-effective, you can buy juices from a juice boutique. We also encourage you to make your own juices at home. Bust out that blender and get jamming with your juicer! Let all that juicy creativity shine through.

“This is not about getting skinny. This is about getting started.” — Kija Gray

NOTE: Before starting a juice detox, please check with your healthcare provider if you are pregnant, underweight, diabetic, or if you have have heart disease, low blood pressure, or any life-threatening health challenge.

So you want to have an awesome body?

Posted on January 6, 2016 by wrtings

It’s January. And you might notice that this time of year is totally overwhelming with all kinds of information on how to lose weight, look good, eat right, live right, do more, be more, and basically Make All Your Dreams Come True. Blah blah blah.

Me, I don’t have a problem with it…within reason of course. I’m all for suggestions and well-meaning advice but it has to be rational, doable, inexpensive, and convenient. I don’t want to spend too much. I don’t want to drive too far. I don’t want to study for it or think too much about it. I don’t want complicated instructions or extra equipment or special-order materials. That’s just me in a nutshell.

With that in mind, I’m here to share my own rational, doable, inexpensive, and convenient technique for people who want to have an awesome body.

Instructions:

Get up every day (Every. Single. Day) and look at your body in the mirror (nakedness is optional but recommended).
Tell your body that it is awesome.
Treat your body accordingly.

It’s that simple. And it works.

At first your body may not believe you, especially if YOU do not believe you. That’s OK. Keep going. Every. Single. Day.

Treat your body as though it is some new love interest, that guy or girl that you really really like and you really want to get down with. Compliment your body. Tell your body amazing things about itself. Spend time with your body. Think of new fun things that you can do together. Take your body to nice places. Feed it with the best food, like you’re trying to impress it. Don’t give your body anything that would make it sick or sad. Pleasure your body, unapologetically. Pamper your body. Buy or make nice gifts for you and your body to share. Play music to your body. Sing to it. Yes, I said it. Serenade your body and sing LOUDLY.

Do the things for your body that you know are really good for your body. Take your body for a walk. Take your body out dancing. Take your body to the gym but do the classes that you and your body really enjoy. If it’s not fun, if your body is not having a good time, be flexible and invite your body to do something else instead.

Take your body out on the town on the regular. Don’t hide your body…the world deserves to see that awesomeness that is truly you. When you believe it, others will believe it. And if they don’t, well they just don’t know very much. That’s their problem. You and your awesome body are very happy together, thank you very much.

Awesomeness will not happen overnight. It takes time to build a solid relationship with your body. But I think you’ll find that your body is worth it and will show its appreciation. There is no feeling quite like waking up every day with someone who truly loves and appreciates you. It makes you glow and look forward to every new experience. Treat your awesome body like it deserves to be treated and your body will respond accordingly.

Now this approach will not work for everybody. Unfortunately I speak from personal experience when I say that sometimes the hardest thing you could ever do is to say nice things to yourself about your body. We have not exactly been trained to do that, whether because we don’t want to be vain or we just don’t see our own awesomeness. Whatever. Drastic times call for drastic measures. And if having an awesome body means that you have to throw caution to the wind and actually say good things about yourself, well, that’s a sacrifice you’ll just have to make. And no criticism. Nobody likes to be picked on all the time, constantly told what is wrong with them and what they must do to fix it. Your body is no exception.

So get up every day (Every. Single. Day) and talk nicely to your body. Marvel in the amazing things that it can do. Admire the miracle of how all the pieces fit together. Tell your body that you love it more than ever before. Smile at your body. Make kissy noises at it. Get silly with it. Throw yourself completely into the awesomeness that is you. The rest will follow.

It may take months. It may take a year. It make take years! But treating your body right and feeling good about your body relationship is habit-forming. Once you are fully addicted to having that awesome body, there’s just no turning back.

Let me know how it goes.

— Nicole OzJam

Reasons to Run: Fun with friends at the Mercedes-Benz Oakville 10K

Posted on April 23, 2014 by wrtings

We RUN Tings invites you to join us the Mercedes-Benz Oakville 10k on Sunday, April 27, 2014. Presented by New Balance Oakville, all funds raised through this popular race will be donated to the Oakville Hospital Foundation. Participants will enjoy pituresque views of Oakville’s lakeshore and a variety of fun events for all ages, including a 5k High School Challenge, a 1k Junior Jog, and a 300m Toddler Trot! But wait, there’s more! One lucky winner will drive away in a brand new 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA.

For Barbara H., it’s worth a four-hour drive from across the border — even longer, if she stops at every Timmy’s! Here, Barbara shares her reasons for running, and tips for newbies.

Why did you start running?

I was always a runner off and on from the age of 13. I was inspired by older brothers who all were cross country runners. As an adult, I always dreamed of running again, but I didn’t fully pursue it again until last year. I was inspired by a group of my friends who had started running and that ignited that spark in me once again.

I started out on the track at first, running one lap and walking one, then running two and walking one. I did this until I could run a mile non-stop. Then I moved my track training to the treadmill. This is where I worked on building my distance. Before I knew it, I had built up enough endurance to run longer distances.

What different places have you gone to run (cities, countries)?

I run most often in Detroit [Michigan, USA], my hometown. However, last summer, I ran in Toronto [Ontario, CANADA] with We RUN Tings. That was my first international running experience.

Why did you decide to do the Mercedes Benz 10K in Oakville?

I had so much fun with We RUN Tings in Toronto last year. Having a group of runners that support you to become better and provides opportunities to see the world through running is great. I look forward to the positive energy that We RUN Tings gives me as a runner. They are really an amazing, supportive group.

Have you run a 10K before?

In November of 2013, I ran my first 10k at the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot in Detroit.

What advice do you have for other runners who may be just getting started?

I’d tell new runners these few points:

Don’t pressure yourself
Just take it one day at a time
Do your best, not anyone else’s best
Listen to your body
Oh yeah, and join a great running group!

Reasons to Run: Now is the time

Posted on November 19, 2013 by wrtings

Friends: Stop toying with my emotions.

At least twice a week I hear “You know I’ve always wanted to start running! I’ve been meaning to call you. We really should get together sometime.”

But when is this elusive sometime? When it comes to getting out there, it seems that something is always standing in the way.

“I’ll join you when it’s not so cold… When it’s not so hot… When I get back in shape… When things slow down at work… When I get my child care in order… When I lose this weight… When I get the right shoes… When I get more sleep… Sometime… Sometime… Sometime…”

Yes, many of us are serious about getting healthy but we always say that it’s too hard to find the time. When life gets hectic, working out is usually the first thing on the chopping block. When we have to work late, we can’t work in a workout. No child care? No workout. Money tight? Goodbye gym membership. Friends wanna go grab a drink but you planned to go to Zumba? Well…

The truth is, we have to prioritize our exercise the same way we prioritize our other regular habits. Few people will ever admit that they are too busy with their job to bathe or brush their teeth. You have to find the time to get dressed and do something with your hair. Maybe you could find an extra 15 minutes to walk or run around the block. At lunch. On the way to work or home.

Don’t wait until you lose the weight. Do what you can now and enjoy the results as you get fitter and you can do more. Don’t let lack of fancy gear stand in your way. Dress for comfort or just slap some sneakers on with your suit and stash the pumps until you get to work. Money is funny? I hear that! That is why running works for me: the sidewalk is free.

Tell your friends to don their sweats and meet you on that free sidewalk or at the track. If not, you can catch up with them for that drink later because you’ve earned it. Child care? That’s always a big one for me. Take my advice: Take the children with you. Not only are you all getting exercise together now but you are also setting the stage for the healthy, balanced lifestyle that they will emulate when they grow up. Sometime.

“But how do I start?” Just start. Forget about planning for that perfect sometime. Now is the time. Strip down, layer up, drop your briefcase, grab the stroller, fire up your tunes, holler at your homies, fling the door open, take a deep breath, and go.

— NOJ