Ask Me!

Thanks to everyone who submitted anonymous questions via my new ASK ME! Page. I am going to be answering all the questions every Friday so keep them coming!!     

But first, I need to say THANKS to all your supportive comments regarding my Water Class this morning. It was AWESOME! Let’s just say that running under water is flipping hard!! But it felt so good on my joints and especially my hip flexors! Your range of motion is a lot further in water and it felt so good to extend my legs and not feel any pressure! I am totally hooked and will be doing this every Friday for sure! If you have an opportunity to take a Water Fitness Class…DO IT! 

 Okay onto the questions…. 

Question: What is your favorite book?     

Oh man, this is a HARD question! My favorite book of all time would probably be To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I have read that book over and over a million times! My copy is a paperback and it is totally torn and falling apart. I just love the story. I feel like it is a classic that everyone needs to read at least once in their life.    

    

Question: Did you grow up eating healthy?    

Yes! My parents were fantastic about cooking healthy meals for my brother and me. They really proved that eating healthy did not have to be gourmet or difficult. Sometimes it was as simple as baked chicken legs with a side of green beans and corn. We always had a protein and either two vegetables or a vegetable with a starch (rice, pasta, potato, etc.) and we always had to try what was on the plate. We also always also got dessert if we finished dinner. I remember eating a lot of frozen yogurt as a kiddo! I loved the banana split flavor!! 🙂 Yum! My parents really did feed us healthy but we also got to enjoy plenty of kid treats!! I think the idea of a healthy balance was always present. Not necessarily spoken but definitely displayed through my parents actions. But, I think one of my favorite unhealthy kid treats was poptarts!    

    

Question: how tall are you & how much do you weigh?  

I am 5’6″ and I weigh around 115. Everyone has their feel great weight and this is mine but by no means does that mean that it should be someone else’s feel great weight. When it comes to weight, I think you should find a number that works for you both from a performance standpoint and a sustainability standpoint. I perform really well at 115 and it is a weight that I can sustain without feeling deprived in any way.  

Question: Is it hard for you knowing that Keith is a personal trainer and works with a lot of women on an up-close basis?    

I get this question A LOT because 90% of Keith’s clients are women. I have traditionally always been a very jealous girlfriend but not with Keith. It is funny because it was like as soon as we got together I had complete faith and trust in him! I just never worried about it. Keith has this infectious personality and everyone loves him! People are constantly coming up to me and saying they have a “crush on my husband!” And honestly all I can think is, ME TOO! He is a fantastic man but what makes him so special is that he is so devoted to me and he never makes me guess where his heart is for one iota of a second.    

MY HOTTIE!!

Question: Do bloggers ever worry about stalkers or just creepy internet people? I think if I were a blogger, I’d worry a little about that…    

I don’t really worry about it too much. I don’t ever post my home address or anything like that. And typically if people ask me specific questions about where I work or what area I live in I respond privately via email rather than in the comments section for everyone to see. I think there is probably always a risk but so far I haven’t had any problems!    

Question: Do you take any vitamins/supplements to aid in muscle recovery or to help with muscle lethargy?    

The supplements I take on a daily basis are a basic multi-vitamin and Omega 3 fatty acids. That’s it. Sometimes if my joints start to flare up I will take glucosamine for a few days. But typically that is all I do. Sometimes after strenuous workouts I will take a protein shake and I really like the recovery powder made by Luna. But mostly I try to get my nurtrients from real and whole foods.   

Question: It seems that you and your entire family are in the Texas area. Where does the obsession with Peyton Manning and the Colts come from? Shouldn’t you be more of a Tony Romo fan?   

I get this question a lot too! I honestly don’t know where my obession for the Colts came from. I think I just always liked Tony Dungy. I thought he was such a class act and the Colts organization was the same way. I am really into biographies and I read a few books on the history of the Colts (starting out in Baltimore) and then I read Tony Dungy’s book and that led me to read Archie Manning’s (Peyton’s Dad) book and it just started from there. I love the new coach, Jim Caldwell, and have really started to follow all the players. My obessesion for Peyton came from 2 things: First I think he is SMOKIN HOT (haha) and second, he is just so talented! He is one of the (if not THE) smartest QB’s ever and I just love watching him run his offense. It is really an amazing thing to watch as he figures out the defense and adjusts the play at the line of scrimmage. So I have turned into a HUGE fan! I am NOT a Tony Romo fan AT ALL! I grew up loving the Cowboys (and my husband lives and breathes by the Cowboy’s season) but for some reason they just don’t hold the kind of clout that the Colts do in “Kelly’s World”.   

   

 Question: I just found out that baby #2 is on its way. I’m probably only a month or so along. What I was wondering is if there are any ab exercises that I can do while I’m pregnant. Once I’m at the point where I can’t lay flat on my back.   

Generally you CAN continue doing crunches/sit-ups up to about your 4th month; usually somewhere between 16 and 20 weeks is when you should stop doing “normal” crunches/sit ups. At this point you need to elevate your body when working out. You don’t want to do anything flat on your back after this point because the weight of your uterus will compress your vena cava which will cause your blood pressure to drop! So just be sure and elevate your back either with a pillow underneath your hips or by using a stability ball and you can still continue to do crunches and sit ups. Building a strong core during pregnancy is still important because it will make your labor easier.   

What workout and running schedule did you follow when you ran a 1:30 half? How many miles were you logging a week? Where you lifting weights or doing any other cardio at the time?   

I wasn’t following any special training program. Before I ran my first half I followed this schedule. I just did my own thing that typically involved 5 days of running with 1 day in the middle of cross training (typically Wednesday or Thursday). I logged between 50 and 60 miles a week (which is A LOT…don’t feel like you would need to do that in order to run a half…I am just a runner and I tend to go overboard! haha!) I tried to get weights in once a week on my cross training day but self admittedly was not great at sticking to that. I am trying to work on that now and am doing Body Pump twice a week to get the weights in! (It IS important). I also always force myself to run negative splits…meaning in every training run I would progressively get faster so that I could simulate that in the actual race at the finish line. And lastly…PACE GROUPS! Never underestimate the value of a pacer or a pace group. That way you don’t have to think about it! I had a pacer when I ran my 1:30…it helped so much and I am not sure I could have done it without him!   

  GREAT QUESTIONS!!!! KEEP THEM COMING! 🙂