It was 80 degrees here in Philadelphia yesterday. 80 DEGREES!!!! Last year when I visited at the beginning of March it was snowing and about 20, yuck. It felt SO good to walk outside with a short sleeve shirt - especially after a weekend spent in the perfect Florida weather! Before I headed to work around 12:30, I wanted to spend some time outside. I initially went out for a run and attempted a little trail running. After I ate dirt and almost sprained my ankle tripping on a rock, I thought it would be best that I head back out to the road. #WorldsNumberOneClutz I ran for about a mile to a little park with tennis courts near my apartment. I decided to get my heart rate up with a quick Tabata workout. Just a quick 20 minutes of sunshine and fresh air can make such a big difference in your day. If you're a nine to fiver, check out my 5 reasons you should get outside during the work day!

1. Burpees - remember that you always have the option to walk your feet out or add a push-up! 
2. Squat Jacks - When you jump your feet out into the squat, try to reach your opposite hand to your opposite foot to get in some extra torso rotation. 
3. 4-Way Shuffle - I love this drill! It's great for agility. Pick four points and shuffle sideways, forward and backward as fast as you can in the 20 seconds. 
4. Mountain Climbers - always make sure to keep your shoulders right over your wrists and core tight! 

Here's a little demo of the exercises: 

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRPbMz87D7E[/embed]

CHEERS to it almost being the weekend! Have a great Thursday :) Also here's what I'm jamming out to lately if you're needing some new music...

XO - Rach

Do you enjoy working out outside?

Any fun weekend plans?

Love or hate the hot weather?

Let me ask you this: when was the last time you did something that scared you? Maybe it was just last night getting that cockroach out of your apartment (ew, good for you, I'm still deathly afraid) or maybe it was a few months ago when you took on a new project at work that you were a little apprehensive about. No matter how big or small the feat, it is so important that we get outside of our comfort zones and tackle our fears.

Get ready to laugh. Friday was my day off and Michael took a half day, so he took me skiing at a mountain nearby. I've never been skiing before, but I was really excited and thought I would be able to pick up on it quickly. After all, I would say I'm in shape, I used to water ski all the time and I have pretty good balance. It couldn't possibly be that hard, right?

I get my skis on, and I freeze up (no pun intended). I'm like a drunk child trying to walk and failing miserably. You guys, it took me about 20 minutes just to get over to the lift...this whole skiing thing did NOT come naturally at all!!! I looked up at the slope above (a bunny slope, at that) and I was SCARED. Freaked the eff out. I don't do heights and I don't do rollercoasters, so the thought of gaining speed and cruising down the slope made my heart race. 

Fast forward, we get on the lift. We're halfway up and I just break down. Literally start crying out of no where. I just thought, "I can't do this." If you've ever seen the Kardashian episode where Kim breaks down before going zip lining, that was me. Quite accurately. (Fast forward to :11 please..)

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqzU0-lW4M8[/embed]

If it wasn't for Michael there telling me what I always preach, "YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO," I would have given up. So I'm crying and manage to hop of the ski lift and wipe out. Michael starts teaching me how to cruise down and I just keep falling. And crying. I cried like four times. This shit was HARD. I was about to give up, and Michael just looks at me and tells me to "have some damn faith in myself" and it just clicked - I NEEDED to do it. There was no turning back because it wasn't like I could just walk down. So I get up and just keep repeating in my head "you can do this, it's okay." So I did it. It took a long ass time, I probably fell about 25 times and I WISH I had video to see how much of an idiot I looked like. But I made it down the slope. And then I immediately ran up to the bar for a beer. PHEW!!  

So the moral of the story is: I desperately need some ski lessons FACE YOUR DAMN FEARS!! No matter how much something scares you, when you get to the other side and conquer that fear, it only makes you that much stronger. 

I hope you enjoyed this story. Have a wonderful week, everyone and break down those obstacles.

XO- Rach

When was the last time you overcame a big fear?

Is there a motto or saying that helps you get through tough times?

Happy Monday! I got a jolt of inspiration this weekend so I wanted to start off the week on a motivational note and talk about my journey to a half marathon.

Practice does not make perfect. What even is perfect? No one is perfect. But practice certainly makes for a lot more ease and ability, and it's truly all about progress. That's how I feel about running. I'm a terrible runner! I've got short legs, a short stride and I'm all around SLOW. Running has always been a challenge for me but this year I decided to finally take on the challenge and register for the Philly Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon. It's also a fun way to explore my new home, right?

Last year I really wanted to run a half and I jumped into running way too quickly, didn't stretch enough, etc. I ended up with AWFUL shin splints that forced me to just stop. It was incredibly discouraging, and I just kind of decided that running wasn't my thing. When I moved to Philadelphia, however, I got back into going on short runs around the city and realized how much I actually enjoy running.

The half marathon I signed up for this time is on Oct. 31. I've started training, but I'm not too hard on myself this time because my goal for this race is to simply finish without stopping to walk, even if it takes me three hours! Hopefully it won't, but you get the idea. I will say, a few weeks ago when my long run was a five-miler, I felt like there was NO way I could do anymore. Five felt like forever.

However, yesterday morning I ran seven miles and it was honestly one of the best runs I've ever had! It really gave me the push I needed to help me realize that I really can run a half marathon. I guess it's true what they say - if you put your mind to it, you can make it happen!

I've been trying to be a lot better about stretching before and after and foam rolling. Any running tips are much appreciated from any runners out there!

A few things I've discovered from changing up my routine to add in more running:

• I LOVE being outside. Unless I have to teach, I've been aiming to get outside for my workouts, not just running.
• Running is an amazing stress reliever. More-so than a strength training workouts or yoga for me, I think because I can listen to my favorite music and enjoy the scenery - it's simple, it's a great workout and I feel good after. The perfect weather here in Philly has also been helping...
• I love where I live. Seriously, I've discovered so many awesome streets and places that I want to eat. And homes that I want to live in. Philadelphia is a beautiful place!
• Shoes and compressions socks are everything. Running in Asics and wearing compression socks this time around has made all the difference. Although my shins act up sometimes, my hips and my knees never bother me.

I'll keep the updates coming about my running adventures.

Running - love or hate it?

Do you have any half marathon training tips?