Re-building healthy habits & podcast recs

Age Group National Championships again this year. My first thought was, “Couldn’t they host this event someplace more interesting than Omaha, Nebraska?” My second thought was, “Wow, I qualified this season? I took it pretty easy this year. What could I accomplish if I really went for it?” [caption id="attachment_3487" align="alignnone" width="2448"] cheesy visual representation of “aim higher” (also me the first time I went bouldering)[/caption] It was my choice to take my triathlon season easy this year. It was lovely to just revel in the fun of training and racing and opt out of the more grueling aspects. (I wax poetic about it in this post.) Taking it easy also freed up my time and mental energy to focus on all that life stuff that needed my attention this year. It was the right choice for me this season. However, there’s another racing season around the corner. That email planted a little competitive seed in my brain, and I may just decide that I want to go for broke next year. No promises yet, but if it’s something I want to do, I need to start focusing on building healthier habits now. I’ve been living a little “fast and loose” for the past year or so: burning the candle at both ends and eating that second slice of cake. I’ve been having a grand old time, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t starting to take a toll on my energy. So, I’m cleaning up my act. I’m bringing back morning workouts (I’m posting them on Instagram stories for 21 days to keep myself accountable), adopting the 3-7 rule for booze (vacations potentially excluded), and cleaning up my diet (I mean, I probably shouldn’t be eating nachos multiple times a week, right?). This way, when it comes time to train for next summer’s races, I’ll have the habits, time and energy I need to really commit to training for speed. Wish me luck! On a completely unrelated note, I started listening to two new-ish podcasts this week that I’m very excited about. I’m always looking for good podcast recommendations (they’re so great for making my commute fly by), so if you’ve got some recs, please send them my way. Here are my newest faves: 30 for 30 Podcast For those of you who are fans of ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary series, you know what you’re getting. For everyone asking themselves “30 what for what?” each episode covers a different story from the sports world. It’s documentary style and they’re very well produced. Important note: you do not have to like sports to enjoy these! They’re about the people behind the sport, and they cover some pretty non-traditional events. For example, episode two is about the first all-women trek to the North Pole. Check it out! SHEroic Podcast Did you ever wish you could be a fly on the wall while two female entrepreneurs got REAL about shit? That’s kind of what this is. Cassey Ho (CEO, Blogilates) and Lisa Bilyeu, (Co-Founder, Quest Nutrition) are powerful women who are buds in business and in life. Basically, they’ve had girl crushes on each other for some time and decided to do a podcast. The first several podcasts have been heavy on health, fitness, body image-related issues, but I have a feeling they’ll expand as the series goes on. It’s off the cuff, honest, and relatable. For example, both open up about their own insecurities around body image and discuss failures. My listener reaction has been, “successful entrepreneurs – they’re just like us,” which I find to be pretty empowering – a great antidote to imposter syndrome. Check it out!  ]]>