I am really excited to have Lindsey here today!  She is such an inspiration for anyone who wants to begin running, and she’s always willing to give advice and tips!  Below you’ll find TONS of useful information she so generously provided and I really hope you take some of her tips and put them to use!  So – without anymore from me, I give you Lindsey!

I was recently asked by Cassie to share some of my meal, workout, and running tips and I couldn’t be happier to spread the word! I know how hard the struggle is, I struggle to this day–to keep dedication, will power, strength, all to keep going and be the best self I can be! Before I go any further I want to just thank Cassie for letting me be a part of this Very honored, indeed

If you don’t know me, my name is Lindsey aka the Kid and I have a YA book/pop culture blog called A Bookish Sinister Kid. I’ve been blogging for around two years and started up with running and exercising more rigorously a few months before that!

My diet is not the greatest, so I’m just going to skip over this part and say–which is the absolute truth–being healthy is equal parts self-control, exercise, and healthy food choices. Plain and simple and very to-the-point! I want to focus more detailing my running and exercising habits–now that, is something that I’ll happily explain.

A few years ago I started running and believe me, it wasn’t easy and as clichéd as it sounds, literally “If I can do it, you can definitely do it!” Behold my tale:

Growing up I played defense in soccer for eight years participating in rec leagues, school teams, traveling teams–you name it, I played tennis all four years of high school, I swam for two years in high school, and played basketball in grade school & junior high. To gather all of that, you can understand I come from an athletic background, but running was always a chore! I always found some way of excelling in the sports skipping out on that pesky running part. I actually wrote a post about why I started to run earlier this year before I ran my first and (…so far) only half marathon.

Running is something you don’t just throw yourself into, you ease into it. Times will get tough when you feel lazy or feel like you’re not accomplishing anything BUT…pop quiz, which do you think is being a healthy person, version A or version B:

If you answered version B–woohoo! You’re right! Despite looking like he wants to die, version B is out there and being active while version A is just laying on the couch. We can probably all agree we’re version A a lot of the time and we really enjoy it–HELLO, I have an entire part of my blog devoted to Binge watching/listening to things and sometimes you need a chair or comfy couch to help this process haha! All in all, I’m just trying to show you that while running a half marathon, 13.1 miles seems like you’ll never get there, it is very possible. October 2013 I ran my first 5K which is 3.1 miles and less than two years later I ran my first half marathon! Dedication and progress doesn’t happen over night.

The thing that I’ve liked with running is in order to sign up for runs I’ve had my email address added to this website called Active. Active gives me local and national races that I can sign up for, other fitness information, sales on athletic gear, and most importantly fitness tips! This site is really great because it combines a lot in one! I’ve read various of articles on running, rowing, weights, core exercises–definitely recommend one to browse if you’re interested in stepping up your workout game!

Here is one post I got towards the beginning of summer that I incorporate before bed some nights. I keep the TV on in the background for extra noise to focus on while not thinking about how tough some of the moves are. The post focuses on core exercises that will get you summer ready and I really like these and bonus, they’re fairly easy. I also go by what the descriptions say how many repetitions to do.

  
**images from Active’s website

I’m not sure why I decided to do these exercises at night before bed–but my stomach/core consistently needs work so regardless of getting you “summer ready” I’m still doing them ;). I’ve read all sorts of things that discuss working out at night vs. a morning routine and I think it just depends on what’s comfortable for you–what fits into your schedule. You’re keeping active and that’s a great thing, one time might give slightly better results than other times during a day.

On top of these core exercises I’ve also done some sneaking at the gym! My L.A. Fitness is not a new and improved one so it’s a long row of ellipticals, stairs, and then begins the row of treadmills, and then another row of bikes and rowing machines. Then you have all the weights and some open space–this open space is where the trainers are typically working with customers and I totally spy on them. LOL! I spy on them because I can’t afford a trainer, but I see some of the moves they do and then I incorporate them into my late night routine when I can squeeze it in. When I perform the exercises I typically do three sets of 10-15. So next time you’re in the gym keep your eye open if you can see a personal trainer at work, check out the routine they’re having the person do and see if you can replicate it on your own.

One last thing I wanted to mention was my love for a few apps that should help you get going on your fitness journey: Couch25K, Nike+ Training Club, and the Nike Running app! These apps are my absolute favorites that I have used in the past and currently use.

• I’m kinda beyond Couch25K, but this app helps you listen to a playlist while walking a 5-minute warm-up and cool down and running minute intervals in between. The program gets you ready to run a 5K which should average around 30-45 minutes. Faster or slower, if you’re crossing the finish line that’s literally the most important thing, but the app has you working on building endurance and if you feel that you can’t go on, repeat the week–no one knows but you so you be your own judge. iOS – iPhone available | Android – app available 
• Nike+ Training Club seems to be centered towards female fitness and reaching your potential goal with all sorts of strength training. It also can link with your Nike ID so any time you use a Nike app, your results are all connected. Celebs and athletes sometimes provide workouts that you follow along with, very simple and an instructional video is provided if you aren’t sure how to perform the move. Music playlist access is available and a voiceover helps encourage and acts as a reminder how much time is left as well as when to switch moves. You can also click the tiny <3 which will mark your favorite workouts. iOS – iPhone available | Android – app available

• Lastly [and my favorite] is the Nike Running app. God I love this thing. I push it on everyone. It’s sleek, it’s fun, and always keeps me motivated! You can get attaboys after great runs, a new feature which allows syncing with Spotify, tracks miles run weekly and monthly for yourself and allows you compete with friends as well as challenge them. It tallies your Nike Fuel points, calories burned, and allows you to track your outdoor runs with GPS. Two of my favorite features are the virtual trophies your account acquires when you hit certain milestones, win challenges, or run a certain amount of miles within a time period. The next is the photo filter–this needs slight tweaking as to not distort the image when you save it, but it’s so fun to post to social media after your run! I love when I run outside and I get to add the location or when I beat a personal record, you can add that to your filter as well! iOS – iPhone available | Android – app available See my pics below

Okay…now I’m done but feel free to reach out to me, on Twitter or follow me on Instagram to see all of my favorite running pics! I’m outside the city of Philadelphia and have done a bunch of runs in the area and constantly post them! Happy running all and cheers to a better and healthy you!!

Linz aka The Kid xx

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