Will Run For Ice Cream

Welcome back to "Will Run For Ice Cream"! 🍦🏃‍♀️ As I lace up my running shoes and hit the road (more like treadmill these days) once more.  Where have I been? Between going back to college at 48 to get a 2nd bachelor's degree, getting a full time teaching job, being a mom and a wife, working out took a back seat. Ok, more like it because extremely non-existent.  I'm happy to report that I earned my Bachelor's degree from Mississippi State University in Elementary Education. I was hired in 2022 mid-way through the year as a half day kindergarten teacher. In 2023, I was moved to 3rd grade as a full time teacher. Both of those positions were 'over flow' or extra teachers for the year. I'm happy to report that this year, I am a 4th grade teacher. I absolutely love it. I am hoping that this is my forever home at least for awhile!  Oh, and I am now in Grad school. 😊 During all of this, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. She died 6 months after her diagnosi...

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Do not feel guilty for taking time for you. There have been plenty of times that I skipped my early morning workout. I just didn’t feel like doing it before work. After work, I was too emotionally and physically tired. Recently, I got up, made lunches for the family and told Hubby and Lil Man that I needed 30 minutes. And I felt guilty!

4am alarms are never easy. Getting up at 4am and not ‘feeling’ the workout is even worse. The struggle is real! At times too real. And I have experienced this often. My unprofessional advice?

If it was easy everyone would do it. Isn’t that the saying that we hear often? Cliff notes version - sometimes things get hard! Sometimes we want to give up, but I have to remind myself to remember the why. Why did I decide to do this? Why should I finish what I’ve started? Sometimes I’ve found that my why changes. But there IS STILL A WHY!

In case you haven’t figured this out by now, I’m a planner. I know - shocker right?!? :) So although I love substitute teaching, it’s making the planner in me anxious. And it’s been reeking havoc on my workouts. Basically the morning of or maybe the night before, I find out if I’m working. So my day ( that I thought I had planned ) can be turned upside down in an instant. But, truthfully, isn’t that really the same with everyone?

Please Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase using the affiliate link. I seriously used to laugh at those who used essential oils. It reminded me of people who used to sell snake oil. Every time that I got sick or had an ailment, friends would ask if I had tried this or that oil, I would politely smile and say that I hadn't. I've always been skeptical - the roll your eyes kind of skeptical. A few months ago, a teacher friend was having a doTERRA party with the option of purchasing $5 roller ball bottles. I didn't make it to the party, but I did buy a few roller ball bottles. For $5 I thought I'd give it a try, then I could tell those that yes I've tried it and move on so to speak. I even laughed as I told my mom that I was giving them a try. I told her that I didn't think it would work, but it was worth trying. (I'd been dealing with a sinus infection for weeks that just wouldn't go a...

Are blogs a thing of the past? Maybe... but each year when my domain comes up for renewal, I can't help but renew it. I don't know. I guess it's been a part of me for so long that I really don't want to let it go. So I'll keep plugging along. Those of you that want to read it will. Those that don't, well you don't know what you are missing 😂 I learned a long time ago that I have a voice. I also have a choice in how I use it. Today, I hope you find some encouragement in what I have to say. In case you haven't figured this out by now, I'm a planner. I know shocker right?!? So although I love substitute teaching, it's making the planner in me anxious. And it's been reeking havoc on my workouts. Basically the morning of or maybe the night before, I find out if I'm working. So my day (that I thought I had planned) can be turned upside down in an instant. But truthfully, isn’t that really the same with everyone? Kids gets sick. We get sic...

Ya’ll, I’ve lost it. No really, I’ve lost it. I’ve struggled my entire life it feels like with nutrition related issues. But exercise for the most part has never been an issue for me. It was just something that I did. Sure, I’d get off track here and there. I’ve been known to blow off some training runs. I’ve missed workouts due to sickness and injury and life in general. But with those things I’m talking days, not weeks. Even when I was injured I found some way to stay active. Now, don’t get me wrong. My step count will tell you that I’m still on the move, but that’s my daily life movement. Without exercise, I’m averaging around 100,000 steps a week. If you read my last post ( Taking Time For You Is Not Selfish - It's Necessary ) then you know that I haven’t exercised consistently since September. Since that post, I’ve struggled to stay on track. In fact, I haven’t exercised since I wrote the last post. I will pause a moment for the collective gasp. So, I’m back here with you ...

Please Note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase using the affiliate link. Consistency... it can be such an ugly word sometimes! And for me it's been a struggle... in a lot and I mean a lot of areas this year...  And I thought maybe once school started it would get easier? You know, having a routine... but it's been the opposite. I feel like I've been squeaking by to keep my head above water. So, I've created a plan of action. Yep. You know, if you write it down and put it in a calendar with pretty stickers and all, it's bound to happen right? ;)

This post contains affiliate links.  I took a little break from writing. It wasn't planned. It sort of just happened. I didn't have anything to say. I know shocking right?!?! But I've been dealing with some stuff, and I haven't really been able to work through some of my feelings until lately when I realized that what I've been feeling is FEAR. Fear is such an ugly word... not one that I really knew had such a big hold on me... but it does. So for the last month or so I've allowed fear to rule my life... to the point that I'm wasn't sleeping because of nightmares. I'll spare you my long laundry list of fears, but I'll say that my health has been near the top of the list. Because of that, I allowed myself to spiral down a dark path of allowing fear to creep in many what felt like at times most areas of my life. That being said,

Why do I run? Well that's a loaded question. I was asked to tell my story. My first thought was that I don't have a story to tell, but then I realized we all have a story. And each one is different and unique. So here is mine...

So, let me set the scene... Hubby was out of town ( thank goodness he's back now ) for 11 days. It was a LONG 11 days. Lil Man had a cold. I had a cold. We got 2 snow/ice storms. It was basically non-stop chaos. And that meant I had to get creative to get my workout in. I rarely had a block of 30 minutes or more to get in my workout. But what I was able to find was 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there, an occasional 20 minutes sporadically. And I realized, it might not be ideal. I might have an audience and distractions. I might have to jump off of the treadmill a time or two to resolve an issue. BUT 10 minutes is better than zero. I get asked ( and criticized ) a lot about just how much I workout. (i nsert eyeroll ). Technically, I don't

It's no secret that nutrition has been my struggle for several years now. As I type this I'm in the trenches of giving up sugar for 14 days ( I'm Giving Up Sugar For 14 Days ). I'm also doing a weight loss challenge with less than a week to go. The reason I am weighing in is because I'm experimenting to see if I have maybe found what works for me in regards to losing weight and then hopefully maintaining. So far, I've lost 7lbs since January 1. I'm

Just gotta put this out there, I've always thought the concept of vision boards was silly. I mean, do I really need to take magazine clippings and motivational quotes and put them on some board to visualize what my goals are?!?! But someone mentioned it in an accountability group that I am in. It piqued my interested and I put it on the maybe list. Then I was reading a fitness magazine about this lady who had gained 50lbs during pregnancy and she reached a point that she just had to make a change. The first thing that she did was make a vision board? What?!?! Yep, she took magazine clippings and quotes and put down her goals of what she wanted. So today,  partly because it's colder than cold and I refuse to go outside the house, and a little bit of boredom, I asked Lil Man

Ok.... just gonna toss this out there... if you aren't currently running races / participating in organized events, it does NOT make you any less of a runner or athlete. This past year has definitely been a whirlwind of a year with injuries and health related issues for me. But because of my experiences, it's also changed my perspective on a lot of things. I used to think that

Truth time - I've struggled a little with the transition back into the work force. I LOVE my job. But I went through a period of feeling very disconnected. And the last thing that I wanted to do was workout alone. So of course I turned to social media and asked if anyone in my area wanted to run/workout with me. Crickets. Yep, that's basically all that I got - crickets. And then I got an email to try an app called Gixo . It's live guided fitness classes. I thought why not, and I signed up for a free trial. Best.App.Ever I didn't know what to expect,

Someone recently asked me about my running and how I currently feel about it. True, I'm not running 5 days per week as I have in the past. I'm not even running my usual 3. I think my new norm for awhile ( maybe forever ) might be 2 days a week. How do I feel about it? I feel liberated. I feel like stepping outside of the model of runner to something bigger. Because I've said it before, and I will say it again, I am more than just a runner. As I grow older with my family, I reali ze that life is constantly changing. I am constantly changing. And learning to embrace the change definitely makes for an easier transition. For probably the first time in my life, I am

I woke to pain, and I knew that something felt off. I told my husband that something was wrong. But I kept hoping that it was just nothing. I went to Lil Man's soccer game, then to Target. Cause I mean, come on it was TARGET. After that I spent the afternoon on the couch. I got a heating pad and convinced myself that it was some sort of pre-menstrual cramp or something. But as the contraction like pain intensified, and the heating pad wasn't helping with anything, I decided to check my temperature. I had a low grade fever. So I did what many people would do and I consulted Dr. Google. Yep, just what I thought, it was my prostate. ( just kidding)  ;) I had narrowed it down to

Walking - who knew that it would be so simple yet so satisfying.  (And for anyone who may have missed it, you can catch up here on ( How I'm Adjusting To My New Normal ) But since distance running isn't a part of my life ( see above mentioned post ) I'm actually embracing walking. And I'm not currently talking about power walking, but just walking. Now keep in mind,  I am running twice a week and doing spin class weekly. So I have several days out of the week where I am pushing myself to improve my cardiovascular fitness. I realize that leisure walking isn't necessarily going to increase my cardiovascular fitness. But I will say that although my legs have been muscular for years, I think they are the

Just thought I'd give a quick update as to how things are going after my diagnosis with arthritis. First of all, I am finding that what I eat really does have a major impact on my joints. And I can usually see swollen joints by the end of the day after eating the offending food. And yes for me Turmeric and Ginger tea really do help. I AM RUNNING twice a week. It's one day less than what I was normally running. At this point