Scared Sweaty: This Fit Mom Looks Like a Witch for Halloween... Without Trying!

Here's what's scary for me today.

My face.

Feeling a little like those knobby pumpkins. The "warty" variety, I believe they're called. These little bumps start out on my face harmless, but I go after them like the villain in a slasher movie. What can I say, I'm a picker. This says a lot about my personality. I am not one who can sit idly by and wait for a little, tiny bump--inconspicuous to everyone else but feeling like a water balloon under the skin to me-- resolve itself on it's own. It's sport and nervous habit rolled into one.

Expected when your 16. Not so much at 42.

So I took my warty pumpkin head to my friendly neighborhood salon for a facial on Saturday. I needed two things. Professional help and a nap. I hadn't had a full night's sleep in over a week. Also scary. Every single one of my children is to blame for one reason or another for waking me up at least one time a night last week. All of them. Little goblins.

A facial would buy me one hour of lying prone in a relaxed atmosphere. Sure I would pay for my nap. I was that desperate. I imagined that I would emerge from the room clear-skinned and refreshed.

That's not exactly how it happened.

I could no more sleep through that facial than I could through childbirth. In fact, I think I used Lamaze breathing to make it through that hour. My aesthetician is a picker too, but she was armed with steam, a magnifying mirror and sharp tools. So I emerged from my facial looking as if a spooky black cat attacked my face.

Plus, the moment I walked into her room for my afternoon facial still wearing my workout clothes from that morning, she was on to me.

"How often do you work out?"

I'm proud of this answer, I don't have to fudge the numbers, like I do when the dental hygienist asks me how often I floss. I answered truthfully. I workout 5 to 6 times a week.

"Do you wash your face after you workout?"

Uh oh.

I stammered here. I knew what the right answer was, just like I know the right answer for the dental hygienist. But I felt the trap. She knew the answer just by looking at my face, as does the dental hygienist when she cleans my teeth.

So I dove right into the busy mom fall-back answer where you don't actually say you do or you don't but that you give it your best shot, and as it is you're squeezing workouts into borrowed time, and if you're lucky enough to accomplish that workout, chances are you do not have time to shower, too.

So she put it to me this way: "You know how when you make eggs for breakfast and you rinse the dishes right away they are much easier to clean later, but if you don't rinse them first you have to go back at the dishes with a scrubber and other tools to chisel the stuck-on food off the plate?"

Funny thing, I did feel a little like I had egg on my face.

Then she asked: "Do you drink wine?"

Did I mention I have four kids? Did I mention I'm holding my life together by a strand of dental floss, which I should be using to floss? Did I mention I haven't had much sleep in 8 years?

YES I DRINK WINE!

I think she mentioned some nonsense about wine contributing to the pimple problem but it's clear to me that wine is not the cause. Stress, yes. So you might mistake wine consumption for increased zits, when in fact the wine is only a correlation due to the stress. I'd even say the wine helps. With enough wine I lose the urge to pick at my face. Lose the urge or consciousness, same thing.

You know what else I'm supposed to give up? The anti-aging serum I was convinced to buy six months ago.

"Just until we get your face cleared up," She suggested. "We can worry about that later."

That?


That would be the fine lines and wrinkles, which for the moment are dominated by zits. Anyone else find this ridiculous?

More scary were her instructions to wash my face three times a day followed by an application of tea tree oil to the affected areas, making me smell like a witch who has been stewing in her own evil potion.

Just one more thing to do. As it is I eat most of my meals standing up. Does it sound like I have time to wash my face three times a day? I am supposed to floss my teeth and meditate, too, but...

What I am trying to do right by my body is to workout most days of the week. I've learned as I've gotten older, I can't just workout anymore. I also have to stretch. I have to strength train. I have certain therapeutic exercises I must do so I can keep exercising pain free. Now add washing my face to clear up the adult acne so I can get back to my anti-aging regimen. I am still young enough to roll my eyes. Or maybe I just think I'm rolling my eyes, I'll bet my eyes looked crossed instead, like that stinky witch.

As instructed I started my morning with a good face washing and followed that with an inspection in the mirror. I passed over the dark circles, zits and fine lines. You know what I saw in my reflection? Dammit if I didn't see a chin hair.

I really need no help at all with this witch costume.

Does your life as a fit mom contribute to your halloween costume?

Weekend Update

Hi Friends!

Want to share the latest on the Hot (Sweaty) Mamas circuit. First for those in the Twin Cities, I'll be at Tangletown Crossfit on Saturday, October 29, at 11 a.m. for a donation-based workout (scaled to all levels) to raise money to help the family of Lorene Nystrom, who is battling cancer. Whatever you can pay for the workout, plus proceeds from Hot (Sweaty) Mamas will go to the family. You know how I feel about Cross Fit. Now's a great opportunity to try it out!

Next week I'm going to San Diego! Anyone out there in or around San Diego?

First I'll be part of a fun mom and kids event at Kidville in Carlsbad on Friday morning, November 4, from 10:30-12:30. Then I'll give the Hot (Sweaty) Mamas pep talk at the Athleta Iron Girl 5K/10K packet pick up at the San Diego Road Runner Sports at 6:45 that night.

I'll be running the Athleta Iron Girl 5K in Del Mar on Sunday, November 6, and hoping that my track workouts pay off with personal record. I'm not talking about a PR after kids, I'm going for the lifetime PR, which was set 20 years ago.

I feel compelled to be so bold because I was recently in the presence of Olympian Carrie Tollefson, when she interviewed Laurie and I about Hot (Sweaty) Mamas. Speed can rub off, right? We had a great chat, which is part of a two-part webisode on her website, www.ctollerun.com. Here's a look at part I.

Update #9 from Mamacat

It's been a month since Mamacat's Iron Girl Duathlon finish. I thought I'd check in with her to find out how the fit lifestyle was going, how she planned to keep up the momentum and specifically, What Is Next! As you'll read, Mamacat is motivated to keep moving and confident she can keep crossing finish lines. In fact, the events she's planning make me want to get out and join her. She has set a significantweight-loss goal for herself and she needs your support! Please share your wisdom with her, especially when it comes to shedding those pounds and quitting her diet coke addiction!

Here's what Mamacat had to say:

You'll be happy to know I couldn't stop working out even if I tried. Despite the goal race being over, I have not lost my will or my drive. I can not skip a day of working out without going insane. It's  a solid habit. We love that, don't we? 

I've done the "stairs" in Stillwater (a fat burning 1000 step trail of hills, steps, more steps and steps). I've done as many 25-mile bike rides as I can with the nice weather. We've declared family fitness night for TWO nights a week. I've even started to wean myself back into club time instead of outdoor time. I'm still doing Moms on the Run and still LOVE IT. I love the women and that no one judges me even if I am the slowest runner alive. We only have about 2 weeks left and I think I'm going to cry. This season we've been doing more interval training and working on bootcamp drills. My legs have gotten really strong. 

Fitness is such a habit that it naturally has a place on my to do list, daily. This is significant because I was very afraid once the Iron Girl was over I would find it easy to pop an excuse (not a reason) in here or there. No way, Jose! 

One thing is certain, this journey is not over. I bought  a wet suit in an end-of-season sale. This commits me to open water swimming and triathlons in the spring (lest I prefer divorce court for spending money frivolously) and keeps me 'mentally' in the game. 

My most immediate goal is the Scare In White Bear 5K with my husband and son. My girls will do the 1/2 mile race. I've got my eye on the Fast before the Feast race on Thanksgiving Day, a February cross-country ski event, a paintball gun race, and a May Duathlon. I'm also eagerly awaiting details of an indoor triathlon at Lifetime Fitness and planning some kind of neighborhood family fun race day that will involve skiing, skating, sledding or all of the above. 

I will revisit the early days of our journey where you challenged me to quit it with the Diet Coke. I went way down in my consumption and then back up to large amounts (no where near the 8-a-day mark but a heck of a lot more than one a day). Reality is I think I just have to cut out Diet Coke COMPLETELY.  I'm still saying "yup, I've gotta do that" but have not yet been able to actually do it.

I have been writing down everything that goes into my mouth and it's not as great as I let myself think it is. I need to get back to the nutrition focus I started with that slowly got away (funny how I did eat my veggies when i was getting free massages).  So I am going back to a serious focus on nutrition and not just eating my vegetables and fruits, but enjoying them in new ways. I can tell you in no uncertain terms that eating smart the few days prior to the Iron Girl made a big difference for me compared to the previous triathlon, in which I was worn down, dehydrated and lethargic.

My next goal: My OLDER sister turns 50 in a year and I want to cross a finish line with her before then. Fifty pounds lighter. I want to be 50 pound lighter before she gets to 50. And I want the finish line to be the Iron Girl. 

Inspiration in the Perspiration

Since I woke up thinking (and this is not unusual), "How am I going to get it all done this week?" I thought what I needed was a little inspiration from another mom.

On page 135 in Hot (Sweaty) Mamas: Five Secrets to Life as a Fit Mom there is a section called "Inspiration in the Perspiration," and in it says: "Sometimes just knowing the effort it takes someone else to squeeze in a workout will inspire you to do the same and validate your dedication to getting or staying in shape."

So, I found her this morning. Her name is Erin (just like my sister!) She is a work-from-home mom of 12 training for the New York City marathon who blogs at See Mom Run Far. Impressed? She explains HOW SHE DOES IT!

Because I know you all would want to know too.

And now I feel like I can take on the world. Or, at least, I should.

But I'll settle for a workout.

Who is inspiring you this morning?

This Week's Workout: Happy Dancing

Here's the ad that ran in the October 24th issue of People Magazine!

When we wrote Hot (Sweaty) Mamas: Five Secrets to Life as a Fit Mom, we had come to discover how important being a role model is to our children. I wholeheartedly believe in the fifth secret: "Act Like Others are Watching Because they Are."

I just had no idea that the "others" would include the powers-that-be at Revlon.

On a cold April morning I was in Central Park with about 10,000 other woman for the EIF Revlon Run Walk for Women and participated in the free makeover Revlon offered at the finish line. Who turns down a free makeover? I just filled out a short form about why I consider myself a role model, got my hair pouffed, then my photo taken.

After the primping I ran back to my hotel and thought noting of it until Revlon contacted me months later to say I had been chosen for an ad campaign that would run in People Magazine.

And that's all I knew about it until the October 24th issue hit the newsstand. I am honored to be chosen and especially thrilled that Revlon thinks "Fitness is a Family Value," worthy of sharing with the masses.

Act like others are watching. Remember, more than your kids may take notice!

P.S.--My week of minor celebrity has not impressed my children. They complained loudly about the lunches I packed them today and I explained this was the best a super model could do.

Want Your Body Back?

Do you want your body back? Show me a woman with kids who doesn’t. I too long for that body of the 20-something I once was. But it’s not what you think.

I can live with the now malformed belly button and the numb-to-the-pinch “twin skin” that lies below it. These post-baby remnants are why I roll my eyes at media that lure women into the myth of “getting your pre-baby body back.” No matter how fit you become I guarantee your belly button will never be the same.

I can live with the skin that now wrinkles above my knees when I flex my quads. Such a bummer to have such strong leg muscles covered by the flesh of an elephant. (Note, standing on your head will give your legs a “face-lift” and make them appear 20-years younger. I do this sometimes, just to remember.)

I can live with deflated boobies. Oh sure, they were always small. But I couldn’t appreciate the perk back then. Now I look at animal books with my son and when we come across the photo of the female gorilla I am certain of evolution. After all her boobies look like they nursed a few (or four) kids, too.

No, what I miss from that 20-something body has less to do with aesthetics. I miss not thinking about how my body might respond. As in, “At what point during my run will my hip start to hurt?” I miss the silence of a young body; of not hearing the crepitus in my knees when I take the stairs. I miss the body that was free of consequences: A back than never gave out no matter how poorly I picked something up or being able to turn my head to the right without feeling a shooting pain down my shoulder blade.

I could give a shit about botox. Unless, it could fix any of the problems listed above.

My chiropractor did not have any treatments for me that doubled as wrinkle reducers. Instead she suggested last week that I take a week off of running and any other intense workout to see if I could shake the chronic hip soreness that’s been part of my routine since... well since I started my quest to compete in three triathlons and a duathlon this summer. More running. More biking. More swimming.

Now, I know a lot of women who would reel at the suggestion of taking a week off of running. I am not one of them since my aha! moment that exercise can be more than hard, sweaty workouts. There are lots of ways to exercise, each with varying benefits, and yes, this is all put to paper in “Hot (Sweaty) Mamas: Five Secrets to Life as a Fit Mom,” if you happen to be someone who needs help broadening your definition of exercise.

I decided my week off of any soreness-inducing workouts would be my ticket back in time. I would get my pre-baby body back--with new, bigger belly button!--so I could start working out harder again (with more care to the reality of the older body I’m in).

Now it’s time to confess. The no-running prescription was realistic because my mom had just arrived in town to take care of the kids while my husband and I spent four of the seven days in the wine country. 

Knowing I would be less likely to depend on a stress-reducing run since I also wouldn’t be faced with the demands of a 2-year-old who has suddenly given up naps or an 8-year-old who insists I know nothing about 2nd grade homework, made the condition of the terms much more realistic.

I could get my pre-baby body--with new, bigger belly button!--back without losing my mind. 

In fact, I had ideal non-running conditions. I took long walks with my mom and The Boy before leaving town. While I did get on a bike while in California, the 12-mile ride to visit three vineyards took 5 hours. That’s a 2.4 mph pace. I think I burned more calories lifting wine glasses to my mouth. The hotel offered free yoga, too, so I took three wonderful, restorative yoga classes in three days, opening my hips, shoulders, and finding movement again in my neck.

When you stop including workouts that would normally make you sore, you are left with this: just those places that hurt.

It’s a bummer. 

So I got a massage.

Anyone thrown a tomato at me via their computer screen yet?

While my hip (and shoulder and neck) indeed hurts less, I can sense some “danger that lurks beneath.” What I’m sure I need is another week off running, that includes another 2.4 mph bike ride while hydrating with pinot noir, long walks and restorative yoga classes. But that’s not what I’m going to get. I’m going to get real life. This is OK because I miss my kids and rather enjoy my chaotic life at home. I mean you can only float in a mineral pool heated to body temperature with underwater music so long. (Ouch. OK, I felt that one.)

As hard as it may be without living at a spa, I will try to keep up the progress toward that consequence-free body I had 20 years ago. I will do my best to engage in the therapeutic and strength building exercises and hope that I can get my new, old, pre-baby body--with new, bigger belly button!--to get me through another marathon, ride my bike more than 12 miles or carry on with my quest to dead lift one and half times my body weight. 

I might feel it. I might feel it like a woman in her 40s versus one in her 20s. But that’s what heated mineral pools and pinot noir are for.

Acquiring a Taste for Running

The Toddler Trot. Those newly initiated into walking are introduced to the sport of running on a mini race course to experience the thrill of crossing what is likely their first finish line. Sounds innocent enough.

Except that all of their parents are die-hard runners and actually want their kids to LOVE it as much as they do.

If those parents truly have their heart set on that outcome, they might feel let down. Or crushed. Or just confused as the family's self-appointed fitness role models. If you read last year's post about The Boy's first race, then you know from my experience this love for running isn't always in the genes.

But like first foods, we know that kids have to try things several times--or 12--before they really know if they like it.

So we returned to the Twin Cities Marathon Family Events, where our children have all participated in the Toddler Trot. The Boy, now a "seasoned" runner (I mean, you should see how fast he can run *away* from me these days), would put all those "training runs" to practice. He's in preschool now, hanging out with other toddlers, so would feel less anxiety at the race start. Being more mature now that he's two-years-old, he would run to the finish and into his mama's arms with pride.

Or not.

That's O.K. Really. It is. I mean it's fine that I have to play cars and trains ad nauseam day in, day out, but he can't even pretend to enjoy a running event. And I'll just let it slide that when I'm pushing him in the stroller if I so much stop to walk a step, he is quick to yell, "Faster Mommy!"

Good thing he's cute. And he melts my heart. And I kind of like playing trains anyway.

We will continue to enjoy racing as a family because that's what mom and dad want to do. Maybe, just maybe after the 12th time, he'll find some redeeming qualities and enjoy the sport, too.

Or not.

In which case, my husband and I will hear in our aging years the stories from our grown kids about how we forced them to run with us. "Do you remember when mom and dad made us run all the time?..."

But we all look happy, don't we? Or, is that just me smiling?