I was so excited to get to talk to Dr. Michelle Segar for this episode of the podcast. I heard about Michelle's work last year when I began researching the science of exercise motivation in an effort to figure out what went wrong when a bunch of my half marathoners quit their training program after getting that horrible flu, and getting caught up in the stress of the winter and holiday seasons.  I had never had this happen before, but it turns out, this phenomenon is fairly common. 

Dr. Segar's work kept popping up as I dug into the research, and I had an opportunity to hear her speak in person at the IDEA World fitness convention in San Diego this summer. Her book, No Sweat, is incredible, and her presentation at the conference included some new graphics and analogies that really hit home. 

As you know, I am passionate about the benefits of exercise because movement can transform lives. So I'm always intrigued when I can talk to someone who has spent an entire career...

It seems like this has been the summer of aches and pains. Wherever I go, I wind up getting into a conversation with someone who is complaining about achy knees, or lack of energy, or who is just not feeling as young and vibrant as they used to. It's a normal part of getting older, but I don't know many people 40-50+ who are ready to sit back and watch as life goes on around them.

I love this quote by Cassidy Phillips, the founder and CEO of Trigger Point Performance:

"What you tolerate, you accept--and you don't have to tolerate poor biomechanics or getting older."

Can I get an AMEN!?

It was this train of thought that led me to create this week's podcast. Yes, there are things you can do to change your appearance that cost money... hair dye, Botox, cosmetic surgeries.... but I'm not talking about these things. I wanted to touch on some everyday things we can all do that will make us FEEL and MOVE better.

Aging is a function of lifestyle, and there are SO MANY things we can do to...

Is this the year you'll finally run your first 5K? Maybe it's been a bucket list item for a while, or maybe someone near and dear to you has been begging you to get out for a run with them. No matter what your motivation is, I have ten tips to help you get started!

I did a full podcast about this, so you can also listen here!

1. JUST DO IT! This one is as simple as making the decision. Stop thinking about it. Stop talking about "someday." Make the decision today, and then take the following actions.
2. CHOOSE A RACE. If you are not already running, it will take you about 3-4 months to prepare. You can talk to the people at your local running store to find out what races are coming up, or search a database like Let's Do This, Running in the USA, Active.com, or RunSignUp.com. (Active and Run Sign Up will only show the races that they host as the place the race director has chosen for people to register for a race.)
3. GET A PLAN. You can download a free plan as part of my RUN YOUR FIRST...