Hey Everyone,
This post will be short and sweet… Earlier in the spring, I was interviewed by Healthy Living. And on Friday, May 30th, Â I was featured. What a great way to end May… Please head over, and check out my interview.
Have a wonderful week!Â
xoxo
“I believe being an athlete is a choice, and that we all can be athletes, regardless of natural ability. It is a mind-set, a lifestyle, a decision.” – Eric Orton from the book, The Cool Impossible
I have been reading, The Cool Impossible by Eric Orton.  If you have read, Born to Run, The Cool Impossible is the next book to read. Eric Orton was the running coach for Christopher Mcdougalll – the writer and main character of Born to Run. After years of pain and injury,  Eric Orton helped Christopher Mcdougall meet his goal to run his first Ultra Marathon with the Tarahumara tribe.
Lately, I keep coming across the idea of CHOICE. Whether you are aware of it or not, you are making choices every day. Choices are everywhere… You choose to eat healthy. You choose where you buy your groceries, supporting the brands you choose to buy. You choose to go for a run. You choose to run in minimalist shoes. You choose your career. Love is even a choice, you choose your significant other, and they choose you. Even the things that are out of your control, you can choose how to react to them positively or negatively.
And believe it or not… You choose to be an athlete.
For those of you who are struggling to loose weight, eat healthy, and meet your  fitness goal… You are not thinking of yourself as an athlete. Once you make that choice, to be an athlete-  you will start acting like one, eating like one, sleeping like one, training like one. And remember this, your body is more capable then you think. Yes, you do have to train physically, but you also have to train mentally.
For those of you who are athletes, who want to meet new goals. It is time to determine your personality. Are you a bad thinker or a good thinker? Maybe you never see walls, or maybe you see walls blocking you at every turn. Become aware of negative thoughts. Identify those thoughts as just thoughts not truths.
These are some cool things I have been learned from the book, The Cool Impossible.
You always have a Choice- the Choice is Yours.
What’s your favorite running book?
© 2014 sweatdaily
This last year, I took a business building class. At this class, I had to describe my daily fashion identity by using only one adjective. This was a very hard task. I thought to myself, I am so many things. Some days I feel artsy, other days I feel sporty. Some days I dress edgy, while other days I wear vintage. I love mixing and matching. I easily find inspiration, everywhere.
Although, all of the above is true, I stared to narrow it down… there is one thing that all the above share. And whether what I am wearing is edgy, vintage, artsy, or sporty, what I realized is that in one way or another, they are all girly and feminine.
Do you remember Clueless?
This is by far one of my favorite movies from the 90s. I was 10 years old when it came out, and I remember watching this movie, thinking how cool all of their outfits were.
Look at those gym clothes…
Now looking back, I realize that I was the Clueless one, and the point of putting them in these outfits was to show how clueless they were too.
There is no way that those gym clothes were functional. Try running a 5k in those and you would end up with horrible chaffing. Although, they were not functional, what they were, was trendy.
Trendy and fashionable is what I loved about the gym clothes worn by Cher in Clueless, back in the 90s. Today, Trendy, fashionable, and functional is what I look for in my running gear, yoga, and workout apparel.
I love fashion.
I love expressing myself.
I have done previous blog posts on fashionable gym clothes and functional running gear. Why? Because it is important! When you look good, you feel good. Specific clothing is made, for specific sports. When you wear the proper gear for whichever sport you are participating in you preform better.
So although the gym clothing in Clueless were not functional, they were trendy. Now a days you can have the best of both worlds. Now a days workout clothing, running gear, yoga apparel is both fashionable and functional.
I normally love lululemon, and I have to admit most of my wardrobe is lululemon. However, lately I am loving Athleta. In the past, I always thought Athleta looked older, like it catered to my mother’s age group. But right now it is looking trendy, for the younger fashionable athlete. I am loving everything.
After I made a couple purchases in the store, at the register, I was asked how I had heard about Athleta. I have always known about Athleta however, I was inspired to go to the store, because of this image I saw on instagram.
Who wouldn’t want to go it to the store after seeing this amazing image? I actually have been finding most of my inspiration from images posted on instagram. It is by far my favorite form of social media. I now follow Athleta along with some of my other favorite stores, and people. If you aren’t following me on instagram yet, do it, @dorseyml.
These are some other inspiring images. I actually have those pants!!
What athletic brands are your favorite? Do you shop at Athleta?
© 2014 sweatdaily
Other posts you may like…
I love my Garmin!! This Garmin has been the best present my boyfriend has ever bought me.  I have the Forerunner 50 – which is the oldest of all the Garmins. Sooo old that most people have never heard of it. This watch has been with me for all of my training runs and races for the last 5 years. It tracks my pace, distance, cadence, heart rate, and calories burned. But what I find most amazing about using a Garmin watch is that you get to also use the  Garmin Connect Calender.
With this feature, I am able to analyze all of my current runs, but I also get to look back on all of the runs I have ever recorded. This has been extremely helpful. The last time I ran the Marine Corps Marathon was in 2010. During this training, when I have felt unsure about my progress, I am able to go back to 2010 with the click of a button and compare my runs.
“It had gotten to hot even for the desert rat, Rick Miller, so Dusty joined me and ran me up the next 10 miles. “You da man, Yeah brotha’, that’s how you do it, Jurker, hell yeah!” the Dust Ball hollered.”
The above quote is from the book Eat and Run, by Scott Jurek. Scott Jurek wouldn’t be the runner he is today, with out his best friend Dusty. The relationship between Dusty and Scott is by far my favorite part of the book. Dusty was there by Scott’s side, through almost all of his ultra runs. And although I wish I had a Dusty, the reality is… I don’t, so my Garmin has become my running buddy.
So far during this marathon training season, I have been running solo. Â Sometimes when you are running by yourself it is hard to judge if you are running your best, especially considering that last year and up to this point, I have had a running buddy. However, in 2010 I ran every training run by myself, and ended up having a very successful marathon.
I did it then, I can do it now.
Questions for You…
© 2013 sweatdaily
“The Artist is the Creator of beautiful things.” – Oscar Wilde.
… and this is true, but so is the athlete.
Under Armour is doing something beautiful. They have created the Under Armour What’s Beautiful 3.0 campaign/competition… and guess what? You can be a part it!
The DetailsÂ
Under Armour wants you to define What’s beautiful. They want you to define what it means to be the ultimate female athlete. They have created this competition so you can set goals and show the world how you accomplish them. Become a Goal Setter. Have a game plan. Accomplish the unthinkable. Because the unthinkable is possible. Why? Because you are beautiful. You are an athlete. You can and will.
Step to Join
The Prize
By mid July, Under Armour will choose three women, who went above and beyond, and send them to Costa Rica for yoga and surf lessons. But along the way, through out this competition, Under Armour will be giving away swag weekly.
What I have learned since joining What’s Beautiful…
This has become more than a competition it has become a community of women, empowering each other. Through this competition, I am able to connect with people and share my knowledge while motivating others. In return I continue to be inspired, and learn new things regarding health and fitness.
So join today. Click here to see my profile page, and follow me, and I’ll follow you back!
Don’t Forget...
Also when you record progress, successfully accomplish a goal or complete a challenge, not only upload your photo to your profile page with in the What’s Beautiful community, but also to Instagram. So I can stay inspired and motivated, please tag me, @dorseyml. Also use hashtags #Iwill #whatsbeautiful.
I am excited for all of you to join! Can’t wait to share knowledge, inspire, and motivate each other. Lets do this Ladies!! Lets kick some serious Ass!!
Questions for You…
© 2013 sweatdaily
Livefit update…
Today, I completed Day 36 of the Livefit trainer. J and I hit the gym in the morning and today we focused mainly on back, although, we squeezed in some leg exercises too. I also got a little bit of cardio in.
Through this new fitness challenge, the Livefit trainer, I am not only seeing a difference in my fitness level, but I am learning a lot about myself.
Do you workout in the morning or at night?
I have definitely realized that by doing the Livefit trainer, I have my best workout sessions, early in the morning before work. It just feels really good waking up early, getting a great work out/run in, and then have my whole day ahead of me free to do whatever…
I find if I don’t get my morning work out/run in, I end up worrying about it the whole day, desperately wondering when I am going to fit it in. I also feel that if I don’t get a chance to lift and then find time to hit the weights at night, I end up being too tired to lift at my fullest potential. However, I can run or do bikram either in the am or pm.
Running or doing birkam in the morning, before work gives me energy for the rest of the day… it must be all of those endorphins, creating my runner’s high. When I run or do bikram at night, I feel like I relieve the stresses from the day. I find myself winding down, feeling relaxed, but refreshed.
But when I have the choice to choose morning running/bikram or night, I will always choose morning.
Getting my workouts in, in the morning also gives me the opportunity to do a double if I want to. Sometimes after work, at night, I feel  like it is necessary to blow off some stress, and although, I already worked out, another sweat session is in order.
Well whether, you run…
do yoga…
lift weights…
whether you are an early bird…
or a night owl…
Questions for YOU?
© 2013 sweatdaily
HOW IT ALL BEGAN…
As long as I can remember I was a skier. I was that little girl in a puffy pink onesie, snowplowing (aka the pizza), fearlessly and poleless down the mountain. My parents got me on skis at a very young age, even my girl scout troop went on annual ski trips.
When I was 16, I went with my high school, to Seven Springs, a ski resort in Pennsylvania. It was there that on my second day of skiing I decided to trade my skis in for a snowboard. I have been on a board ever since.
I am definitely a better skier, than snowboarder. However, I enjoy snowboarding because it is a challenge for me, and I always love a good challenge. When I first got on a board I realized how truly different it is compared to skiing.
THE DIFFERENCEÂ
In skiing, each leg is attached to it’s own individual ski. While in snowboarding both legs are attached to one board. In skiing, it is a lot of hip action. While in snowboarding it is distributing weight on to your toes and then on to your heels. This creates an S shape in the snow, called carving. Â In skiing, you have poles to push you along on flatter services, or to help create speed. On a snowboard, you have to unbuckle your back foot. This freed foot can go in front of your board or behind your board, in order to comfortably shuffle your way along on flatter services. Most snowboarders choose their stance, goofy or regular.
Maybe it is because I have been skiing longer, and learned to ski before I learned to snowboard. But because of the obvious, having both legs attached to one board, compared to having legs individually attached to their own skis – skiing is more freeing and I feel much more in control.
As a child, I grew up going skiing a couple times a year during the winter season. But as an adult, I begin to get to the resort less and less. So last year, I decided I was going to make more of an effort to get to the mountain. Because of this, my bf and I both bought each other snowboards, and we have made it a tradition to always go snowboarding on my birthday.
THR GEAR
This Christmas, I was one lucky girl. My bf ended up getting me the rest of my snowboarding equipment. Â This included: boots, gloves, pants, socks (made from merino wool, my favorite), and a helmet.
Growing up we never wore helmets, just a goofy hat. But honestly, a helmet keeps you so much warmer, and safer. Plus all the expert skiers and snowboarders are wearing helmets, so you just look like an ammature if you aren’t wearing one. WEAR YOUR HELMET!!
** I love my new helmet, and it is my favorite color. Thanks baby, for an awesome Christmas present!!**
RESORTS
I am an east coast girl, so unfortunately I have only had the opportunity to ski of the east coast – maybe my dream will come true and I will find time to go out West to Vail or Jackson Hole.
In the past, I have gone up to Vermont a couple times, to a resort called Mount Snow. However, most of the time when I go skiing or snowboarding I am either in Pennsylvania or Maryland. The good resorts in Pennsylvania that I have been to are Seven Springs or Blue Knob.
There are some resorts down in Southern Virginia. Winter Green is the better out of the resorts down there. Massanutten aka Massanothing, has been taken over by college kids that attend JMU, and parents love to bring their kids because of the indoor water park.  There are some resorts in West Virginia. The most popular one is Snow Shoe.
Anyhow, over the last three years, my bf and I have gone skiing at White Tale, a resort right passed Hagerstown, MD. We have chosen this resort simply because it is the closest to get too. However, the resort itself is pretty simple, and small. The only food option is their cafeteria, and the county is a dry county – so no bar here. They do have an awesome fire pit, which warms you up after hours on the slope. The last couple times we have gone, though, it has been really over crowded. The chairlift lines were super long, and the slopes were over packed with kids.
So this year, my bf and I decided to try a different resort. Although, up north got dumped on with snow, we haven’t gotten any in the DC area. So our main concern was finding a place that had some snow. My mom suggested Blue Knob. She had told me that I had been as a kid, but honestly I had no memories of the place.
BLUE KNOB
Blue Knob is the resort located in Pennsylvania, on the highest mountain top. It is about a 3 hour drive from the DC area. When we looked at their website, they claimed they had snow, and all trails were open. So it was go time… we aren’t picky at all when it comes to snowboarding.
We headed up Friday night, spent the night in a hotel 30 minutes from the resort. Woke up early, and we were on our way. The ride up the mountain was beautiful. See for yourself…
Driving to the resort was all up hill, or rather up mountain. The reason why is because unlike other resorts where the lodge is on the bottom of the mountain, at Blue Knob, the lodge is located on the very top of the the mountain. Instead of first having to wait in line and ride the chairlift, automatically you get to ski or snowboard right from the lodge – which I loved.
Another awesome thing about Blue Knob is that the trails all intertwine with each other. You’ll see black diamonds in between green slopes. There are lots of trees, so you feel like you are skiing of snowboarding through the woods – very nature like. 
Another thing about Blue Knob, was that it was not overly crowded. It was a Saturday, but I rarely had to wait in lift lines. I pretty much had the slopes to myself. This could be because the resort is very secluded compared to the other resorts. It also could be because they have a lot more trails, and all of them were open with really great snow. 
** His and Her Burton Boards.**
When I had decided I was going to buy my bf a board. I started to research Nitro Snowboards.  The company seemed really good, and the board designs were visually pleasing. However, they were really expensive and hard to find. I ended up buying a Burton Board for him, and he bought one for me. I love my Burton Board.Â
**My next post will be about tips for purchasing your first snow board, so stay tuned.**
THE LODGE
The food at Blue Knob was not bad, of corse it wasn’t the healthiest. They had a basic grill, where they could make you anything you wanted, from breakfast sandwiches to burgers. They also had soups in bread bowls, and other snacks. They do have a bar, and there was a band playing live music when we were there.
A GREAT WORKOUT
Of corse we went to hang in the lodge for lunch, and to warm up and grab a coffee. But for the most part, we were on the slopes, 9 am-4 pm. Seven hours of snowboarding is an amazing work out. But where I felt the most sore was my inner thighs, and my arms. I think this is because the shuffling movement on flat services works the inner thighs, and the constant being on the ground and then pushing yourself up works the arms.
IN THE END…
I highly recommend trying snowboarding or skiing if you haven’t already. It is tons of fun, and a great work out. If you are on the East Coast, I highly recommend Blue Knob resort.  Although, it is March, the season isn’t over yet. The Mid Atlantic has just been issued a  Snow Alert. So get out there and enjoy the snow, the winter, while you can.
Questions for You…
© 2013 sweatdaily
If this doesn’t inspire you… then I don’t know what will.
Last year, her story made headlines…
Meet Lauren Scruggs. Her friends and family call her Lolo. She is a model and fashion blogger. She is a daughter and a twin sister.  One night, last year, accompanied by her mother, she went on a short small plane ride to see holiday lights, light up Dallas, from a bird’s eye view. When exiting the plane she walked into the night, and accidently hit the plane’s spinning propeller. She lost her left eye and her left hand, but God spared her life.
Doctor’s told her loosing a hand is like loosing a family member because it has always been with you. But now look what she is doing…
Look at this strong woman! She isn’t just recovering from an accident that could have easily taken her life, but she is living, thriving, and doing push ups. She is thankful everyday, and adapting to her new body. So next time when you are exercising and feel like giving up… think of Lolo. Â Why? Because she is doing it beautifully and one handed.
Both this one, and the above photo were found in People magazine. I am totally amazed by today’s technology. Lauren not only has a prosthetic eye, but she has multiple prosthetic arms. She chooses which one to wear depending on what activity she is doing. Because Lolo is so athletic, she has one for swimming, and another for other physical activities. She also has one for everyday use. This one looks almost as natural as a regular real human arm.Â
To learn more about Lauren Scruggs read her book Still Lolo or check out her blog Lolo Magazine. Guess what? She also has a wordpress blog, follow her at LOLO.
© 2012 sweatdaily