Before you begin to worry too much about where on earth this post is heading, don’t worry—I promise it’s not too gross.

This morning, I was once again proud of myself for getting up at 5am to go for a run. I was trucking it back into my apartment parking lot near the end of my run, when I saw a flock of birds gathered in a corner. I felt a sudden rush because the finish line of my day’s run was just steps away, plus I was simply happy and feeling awesome because I enjoyed my workout, so I decided those birds needed scattering. So, like any sane 23-year-old woman, I took off on my final round of the parking lot and ran full-speed at the birds, watching them take off in flight while squawking angrily at me.

As I laughed to myself and walked to my stoop, I pulled my leg up to stretch my quad. I felt strong, I felt healthy, I felt so happy! Don’t you just love that great feeling after a good workout?

Then suddenly—as I turned my head to grab my other foot, I looked down at my shoulder in horror.

One of the birds had POOPED on me!!!!!

Well, it was a little gross (a little?!) but I didn’t let it totally ruin my runner’s high. I hurried inside to chuck my shirt off as fast as I could before I finished stretching. But what I will now refer to as The Bird Incident made me think about all the times when we think we are unstoppable, unbeatable, just on top of the world—and then something poops on our parade.

I really don’t think I’m pessimistic, just realistic: Sometimes when things are going 100% in the right direction, something is going to pop up (or fall from the sky) and try to make you swerve off track. It’s the expectation that these things may happen that allows us to deal with them.

But lately, it seems like not only The Bird Incident has been getting in my way. While my hip is feeling better and I can run again, I only run 2-3 miles at a time, and only a couple days a week. It’s frustrating, after having been able to run for 6 miles at a time earlier this summer. And on the eating front, I am getting tired of “dieting”. I’m not sick of “healthy” food—I don’t keep myself to a strict set of foods to eat, and I make some great meals. But, it’s just so hard to fit in going out to eat or having a couple after-work drinks when you’re on a limited caloric intake. As much as I’d like to have a glass of wine some nights, I know I shouldn’t cut out part of my dinner just so I can have that vino.

It’s just hard not being a “normal” eater like everyone else. Sometimes people just don’t understand why I can’t go get chicken wings with them, or why I don’t want to come out on a Friday night and tempt myself with all-you-can-drink beer.
And, as much as I have been trying to watch my calories these past few weeks, it just seems like the number on the scale keeps hovering. Still, I think I’m a pretty positive person, so I know that eventually I’ll get to my desired results.

But some days, it’s just hard to avoid the poop.

Quite simply, please tell me:
How do YOU deal?

Fat Stats:
Starting weight: 166 pounds
Last week: 152 pounds
This week: 151.5 pounds
Goal weight: 145 pounds

Watch the skies!
Amanda
@jockey_amanda

Looking back over the last two months, this blog has really kicked my butt into gear. Knowing that all of you will be checking up on me has kept me motivated. But there’s been so much more that I have learned beyond the blog, that has kept me moving forward…

Last weekend I partook in the National MS Society’s Mud Run in St. Louis (I cannot believe I am posting pictures, but there ya go). The run was SIX miles long, littered with 24 obstacles and a mess of mud, and trampled on by a whole lot of crazy, fun people. It took me 1 hour & 42 minutes to complete the run in the grueling sun and heat (it was 90 degrees when we started at 9am—yikes). By the end of the race, I was definitely glad to be done; all I wanted to do was sit down and not move another muscle. Heck, I was so exhausted that I couldn’t even finish my free bottle of beer!

That night, and for two days afterward, I was in pain. My hip had been bothering me from straining it too much lately, so I was limping around again. On top of that, it seemed like each muscle in my body was groaning with every movement I made. But I was happy and felt so lucky. That’s right—lucky. Lucky because I was able to run six miles in the mud, climb over rope towers and swim under logs in a pond, crawl into mud pits and back out of them with the helping hand of a complete stranger, and finally go down a giant mud slip-n-slide with my good friend to finish the race. But most of all, I thought about all the people out there who have multiple sclerosis, or other conditions that inhibit them from being able to even walk confidently out their front door, let alone run down the block. And here I got to travel to a new city to run six miles in the MUD. I’d say that’s pretty lucky. And blessed.

I think that once you realize that some people don’t have the option to be able to cook what they want, eat what is healthiest, get out and go for an early morning jog, whiz around on a brand new bicycle—that is when you realize that you don’t HAVE to do those things yourself. But you choose to, and you get to. And you’re lucky to have that option, because some people don’t.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll remember that next time I hit the snooze button in the morning and contemplate skipping my workout!

But what about those days where we DO want to go for a run or cook a healthy meal, but life just gets in the way? Last week, I talked about this conundrum in my own life, but this week I got to see it from the perspective of those that I look up to—people here at Jockey® who have families (and lots of pets) to juggle, long hours on the job, and more. Take a look at their challenges and how THEY overcome them—I have already decided to adopt a few of their good habits!

Challenge: Workout time, including the kids, and [unhealthy] food
“My challenge is finding time to exercise with two little kids and a full-time job. The only way I can consistently work out is to do it first thing in the morning before the kids are up. There are just too many distractions at night, plus I am too exhausted! My alarm goes off by 4:52 a.m. on weekday mornings, and I get out of bed and I work out. It is not optional! No snooze button. No thinking about it. Just get up and go. Also, we are lucky enough to have fitness classes offered on-site at my job, so I try to do these 2-3 days a week. On the weekends, I take a more fun approach to fitness that usually involves my kids. We have a “dance party” where we dance to our favorite tunes, or we get out the double stroller and walk around the neighborhood. I even have a fitness video where you can lift your toddler instead of dumbbells! I honestly don’t need much motivation to exercise since I have made it such a routine. It’s just a part of my life like brushing my teeth. I will say that I never want to be the 85-year-old woman who can’t carry her own groceries. I want to be the 85-year-old woman running 5Ks! I also particularly like that I can eat more because I work out. Healthy eating is a constant struggle for me, but working out really helps me maintain a healthy weight despite my love of cheeseburgers, fries, and hot fudge sundaes.” - Amanda, Modeling & Analytics

Challenge: Working out with long work hours & a family
“My challenges are eating healthy and finding time to exercise with work, my wife and kids in the balance. I bring my lunch in almost every day to force myself to each healthy. To fit in workouts, I would get up at 5:30am everyday and work out before work, or I ran at lunchtime at work. What keeps me motivated is signing up for races. When I know I have to compete soon I am much less likely to skip or cut short a workout.” - Mark, Business Planning & Analytics

Challenge: Being active but still giving attention to the family (and many pets)
“My challenge is that I have a wife, 2 kids, a dog, a cat, 2 fish and a pet frog all demanding attention when I get home from work. Not to mention a 24-hour business that also needs care and feeding. I really struggled with fitting in exercise after the kids came. Before kids it was no problem to disappear for a 40-mile bike ride on a weeknight, but after the kids I was lucky to fit in 10 miles. So instead I turned to running because you can get a great workout in 30-45 minutes without all the gear you need for cycling! The best motivators are the bright blue eyes looking up at me from my 5 year-old and the big smile on my 3 year-old.” - Tim, E-commerce & Interactive

And now for the moment of truth…

Fat Stats:
Starting weight: 166 pounds
Last week: 155 pounds
This week: 154.5 pounds
Goal weight: 145 pounds

Have a safe & fun 4th of July,
Amanda
@jockey_amanda

It’s January! At a time when eating right and getting our [lazy] hinders to the gym becomes a main focus, we wanted to launch our new activewear collection with people who could truly put these styles to the test—athletes.  Who better than real people with a hard core passion for working out to give our latest and greatest training gear a try?

Athletes were recruited in the Wisconsin and Illinois areas through local gyms, running clubs, boxing facilities, rock climbing gyms and skate parks.  Castings were held in Chicago, IL and here in the Jockey corporate office in Kenosha, WI.  Talk about being amazed and inspired!  These athletes had incredible passion and energy for their sports; everyday people who are truly achieving extraordinary things.  Parents, entrepreneurs, students… (people just like you)… who make it a top priority to be healthy, stay fit and push themselves to new limits.

“There are so many people doing unique/interesting sports/workouts…stuff that gets them fit, but also ties into their interests.  I wanted to tell some of those stories…with our product.  It all goes back to the uncommon athlete theme.  Like our boxer AJ.  She’s a personal trainer, but in addition she trains and competes in a sport that’s not typical.  Watching her train was amazing.  The energy, the strength and sounds of her gloves slamming the trainer’s mitts…some of the coolest stuff I’ve even seen.  She just flowed and was full of power.” Eric Olson, Senior Creative Director/Photographer

The five day photo shoot took place in November.  Our crew set out to Adventure Rock (Pewaukee, WI), Chicago Academy of the Arts (Chicago, IL), Carthage College (Kenosha, WI), 4 Seasons Skate Park (Milwaukee, WI), Jabb Chicago (Chicago, IL) and Chicago Indoor sports (Chicago, IL) to catch our athletes in action.  The spotlight was on them, doing what they love to do.

“The athlete’s had a tremendous passion for their sport.  Like if they couldn’t do that sport, their life would somehow be less meaningful… less fulfilled.  That’s a beautiful thing to watch…If you enjoy your workout, getting and staying fit is not a novelty, it’s a lifestyle.  I certainly loved shooting them and trying to tap into their mojo a little bit.  Very motivating!” commented Eric.

Couldn’t we all use some motivation that extends past the first three weeks of 2010? Check out our athlete’s stories and see what pushes them to be “ordinary superstars”.  Who knows?  Maybe you’ll join a dance class, take up kick boxing, start lifting weights or run a marathon.  New Year’s resolution?  Find something you love and enjoy doing… and get ready for some awesome, worthwhile payoffs.

meet the athletes