Navigating the horizontal cargo net was not easy. I accomplished this same manuever — falling and getting tied up in the ropes. (Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel)

Ive had a couple of days to recoup and reflect on my Warrior Dash experience. Heres a quick rundown on the highs and lows.

WHINE, WHINE, WHINE. Ive only heard one complaint from one person (male): There was too much mud. To that I say, Get over it, you wimp. If you didnt want to get muddy, why, why, WHY did you even participate? I paid my money and wore white just so I could walk away covered in mud. In fact, its the mud that will get me to sign up next year and the year after.

UNEVEN, SLIPPERY TERRAIN. The hype surrounding the race had me envisioning all sorts of injuries (for example: someone super klutzy (me) tripping and falling into the fire). However, it didnt take long to realize that my biggest concern (really the only concern) needed to be twisting an ankle. It was top of my mind with every awkward step I took as I splashed through puddles and slid through slimy mud. Thankfully, I walked away without a limp.

SMART WARRIOR VS. WIMPY WARRIOR. As I approached the first of many puddles, I had to make a decision: Was I going to take the easy route and stay to the edge of the course so I only had to trudge through the shallowest portions, or was I going to head straight down the middle of the course into the deepest parts? I decided it didnt make me less of a warrior to stay to the edges. It, in fact, made me a smart warrior. Anyone disagree?

THE WORST OBSTACLE. The horizontal cargo net was the most difficult for me. Ive had others say that the tires were the biggest energy sap and some said the humid, smelly tent o mud was their most dreaded obstacle. What caused you the most problems?

BATTLE WOUNDS: I have a couple of scrapes and bruises (I blame the horizontal cargo net). I still have dirt under my toenails (although I promise Ive scrubbed them daily with no luck). My sunburned shoulders are proof that you cant forgo the sunscreen in Florida just because its still winter.

Overall it was an incredible experience that I cant wait to repeat. Ive got to start planning my costume.

************

Read about my experience at Florida’s first Warrior Dash on Jan. 29-30.

Want to get close to the action without getting muddy? Check out Orlando Sentinel photographer Gary W. Green’s photo gallery and incredible video.

For more information on Warrior Dash competitions and to get race results, go to WarriorDash.com.

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OK, Ive gone a little overboard maybe a lot overboard.

My first goal for the New Year is to run 200(ish) miles from Miami to Key West this weekend. Before you have me committed, let me tell you I wont be running all 200 miles by myself (I’m not thatcrazy).

Ive joined a team participating in the Ragnar Relay Series. There are 10 of us on team Jacks & Jills Race For Water splitting the 191.1 miles over predetermined legs. We start Friday at 7:30 a.m. and someone on the team will be running constantly until we cross the finish line sometime Saturday.

My concerns (in this order):

1. Limited restroom facilities (I find I always need one when Im nervous or there are no toilets available)

2. Lack of sleep (I have been known to turn into a witch when I dont get my 8 hours)

3. Getting lost (Im terrible with directions)

4. Actually completing the 3 legs Im responsible for (my priorities are a little skewed; this should probably rank higher)

And somewhere hovering above these concerns is my need to have control over every aspect of my life. That control will be thrown out of the window for this endeavor. I will need to embrace the side of me that iseasygoing and rugged Im sure shes in there somewhere.

I plan to blog about it as I go, so check back here Friday and Saturday for updates and remember, Ill be sleep deprived and probably spend a lot of time lost while searching for a bathroom, so cut me some slack.

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I remember it quite well. I was throwing a party for a coworker that was leaving the newspaper and I was in need of something new to wear. It had been some time since I stepped foot in a clothing store. (After gaining weight, trying on clothes wasnt high on my list of things I enjoyed.)

I had mentally prepared myself for the size 8 that I would leave the store with. Unfortunately, I left with a size 10. Im certain that if I had any more time, I would have visited every store in Florida until I could find a size 8 that fit. (Postponing the party only briefly crossed my mind.)

In October I went back to that same store with the same goal: Purchasing a pair of jeans.

This time I didnt need to prepare myself for any shockers. I have been exercising and eating healthy since Dec. 28.

I grabbed a size 6 and a size 4 and headed back to the fitting rooms.

And I actually did have a shock. I left with a size 2.

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But today the news was not so uplifting.

A class I’ve been taking for the good part of a year is being canceled. It’s not the end of the world. There are other classes out there and I’m sure I’ll find one that works with my schedule and I feel comfort with. And honestly, I think I’m ready for the next step.

But my Basic Yoga class is the one that I very tentatively started and surprisingly fell in love with.

So much about the classes we decided to stick with depends on the instructor. Was there a connection? Are they quick to help you when you are struggling? Do you trust that they will push you and make you stronger? Do you look forward to returning?

These decisions are often being made while you are concentrating on a completely new activity. It doesn’t give you a lot of time to process information, but usually it doesn’t take that long.

I knew before my first class ended that I was going to continue taking yoga, and specifically take Danielle’s class. I’ve had other instructors since I’ve started practicing – and I’ve learned something new from each of them – but Danielle’s approach was what initially clicked with me.

Danielle more than prepared me for the next step – a level 1 or 2 class. But that doesn’t make it any easier to say good bye to my basic yoga class – or to Danielle.

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Photo by Stephen Lewis (MarieClaire.com)

I was surprised to come across a Marie Claire article online disparaging the work of six popular healthy eating bloggers, several of whom I have followed for almost a year.

The article, which also appears in the November issue of the magazine, paints these women — Kath Younger (who blogs at katheats.com), Tina Haupert (carrotsncake.com), Meghann Anderson (graduatemeghann.com), Caitlin Boyle (healthytippingpoint.com), Heather Pare (hangrypants.com) and Jenna Weber (eatliverun.com) — as food and fitness extremists who have unhealthy obsessions with their physical appearances and the food they’re putting into their bodies.

The bloggers are lambasted for advocating healthier eating, when “in fact,” as the writer Katie Drummond suggests, they are putting readers and themselves in danger with their unhealthy approach to food and fitness.

The article is unfortunate and unfairly slanted.

In reading these healthy eating/living/fitness blogs, I have garnered inspiration and motivation for my own daily walk (and, of course, for this blog), as I’m sure many other women have.

The women who write the blogs offer up healthy recipes (and some not-so-healthy), keep food journals of what they eat throughout the day, post pictures, share what exercise they’ve done and offer small glimpses into their personal lives. They write honestly about their successes and hopes, as well as their struggles and frustrations.

Most importantly, they make clear that they in no way are the last word on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They are offering examples from their own lives of exercise and diet failures and victories.

No, these girls are not dietitians (except for Younger) or fitness experts — but they don’t tout themselves as such, either.

I’m sure it’s possible that some unhealthy or struggling readers could come across these blogs and think they need to follow the bloggers’ routines to a T without care or concern for their own needs and well-being.

And I’m also positive there are blogs being written by girls who are truly unhealthy and who promote distorted eating and exercise.

In reading these blogs, though, I am quite sure that is not the goal of any of these bloggers. Sure, there are times when they come across as compulsive about what they eat or don’t eat. There are times when they seem to exercise too much and eat too little.

But in reality, they are just like the majority of us. Struggling to find a balance each day, wanting to live healthily, striving for a fit body.

Have you read the Marie Claire article? Do you follow any health or fitness blogs? What’s your take on the issue?

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Fast forward 15 years: Different two-story building and my numbers are reversed. I take the stairs 99% of the time and have for 10 years. (1% = using the elevator to move large boxes & carts)

However, as my desk faces the elevator I have a perfect view as coworkers walk past the stairs and stand waiting for the doors to open actually waiting longer for than elevator then it would to walk down the stairs.

Im sure there are some folks that have difficulty with stairs and need the elevator. But there are many others, like myself 15 years ago, that use the elevator because they are lazy or just havent thought about the benefits of taking the stairs. OK, you dont burn a ton of calories per flight (up to 10 calories a minute) but the benefits quickly add up. Taking the stairs as part of your normal routine helps build stamina, improve cardio and reduce stress.

Taking this active role in your wellbeing may be a baby step to taking on more exercise.

A few weeks ago I was working at our sister newspaper in Fort Lauderdale. The Sun Sentinels newsroom is on the 9^th floor. I thought briefly about taking the stairs one morning, but instantly dismissed the idea as crazy.

How many flights are you willing to walk? And when do you give in and go for the elevator?

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Image by Betabrand

Forget the phrase “You are what you eat.” Now it’s “You are how much you eat.”

At least that’s the message given by the new Gluttony Pants, designed (with a sick sense of humor) by San Francisco-based chef and former Iron Chef contestant Chris Cosentino for Betabrand. Gluttony Pants are made with three buttons on the waist to allow for more, how shall I say, wiggle room in your eating experience.

In other words: How piggy are you feeling today?

Each button has an embroidered label for the level of how much “pigging out” you’re in the mood for.

If you’re just planning a minor binge, use the “Piglet” button. Wanting to reject any sense of a diet? Go for the “Sow” button, or worse, the “Boar.” The trousers come with a coordinating burgundy napkin in case things get messy.

As a gag gift or a good conversation piece, these adjustable-waist pants can’t go wrong (though the $100 price tag makes them a bit pricey for white elephant gift exchanges).

But if you’re contemplating the practicality of the one-size-fits-all-appetites pants, you may want to stay far away from this gluttonous garb — and consider your state of mind before next stepping up to the feeding trough.

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I traveled to Juno Beach with friends last week for a quick two-day jaunt and returned feeling rejuvinated. I didnt stick to a normal workout schedule, or even my typical eating plan, while I was there. But dropping my routine for a few days was a welcome change.

After an afternoon at the beach, where we spent more than two hours swimming in the ocean, catching waves and walking the shore, we stopped at a grocery store for a late lunch. I always crave fresh food after time at the beach, so I got a big watermelon to share and half a whole-wheat sub packed with veggies and lean turkey. Nothing particularly special, but it was satisfying and refreshing.

In the two days I was away, I didnt stray so far from the usual healthy that I came back regretting the trip.

Instead, it felt good to break away from life, from the gym and from my so-called diet.

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However, I have been waking up earlier and earlier in an attempt to beat the heat. I started out hitting the road at 7:30, then 7:00, then 6:30. As summer kicks into high gear, I notice there isn’t that much of a difference between my 6:30 and 7:30 run. It’s just plain hot no matter how early I get up.

I have nothing against sweating. In fact, I love it. I often measure how good a workout I have based on how much I sweat, but there are limits.

I got back from a 3-mile run today and looked like I had spent the morning swimming. I was drenched. I kept a steady pace with an 81/2-minute mile, but felt like I was pushing through a dense fog. My legs were heavy. My shirt was so wet that it did no good to use it to wipe the sweat off my face.

I usually love starting my day exercising outdoors, but I’m starting to think it may be getting too hot. Moving my runs to a treadmill indoors is an option I’m considering.

However, there are several reasons why I won’t give up my outdoor runs just yet:

1. I would miss the ease of rolling out of bed and being outside stretching in less than 5 minutes.

2. I would miss listening to U2’s ‘Beautiful Day’ as my first song and thinking, “It is a beautiful day.” (This works better on a cool spring day when jasmine are blooming and birds are chirping -but sometimes I can get this thought in before the wall of heat smacks me in the face)

3. I would miss the comfort of my “usual” route, mixed in with the unknown: Will a train slow me down today? Will that crazy squirrel run in front of me AGAIN? Will my timing be in sync with the traffic lights?

And, most importantly:

4. Going to a air-conditioned gym to use a treadmill would add drive time to my morning exercise routine, which means having to get up even earlier.

If you are like me and refuse to give up your morning runs, click here for tips for staying safe in the heat.

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Tennis star Serena Williams poses for Harper's Bazaar magazine.

Tennis champ Serena Williams, who just won her fourth Wimbledon title and holds the No. 1 world ranking, appears in the August issue of Harper’s Bazaar sporting a sexy, white bathing suit.

With a toned, muscular body, you’d think Serena wouldn’t have any qualms with the way she looks. But the athlete admits that it wasn’t until she was 23 years old that she finally was happy with her frame — and stopped wanting to look like her older sister, Venus.

“She’s totally different. I’m super curvy,” Serena, now 28, tells the magazine. “I have big boobs and this massive butt. She’s tall and she’s like a model and she fits everything.”

Serena tells Harper’s Bazaar that growing up, she always envied her leggy sister.

Serena Williams (left) tells Harper's Bazaar that she used to envy sister Venus' (right) leggy body.

“I was always fitting in her clothes, but then one day I couldn’t,” Serena says. “But it’s fine. Now I’m obviously good, but it’s a weird thing.

“Since I don’t look like every other girl, it takes a while to be okay with that. To be different. But different is good.”

Though she’s learned to accept her body, there is still one thing that she would change if she could: her arms.

“People want more fit arms, but my arms are too fit,” she says. “But I’m not complaining. They pay my bills.”

To keep her muscular body looking more lean, Serena says she does Pilates two or three times a week and yoga. To round out her daily exercise routine and get tournament-ready, she’ll do “a couple of hours of hitting, then an hour or two of cardio and strengthening in the gym.”

While she’s committed to exercise, Serena shies away from diets.

“I don’t even know the D word,” she tells Harper’s Bazaar.

Instead, she keeps an eye on her portions, eating “a lot of grilled or baked chicken or fish, and steamed veggies.”

Put a piece of cherry pie in front of her, though, and the deal’s off.

“I can never turn down a good piece of cherry pie,” Serena admits. “But all I know is that in 10 years, I don’t want to be as wide as this couch.”

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