I found Janae’s blog several months ago and have been an avid reader ever since. Since I can’t run ridiculously fast marathons like she can, I found her athleticism inspiring, but I became hooked on her blog due to her upbeat personality and her intense love of candy and her family. Though I may never (ever) run a half marathon in 1:35 like Janae (ridiculous, I know), I still relate to her desire to continually improve herself in the gym… and eat her bodyweight in candy too.
Enjoy!
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Guest Post: The Hungry Runner Girl
I literally squealed when Julie asked me to do a guest post on her blog. You see I have been stalking Peanut Butter Fingers since I can remember and have looked up to her for her positivity, healthy life-style, fashion and awesome recipes! I think we are all a little obsessed with her. 
I may not live in beautiful Florida (ahem, more like freezing Utah), I don’t have the cutest dog in the world, and I haven’t gone longer than a week without desserts since my mother’s womb but I do share the common LOVE of fitness that Julie has and that is what I wanted to talk about today.
How to find motivation to start working out or to stick with it:
1. Find a buddy to work out with. My sis is my favorite gym buddy and when one of us doesn’t feel like working out the other talks them into it and next thing you know the endorphins have kicked in and the good times roll.
2. Sign up for a race (that is if you like running)! I refuse to waste $90 on a marathon and not follow through with it.
3. Try different things – not everyone loves to run and you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. If you are having a hard time at the gym and dread working out try different classes (pump, spin, Zumba) or try something new outdoors (biking, swimming, hiking, tennis). Find what YOU love and what you are passionate about. As much as I LOVE running I do have to add in different forms of exercise so I don’t burn out.
4. Tell people your goals. Once I tell other people about my goals and dreams I will do whatever it takes to reach those goals and then post my accomplishment on Facebook so that the kids that made fun of me in high school see it… Yes, I have major issues.
5. Eat ridiculous amounts of fro-yo. I don’t know how this slipped in and what it has to do with exercise but it is a common theme of my blog and as I was writing this I got a sudden craving for it.
6. Remember that working out isn’t just about burning calories and losing weight (I used to workout for that reason only and I dreaded it). Exercise for your mental health, to do something positive for yourself, to take care of your body, to ward off disease and sickness, to improve your confidence and build relationships.
Question of the Day from Janae (loving that rhyme 
)
What motivates you to exercise?
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I just found your blog through Hungry Runner Girl’s!
I love her blog too and this post is great!
🙂
Ahh my 2 favorite bloggers in the same place!! LOVE this 🙂
I get motivated to exercise because I know how great I will feel after. Julie posted about exercise mantras a while ago and a couple of them stuck with me: I’m only one workout away from a good mood, and I’ve never regretted a workout. This gets me up and going at 6am most mornings. I’m trying to lose weight and even though that hasn’t happened, I am concentrating on how much better I feel. That keeps me going 🙂
A half in 1:35? I’ve run a half in 1:30, and I’m pretty sure Janae is faster than me. So…that doesn’t sound right.
I get motivation from being able to say ” I work out because I can, why wouldn’t you?!”
Not only is it important for your health in every aspect- but being able to workout, run a race, etc is a gift that we take for granted! think of all the people who are not physically capable of working out and what they would do to trade places with you!
My health inspires me, although it’s also the reason I get pessimistic every now and again.
I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (think constantly having mono), so for the longest time I COULDN’T work out. This was even more horrible because I come from a family of bodybuilders and personal trainers. Until I got diagnosed in 2005 I just thought I had no willpower to stick with exercise.
For whatever physiological reason, I also can never lose weight without literally starving myself (not something I try to do, but I’ve only ever lost weight when I was so sick I couldn’t eat for a week or some other non-self-starvation reason). Unless you’ve been through this you have no idea how disheartening it is to work your butt off, eat healthy, and never see the scale budge (at least down) or see physical improvements.
Now I know better, which really is half the battle. I know to give myself rest when I need it and I know I have to work my way up to certain activities slowly. However, I also know that I feel much better when I AM able to exercise, and the more I keep up with it the better I feel. I have to keep this in mind whenever my health goes downhill for whatever reason and I have to cut back or things get too hard.
So now I weight train 3x a week with my father (at 5am…) and I just started a run/walk program last week. Here’s hoping!
I’m catching up w/ guest posts on PBFingers and love this one. You inspire me to continue w/ my exercises. What is Fro Yo?