Gretch Runs

I have a very special guest today on the blog- my husband Dan! This year he started a new job where he gets to travel a ton (and we're talking cool places like San Diego, Charleston, HAWAII...). He's already picked up some great habits on staying healthy while he's out and wanted to share them with all of you! Even if you don't travel for your job, I know this is a busy time of year with visiting family and friends, so I hope you can all learn something new. Feel free to leave your own tips or hacks in the comments- Dan wants to hear them all! Enjoy :) Hi everyone! Sorry, it’s been awhile since my last guest post. Unfortunately I haven’t done too much running this year, but I do have some healthy travel tips to share since I started traveling a little more for work. I am by no means an expert, but I wanted to share with you some things I’ve learned and especially invite you to share with me some tips of your own! Some of my advice is health-based and some is fi...

Hi everyone!  In Dan's last health update, he mentioned that he started to do daily exercise to strengthen his core.  He's had back problems for the past two years, and I taught him a few stretches and exercises to help strengthen his back, as well as work his entire core.  He started doing them daily, and it's already making a big difference for him! Today I'll be sharing a weekly schedule that he's been following.  Each week, I slightly bump up the number of reps for each exercise.  You can use these numbers as well, or do whatever works for your current physical level.  You can also add multiple sets of each exercise and do a few circuits to really challenge yourself! I have to make the normal warnings and disclosures here- I'm not a doctor or medical professional so do these exercises at your own risk! The exercises Situps - do either regular/full range situps or crunches. Pushups - do these either on your knees or toes. Plank - do th...

Hi everyone! It's Dan again, Gretchen's lucky husband! Sorry in advance, I have a lot to share, plus it's been awhile! The last time I posted, I made a few goals for the month of August. Some of them I met, some of them I didn't. I meant to meet all of them though!... time just flies by way too fast. My goals were to get a rock climbing membership , try a local table tennis club , and run twice a week . I did buy a 3 day rock climbing pass from Groupon to try out a new gym near our house. Haven't gone yet, but I'm financially committed at this point. I found 2 table tennis clubs in the Pittsburgh area (thought there would be more), and they're both over 30 minute drive from our house, so not sure if I want to commit to that. And I ran 0 times for a total of 0 minutes and 0 miles! So August didn't turn out the way I expected... but I'm not going to leave you empty handed. There has been some progress and achievements I'd like to shar...

Hello!  Dan here, Gretchen's lucky husband. Last post , I confessed that I haven't been the healthy young adult that I should be. I don't put much thought into what I eat and I don't work out or run because I'm generally lazy and because I can entertain myself endlessly by researching random topics online. Before I get too far into this though, I have to say THANKS to everyone who commented on my last post. You were all very encouraging and had lots of good tips. You all taught me to start small and to find healthy activities that I enjoy. So I might as well start with a list of things that I know I enjoy: Rock Climbing Table Tennis Soccer Ice Hockey Small amounts of running Kayaking I DO NOT like going to the gym or lifting weights. I have already joined my work's ice hockey league and we play about once a week. I've been meaning to find a local table tennis club and playing there once a week as well. I went rock climbing t...

Greetings!   I am Dan, Gretchen's husband, and I am your stereotypical couch potato.   I am an engineer by day and a _________ enthusiast by night.   I leave that qualifier blank for now because it depends on the week.   One week it'll be binge watching Friends on Netflix, the next it'll be researching ancient Eastern religions, the next it'll be learning as much as I can about wines.   All of these are fun fleeting hobbies, but require me to be in front of a computer screen for most of my afternoons and evenings.   Add onto that my 8 hours of sitting at a desk at work and 1 hour of driving each day, and I'm pretty much on my bum every moment that I am awake.    I will sit... pretty much anywhere! You wouldn't know I'm a couch potato by looking at me though.   I'm relatively skinny and frequently wear athletic shorts (because they're comfy!), but before you tell me to go to hell for being skinny while not having to work at ...