Join me on this year’s Holiday Run Streak!

Runner’s World is inviting its readers to pledge to run ONE MILE per day, from Thanksgiving (that’s today folks!) until the end of the year, ushering in a new year of health, happiness and commitment.

Anyone can do it, it’s free to participate and a great way to challenge yourself. Make fitness a habit. Make running part of your routine. Beat the wintertime blues!

I’m not an elite runner or anything. Can I still join?

Yes! Whether your daily mile takes you 7 minutes or 30, it’s the steps you take that count. Whether it’s inside on a treadmill or run-walking outside in your neighborhood, just take it easy, do whatever is best for your own abilities and have fun! I certainly will. This morning was my first run since last weekend’s race and it was a doozy just to get started.

But won’t this be hard? What about rest days?

A little bit. The hardest thing for me will be making time for myself and getting out of bed when I really want to stay in. But having the online fitness and running community for support is a great way to stay accountable.

Rest days are indeed important, but experts have said that just one mile a day is OK if you don’t overdo the intensity (here’s a great article on that) and listen to your body.

Who else is doing this?

Lots of people! You can follow along at the Runner’s World online community (they’re also using the hashtag #RWRunStreak on Twitter) or join me here on Tumblr!

I’d love if you reblogged this so others can join in and tag your running posts with “Holiday Run Streak.” Let’s do this!

Oh yeah, and have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. :)

This month Runner’s World published a comprehensive grocery list of best buys and foods to avoid.I love that they suggest my favorite food rule: eat lots of color! This is a must-read and I might even rip out some pages to put on the fridge.

Some surprises:

• Avoid bottled smoothies. “Many are sweetened with sugar or nutritionally poor juices like apple or pear.”
• When to buy organic:  ”If you’re peeling or removing the rind (avocado, bananas, onions), conventionally grown produce is fine. If you’re going to eat the exterior (apples, peaches, bell peppers), buying organic will limit your pesticide exposure.”
• Best beef: top and bottom round; sirloin; flank steak. Worst: Rib-eye, porterhouse, and T-bone steaks.
• Best fish: Rainbow trout, mussels and wild smoked salmon are recommended a few times a week and provide nutrients like B12 or inflammation-reducing omega-3s.  Scallops and tilapia are recommended only a few times a month (partially because of the effect on the environment). Avoid Bluefin tuna.
• Tortilla swap:  ”Many spinach wraps contain a scant amount of the actual leafy vegetable. Six-inch corn tortillas made with whole corn flour are higher in fiber and lower in calories.” 
• Seasonal snack: Pumpkin seeds give 30 percent of your daily iron in just one quarter cup.
• Half an avocado delivers: seven grams of fiber and monounsaturated “heart healthy” fats like in olive oil.
• One sweet potato: has more than three times your daily Vitamin A needs!
• No surprise here: I’ve been saying it forever, but kale is one of the best vegetables, “jam-packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, and vision-protecting beta-carotene.”