Diary of a Newbie Runner: Restarting My Running Life

{By Ellery Sadler} After a lengthy 10 week vacation from running (because of knee injuries, not just laziness!) I have begun to run again and by 'begun' I mean start over. Take this piece of sage advice from a wizened old runner – if you start do not stop, and if you stop do not start again unless you have great mental strength and stamina. I actually started running again by accident. I was all prepared to do my beloved P90X on a hot June morning, when my sisters and mom informed me that they were running (i.e. that I should run too). That threw me off. I like to plan to run beforehand so that I can ‘get my head in the game’ as Hailey always says when heading out for anything longer than 10 miles. I need to get...

Read more ...

Diary of a Newbie Runner: Life of Leisure Gone Awry

{By Ellery Sadler} I never thought of myself as a devoted runner, or a very willing one. I always ran because it was something I just did. People in my family run, and while I occasionally felt the ‘runners high’ it was rare and normally only after a grueling hour and a half of misery. It was after one of these long runs (9 miles to be precise) I felt a twinge of pain in my knees... not really a twinge actually, more like a searing pain. And that was the day a tragedy happened. At first I did not realize it was a tragedy – it felt like a wonderful little break from my running routine.  My knees were actually hurting too badly to run. Tragedy? I don’t think so. My first week of rest was delightful, relaxing, and made me wonder...

Read more ...

Healthy Snacking!

{By Samantha Roose} You wander around the kitchen wondering what you should eat...Your tummy’s rumbling.  And the next meal isn’t for another 2 hours!  What is healthy, enjoyable and will get me to the next meal? Well, here’s a couple of recommendations and recipes…some not quite so healthy as others: - 1 apple smeared with peanut butter or almond butter - 1 banana smeared with peanut butter or almond butter - Celery Sticks smeared with peanut butter or almond butter (can you tell I like nut butters???) - A baby dill pickle rolled in a slice of ham lined with creamy cheese (this is one of my FAVORITES, but it’s not the healthiest option out there) - A piece of lunch meat and a slice of cheese wrapped in lettuce (another...

Read more ...

Diary of a Newbie Runner: Crazy Resolutions and Lost in a Strange City

{by Ellery Sadler} Smart people stick to conservative New Year’s resolutions, ones they know they can keep, or refuse to make them at all. Me? I like to go for the daring, the amazing, the unimaginably scary resolutions... such as sign up for a half-marathon! Yep that’s right: I, a timid runner, sane, and normal person just signed up for that crazy thing only crazy people do. And what’s more – I’m telling you about it. Now I can’t back out. A week into my training plan we went down to South Carolina. I, hoping for a leisurely vacation, was surprised when my older sisters and mom enthusiastically prepared for a run that Saturday morning. What’s more, my dad was going along too. Determined not to be outdone, I grudgingly laced...

Read more ...

Girl with a Gun: A Challenge from Regis Giles

{by REGIS GILES} Described as a "loud mouth, young conservative focused on promoting self-defense and hunting," in the bio on her website titled, "Girls Just Wanna Have Guns", Regis Giles is passionate about protecting gun rights as well as encouraging women to take action to prepare themselves for "any threat they may encounter." She has been a featured speaker at CPAC, columnist for the NRA, and host of the new T.V. show, Primal Urge. And here is what Regis has to share with us at InsideOut Girl: Being a self-defense and gun advocate did not randomly come to my mind as a lifetime pursuit.  As a child, age nine to be specific, I became active at the gun range and on the blue mats of the Valente Brothers Jiu-Jitsu academy. ...

Read more ...

How to Eat Through the Holidays... Healthfully!

{by Rebecca Florio} It’s that most wonderful time of year! A time where everywhere you go, you are met with chocolate bon-bons, candy canes and tin upon tin of Christmas cookies. What’s a healthy girl to do? Get ready, we’re about to make a game plan for staying healthy during the holidays --- without losing a jolly spirit!Plan Your Indulgences. I love the smells filling the air -- gingerbread cookies, pumpkin pie, and peppermint mochas. By no means should you feel deprived of special treats that only come once a year! Just be sure to indulge thoughtfully. Save your sweet tooth for your Mom’s signature sugar cookie and leave behind the packaged “unspecial” Chips A’hoy. When at a holiday get-together, choose the one dessert that most...

Read more ...

Diary of a Newbie Runner: A 10K Worth Dying For... Or, 6 Miles of Scenic Misery

{by Ellery Sadler} I just ran a 10k. Yes, much to my great surprise, I am still alive. I now have an even greater respect, bordering on hero-worship, of anyone who runs 6 miles or longer. So all you experienced, seasoned runners out there – you are my HERO. And I hope you’re still alive to read this. After a night of nervous sleep, I crawled out of bed and we headed out to Williamsburg for our 10k. My two older sisters, mom, and dad were all running this too. I felt a little jittery and hoped beyond hope that my side wouldn’t cramp up for at least the first 3 miles… I stretched and hopped around feeling nervous but also pleasingly like a dedicated runner. I was out, early in the morning, freezing to death, jumping around, stretching...

Read more ...

Beauty From the Inside Out

{by Kelly Riddell} Howdy and warm greetings to all of you from the wonderful state of Texas!  I am so grateful for this opportunity to write a guest post on this new encouraging blog. A few years ago, I was able to travel to Virginia with my sisters Tara and Elizabeth and the Rebsch girls to join the Sadler girls in holding a conference for young ladies. What a joy it was to become acquainted with them. One of my great desires has been to encourage young ladies in the ways of our Savior and at this conference; I enjoyed teaching the girls natural beauty tips! I would like to share with all of you some different ideas and thoughts on the subject of inward and outward beauty.  What does it mean to be truly beautiful?...

Read more ...

Swap in Some Healthy

{by Rebecca Florio} When I first became more health-conscious and making changes to my diet, I assumed that my dessert days were over. It is a common belief that eating healthy means, “dieting” and that means cutting out sweets. How un-fun. I quickly discovered that restriction is unhealthy and wellness means giving what body not only what it needs but also what it wants. True healthy changes will only last if they are balanced and can be incorporated into a realistic lifestyle. For me, that means I needed to find a way to incorporate treats and sweets back into my life. And what I learned was that there are infinite ways to give favorite desserts a healthy makeover -- making nutritious swaps without losing any of the deliciousness. Baking...

Read more ...

One Thing Every Girl Needs to Know

{by Natalie Torbert} There are a few things that I feel strongly about: some aspects of politics, my Redskins, and self-defense. Many of my soapbox speeches tend to revolve around the fact that I believe every girl needs to have some kind of basic self-defense training. Rocky Balboa puts it best when he says, "The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place..." The world has evolved past the Leave It To Beaver place that it was where six-year-old kids would ride their bikes to the soda shop. Now, not only are there a shortage of kid-friendly soda shops, but six year olds are used to holding hands with their parent just to cross the street. Back in the day, the “bad” parts of town were usually confined...

Read more ...

How You Break the Fast

{Samantha Roose} I can’t stop thinking about how it will be.  In the morning when I get up and in the evening when I go to bed I imagine how I will feel.  With every sleeping breath I dream about it.  As the alarm clock blares jerking me from my glorious dreams and I pull back my covers my mind is already fantasizing.  I just can’t stop thinking about breakfast! Obviously, I have a small obsession with breakfast …well maybe not exactly small.  Without a doubt, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day!  I LOVE breakfast food: pancakes, muffins, breakfast burritos, toast with cream cheese, scrambled eggs, cinnamon rolls, oatmeal, smoothies and fruit, fruit, fruit!!!  What could be better?! And...

Read more ...