Surviving in these COVID-19 times

It is 2020 and this year has been brutal so far for so many. As I sit here writing, we are going through a pandemic that has people dying and people holding on to their lives. I won't try to explain COVID-19 because I assume we have all heard enough and understand the risks and the current impact of the virus. It has kept most of us in our homes with little or no social interaction, and has yielded the term "social distancing". I will however share the tips below on social distancing from the CDC.

Sooo... I climbed Kilimanjaro and I'm still here...

There is this misconception that we - Africans - are not adventurous people. I am a pretty adventurous person who enjoys seeing the world, and enjoys doing things that build discipline and growth. But when you put both things together, I'm all in. Well, unless it means dying to prove a point. 

Last year, a group of 12 people came together to climb the greatest mountain in Africa. We called ourselves the Rooftop Gang. The whole idea was started by Funmi Oyatogun of TVP Adventures. For someone like me, a trip with other adventurous Africans who would push each other to achieve one of the greatest feats of our lives sounded like a wonderful idea. But really, truly, did we know what we were in for?

King Athletic Jump Rope and Other Exercise Tools

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I received some fitness tools from King Athletic a few weeks ago to try out: a jump rope, some massage balls, and a resistance band loop. This was super exciting as I love little fitness knick-knacks that I can use while I travel. And since I just finished the Brooklyn Half Marathon, I desperately needed some other cross training workouts outside of running to recover.

Yoga is too expensive? How to get it for cheap!

Contrary to popular belief, yoga is hard. But it does work on muscle strength (especially your core) building both strength and flexibility. Most people I know that do not do yoga tend to raise the excuse of not knowing where to start, and the excuse that yoga is too expensive. When I first started, I had the privilege of getting a few classes for free as I was in school at the time and the campus provided students with free classes. However, after two sessions, I was quickly intimated by complex poses people were doing, and I retreated thinking I would never get there.

Workout with me for 10 mins on YouTube!

Due to the questions I've received on how to start exercise, I thought it made sense to record an exercise video. If you are looking to get started and don't have too much time, try this calorie-burning workout for just 10 minutes. If you are feeling spicy, do it multiple times but you will be sweating buckets at the end of this anyway. Who doesn't have 10 mins? No equipment too!

Check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Travel and Fitness: How to Make it Easier

As a frequent traveler, I constantly struggle with staying fit on the road - Am I going to be able to get up early enough to work out? Do they have fresh, healthy food that I like where I'm going? Will I be able to run? What will the weather be like? These are just some of the questions that constantly roll through my mind.

2017 NYC Marathon Training

Running the NYC marathon in 2014 was my first venture into training for a full marathon. Yes, I run many races and many half marathons at that, but a full one was a different beast. 

My first full marathon was a lot - I got injured during training (my knee was pretty much busted), and the windiness on the day of the race was crazy - but I was determined to just finish no matter how many times I had to stop for the bathroom. And I did. In 5 hours and 3 seconds.