This week’s blogger feature is the awesome Tara from A Daily Dose of Fit.

 

Name: Tara

Blog: http://tarasabo.blogspot.com/

When did you first start blogging and why?

I started blogging in 2010. A DAILY DOSE OF FIT was a creative outlet that added to my personal training business. Before entering the fitness industry, I was a professional writer at an advertising agency…I might have been ready to give up full-time work, but I was not ready to stop writing. And I haven’t!

 

What is your most helpful blogging tip?

Be real. Be true. Be you. Whether you’re a blogger or blog reader, don’t let yourself get caught up in what your peers are doing. Learn from them, embrace them, but don’t strive to be them. How boring would our world be if we were all the same? Uniqueness is special, and as such, so are you.

 

What is your favorite fitness activity?

Running. It’s more than just an exercise method…it’s freedom, a mental break, a challenge and a way to bond with others. Plus, it’s fun to rack up sweet race bling!

 

What motivates you?

Good health and happiness. Setting an example for my daughter and my clients. Living the life that I was meant to live, free of ailments and troublesome conditions. I firmly believe in the power of exercise and all that it can give a person.

 

What has fitness changed about your life?

Physically, it has given me good health. Mentally, it has given me the motivation to explore who I am and what I ultimately wanted to do with my life. I jumped headfirst into the industry when I left my job in advertising, and I haven’t looked back. As a fitness director/personal trainer/group fitness instructor, I am considered a part-time employee with a list of daily/weekly tasks to complete…but I have the freedom to complete them in a way that works for me. Not something I could say about my old job! So consequently, I am more relaxed.

 

What is your favorite pump up song?

Currently, it’s “Happy.” But seriously, I cannot pick just one.

 

What is your favorite running distance?

Half marathon. Long enough to be a great challenge, but short enough to keep me from keeling over!

 

What is your favorite motivational quote/mantra?

When things get tough, whether I’m working out or dealing with a life decision, I always find myself telling myself this: “Tara, you can do this. You can handle it. You have the strength, so just do it.”

 

What is your favorite piece of running/fitness gear?

Oh, there are so many! But if you were to look into my closet, you’d see that I could never, ever have enough running/training shoes.

 

What is your favorite “treat”?

Wine. Chocolate. Wine and chocolate.

 

What is a long term running or fitness goal you have for yourself?

I would really, really love to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon. Once a girlie-girl, always a girlie-girl. But for this Michigander, getting to Florida for a race is really very hard.

 

Tell us something unique about yourself.

I’m currently pregnant with #2!

 

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who is starting out running, what would it be?

Keep going…and believe in yourself. Whether you run 15 miles or 15 minutes, running is running. If you can do the latter (or something similar), then yes…you’ve become a runner.

 

How do you find/make time to train?

It’s all about balance. And scheduling. If I write something in my calendar, I stick to it. But as a fitness professional that teaches three, maybe four classes a week, it’s unusually easy for me to get my workout on…but this can complicate things when I’m training for a race, so again, it’s all about balance. And waking up before everyone else!

 

What’s an accomplishment you are most proud of?

I left a solid career in advertising to pursue one in fitness. I didn’t know what I was getting into, I just jumped. And I made it work, teaching myself the ropes along the way. And when it comes to running, I’m quite proud of myself for snagging a PR in last summer’s Indy Women’s Half Marathon. It was such a hot, humid and horrid day that I had talked myself into a state of panic the night before. But I harnessed that energy and trusted my training to cross the finish line with a smile…and that PR.

 

Head over to Tara’s blog and check it out! You can also find her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

If you would like to be featured in the Bloggers on the Run feature – please go here.