I have always loved games. I looked forward to time on the Apple || to play Oregon Trail or Number Munchers. My family never owned an Atari but on Fridays my sister and I would be allowed to play for 30 minutes at a friend’s house. I could not get enough of Frogger, Pacman, and Haunted House. We never had a console in our house until Nintendo NES and I still remember the first time I beat Mario Brothers. I then went on to play Mario 2, Mario 3, Contra, Super C, and some John Elway football.

I moved over to team SEGA in college and played the Sonic the Hedgehog series and played a lot of Diablo and Quake on my Macs. Eventually I landed on the PlayStation and have been there since.

When I was younger – I promised myself I would never stop playing and that I would never be that adult who would lose their skill and not be able to compete with their kids. Yesterday I made my younger self very happy. I joined the 1.9% of the top players who play my the same game mode in my favorite game (Fortnite) with an Unreal rank (the highest).

I am quite proud of myself because I have stayed true to myself and I know my younger self would be very happy…especially playing as Sarah Connor from the Terminator. This is a huge accomplishment as my kids doubted I could reach this top rank. My lesson for them – never doubt me – I am unreal.

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Ally Love started Boss October a few years back and is based on three main pillars:

1. Willpower: Give up a luxury item or something that does not serve you
2. Discipline: Prioritize your health & fitness
3. Kindness: Be kind to yourself

This is my fifth Boss October and I am looking forward to it.

Willpower has always been (and will continue to be) giving up alcohol as my luxury item and never regretted it.

Discipline over the years have changed:

2024: I focused on running
2023: I focused on stretching/mobility, and getting back to the basics with boxing
2022: 300 miles on the bike
2021: 250 miles on the bike the first year

This year I am going to do the following:

1. Willpower: Give up alcohol
2. Discipline: Work on getting a new PR with running/walking/biking on the Peloton
3. Kindness: Focus on giving myself grace. It has been a year…

Interested in Boss October? Listen to Ally Love talk about what it is all about: https://theclipout.com/ally-love-announces-boss-october-challenge-on-today-show/

The post Boss October 2025 appeared first on Jennifer Zelazny.

One of my proudest life facts is that I knew and remember my great-grandfather who lived until he was 98. As of May 13 – my kids will tell the same exact story. I have always insisted to my kids that the greatest gift I could ever give them was to have and know a great grandparent. They offer so much perspective, so many stories, and have such a different way of looking at the world. Papa, like his father, saw a lot in his 98 years of life. He lived through the Great Depression, fought in the Battle of the Bulge in World War ||, owned more TVs and watched less TV than anyone I have ever met, travelled out west with my mom and grandmother, was an avid camper and outdoorsman, loved gardening, loved ironed clothes, ate ice cream every night, was someone who got 2 hole in ones while golfing, and was the only other person I say could possibly be more of a Penn State fan than myself.

Looking at my own life after thinking about everything he was and did made me realize how much I have have learned from him.

Where to begin…

First and foremost – I learned genuine kindness. Regardless of where we were – everyone knew and loved my grandfather. His smile was infectious and he was always genuinely happy to see and interact with people. Anytime we went anywhere – people would comment on how much they loved my grandfather – even if they just met him. He had something really special about him and he made you feel special too.

He also taught me to value people and not things. My sister and I were Papa’s only grandchildren. Because of that we were fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with both him and my grandmother (Gaga). The excitement for my grandparents to pull in the driveway on Christmas Eve was much more than opening any present under the tree on Christmas morning. If I could have one wish – it would be a simple one to go back to a Christmas dinner with my grandmother next to me and my grandfather across the table smiling at me. I loved every moment we spent together. Whether it was just my sister and I going on a walk with Papa on the railroad tracks (such a treat) or on a walk through the woods past the old tennis court near their home – the simple moment always felt special.

My grandfather loved to travel. The destination did not matter – it was the experience. He spent a lot of time camping throughout the US and Canada and just enjoying the simple things: friends, food, and nature. Some of my favorite memories as a kid were spent camping with my grandparents in Pennsylvania and Kentucky as well. With them, life did not have to be exciting to be special – we loved sitting around the campfire and being with each other.

Watching my grandfather work was also something I take with me in my everyday life. Whether it was cutting down trees, tending to his gardens, building a house, backing up his truck with a camper, or simply mowing the lawn he took more pride in his work than anyone I have ever met. He was known as “Perfect Spike” as he found joy in the accuracy and precision of everything he did. The only sense of urgency to him was to do it right the first time. He sent his soil to be tested at Penn State to ensure his soil was perfect for the garden. To better improve his perfect mowing – he got advice from a farmer in Iowa who told him to look out at the horizon when mowing to improve the straight lines. He made sure any measurement he made was exact.

Over the last few days as I have taken time to reflect on him and his life as I knew it – it became clear that just about everything he loved in life I love as well. His wife/my grandmother meant the world to me. I enjoy people and hope I bring a smile to their face as he always did. I created a community garden at my kids’ elementary school in hopes I could spread my grandfather’s love of gardening. I have taught my kids to value people and our travels more than the trinkets you can pick up along the way and to always treat people with kindness.

I will end this with the what I consider the one of the most defining storie in my life – my journey to Penn State. I love Penn State. To me it is more than a university or a football team. Penn State has always been one of my grandfather’s favorite places on earth and he loved every moment spent there. After obtaining football tickets because of a letter he wrote to the university president, he took me and my family to my first game. I was only three years old, but it was at that game I told him I was going to go to attend Penn State when I went to college. It was at that moment that I could sense this tremendous love he had for Penn State and the Penn State community. Needless to say – I spent my entire childhood in Penn State attire and attended/graduated from Penn State. While I loved every moment of my Penn State experience – the thing that made it so special was thinking about how much it meant to my grandfather. When you see me in my Penn State apparel – know I am not just wearing it in honor of my love for Penn State, but also because it reminds me of my grandfather and his love for Penn State too.

I know I made him proud throughout my life and I will forever thank him for everything he did and was for me. May his memory live on through our family. Thanks for everything Papa!

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So many of us get wrapped up in possessions but in the end the possessions just end up holding us back (how do we take care of them, where do we put them, worrying about them). Take a moment and think about all the effort and time you put into your stuff. Now imagine if you could take all that energy and focus it not on things, but on the people in our lives.

This year (and hopefully beyond) I can show my three kids that what they do and not what they own ultimately defines them. While owning something fantastic can feel great – it is short-lived. People will not remember you for the car you drove or the shoes you wore, but rather for what you did and how you treated others.

Try it for yourself. It does not have to be grand gesture. A simple smile and hello go a long way.

For yourself – choose the walk outside vs. watching TV. Choose calling a loved one. Send a simple text message to let someone know you are thinking of them. Help your neighbor. Enjoy nature. Spend your money on experiences where your memories will far outlive any item you will own.

This year – free yourself from the stuff and focus on yourself and the people in your life. It is truly life changing and will simplify your life.

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Willpower: give up alcohol

I am a creature of habit, but we can break habits if we really want it. Out of the three main pillars of Boss October this was the easiest for me. I will drink again, but I also was happy to have some time to realize I did not actually miss it at all.

Discipline: run every day with an emphasis on building speed

My first mile was 11:14. My last mile: 10:31. There was improvement.

Data:
My results: 61.49 total miles in October.

1 mile x 10 days = 10 mile
1.5 miles x 10 days = 15 miles
2 miles x 10 days = 20 miles

Total: 45 miles
Extra miles (warm up/cool down/extra): 16.49

Notes:
My progress was not linear as I thought. I imagined shaving off time each day as well as feeling like it was getting easier every day. The last 3 days of the 1.5 mile runs were the most enjoyable. None of the two mile runs were enjoyable.

I need to take a few weeks and really consider if I want to train for another 12 marathon and what that would look like. I seem to LOVE the idea of running but not always love it when I am doing it.

Kindness: be kind to yourself

This was the most unexpected part of my Boss October. My mind was clear of negative thoughts but empty of positive thoughts. I tried to go into workouts with mantras and even sticky notes, but I was never my own biggest fan. Something to continue to work on over the next few months.

Key takeaways

Life is hard, challenging, yet can be rewarding all at once. Progress was not and is not linear, but it is there if you stick with it. This was just a small reminder to keep my head down and always try and appreciate what you have today, do not be afraid to be uncomfortable, and realize you are stronger/more durable than you think you are. Until next year…

The post That’s A Wrap – Boss October 2024 appeared first on Jennifer Zelazny.

This year I have done the following:

1. Willpower: Give up alcohol
2. Discipline: run every day with an emphasis on building speed
3. Kindness: focus on more positive self talk through the runs (it can get really ugly)

For the running – my plan is:
Days 1-10: run 1 mile
Days 11-20: run 1.5 miles
Days 21-31: run 2 miles

Willpower

I am now on day 23. Twenty-three days without alcohol – which has made a noticeable difference with my sleep schedule (so much better). I do not miss it and I have been enjoying a non-alcoholic beer: Just the Haze for a “treat” at night. I only drink one and that is satisfying enough.

Discipline

I am in day three of my 2 mile a day runs. I have had 2 bad runs, and one ok run. It blows my mind that I could have trained for and ran for multiple races a few months ago that were 13.1 and 10 miles respectively but still find myself struggling with the short mileage at a slightly faster pace. I generally take at least 1-4 miles to feel comfortable and I think that is why I enjoyed the longer runs. I had time to get past the uncomfortable feeling. On the contrary, these shorter runs each day are literally the hardest runs I could do because most of them are very uncomfortable the entire time. I will say I have enjoyed running with different instructors from Peloton. Marcel Dinkins is a new favorite.

Kindness

This has been another struggle for me. I have calmed down the negative talk but find myself not having anything going through my head which is good and bad. I now just need to trade in the silence to something positive. On another note – I do have another mantra (“find a way”) which has proven to be successful on a few tough runs.

This month has flown by but with only a week left I am going to try and savor these final days and remember that all of what I am focusing on this month is a privilege and I should be so lucky to be able to do it.

The post Boss October 2024 – One Week Left appeared first on Jennifer Zelazny.

Part of my focus for this month is to have the discipline to run everyday and to work on my speed. After focusing on endurance running (10+ miles) earlier this year I wanted to try and improve my speed for shorter runs.

As mentioned in my Boss October 2024 goals – I decided to break up the month into three which would be progressively harder as we go. Days 1-10 I would run 1 mile, 11-20 1.5 miles, and then 21-31 2 miles.

While running only a mile a day might sound east for some – if you know me, the first mile of any run whether it is a 2 mile run or a 13 mile run is always the hardest. It is during that time you either settle in or psych yourself out. Generally I tend to psych myself out more times than not so this daily challenge is more mental than anything because in my mind -I am running the hardest mile of any run every day.

Boss October is great in so many ways beyond just exercise. It is about moving through being uncomfortable and realizing you are stronger than you think. It is about being able to look back at the tough things you were able to go through and know can do it.

While our goals are all different – we all will start November feeling proud and with the knowledge that we can do hard things! Ten days in – I am proud. I shaved almost a minute off my mile time and have showed up for myself every day.

Not all days feel great or are easy, but that is life and we might as well make the most of it.

The post Boss October 2024 – The First 10 Days appeared first on Jennifer Zelazny.

Back in 2013/2014 one of my favorite podcasts was his “Derrick E-Cast” podcast. For a few years I lost track of DJ Derrick E but I recently found him under a new podcast name (DJ Derrick E): and have once again started enjoying his podcasts. He does a monthly podcast which includes some great Throwback mixes too. If you go back through his library to 2016 – you will find two of my favorite mixes from him “Throwback Thursday #40” and “Throwback Thursday #39”.

Go back a little further and you will find my favorite mix of his from 08/31/2014 titled “Derrick E-Cast (September 2014)” which starts out with one of my favorite remixes with Snoop: Afrojack feat Snoop Dogg – Dynomite.

This podcast is great for workouts, time in the car, or while working. Check him out!

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Ally Love started Boss October a few years back and is based on three main pillars:

1. Willpower: Give up a luxury item or something that does not serve you
2. Discipline: Prioritize your health & fitness
3. Kindness: Be kind to yourself

This is my fourth Boss October and I am looking forward to it. For the last few years I gave up alcohol as my luxury item and never regretted it. The first 2 years for health and fitness I focused on biking (250 miles the first year, 300 miles the second year). Last year I focused on stretching/mobility, and getting back to the basics with boxing. I also made sure all my doctor appointments were scheduled in order to prioritize my health. Being kind to myself may be the hardest – but I do feel like I have been better with that over the last few years.

This year I am going to do the following:

1. Willpower: Give up alcohol
2. Discipline: run every day with an emphasis on building speed
3. Kindness: focus on more positive self talk through the runs (it can get really ugly)

For the running – my plan is:
Days 1-10: run 1 mile
Days 11-20: run 1.5 miles
Days 21-31: run 2 miles

How did I choose this? After training for distance runs (13.1/10 mile races) – I realized I only have one pace. My goal after this month is to be able to differentiate my run speed on distance so that my pace properly varies for the distance run. 300 miles on a bike sounded hard – but for me, this sounds even harder.

After the month is done I should have around 50 miles done and I am excited to see how it goes!

Interested in Boss October? Listen to Ally Love talk about what it is all about: https://theclipout.com/ally-love-announces-boss-october-challenge-on-today-show/

The post Boss October 2024 appeared first on Jennifer Zelazny.

I do endurance bike rides every Sunday ranging from 45 minutes to 2 hours and often the instructor (Matt Wilders from Peloton) talks about nutrition and setting up yourself for success by making smart choices when it comes to food.

As I was strolling through the grocery store last week after one of these rides, I picked up a pre-made salad which I absolutely loved. I have made the same purchase a few times now and am in love with the salad. The salad is a bed of fresh spinach topped with blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, walnuts, and crumbled blue cheese. I also add on a few Impossible chicken nuggets for some added protein and could not be happier. No dressing is needed.

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