An ER Nurse & Personal Trainer’s Favorite Things
By Alisha Goslin
Sara Bowden is a mother, ER nurse, half-marathon runner and personal trainer. She is also studying Human Nutrition and Dietetics at University of Maine. Her driving force behind this is the fact that many of the people she treats in the ER most likely wouldn’t have found themselves there with a proper diet and exercise plan. Currently, Sara is training for the Smuttynose Rockfest on October 2nd in Hampton Beach, NH. She plans the family trips around “the next race,” and is especially happy when they are in a sunny and warm climate. In her downtime, when not working out, you can find her relaxing with her son and their rescue cats. Here are a few of Sara’s favorite things.
My Son Cooper He’s 14. He’s so happy and positive. He is never in a bad mood, and I just don’t know where he gets that from. It makes me so happy that he is such a happy kid, because being happy can be hard for people. He does his own thing, he doesn’t really care what other people think or say. He is so inspiring.
My Cats Petting them, it’s like therapy, it releases all those feel good chemicals. We have 4 rescue cats named Paws, Floyd, Ludo, and Newton.
My Journal I write in it everyday. It’s mostly a work out/food journal. I do put down other stuff as well, like how I’m feeling. I’m a list person so it works well for me.
Planning The Next Race I love planning a trip around a race. We call it a “runcation.” Like in January, I’m going to run in the Key West Half marathon. We are going to stay there for 5 - 6 days and drive through the keys. Just hang out and have a nice vacation around it.
Coffee I use it as a pre-work out. I don’t feel that people really need a powder with a bunch of weird stuff in it to help their performance, so I use coffee. I love coffee. Morning coffee and a podcast, or morning coffee and quiet are my favorite.
Running Sneakers This is so important because the right ones can save you from injury. I love running sneakers. A new pair, especially. I have 3 pairs that I rotate through for different sorts of runs. Like if I do a long run I have special sneakers for that, short runs and speed work. Race day shoes are a different pair.
Maple Lattes at Wicked Brew in Bangor If I’m having a bad day I go get a maple latte at Wicked Brew. The people there are so happy. The energy is good. There is fun artwork on the walls. They have great treats and make their own bagels, too. It makes the day so much better.
Strength Training It feels good to know I'm taking care of myself. Strength TX helps prevent osteoporosis, maintains balance, builds lean body mass and helps our bodies to look and feel good.
My Home Gym In My Garage I love having my own home gym in my garage. I don’t have to get in the car and drive anywhere, and it saves so much time and money. Added bonus, I get to be anti-social. I like to lift the garage door up - it’s like I’m outside - and put my music on while I’m working out.
Exercise It just makes me feel better.