Whole30…I think

Several, several years ago, I was feeling gross and out of shape.  I didn’t like who I was, felt tired all the time, and looked bad in my clothing.  I also knew I wanted to get pregnant in the nearish future and wanted to be my best self before that happened so I could have a good foundation for my new baby.

After a few looooong discussions with my dietitian (who is also my best friend), we both decided we wanted to get healthier.  We started tracking our calories on Calorie King, joined gyms, and committed.  About four months later, I had lost 30 pounds, completed most of the Couch to 5K program (I think I got to the week where it said “OK now just go out and run a 5K” before I stopped), and felt so much better about myself!

I was able to enjoy my new body for about 6 months before I got pregnant.  We all know what pregnancy means right?  Food free for all and no exercising for 9 months!!!  Yeah.  I did that.  I decided I would give myself a break from all the healthy eating and exercising because, hey, I was pregnant.  I could only keep so much stuff down (when in actuality I never threw up or got very nauseated from being pregnant) and I was tired all the time, so adding in extra exercise was just dumb.  If I could go back and talk some sense into that chick, I would!

Unfortunately, I ended up miscarrying after 10 weeks.  The problem was I kept eating whatever I wanted and not exercising so…you guessed it…I gained a lot of my weight back.  Then, in 2011, I got pregnant again, this time carrying the baby full term.  All in all, I weighed 204 when I gave birth!

I wanted to be healthy for my new baby and feel better about myself again, so I refocused and ended up losing about 60 of those pounds.  I wasn’t exactly where I needed to be at 145, but I was much closer.

Since 2011, my weight has fluctuated up and down about 20 pounds here and there.  I’m currently in a “there” stage, holding fast at 165.  I’ve started Orangetheory Fitness (LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!) so the exercise part of this journey is on lockdown.  But I need to figure out my eating.  I’ve tried lots of ways to focus on food including counting calories, weighing everything, tracking macros, etc, but so far nothing has stuck.

I know you aren’t supposed to do Whole30 to lose weight, but I need to do SOMETHING to reset my metabolism.  I also have some hormonal acne I’d like to try to remedy naturally, so it’s a multi-goal program.

I know Whole30 is only 30 days and anyone can do anything for 30 days, but I’m nervous!  I love my morning coffee, but I take it with cream and sugar.  I have a super strong sweet tooth at night and often don’t feel full until I’ve had a cookie or some ice cream.  I don’t LOVE all the fruits and vegetables, so I’m afraid I’m going to get bored.  What I DO have going for me is how much I love to cook.  I’ve heard you need to do massive amounts of food prep for Whole30 to be successful, which I’m kind of used to doing already.

Even so, I’m supposed to start Monday and I’m nowhere near ready.  I’m going to the library today to get some books about Whole30 and not starting this program until AFTER Easter.  I also plan to take before and after pictures as well as do a beginning and ending weigh in.  Wish me luck!

Family Hike

Last year around this time, I decided I wanted to start getting healthy and the way I was going to do that was that I was going to hike.  For those of you who don’t watch Sex and the City, I’m here to inform you that hiking is walking.

I started taking Jake to the park on the weekends and we’d “hike” meaning we’d walk the trails and he’d look for the little colored circles on the poles to tell us which path we were on.

This year, the bug hit me again.  The minute it was warm enough to spend more than 5 minutes outside, I knew it was time to start hiking again.  Plus I needed to get some “off day exercise” in.  I joined Orangetheory Fitness a while back (more on that later) and find that I need to take every third or fourth day off so I don’t get burnt out.  But I’m also on this “closing my Move Ring” kick, so I knew I wanted to get outside today and get moving.  I asked the boys if they wanted to join me and off we went.

Originally I had intended to go back to our old standby park for our hike, but on a whim I decided to google walking trails near me.  I found another park that was right across from the soccer field Jake plays on sometimes, so we decided to check it out.

We gave Jake the option of doing ½ a mile, 1 mile, or 1 ½ miles.  He said 1 ½ miles with no hesitation and went clomping into the woods in his boots.

It wasn’t long before we came upon the creek Jake’s school is named after, so of course we had to explore.

It was such a beautiful day and really not even that chilly.  It was in the upper 40s and, when we were in the woods, there was very little wind.  Jeff kept commenting on how quiet it was even though we were inside the city.  It was very calming and peaceful.

I think Jake thoroughly enjoyed himself today.

Especially when I asked if he wanted to go on a “treasure hunt” (geocaching).  I loaded up the app and we started walking.  Before we knew it, we got the alert that we were getting close!  In fact, we passed the location up before we knew it and had to double back.  After looking around for a minute, we spotted something in the tree.

Jake was SO EXCITED when we found the cache!  He was even more excited when I told him he could take a small toy from the container.  Not knowing we would be geocaching, I hadn’t brought anything with me to replace in the container but, Daddy to the rescue!, he put in a quarter.  Who doesn’t like finding money??

A little further along, we stumbled on this:

It was breathtaking.  Now, I’m all about the ocean and the beach, but there’s something soothing about a creek with trees and rocks, even if it is during the yucky cold season when everything seems dead.  I can’t wait to come back here when it’s all green and gorgeous outside!

Jeff and I never have pictures of us together since we are always the ones taking the pictures.  Since Jake is 6 now, I thought he was old enough to be responsible and not break my phone.  I set up the picture for him and told him what to do.

The result:

Not bad!  The ones he took after that weren’t terrible, but mommy didn’t feel particularly flattered by the angle he used so we’ll just pretend they don’t exist.

I’ve been meaning to take pictures of Jake in his 2030 t-shirt while he was in Kindergarten so we have them to compare with when he’s a senior.  I think we might end up coming back here for that photo shoot!

It was an awesome way to spend some quality time with my family on Saturday and I can’t wait to do it again!

Hiking Adventures

I’ve been trying my hardest to get healthy in 2017.  I wasn’t terribly unhealthy in the past, but I definitely let go of my healthy habits recently.  It’s resulted in a nearly 40 pound weight gain from my ideal weight from 2010.

Aren’t we cute?  😛

Part of my motivation for losing weight and getting healthy in addition to living longer and being able to keep up with my son is the fact that I’m matron of honor in my best friend’s wedding on April 8th.

The dress I ordered is just a leeeeeetle too snug so I’d like to tone up just a bit and lose just a smidge of weight between now and then.  My goal is to stay under my calories and to move 30 minutes extra every day.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what kinds of exercises I want to focus on.  I’ve tried a few things in the past and my two favorites are Zumba and walking.  I’m not a runner.  I’m just not.  I hate it.  But walking is awesome!  I love putting my headphones in and pounding the pavement.  I do some of my best thinking while I walk!

Then I started thinking about how I could get Jake involved more.  We’ve introduced him to the world of video games which is a little scary to be honest.  I love me some Zelda and Mario and want him to have fun with me while we play, but I want to avoid him becoming so digitally dependent to have fun.

We don’t get outside enough in my opinion.  Our options are limited right now with the cold Ohio winter but, when it gets warmer, I want him to want to choose to go outside instead of stay indoors.

This weekend was 60º on Saturday so we went hiking at our local arboretum!  We had been to another park once last year and he only lasted about ¼ mile before asking to be carried.  He’s 40 pounds now…I can carry him but only for short distances so that’s not really an option.  Part of me was hesitant to take him with me, but I figured I can’t not try, right?

At our arboretum there are three paths:  the RED one is .6 miles, the BLUE is 1.1, and the YELLOW is 1.8.  I asked Jake which one he wanted to start with, explaining the differences. He chose the red (with my persuasion) to “see how things go”.

We started down the red path and I explained how to tell which trail to take based on the markers.  I think it became a game to him to find the red dots.  Every time we came to a fork, I asked him which way to go and he would shout “Mommy! It’s that way!”

A couple times we came across a muddy section and he would start to whine about getting dirty.  I would say “You’re a boy! You’re supposed to get dirty!”  Then I started thinking about it…why is it OK for boys to get dirty, but not girls?  So I changed it to “You’re a kid! You’re supposed to get dirty!”  Once I had to pick him up and carry him over a particularly deep muddy section, but other than that he was a trooper!  He even started splashing in the “muddy puddles” (thank you, Peppa) towards the end.

We got to the end of the red path and I asked if he wanted to go back to the car or keep hiking.  He wanted to keep hiking!  So I asked which path…if he wanted to go on the red one again or try another one…and he picked the blue path.  I kept asking if he was sure and double checking that he wasn’t tired, but he was a trooper and insisted he was up for it.

I love the blue path.  It goes down a little hill and past a babbling brook.  We even saw a deer on this hike!

I think we took a wrong turn eventually (this path isn’t as clearly marked) because we ended up only walking about 1.7 miles including the walk to and from the parking lot, but that’s OK.  I was still proud of my little buddy for completing it!

The best part?  He keeps asking when we can go hiking again!  I can’t wait to check out some other parks near us…I hear there’s great hiking all over Ohio!

 

Healthy in 2015

Back in 2009, I got motivated and decided enough was enough.  It was time to get moving and lose the weight I had been putting on for the last few years.  So I decided to eat right, count calories, exercise more, and so on.  After about 6 months, I was 30 pounds lighter and in the best shape of my adult life.  Then…I got pregnant, had a miscarriage, and got pregnant again.

After Jake was born, I began again.  Eat right, count calories, exercise more.  Again I lost some of the weight I put on, but I was still about 10-15 pounds heavier than I wanted to be.  I just wasn’t as motivated as I once was.  I was still lighter than I had been, I felt relatively good, and I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted and not put on weight.  Plus, with my job in retail, I was on my feet for a good portion of the day.  I maintained my somewhat high weight for a good 1.5-2 years.

In January of 2014, another big life change occurred.  I got promoted to Store Manager, hence why I stopped blogging.  I had to get used to this new chapter in my life along with a husband and much more mobile, attention-seeking toddler to appease.  So now, I was still eating somewhat (OK maybe a lot more) poorly and on my feet less.  Store managers tend to have a bigger role in the planning process and a smaller role in the task doing process.

You probably see where this story is headed.  After a year of being a store manager, eating poorly, and not really working out, I had put all of my weight back on.  I was back up to the weight I started at in 2009.  Yippee.

So what now?  I thought, in the spirit of being accountable, I’d share my plan with all of you.  How will I get Healthy in 2015?

Accountability:  My best friend, Carolyn, and I have been doing a weekly weigh in with each other off and on since 2009.  That’s when we developed this plan and it worked back then.  I was a way for us to keep ourselves accountable to each other and motivate each other.  Well, the novelty of the program kind of fizzled.  It just wasn’t working anymore.  So this year, we gathered several of our friends and created a Facebook page to post recipes, issues we have either with motivation or challenges we are facing, and share accomplishments of all shapes and sizes with each other.  So far it’s really working!

In addition to this, Carolyn and I joined DietBet, an online program where you send in your starting weight and “bet” that you will lose 4% of your body weight by the end of the program.  You pay $25 and everyone who achieves that 4% splits the pot.  So, basically, if you’re pretty determined to lost that 4%, there’s no risk as you’ll just make your money back.  The only bad thing is for you to make money, others have to do poorly.  But I’m not going to focus on that…

New Gear:  I’m a gadget person.  I really am.  My family knows that so, for Christmas, they got me a few things that would help me on the journey they had no idea I was planning to take.

Fitbit Flex

I wear this thing every single day (except the one time I left my tracker at home and went to work just wearing the arm band…that was fun).  I didn’t know if I would be motivated by it or not, but I usually am!  See how the Flex works is it has a tracker you charge periodically and then slip it inside a wristband you wear.  You can tap the tracker throughout the day and little dots light up to tell you your progress.  I have mine set to the standard 10,000 steps per day, so for every 2,000 steps I take, a dot lights up.  If you’ve reached your “mile marker” (i.e. 2,000), the light is steady.  If you’re progressing, the light blinks: slowly if you’ve just entered that 2,000 or more quickly as you’re nearly the end of that particular set of steps.  Once you reach your goal (which you can adjust to fit your lifestyle), the wristband vibrates! If it’s towards the end of the day and I haven’t achieved my goal, I typically walk around the basement or head to the gym to make up my steps.

The Flex also tracks sleep and can wake you up if you like, but I don’t like to wear jewelry or anything like that when I sleep, so I don’t use those features.  It’s nice that they are included though.

Fitbit Aria (i.e. the Fitbit Scale)

I’ve wanted this scale for quite some time.  It’s the neatest thing for lazy people like me.  When you step on the scale, it tells you your weight and body fat %, but then automatically uploads that weight to My Fitness Pal, which is an app I use daily (when I’m in this healthy phase).  It keeps track of all my past weight ins too.  What’s more, you can link up to 6 people on it, so Jeff and Jake can use it too!  Sure, it’s not a necessity by any means, but I like it.  🙂

Soundbot SB220 Bluetooth Headphones

Again, not really necessary, but having Bluetooth headphones is nice when you’re at the gym.  When I’m lifting weights or running or whatever I’m doing, I don’t want my ear bud cord getting in my way.  Plus, with these headphones, you don’t have to worry about them falling out of your ears like you do with ear buds.  The one downside to these is I like to immerse myself in music when I’m at the gym.  These get pretty loud, but I can still hear outside noises every so often. Not often enough that I will go back to ear buds though.

Finally, some of my favorite apps I’ve downloaded this year to help me stay fit and motivated:

MyFitnessPal (Free)-This app is how I track all my calories, exercise, and water intake.  It’s probably the most talked about calorie counting app out there and what’s better is it links directly with my FitBit.  The more I walk, the more calories I get to have if I choose.  Also, a new feature they’ve added since I used it last is the recipe importer.  This is killer for me as I do A LOT of cooking from internet based recipes.  Before I would always shy away from inputting recipes because it was time consuming and tedious.  Now you can enter the link for the recipe you’re making and MFP finds the ingredients for you.  You have to verify the items and quantities, but for the most part MFP gets it right.  It has never been easier to upload a recipe!

Fitness Buddy (Free)-This is a new app that was rated highly in the App store.  I discovered it on one of the “best apps for working out” lists I read when trying to find workout apps earlier this year.  I downloaded several but so far this is my favorite.  It has a ton of different workouts, easily tracks your sets and reps, and (best of all) it was FREE!  I believe there are some in-app purchases available, but I haven’t needed to utilize that function yet.

Couch to 5k ($1.99)-This app is another one that’s highly rated and tons of people use it when they want to train to run a 5k.  There are free versions available (one I like is Ease into 5k), but when experts recommend something to people, this is the one they choose.  Being a gadget girl, I like that this app (and others like it) track your runs for you, build you up gradually, and even have voice over encouragement if that’s your thing.  I don’t really enjoy running, but I do love the runners high I get when I do.  It’s a love/hate relationship, people.

RockMyRun (Free)-I just discovered this app last night actually.  I’d had it on my phone for a while, but I’d never really played with it.  (Something you may not know about me is I’m a music junky.  I love music.  It motivates me when I want to give up and calms me down when I’m anxious or upset about something.)  Last night was my first time in the gym in a while.  I had made a half assed attempt to go last week but ended up flaking out on my cardio, banged out some strength work, and left.  Just no motivation at all.

Last night I decided to try something a little different and played around with this app.  Maybe it was the playlist I landed on, maybe it was my mood, maybe something completely different.  Who knows.  But I KILLED IT last night.  I like to think it was due in part to this app.  The playlist I found was a mix of rock, rap, & pop.  What’s better is they were all mashups!  (Mom – mashups are when you take two seemingly different songs and blend them together so they seem as though they were meant to be together all along.)  I had to stop myself from busting out the lyrics to Aerosmith’s Sweet Emotion and Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’!  I’m anxious to get back to the gym just to find another playlist I love.

So, as you can see, my year is starting off on the right foot.  Where it will lead, I have no idea.  But for now I’m gonna ride this wave as far as it will take me.  Hopefully this post has left you with a little inspiration for your own healthy 2015!

Run Baby Run

I had been looking forward to my girls’ weekend away in Louisville for a while now.  Not only would I get to see my bestie, but we were doing The Color Run too…“The Happiest 5k on the Planet”!

You may remember when we did this run last year.  I remember thinking it was just OK but I wasn’t sure if I’d do it again.  I’m so glad I did!  I’m not sure if it was because we knew to expect about an hour wait at the lineup or what, but this year was so much fun!  Could have been partly to do with these jokers keeping us entertained while we waited!

We took our time getting to the race because, as I mentioned before, we knew we’d have to wait a while at the lineup.  They let the runners go across the starting line in waves so the color stations don’t get too clogged up.  We killed time taking pictures.

After about 45 minutes, we were on our way.  Blue was up first!

There were three (well, technically four) more color stations, but I didn’t take any more pictures until almost the end when there was a fun wall everyone was able to sign.

Look closely…can you spot my name?

By the time we were done, we were both a hot mess.  But in the best way.

Afterwards, I messed around with the panorama function of my iPhone!

One of the best parts of the Color Run is the color throw at the end.  I missed it last year, but this year we were dead center.  It was fabulous!

I loved this saying:

What a great time we had!

While we were walking to the car, Carolyn spotted a friend of hers, who she promptly stole.

This little bundle was the cutest thing ever!

From there, we went to my favorite breakfast place in the world…Wild Eggs!  So good!

There was a 45 minute wait (worth it, btw), so we got some coffee and headed outside to kill some time.

It was a gorgeous morning.  I think it was about 70* with a slight breeze.  It was the perfect morning to chill outside!

Of course, once we got inside, it was just as good.  I ordered the chilequiles and we split an order of the raspberry lemon pancakes.  They were both out of this world.  I already want more.

Once we were done eating, we were both pretty tired, so we headed home to rest up and get ready for painting that night.  Stay tuned…

What has been your favorite 5k (or longer) you’ve run in the past?

Conquering Couch To 5k

So, apparently you guys like when I post fitness stuff on here!  Who knew?  A couple of my most recent posts (Run Around and Fit to be Tied) got a bit of a buzz.  Yep, I’m getting all sleek and in shape over here at OGT.  I’ve got a few months til summer and I will be spending as much time in a bathing suit as possible.  I have a little fishy of a son, so you can bet we will be saying hi to Grandma from the pool as often as we can.  I better invest in sunblock now…

Back to the runnin’.  I touched on the Couch to 5k method of “learning” to run earlier this year.  I said I had never once completed the program the whole way through.  Well, I am thisclose to completing it this time!  Let me give you a little back story.

I have never been on a team sport.  Not growing up, not in high school, not in college, not ever.  The closest I came to being on a “team” was when I was in a singing group when I was 10.  Nope, I didn’t play any sports.  I worked in high school.  I was never one for running or really even into fitness for that matter.  It wasn’t until I was in college that I started realizing how out of shape I was.  My freshman roommate and some of the other girls on my floor would convince me to go workout in the gym in our basement.  I had no idea what I was doing, so I just kind of made stuff up as I went along.

Fast forward a few years.  OK, several years.  In the summer of 2009 I was at my highest (then) weight of 165.  I knew I needed to do something because I was unhappy.  I felt fat, lazy, and had no energy.  I started walking and lifting weights.  My sister had started running earlier in the year and she lost a ton of weight.  She also started running in some 5ks and she inspired me to want to try running too.  I began the program (I actually use an app called Ease into 5k instead of the c25k one) and I think I got through about week 4 or so.  Then I gave it up.  Can’t remember why, but I did.  I probably thought my body wasn’t built for running.

Despite not completing the program, I ended up losing 30 pounds by walking and doing various other activities at the gym like the arc trainer.  I started the program a few more times but, as before, stopped it by week 4 or 5.  When I got pregnant with Jake, I ended up gaining a ton of weight.  I believe my highest weight was 204!!!  Geez, Louise!

After I had him, I lost about 30 pounds naturally, but I hovered around the 170 mark for a loooooong time.  Finally at the beginning of this year I had had enough.  I wanted my 135 pound body back.  My best friend and I got serious and we’ve been eating right and exercising ever since.  I’ve lost 12 pounds so far and feel a lot more lean and mean.  I still have a ways to go, but I can see the results and I’m determined to reach my goal!

Well, that was a long winded way to get on the topic of my current experience with Couch to 5K.  This time, it’s all different.  I started out pretty strong on weeks 1, 2, and 3, but then I started having some pain on the inside of my shins.  My friend told me she thought they were shin splints and suggested I rest and not run for a while.  This is one of the reasons why I had stopped running period in the past, so I was nervous to take a break.  On the other hand, I didn’t want to hurt myself, so I quit running for a few weeks.

When I got back on the treadmill, I was still a little sore, but not so much I couldn’t run.  I completed my run with ease!  After that, I just kept progressing and progressing.  Some days were really tough, others weren’t so bad.  Last night, I went to the gym fully expecting not to be able to complete the day’s run.  Week 6, day 2 is run 10 minutes, walk 3, run 10.  I did it, but struggled with it.  Week 6, day 3 (last night’s run) was warm up, then run 20 minutes.  Straight.  No breaks.  There was no way.

Well, I was wrong.  I KILLED my run!  Not only did I run the 20 minutes it said to, but I kept going and ran an additional 6 minutes so I could say I ran 2 miles straight!  (Yes, right now I run a very slow 13 minute mile, but I run the whole thing.  So there.)  I was so pleased with myself I put it all over social media!

I’m not completely done with Couch to 5k, but I’m so close.  Now I feel like I could actually, potentially be a runner.  I know they say if you run even one minute, you’re a runner, but in my head that’s not the truth.  That’s not the definition of a runner I see.  My sister?  She’s a runner.  Know what I do believe in?  The term runner’s high.  There’s no other feeling like it.

On a side note, did you all see Google Reader is going to be shutting it’s doors on July 1? 

What blog reading platform will you be using when that happens?

Fit To Be Tied

I am not a gym rat. Not by a long shot. But for the last few months, my face has become a lot more familiar to the staff at my gym. Here’s what I’ve been doing the most of lately:

ZUMBA
Zumba is awesome! It gets you moving, burns tons of calories, and it’s FUN! If you find a good teacher, the hour will fly by! My teacher gets my heart rate up in the 180s for about 75% of the class. Love it!

RUNNING
I have started (and stopped) Couch to 5K about 897 times. OK really like 4, but still. I want to complete a whole set for once in my life and actually *gasp* run a 5k! I am currently farther than any other attempt I’ve made in the past. I am on week 6 of Ease into 5K (a different version of c25k with the same premise).  Just today I did Day 2 of this week.  I ran 10 minutes, walked 3, then ran 10 more minutes.  It was challenging but not unachievable.  My next run is just exactly that…a run.  I’m up to the daunting part of the training.  I warm up for 5 minutes then…run.  For 20 minutes.  Straight.  Yikes!  I’ll let you know how I do.

YOGA
I have never really been a yogi.  In fact, up until about two weeks ago I hadn’t really done yoga.  Not officially anyhow.  I had gone to a couple yogalates classes at my gym, but I really wanted to try a straight yoga class.  It’s definitely more challenging than I expected, but I really liked it!  The problem with this class is that it’s at 7p on Monday.  When Jake was going to bed early (and by early I mean 6:30p) it wasn’t a problem, but he stays up until 8p these days.  I just can’t miss hanging out with my buddy to go to yoga.  Luckily, my gym has introduced a new class at 11p on Fridays.  This will leave me just enough time to shower and get to work after if I close that day!

NEW OPTIONS
There are several things I haven’t really included in my workout routine that I am looking into these days.  One is P90X.  I’m still not convinced I want to start this program, but I might.  One of my coworkers loaned me his copy of it to try out.  I decided to complete Couch to 5k first before I attempt P90X as I want to actually finish Couch to 5k for once in my life.  I’m nearly there.  Then, I will think about starting P90X.

Another option I’m considering is checking out Pure Barre.  I’ve heard lots of good (and bad) things about this class.  Well, not really bad per se.  I’ve just heard it’s difficult at first.  One of my old coworkers told me she loved it, though it is tough at first.  I read on the website that the first class is free, so what’s there to lose?  If you don’t know what Pure Barre is:

Pure Barre is the fastest, most effective way to change the shape of your body. Using small isometric movements at the ballet barre set to motivating music, Pure Barre lifts your seat, tones your thighs, abs and arms and burns fat in record breaking time. Clients see results in just 10 classes, lose inches in weeks and have fun doing it!

Pure Barre was founded by dancer, choreographer and fitness guru, Carrie Rezabek Dorr. Carrie opened her first studio in the basement of an office building in Birmingham, MI in 2001. With no initial clients, staff, signage or even a bathroom, Carrie has grown Pure Barre in to the company it is today.  -From the Pure Barre Website

Finally, and probably most importantly, I am trying to spend as much time playing with Jake as possible.  Chasing a toddler around is fun and a workout in itself!  He could probably make me burn more calories than any other exercise program out there!  Last Sunday before work, we took a long walk to a local playground.  The playground is a mile away so I loaded him up in his wagon and we walked down there.  After we played a bit, I loaded him back up and we walked home.  I didn’t exert myself, I didn’t even try to walk fast.  But in 75 minutes I burned nearly 600 calories!  Bonus!

Basically, I am just trying to move more lately.  Instead of coming home and sitting until it’s time to go to bed, I find myself leaving the house at 8p after Jake goes to bed to hit the gym.  I like going to the gym that late because there’s not a whole ton of people crowding the machines.  I also feel like I can take my time and really focus on my workout instead of constantly thinking I need to rush home or rush to work.

I feel better about my health than I have in several years and I love the results I’m seeing!  I’ve lost 12 pounds since January 1.  I still have a ways to go, but seeing the results makes me want to work that much harder!

What is your favorite workout?  What new things are you hoping to try in the future?

Run Around

I love music.  I have found there is a song to express any emotion or thought I have.  I also know music gets me moving.  Some people can watch TV while they run.  Not me.  I need my music to get my feet going!  Here are some of my current favorite tunes to run to lately:

Scream & Shout – will.i.am featuring Britney Spears

Everybody Talks – Neon Trees

50 Ways To Say Goodbye – Train

Shake Senora – Pitbull

Wait – Chris Brown

This is just a small sampling of the music I listen to when I run.  I have done a few of these posts in the past and I’m always looking for new music.  I tend to listen to Pandora a lot simply to get new song ideas, but I like having a backup playlist on my phone in case Pandora is being wonky and not playing anything I like.  A little known fact about me is I hate the radio for the most part.  Pandora is less like the radio and more like an iTunes playlist on shuffle.

Anyhow, what’s your favorite song to run to?

Color Me Happy…and Healthy

Remember when I wrote this post a while back?  I talked about running in a few 5ks.  Last Saturday, I fulfilled leg one of the 5k journey.  I participated in the Color Run!  I’m sad to say I didn’t run this race due to an injury, but I (along with a couple other ladies) walked it with pride.

Let me spend a minute here talking about my “injury”.  A few months ago, I started noticing when I would wake up in the morning, my feet would ache for a few minutes.  I had no idea what it was, but figured it would get better eventually.  I kept running, not thinking much of it.  When it started to get worse, I began asking other people what they thought it was.  Most everyone gave me the same explanation:  plantar fasciitis.

My shoes were not the best shoes for running, plus I had had them for a looooong time, so it’s no wonder my feet hurt.  I also work retail, thus resulting in me being on my feet most of the day.  The only choice I had was to take some time off from running and to get new shoes.  Well, I haven’t been running, but I kept putting off getting new shoes.  Not that I don’t want to, I just never seem to have the time!  My feet aren’t getting much better though.  I’m not quite sure what to do at this point.  Oh well.  I’m sure I’ll figure something out.

Anyhow, back to the Color Run!  My sister-in-law Shannon, my manager Kristy, and my best friend Carolyn had all agreed to walk with me.  Early Saturday morning, I swung by Shannon’s house to pick her up and then headed over to pick up Kristy.  We arrived in Cincinnati in a decent amount of time and spent a couple minutes getting ourselves ready.  I had picked up the packet of goodies for all the girls the Thursday before.  We got race bibs, sweatbands, color run temporary tattoos, wristbands, and a packet of colored powder to throw.  Oh and a Color Run t-shirt of course!

Once Carolyn arrived from Louisville and got herself situated, we were off to the race.  We did the obligatory pre-race picture and then found a spot amid all the other runners.

It was packed!  I’m not sure how many people were in attendance, but I do know our race was sold out!

The race info said it started at 8:00a and would let people start running in waves.  It said the waves would be released every 5-8 minutes.  So there we were, just standing around talking, taking pictures, and freezing.  (PS…it was about 45º when we started.)

We stood there for at least 45 minutes without moving.  We couldn’t figure out what was going on until we realized we were almost at the back of the lineup!  Before we were even close to moving, people were already finishing the race!

We eventually got past the start line at 9:04a (yep, over an hour after the start of the race!).  Yay!

The way the Color Run works is you walk or run for a bit and then go through these color stations (read: a 40 ft stretch where people spray you with colored cornstarch).  I had fun with it, raising my arms up and dancing around, walking backwards, and other such things.  I wanted to be covered in color!

First color station down.  Orange!

Second color station complete.  Blue!

Third color station (though it’s kind of hard to see). Pink!

Here’s a somewhat far away shot of the color station.  I was taking pictures on my phone and didn’t want to get powder in it.

Fourth (and final) color station finished.  Yellow!

I loved the back of Shannon’s shirt.  It looked like a neat abstract painting to me.

I love this picture!  What a fun day.

Kristy and I had a blast.  We thought it was a great thing to do to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma foundation.  Too bad more of our coworkers couldn’t join us!

It was a great bonding experience.  I love doing things with my friends and family.  I only wish I could do more.  One day…just need to be a manager first!  (Hint, hint.)

After the race, we were all pretty hungry, so we headed over to the Findlay Farmer’s Market and picked up lunch.  A yummy flatbread with chicken, peppers, onions, eggs, and asiago cheese never tasted so good!  I also picked up some fresh pasta and raviolis at Ohio City Pasta, a company about which I’d heard lots and lots of great things!

I wanted something sweet after lunch, so I grabbed a Belgium waffle from Taste of Belgium.  Oh my gosh, you guys.  This waffle was the best thing I’d had in a LONG time!  Light and crisp with little balls of sugar running all through it.  Mmm mmm mmm.  Makes me want another one right now!

If you’re ever in Cincinnati and have a chance to go to Findlay market, go!  Even if just for the waffles…

After all that, we were all pretty beat.  We parted ways and I went home to this smiley little fella.  Life is good.

Foodie Penpals (August)

I know you all are confused by my post today.  Foodie Penpals is supposed to be at the end of the month right?  Well…this past month was a little…harried.  Without going in to all the details, the person I sent a box to for August was generous enough to send me a box back!  What a great gift.  Thanks, Sara!

Sara emailed me the standard swap email.  What kind of foods do you like, what’s your favorite combination, where do you live, etc?  I told her I liked peanut butter and chocolate.  She went a little crazy!  😛

The first thing I saw was the Reese’s Muffin Mix.  These looked crazy good.  And crazy dangerous!

Next was the Honeymaid Grahamfuls.  They’re only 120 calories and will be a great dessert for my lunches at work!

She also included some of my favorite breakfast bars:  Nature Valley Protein bars in (of course) peanut butter and chocolate.  I love these things!

One thing she had recently discovered was the Sparkling Ice water.  I love these too!  Kroger had them on sale for $1 a while back and I grabbed a couple.  She put the black raspberry in my box, which turns out to be my favorite flavor!

She also included Heath candy pieces, which are great in Better Than Sex cake.  I haven’t made that in a while, so this might be the perfect reason to do so!

I can’t believe how generous Sara was this month.  My penpal never sent me anything and, after I told her, she jumped at the chance to send me something.  Turns out, the girl she was supposed to send to never contacted her either!

If you want to join in the fun, head on over to Lindsay’s blog and sign up for Foodie Penpals.  Here’s a little more info about the process:

-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
– Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK residents.
Last month was crazy to say the least.  I hope this month is easier!  Have a great day!