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Showing posts from May, 2015

#LJFitChallenge And A New Perspective

I have been compensated in the form of a gift card/money/coupon and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. All opinions expressed are mine and honest in nature. Truth time - it took me awhile to get on board with the nutrition piece - go figure. I know - shocker right?!? But I have to say the Lorna Jane Fit Challenge (#LJFitChallenge) is what really lit a fire under my rear to get strong and fit ( notice I didn't say skinn y). Sure, I want to lose some weight. I am carrying around some unwanted pounds that I've gained over this past year. But when I started doing the #LJFitChallenge, I felt myself getting stronger. And it sparked a desire for me to start strength training, which I have done. In addition to becoming stronger, I'm changing the way that I see myself and my reason for working out. In the past, it's been a lot about calorie burn. Now, it's about getting healthy and getting stronger, and not focused on calories burned

Sky Spills Over By Michael W. Smith

Full Disclosure: I received products free of charge for the purpose of providing a review. My opinions are completely my own based on my experience. Lil Man and I both love music. Just yesterday, he was trying to teach me a dance. It was so cute. But, as he is getting older, he's also listening to lyrics which means I'm having to be a little more cautious in what I allow him to hear. So this CD by Michael W. Smith is coming at a great time! And one of the songs on the CD is Sky Spills Over . Here is

Summer Requires Planning

I didn't think the first week with Lil Man out of preschool would be so difficult to get my workouts in. I think it's combined with the fact that Hubby is turkey hunting and it's throwing off my morning schedule. But I am finding it difficult to find time to get in cardio plus my strength training. And you guessed it, the strength training has suffered a little this week. I didn't dedicate the time that I have in past weeks. But I did push it hard on Friday at the gym while I was there. I plan to get back to a set plan instead of going to the gym without a plan where I

Be Who You Are

Be who you are - it's been my slogan this year with Lil Man. He's really come out of his shell, but at the same time he's picked up some habits from others that I'd rather him not have. And I'm sure he's showed some other children habits their parents would rather them not have. But this year, especially the last couple of months, most days ( sometimes several times a day ) I have to say be who YOU are. Don't be who someone else is. Be YOU. God made you who YOU are. Wow I've come a long way with some of this parenting stuff. I remember when he was late to walk and late to talk and late to whatever milestone that I felt was SO life or death important. And I felt the pressure to get him where his peers were. What was I thinking? It took me a little while, but I finally realized that Lil Man would get there when he got there. Sure, if he needs a little encouragement and extra help, I will be happy to do it and get him any extra help he might need should h

NatraCure ThermoActive Hot/Cold & Compression Cuff

Full Disclosure: I received products free of charge for the purpose of providing a review. My opinions are completely my own based on my experience. If you've been around me, well anywhere near me, ok, if you know anyone who might even know me, then you probably know that I am coming back from a hamstring injury. It started last summer/fall and it has lasted a very long time. I was finally able to start exercising again when I got a compression sleeve. I used it for recovery. But I needed something while running, and I bought some compression shorts. I also iced the area. Because of the compression, I was able to workout and keep the pain level minimal while allowing myself to heal. I wish I had known about the NatraCare ThermoActive Hot/Cold Compression Cuff last fall!

Trails No Fear and New Gear

See, for a very long time, I let fear stop me. I was terrified of running alone in the dark.  And for a very long time, I didn't. I either skipped my workout or tolerated the treadmill. Then... well one day this happened ( Workin' On My Night Moves - Fear Of The Dark) . I've also been afraid to run on the trails by myself. First of all, I'm super directionally challenged. Second, well, the thoughts of just being out there alone was very scary to me. But, life is short, sometimes way too short. And as I sat around 'waiting' for someone to be my running buddy ( although I know in my heart that no one will ever be able to replace Jill. No one - even if in time I do find that local person who will meet me in the insane hours before daybreak, regardless of temperature or lack of sleep, I know in my heart that no one will ever be Jill - and those runs that we shared will forever be a part of the happiest days of my life ) I reached a point that I didn't want t

Say Goodbye To Wet Shoes NuVent Boot & Shoe Dryer

Full Disclosure: I received products free of charge for the purpose of providing a review. My opinions are completely my own based on my experience. Warmer weather is here... and it seems that Lil Man can't stay away from the water hose. Every time we look around, he seems to be playing in water. Which is fine ... except.... when he's wearing his tennis shoes that I wasn't planning on him getting wet. Because I'm not a fair weather runner and will run in all types of weather, I know first hand that it can take awhile for shoes to dry. I have always just stuffed them with newspaper, and then continuously changed out the paper as the paper got wet. But it would usually take at least a day for my shoes to dry ( especially if they were soaking wet ). And they always smell. But I want to tell you about the NuVent Boot and Shoe Dryer . Check this out!

Freak Tape Kinesiology Tape

Full Disclosure: I received products free of charge for the purpose of providing a review. My opinions are completely my own based on my experience. As you know, this year I'm including more trail running and strength training into my routine ( #TuesdayTidbit - Trail Running Tips for Beginners ) and I'm finding that my ankles aren't as strong as I thought they were.  My trainer is really helping me with strength building, but I'm finding that I could use a little extra support ( especially when I'm on the trail ). I had the opportunity to try Freak Tape Kinesiology tape .

#TuesdayTidbit - Trail Running Tips For A Beginner

If you are like me, the first thing I thought when I heard about trail running was "No way! I can barely walk on even ground. No way I can do trails without falling and busting my rear." So for a very long time I wouldn't even consider the thoughts of running ( or walking for that matter ) on a trail. Then, and I'm not even sure why, but back in 2013 I gave trail running a try. At the time, it was what I needed. ( I Faced My Mountain ). Then marathon training ramped up last year, and I was too worried about injury that I ditched trails. I think that was a mistake ( for me ). So this year, as I find myself coming back from injury, taking a break from road racing, and just needing a change, I've had the desire to get back out there on the trail. This year, I took my first hike/run by myself on the Appalachian Trail ( I Ran I Walked I Fell I Bled - It Was Awesome ). From that run/hike, trail running has now been a part of my weekly routine, and I couldn&#

Skorch Waterproof Backpack - Comfortable Durable & Waterproof

Full Disclosure: I received products free of charge for the purpose of providing a review. My opinions are completely my own based on my experience. Recently, hiking has quickly become a favorite activity for me and Lil Man. It's been a pleasure to watch him experience the outdoors. But I'm also finding that he requires more things that I do on a hike :)  The Skorch Waterproof Backpack couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Did I mention that it was waterproof?

DynaPro Direct Resistance Bands Giveaway

Full Disclosure: I received products free of charge for the purpose of providing a review. My opinions are completely my own based on my experience. As you know, I'm doing a lot more strength training than I have in the past. I'm still not where I want to be ( as far as routine goes - and at times I still feel myself 'rush' through the workouts ). But I'm at least getting in strength training several times a week ( even if they are shorter workouts ). Some days I make it to the gym. Some days I don't. And on those days that I don't make it to the gym, I'm finding the resistance bands are awesome! I was really impressed with this band by DynaPro Direct 

Thule Urban Glide - Bringing Smiles Mile By Mile

Full Disclosure: I received products free of charge for the purpose of providing a review. My opinions are completely my own based on my experience. As most of you know, the preschool year is coming to an end here, and turkey season (hubby is a hunter) is for the full month of May < insert groan >.  So I'm having to get more creative with my workouts. I've been utilizing the playground ( Make Playgrounds Your Gym ) for strength training and cross training, but getting in run time can be difficult especially if I want to get outside. After our harsh winter and spending time on the treadmill, the thoughts of running inside when it's so beautiful outside just isn't something that I want to do. I pulled out the old jogger from last year and took Lil Man for a run. Wow, I could tell that he's bigger this year than last - and the old jogger isn't on the sleek side. So when I tried out the Thule Urban Glide , I couldn't believe the difference in how easy

#FitFridayConfessions - Food Is Fuel Not Just Calories

This #FitFridayConfessions - Food Is Fuel Not Just Calories is something that's taking me a little while to wrap my head around. The concept is really simple, but I have been programmed for so long to think of food as calories instead of fuel. When I fill up my car with gasoline, I don't think "Ok, I just put 5 gallons in, let me drive drive drive to use it all up. Instead, I put fuel in my car to get me where I need to go. " Yet with food I think "I ate 'X' so I need to exercise X amount of minutes to burn off the food (calories) that I just ate." I see food as something earned or something to be avoided. Instead, I should be thinking how food is fuel , and how our bodies need fuel to function (just like cars). And like cars, if we use the wrong fuel, or if it's contaminated, we can do damage to the engine.

National Park Trust Kids To Parks Day

I've got to say, Lil Man and I have really enjoyed being outside after making it through this harsh winter. The moment we could get outside, we did. And this year for the first time, I took him to the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian trail is managed by different organizations - the National Park Service and volunteer organizations. Lil Man loved it. In fact, we've hiked more than once, and plan to make it back there several times this Summer. In addition to the Appalachian trail, we've been to our local parks almost daily. I feel that it's really important to make sure that he has physical activity. Taking him to the our local park keeps us active along with having lots of fun. This year, May 16, 2015 is National Park Trust Kids to Park day.  http://parktrust.org This is an awesome way to get your kids outside and to a park. Click this link to find an event near you. This is a great way to get kids to be active along with having some fun fa

Take A Good Look

Take a good look - no really - take a really good look. (Yeah that's my son photobombing the pic on the bosu ball - he loves that thing -ha)  But no, what I really want you to look at is the picture of my stomach.  See that area of fat around my belly button? That's my 'problem area' - the area that I try to hide - the area that I crop out of pics - the reason that my clothes don't fit - my muffin top - my extra handfuls and then some. But look right above that area. See that line - the beginning of muscle definition - that wasn't there 4 weeks ago. That 'line' didn't exist. I'm not holding 'anything in' and that purple mark underneath my hand is where I painted over what I couldn't tell if it was my boob or the underside of my bra - so I covered it just in case.  I want you to look at this picture, really look at it, because I want you to realize something.

Mr Visbility LED Reflective Belt Charges by USB

Full Disclosure: I received products free of charge for the purpose of providing a review. My opinions are completely my own based on my experience. I am the queen of neon and reflective gear. Hey, it is what it is. I would rather be seen and safe than be one of those people that you can barely see out there. It's one of my greatest pet peeves to see people walking/running in non reflective gear or clothing. But with a 4 year old son, batteries are in high demand in my house. So the thoughts of another reflective belt really didn't catch my attention until I saw that this belt charges via USB . Oh yeah, you read that right! The Mr. Visibility LED Reflective Belt  is rechargeable via USB.

CompressionZ Heart Rate Monitor Watch Review

Full Disclosure: I received products free of charge for the purpose of providing a review. My opinions are completely my own based on my experience. I'm a technology nerd - always have been. And I've been on the market for awhile to find a watch to calculate my calorie burn when doing strength training etc. I usually can guess my calorie burn with running ( for me, it's about 70 calories per mile ), but strength training was a whole new beast for me. And I was clueless about my calorie burn. I was able to test the CompressionZ Heart Rate Monitor Watch  I've used heart rate monitors in the past, but they have always required a chest strap. So the thoughts of being able to know my heart rate without a chest strap sounded awesome. 

#FitFridayConfessions - Know Your Weakness

There they were - simple organic cheddar cheese crackers with pretzels - a snack mix variety - on sale at a discount food place. (I'll buy a box and portion them out into portion sizes - was my thought process). But I should have known better. That night Hubby and I ate the entire box (more so me than hubby) while watching TV. (My I just ate the whole box look) Know your triggers - your weaknesses. I'm sure maybe one day I can use my portion size theory for this product, but for now it's a trigger - a weakness - a stumbling block.  Lesson learned as it caused a chain reaction. No one said it was going to be easy - but I do believe that healthy eating and reaching goals are possible.  The journey continues ...