Looking AND Feeling Like My Badass Self

For the last several months, I have mainly been running. I fell out of my groove with doing cross training and strength work on the days I wasn't running. As a matter of fact, with summer being so busy with fun things, my running even took a small hit. All those margaritas and wine by the pool were finally starting to show.

Since school has been in session at the end of August, my running buddy and I have been back at it pretty consistently but even though we tried different things like adding sprints to our runs and improving our pace, I just didn't see the changes in my body I wanted to see. I have to accept the fact I'm getting older and my metabolism is slowing, and I won't give up my love of food. But still, I get up at 5 a.m. to run and while that in itself makes me feel kind of badass, I want to actually look badass too.

So even though over the last couple years I have consistently lamented my lack of time, and the challenges I face having two small children and a husband who's not home most nights, I stopped the whining. I am now making use of the YMCA membership that I previously used only sparingly, mainly to take advantage of discounts on my son's activities. I am adding one more day a week of strength or cross training depending on what my running buddy and I feel we are lacking at the end of the week. Sometimes we do a boot camp class, other times it's yoga. I love both. I wish I could work out seven days a week. But for now, it's 4-5. I think I am okay with that for right now. Boot camp is surely more strength-training oriented, since there are some weights involved, and I also like how running/sprinting is incorporated into it too. Yoga can be very helpful to me for stretching, strengthening and toning but I find it is awesome for clearing my mind as well.

I have also tried something that is really hard, but I really enjoy it. Have you heard of The Dailey Method? There is no cardio, it is a barre/pilates/core class and I love it. I leave sore, and spent, and see results in areas that I want to see results. My arms are toned, my abs are showing more definition and I feel as though my muscles are getting stronger and lengthened.  There are several targeted, intense movements that are so small that it's insane that you feel it the way you do. I previously was only able to manage one class a week but they have just added more classes so I think I'll be able to fit in one more! I will keep you posted on further results! It's only been a few weeks so far.

So, the holidays are coming, but I'm armed and dangerous.

--Stay fit and fabulous, my friends!

Amy's Awareness Run - #runnersafety

On October 26, my virtual running buddy Sandra and her good friend Amy Wayne went on their usual 4 mile morning run before sunrise. Both women were equipped with lights and were obeying all traffic/pedestrian laws. Suddenly, Amy, who was running a short distance behind Sandra, was struck by a car and killed nearly on impact.

My running mom friends and I are putting together a virtual run in honor of Amy, and also to raise awareness of runner safety. Until this accident happened, I ran early in the morning on a regular basis without a light or reflective gear. This was truly a wake up call for me. Not only is it important to be more aware as runners, but as drivers, at any and all times of the day.

Please help us support Amy's family, her husband Travis and toddler daughter Adalee. It's easy to enter - Here are some details:

• The run will need to be ran between November 26th - December 2, 2012.
• You have the choice of running/walking 1 miles, 4 miles, or 5+ miles and the fees (donations) are different for each option.
• If you don't want to run, you have an option of making a donation.
• Memorial race bibs will be provided to all participants.

Click here to sign up: Amy's Awareness Run, put in your info, and choose your distance. Then go to Paypal and complete your donation by sending it to amysawarenessrun@gmail.com

If you have any questions, please comment below or contact me at hungrigyrl@yahoo.com

Please share this run with everyone you know and let's show Travis and Adalee that runners take care of their own!

How I'm Fitting in Running Now That School's Back in Session

So hard to wake them up when they are sleeping so soundly!

 Yeah, so I'm a little late on the "back to school" post, but I would wager that most of us are still getting back in the swing of things. I have to admit, its nice having a routine again. But sometimes this routine is a little grueling. I can't wait for Thanksgiving, just to get the long weekend (even though we just had one for Labor Day) because I am going to be burned out by then!

So, in my school district, the kids start at 7:45 am, which seems insanely early to me. I don't know who is in charge of making up these hours, but to wake up my 6 year old Monkey at 6:15 am every day is hard sometimes even for ME! He's my grumpier child in the morning, and very difficult to get out of bed and get going. Maybe because I live in a small-ish town, everybody goes to bed early because there is not a lot going on at night, the school board must figure we all pop right out of bed before the rooster says cock-a-doodle-doo. Fortunately the Buddha's preschool doesn't start til 8:30. In my younger days, I never would have believed I would be grateful for an 8:30 start.

Me and Scrappy Mama on the move! Blair Witch looking!

I still have to get my runs in.  And now, its not just in the morning before I have to leave for work, its got to be done before I even wake Monkey up. I have got to really hand it to my running buddy, Scrappy Mama. She does the 10-minute drive to my house to arrive by 5:30 am so we can crank out 4+ miles before I have to get back and get the kids morning routine started. If I had to physically get up and leave my house and be at her house by 5:30 am I think I'd fail miserably. There are so many non-running days that my alarm goes off at 5 am and I decide I am too tired and turn it off. I wish it were different, but I'd truly be lost without my running buddy. She is pretty reliable, and there are times when we have to flake for various reasons but we always have running on the brain. If we have to cancel today, can we make it work tomorrow? We both want to be healthy and fit, for ourselves and our families. We meet up at least 3 mornings a week. On Saturday we typically do a longer run (as our childrens' sports schedules permit) and don't have to get up at so ungodly of an hour. 2 other days out of the week I do yoga or another cross-training type DVD, plus have my YMCA membership for Sunday morning TRX.

 It's all good!

--Yawn.

Running (From?) With the Kids: Family Fitness

I want to raise active kids, not just for physical fitness but for mental fitness as well. I'm not one to over-schedule my boys with lessons and activities during their "free" time, but I think it's good for them to have things to do. It is really obvious when they are bored because they get grumpy, misbehave and fight with each other. What's interesting is that when this happens, it's because I'm too busy with laundry, doing bills, etc. and they are left to occupy themselves.

Sometimes my running buddy is not available to do our early morning runs on the weekend. That means I have to run during the day because I'm too afraid to run at dawn alone. Since my kids are awake,  they want to join me when they see me in my running gear.  That is my "me" time usually, but who can say no to two adorable little boys (especially 3 year-old Buddha who says, "I want to run Mama")? I have to admit Chip is a good sport about it. He tries to avoid running because both of his knees are pretty shot, but he accompanies us on these adventures. The reason being, my kids can only run a very short distance. I want to encourage them, so I bring them along. But once they tucker out, I can leave them behind with Chip and take off and "really" run. I actually get the best of both worlds: family time and me time. Even better, family fitness and burning a few hundred calories. Score!

This past summer I kept the boys fairly occupied with various camps, and I could definitely see a difference in them when they were not in an activity. There were only a couple weeks where they had absolutely nothing going on, but I can definitely say next summer that number will be zero if I can help it. They are happier when they have structure, somewhere to go and something to look forward to. I can't blame them, I was the same way when I was younger, I would get annoyed when I was bored. Of course, with working full-time and parenting two young boys that rarely happens anymore! But I totally get it still. And, there's nothing like getting the kids tired out so that they get a good night's sleep. They are growing boys after all!

Wordless Wednesday: Happy National Running Day

Rebounding from Illness

Welcome to my world!

I hate being sick. Honestly, no one really likes being under the weather but some of us may handle it better than others. My problem is, I am generally in good health so when I get sick - usually a cold - it's a pretty bad one! Not only that, I think that illness tends to sideline me more than it may other people. Not that I'm special, I just have a lot going on in general and strive to be pretty active. Working out, social life, working full time and of course the non-stop action that is required to be a Mother. Seriously. Just THE busiest job of all.

What is the best way to recover from illness? Everyone probably has their own method. Since I am starting to feel among the living again, there are things I'm not just going to run out and do. Like what, you ask? Well, exercise for one. I know some of my fellow running mamas that run while they are sick and if they do take some time off, put their running shoes on before their nose is even dry. Me? No can do. I've still got a little congestion going and I'm not going to prolong anything by hitting the trails too soon.

What else? Cocktails with the girls. Or even a drink after work. I haven't had any alcoholic drinks in exactly one week. Why bother? My tastebuds are still not fully back, so why waste the calories? I'm still not feeling 100%, so believe it or not a little "buzz" doesn't even sound remotely appealing. That is how you know I MUST be sick.

Until further notice I'm going to get up, go to work, spend time with my family, and feed and bathe my children and go to bed early. I truly hope this doesn't last long because I will probably start to go stir crazy. I would imagine by next weekend I will be back in the saddle again. My sister's wedding is in 30 days and I plan to kick my workouts and eating plan into high gear!

Happy Thursday Hungripeeps!

On Fire This Week!

The Boys and their late-night light saber shenanigans

I start my new job tomorrow. I am beyond excited. I was very fortunate to have a week + off between jobs, and I really took advantage of it. I am always seeing small projects around my house that need to be done but never get to them with the hustle and bustle of every day life. Whenever I take time off from work, its usually because we have something planned and there is no time for getting around to projects then either. Holidays here and there are days I fully cherish and look forward to, so no catching up on any nagging items then. Of course, that's my choice. Instead of enjoying myself on the weekend I could commit to...cleaning out my closet or something of that nature but, nope. I'd rather not.

Well, I didn't make it to cleaning my closet this time around either, but I did take time to think about what kind of accessories I need. I am trying to get rid of a large dresser in my room so that I can put a small writing desk in its place, and need to make room in my closet to incorporate the clothes in the dresser. Part of that means cleaning out the top drawer which is filled with a combination of jewelry and important papers. That type of project would probably take me a full day because I'd have to go through each and every paper and item of jewelry to determine what I can get rid of. When I stop by Target this week and get the items I need for my closet, I'll empty out the dresser (easy) and put the contents of the top drawer in a box which will some how make the task seem smaller.

Let's hear about all the great things I accomplished:

Found a place to donate my business suits. I have been saying for a while now I was hoping to find a good place to send my business clothes that I hope I will never have to wear again. I found a great charity called Dress For Success that is exactly what I'm looking for. Really easy, quick search on the internet, but for some reason just never go to it!

Worked out hard every day. No lie. This is how I would live if I didn't work. I was in pure heaven. I did a fitness center/circuit training/treadmill work out, a Body Pump class, a Body Sculpt class, yoga, and TRX. I also managed to get a couple outdoor runs in as well. I am totally sore but I feel amazing.

On a machine at the gym, workin' it!

Had fun with the kids. I got to pick them up from school each day. We went fun places for lunch, I took them to the indoor pool at the Y that has an indoor water slide, we had ice cream, we saw The Lorax, I took Buddha to an open play session at a gymnastics academy while Monkey was in school. We had play dates, we played outside in the court and they rode their scooters, skateboard, rollerblades. I know typically the kids don't get to do these things during the week as their caregivers are more comfortable keeping the kids confined to the house and backyard. So to the boys, this was definitely special!

Lunch time smiles!

Finished The Hunger Games Series. For some reason, I struggled with the last book. But I finally finished. I really enjoyed the first two and tore right through them, and had a hard time getting into the last one until towards the end. The funny thing is I usually read at night in bed and with all this extra working out I've been doing I kept falling asleep when I would attempt to read.

This book was awesome. Couldn't put it down.

Ate well with no regrets. Ok, I usually do this anyway. But this time around I honestly felt I earned everything I ate. We had a great dinner out with our neighborhood friends at a fabulous Vietnamese restaurant  here in town and indulged in dessert too. We took the kids out to a sushi feast at our favorite local joint. I ate ice cream with the kids. I drank some wine. I had a Skinnygirl Margarita or two in the evenings. We had some great meals at home as well - salmon, asparagus and roasted potatoes...pork chops another night...pasta a few times I was alone with the kids....I fit in my requisite green smoothies a few times of course to balance it all out. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but I can assure you it was good!

Nothing Bundt Cakes, mmmmmmmmm!

Filled a photo album with a backlog of pictures. That's right. All of 2011, with the exception of our Disneyland trip in December, fit into one album. So now I'm just going to get one small album just for the Disneyland photos...not nearly as daunting as having a box full of Snapfish envelopes staring at me for months on end.

This bad boy holds 500 photos. It's now full.

Took my baby gear to a new consignment store here in town.  I have been giving away the baby and toddler clothes over time as the kids grow out of things. I kept hanging on to the bigger things: Pack n' Play, co-sleeper, double stroller, and various others *just in case*. Well, I think that ship has sailed. Part of me really wants another child, but I am kind of starting to enjoy the phase my boys are in right now and can't fathom starting over with another baby. If only I was younger and could afford to wait a few years. You know, rest, recover, otherwise known as forgetting how friggin' hard it is to have a baby. But I'm over 4-0 (just a little) and I guess its time to move on.

Reduced a large pile of "important" papers to nearly nothing. I swear, the longer I hang on to stuff that I think I need, the funnier it is when I go through the stack and realize I can now throw it away because its irrelevant. I have the hardest time with the art work the kids bring home. I've started taking photos of most of it because you just can't keep it all.

Picked out new bedding. I've really been needing something new. Something to brighten up my room especially since spring, and eventually summer, are coming. Everything in our room is brown. The walls, our bed frame is black but has a brown suede headboard, our current duvet is white with a dense brown paisley pattern, and our sheets are solid brown. West Elm sent me an email about one of their sales, and I got suckered a great deal on a duvet and sham set that I had been eyeing. Its totally different than what we have and is just the change we need. Now I just need to get new sheets, but that's the easy part.

Dreamy isn't it? Adds some color to our brown room.

Pampered myself. I went with a friend to get pedis and also got my very first shellac on my nails. This is fantastic. It lasts until it grows out and doesn't need to be drilled or filled. I can see myself doing this again for sure! I usually don't get polish on my nails because with small kids my hands constantly seem to be in water and regular polish seems pointless.

Love this!

And lastly, I had my blog header re-done.  What do you think? My fabulous friend Tracey did it. I love it.

So I feel like I made the most of my time off. I am thrilled that I managed to accomplish things I've needed to do, as well as enjoy myself and my family. I am totally ready for my first day at my new job tomorrow. BRING IT!

The Skinny on The Skinnygirl Workout

I just love Bethenny Frankel. What is it about her? She is flat-out funny and speaks her mind. She has always seemed so real and accessible to me. Even though she has an amazing figure and a fabulous life, you really don't want to hate her. You really would like to be friends with her.

In the past, I had received a copy of Body By Bethenny from Acacia, and wrote my honest review here. I really like Body By Bethenny, and it grew on me even more as time went on. This time around, I received my Skinnygirl Workout in my Christmas stocking from my husband. Before you start feeling all bitchy in my defense, I did ask for it...the stocking stuffer was in no way a hint from him to exercise more. It has been in my exercise DVD mix for the last couple months and I think I'm ready to talk about it.

I didn't love it right off the bat. I love Bethenny for her humor and wit, and was hoping to see more of that in this DVD. The ease of the banter between Bethenny and Kristin McGee was what made Body By Bethenny fun. In this case, the new yoga instructor, Mike McArdie is all business. I would actually call their interactions almost awkward sometimes. Bethenny's quips sometimes don't even phase him...where I am chuckling, this guy doesn't crack a smile. The way this DVD comes across is like these two just met and are working out together for the first time. The one time Mike says "Give me more chest" and Bethenny's like, "Excuse me?"...that made me laugh out loud and it went over his head. Of course she did get some funnies in, with the "boob-to-knee-asana" pose she coined in the last DVD, and references to "shar pei neck". I did find it endearing when she spoke directly to the camera and told us viewers that this DVD is "much harder this time around."

Well, this is a workout DVD, not a soap opera. All other things aside this is a great workout. I must say that Mike is a solid instructor, leading the workout but also doing the poses himself. He always mentions modifications that can be done to make it easier or harder depending on your skill level, and speaks of the benefits of the particular poses and what part of your body to engage with each pose. He also takes time to encourage Bethenny and mention if her poses or movement need to be tweaked for proper form. That is what I love about Bethenny. She keeps it real. You can just imagine so many other celebrities would never want themselves filmed in a workout DVD where each pose and movement wasn't exactly perfect.

I do love that the workout is broken up into segments. Three Workouts For Your Busy Life, to be exact. One 20-minute workout, two 15-minute workouts, and then a 12-minute stretching portion. The latter is especially great because most yoga DVD's include stretching at the end of the main workout, so I feel you actually get more workout time. There have been mornings that I have been short on time and may do the first two segments and I still feel like I worked my entire body. I love incorporating yoga into my routine, as I feel it is the perfect compliment to my running. There have been days that I have been sore after doing The Skinnygirl Workout. A good sore.

Are you a fan of Bethenny? Have you ever tried any of her Skinnygirl products or workout DVD's? I think you should. Especially the Skinnygirl Margarita...after your Skinnygirl Workout.  Have a fit and fabulous weekend, friends!



Linking up over at Bees With Honey today! Stop by and check out some new blogs!

Hello 2012!

I could not be more excited to get up and brush myself off after being so sick these last couple of weeks. I still hack occasionally but my energy is back and I'm operating at 98%. I am back at work (BOO) and my kids still have this week off. They are going to a little sleepover at their grandparents tonight and mama is getting a massage! The Christmas decor is packed away, and I am looking forward to a quiet night reading The Hunger Games and watching some TV and drinking tea. I plan to wake up tomorrow totally healthy, and kick 2012 into gear.

Don't worry party people, I did manage to enjoy myself on New Year's Eve despite still being in recovery mode. Our good friends came over with their kids and a babysitter. We drank, we nibbled, we laughed. And then we left our children at home with the sitter and went to a great dinner at a restaurant here locally that we love called Odeum to ring in the New Year. This is the first time in our 7 New Year's Eves that my husband and I have gone OUT. We always do something, head out of town or host friends at our home. We usually avoid going out because everything is over-priced, over-crowded, and service is terrible. However, this year, we had faith that our small town restaurant would not be any of the above. We were not disappointed and had a great time. We returned to our house and sleeping children to continue the festivities and this year I made it to 2:30 a.m. Our friends spent the night and we had champagne and watched the 49er's win the next day. Later, we spent the afternoon/evening with my family for more eating and football. It was a great day.

I am not a huge "resolution" gal but I don't think its ever bad to have a goal at any time of the year. Right now I am focusing on de-sugaring my body. Please note I did not say detoxify...only because I am not giving up coffee and will still have the occasional glass of wine. I just indulged in way too many desserts over the holidays and have been having way too many carbs in general. My plan is to try to prepare healthy lunches that are less bread and meat centric and to keep my snacks small and healthy. I am stocking up on almonds, greek yogurt, and bringing big salads to work. I usually focus on eating healthy, but I don't typically pay much attention to calories and need to be better about portions. I am going to start off hardcore and taper off after a couple weeks, as I know once I start running again I will need more fuel than this:

Breakfast: Soft boiled egg and coffee
Snack: A cutie
Lunch: Mixed greens salad w/chopped cucumber, tomatoes, 1/2 packet of tuna w/ 1tablespoon sunflower seeds, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinaigrette dressing
Afternoon snack: An apple and green tea
Dinner: TBD

Heaping Mound of Healthy Salad

One for My Mid-morning Snack

I really want to try to shrink my stomach and lessen my appetite. When I start to feel hungry, I will stop and drink a glass of water first. I am curious to see how starving I am going to be when I get out of my massage after eating a majorly reduced amount of food like this today. I will make sure to have some almonds beforeI go in so my stomach growling doesn't freak out my masseuse.

If I am up to it I may do a walk on my treadmill tonight, which sounds crazy after a massage but I need to take advantage of the fact my kids will be at my parents. I plan to try my new Skinnygirl Workout that I got in my Christmas stocking tomorrow morning. I am DYING to run, but I need to get rid of this chest congestion for good...I don't want to prolong it by hitting the pavement to early.

Did you indulge during the holidays? Have you stopped your holiday eating or are you having trouble putting the brakes on? 

Burn Fat Friday! How I Plan to Alter My Work Outs To Get Fit For My Sister's Wedding

"My Sister Is Getting Married Fitness Plan"

First - the pity party. In the last couple months, I have been dealt some rough fitness blows. My Running Buddy had to stop running due to foot problems...which has been devastating. First, I totally miss the quality time and the awesome conversations we would have that would make the miles fly by. My body is definitely showing signs of reduced activity. We were regularly doing 4-5 miles at least twice a week and sometimes up to 3 or 4 times a week. That regular activity made me feel great, and motivated to do other things like yoga or Jillian Michaels DVD's on my off days. Going out and running in the dark and the cold before work alone doesn't sound as doable any more, or safe for that matter. I've tried the treadmill but get bored after 2 or 3 miles. I drag my family out on the trail so that they can ride bikes/walk or whatever while I run on the weekend, but its just not the same since our pace is different.

Since Monkey started kindergarten and needs to be at school at 7:45, this has totally cut into my morning work out time. I have never been a morning person in my entire life, but somehow I managed, with the help of my Running Buddy, to start getting up and running at 6 or 6:30. Now with school, this time is not early enough to work out and start getting him ready. The thought of waking up even earlier than that sounds positively dreadful.

I feel like Buddha!

Time to suck it up: I looked in the mirror the other day and I don't like what I see. It's totally fixable, I'm not completely negative. I just know I need to make some changes. What works for me is a consistent routine. Now that I am working out almost completely on my own, its up to me to set that routine and stick to it.

The inspiration: An old co-worker of mine happened to send me a message a few weeks ago to ask when we are going running. Yeah! I was ecstatic. She is a scrappy, under 5'0, kick-ass mother of four boys who does boot camp a few times a week before she has to get her kids up and ready for school. In the dark. And the cold. The very things that I complained were preventing me from working out. When our kids were on Thanksgiving break for a week, she and I met 3 times to run in the morning before I went to work. Mind you, she came to meet me after she had been at boot camp. Seriously, what was I complaining about again?

The plan: So, scrappy mama and I have decided to run a 5 mile loop on Saturdays. Now that our kids are back in school, she isn't able to do boot camp and run with me afterwards due to time. This will be something I can look forward to and will kick my butt into gear. We are going tomorrow, I can't wait!

I am also going to walk for 20 minutes at 1pm Monday through Thursdays when I am at work. I did this today, and managed to do over 1.25 miles. I just need to explore and find a good route. It was fun, and nice to get fresh air and out of the office for a time period longer than it takes me to walk to Panera or Whole Foods to get my lunch.

Which brings me to my next item - less Panera Bread. Great stuff, don't get me wrong. But I think I become less "fascinated" with food when I stick to the same boring things all the time. This mentality has worked for me in the past. When I go to a place with a menu, there are too many choices and too much potential to make bad choices on a whim. I know there will be plenty of days I won't have time to make myself something in the morning and will end up there, or getting a massive burrito or sandwich at Whole Foods.

I will continue to fit in a 3 mile run every other Friday between dropping Monkey off at school and volunteering in his class.

I will start walking with my ex-running buddy on the alternate Fridays.

I want to try this!

I will set my alarm for 5:30 so that I can fit in a Jillian DVD before I have to wake Monkey for school Monday through Thursday. Either Ripped in 30, or Yoga Meltdown. I also like Body by Bethenny and need to check out her newest DVD as well.

I will put all of these items into my calendar and set up alerts so that I am less likely to flake.

Today I am linking up with some great bloggers for the Fitness Friday Blog Hop. Come by and check us out!

If Someone Offers Help, Say Yes!

My husband has always been incredibly supportive of my interest in fitness. While he's not always on board with my adventures in healthy cooking (he draws the line at meatless meals) he will never criticize me for wanting to run or work out. Even though it seems he's never home, when he is he will watch the kids if I want to work out. I'll admit, if he is actually home in the evening I typically will forgo working out so we can have family time. But if he's home in the morning and I know he's had a decent amount of sleep, I will leave the kids behind and get my sweat on. At the very least, he never complains.

Dreadmill. Better than Nada.

I made a sacrifice this week. Driving my son to school and walking to class with him is my favorite part of the day. However, my husband's schedule had him home at a reasonable hour the last few nights. Usually I let him sleep in and try to get my kids ready in the morning as quietly as possible so as not to disturb him. But this week I think I am feeling the after-effects of the Halloween candy and just felt I needed to step things up a notch. He offered to drive Monkey to school the last two mornings and I jumped at the chance to use the treadmill that is not quite a lovely decorative feature in our bedroom. Earlier in the week, Monkey stayed home sick from school so I took advantage of the time I would normally spend driving him and went for an icy-cold outdoor run.  That means, my friends, I exercised 3 times this week before work. And I plan to fit in a work out tomorrow morning too! I feel happy about it and its just what I needed...but realistically I know this won't happen every week.

On Tomorrow's Agenda

My husband has offered several times, even during weeks where he wasn't home early, to drive Monkey to school once a week so that I can go for a run. I usually feel guilty and just let him sleep. It doesn't help that Monkey always tells me he'd rather that I take him to school. But I'm starting to think I should take him up on the offer. Maybe on a Tuesday or Wednesday, since I typically work out Friday through Sunday. He wouldn't be offering if he really didn't want to do it.

Do you ever have a hard time accepting help? I remember being like this after my babies were born too. I have a natural tendency to try to "do it all."

iMapMyRun is Keeping Me Honest

Since school has started for my kids I have had a heck of a time getting into a solid fitness routine but I am slowly but surely working on it. Thanks to my iPhone, I have been able to help make the little things count. I started using iMapMyRun to track my runs, and I love how the GPS tracker shows me where I'm going because I have been known to just start running if I have some time and don't have a route mapped out. The program tracks your time, your pace, and you can save your workouts. You can even share them on Twitter and Facebook.

The first time I used it I was squeezing in a run between dropping my son off at school at 7:45, and volunteering in his class at 8:30. I had a finite period of time to run, and had never spent a lot of time around his school to know what it was like to run around there. I started tracking my route, and thanks to the GPS I could see ahead of time potential streets to turn down, as well as the distance back to my starting point and how much time I had left. Now I have several different routes I have saved and rotate through them on Fridays when I volunteer at school.

You don't have to be running to use iMapMyRun. You can use it when cycling or walking or other workouts too. You can even see the elevation during your workout. This program has been a lifesaver for me. With increased demands on my time, I've had to start fitting in little things like walking at lunch and have calculated that a direct walk to Whole Foods  from my office is 1/4 mile, but if I go the long way I can stretch it to 1/2 mile. The Target going the opposite direction is even just a tad further, and I feel awesome knowing that I got off my butt and also spared the air and saved money on gas. I have also calculated avoiding the clusterf*ck drop-off loop at my son's school and parking far away gets me another 1/4 mile in while walking to his classroom. So now I am approaching exercise from the opposite direction, to track small walks and see how much distance I can get. Yeah, I'm a dork like that but this is pretty awesome. 

Have you tried iMapMyRun or a similar program? How do you track your workouts? 

Running Moms: 343 Challenge on dailymile

I am so excited! I can get bored fairly easy with doing the same workout routines for too long. This time, I am not mixing it up just for variety but in tribute to fallen firefighters in 9/11. One of my running momma friends had the idea to do a 343 Challenge and track our progress on dailymile. We are a group on Facebook, and live in different states all across the nation. The goal between all of us is to collectively run 1 mile for each of the firefighters who lost their lives in the tragedy that day between 9/1/11 and 9/11/11.

At first, I accepted the challenge for fun. Until I clicked on this link and actually saw all their faces, there on one page looking back at me. Some younger, some older, mostly serious, several smiling. They were fathers, brothers, husbands, boyfriends, lovers....who lost their lives doing their job that day. I realize how fortunate I am to still have my husband and family intact. I also recognize that life can be fleeting. When Chip heads off to work every day, I don't give it a second thought, treating it almost the same as when I head off to my professional, white-collar job in an air-conditioned office. But its not the same. Every day that he comes home I should consider myself lucky.

I quickly went from feeling jazzed about this running challenge to feeling proud to be a part of it. In our own little way, honoring those that gave their lives for others on that fateful day.


I am linking up in 2 places today! Check out these great places to follow new blogs!

All Play and No Work Makes...My Butt Fat

Me and my besties. As one said, "We are wearing dirt instead of makeup."

I wish I was a kid again and had summer "vacation". Instead, I work every weekday, unless I have specified time off...a holiday or a planned trip. Last week, I had 5 straight days off of work and enjoyed every bit of it. I drank beer and ate food that wasn't the healthiest (s'mores, anyone?) but it it was nice to have no restrictions or worries except for having fun and enjoying the company of my friends and family.

Me and Buddha.

Monkey had a huge smile the whole trip

 I went back to work this past Monday, but I am having a major struggle snapping back into my routine.  I didn't even set my alarm in the morning the first two days I was back to work, so work outs didn't happen.  I really think I was subconsciously rebelling against the end of my time off. Since I wasn't up early and was trying to fit in a bit of laundry in the morning before I had to leave, I didn't have time to make my lunch either except for one day. Our office moved while I was off, so I was also a little out of sorts and have had some network problems that have interfered with my productivity.  The only truly good thing I have done since I've been back is blended up green smoothies for myself 3 mornings this week. I haven't had a true "work out" in over a week! gasp!

His current potty fave is "Hand Hand Fingers Thumb"

Also, we are working on potty training the Buddha, with hit-or-miss success, so that tacks on another 15 minutes in the morning that I spend sitting with him and reading, etc. I definitely need to start getting up earlier next week!

I am all about sharing my imperfections, to balance out the times I toot my own horn for being awesome (toot toot) and rising at 5:30 a.m. to run. This morning I met up with my running buddy for a 5 miler and hope that will kick me back into gear.  I am looking ahead to a nice weekend of being home, catching up on home-related chores and important errands such as stocking up on greens and fruit at the Farmer's Market!

What do you have planned this weekend? Happy Friday!

Getting A (LOVE) Handle On It

Tight, right?

I just have to tell you that I had a fabulous picture to use for this post but it was a little too steamy, and I don't want to offend anyone. I'll just have to keep the image to myself I guess!!

If I had a dollar for all the bad food that comes through my office, I'd be rich! I think I am going to actually start a meme to recap the bad food battles I have to deal with at work. I wouldn't play the victim card, except as I'm mentioned before, I have no will power! If it's there, and it's something I like, it will be hard for me not to eat it. And lately, it's been ice cream. Lots of ice cream. That went on for about 2 weeks. Let's see, there was cookies and cream, mint chip, mint oreo cookie (Ben & Jerry's...yum), and a new Ben & Jerry's flavor called Clusterfluff, which was good. Fortunately someone saw the light and started bringing in sugar free popsicles. I'm not a fan of sugar-free stuff or fake sweeteners or fake coloring for that matter, but I had to break down. Eating these popsicles had to be better for my waistline than the ice cream.

I had to say, when I tried the Whole Foods Coconut Frozen Fruit Bars that someone brought in one day, I wasn't terribly disgusted with myself. They satisfied the sweet craving without being too sweet, and the stats weren't horrible. Of course, you have to like coconut or these aren't going to do it for you. They were actually filling, I probably would have been happy with half!

So I think my strategy is going to keep the supply going of the sugar free popsicles. While less than ideal, they are cheap and easy to bring in. And if they are always there, my co-workers will be less likely to run out and come back with something worse.

I have had a few good runs this week, once I even went alone once as my running buddy wasn't available. I was impressed I knocked out 4 miles without any interesting conversation to keep me distracted. I actually found that my own thoughts were enough to keep me company and I got a lot of mental "to-do's" wiped off my list. I definitely need to do more toning/strength work and want to start doing Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 regularly again.



I also heard Jillian has an ab DVD. I so need to do abs! Especially after Memorial Day weekend, when a lot of eating and drinking took place. I feel like my ab muscles are stretched out. Need to tighten this baby up! It's at Walmart right now for under $9. One of the few reasons to endure that place.

If my abs looked even half this good, I'd be happy

Even though our weather has absolutely sucked, and summer doesn't seem even close to being on it's way, I don't want to be blindsided when suddenly its bathing suit time and my body still looks like its stuck in crock pot and fireplace season.

Today, I have been good so far. Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean cereal sprinkled with blueberries. Out of almond milk so had to go with organic 1%. And my usual coffee and stevia.

Lunch: Burrito with whole wheat wrap, vegetarian refried beans, a handful of shredded lettuce, salsa and a sprinkle of monterey jack. Water to drink.

Dinner: I'm making a basic grilled chicken salad. I am really on a salad kick lately. I have had a salad every day since last Sunday!

Doing alright today since I worked from home and escaped the bad food. I even ran 5 miles this morning. Hope you all have a happy, healthy weekend!

Are you changing your eating habits at all with the anticipation of summer? What works best for you to curb your appetite?

I'm "Working On" Working Out, Really I Am!

Grrr. There is a little thing called INSOMNIA that can really jack your plans up.

Saturday would have been my 3rd running day in a row - and I had plans to do 5 miles with my RB on the trail by my house. For whatever reason, my kids woke up in the middle of the night. Of course Monkey settled right back down fairly quickly but Buddha and I were up for 2 hours. I had dull headache pain, but I was tired and just thought if I could fall asleep it would go away.

Not.

I never really fell back into a deep sleep and it was time to run. I sent a text to my friend to let her know we had company. The Buddha-meister had to come with us so Chip and Monkey could continue sleeping. Usually when I run if I have a slight headache it goes away. For whatever reason, as we hit the trail, any time I tried to run my head would throb. Really bad.

So we did a lot of walking, and occasionally would try running again but it just wasn't working. I actually felt a little nauseous, and on our way back my little Buddha was getting irritable and tired of being in the stroller. Walking 5 miles takes a lot longer than running and I wasn't planning on having him cooped up that long.

This was no match - I had to use my prescription!

Turns out I had a vicious migraine that ate into most of my day. Anything else I had hoped to accomplish would have to wait til later. At least I walked 5+ miles!

Endless.

Since I had so much housework to catch up on from being largely unproductive on Saturday and a good couple weeks of  having "fun" and not staying on top of things, I was all over it yesterday. I did so much laundry, and put away ALL of the clean clothes which usually doesn't happen. Chip took the boys over to his mother's house so I had hours of time all to myself which I would have loved to spend flipping through magazines or reading my book. Instead, I cleaned my hardwood floors, aired the house out, buffed out scratches from our stainless steel refrigerator, dusted my bedroom, and cleaned the downstairs bathroom. And, the aforementioned mountain of laundry that was in dire need of attention. I would have loved to vacuum my entire upstairs which was on the agenda but that refrigerator took more time than I had expected. At least when the day was done, I knew I had accomplished a lot and I felt pretty good about myself.

So the plan was for me to get back to Ripped in 30! That's right, start the week off right! Uh, errr...FAIL. I was up last night from 1-3 a.m. No explanation. No child woke me up, nothing. I finished watching a Real Housewives of Orange County I had started earlier, and then easily went back to sleep. When my alarm went off at 6, instead of hitting snooze, I turned it off, because I was SO serious about my morning with Jillian. Well, I fell back to sleep and luckily woke up in time to get Monkey up for school. There goes my rest days...luckily I have the rest of the week ahead of me. I will do Ripped in 30 or Yoga Meltdown every day this week. I will, I will, I will!

Hope your week is off to a better start than mine!  What goals have you set for yourself this week?