Running with a jogging stroller is pretty much like running with a nice,mobile storage container. Need to bring along some water? No problem! I’ve got a cup holder right here. No where to put my keys? I have a handy dandy hidden compartment right next to the cup holder. Jacket getting too warm? I just toss it in with my son’s diaper bag in the basket under his seat. Whatever bad things I have to say about running with a stroller, the fact that I can take a lot of stuff along would make up for it (eh, maybe not ) .
So when I was finally able to get in some runs without the darn thing, I was left holding a lot of stuff. I hate running with anything in my hands. It’s hard enough running period, but to have my hands tightly clenched around my car keys is annoying.
I was so happy to find this:
This nifty little invention velcros onto the shoe laces and can hold a credit card, a few keys, or a bit of cash. I usually have to drive to the places I run (crazy, huh?) , so I always need somewhere to hold my keys. I generally put my car clicker in the shoe wallet and just leave my keys in my car.
I’ve had this one for about a year. It stays on very well. I think it cost me about 5 bucks on eBay.
My DS and I have been riding the peanut butter train for awhile now. We usually eat Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter (creamy version…sometimes organic, sometimes not).
Before I move on to the almond butter, I’d like to point out the differences between regular peanut butter and “natural” peanut butter. I grew up on brands like Jiffy, with the pasty butter that was usually very smooth. So when I tried this natural butter, I found that the oil rises to the top and has to be remixed on occasion. The reason that Jiffy and Peter Pan peanut butters don’t have to be mixed is because the companies add emulsifiers such as partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to keep the peanut oils from separating. This process is said to add trans fat to the peanut butter (though supposedly not a lot). They also add sugar (Source: The Peanut Butter Diet By Holly McCord).
Naturally made peanut butter is also a bit grainier than regular peanut butter (not too noticeable). To me, it just taste better. I couldn’t go back to the old butter if I tried.
So, fast forward to me in the health food store and they have freshly ground almond butter for sale. How could I pass it up? It also has a bit of oil separation, though not as much as the peanut butter (in my experience). Though almond butter is higher in calories than other nut butters, it also is rich in protein, fiber, magnesium, and essential fatty acids.
Almond Butter
How’s the taste? Not as sweet as peanut butter, but tastes richer to me. I typically drizzle a little honey over the top and, occasionally, some mashed banana.
Try an almond butter and honey sandwich or spread a little over your whole wheat pancakes! My little man and I enjoy both!
Uggg! I just not get the hang of this stuff. Meaning, it is not appealing to me.
I am eating the Oikas brand. I have tried both the honey and chocolate on the bottom and I am making a face of “bleck!” the whole time I eat it. I am going to choke the rest of it down, however, as I’ve paid (and paid dearly) for it.
What is Greek Yogurt?
Greek yogurt is make from sheep’s milk, rather than from cow’s milk.
The principle difference in creating Greek yogurt is that after the milk is heated and cultured, it is allowed to sit in muslin or cheesecloth bags, so that the whey filters out of the yogurt. You’ll note that some yogurts have an almost runny texture, or have liquid on the top when you open them. Greek yogurts don’t have this liquid because of the straining process.
How does it compare to regular yogurt?
It’s thicker and richer
Contains lower sugar
Contains high protein, making you feel fuller
Can be substituted in baking because of its texture
Easier to digest due to less lactose
I’m going to try it with some different combinations. I noticed that some people add spices and garlic instead of sweeter choices.
One big reason I like it is that it comes with two sturdy step benches (one is 8 inches and the other is 6 inches). As I’ve said before, I love step aerobics so I’m able to use this for more than just the DVDs that come with it. Not only is it great for aerobics, but I can also use the steps for strength training, depending on how they’re stacked. The steps are plastic, well built, with rubber grips on the bottom to prevent slipping.
Transfirmer Benches
They can be stacked three ways. There are grooves on the blue step that secure the green step during the inclines position.
Other equipment you’ll need are three sets of weights (if you’re new to working out you can probably omit these) and possibly a yoga mat for situps/crunches. You’ll also need to have a decent size area to workout in. I personally have to move my coffee table to do mine.
Rubber stoppers on the bottom for added safety
Grooves on top of blue bench ensure the green bench fits securely when in an incline position
Anyway, on to the DVDs. There are three of them and they are 35 minutes, 45 minutes, and 55 minutes long.There are “quick” workouts at the end of each DVD, like an abs or stretching workout. I rarely use these, but I can see someone finding it useful if they only have 10-15 minutes to workout.
The DVD I’ve probably gotten the most use out of was the Supercharged Sculpting. Aside from the warm up, it’s just weight lifting and other strength exercises. I used it a lot during my triathlon training when I was getting in plenty of cardio, but needed some non-cardio activity.
Still from the video, benches at incline
Close up of benches in incline position. I know it looks scary, but when they are fitted properly, they don't move.
Another still shot
There is a lot of great lower body and core work. They have you stack the steps directly on top of each other and then do repeated steps up with weights in your hands! This is killer to me! My butt and hamstrings are killing me after doing that.
Ok, here are my complaints. During the workout, they ask you to move and readjust the steps often. This is fine. They are not that heavy and it’s fun to switch it up. However, give me enough time to move it, for crying out loud! Sometimes I have to run and pause the DVD long enough for me to move the things and make sure they’re stable.
I didn’t really care for the Ultimate Calorie Blaster. That ish was hard to follow and would frustrate me to no end. I can follow it okay now, but I still don’t really care for it.
If you are new to step, these workouts may take sometime to get used to. However, they always have that one person who modifies the moves for less experienced peeps. They use step terminology, so that may take some time to get use to. It also can kind of be face paced, just FYI. Don’t be frustrated if you don’t get into the groove right away.
This is the killer move I was talking about!
Overall, I like it! It’s one of my favorite workouts!
Flopping around in the water at the Y last year had me convinced that I was insane for even having thought I could do a triathlon. I remember getting to July (the tri was in October) and realizing that I couldn’t even do a lap in the pool without stopping.
Something had to happen. I got online and read the woes of other potential triathletes terrified of the water. A lot of them recommended Total Immersion by Terry Laughlin.
I’m all about self help books and goodness knows I needed it.
So I started reading it and it starts out talking about how great swimming is, makes you a badass, the author’s experiences, blah blah blah. All that’s great but I feel like there’s a little too much of that.
The man loves swimming, I get it
Pretty much, I feel that the book could’ve been summarized in a lot fewer pages than it was. The techniques are great, however, so I still praise the book. Before reading this and applying the principles, swimming was exhausting! After, swimming laps takes less strokes and exertion. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still challenging, but I don’t feel like I’m fighting the water as much.
The book has drill recommendations to practice as well as a few pictures. However, the pictures aren’t that helpful (ie detailed) for me, but luckily the descriptions are pretty accurate. (There’s a DVD available which I’ll try to review at a later date). I actually only did maybe one or two of the drills.
Something that this book did not help me with is breathing. I really feel that the method in which you take breaths is a personal decision because I do mine totally different than most people I’ve talked to. Anyway, that’s just me.
You also won’t find instructions on a lot of different strokes. It mostly focuses on freestyle. I believe there are other books (by the same author) that focus on other strokes.
I also don’t follow all of the principles completely but I wouldn’t be where I am now without this book.The author also has a book for openwater swimming which I have in my possession but have yet to read. See a video about it below:
Here’s the website if anyone’s interested. I will keep ya’ll updated on the open water book.
So far, I’ve only tried it in my coffee and oatmeal. I love it! It doesn’t have that tang that honey does, but my coffee is sweetened and I use less of it than I do of honey. I’m interested to try this out in some recipes now.
It’s incredibly supportive, probably one of the best I’ve had. I enjoy the look of this one as well. It’s just looks pretty and feminine to me. I can run in this with little to no bounce.
Bad points: It will give you the dreaded uniboob. It has adjustable straps, but they are secured by velcro. I have two of these bras and one of them is very annoying because the velcro keeps popping off as I’m trying to put the bra on (it’s a bit older and has been washed a lot). The band (bottom) also has a tendency to dig into my side sometimes. I’ve also found that it doesn’t dry very fast when soaked in sweat.
Despite all of this, it’s still a fav simply because of the support. These run around 40 bucks in price. I got both of mine on sale and/or eBay.
I was in the organic isle of the Kroger when I saw these on clearance. It was only 1 buck, I figured I could spare it. I am so glad I did! I bought 3 of these and they will definitely be a favorite. I can’t say I’ll buy them all the time, as the regular price is about 4 bucks. It’s enough for one meal, no more than that.
I usually make my own chili but for a quick fix, I highly recommend it. Here are the ingredients:
Water, red kidney beans, tomato paste, textured soy protein concentrate, red peppers, onion, jalapeno peppers, less than 2% of: salt, spices, distilled vinegar, dehydrated onions, evaporated cane juice, wheat gluten, barely malt extract, wheat starch, caramel color, corn starch, garlic powder, onion powder.
Contains: soy, wheat.
It’s a bit spicy and tastes better than a lot of chili I’ve tasted. At 260 calories, 19 grams of protein, and 0.5 grams of fat, one can’t argue the benefits. Also, and this is the part that has my colon singing, it has 12 grams of fiber!
Here’s the company’s website. I’m headed back to the store later today to see what else from this line I can try.
I have two of these bras. They are not quite as much support as the Enell, but they are pretty darn good. The cups actually give you a bit of a shape and not a “uniboob”. It has an underwire which is a big help usually, but I one of mine came out (and if you don’t know, that can be terribly painful). The underwire is barely noticeable otherwise however.
I also just like to wear these to work. The front comes up high and kind of looks like an undershirt. So you can leave a shirt unbuttoned at the top and no one knows it’s a bra. If you have trouble with too much cleavage showing when wearing a sports bra, this bra may help.
I would recommend buying this bra in person and trying it on first. In my experience, they fit a little bit bigger than my regular size. But once I found the one that fit better, everything was great.
I have to say that this is not my first choice bra for running long distances (there is still a bit of bounce). But this bra kicks butt for other exercises that are not quite as high impact. Also, the shoulder straps are not adjustable, so that’s something else to keep in mind.
If you’ve ever been swimming and you’re heavy on top, then you know the pain of the typical swimsuit’s lack of bra support. While training for my triathlon, I could not find a swimsuit that gave me the type of support I was looking for. I always ended up wearing my sports bra under it. That’s a fine solution, but it makes me feel bulky and I also worried about ruining my bras.
I saw these being raved about somewhere and it entered my little mind to try them out. They are pricy though. The prices range from 60-130 bucks! However, lucky me, there are a lot on eBay. I found one in my size for 40 dollars.
This is the suit I have and LUVS it!
Let me tell you, I LOVE it. It is the only swimsuit that I have ever seen that gives me boob support AND makes them look good! It also gives me a nice coke bottle shape with gathering at the waist. Um, not that I’m trying to look cute at the pool, but *shrug*. It’s nice to just put on one item of clothing and then hop in the pool.
Even if you’re not a swimmer, these are nice for vacation. They also have a lot of different styles, some that include covering for the tops of the thighs.
Yes, they have strapless suits too. I haven't tried them, but they are supposed to be supportive as well.
So you might be asking if these are supportive enough to run in? Not for me. I used them for training. But it would’ve been nice to have just worn the suit and then slipped on some shorts for the triathlon.
Oh well, maybe Miraclesuits will come out with a trisuit! They actually are supposed to be coming out with a new jean. Dare I hope they make some that make me look like I have an awesome butt?!
Hey there and thanks for reading! I'm a 28 year old wife and mom whose main goal is to get and stay healthy! Join me on my quest to reach my weight and fitness goals with a few races along the way!
You can race, run, and swim...and you don't have to be a size 2 to do it!
) .
Before I move on to the almond butter, I’d like to point out the differences between regular peanut butter and “natural” peanut butter. I grew up on brands like Jiffy, with the pasty butter that was usually very smooth. So when I tried this natural butter, I found that the oil rises to the top and has to be remixed on occasion. The reason that Jiffy and Peter Pan peanut butters don’t have to be mixed is because the companies add emulsifiers such as partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to keep the peanut oils from separating. This process is said to add trans fat to the peanut butter (though supposedly not a lot). They also add sugar (Source: The Peanut Butter Diet By Holly McCord).
