Monthly Archives: July 2013

Rap Free Long Run Mix

I am the first to admit I enjoy a good playlist packed full of rap! I mean you already know I’m practically 2Pac’s biggest fan. Something about the words and the beats of a rap heavy mix keep my feet pounding the pavement in a very unique way.

But other times I just want to get out and clear my head underneath the big ol’ bright blue sky and something about seeing where the wind will take me calls for a different type of soundtrack. The bulk of this playlist is what I listened to for all three of my legs when I ran The Relay. At first I was disappointed when I realized that I all my run mixes lacked rap. But I will tell you that the bulk of the reason I survived that words and vibes of some of these songs.

Obviously I had to share.

Playlist can be found on Spotify here.

Rap Free Long Run Mix


The Work Is The Same

Miserable-Strong

I’ve been marinating on this quote since I first heard it a few days ago and I can’t tell you how much it has helped me reframe some of my everyday stress. Instead of feeling like I am bogged down, it’s helping me see tough tasks as fuel for growth. Instead of wondering how I got stuck in a situation, it’s helping me see the many opportunities at my fingertips. Instead of asking “Why me?” it’s made me ask “What can I learn?”

Isn’t it so curious how sometimes a few words can do that so powerfully?


CrossFit Advice For Newbies

CrossFit Advice For Beginners

I am long overdue on answering some emails on CrossFit advice for beginners, so I thought I would finally get my act together and put my thoughts all in one post. You can find a lot of advice on the internet, but I wanted to speak from my perspective specifically.

I was SCARED TO DEATH to head into a CrossFit gym when I started in 2010. I was more than 100lbs overweight, not in the best shape of my life, and wasn’t sure it would even be right for me based on the crazy videos I had seen on You Tube. But I also knew what I had been doing wasn’t getting me to my goals and I wanted to try something new.

I really had to work up the courage to set foot in the gym, and I really regret all that time lost hemming and hawing about whether or not I should go. If I could give advice to anyone considering checking out a CrossFit gym, here is what I would say:

1. Don’t Wait Until You Get Yourself in “Better Shape”

Starting my day off on a good note. Also on a stack of truck tires. Same diff...

I wish I had a dollar for every person who has told me that they are going to wait until they are more fit to try CrossFit — I’d be blogging from a giant pile of money right now! No matter what shape you are in, you can do the workouts effectively. CrossFit is based on functional movements done at high intensity. What is high intensity for YOU may differ from high intensity for the person next to you. This doesn’t mean you should wait until you are in better shape.

Everyone is at various different phases in their fitness and the workouts are scaled according to your level of fitness. The workout isn’t meant to be easy for anyone! I waited almost 2 years to start and worked on “getting in shape” by myself that whole time and I still couldn’t run 200 meters comfortable on my first day. Two months of CrossFit later, not only could I run a 5k comfortably but I was 30 lbs lighter.

2. Remember Everyone In Your Gym Had a “Day One”

Ready!

The most intimidating part of starting CrossFit is that you will talk yourself into believing that everyone inside that gym is awesome, and the record is going to skip when you walk in. But keep in mind — everyone in there had to start at their beginning. We all had to show up and put one foot in front of the other and learn the ropes. Everyone you’ll see had to learn the foundational movements. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Everyone has workouts they are good at and workouts that just leave their ego crushed.

Remember that we are all there there to work towards becoming our best selves, and it is both a mental and a physical task. Walking in there on that first day is that first courageous step toward saying “I believe in myself and my ability to get better.” No one is going to watch you take that step and be unsupportive.

3. Just Say No to You Tube Videos

If you are looking for how to lose hip fat without exercise on YouTube, do not do that. Checking out CrossFit workouts on YouTube is like looking at a celebrity’s Instagram feed to see what they look like right when they wake up in the morning. It’s not reality, and when you are brand new I think it can be intimidating and make you feel like you aren’t good enough to do the workouts. CrossFit is universally scalable, which means a good coach will help you modify ANY exercise so that the version you do gives you a GREAT workout. Stay away from the exhibitionists grunting on You Tube when you start out and just lean on your coaches to explain any movements you’ve never heard of.

Of course, once you start, if you want to watch the silly CrossFit videos – be my guest!

4. Start By Building Skill, Then Strength

March 2012

Most gyms will make you complete an introductory course that teaches you the foundational movements of CrossFit before you can just dive in and complete a workout. If your gym doesn’t do that, personally, I’d run the other direction. This isn’t to make you feel like a goober, it’s to make sure you have a chance to be exposed to many of the skills you will use in everyday workouts. Take as much time as you need to build skill!

There are a lot of the movements you’ve probably heard of and done in the past (sit ups, pushups, running, rowing) but some things will be new and require technical skill like the olympic and power lifting as well as some of the gymnastic skills. Read an honest review of the best barbell set here. It’s important to build a foundation before you try and test the limits of your strength. You will learn a lot about how your body works, how to increase mobility, and your beginning months will be where you develop a lot of muscle memory, so make sure you are doing it correctly. It will take time, so don’t feel the need to rush it. In the long run, it will be so much better than just carelessly throwing some weight over your head or flailing to get up and over a bar.

5. Focus on Responsible Recovery

photo

Speaking of learning about your body, if you take anything from this post, let it be this: Rest and recovery are just as important to your body as showing up to work out. Early on in my training I read a random rule that I have followed pretty religiously since I started CrossFit. That rule is: if you don’t sleep 6 hours the night before, you don’t earn a workout.

You can’t increase the intensity of your workouts and not take some time to think about how you will recover from that intensity. Sleeping and good nutrition are something you will hear a ton about, and while I don’t think you need to be overwhelmed by all of it on your first day, keep it in the back of your head. If you are making all these efforts while you are at the gym, don’t throw it away by acting nutty outside of the gym.

Also, make sure you are continually working on your mobility — it’s amazing how much of a difference it makes! Your body needs TLC so don’t just beat it up in the gym, help it out! If you have a few minutes before class, take time to foam roll or stretch.

6. Track Your Progress (And Cheer On The Progress of Others)

Wod Book

The whole point of CrossFit is to help YOU make YOURSELF better, not to keep up with the person next to you. But how will you know if you are getting better? You gotta keep track! There are a lot of helpful Benchmark Workouts that you will do over time, so making sure you write down your times/weights for those. You will probably also have lots of opportunities to find One Rep Maxes for the different lifts, which can be another fun thing to track.

But I also like to look at random things like:

*500m/100m row times
*400m sprint times
*1 mile run times
*Consecutive Double Unders
*What pull up bands I use in workouts
*Moving from scaled versions of movements to prescribed versions (like pushups, etc)

Tracking your daily workouts, performance, and how you feel may seem tedious; however, over time it can really enlighten you to all of the things you have gotten better at — and that will be SUPER MOTIVATING.

You know what else is super motivating? Seeing other people, day in and day out, put in their best efforts to to reach their goals — so make sure to encourage others. And then of course, once you feel settled in your gym and you see a new person walk in for the first time, don’t forget to introduce yourself and say hi. We all remember what Day One felt like, right? But everybody has to muster up the courage to do it at one point.

*************

Ok, fellow CrossFitters — what advice would YOU give to someone considering trying CrossFit for the first time?


The Week In Workouts

The Week In Workouts

I’ve been switching up my fitness, so I thought I’d pop in on Sundays and share what my workouts have looked like each week. I’m on a mission to find a balance of things I love, that make me healthier, and that overall just feel right.

Here’s what happened last week:

Sunday

I did my first Bikram Yoga class in years and what an experience. About a decade ago it was my main form of exercise, but after doing it for years I got a little bored (I think that’s what happens when you do the same 26 poses over and over.) I wasn’t sure if I’d like it/hate it, or if the heat would kill me, but it ended up being like a nice visit from an old friend. In some ways, it was so much easier than I remembered (all those summer CrossFit workouts have prepared me for a 100+ degree room. NBD.) but in other ways I felt like I had some work to do. I left the class feeling great and also challenged, and determined to try something else new this week.

Monday

Rough day back at work after 4 days off and I didn’t have the energy to go to CrossFit so I hit up a Bikram Power Hour class. It was 60 minutes instead of the traditional 90 minutes and I remember thinking to myself at the end of class “If I give myself 1 day a week to sit in a hot room and be present and breathe — even if I suck at everything else — that will be a gift.”

And it was.

Tuesday

By today I was jonesing for CrossFit and the skill was practicing Handstand Pushups for 10 minutes. I’m in a weird place with handstand pushups because I’m just fine with holding a handstand (I can go about 3 minutes on the wall or about 15 seconds with no wall) but doing pushups with the bands elude me these days. A year ago I was doing that progression. A year ago I had shoulders I was proud of. These days, weeeeeeeeell, I’m a little softer. The goal is to get back there. It’ll happen.

The metcon was medium length (about 18 minutes)

5 rounds for time:
20 Back squats (95lbs – no rack)
10 HSPU (I scaled with my knees on a box)
5 KB swings (53lbs)

Generally I find 53 lbs a fairly heavy KB weight to swing, but today that was definitely the “recovery” portion of the workout. It felt light and easy, so that just goes to show how hard the rest of it felt! 100 squats! WHEW!

Wednesday

Back to CrossFit for sure, since the lift was finding your 1 Rep Max on Deadlifts and I LOVE deadlifts. Also, the metcon was very short! I was happy to PR at 285lbs, but I will tell you what — 300lbs, YOU ARE IN MY SIGHTS, DAMNIT!

The metcon was “Gwen” which is 21-15-9 Clean and Jerks, but you must do them at a weight where you can get through the sets without breaking them up (or else you have to start over.) WOMP WOMP. Because all reps just touch and go, you have to be smart about it. I was worried about grip strength after deadlifts (my grip strength is awful) so at first I was going to try my hand at 75lbs, but I ended up just playing it safe with 65lbs. I finished in 3:51. Short. Sweet. Intense. Rich Froning gave me a thumbs up at the end. He was proud, obviously. 🙂

I had a long ass day and worked out anyway. Glad Rich Froning thinks that's worth a  #crossfit

Thursday

Thursday was a MAJOR day at work, and I gladly took a rest day. My workout was made up of Sitting in a Lounge Chair for time. 🙂
Rest Day.

It was a nice day to do so.

Friday

Friday was a wild card. I wasn’t sure if I was going to hit up a yoga class, drop in at the spin studio by my house or go to CrossFit, but the wod didn’t look too bad (famous last words) so I couldn’t resist.

The lift was one of my favorites – Every Minute on the Minute for 12 minutes:

2 Power Snatch + 1 Overhead Squat — increasing weight every 4 minutes (I started at 65lbs, 75lbs, then 85 lbs)

The metcon was some more leg work (because clearly we hadn’t had enough yet this week, ha!) Three rounds for time:

20 walking lunges w/ 25 lb bumper plate overhead
200m run carrying the 25lb bumper plate
15 Goblet squats with plate
10 “See-the-Light” situps with plate

I run like a sloth holding on to a 25lb bumper plate. 🙂 This workout took me about 14 minutes and it was rough. But I enjoyed it. It was a nice way to start off a Friday night.

Saturday

I had intended to hit up yoga or stop by the barbell class at the gym and work on my clean and jerks, but I actually slept like the dead on Friday night (Long LONG week at work, let me tell you) and so I didn’t wake up in time. Embarrassing but true! So instead I ran a ton of errands and then took Buster for a walk as it cooled down Saturday night. We had a late dinner on Saturday night and we ate out on the patio, as usual for the weekend, but this weekend was a little different because our neighbors were getting married so our meal had a side of DJ and dancing. It was the most fun! all in all I’d say this was a rest day. And a good one at that!
Our neighbors are having a backyard wedding tonight so our dinner has a DJ! #ilovesummer

*The chicken we ate was a riff on this recipe. YUM!

*******

I’ve got some Sunday yoga in store, but I’ll tell you about that next week! Any good workouts for you this week? Set any PRs? Try anything new? Do tell….


Fun Things To Read On A Friday

20130712-062740.jpg

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. This picture makes me laugh. I sent it to Garrett via text this week and he replied, “Is Buster campaigning for something I don’t know about?” Ha! That dog is a cutie. I took this picture sitting on our new patio lounge chairs. I recently went to Target to pick up one thing, and of course I left with patio furniture. I mean, what. the hell? But the awesome thing is they were very affordable and it has already meant tons of time spent outside. I’ve been coming home from work everyday and just pouring myself a giant glass of ice water and heading outside with my book and the dog. It’s been a crazy week around here work-wise, so I’m looking forward to coasting into the weekend and just recharging. What are you up to?

*****

*This week Eat Boutique published an awesome looking list of Summer Cookbook Inspiration

*I thought this was a really smart strategy for keeping to a budget while still getting everything you want. Who doesn’t want that?

*I couldn’t resist and bought one of these t shirts this week.

*It’s canning season, which always reminds me of my grandma and the summer she taught me to make jam. I was really excited to run across this list of No Sugar Jams and Jellies as an alternative to the sugary (though delicious) recipes I remember

*You know I’m a sucker for a good memoir. Check out the few on Tammy’s nightstand.

*How delicious and summer-y does this Basil Lime Marinade sound?

*I know I have been a little bit on the crazy sardine bandwagon lately, but seriously: READ THIS. Great photos, info and ideas!

*****

Short and sweet this week because I spent very little time online. Boo! Must change that this weekend. 🙂 ha Have a good one, folks!


Opening Up

When I started CrossFit 3 years ago I did it mostly because I was bored. Bored, you ask? Yep. Bored with my fitness routine. Bored at my job. Bored (ok and maybe a little fed up) with being out of shape and overweight despite all the work that I put into changing that. I was in a rut, and I was open to try something different.

Almost immediately just the act of getting into that gym inspired me. For a long time it also scared me, but in a good way, you know? The intensity of the work outs lit a fire in my life that burned WAAAAAY more than my quads after a Body Pump class at Ye Olde 24 Hour Fitness and seeing the changes (big and small) in my body as well as my mind kept me motivated.

As my skills grew sharper, my commitment grew more intense. The best part of this whole thing was that my happiness and accomplishments inside the gym started to run over into my outside life. It was as if the Universe opened up the flood gates of success! I was trying new things that I never had the confidence to try before: I ran my first half marathon, I participated in a spur of the moment 10 miler, I spent a weekend running 20 miles while living out of a van with 7 other people. These were things that I never would have written in the Things I Am Capable Of column prior to Crossfit. And here they were written in indelible ink. Accomplishments that no one could take away from me.

Also notable: somewhere amidst all of that I shed 100 lbs. I say that as an afterthought because honestly, sometimes it felt like it was. I had spent 30 years WORKING HARD (and I mean reeeeeeeeeeally working) at losing weight. And now all of a sudden I tweaked my diet just a bit and showed up at this gym to hang out with cool people who were a great time and did workouts that were fun, where people would cheer me on and encourage me — and with seemingly little effort (aside from showing up and trying hard of course) those hundred pounds dropped off me like a bad habit in the first year and a half.

A year ago when my weight loss hit a bit of a stand still, I was concerned. But I certainly wasn’t obsessed because there were weights to life and races to run and experiences to be had and friends to hang out with and dogs to adopt and let’s be honest: life is about a million other things besides what your scale says — FULL STOP. I believe wholeheartedly in the idea that this website is built on: health is where good food and a good life intersect. And I knew if I pursued a good life, the health results would come. I continued to do what I had been doing, live my life, and of course pursue other avenues of achievement because, well…that’s who I am. I make no apologies that I am a person who sets goals and makes lists and charts paths and checks in and measures progress. I like to tinker with actions/results. While it is sometimes a frustrating process, I am open to change.

In November of last year, while all of that was going on, I had a professional opportunity fall into my lap. It was not something that was part of my long term plan, honestly, and at first I was a little gun shy about it. (I thought about the psychology of that reaction this weekend while reading Lean In, by the way and WOW could that be a whole post in itself.) It took a lot of thinking for me to take the plunge with this job and there were MANY speed bumps. It took quite a few conversations, personal and professional and in the end it took one part convincing and another part stars aligning and as you all know, in February I was in the new role. It was another bullet point that I would not have necessarily written on that list of Things I Am Capable Of but one I was open to. Let’s see where this goes, eh?

I was quickly reminded that growth always has a cost associated with it, right? We see this in our everyday training. The only way to gain muscle is to breakdown the tissue you already have and let it repair itself into something better and stronger, and obviously more capable. This experience was no different. All of the November to February hand-wringing and hemming and hawing and ultimately diving in wholeheartedly felt just like that muscle breakdown and repair cycle. It felt like I was sprinted my heart out and when I got to the finish line, I did so gasping for breath.

When I reached that finish line, I realized that this sprint had only led me to a the starting line of a marathon and that marathon has been something I have been telling the story of for the last six months. Just like an actual race, it has been very, very rewarding at times. The challenge has been mostly enlightening, and of course the monetary benefits are actively helping Garrett and I move towards some of the bigger picture line items on our Life To Do List (You know, Weddings, Babies, Homes, Cars — all of that stuff that AIN’T FREE. :)) But in almost equal measure, it has introduced plenty of moments where I have had to talk myself through doubt just to take one more step. And then another. I have wondered how many more steps so many times. Finding my rhythm has been a constant, and at times downright difficult, task. It has taken its mental toll.

What I didn’t really anticipate — though it seems so obvious to me now in hindsight — is that it has also taken a physical toll. The intensity of my Real Life has amped up a whole helluva lot and especially between the hours of 9 and 5. When I get to my 6pm workouts these days, my mind and body have so much less to give than they did just a couple short years ago. The past 6 months for me have felt like a cascade of poor sleep (I’m back to wearing my super sexy night guard to keep me from grinding my teeth. HAWT!), weight gain (in particular, an increase in body fat all around my mid secion. HAWT!), muscle tension, and less than ideal digestion. (Please, never EVER eat dried cherries after eating brussels sprouts. That is a gift from me to you.) For some time I have been a walking, talking poster child for stress, sugar cravings, and hormonal imbalance.

I have been as proactive as possible about prioritizing sleep when I can, eating fairly cleanly, trying hard but failing miserably at my burgeoning meditation practice, and supporting myself physically with some very specific supplementation. But for the longest time I have completely avoided examining my exercise routine. I’m sure you read the same things that I read and listen to the same podcasts — whether I love doing it or not, it is a fact that high intensity exercise (just like most exercise, actually) causes a cortisol response. And all of that is generally fine until YOUR LIFE starts causing a cortisol response. And I have buried my head to that over the last few months.

But I think it’s an important thing to explore, and more importantly I think it is worth discussing in the context of a blog like this. You have been with me through a lot of my successes over the past few years, and I want to be just as open with you about my opportunities. I have begun the process of actively reevaluating where I need to go with MY fitness. I’m thinking about what my goals are in my life long term (uh…don’t die, lose some body fat, protect fertility, etc) but also what my goals are right now (calm the fuck down and stop being a cortisol factory.) And somewhere between those two things I’m trying to find a fitness routine that will help me strike that balance. I never EVER want to give up CrossFit — sorry, I’m not sorry — it is my first love. But I think my goal of showing up no matter what the workout is and going 100% effort may need some adjusting.

I came across this old Chris Kresser article the other day called Why You May Need To Exercise Less and it really helped me put things into perspective. Maybe I can figure out something specific for ME, at THIS time in MY life. I am still going to keep my CrossFit workouts around at least three times per week (though I plan to be judicious with my metcons) but I am also going incorporate some yoga, some long walks, and a little bit more “Working In” into my Work Out Schedule. I am a little nervous about the change, and to be honest I have no idea where this path is going to take me. But I am hoping as long as I am open, I’ll find my way.


Weekend Recharge!

photo

Excuse me for being crass but it needs to be said: My refrigerator is giving me a boner. Can somebody tell me why every weekend isn’t a 4 day weekend, because in my mind a 4 day weekend is BLISS!

I basically prepped all breakfasts and lunches for the week as well all of the main proteins for dinner Monday thru Friday. WINNING IN THE KITCHEN! And I did it little by little, so it hardly felt like I was in the kitchen. Here’s what’s on the menu:

photo

It’s not life changing, but it’s prepped, cooked and packaged and READY TO EAT, which: yesssssssssssssss!

Aside from tinkering in the kitchen, I also got to do some hanging out with my mom on Friday. I had a bunch of mundane errands to run and she joined me, which made them 900 times more fun! I’m so grateful that she lives so close to me and we can just hang out on a random Friday and A to Z all the aisles at TJ Maxx and Costco. My mom is a great shopping enabler! 🙂

I got home on Friday night in time to workout and let me tell you, it was a heinous workout in the heat. Friday was the first “cool” day in over a week but it was still 97 degrees outside when we worked out and the UN-air conditioned gym felt about exactly as you would imagine.
photo
Upside, after 6 weeks of programming I increased my Push Press 1RM by 10 lbs and I got to hit a tire with a sledge hammer — which just isn’t your average Friday night workout. We came home and had a really relaxing evening and then the REAL weekend started.

I really didn’t have any plans at all for the weekend and I wanted to use the time to just recharge. Obviously that meant sleeping in on Saturday morning and lounging for as long as possible with a cup of coffee and a good book. And then because it was so cool outside, I dared to turn my oven on for the first time in over a week.

It's cool enough to roast vegetables again. Day: MADE!

While I roasted a bunch of vegetables, I ended up plowing through Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In and I found it super engaging and full of a surprising amount of personal detail about her experiences not only at Facebook, but in her personal life as well. I appreciated her perspectives on balancing responsibilities with your spouse and just her overall candor. It was a perfect read for me at this time in my life.

Saturday afternoon I decided I needed to get a little Vitamin D action so I took Buster out for a walk. We made some new dog friends and walked about 3 miles and when we got home the doggie was POOPED! So we both took a nap 🙂
photo
Honestly, I’m so glad my dog is a cuddler! Garrett watched some Formula One while we snoozed and when I woke up it was time to grill up some Raspberry Chipotle Pork Chops and some Zucchini that Sarah had kicked down since she felt sorry for me being completely garden-less and all. We are a little obsessed with this sparkling white wine lately so we may have polished off a bottle of that as well.

Sunday was another sleep in/food prep/lounge kind of day and this is what Buster looked like for most of it:
photo
I think that walk really tired him out or something because he was napping like it was his job! I read a bunch of magazines and then I ventured out to do hot yoga for the first time in a few years. I used to do it very regularly and loved it, and I’m trying to find a little more zen in my life ya know, so what the hell? It was fun (and sweaty) and relaxing and I will definitely be adding that into the rotation.

It was a nice way to wind down the weekend, and when I got home we decided to have appetizers for dinner, which is basically the best kind of dinner. One of the things I cracked open with our appetizer tray was a can of Mediterranean Style Sardines. They are sourced from Scotland but are tossed in olive oil with red pepper, basil, oregano and black olives and you guys, THEY WERE SO DELICIOUS! I can’t even believe I’m saying that because I’ve always thought of sardines as so super gag-worthy, but they are really tasty. If you’ve been trying to figure out a way to squeeze some into your rotation because of all of their health benefits but can’t figure out how — pop them on a cucumber. DELISH!

After four days off, I am actually 100% ready to start the week. Completely Unrelated: I am also 100% ready for Breaking Pointe to come back on to the CW on July 22. I just saw the commercial for it while writing this post and I am kind of ridiculously excited about it!


Fun Things To Read On A Friday

Oh yes I did.
Oh yes. Yes I did. How could I not with a little white dog?

You guys, it will only be 93 degrees today in my town. HALLE-FREAKING-LUJAH! I can feel normalcy returning finally, and man it feels good. Did you have a fun Fourth of July? I ate a lot of delicious ribs, hung with friends, ate an amazing gluten free vanilla cupcake from Whole Foods and watched some bad reality tv while trying to keep Buster from going ape shit. Fireworks did not make this little dog happy, but we got through it with lots of cuddling. Last night I slept the sleep of the dead with the windows open and a cool breeze blowing and WOW I feel like a new person today. A new person ready for a weekend, of course, but new nonetheless!

Let’s get to the links already, eh?

******

*How delicious does this summer cocktail look? And so refreshing!

*I think it would go perfect with this burger, which I am DEFINITELY grilling up this weekend now that the weather isn’t ridiculous.

*Moderation is a Sham was the best thing I read all week. I think Allison’s perspective is spot on.

*Sizzle wrote a GREAT post this week on Being vs. Fixing that made me want to give her a giant high five.

*Such a powerful thing to keep in mind: How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything.

*Really interested in checking out this documentary.

*Rethink the way you live was thought provoking. Where should good design and a realistic lifestyle actually intersect?

*Great thoughts on Why You Should Let Yourself Succeed and Go Get the Life You Want. I mean seriously, GO GET IT ALREADY!

*Want a quick easy read that will jumpstart your prodcutivity? Amy Lynn Andrews’ $2.99 Kindle book Tell Your Time is a short, sweet guidebook worth reading.

*This week’s 10 Pieces of Inspiration from The Simple Dollar was a good one. Go read it!

*While I am obviously loving the hell out of zucchini right now, I still think you can’t have too much cauliflower inspiration. (Check out this recipe too! Must come up with a paleo version STAT.)

*****

Have a nice weekend you all! See ya next week!


Wednesday Bullets

*Well it’s the day before a long holiday weekend, so I’m sure everyone is super busy at work, right? RIGHT 🙂 In that case, let’s talk in bullets my friends.

*I am looking at four days off in a row and I can’t even tell you how excited that makes me. I’m going to do some BBQing, see some friends, workout, relax, and work on a few blog projects that I will finally have some time to do. I really can’t wait! What are you up to? What are you cooking? What are your plans? DO TELL!

photo

*The last 5 days have been pretty extreme around here with respect to weather. My poor air conditioner is on overdrive and by the time I get home each day my energy is completely zapped! Thank god for AM workouts or I would be doing nothing right now but sitting on my Victorian fainting couch fanning myself and sighing. Monday I was too tired to eat dinner (plus food sounds gross when it’s so hot out) and then last night it cooled off a tiny bit so I was productive for about 90 minutes, ate a salad, and then I went to bed at 8! CRAZY. I’m so ready for this “cold front” to come in and for it to only be in the mid 90s. haha

*Dude, even Buster is exhausted from the heat.
This heat is getting in the way if someone's beauty sleep.

*On Monday I went to Target because I ran out of shower gel and came home with patio furniture. Target has some SPOOKY VOODOO going on.

*Oh, hey, how about something random? So Eddie, the resident video-master at our gym, put together and awesome video of the ARCFit Partner Competition that Garrett and I competed in the other weekend and the Anniversary Party afterward. Such a good time! And has a good eye and the video turned out great if you want to check it out. Love my gym!

ARCFit 5th Anniversary from American River CrossFit on Vimeo.

*That’s about all folks. Seriously, it’s been all about staying cool and making it to the weekend for me. Why don’t YOU tell ME a good story! Ready, Go!


Review and Giveaway — Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer

vaseline-spray-moisturizer_a

This is a sponsored review for Vaseline® Spray & Go Moisturizer and BlogHer. While I was compensated for my review and provided with free product, all opinions are my own.


True Story: My mom & dad used to call me the ‘queen of lotions & potions’. For my entire teenaged life I had no less than 20 different scented lotions and body sprays sitting on the top of my dresser to mix and match as I saw fit. Every birthday or holiday that was what I asked for.  I wanted it. Of course, when you aren’t responsible for paying any bills, spending all of the money you own on ‘mall lotion’ seems like a good idea. Also, when you have nothing but time on your hands to do homework, gossip about boys, and hang with your friends, your moisturizing routine seems like a reasonable priority. But these days things are a little different. I still love things that smell delicious, and I will never NOT be a moisturizing junkie. Whether it be on my face or on my body, there is nothing that skeeves me out more than itchy dry skin, so I will always stay on top of it. But I have to be honest, during the summers in Sacramento when it’s over 100 degrees outside and I have to shower and blow dry my hair in the morning, I don’t always feel like making the time to moisturize and then stand around and wait for the lotion to dry, you know? Obviously when BlogHer asked if I wanted to try new Vaseline® Spray & Go Moisturizer (specifically the Total Moisture® variant)– a continuous spray lotion that moisturizes (and absorbs) in seconds– I was interested just out of pure curiosity. While I don’t have quite the lotion collection that I used to have, old habits die hard, and I am always interested in trying out the newest products on the drug store shelves. Going into it, I thought it would feel a little bit like using spray sunscreen so I was doubtful it was going to be super moisturizing. I was also afraid it would be sticky (spray sunscreen PTSD, again) so I wasn’t expecting to be impressed. But after using it for a few weeks now, I have found myself grabbing for it over any other lotion I own. It absorbs quickly! And more importantly, it doesn’t go on super thick, but it still hydrates your skin appropriately. And while it feels NOTHING like sunscreen, the scent is super light and smells just like summer should smell. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a fun new shake-up to your moisturizing routine. Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer is the perfect hybrid for summer, and it genuinely has saved me time in the mornings. Head over to their Facebook page to learn more about their Spray & Go products!


******* Think Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer could help maximize your morning? Leave a comment on this post with your answer and each comment will automatically be entered for a chance to win a $1,000 SpaFinder gift card 🙂 Entries will be pooled from participating blogs and one winner chosen. 


 

Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner  will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

 

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 7/1/13 – 7/31/13.

Be sure to visit the Vaseline® Spray & Go page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...