Tag: weight management

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14 years, 7 Miles, 0 Leftovers

runswithhips

Hello Hip Huggers! How’s your weekend been?

I had a pretty cool weekend, myself!

Saturday, my hubby and I celebrated 14 years of holy matrimony.

I married a great guy! I’m a good picker  apparently not of weeds though.

We went to Campisi’s for pizza (eh, I’ve had better) then to
Half Price Books (the Uptown flagship, my favorite spot) for books & coffee.
Lastly, stopped at BJ’s Brewery for carbs drinks. The night felt so live!
Maybe it was the awesome Super Moon, if you believe in cosmic stuff like me that 🙂


Long Islands may not have been the best idea in hindsight,
considering I had a run planned in the morning with
a friend/fellow runner also training for her first half…
Meet Nikki, Hip Huggers! My new weekend running buddy!


Sunday: We planned 8 miles, but spent so much time taking pictures talking
before heading out that we lost valuble time before things really began heating up.
We warmed up walking for about a mile and started good.
Then, the alcohol 91° heat got the best of me.
I couldn’t pick up speed thru the entire thing. I ran out of water at mile 4 and I was dead DONE after that.
We conceeded at 7 miles; we were just running too slow/walking too much to get back home
in 1:30 as planned to get our families ready go to church.
Walked the last 1/2 mile to cooldown. But still, it was such a great run!
I’m so happy to have an experienced runner to help with my long runs on the weekends.
Training is already looking up! We’re beating the heat next week.. 6 miles @ sub 11 pace 🙂


Swerving on..
My hubby is on vacation this week! So, it’s kinda nice having another
motivated running buddy for these super sleepy Monday mornings.
Monday: Quick 5k & Sirsasana before heading out to run some important errands…


Read: restocking on post run popcorn recovery 🙂


Tuesday: Another hot, slow run. But I was easy on myself.
Mid July runs after 7 am are gonna be slooow, fool Pam!
Must make 6:30 start time a priority!!


5 miles done!
I set out for just 3, but I think all the running I’ve tackled
over the last few days is catching up with me.
My legs were heavy and I felt like I crawled the entire run.
On a high note, I’m at 54 of 85 miles for July up there!
and speaking of long, its been a minute since
I had a good, long, heart opening yoga session at home.


Mind, Body, Heart Opened? Check.
***
Now, to catch up on Sunday’s The Leftovers, with popcorn because
we ate out last night and we have 0 leftovers.


I’m so Hooked, Hip Huggers! See Ya!!

Question: Hot Days? Treadmill Work or Slow Road Run?

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Week Long Runs & Run Downs

runswithhips

Happy Friday, Hip Huggers!

A few pretty cool things happened this week!

Let’s start with Monday

a 5 miler and some yoga pose challenges right…

Well, as I was coming to blog about this massive dead turtle seen on my run,

my hubby came home with a gift bearing a familiar sentiment…

I got an iPad! A blog reader’s dream! I didn’t even beg ask!

Just Love Him 🙂

So, I’m distracted scrolling through Instagram when I noticed I had a message in my inbox.

It was a fellow fit IG’er, Heartbeat4Many, asking if I’d help host

a yoga challenge but not really a challenge #ShadesofHealth on Instagram.

Then she made a collage of all the yogis participating. I was blown away..

…blown away because I cannot believe someone felt I belonged in this crowd of exceptional yoginis.

I’m so humbled and filled with gratitude. I don’t. deserve. this. attention.

***

Tuesday…

has rolled around. I wanted to get a quick yoga session in before my run.

Another IG’er I follow posted a video of her first successful handstand.

Our fears were very similar, so that gave me a sense of strength in that I could do it, too…

Very proud of that!

But with all the energy given to the excitement of it all,

 I needed a jolt of energy to handle this short run…

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The beautiful sky honestly was almost enough.

***

Wednesday…

was a pleasant surprise! My neighbor wanted to run along!

I had 3 miles already planned! Perfect distance  for our friendship so it was just all meant to be…

***

Thursday…

was a much needed rest day from running.

I had been nonstop since the Week before! I needed to break before I broke myself.

But I did get in some yoga…

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**Friday**

Today, my long run was planned. 8 miles was on the menu…

Guess I wanted dessert! Pink Toes!

Today is also my twin son’s birthday and we’re taking them to see Transformers tonight.

So, I’m stealing a few moments with Runner’s World and

a green smoothie bliss and chatting it up with y’all!

Lastly, I got a few questions last week,  so I dabbled in vlogging it all!

Check it out!

Question? What are your questions??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Strep and Long Steps

runswithhips

Hello Hip Huggers!

I spent a lot of time late last night  fixing my  weird Wordpress issue blog. Booooo.

I’m totally spent. I’ve already had to repost a picture on Instagram

because I don’t know the difference between Day 10 and Day 19.

nap

Fa’ Sho.

My husband is off today, so that meant I got pretty late start considering my sleep was completely

uninterrupted until about 8 am. I had my typical morning of devotional and breakfast

and scrambled eggs to get out for a run before 9 am and it got UBER hot.

 Still, apparently not early enough because after just a brief warm-up I was already dumping my rationed water on my head.

Which I paid for later. But anyway.

I had only planned to run 2 miles, yes exactly 2. Was going to take it real easy;

maybe a longer yoga session, or lift session if the hubby was up to it later.

I certainly did not plan on doing any heavy cardio, especially anything over an hour.

But, I got going and felt good! My hamstrings were a bit sore from yesterday’s yoga session so,

I just told myself we were going to run until they loosened up, just a bit.

Before I knew it, I had made up in my mind it was going to be a long run …

Workout: 8 Miles!

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I had decided about mile 3 that I was going for 6… then 7.. you know how that goes.

I didn’t even care how slow it was, I just couldn’t shake the urge to run it!

Glad I did. I hadn’t run that long since the Hot Chocolate 15k back in February, and I got

a reality check on the speed I’ve lost.

photo 5
I’ve got work to do, Hip Huggers.

I wanted to jump off my roof right into yoga after my run, my daughter had been complaining about a sore throat

all morning. I gave her some Tylenol, but still felt I should check her in to see her Dr.

Thank God I did! She has strep throat, poor baby! So, while we waited for her Rx to be filled, I figured

I’d reward us for our her inflamed sufferings this Thursday morning..

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Doesn’t get much sweeter than this! Now back to fitness …

Yoga Pose of the Day:

Puvvottanasana, or Upward Facing Bow.

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My hips were about as heavy as an actual bridge. But we got ‘em up into a plank! For that, I’m very happy.

And glad that was the extent of the challenges for today.

My shoulder is not pleased. One of the yogi’s I follow, @gypsetgoddess who recently over exerted herself,

gave a very encouraging word in her post today. She said:

“Always practice safety first”.

“Respect your body and limitations.” 

“Don’t get so attached to advanced poses”.

“The basics feel just as good”.

.. and THE most wonderful thing I’ve heard on social media yet,

“Taking it easy isn’t the same as taking a step back. But rather a step forward in personal growth.”

Pretty amazing words from a pretty amazing Yogini. Namaste Caitlin 🙂

I’ll let that simmer on your minds. Meanwhile. I’m waiting for the electrician to come look at my kitchen.

The dishwasher won’t come on, the garbage disposal either, and my microwave is not heating anything.

This could get $$$! Then it’d be Kitchen Nightmares, for reals.

prayertime

Say a prayer for me, Hip Huggers.

Question: Who ran unexpectedly long today? How was the weather?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Side Lines of Energy

runswithhips

Happy Monday! Did y’all catch the Finals last night?

 Being a Die Hard Mavs fan, it was REALLY hard to go for either team. But, I’m loyal to Texas now, so Spurs it was.

Plus, that whole “championship DNA” byte really started getting on my nerves. Glad they’re sidelined ’til next year!

photo (11)

Hilarious.

And Congrats Spurs! Valid until Opening Tip October 2014

This morning, I woke up with a hankering to get outdoors! I started gearing up to drive to

 the city park and run a few miles before the kids got going.

Then I remembered my truck is getting a new compressor and I have no life car.

So, I treated myself to a Spark, and when for a short stroll instead…

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Back home and not much of an appetite. Boo. So, I drowned my sorrows in this

 half melted here Quest Bar I thought I’d eat in route but didn’t.

 

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Speaking of halfway, over the hump for June’s Yoga Challenges!!

But first, I got in about an hour of exclusive yoga stretches. Sure, the asanas are cool and

do wonders for the internal body but there is more to Yoga than just poses.

A CPT/ Yoga teacher I follow on Instagram know said (before I ever began yoga)

 “Muscles need to be intensely stretched daily”.

At the time I waved it off because it was not what I wanted to hear sounded like it involved yoga,

and I was just not feeling that.

However, it has less to do with yoga and more to do with flexibility, toning, and strengthening of the muscles.

 I’m sold now, as you can see, and have started incorporating more and more stretching before I move on

to the’ Flow of the Day’ and my daily summer challenges.

All the stretchy stuff is perfect timing because today’s challenge really stretched my limits legs…

 

~~Day 16 ~~

Started out with Baddha Konasana, or Cobbler’s Pose after my stretching to get my hammies ready.

They are massive and always tight.

photo 4 (1)

Challenge Poses today: Utthita Parsvakonasana  (Extended Side Angle)

& Dwi Pada Koundinyasana (Side Crow)

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Are those my LINES of Energy?

photo 2 (4)

I literally held that last asana for 4.3 seconds…or 2 breaths. Work to do, yet!

I was also in awe of a Yogi I follow on Instagram and her rendition

of Baddha Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) was so beautiful, I had to imitate.

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Now to catch up on some OITNB and H2O… as best I can

considering I ate all my cheddar popcorn here chatting it up with y’all Thursday…

But, I’ll live… I guess… kind of.

crap

I’ll catch up with y’all Later 🙂

 

Question: Do your run/workout close to home or do you have a favorite spot a drive away?

 

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Lean in 2014 – Junk Food

runswithhips

Hello Hip Huggers!

If you are anything like me, one of the greatest struggles in eating clean and staying lean in 2014 has been… junk food cravings, aaahh!! I can run 6 miles, go beast in the gym, but a pack of Oreos will have me on my knees. As I woke up today on my birthday (stay calm) and contemplated all the “permissions” I have today to get cupcake wasted my sugar fix, I came across one of my favorite blogger Kenzoufit’s post about quitting junk food.

I myself eat without a doubt 80/20 clean and try and keep MOST of my food intake within the low glycemic index, but every now and then, those Oreo’s start visiting me in my dreams! Ebony and Ivory is what I call them, and what a perfect pairing they are…

Anyway, she mentions some very great habits to adopt in the effort to combat that way of eating, which as we all know if abused can totally sabotage all the hard work you’ve put in! UGH! So, here are my favorite tips from her post:

Start Cooking. I cannot tell you how my culinary skills have improved by cooking healthy myself. Unless you want to pay an arm and a leg at the Hot bar at your local health food store, or eat mindless massive bowls of salad, you are going to have to learn to grill it up, bake it up, sauté it up so you can eat it up! And be creative! Grab eggplants, zucchini, veggies you have never tried before and cook them! I use coconut oil whenever I am cooking stovetop, and I cook on medium heat. Make a marinade for your protein, add Italian seasonings to your veggies, if you are eating a carb, look for something rice based (rice flour tortillas are so good!) or 100% whole wheat or brown. Trust me, once you start cooking, you will be Googling clean recipes daily and you will become quite the clean eating, culinary sensation!

Resist the Urge.  Now, if you have youngins’ such as I do, you may find yourself with a pantry full of snack foods. Yes, I am that mom. For me and my house, we will serve the snack food to friends and guests and even snack when bored because that’s what we do snack every now and then. The problem isn’t having snacks in the house, its the lack of control that leads you to think they are for YOU! I don’t go anywhere near my kids snacks, really! I tell myself you are taking food out of their mouth, you thief “no” and that works for me! However, you are going to want to snack and enjoy a treat ever so often. So my advice, eat and walk away. Don’t go park it on the couch, cookies at arm’s length, but rather grab a serving and be done with it! Deprivation just leads to overindulging later, remember that. If you tell yourself you can’t have that cookie but can have some peanut butter, you will frequent that PB til the jar is bare! Way more calories ( good or bad) than a few cookies. So, have a taste, but not everyday and not when you haven’t eaten a meal! Remember eat healthy more than not. 80/20!

Don’t Give Up. Food management is an art, and it takes time to get down. Don’t give up on your whole healthy eating plan because you didn’t say “no”. Regroup, and get back to your plan! MyFitnessPal is a wonderful way to track your eating and stay accountable until managing your food is second nature, and it will be! Take the time to create meals and research the calories/nutrition so you don’t overwhelm yourself later trying to add up calories, make it simple and doable!

Kenzou has a TON more tips and even for a weight loss guru such as myself, I was taking notes and taking names! She has lost over 70 lbs. with Low GI eating and has fantastic recipes and weight loss motivation. Check her out at kenzoufit.blogspot.com

Until next time, Hip Huggers! Eat clean, train mean!

Oreos for me! What is your hardest food to resist?

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Smoke and Mirrors

runswithhips

 

Hello, and Good Morning to you all out there! 

Guess what? I am 33 years young today, and I truly mean young! I have never felt more awake on a birthday in my failing memory as I do today. Full of energy, high on life, and looking forward to a great year.

So, let me touch upon something I mentioned a post awhile back. Today, I gave up on turned down a job that 3 weeks ago meant the world to me. No, not a dream job, but something I felt I needed to do to keep me busy and possibly enhance my hopeful future career as a fitness trainer. But, it was not for me. 

Funny how from one angle, an opportunity can look like field of gold. But really, slows you down on that path to where you have professed you want to be. Smoke and mirrors. Things look one way until the smoke clears or that mirror becomes distorted. Then, you are stuck looking around wondering how the heck you ever got wrapped up in all of it? Why your eyes deceived you. Why your thirst for something was unquenchable until you see it for what it is REALLY worth. That was a not-so scathing tough lesson as it was just a part time job, but it was a stark reminder that dreams take focus and hard work! You can’t just pure wet your way around that fear of failure, but you must tear down that wall, brick by brick..

Yesterday being MLK Day, we all are inundated with that one word… dream. What is my dream? Being a phenomenal mom? Loving wife? Well yes, those are efforts I strive most days daily to improve upon, and happy to be the mom/wife that I am. But what is my DREAM? What do I lie in bed at night and think about. When I am feeling my bossiest, where am I on my way to?

My dream is to be a fitness trainer. I want to help people lose weight and gain knowledge. I want to be fortunate enough to change lives for a living, not make a living fortune. That was corny, but I really mean it. I want my days to be filled with sessions and travelling, bands and kettle bells, spandex and hoodies. I want my biggest job expense to be a gym membership. I want my phone to constantly be going off with texts, and emails from clients about their non-scale victories and prospective clients to ask if I am taking newbies. I want to end a session and go pick up my kids from school.  I want the first GNC charge card, lol! 

From a child up until last year, I wanted to be a social worker…always. I have lived with that desire of leaving my job everyday knowing I made someone’s life better, and may even perhaps saved it! I looked forward to helping people that could no longer help themselves. I wanted them to leave knowing I was going to do everything I could to lift them out of their situation.

Well, you know what? Health and fitness IS my social work. This is me helping someone make a better life. I have transformed the eating habits of my family. I have helped friends lose 20-30 lbs and see frowns turn into smiles. The looks on my friend’s face when their body changes. That late text, “can I eat this?” That “you’d be so proud of me the way I ate this weekend”… that is life to me!

So, as I have been blessed to see yet another year of life, I am also blessed to have a passion and a desire to do something for the rest of my life that will make a difference! I am standing up and walking in what I know is my destiny.  Step by step. Onward and upward.

Even so with this blog! I am a very comical person, I live to laugh and joke. However, when I started this blog, my vision was to help people lose weight.

I found myself scrolling through older posts and realized, “wow, my blog is a whole lotta bout me!” That is not my intention for this blog, and could very well be why I have gone from hoping to post twice a day, actually posting once a day, to posting once or twice a month. Why this change? Fear. I may have to be certified to exchange fitness services for $$$ but I don’t have to be certified to share what I KNOW about losing weight, and keeping it off while enjoying food and life! I AM the expert at that, damn it.

So, the landscape around here will change a bit. More self-help and less self-seeking, sum that up as you please not too harsh hopefully, I’m still learning. So, be on the lookout for my next post… really soon! And thank you, readers! You are honestly the heartbeat of this blog. Whoever and wherever you are.

 Question: What is your dream job? Your REAL dream job?