Fitness Favorites

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With the fashion industry declaring fitness clothing and gear one of the latest trends, the options are ever expanding. We all have our favorites in terms of clothing and gear for fashion as well as favorite gear and clothing for actual fitness. As most of you know, I'm a bit obsessed with both fitness and fashion, so the fact that these two worlds are colliding gives me goosebumps! That being said, there is nothing better than functionable fashion, which is where some of these items fall. Today I'm going to just focus on my favorites for actual fitness. 

Shoes

I love Brooks Running shoes. They have a ton of styles and trendy colors. They even just launched an ombré line! If anyone follows Brooks, you know that they are owned by Warren Buffet, which I think speaks volumes for the integrity of the company. A couple of years ago, I watched an interview with Brooks CEO, Jim Weber, speak about the success and growth of the company. He said, "We were trying to be all things to all people and we really started to grow when we focused on what we were best at and that was running shoes and apparel".  Jim took Brooks from nearly bankrupt to one of the most successful running shoe/apparel companies in the world. Plus, their motto is Run Happy, so what's not to love?!

Running Shorts

My favorite shorts are North Face Flight Series.Shorts tend to rise up on my inner thighs when I run, so I have to be pretty selective in what I wear in order to avoid chafing. These shorts move with me and never ride up. Plus, they come in fun colors and are affordable. 

Headband

I've tried a lot of various styles of headbands and none of them hold a candle to Sparkly Soul, Inc. Now, I must admit that I am a Sparkly Soul Ambassador, but I that is simply because of my love of the product and my willingness to share that love with others. These bands truly are the best. They are all one piece with no elastic band in the back. The under side material is such that it clings to your hair and Does. Not. Move. In addition to all of that function, they are also super cute. There are a ton of colors, sparkly or satin and they come in two sizes of bands. They are a little pricey, but worth it as they are the only headband you will ever need -- of course, you'll need one in every color!

Armband

I am one of those runners who needs music or audio books while running. I have an old school iPod (the Classic) so it's big, like a mobile phone. I have tried several arm bands and the BondiBand is by far my favorite. It does not have velcrow, so it doesn't pinch or scratch. It comes in small and large. *I have the small in spite of the hugeness of my biceps. I have used the same band for over two years and it still stays on without sliding. I wash it with the rest of my laundry on a regular basis and hang it to dry. Speaking of dry, my iPod stays dry inside of the band's pocket. They come in different colors and designs and are affordable. 

Sport Watch

I LOVE my Garmin Forerunner 220 GPS watch. While it doesn't track my daily steps or sleep patterns, it does tell me how fast I'm running each mile and overall pace, current distance, and overall distance. I can synch it to Garmin Connect and now also with MyFitnessPal. The watch is great for both the fitness runner (like me) and elite runners (like my husband). It retails at $250, but has been well worth it. Plus, it's kinda cute and I get compliments all the time as I often forget to change watches before going to work!

These are just a few of my favorites, but because I'm always trying new things, this list is ever expanding. 

What are some of your favorites?

Until Next Time,

Meg

Sparkly Soul - A Chance To WIN!

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Have I mentioned that these are the best. headbands. ever.? Well, they are. I won some awhile back and I love them so much, that I am dying to own some more! I also shared my winnings, so I only have 2 of the bands currently and they come in SO many fun colors!

I wear these everyday, both for working out as well as for my go-to weekend hairstyle (messy looped pony on the top of my head with one of my SparklySoul headbands). So it is clear that I need more of these fantastic little accessories and workout gear musts! Check out their Facebook page for your chance to win as they always have a contest going on. Or, if you can't wait, head to their website and order some. They are worth the money! 

Advocare Day 5: Halfway Done!

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Today is day 5 of the cleanse and I had hoped that the sugar cravings would go away. No such luck. Truly that has been the hardest part for me. I got past the no caffeine, coffee, soda, even bread, but the no sugar/chocolate/etc is killing me! Okay, so that's a little dramatic, but it has been pretty brutal! 

The best things so far???? Maybe a 1-2 pound weight loss. It's hard to tell. I've been weighing myself in the mornings and I'm pretty sure, though I didn't record it prior to starting, that I may be 1-2 lbs down. I used MyFitnessPal yesterday to check how much I'm actually eating because that is more likely the culprit to the weight loss rather than the cleanse vitamins. I ate pretty well and actually, with my workouts probably didn't eat enough calories. To be honest with you, I was secretly hoping that the cleanse would result in a 3-5 pound loss. 1-2 is likely just water weight (remember how I mentioned that the cleanse increases the urge to pee by about 1000%)

Okay TMI

Today I splurged a tiny bit by eating my Nonni's THINaddictives cookie/crackers that I received in my Influenster Good Live VoxBox. They are pretty healthy and a little sweet, so I went for it to try and make myself feel better about not having sugar. Tonight we have a football game, so it's going to be tough not to snack or have pop, but I'll get through it. Tomorrow is going to be a real test or maybe I should just come clean now and tell you that I will cheat tomorrow and it will be for most of the day. We are going to one of mi favorito Mexican restaurants tomorrow for lunch and then the Huskers play tomorrow night for their season opener. I have to have a living room tailgate party or my kids (and husband) would be so very disappointed. I will make some healthy options such as hummus and veggies and even have berries on hand, but chances are good that cheese will also be available, crackers, and maybe even some sort of bar cookie. It will be a glorious way to cheat! 

I'll post again after day 10 to let you all know my final results and to tell you if my lifestyle has changed, if I'd do it again, etc. Stay tuned!

Until Next Time,

Meg

Advocare 10-Day Cleanse: Day 1

Pin It Have you heard of Advocare? I hadn't either until recently when a friend of mine hosted a presentation regarding the products. So what is it you ask? In the word of Advocare itself:

AdvoCare is a premier health and wellness company offering world-class energy, weight-loss, nutrition, and sports performance products along with a rewarding business opportunity

After going to the presentation and hearing all the success stories, I went home and started my own research. I read numerous reviews and blogs about the products themselves, not about selling the products. Several of the reviews said that the 10 Day Cleanse products helped clear up their skin which would be a huge bonus for me.

Now if you're like me, the term "cleanse" terrifies you. Thinking of eating - no wait - drinking only juices for the next 10 days and making numerous trips to the bathroom do not sound like acne remedies to me! But, I assure you, I was mistaken. This is not a colon cleanse or a juice cleanse, it is an herbal cleanse, they assured me. I get to eat regular stuff - clean eating - and have to drink a special fiber blend plus take some vitamins, but that I won't have to forego eating for the next 10 days. So...I'm giving it a shot. Today is day 1 and here's how my day is shaping up:

This morning, I watched in envy as my kids and husband devoured homemade cinnamon rolls. Now, I said I could eat normal, but what I meant was "fairly normal". I do have to give up dairy (what?! no Greek Yogurt?!). I also need to stay away from sugar and white flour. So each meal consists of a lean protein, vegetables/fruit, and a complex carbohydrate. The cleanse also recommends a meal replacement shake for breakfast, however eggs, fruit, and toast are perfectly acceptable options as well. I decided, if I'm doing it, I'm all in, so I got meal replacement shakes. I got mine from GNC as I thought the Advocare ones were super expensive. The key is to get one high enough in protein to stay full. I had my fiber drink as soon as I got to work and 30 minutes later, I tried the protein shake (around 9am). By 11:30am I was had a tingle of hunger. Advocare does encourage a snack, so I had some grapes. (I didn't want to eat too much as I was planning on running over my lunch hour.)

Lunch consisted of tuna salad (1 can tuna, Tbs of mustard, onion, pepper, cherry tomatoes). I ate the tuna with a piece of whole wheat toast. I also had broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas.

My afternoon snack was a banana and some more grapes. I also had a Crystal Light energy packet in strawberry flavor.

For dinner we had kabobs: lean steak, tomatoes, onion, green, yellow, and red bell pepers. I had some grapes for "dessert".

Before bed, I took my herbal cleanse vitamins and an Omega 3.

So far, so good. Stay tuned for the next 10 days!

Until Next Time,
Meg

The Power of Yoga

Pin It My legs were super tired yesterday after a weekend filled with longer runs followed by an interval workout on Monday. I decided I'd try a yoga workout instead of something more intense (yeah, right). I just so happened to read a post on POPSUGARfitness yesterday regarding which yoga type burns the most calories and Vinyasa (also known as flow yoga because one move flows into the next) won out, so that is what I searched for on YouTube.

Sidenote: if you don't use YouTube for workout inspiration, you are totally missing out! There are so many FREE options and full workout videos to try!

Anyway... I searched for Vinyasa on YouTube and found one for beginners that was 35 minutes long. I pulled out my trusty Aspen Yoga Mat and began to breathe....

Today, I can hardly raise my arms! (Where she did chaturanga on her knees, I went ahead and did it full out on my toes.) I did feel relaxed while doing the workout, but afterward my muscles ached and I could tell I had gotten in a quality workout.

I paired the yoga with this Amanda Russell lower body routine for a total workout time of 45 minutes.

 

 

Wishing you luck on your fitness journey! Let me know if you'd like me to post something specific!

 

Until Next Time,

Meg

A Few of My Favorite Things...

Pin It I haven't done a post like this in awhile and I've developed a few new obsessions! Here are just a few of the things that I'm loving now.




1. Best. Headbands. Ever SparklySoul Headbands.


 
 



These headbands truly are no slip. If you wear then right (towards the front of your hairline) they really don't move--at all! I wore mine for a 5 mile run the other day and did not adjust it once! They even fit my girls! My 5 year old wore hers for nearly an entire day on Saturday (and that is a BIG deal)! I won this pack of 5 from a contest that Sparkly Soul held on their social media sites. They are the BEST!

 
  2. Chobani Greek Yogurt

I eat Chobani yogurt every single day. I love it! I eat it in the morning for breakfast with a couple of tablespoons of granola plus and a tablespoon of chia seeds (a tip from Amanda Russell Fitness)his apple cinnamon flavor is one of my absolute favorites!







3. Yoga Mats by Aspen Yoga Mats

These yoga mats come in a variety of colors and include phrases (such as Balance) that are embroidered onto the mat. The mat itself is cushy, sticky, and super durable. It just makes me want to do yoga every single day! I won this mat from the Amanda Russell: Fit Strong and Sexy fitness program I love it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. My Brooks Running Shoes

Of course without a good pair of running shoes, any type of run is unbearable. It helps me to have cute ones too! These Ghost 6 are a perfect combo of cute and functional.

 

5.  BondiBand arm band for my iPod

I am addicted to audio books and this BondiBand iPod holder helps me immensely! I can take my book on the run with me and never get bored!

6. My Oakley workout towel. 

When I'm doing an indoor mat/floor workout, a Tracy Anderson Method workout, or an Amanda Russell YouTube workout, this towel comes in handy and helps me keep my mat nearly free from sweat droplets!

 

7. Amanda Russell Workouts AKA FitStrongandSexy

As you can tell since I referenced AR Workouts a couple of times in this post and have written posts about her workouts before. She is a YouTube Fitness star. As a former elite runner with a severe injury that ended her running career, she has now started her own training series. You can do her workouts for free on her YouTube Channel or you can also sign up fo $20 per month for a more personalized training and meal plan.

 

8. Benefit POREfessional Makeup Primer

I would be remiss if I didn't mention some of my favorite after gym products. This primer from Benefit is one of my all time faves. It goes on silky and smooth and really does reduce the look of your pores. I got mine from TotalBeauty.

 

9. Dry Shampoo by Dove

I've tried a lot of dry shampoos and I've had my fair share of returning to work with white powdery substance in my part. The Dove Refresh and Care dry shampoo leaves nothing but a nice fresh scent. Dry shampoo is a must for lunch hour workouts.

 

These are just a few of my favorite things. I'd love to hear about some of yours!

 

Until Next Time,

Meg