my latest and greatest buys

I went into town the other day and (surprisingly) didn't buy much. But what I did buy was well worth the money. 

 I have needed a black sweater for....a long time. This one I found at Walmart for $5. Great deal, right? And while it doesn't look that great in the picture, it is actually super cute and comfy.

 I found these Brash stilettos for $20 at PayLess Shoes. And after wearing them all evening to the Spring Formal last night, I have to say that they are probably the most comfortable high heels I have ever worn.  

 I love the sparkles!! They just make me happy :)

 I was in desperate need of new foundation, and I got this Maybelline for $5.94 at Walmart. So far I am super happy with it. It goes on really nice and light, seems to stay on (all day) very well, and it doesn't make my face feel like it is coated in paint. 

After I went for a run in the rain last week and wore my black sweatshirt, my mother strongly encouraged me to get a bright running jacket of some sort. I got this Danskin Now for $9.96 at Walmart (surprise). I. love. it. It's so light and comfy and pretty! 

I also got two bottles of nail polish (which I neglected to take a picture of), some eye shadow applicators, and a bottle of hair gel. Over-all, I am happy with what I got and how (relativity) little I spent. Now I just have to figure out where else I can go in my sparkly stilettos....

5 reasons why having a running partner is a good idea

When my cousin's wife first texted me to see if I wanted to start running together, the first thought that crossed my mind was "I am going to die. She used to run marathons before she had kids. I am going to die."

We just started running last week and have run two times so far. And I have only almost died once. That was on our first run. Note to self: do not try to keep up with an ex-marathoner. Yesterday we ran 2.8 miles total (ran 1.4, walked for a tiny bit (aka, like 2 minutes) and then ran back). I was really, really happy with that. It took me 32 minutes, but I am not going to complain about it. I finished and that's all that matters.

Having a running partner is a.ma.zing. I would highly recommend that if you have any interest at all in working out (or working out more), get an exercise partner. Here are my top 5 reasons why.

1) It's fun. You can talk to them, you can swap stories of how painful the day after a workout was, you can talk about nutrition, etc, etc. 

2) Your ego gets involved. I would have never gone and run that far if Jordyn hadn't been there. I would have been like, "eh, nah. I am good at half a mile". 

3) They make you go. Having a workout partner (and a set time that you will do your workout) makes sure that you actually get that workout in. You know that you need to meet at a certain time at a certain place, and that they will be counting on you. There is no way that I would have gone running yesterday if I hadn't known that Jordyn would be at my place at 11 o'clock to run. Why? Well, the weather was........kinda nasty.  And in nasty I mean rainy and windy and cold. 

4) They help change stuff up. Changing up your workout keep both your mind and your body from getting bored. However, sometimes it gets boring to change a workout for yourself. So having someone who can bring new routines in is a great help.

5) They keep you motivated. Jordyn finished her run before I finished mine, and then she came back to run the last little bit with me. And she assured me that it's not how fast you run, it's that you finish. 

And that, my dear friends, is why having an exercise partner is a great idea. 

happy, happy, happy

"Ugh. I don't wanna go workout. I wanna just sit here, pin stuff on Pinterest and eat chocolate. The weather is just plain dismal. And the last thing I want to do right now is go get my heart rate up. Okay. Okay. I know I need to go. I know I will feel better after I workout. Blah. Dude! Get your head in the game. You got this. Put in your headphones, and just go."

I wrote the above pep talk approximately one hour ago. And now as I am sitting here, feeling the endorphins kick in, I am extremely thankful that I talked myself into going. As you can tell, I really didn't want to workout. But I knew I needed to, and so I went. And let me tell you....it was fan.tas.tic. Like, really. 

I ran 2 miles. 2 miles!! Some of you may be sitting there going "okay? and?" but to me, that is a big accomplishment. I have never run that far before, and I did it in 22 minutes and 11 seconds! So, I am kinda like, really proud of myself right now. The run itself was really hard, and the first 2-3 minutes after I got back I thought I was gonna die, but for the most part it was awesome! :) Next goal: 3 miles.  

I also did this workout that I came up with last night. 

I will admit that I only went through the workout once cause I was running out of time, but it was still a really good workout. Agh! I just can't get over the fact that I ran 2 miles! I knew I could do it if I pushed myself, but I didn't know if I would push myself that far. Folks, this girl is happy, happy, happy. And now she is gonna go eat her post-workout snack. 

Running. It's a Privilege.

Today, I went out and ran somewhere between a mile, and a mile and a half. It was beautiful. I wasn't planning to workout today. But the sun was shining, and I was just in the mood to run! And so I did. I told myself that I had to run at least a mile. And I did. 

The last half mile wasn't really easy. I kinda had to talk myself into finishing, but I did it. 

It was such a great feeling. (Okay, the cool down wasn't so wonderful cause I felt like passing out, but hey! in my mind, that just means I had a good workout) The rest of the afternoon and evening I just felt strong and happy, happy, happy!  I kinda want to go for a run again tomorrow! 

(something to make you laugh)

Someday I may not be able to run. Someday I may be to old to run. Someday I may have a disease that prevents me from running. Someday I may have an injury that prevents me from running. Someday something may happen that makes it so that I can't run. But ya know what? Today is not that day. Today I can walk out the door and go for a mile run even though I haven't run in weeks. And for me, that is a huge blessing. A blessing that I often times forget about. So today, I am going to take advantage of the fact that I have an incredibly healthy body that I can push beyond my wildest dreams. 

And ya know what? You should too. It doesn't have to be anything huge. In fact, maybe it is just walking a mile. But take advantage of that fact that you are healthy! "But," you say, "I'm not healthy!" 

Then start to get healthy. Cut soda out of you diet. Do you have any idea what that might do for you?? If you don't drink soda, cut something else out! Like chips, or maybe desserts. Or, you could add something in. Like drinking 70 oz of water everyday. Or eating a serving of veggies at each meal. Whatever it is, start today. Make a change. 

5 reasons why I workout

It happens often as I am getting ready for another workout. That nagging voice saying, why do you workout?

It sometimes even happens as I am walking away from a workout. Especially if it has been a bad one (aka, I didn't do enough/didn't push myself hard enough/wasn't feeling good/etc). Why do you workout? 

Why do you workout? It's painful. You get sweaty and stinky. Results take a long time in coming. It's hard. It takes to much time. Blah, blah, blah. 

I have several reasons why I workout. And when I start hearing that nagging voice, I have to remember them.

Number one is that I like feeling strong. If you know me, or anything about me, you will know that I admire strength. Physical and mental. I wrote a post about strong women a little while ago. Any weakness, in me or anybody else, makes me want to puke.


Number two is that I know it is good for me. Just like all families, mine is not without its health problems. Thankfully, I still have both sets of grandparents (and all my uncles, aunts, and cousins). All four of my grandparents have been a huge influence on my life, and I know that I would not be the person that I am today if I didn't have them. (I am picking on them because a lot of times grandparents are the first to die). So the moral if that little story is that I want to be there for my grand kids someday. And I don't want them to remember me as a shriveled up old lady with the white hair who sat in a chair in a smelly room in a nursing home. So, I workout to keep my heart (and everything else) healthy.


Number three is that I like how working out makes me feel. When I workout, I sleep better, and so therefore, I do better. Aka, I am not as grouchy. And I also really like that sore feeling that you get the day after a good workout. Call me weird, but it's true.

Number four is that I am competitive. Very competitive. If my best friend can do 15 push-ups, I have to do 16. It's just how I work.

Number five is that working out is a great way to let off steam. It's true. Next time you are all worked up about something, try doing 50 jumping jacks, 25 squats, 25 bicycle crunches, and 15 push-ups. I guarantee it will help.

So that is my list of the reasons why I workout. I don't know what yours are, but I would encourage you to think about it.

Resolutions and Burpees

I don't really like New Year's Resolutions. They make no sense to me. You make a resolution (which is the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.) and approx. one week later, you stop doing whatever it is you resolved to do. In particular, I am thinking of fitness resolutions.

Okay, so I wouldn't actually turn it into
a bar, but I thought this was funny.

I could make so many resolutions for this year. "I resolve to run a 5k." "I resolve to workout 3 times a week." "I resolve to eat better." "I resolve to..." the list goes on and on. But honestly, what do resolutions do? You follow your new, carefully laid out plan for a bit. Maybe you even last a month or two, but in the end, you generally don't follow through.  Maybe you are one of those rare people who actually do follow through. Well, kudos to you. But I think most of us don't, myself majorly included. 

Okay, I am done with that rant now. Moving on. 

So this month, I am doing a burpees challenge. By show of hands, how many people love burpees? Yeah. I thought so.

I hate burpees. Like, with a passion. But, since I am slightly crazy at times, when I saw this challenge, I just couldn't resist. Join me maybe?

I am thinking that by about day 18, I am going to hate me. But hey, no pain no gain, Jack. (If you haven't seen Duck Dynasty, you wouldn't get this quote. Also, if you haven't seen Duck Dynasty, something is wrong with you.) Alright. I am done ranting and raving. 

P.S. Please don't hold anything I have said against me....I am running on very little sleep. 

My Christmas Eve Workout

I got my workout in today. And I'm pretty sure I will be sore tomorrow. I haven't been eating very good the past few weeks (tonight we had pizza for supper) or getting many good workouts in, so it felt really, really good to go whole hog today on my workout. Hopefully my eating will begin to improve soon too!

I watched "Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too" while I rode our stationary bike.

Here's the workout:

10 miles on the stationary bike

5 bicep curls (each arm with 20lb dumbbells)

10 cross body mountain climbers

15 tricep dips

5 ten second backward bridges

10 frog crunches

5 bicep curls

10 bicycle crunches

10 push-ups

15 in-n-outs

50 squats

Merry Christmas everybody!!

The Scale: Friend? or Foe?

"Weigh yourself every day!" "Only weigh yourself once a week!" "Don't ever weigh yourself!" "It is incredibly important to know exactly what you weigh!" "Only weigh once a month!"

Does anybody else ever get tired of all this? The constant battle of people arguing about whether weighing yourself is a good thing or a bad thing? For a very long time, I was of the mindset that I had to know exactly how much I weighed to be "healthy/happy". The scale became an idol in my life. I didn't weigh myself every day, but I lived in constant dread/anticipation of that certain day of the week when I would step on the scale.

The day before I would weigh (I usually weighed mid-week) I tried to be so "good". To not eat as much, to get in a good workout, etc. And let me tell you, when I stepped on that scale, my heart was beating pretty fast. I let that chunk of metal decide whether my day (and sometimes week!) was going to be good, bad, or ugly. And I let it define me. 

Let me just say, that I am not going all "you're-beautiful-no-matter-how-you-look-so-you-can-eat-anything-you-want". I believe with all of my heart that God gave us our bodies to take care of. And that means (in my opinion) eating healthy, and being fit. But I don't think it means that you have to be a slave to the scale. What if I told you that you actually don't even need a scale? You would probably look at my like I lost my left eyeball.

Wanna know a secret? I haven't weighed for 2 months. I have found that my clothes tell me everything I need to know. If my pants aren't fitting right, I know I should cut back on my carb intake. And not only do my clothes tell me, but just the way I feel tells me what I need to know. And can I just say how freeing it is to not be prisoner of the scale? I'm not saying that you shouldn't weigh yourself. I am just saying what I have found to be the most helpful in my life.

What's you're opinion of the scale? Have you thrown it out? Or is weighing something that you do religiously?

Pounds vs. Calories

I found this awhile back and just thought it was cool.

Pounds vs. Calories

0.1  lbs = burning 350 calories
0.2 lbs = burning 700 calories
0.3 lbs = burning 1,050 calories
0.4 lbs = burning 1,400 calories
0.5 lbs = burning 1,750 calories
0.6 lbs = burning 2,100 calories
0.7 lbs = burning 2,450 calories
0.8 lbs = burning 2,800 calories
0.9 lbs = burning 3,150 calories
1.0 lbs = burning 3,500 calories

Now go out and burn some calories!!

What is fitness?

 Is fitness running 5 miles?

Is fitness being able to do 50 push-ups in one setting?

Is fitness always eating clean and never splurging?

Is fitness an idol?

I think it can be. I know sometimes it is for me. I think to myself "man, if I loose 10 pounds, I would be so happy!" or "when I'm able to do 5 pullups, I will be in such great shape!" I make the excuse of the verse that says "Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). I act like this verse gives me full rights to just go crazy and try to be perfect.

Don't get me wrong. I am in complete agreement with this verse (good thing too, since its from the Bible!), but I think that sometimes I take it to far and therefore make fitness an idol. And when working out and eating clean take higher priority over my relationship with God, I know I have a problem.

I think being fit means finding a balance. A balance between eating clean, and still eating that ice cream. A balance between working out, but maybe not spending an hour on it. Maybe being fit means doing some squats while waiting for the tea water to boil or your toast to pop up. Maybe being fit means doing calf raises while brushing your teeth or talking to someone. Maybe being fit is allowing for a little bit of failure.

What does being fit mean for you?