Useful information and links

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Online Fitness deals

I found some great things online today and thought I'd share:

A lovely lady in Texas owns Pride Socks and in celebration of their new site, has a discount code! Enter "happyforus" to receive 25% off. Kids and adults socks, plus sock monkeys! I swear by the running socks/anklets, and own a pair of tubes I adore as well!



Digital food scale
Has decent reviews on Amazon, and only $23!


GoPicnic ready meals are interesting. Voucher for $19 for $40 worth of product

Cuisinart juicer regularly priced at $270, listed for $99 on Groupon. Cheapest I saw it anywhere else was $150

MusclePharm pre workout $23 for 32 servings; regularly $49 worth of product. 


Groupon also had several iphone/ipod cases and armbands if any runners are looking for those!


$15 for $30 on their site. I love their products and use the moisturizer and makeup wipes regularly.

*All deals were valid and available at the time of this posting. If that has changed since then, I hold no responsibility. So please don't get mad at me! :) 



Saturday, July 27, 2013

Thoughts and things

Bulleting this and I promise regular posting will resume soon! I am out of town on job interviews while my son enjoys quality time with his grandmother.

  • From July 17 until the 22nd I was in Kentucky with my son and boyfriend, visiting my boyfriend's family.
  • Went to Mammoth Cave (Over 800 stairs and 4 miles of cave!)*
  • Abraham Lincoln birthplace
  • Muhammed Ali Museum*
  • Louisville Slugger Museum*
  • Maker's Mark distillery*
  • Had two interviews last week in Austin. I live north of Dallas so instead of putting another 600 miles on my car, I elected to stay an extra week.
  • Testing for another job next week with the county.
  • This season (the last season!) of Dexter is very different but soooo good. I'm very far behind on True Blood however. 
  • I miss the gym! I might have to look for some free passes to local gyms to get my fix. Might as well try them out before I possibly move here! 
  • I do have a giveaway coming up since I hit 200 fans on my Facebook page! I'm going to link it up with a review for Vitacost Aro Black Series I think. Gift card and fun stuff included! 
Hope everyone is doing well! Summer seems to make everything crazier. 


*denotes that these will be covered in an upcoming post!

Friday, July 19, 2013

Worst gym experiences




For a few months last year, I was signed up for a local gym. We have big box gym across town but it's always crowded and it's not a 24 hour one like I'd prefer. Instead of YMCA's, we have our own recreation department, and they have about 5 centers around town. The one by me is barely a mile away and pretty small. There's a cardio room with about 8 treadmills, 4 ellipticals, a stair climber, two rowers and stationary  bikes, a room with lockers and bathroom, and the weight room. Plus the gymnasium doubles as a group exercise room where they do BodyPump, Body Combat, Yoga, and a few other things.

I have some equipment at home. An old bench and barbell, adjustable up to 20 pounds dumbbells, dumbbells in #5, and #10, an exercise ball and now non-adjustable elliptical machine. I just wanted out of the house and wanted to use the squat rack, lat pull-down machine, and leg press. I love those areas and it's hard to do at home!

Here come my horror stories. There is only one squat rack and at least 6 benches, plus the Smith Machine. This guy had apparently started a circuit and was CURLING IN THE SQUAT RACK. Huge gym pet peeve. I didn't know he was using the squat rack other than there was a phone sitting right outside of it. He was on the other end of the room on the free weights bench. I started pulling the weights off to add my own and once I was done, he ran over upset that I had taken his weights off after he watched me do it. Then whined, asking if he could finish what he was doing. Seriously? I was mad. There is a curling rack, plus many benches, why couldn't he use that? I don't know. I said fine and reminded him that it was in fact a squat rack, not a curl rack. He was irritated but I was mad.

Another day, a trainer told me that I had made the guys uncomfortable using the squat rack. Why?? Because it was the only way they could use the mirror for their curls. None of them used it for squats. !@#$ This is the same trainer who dresses in 80's clothes, acid washed jeans and crap to work out.

There was one nice guy, an older gentleman, who warned me about some of the guys. He told me to make no apologies, act like I owned the place, and to never leave my water bottle alone. Apparently one of the other guys tried to mess with it and he got on to him. The guy in question was one I had seen staring at me and made me uncomfortable.

This is how that guy seemed to me. He just stared at me and always did his workouts around me. 


Sorry for the swear word, but accurate to the look I gave these guys:


These men didn't dissuade me, just reminded how much more careful women have to be. I will be returning to either this gym, or a new gym, depending on if I move or not. 

Monday, July 15, 2013

Motivational Monday #2

These aren't always going to be directly health and wellness related, some are normal life applicable, or coincide with things going on in my life right now. If you have requests, let me know! 





Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Moms Run This Town Virtual Race


Sign ups for this race are officially over if you wanted the medal (which I did because it was super adorable!) but you can still register to run it for free if you want. Just click here. You can print out a race bib, sign up, and report your times/runs. I'm doing 13.1 but spreading it out. All times are due by the end of the month so it's doable if you need some extra motivation. And there are prizes! 


Moms Run This Town is a group of women, mom's and some not mom's, who love to run and be active. Many cities have local chapters; I think they are up to almost 500! My city is fairly small and there is one here as well. It's a way for Mom's, and runners, to connect, be kept accountable if you need it, and find out about other races. If you want to find out more about local chapters, click here and enter your zip code.

If you're not interested, but you love running and running gear, on the top of their page is a link of discounts and specials related to fitness. Not just for gear, there are codes for races as well!

The medal is awesome!

Monday, July 8, 2013

Motivational Monday #1

Mondays are rough for many people, so I think I'm going to start using Mondays as a day to post inspirational and motivating images I find online. Hope everyone has a fantastic week! 








Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Fitness Survey Link-up

So something different! (I promise, my post on Friday will explain my weird absence from my blog).
A survey link up with some of my Sweat Pink sisters hosted by She Cooks Crafts Runs!



1.  What did you eat for breakfast?
    I had protein pancakes and eggs with lemon tea
2.  How much water do you drink a day?

   80 oz or more depending on what my workout is that day
3.  What is your current favorite workout?

    I like variety, but right now, I'm loving dumbbell shoulder presses
4.  How many calories do you eat a day?

     I have no idea
5.  What are your favorite healthy snacks?

     Cucumbers and fruit. Sometimes Ezekiel English muffins with Almond butter. 
6.  What do you usually eat for lunch?

     Roasted chicken with quinoa, or whole grain pasta
7.  What is your favorite body part to strength train?

     Glutes, I am enjoying my new butt!
8.  What is your least favorite body part to strength train?

     Hamstrings. Love the results, hate the pain!
9. What are your “bad” food cravings?

    Dr Pepper and French Fries
10. Do you take vitamins or supplements?

    Yes! Opti-women multi, Glucosamine with Chondroitin and MSM, Fish oil
11. How often do you eat out?

      A few times a week
12. Do you eat fast food?

      Guilty
13. Who is your biggest supporter?

     My boyfriend and my son
14. Do you have a gym membership?

     Not right now
15. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?

     4-6
16. Do you have a “cheat” day?

     No, I usually do but adjusting to a new program and schedule
17. Do you drink alcohol?
     Every few months
18. Do you have a workout buddy?

   Only if my boyfriend is in town (long distance relationship)
19. What is the best thing that has changed about your life since committing to a healthy lifestyle?

   My confidence and that my son enjoys making healthy choices and being more active
20. What was the last healthy thing you did?

   Hill sprints!
21.  What are your favorite shoes to work out in?
   Nike Flex Trainer 2
22.  Photo of your favorite workout outfit
  I wish I had one. I'm loving my Old Navy Compression capris, Juno sports bra, and Victoria's Secret Pink racerback tanks (I have 8 in different colors, it's an illness). Actually similar to what I wore to Pretty Muddy, I'm on the left.