Quotation Inspiration

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Michelle

Today’s prompt in the WEGO Health Writer Challenge: Find a quote that inspires you and write about it.

I didn’t have to look far:

I hunted a bit after this and just didn’t find anything else that hit me like it. Looking for running inspiration and fitness inspiration, there are quotes about losing weight, looking good, feeling good, winning races, passing people, lifting more, etc. And I think those are all great!

If you read this blog, you know I was sidelined by injury last year at this time. I had to go to physical therapy for bursitis in my hip and IT Band Syndrome. I still haven’t gone back to racing although I have been back at the gym and run on my own. Its so easy to take part of your day for granted, like being able to head out for a 2 mile jog to unwind after a long day. Its true, one day there will come a day when I won’t be able to run and work out any more. But today is not that day. I don’t want to look back on this time and think that I could have taken advantage of this time to be my best, most healthy self. And that, more than PRs and my measurements and going up a couple of pounds at the gym, is what will motivate me to get out there tomorrow. And the next time, and the next time…

I love quotes! Do you have any that never fail to motivate you?

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Time capsule

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Michelle

Hello, friends! I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and nobody fell victim to any April Fool’s pranks ;)

I signed up for the Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge, which gives a prompt every day for the month of April and encourages you to post every day. Its not too late to sign up! I’m excited for a month of inspiration to get me back on track here…

Today’s prompt: Pretend you’re making a time capsule of you and your health focus that won’t be opened until 2112. What’s in it? What would people think of it when they found it?

I thought about this one on and off throughout the day. Right now my health focus is on running, injury prevention, balanced diet, balanced life.

I’d put my Garmin in there, because it helps keep me on track with my running. Training for races and PRs is what gets me running three times a week.

I’d put my Nike Frees in there! I bought them because my trainer friend told me that they are good for developing muscles and helping you run the way your body wants to run, not the way that sneakers with a lot of support try to make you run. I think they’re going to be my new running shoe and with proper training, keep injuries at bay for me. They’re also super comfortable and I feel so fast when I wear them.

I’d love to put some kale and almond milk in there, but that would be gross when poor so-and-so opened it. So, I’d have to put my blender and some chia seeds in, with a note explaining that I make kale smoothies almost every day to make sure I get my veggies, and that they’re also good for my skin. Oh, and my favorite water glass, since I start every day with a glass of water. Try it, its so good for you!

For balanced life, I’d put some of the things that help me relax… some yarn and needles, a Kindle (would have to get that one donated, or I guess I’d need to buy a new one… ), and a bath bomb from Lush.

While I love a good run to relax, I also need my down time to feel balanced. A balanced life is a healthy life, and work, sleep, exercise, and relaxing get me there. Also, the bath bomb would make that time capsule smell lovely. So I’m hoping that whoever opened it would love it!

What about you? What would you put in a time capsule of you and your health focus? Did you get fooled today?

Posted in Health | 1 Comment

March Foodie Pen Pals

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Michelle

A couple weeks ago I got another Foodie Pen Pals shipment! I love when I find out I have a package waiting at home for me!

Kelly sent me these lovely treats: a banana chocolate chilp Kashi bar, a coconut and almond Kind bar, parmesean crisps, Biscoff spread (which I had been dying to try!), chocolate covered almonds, and that cute little container of peanut butter multigrain Cheerios, all along with a lovely note. Those Cheerios disappeared quite quickly, and I’ve been spreading everything else out over the past couple of weeks. Thank you, Kelly!!!

Wanna play? Here are the rules and how to join!

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!
If you’re interested in participating for April, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.
You must submit your information by April 4th as pairings will be emailed on April 5th

Have a great weekend!

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Stop the intanity! Stay out of the tanning bed!

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Michelle

It completely shocks me that people still go to tanning beds. Haven’t we learned enough about how dangerous they are? I put them right up there with cigarettes… no health value at all, harmful, waste of money, and yet people still go to them. Its like we’re still in the 90s.

Some stats:

  •  indoor ultraviolet (UV) tanners are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never tanned indoors. (source)
  •  tanning salons are routinely not providing accurate information about skin cancer and other risks to teens seeking their services (source)
  •  those who make just four visits to a tanning booth per year can increase their risk for melanoma by 11 percent, and their risk for the two most common forms of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, by 15 percent (source)
  • a tan is no different from a sunburn in terms of the effect on our skin. Tanning is an indication that your skin has been exposed to UV radiation; none of which is known to be safe (source)
  • teens are at special risk because their bodies are undergoing such accelerated growth rates that their cells are more prone to the damage of the UV radiation (source) Not good for prom season!
  • in July 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that tanning devices that emit UV radiation are more dangerous than previously thought. IARC moved these devices into the highest cancer risk category: “carcinogenic to humans.” (source)
  • tanning prematurely ages the skin: it causes the skin to lose elasticity and wrinkle prematurely. This leathery look may not show up until many years after you’ve had a tan or sunburn (source)

Even if you read that list and just see cancer, cancer, cancer, premature aging… why are people still going tanning? Who wants to make themselves look like they’re older than they are? Why would you do something that has been known to cause cancer?

If you are going to a wedding, or a prom, consider getting a professional spray tan if you really want that glow. It lasts a week and gets you just as glowy looking. If you just want to be tan on a daily basis, you can use a moisturizer with self tanner (I like Jergens, go to this stylish blog for more suggestions for tanning alternatives and more! ). And if you’re going on vacation and want a “base tan”… why not just skip it and protect yourself from the sun while you’re there?

Don’t believe me? Check out this video, starring cancer survivors and caretakers of people who lost their battle. Please share it and/or its information with a teenager. Nobody thinks that what they do at 16 is going to affect them in their future. Stop the intanity!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Wednesday Inspiration

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Michelle

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Foodie Pen Pals!

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Michelle

Boy do I wish I had more time to post these days! I don’t even know where the time goes, honestly. But my house is immaculate and my spices are alphabetized…

I’m excited to talk about Foodie Pen Pals, which Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean hosts. This was my first month and I had so much fun shopping for my pen pal, and loved getting my box of treats! My package came from Heather at For the Love of Kale. After exchanging emails with her, I knew I was in for some healthy snacks!

Its a wonder that Apple Pie Larabar stuck around for the picture, its one of my favorite flavors and was promptly gobbled up. I had never tried the Luna Bar or the Passionfruit Coconut Water (which I am sipping as I write this… Its delicious.). The Luna Bar was the perfect snack to throw in my purse for a mid morning snack, and that maple almond butter…

Confession: I ate half the almond butter with the apple and ate the other half right out of the packet.

Wanna play?

To sign up for a Foodie PenPals in March, send an email to wonderful Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com with the following details:

-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address (if you’ve got one)
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)
-Whether you are a US resident or Canadian

Join in by March 4th as pairings will be emailed on March 5th!

Have a great day!

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Almost…

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Michelle

Yesterday was on track to be my healthiest day of eating, ever. Until we went to the Celtics game.

But I’m never one to turn down a Celtics game. Its just hard to eat healthy there! Can a girl get a salad at the Garden?

I made a sandwich loosely based on one of my favorites from Beantowne, my most favorite coffee & lunch place. I took a picture but it didn’t present very well, so I’ll tell you that it was garlic hummus, half an avocado, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese. It was so good!

I’ve also been having trouble with the ol’ vending machine at work and staying away from the Combos. As healthy as I like to eat, Combos are my weakness. I think its the salt.

So I brought a bag of these puppies yesterday.

Somersaults come in five flavors: Sea Salt, Cinnamon Crunch, Salthy Pepper, Dutch Cocoa, and Santa Fe Salsa. The main ingredient is sunflower seeds and they have a healthy dose of sesame seeds, too.

One serving of sunflower seeds contains 4 times more antioxidants than blueberries, more fiber than an apple and 50% more protein than almonds. I was excited to try them as a healthy snack! My favorite flavors are the Sea Salt and the Cinnamon, but they are all good. Bringing the salty ones kept me out of that darn vending machine yesterday! They come in 6 oz bags, 2 oz, 1 oz, and little .5 oz bags to throw in lunches. I would definitely recommend scooping some up for a healthy afternoon boost.

Do you have any tricks for keeping yourself on track with your food choices?

I was sent complimentary samples of Somersault Snacks, all opinions and experiences are my own.

Posted in Food facts, Products | 9 Comments

How to know what you’re talking about on Sunday

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Michelle

Who’s excited for the Superbowl?

I am! And I don’t just mean the food or commercials, I’m excited for the actual game. I know there are a lot of girls (and some men) who really don’t care about the game itself, and I’ve come to realize that some of the time its about not understanding the game of football. I’m here with some tips for the game and how to sound like you know what you’re talking about during the big game.

1. Downs

This can be the most confusing part of football for some. When one team has the ball, they have four downs to move it a minimum of ten yards. Then they get another four downs to move it ten more yards and so on until they hopefully score a touchdown – the ultimate goal.

Translation: Its like when you have a card at your favorite coffee place and you need four stamps (punches, whatever) to get a free coffee. You get the coffee… and then you get another card, and you need four more stamps, and so on. Each of those stamps is a down. Getting that coffee is like moving the ten yards, and the new card is like getting another four downs. Make sense? However: if you move those ten yards in less than four stamps… you reset, get your new card, and go back to first down.

2. The Red Zone

The Red Zone is the 20 yards in front of where the team with the ball is trying to score.

Translation: Don’t talk about anything but football when the ball is in the red zone… especially if the score is close, its the end of the game, or the team that the room is rooting for is in the red zone trying to score. It can be intense. Especially since the Patriots didn’t have a great year defensively and are ranked as average in red zone defense. Luckily our offense is good…

3. Gronk’s ankle (The Gronkle)

Are you wondering why everyone is talking about Rob Gronkowski’s ankle? It seems a little excessive. He hurt it in the AFC Championship game two weeks ago, and as of this writing, it is still up in the air if he’s going to play or not.

So what’s the big deal about one guy? For starters, Gronk had the best season (i.e. most touchdown passes) ever for a tight end. The Pats scored 39 passing touchdowns and he scored 17 of them. That’s over 40% of them! (source)

Translation: While he’s not the whole team, Gronk is a big deal. Feel free to throw out that 43% stat on Sunday, you’ll really turn some heads.

4. Blitz

Ah, the blitz. There are 11 guys on the field for each team during any passing or running play, meaning when the quarterback is out there and has the ball. The defense has a few guys (typically four) who get in the quarterback’s face… these are linemen, and they’re pretty much always there. Then there are guys who hang out right behind and around the linemen and there are guys who are way back, to cover people that the quarterback will pass the ball to.

In an attempt to knock the quarterback down with the ball or make him hurry and throw a bad pass, a defense will send guys across. This can be risky because if defense is all focusing on the quarterback, they’re not focusing on the guys that could be catching the ball. If the quarterback gets his pass off quickly enough, and his guys are open because of the blitz… that blitz didn’t work. BUT, if the defense can get to the quarterback in time and knock him down with the ball, or make him throw a fumble, that’s a good blitz.

Translation: When you see the defense moving up, its a strong possibility that they are going to blitz. Go ahead and ask the room “Are they going to blitz?”. I wouldn’t do it more than once a quarter, though. This is one that if you overuse it, you just look like an idiot.

5. Brady vs. Manning

If all this football talk is still “blah blah blah” to you, you can participate in girl talk but still be talking about the players. I overheard on the radio that a recent survey revealed that more women would have an affair with Eli Manning than Tom Brady

Really?

Women said that they are more drawn to Eli’s boyish good looks, but more importantly, are intimidated by Tom’s supermodel wife, Giselle. Um… if I were to be having an affair with Tom Brady IN MY HEAD… you can bet Giselle wouldn’t be there. I think these ladies need to keep in mind what a fantasy is. Live a little!

Translation: Stop thinking about Giselle when you think about Tom.

That’s it! Hope I gave you some information to enjoy the game a little more on Sunday! Will you be watching? Who are you rooting for? Would you have an affair with Brady or Manning?

Posted in Celebrity Crushes, Holidays/seasons, Moods, Silliness | 2 Comments

Why I don’t do crunches

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Michelle

I’ve said a few times that I don’t do crunches and opt for planks instead. For years I did crunches… on the mat, on the ball, center crunches, side crunches. It was during a meeting with my trainer-friend that I was told “oh… you’re rectus dominant.”

Whaaaaaaat?

All that meant was that I was using my rectus abdominus (the six pack muscle) more than those deeper stabilizing muscles in my abdomen, or the transverse abdominus. It wraps around your spine for protection and stability.

Alrighty, so what’s so bad about that? Studies have shown that there is a connection between the inability to efficiently contract the core muscles and chronic back pain.

To improve stabilization, its important to work the muscles that are closer to the spine and keep the spine and lower back stable and supported. Those are the transverse abdominus muscles. (The superficial muscles work to help with movement.)

The number one exercise for the transverse abdominus is the plank! When I incorporated these into my routine, I noticed a big difference in how I felt. I stood taller and did have less back pain. I can feel it when I neglect them, too. Crunches have their place, but if I’m focusing on my abs, I want to be working on my inner core.

I find that the plank works best for me when I focus on making myself very long while I’m up there, and as they say, focus on pushing your belly button toward the ceiling. The plank can be tough at first and even induce some shakes, but is well worth it in the long run.

Are you a plank person or a crunch person? Or do you do something totally different for your abs?

I am not a trainer or medical professional. My observations and information come from discussions with trainers, perusing the internet, and personal experience.

Posted in Strength Training, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Wah wahhhh

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Michelle

I haven’t run much in the past week… only once in fact! Wah wahhhh… know that noise?

Debbie Downer cracks me up.

So even though its just that one run, it was a great one! 2.79 miles in 27:00, for a pace of 9:41/mile! WHAT? I haven’t run that fast in awhile! Its gotta be the shoes.

I do love my new Nike Frees and I would highly recommend them. I run faster in them and my hips are less sore the next day after running, and as you can see, I’ve been running hard. This could also be because I’m stretching well after my runs. I make sure when I go to the gym that I’m budgeting in ample time to stretch after I work out so I don’t get hurt again. This isn’t something I was good about before… and look what happened. Long stretches, strength moves for my legs, and positive thoughts will keep me injury free this race season!

Speaking of positive thoughts… here’s more Debbie Downer. This skit has always cracked me up for multiple reasons, mostly because Jimmy Fallon can’t control himself… as usual. We all know them, so I’m curious… How do you deal with Debbie D’s?

Posted in Moods | 2 Comments