With a name like Running With Bubbas, it’s obvious I’m a runner. Hands down, running is my primary form of exercise. I have done lots of other programs along side my running and enjoy cross training. The end of 2017 came along and I found myself feeling in a bit of a funk with my workouts. Then I heard about an opportunity to try out the Gixo app and it was just what I needed. I was looking for somethig different to mix it up and to feel more motivated. I was also able to incorporate my running with this app which was a win in my book! But I was also fearful to step outside my safe and normal routine. What if I wasn’t strong enough for the workout? What if I couldn’t keep up? Could I really get up early enough to make my scheduled workout time? Well, I decided to jump right in and not give into those fears and doubts! Turns out, I’m doing pretty good and I’m really enjoying myself at the same time! Youre probably thinking, “what is this app and how is it different from any others out there?” The Gixo app is an app that offers live, guided fitness classes every 30 minutes. What makes them different? •They offer live classes. You workout with a live trainer and others from all around the country. You can ask the trainer questions during the workout and interact with other participants. There’s also the option of a live camera class where the instructor can watch your workout and make sure you have proper form or are completing the moves correctly. •The focus isn’t solely on one type of workout. They have strength training, HIIT classes, booty and core workouts and (for me the best part) running classes where you get to virtually run with others. This is so great for me when I can’t meet up with other runners locally. I can sign up for a class and have virtual friends to run with. You can even see where you are in the pack. How fun is that?! •There is accountability. When you have to sign up for a class, it helps that you have your workout scheduled. It helps me feel more accountable knowing that an instructor and workout buddies are going to join me. •You can post pictures to the group during your workout and after to share. I always like sharing my workout buddy who loves when I workout with him! So, for 2018 Fitapproach has has teamed up with Gixo to commit to strength, positivity and bravery in all aspect of life. Because we are limitless!!! And so are you! Join me and the other sweatpink gals in the #iamlimitless challenge. You can download the Gix app and start a free trial with the link below and show us how you are breaking those limits!!
https://go.gixo.com/noelle
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I was asked to try and review one of Amazing Grass’ new products. I had been a fan of their protein for over a year, so I was eager to jump on board. I was given these Effervescent Greens to try for 30 days and asked to report how I felt. Before I get to that part, I wanted to share some of the other features of this product that I loved. 1) I love how convenient the tablets are. I threw one of the containers in my diaper bag and so long as I had a water bottle around, I could easily get my greens on the go. 2) The taste! Okay, I will admit, some all natural products can taste a little funky, but that’s not the case with the Effervescent tablets. The Berry was my favorite, but the Lemon-Lime flavor was pleasant also. They are just sweet enough, but not too sweet. 3) The texture. Anything that has to dissolve in water always makes me worry it’s going to have a funky texture. I was so surprised at how well these dissolve in water and aren’t chalky or grainy at all. They add a really nice fizz to the water. 4) Money saving! I don’t have to buy a whole bunch of extra veggies to throw in my smoothies. I can dissolve a tablet in water and add to any of my favorite smoothie recipes! So, now you may be asking, “What extacly are these Effervescent tablets?” Here’s how Amazing Grass describes them: ”Flavor your water with nutrition you can feel. Our Green Effervescent tablets are the most convenient and delicious way to get a daily dose of green nutrition and support your immune system. Crafted with an organic blend of alkalizing greens including wheat grass, barley grass, and alfalfa grown on our family farm in Kansas plus a potent blend of over 30 antioxidant-rich superfoods.” So, after my 30 days here are my thoughts. When I first started drinking it, I had a cold that I quickly got over. Probably because these amazing tablets have over 30 antioxidant food to help boost your immune system. I also felt really energized each time I drank my tablet. I didn’t feel wired or jittery, just really good and ready to take on the day. I noticed a difference in my skin and any bloating I had was gone! I am completely sold on this product and it will continue to be a part of my nutrition.
Don’t forget you can get 40% off with code: sweatpink2017. Make sure to check them out at https://www.amazinggrass.com/store/effervescent-berry.html The long days of summer are winding down. The nights are getting cooler and the days shorter. New school years are starting, new chapters of life, new routines, and new fall lines of our favorite brands being released! My oldest started kindergarten this year. I think I'm more excited than he is (going from 2 to 1 kiddo during the day is amazing!). Anyways, we live right across the street from Micah's elementary school, so I walk him there every morning. I love seeing other other moms and what they wear. I love getting inspiration and ideas from other mommas too! I pretty much have two looks, casual and contemporary. If you're like me, it's a mad dash to drop kids off in time for school. Even in a hurry, you can still look put together. I like to refer to this look as wearing "real clothes". Just because you're wearing jeans, doesn't mean you can't still look put together. Here's my go to tips for "real clothes": 1) The easiest way to look stylish is by pairing a subtle pattern with some classic looks. Like my prAana top with skinny jeans and a neutral flat. I love this top not only because it's so soft and comfortable, but also because it's a great transitional piece. It's still light enough for these warmer last days of summer, but it has some earth tones added into it that will coordinate with other darker fall pieces later on when it's cooler. You can check it out along with their fall line at http://www.prana.com/ and save some money with discount code: FANL15 2) A solid structured bag is a must have for looking put together. A solid, more neutral color, will go with more of your clothing and look more timeless than a bold print or bright color. I prefer structured bags for a cleaner look versus a bag that's saggy or floppy. 3) My last tip to looking stylish and put together is a great chain necklace. I love this gold layered one because it brings the class of wearing accessories with, again being subtle and timeless. This is my most frequented look. Let's admit it, most of us wear activewear even when we're not being active, am I right?! It is, however, still possible to look put together even in workout clothes. 1) Don't shy away from beautiful colors and pretty prints, but make sure to pair any prints with a neutral solid. These prAna tights are some of my favorites from their new fall line. The pattern and colors are so gorgeous! Plus, they are soft and comfortable. These are also available at http://www.prana.com/ and discount code FANL15 can be applied! I seriously could live in these they are so comfortable and NOT sheer (they pas the bend over test!). 2) A great hat, because 2 words, BED HEAD! On busy mornings, which are most mornings, I don't want to have to fix my hair, so putting on a hat is a great fix! A solid color without any logos helps keep you looking put together. 3) Lastly, a neutral colored tennis shoe is a must! These gray heathered shoes will go with all my activewear and allow me to keep up with my busy boys! What are your tips for looking put together? I'd love to hear your ideas, too! Lastly, I'll leave you with a picture of the most important accessory every momma needs to get through the mornings and drop off.
I have been looking for a new scale for a long time. I actually went onto https://jane.com/ to look for some summer dresses, but stumbled across this scale on one of their special deals and it caught my eye. I had no idea they would even have scales on there! To my surprise, there are a ton of home goods for great prices on their site. This scale was on sale for $22.95 and is Kalorik brand. This scale not only measures weight and body fat, but gives you a whole matrics of measurements and all via Bluetooth straight to your phone! The app is really user friendly and displays all your information in a way that's easy to read and compare. Here's a screen shot of the health report it displays: Sadly, this deal on https://jane.com/ is expired, but keep an eye out for it to possibly return. Also, check out their other great deals on super cute clothes and other home goods (who knew they had so many awesome things for the home on there?!). If I notice this scale posted again I'll let you all know!
Attention all new moms and moms-to-be! There is a resource tool that just became available that I seriously would have loved to have when I was pregnant with each of my boys. Let me back up a little before I tell you about it. I've shared before how I struggled to breastfeed when I had my first baby. I tried everything possible and it just didn't work. One thing that I tried to help increase my supply, was pumping. However, the pump I was using was given to me second hand. I had no idea how to use it, or if it even worked properly. I struggled using it and felt like a failure that I wasn't able to increase my supply with it. I was silly enough to make this same mistake the second time around, continuing to use a second hand pump that I not only didn't know how to use, but didn't even have all the right parts for! Now, I don't think it's the sole reason things didn't work the way I wished they had, but I really feel that I could have had a lot better experience if I would have had a new pump and actually knew how to use it. So, what was I thinking? Why make the same mistake twice? I was thinking that I had to pay for a new pump out of pocket and that I couldn't afford that. I had no idea that my insurance would have fully covered a new pump. That's where Bumpbenefits.com comes in. This website is a dream come true, no joke! It is designed to help mothers get breast pumps and other accessories for free by working with insurance companies. I had heard that you could get a breast pump through your insurance, but I had no idea how to do so. I was so preoccupied with getting ready to be a mom for the first time, that I didn't look into it or think that my insurance would cover the whole thing. After baby, I was so overwhelmed with insurance, bills from the hospital, bills from my OB, etc. that I couldn't even think about trying to do anything further with insurance. So, how does it work? Bump Benefits has done the hard work of teaming up with insurance agencies and made it beyond easy to not only get a new breast pump free, but to help you compare and chose which pump is right for you. They made it simple for you to access your insurance covered benefits with just providing basic information about your insurance, then they take care of the rest! No extra paperwork, no extra phone calls, just an easy to use website that does all the work for you. BRILLIANT! If that wasn't awesome enough on it's own, Bump Benefits can also help you to see if your insurance will cover other pregnancy products such as prenatal vitamins, compression socks, back braces and more. I know for us as a single income family, any savings we can find are greatly appreciated and make a difference. Every little bit helps!
Again, I would have loved this when I was pregnant, but am so happy it's available to all you mommas now and that I'm able to share it with you. Hey, the way I look at it, is that you pay for your insurance coverage, shouldn't you get all the benefits you can from it, especially when all the hard work (and annoying paperwork) has been done for you? Check it out at https://bumpbenefits.com/ and make sure to follow their Instagram too. Hope this is helpful to all you new moms, and expecting moms out there! Congrats on those little ones and happy pumping! This Saturday I ran the Wenatchee half marathon for the first time. It was my 15th half and I had a great experience. Here are my top 3 reasons you need to run Wenatchee next year:
1. The People! All the volunteers were so friendly and helpful. I had several questions before and after the race and everyone was very helpful and kind. Also, the people running were amazing! I met a few ladies at beakfast at my hotel before the race and they were running the half too. When they saw me on the course they cheered me on. All the other runners were very supportive and friendly. Lots of "great job" and smiles when I passed others. 2. The Location. I'd actually never been to Wenatchee before and wasn't sure what to expect. To my surprise, it's a really cute town! The historic downtown where the race takes place, is adorable. The river and mountains make it picturesque! We stayed an extra day and explored. There are so many pretty parks and great hiking. It's great for the whole family. 3. The Course! Relatively flat, but 100% gorgeous! The course runs along the Columbia river and through city parks. It's all on a paved running trail and the half is an out and back, which I love. I enjoy getting to see all the other runners before and after the turn around point and getting to cheer each other on. Overall, it was a great race. Well organized, perfect weather, friendly volunteers, and a beautiful location. I'll definitely be back to race this one again! I tend to like to carb load on baked treats. So, to get ready for my long run on Saturday, I whipped up these peanut butter oatmeal banana cookies. They are a better alternative than most cookies and made with no added sugar. Plus, I already had all the ingredients on hand which is always a bonus! I found this recipe at Food.com
Here's what you need: 1 cup mashed bananas (2 bananas) 1/3 cup natural peanut butter or nut butter 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 1/2 cup quick oats 1/2 chopped walnuts *Add coconut flakes or flaxseed or sliced almonds or raisins as alternatives Mix together and bake at 350 for 15 minutes Since I do a lot of stroller running, I have been concerned how that has affected my running form. I was more than excited when I joined the Lumo Run team and got the opportunity to use their run sensor. I really enjoy the coaching the app provides during your run. A friendly Australian woman comes on and tells you what to work on during your run. When you're hitting your goals, she'll chime in with "You're doing great" and "Remember how you feel right now". She also reminds me to focus on my posture. I tend to slouch when I'm getting tired and she'll give me a little reminder in my ear, "focus on your posture. Roll your shoulders back." I did get one comment while I was on the treadmill that confused me a little. She told me "remember to move like a horse". Do I need to gallop? Either way, I'm really enjoying this tool and feel like it's helping me to focus on my form which will help me a lot while marathon training. Here are my stats with a stroller run and a solo run. I wasn't surprised that rotation is something I didn't surpass with the stroller as I have to turn my body a lot when I switch which hand I push with. Clearing breaking is something I need to work on in both areas. I love that the app gives you goal specific exercises to do to work on the areas you need help with. As I continue training, I'll post updates on my progress to improve my form. Also, if you're interested in getting one of these bad boys yourself, I've got a discount code to share which is NL10. Happy running!!
This post is totally irrelevant to those who could care less about race pictures. When you're giving it your all, which I suppose you should be doing in a race, you probably aren't thinking about race photographers. However, if you're like me, and know what those "not paying attention" race photos look like (you know the ones, double chins, horrible facial expressions, body out of control), then you tend to keep an eye out for those photographers. I've had plenty of cringeworthy race pictures and here are my tips for getting some race pictures where you don't look like death: 1. Keep an eye out for photographers. I realize if you're in the zone you won't always be paying attention and in those cases, the awesome race performance is more important than a photo! 2. Smile!!!! I use to try and look serious like I didn't see the photographer and those pictures always looked so silly and not genuine at all. 3. Point your chin down slightly to get a better angle. 4. Wave or do something fun. It's all about being happy and when you Run Happy it shows! Here are some of my not my not paying attention photos for your enjoyment😊 Got to love the open mouth! This one isn't too bad, but do I ever run with my mouth closed? Trying to be serious😝 So, there you have it. Hope this helps and happy running!!!!!
I love the new year. I love starting fresh, second (or third) chances, dreaming, planning, feeling inspired, and setting goals. I'd love to hear what 2017 looks like for y'all!
Here are some of my goals and plans for the year: 1. Complete my third Whole30 in January 2. Starting in February, drink my Athletic Greens daily. I did this in December and really liked the boost it gave me. It's all natural, but since it has Stevia, I can't drink it while I'm doing Whole30 since it bans all sweeteners (even all natural ones like honey and agave) 3. Drink more water! 4. Break a 21 minute 5k! 5. Complete my 3rd full marathon 6. Spend quality time with my boys and get my biggest Bubba prepped for starting Kindergarten in the fall 7. Run 80-100 miles a month 8. Complete BBG 2.0 9. Explore more 10. Be more cautious of my spending (sorry Lululemon!) |
AuthorThe adventures of running with my boys (bubbas) and the things I love! Archives
February 2019
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