Every January I do a round of Whole30 to help get the year started right and kick any bad eating habits that might have snuck in during the holidays. This week I had to do a road trip (4.5 hours each way) and thought I'd share what I ate. Normally, being on this drive triggers the snacking monster and makes me want to eat junk, but this time I planned ahead!
Before I left, I had breakfast at home so the only meal I needed on the road was lunch. My car lunch was a leftover bunless turkey burger with salsa (Trader Joe's has compliant salsa), holy guacamole, sweet peppers, an apple and Larabar. That night for dinner away from home I packed tuna fish, more sweet peppers, carrots, almonds and some cauliflower rice. Breakfast was an egg casserole I had made for the week that has peppers, mushrooms, spinach, apple sausage, and potatoes in it. Then back on the road for another 4 hours. My road lunch was 2 hard boiled eggs, Lara bar, almonds, carrots and lots of black coffee!!!! I was proud of myself myself for not slipping even while traveling and if you plan and prepare, this Whole30 stuff isn't too hard! 25 days to go!
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1. Tunes that inspire! My 3 favorite pump up songs to listen to while I run on are- Harder Better Faster Stronger by Daft Punk (great beat and makes you want to push yourself), Road to Nowhere by Talking Heads (because I have to feed my 80's addiction), and lastesly any song by Bass Hunter (I'm a total nerd for European electric/dance music). There's something about singing along in languages I don't speak, not knowing the meaning that I just really enjoy. And I LOVE my AfterShokz PINK headphones to listen to these tunes as I run because the sound is great and they stay in place without pinching!
2. Give back! This month I'm dedicating my miles to breast cancer awareness. Wearing pink, talking to others about screenings, and participating in fundraising events (so many runs and races for this cause) are ways I'm going to give back this month. 3. Be a self care advocate: As a SAHM, I love Instagram for the social aspects of it, but I also really love it for the motivation. Nothing makes me happier than to hear someone say I inspired them to get into running, or stay active during pregnancy, or to keep on their fitness journey. I also am so inspired by others on IG. It's where I draw my motivation for self care. On days when I don't feel like working out, I'll scroll through IG, see a #sweatyselfie and it's the push I need to get myself going! 4. Inspiring threads! Some of my favorite products/apparel that empower me to get sweaty + strong are: •Lululemon Speed Shorts (duh!) especially my Boom Juice (pink) pair •Brooks Ghosts 9 (pink!!!) •My pink AfterShokz headphones •My pink Contigo water bottle •And really all things pink! Especially this month when wearing my favorite color is helping spread awareness for #bca 5. Friends who inspire! The person who inspires me most during #bca month is my momma, a breast cancer survivor. She battled breast cancer 7 years ago and did so all while working full time. She gained sisters through her support group and never let it slow her down! I was super stoked to be picked to be on the ShokzSquad and try out AfterShokzs Trekz Titanium Pink headphones! I'll start this review by stating that I use to always run with headphones when I first started running. Over the last couple years, I have forgone the headphones for a couple different reasons. The first is that I never seemed to find a pair that fit comfortably. They were always falling out or needing adjusting. I also hated the cord. There were a couple of times when I was using the treadmill at the gym and had my phone propped up on the handlebar. I would be running and swing my arms catching the headphone cord and sending my phone flying off the treadmill. It was a hazard zone to run next to me! I also got knocked up and popped out a few kiddos over the last 4 years which has changed me into a stroller momma. The majority of my miles are now logged with a stroller. Pushing a stroller I have to be able to hear traffic along with the million requests from my toddler. Traditional, in ear headphones didn't allow me to feel safe while wearing them and pushing my stroller. So after a few runs wearing the AfterShokz headphones, here is what I love: 1. Safety- The design of these bone conduction headphones allows you to hear it all with their open ear design. So, I can hear cars approaching, requests for snacks, or cheers from other runners in awe of me pushing 100+ pounds! 2. Fit- These headphones rest on the outside of your ears, genius! This means I'm not having to have them fall out of my ears or be uncomfortable having things jammed into my ears. They are also Bluetooth so NO CORDS!! I've tried Bluetooth headphones in the past, but they squeezed my head and ended up giving me a headache. These rest around your ears so they don't squeeze. I honestly can't even tell I'm wearing them most of the time. 3. Style- Two words....HOT PINK!!!! For you non pink lovers out there (yes I suppose we can still be friends) they have headphones in other colors as well. 5. Cause- The absolute best part of these headphones is the cause they are helping to support. For every unit sold through October 31st, 2016 on aftershokz.com, AfterShokz will donate 25% of proceeds to Bright Pink – a non profit that focuses on breast and ovarian cancer awareness and education I'm definitely a fan now of these awesome headphones and you can get in on the action too! If you use the hashtag #AwareWithPink on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter AfterShokz will donate 25¢ to Bright Pink. You can check them out at http://aftershokz.com/collections/wireless/products/trekz-titanium-pink. You can also get a FREE case with purchase of Aftershokz Pink Trekz. To get the free case, add the small case to your cart and then enter the code PinkGift. The code won’t apply to the order with no case in the cart.
Camping is one of our favorite summer traditions. This year I vowed I would not gain 5 pounds over our camping weekend like I have for the past 4 years. Here's some of the foods I packed to stay on track. Brekfast foods: fruit, Tillamock Greek yogurt, Larabars, and hard boiled eggs (not pictured) Lunch- Tuna in sweet pepper slices, carrots (not pictured) and popchips Dinner- Turkey hotdogs and watermelon (the other night we have dinner on the road) Snacks (my husbands favorite food)- dried mango slices, fruit leather strips, pistachios, fruit, applesauce and organic beef jerky Since I'm still breastfeeding, I need an afternoon snack. IdealShape sent me some of their shakes to try out so I had to pack that too! I've been using them as my afternoon snack and really like them. They are a great post workout meal (yes I plan to run while I'm camping) with 11 grams of protein and only 1 gram of sugar. The IdealShakes only take 30 seconds to make and can be made one handed (you breastfeeding mommas know how important that is!). The shakes are filling, simple to make, portable, mix well with water, tasty (I LOVE the orange Creamsicle), and don't leave me wanting to snack all afternoon. They have been a welcomed addition to my hectic momma days. IdealShape is letting me host a giveaway for a full sized product. You can enter here:https://gleam.io/NgaAs/idealshape-giveaway?l=https%3A%2F%2Fgleam.io%2Fcompetitions%2FNgaAs-idealshape-giveaway
Also, make sure to sign up for their email (required for giveaway) at their website www.idealshape.com If you're like me, you're loving that it's finally summer again! Here in the Inland Northwest, we truly have 4 seasons so summer is really only 3 months long. Here are my 3 S's of Summer to make the most of the summer time we get to improve/maintain your health goals. 1. Sweat! It's easy to let the "lazy days of summer" make you feel lazy too. But with the warmer weather, it allows for more opportunities to move. Run (in the mornings to stay cool), swim, walk to the playground, play in your backyard, hike, basically do anything that makes you move. Turn the TV off and get outside! 2. Smile! Go see a comedy or be silly with your kids. Laughing has been proven to relax your whole body and boost your immune system. It will not only improve your health, but put you in a better mood as well. 3. Smart choices! With endless BBQ's and the urge to grab fast food so we don't have to heat up the house with the oven, it gets hard to stay on track! Some things that can help are planning ahead, grilling outside, and keeping meals and snacks easy. I've been loving smoothies and wanted something with added protein for my post workout snack. I was given a product called Amazing Grass to try out and I loved it! It tastes really great, blends well (not chalky at all), and is plant based which is huge for me! Right now they are doing a 40% off sale with the code 40SWEATPINK2. You can check it out at www.amazinggrass.com. You can also enter here for your chance to win one Protein Superfood powder in your choice of Original, Vanilla or Peanut Butter Chocolate. https://gleam.io/HLIZn/amazing-grass-giveaway By my picture, I bet you can guess which stroller I'd recommend. I fell in love with the BOB Ironman Sports Utility stroller almost a year ago. I couldn't find the double version secondhand (can't afford $700+ for a brand new one!) so we got a second single and this way my hubby and I can each push a single when we all run together. I have a double BOB Revolution that I'll use when I have to run solo with the boys. My first running stroller was the Baby Trend Expedition. I found a great deal on the stroller and car seat combo. I didn't really know much about running strollers, but it had good reviews on Amazon, so I gave it a shot. The Baby Trend was a pretty great stroller. Since the front wheel had the option to be locked or unlocked, it made it a great stroller for walking and navigating around stores. I also liked that it came with a snack tray, lots of storage and speakers. I didn't like the handle. It was nice that it adjusted, but made it feel a little flimsy since it wiggled a bit. The stroller also didn't have any type of shocks, so it made for a bumpy ride for the kiddo riding in it. I like to run fast and I didn't feel comfortable going faster than a 7:30 pace with this stroller. It was also on the heavier side. Even with all that said, it's still a good stroller, especially for its price. Now look at that beauty! All my running mommy friends kept telling me how awesome BOBs are and ran with them. I knew I couldn't afford a new one, so I kept an eye out on Craigslist. Finally, one day I found a screaming deal on a BOB Ironman stroller. I didn't really know anything about the sport utility version, but lucked out!
I have since ran with a BOB Revolution and the Ironman. The Revolution is great, but the Ironman is amazing! It is much lighter and the bigger wheels make for an extremely smooth ride. The thing I like the most about it are the shocks. I can tell Bubba isn't getting raddled all over the place and I feel much more comfortable going fast with this stroller. The downside to BOB strollers are their costs. They are expensive, but you can usually find a deal on one secondhand. They also can hurt your wallet with all the accessories that don't come included like snack trays, handle bar cup holder, and rain covers. Hope this helps with anyone looking for a running stroller! What's your favorite stroller to run with? Let me start by stating that Lululemon did not in anyway compensate me for this post (but if they'd like too, I'm all for it!😉). It just turns out a lot of their clothes worked well for my pregnancy. During my pregnancy, I worked out 6 days a week. I really didn't want to buy a bunch of maternity clothes, especially since I already had quite the collection of workout gear. Luckily, I was able to make most of my non-maternity pieces work. Here are some of the staples that grew with me that I'd recommend. Lululemon Speed Shorts• I admit I have an addiction to speed shorts. So, I was really happy I was able to still wear a part of my collection through the length of my pregnancy. When I first got pregnant, I ordered 2 pairs in a size up. Those two bigger pairs helped get me through that awkward chubby phase where you don't really look pregnant yet but, instead ate too many donuts. Once my belly finally popped, I was able to go back to my normal size since I wore my shorts under the bump. These shorts are great for running and many cross fitters swear by them too. Lululemon Run Swiftly Long Sleeve• These light weight, soft, stretchy tops were a life saver! They run a little small so I always size up in them. Since I like them with a bit of a looser fit, the ones I already had were able to accommodate the bump. They were great for layering and so comfortable. They also have been great for postpartum. I think I have worn one 4 out of the 5 days since having Malachi. Bao Bei Maternity Support Band• This is described as a "sports bra for your belly" and that is such an accurate statement! This is the Power Mesh band and it is awesome. It hugged my belly but didn't feel tight or cut into me. It stayed put! I was expecting this to roll up or down when I was running or lifting, but it doesn't move at all. It also has mesh on the back panel so it didn't over heat me. It also helped hold up my bottoms, which was helpful when I had to wear shorts or pants under my bump. I can't recommend enough how important it is to have belly support when you're active. Cheap Tank Tops• I had a couple of tanks that I regularly wore. Most of them were just cheap cotton tanks from Walmart or Old Navy. I just needed ones that were long that would cover the bump. These usually were a base layer since I wore long sleeves a lot (it's chilly in the Northwest). Buying tip!I am pretty thrifty, so I use eBay, buy sell & trade groups, the "we made too much" section of lulu's website and thrift shops to buy most all of my Lululemon gear. Rarely I buy anything full price. It's also great that most items you can resell easily. The 2 pairs of bigger speed shorts I bought, I will most likely sell and get all my money back on what I bought them for.
What were/are your must haves for pregnancy workout gear? This was the last day I was pregnant. A few hours after this I would go for a run and then a few hours after that I'd be heading to the hospital. As promised, here's a recap of how my labor and delivery went. I went into labor on Tuesday, but to get a full view of the story we have to go back to Saturday. My hubby and I enjoyed a date night together that included a trail run. Well, I must have over did it a bit, because that evening I went into false labor. I started having contractions 2 minutes apart. Since my water broke when I had Micah, I knew when to go to the hospital. This time I wasn't so sure. I knew if you had contractions every 5 minutes or less you should go in. So, when I timed mine and they were 2-3 minutes apart for over an hour I decided to get to the hospital (which is only 9 blocks away so I wasn't in a huge rush). I got there and got checked in. They monitored me and since I wasn't 39 weeks yet or had my water broken, all they could do is monitor and try to slow the contractions down. It took until about 4 in the morning, but we got them under control and I went home. Life went on as normal for the next couple days. I rested on Sunday and did an easy, slow stroller run on Monday. I went to my doctors appointment on Tuesday and was still dilated around 3.5. I felt fine and hadn't had anymore contractions. So, as normal, I went for a run Tuesday evening before we had our church small group.
On our way to group, I started feeling contractions again. I timed them and they were 5-6 minutes apart. Since my water still hadn't broke, I just figured it was false labor again and I would keep monitoring them and try to relax. All through group they continued. When we got home I got in the tub in an attempt to slow the contractions down. It didn't work and around 9:30 PM I was having such painful contractions less than 2 minutes apart. We called grandma to stay with bubba and back to the hospital I went. When I had Micah I got my epidural pretty fast, so I never experienced the intense pain of the contractions I was having with Malachi. My respect for drug free birth mommas has sky rocketed since this experience!!! As I was getting checked in and waiting for some drugs, I was in a panic. I had never felt this much pain before and had no clue how to manage it. The contractions were one right after another. Thank goodness for one of the nurses who must have seen the terror in my eyes. She looked directly at me and firmly told me to breathe, take deep breathes, and encouraged me through the contractions. She was my gift from God in that moment. She stood next to me and let me squeeze her hand until it was FINALLY time for my epidural. I recieved my epidural around 10:45 PM and was dilated to a 5. Around 1:00 AM I felt like baby was really low. My nurse checked and I was at a 10 and it was time to call the doctor. My water still hadn't broken, so my doctor broke it around 1:15 AM. I pushed through 3 contractions and baby was born at 1:38 AM Wednsday morning. I might get some slack for this comment, but the pushing really felt effortless. When it was done I looked at my husband and said, "I don't think it's suppose to be that easy!" My recovery so far has been smooth and I can't wait to start running again (don't worry I'm not yet, and am going to give my body some time off). I've got about 10 pounds to lose and am just so happy and blessed that baby is healthy and perfect. Thank you to everyone who has been on this journey with me. Your support and encouragement helped kept me motivated to stay active. Now time to feed and snuggle the baby. Now that I'm 38 weeks, I decided I had better get my hospital bag ready! I tend to be a minimalist when it comes to packing for anything and after the first time, I realized you don't really need that much. Here's what I packed:
1- My toiletries and makeup 2- Warm fuzzy slipper socks. These are great for hospital but make sure to use a pair you don't mind tossing afterwards since, you know, childbirth 😛 3- A nursing cover. I'm 100% pro breastfeeding, but I'm still boob shy. 4- Baby's going home outfit in newborn size. 5- A second baby outfit choice in a 0-3 size incase baby is big. 6- A newborn pacifier. I may or may not use this. Micah used a pacifier to sleep when he was a newborn, but gave it up on his own when he was around 4 or 5 months old. 7- A robe. I like having something that feels like me and not hospital issued. I may also throw in some pj's but I tend to stay in my robe for the most part. 8- Some healthy snacks 9- My glasses 10- My going home clothes. Plan to wear clothes that would fit you when you were about 6 months pregnant. 11- My Bao Bei maternity band. They are great for core support postpartum. A few other things I'll pack that aren't pictured are my phone charger, a nursing bra (still need to buy one), and a camera. What are some of your "must haves" for your hospital bag? As I'm entering into my due date month (woohoo!), I wanted to share some of the tools and tips that helped me stay (somewhat) on track with my pregnancy nutrition. Plan and Prep!If you're like me, if there is food I'm trying not to eat in the house (like cookies or baked goods in general) I WILL find it and eat it (usually in one sitting). Keeping my pantry and frig stocked with clean, easy to grab foods is the key to keeping myself on track. If I have carrots already cut and peeled, I will grab them instead of a handful of crackers. Also, knowing what I'm going to cook for dinner for the week helps me avoid the "I don't know what to do for dinner. Let's just grab something on the way home" situation. Meal planning leads me to my next point.... Find tools to help you be successfulI had already been following whole30 for about a year before I became pregnant, but I was getting bored with the same ol' foods. I bought the new cookbook (http://whole30.com/whole30book/). This helped motivate me by finding new recipes. I'm not saying whole30 is the key for everyone and there are lots of great plans out there. What's helpful is to find something that makes you excited and works for your nutrition goals. Another tool I love is this Contigo water bottle. Having the right bottle makes all the difference for me in how much water I drink. This bottle has a wide spout, easy access (I'm lazy and hate having to unscrew a top), spill proof, and best of all it has a lock to keep my toddler from claiming it as his own. I'll also admit I love all things pink, so that's definitely a plus for me! Be alright with splurgingI will fully disclose that I have not eaten 100% clean during this pregnancy or haven't had days where I've over indulged. I don't believe in completely depriving yourself, for me it's about balance. Now, when I'm completing a round of whole30, there are no treats allowed, but normally I like to give myself incentives. For example, I'll tell myself, "eat clean 6 days and allow yourself a cheat day on the 7th" or "eat clean for 2 days and get a reward on day 3". If I have a goal and know I can splurge at some point, I know I'll do better staying on track. I also try and listen to my cravings and find healthier solutions. For example, when I'm craving sweets I try and grab fruits like apples or dates instead of cake and cookies. Or when I'm craving carbs, I'll opt for Ezekiel bread or steel cut oats.
Hope these tools and tips help along your pregnancy journey! Here's to happy, healthy pregnancies! |
AuthorThe adventures of running with my boys (bubbas) and the things I love! Archives
February 2019
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