Happy Monday!

These mugs made me smile! Who wouldn't like to have coffee with the BFG every morning?

Also, Tone It Up's Beach Week started today and sweating out my anxiety perked me right up for Monday! For more info, go here.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-CHIA!

Since I got back in town, I decided to try out a new fitness craze - chia seeds. Every so often a food comes along (i.e. kale, quinoa, flax seeds, pomegranate juice, sweet potatoes) and is reintroduced and celebrated for its remarkable nutrition. Chia seeds are the new flax and boy are they fantastic!!

I got mine from  Trader Joe's

photo courtesy of the TJ's blog

According to the Tone It Up website Chia seeds have a lot going for them:

"Omega 3 fatty acids - Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids are essential fatty acids, meaning that you need to get from food sources because your body cannot produce them itself. Omega 3′s reduce inflammation and may help lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. They’re also said to help with weight reduction related to their regulation of blood sugar levels and insulin.

• Plant-based protein - Protein is an essential macronutrient needed for many functions in the body, including muscle building.
• Antioxidants - Antioxidants help rid our body of free radicals, which have been linked to cancer and heart disease.

• Fiber – Helps with weight loss by keeping you feeling full, prevents constipation and enhances regularity.
• Magnesium and Potassium – Two minerals needed for good health"

To read more go here.

Tone It Up suggests Chia Breakfast Pudding and Chia Fresca (a chilled drink). You can get both of those recipes here.

They tasted even better than they look! You should try out some Chia seeds!

Partial Success - We did not get hit by a car!

That was a great run 4500 ft higher than I've ever done 3.2 miles before!

Mack and I managed to enjoy 2 out of 3 of our success goals:

My leashing skills coupled with an inkling of self control led to Mack not darting at cars - hooray!
We enjoyed being outside!

Unfortunately, after the 2 mile marker Mack was in desperate need of a quick walking break and my heel started to give me shoots of pain like it does when my plantar fasciitis s acts up. So we walked about a quarter of a mile and then ran the rest of the way home!

2 out of 3 isn't bad!

Next weekend we're supposed to run even further! Cannot wait to see how far I can actually go!

Since Mack is super cute and I do not take pics while running, are some after shots of the tired runners.

Enjoy!

One Woman & Dog 5k!

Tomorrow is the day! It is the day that Mack and I test whether our HIIT runs and time in the much higher altitude (in comparison to coastal TX) have gotten us ready to up our milage!

Tomorrow we are embarking on our own personal 5k.
Success will be:
Finishing without Mack's love of cars ending in either of our untimely demise...haha
Running/jogging all of it - except for Mack's pit stops (I usually try to jog in place)
Enjoying some time outside

Hopefully I'll be reporting back that Mack and I had some running success!

Was your Sunday a Runday or a Bumday??

Saving My Life - One 6:30 wake up after another...

I got all those crazy tests from the week before last back this week! I am happy to say I am ridiculously pleased with my first plunge back into academia after my location imposed hiatus from school. Anthropology is challenging and broad ranging, which I love! I am so happy that I transferred into this program!

On another note, I've been thinking abut this awesome running quote this week. Now, I haven't been running a ton because I'm a weather wimp, but I've been fitting in time to workout on a regular basis. I think if I could switch out running with exercise, this quote would be perfect. There is no disease preventative like staying healthy. Sometimes there isn't much we can do to protect ourselves, but keeping our bodies strong can't hurt!

So, go forth and save your lives!!

Kicking My Booty In Gear - The Shred-tastic Challenge

I have loved the Run for the Bling of It Challenge. It has been such a motivation to get myself out there and really run. Unfortunately for me, I live in Coastal TX and the past couple months have been so hot that I've put my running on hold till the hubs and I move to NM. I'm not a fan of treadmills and our current base gym does not have an indoor track. Unfortunately for me lack of running, stress eating, stress in general, and some rando personal issues have lead to my pants being tighter than I like to admit to. It's nothing horrific, but certainly enough to bother me.

Since we won't be headed out there till September I knew I needed to get myself under control and find some kind of consistent work out activity. Then I realized I keep seeing friends talk about this Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred video. I did a little research, read a ton of reviews, and decided to try out this video. I wanted to make it easy to keep track of the days, so I figured I'd start on Aug. 1st. I was so excited I told my friend E during our Starbucks date. She and I decided we'd shred together. Then I was even more excited and I told my friend Allie over at a tsp of life. She came up with the idea of doing a group fitness challenge! I thought that sounded awesome. Who doesn't want great accountability. So lots of texts and google chats later, Allie came up with guidelines and a sweet graph to keep track of your results.

Since we're so excited about this, we decided to open up this challenge to anyone who would like to join. There are no prizes except for us talking about all the people who keep it up every day on our blogs. There will be a winner if you choose to send us your results, but the winner only gets lots of online kudos and of course BRAGGING RIGHTS.

If you're interested in shredding with us starting Aug. 1st, check out my tab titled "Shred-tastic Challenge" or go here. The tab has all the details and guidelines. The more the merrier, so commit to shredding and get ready to get  your booties in gear with us!