Month: November 2013

What My Toddler Wears: Reebok VentureFlex

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EdithParkReebok

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with Reebok and FitFluential. Edith and I both received sneakers as compensation. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Usually I’m blogging about my own fitness gear but today it’s all about Edith. Recently she received her very own pair of Reebok VentureFlex and she is in love. Seriously this girl is crazy about shoes, I mean if she could wear them all day and night she would but these seem to be a favorite of hers. Every morning before we even get dressed for the day she grabs those shoes brings them to me, sits down and asks me to put them on her.

EdithWalkParkReebok

The VentureFlex, which is just for toddlers – girls and boys sizes 2-10, is more than just a cute shoe that Edith loves they are an overall great shoe. Reebok’s Ventureflex has an incredible flexible outsole, a sock liner tool which helps you quickly size your toddler’s foot and also a wide toe box. One feature I really appreciate is that the shoe offers a good amount of flexibility while still being supportive.

Reebok VentureFlex - great for climbing slides!

Reebok VentureFlex – great for climbing slides!

Although we were provided these shoes for free I have to say that as soon as Edith grows out of them I will be buying her another pair. These shoes have proven to be perfect for walks to the park, running around the playground and they have even made a trip to the science museum where they were worn while doing some crazy water play (yes they dried fairly quickly).  Overall a winning shoe and perfect timing as she had just grown out of her first pair of sneakers.

P.S. This product is available at Finishline in store and online at finishline.com

Currently 11.27.13

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Coffee RistrettoThinking about:  What I’m going to make for Thanksgiving tomorrow. We aren’t really big on Thanksgiving and we weren’t even supposed to be in town this year but due to Neil’s crazy work schedule the last two weeks we decided to cancel our Seattle Trip and stay home. So now I’m trying to figure out just what I will be making tomorrow.

Feeling: Good. Excited for the holidays. Tired out.

Watching: I’m still watching Supernatural – sometimes I wonder why but apparently I’m addicted and it gets me through the early bedtimes with Edith that happen 2 or 3 times per week. Otherwise that’s pretty much it. With Neil so busy at work we haven’t been watching much TV.

Reading: I have been trying to catch up on my blog reading but that’s about it. I have a few books that I plan on reading but honestly don’t see that until the new year or until I charge my ipad.

Looking forward to: Neil having four days off from work!! The PDX Macy’s Day Parade, we actually weren’t going to go but then I entered a giveaway and won VIP tickets! I am also looking forward to other holiday events like the tree lighting over on Mississippi Ave and decorating our house (yes that is an event).

Making me happy What I’m Thankful For: My hard working husband who is a loving caring partner and father. My beautiful daughter who is the light of my life. Living in a place that I love and being surrounded by wonderful friends and family both near and far. What are you thankful for?

This post was inspired by Sometimes Sweet.

Overcoming Workout Obstacles

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Neil is on a major deadline for a work project which has been consuming all of his time. He actually at work as I write this, it’s 6pm on a Sunday and he will probably be there for another 6 hours. This was our situation last weekend as well and every day this week he has been early to work, late to arrive home and after a quick dinner and story time he has been back to work. Needless to say we haven’t had a lot of family time and I haven’t had a lot of alone time to workout.

jogging stroller - kids reebok

Weeks like these I could just throw my hands up and not workout but instead I make alterations to my workout plan and try to get in as many workouts as possible. Often workouts have to be done with a toddler in tow so here are a a few ways I get a workout in:

  • Jogging Stroller. Seriously one of the best investments that we have ever made has been in buying our BOB jogging stroller. I use it at least twice per week to go out for a run with Edith (yay for being back in my running groove) and I often take her out at least one or two times for a nice long walk to the park.
  • Babywearing. You might be scratching you head and saying really? YES! Caring around my 20lb toddler IS a workout especially when we get out for a 2-2.5 mile walk. The days of easy babywearing are over but I still love it.
  • Chase The Toddler. This is a game E and I love to play. We head to the park and find a green area and I will run after her or circles around her and then come in for a big tickle session. I get my workout in and both of us get lots of laughing in.
  • Stair Climbing. Literally. We have a set of stairs that goes up to our main living area and E will stand at the top and I will run up and down the stairs (17 stairs total in case you are wondering).  I then reach through the gate and give her a tickle and she just laughs and laughs.
  • Dance Party. When the weather is dreary we put on music and dance around the house. The best part is I can really get going and get my heart rate up just by having a 30 minute dance party with E. Bonus she generally sleeps better on dance party nights.
  • Yoga Videos During Naps. I have tried to do other workout videos during naps but I often make a little too much noise but since yoga videos are generally calm and  quiet I am able to do them during nap time.

I am still trying to come up with some other ideas on ways to get workouts in while E is awake but so far I have a number of ones that work for me. That being said there are NO EXCUSES when it comes to getting at least four good workouts in per week.

Are there obstacles or challenges that are getting in the way of your workouts? How do you or could you overcome them?

Conclusion: Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation

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12week3The following post is sponsored by Girls Gone Sporty on behalf of Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation. As always all opinions are my own.

I am in the homestretch for completing Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation 4-week preview plan. I am often not one to stick with training plans (with the exception of running) so I am proud of myself for sticking fairly close to this plan. I’m not going to tell you I didn’t have off days because I did have 3-4 but overall I stuck to the plan and I can tell you I notice a difference.

  • Weight: My weight fluctuated during this training time but overall I saw a 2lb lost (according to today’s weigh in). My goal was to be closer to 5lbs but I’m still happy with 2.
  • Inches (or Centimeters): Here is where I have seen more of a difference. It was a bit confusing to do everything in metric although after going to University in Canada I get why metric is just more accurate overall (take note American teachers). Anyways I lost centimeters around my hips, waist, arms, and legs which for me is even more significant that the overall weight loss. Clothes fit a bit better and I even went and bought myself some new items!
  • Workouts: I tried to stick close to the plan and I got in 90% of my workouts including a lot more running. I am feeling good and back on my game for sure. I am planning to keep up with running, strength training and also some yoga.
  • Food: This was the only real place I found issues. I tried most of the vegan recipes but since there was such a small selection my husband, daughter and I got bored fast with the options. Now I refuse to cook separate meals for the two of them so whatever I make is for all of us so I had to consider them a bit when choosing our meals for the week. I ended up creating meals a number of meals that stayed in my calorie allowance that were low in salt, sugar, fat and were filled with protein and important nutrients. Some of the dishes I made were gluten free pasta with lentil marinara, Buddha bowls, tempeh with greens and roasted roots and banana ice cream (whipped frozen bananas).

Overall my experience with this program was a positive one. I lost a little weight, lost centimeters and got back on track with working out. As I said in the past I have heard rumors that they will be increasing the number of vegan options so if you are vegan the selection of food should improve. I also really enjoyed the weekly motivational videos from Michelle Bridges. They really helped to keep me focused and on track with my goals.

So would I do the full 12 week program? Although I know it would be a huge challenge I would love to try it out. I was impressed with the preview and think that there is a lot of potential for this to be a really great 12 week program.

Do you think you would be interested in this program?

Thursday Thoughts

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Edith Hot Chocolate Either:Or PDX

  • This week has been the longest week. How is it ONLY Thursday? Has it been dragging for you as well?
  • I have to go get our car serviced today which should be fun since it’s on the other side of town (where we used to live) and it’s right at Edith’s naptime.
  • On a positive note I will be able to go to my favorite Whole Foods that is by our old apartment. Tell me I’m not the only one that gets excited about going grocery shopping.
  • Sunday Neil will (hopefully) be done with a huge work project that has consumed his days and nights. Then it’s three more days of work and then we are free for an nice long weekend!
  • We’ll probably have something Asian for Thanksgiving.
  • Edith woke up last night screaming which continued on for another 10-15 minutes and neither of us can figure out what the reasoning was. Maybe a night terror? Anyways she is happy as can be this morning and Neil and I are zombies.
  • Neil and I have a date night on Saturday and we have no idea what to do. We are so used to doing everything as a family and since we generally don’t sensor ourselves from doing things that aren’t “kid friendly” with Edith a date night sometimes just seems weird. So now we are trying to figure out just what we will do.
  • I am finishing up my last week of Michelle Bridges 12WBT and things have been going well. I’ll be sharing my experience with you this weekend.
  • I need to go for a nice (short) run.

What are your Thursday Thoughts?

Pin-able Recipes: Chickpea Tomato Minestrone

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Lately I have been cleaning up and categorizing my pinterest boards so that they are nice and organized. As I was going through this process I decided I should really start trying some of those recipes that I pinned and if I found any that I loved I’d share them with you. I finally tried my very first pinned recipe and it was delicious!

chickpeasoup

This recipe comes from the blog Vegetarian Ventures, a blog that I was no familiar with until  I tried this recipe. I love how easy this recipe is to prepare and how it is chocked full of nutrition . This was the perfect recipe for yesterdays rainy weather and I even warmed up with a bowl for breakfast this morning. Edith loved it as well so if you are looking for a toddler approved soup recipe this is a great one to try!

To check out the recipe for yourself head over here.

To check out other recipes and more that I have pinned head here.

Currently. 11.14.13

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IMG_4613 Thinking about:  Cleaning and unpacking. Yay that’s right we have been here two months today and still aren’t fully unpacked. Wondering how I am going to do at the Saturday race especially since I’ve only back to running for 3 weeks. I am thinking about blogging; improving my blog, posts to write and everything else that goes with it. (Finally) finishing my babywearing test.

Feeling: Anxious. Overwhelmed.

Watching: Lately I have been back to watching Supernatural; mostly on my phone in bed on those ever to frequent nights lately when Edith won’t sleep unless I am in the room with her, so 8am bedtime for me it is. Neil and I have also been watching The Black List which I am really getting into and we have started to watch Top Chef.

Reading: Nothing. I still have Orange Is The New Black to finish and I have a mile long list of other books I’d like to read.

Looking forward to: The Ugly Sweater Run on Saturday- despite knowing how slow I am going to be I am looking forward to running it with Edith and Neil especially after this terrible week we have had. I am also looking forward to date night next week.

Making me happy: How successful I have been with the 12WBT plan. My amazing husband and crazy and loveable child.

IMG_4690This post was inspired by Sometimes Sweet.