Goodbye Google Reader and Other Thursday Things

Hello all,
It is one day from the weekend so you should be smiling today! I slept in instead of hitting the gym in the AM because I need my sleep (and need to stop staying up so late at night).  Anyways, here are some random musings for this lovely Thursday.


1. Goodbye,Google Reader! 
I had just jumped on the Google Reader bandwagon when I got the notification that it was being discontinued in July. Thanks to the wonderful blogging community, I hopped on BlogLovin' which let me import all the blogs from Google Reader and voila! It's super clean and easy way to scroll through blogs I like and click on posts that interest me so check it out and please follow me through the link below!

Click HERE to follow me on BlogLovin'!

2. Custom Sneakers. 
The boyfriend decided that for our anniversary he wanted to gift me a pair of custom sneakers, after I hinted on Valentine's Day how awesome they were and that he shouldn't have made me so many chocolates! New Balance, Reebok, and Nike all allow  you to customize sneakers online (for a price!), but I think since I'd probably never splurge on the Nikes that I'm going to go with them in a super flashy teal and hot pink color scheme. 

Check out custom Nikes here and let me know any suggestions you have!


Anybody have an experience in the Nike Frees or Nike Lunarglides? I mostly run, but I'd probably wear these sneakers for short runs or the gym because I'm so in love with my Brooks PureConnects!

3. You need to get to a Trader Joe's right way and buy five bags of these.  
These roasted coconut chips fuel my coconut obsession and are so delicious. They are great in trail mix, on oatmeal, or buy themselves.  Sadly the bag is only two servings (Okay, actually one serving for me) so stock up!

(From TraderJoes.com)

Healthy Sweets Guest Blog Post

Last week, my guest blog for Becca at Diary of a Slow Runner  was published featuring two quick and healthy snack recipes that have been satiating my sweet tooth as of lately.  Go check out my post and look at  all the great posts on Becca's blog!

Tomorrow look out for a recap of my third half marathon which included a surprise!

Shamrock 5K PR and a Winner

Congrats to my first EVER giveaway winner Debbie Harris! Please email me at breathedeeplyandsmileblog@gmail.com so I can get some information to get your bracelet sent on its way!

Thanks everyone for supporting the blog and entering!

My ‎2nd race of 2013 done with a new PR at Baltimore KELLY Shamrock 5K. My PR of 21:22 this past Sunday was a really exciting way to end the weekend.  It's funny because my 5K PR was this race last year, and I was totally not expecting to break it.  

The KELLY Shamrock 5K is a super fun race that happens right before Baltimore's St. Patrick's Day parade.  People are already lined up for the parade so there is automatically a nice-sized audience to cheer you on.

The race start time was at 1:15 in the afternoon. Late race starts always throw me for a loop because I have time to actually do things before race. It also was the day post daylight savings time switch which had me thrown off anyways.  I slept in and went and had a large brunch with my boyfriend.  The race was only a couple minutes from my apartment so my warm-up jog was to the start line.  Last year was my first year running the race, which always sells out, so I wanted to get close to the starting line. There was still a bunch of people in front of me, but I managed to get off to a speedy start just like last year. 

You couldn't ask for a better day with sunny skies, warm temperatures, and a mass of runners in neon green shirts.

Here's a video that was shot for Charm City Run that shows highlights from the race including the mass of green shirts: 

After running longer distances, a 5K felt so short! My first mile was around a speedy 6:40 so I keep the pace a little over 7 minutes for the rest of the race and had very little gas in the tank to push it at the end. I was so happy to see the finish line! Once I was done, I immediately went and grabbed my free beer at the end of the race. It officially marked the first time I felt like Spring was actually on it's way!

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Endorphin Warrior Giveaway

I'm really excited today because it is my first blog giveaway EVER! Please enter and make this awesome for me and win a really cool bracelet. 

Endorphin Warrior is a company who's goal is to encourage both athletes and non-athletes to live healthier, more productive, and positive lives through their products with exercise and positive thinking.  They have all sorts of jewelry such as bracelets, rings and also pendants and dog tags which are stamped or printed with an encouraging and positive word such as "Strength", "Focus", and "Conquer", just to name a few. 

I chose a bracelet with the word "Breathe", because it goes with the theme of my blog and because it is what I am trying to focus on in my life now. I think such a simple word and message that more people need to be reminded of!  Breathe, calm down, and focus on the day. Breathe when you run and release all that air and negative energy with each stride.  

Besides the fact that the products encourage positive thinking, which I love, they are also meant for active and healthy lifestyles.  I wore my bracelet all day, even through exercising, which gave me a lot of focus whenever I looked down at my wrist.  Endorphin Warrior is also doing something really cool for the month of March by sponsoring a month-long donation drive for the Orangethorpe Elementary Running Club which provides a positive after-school environment for lower-income children.  

Throughout the month Endorphin Warrior is donating $1 from each online sale to the club and will also provide each member of the Orangethorpe Elementary Running Club with a tee shirt, race entry for a local 5K, and merchandise as rewards for achieving certain milestones. Besides feeling great about supporting such an amazing cause, Endorphin Warrior will also give everyone who places an order between March 1st and the 31st a free dog tag/key ring valued at $15 with the buyer-selected keyword.  

I'm lucky to be able to offer a warrior training bracelet to a reader, thanks to Endorphin Warrior.  The giveaway will be open until Wednesday, March 13 at 11:59 pm EST.

I'm keeping it simple so to enter,comment and tell me what positive word you'd like on your bracelet (must choose from the options listed for Warrior Training Bracelets in the link below)!

All the Warrior Training Bracelet options can be seen here. 

Thank you so much, Endorphin Warrior!

Check out Endorphin Warrior all over the interwebs: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Disclosure: I received the Warrior Training Bracelet at no charge from Endorphin Warrior and no monetary compensation was provided for this post. All opinions are my own.

Unplugging

I wrote before about how I've been trying to unplug before bed and not spend half an hour on my Instagram or twitter.  Honestly all the bombardment of social media, aka a place for people to share but also show off has been causing a lot of anxiety for me. 

 I've decided for the next month to limit my social media time to 30 minutes approximately a day. I'll check out some of the blogs I like, do a quick Facebook check since I keep in touch with people that way, and limit my time online in general.  Seeing everybody who has 5 social media sites and instagrams their abs or oatmeal everyday causing a lot of comparisons and makes me feel down about myself about how much more I should be working out, eating less, and burning more calories.

The beginning of this week I felt so good and happy and strong and want to keep that going.  I'll try to blog probably about once or twice a week.  The interwebs and the strange world it is will go on whether I'm on it for a half an hour or 4 hours.  I'm going to get back into reading more books with my free time instead of just flipping through magazines on the bus to work or spending my lunch break on my phone. Hopefully as the weather warms up I'll spend some more time outside.

I've been thinking about my priorities and what I want in my life these past few months (residual New Year thoughts, perhaps?).  I have been working on removing negativity from my life and therefore stress.  I want to spend my time doing things that me happy and are productive while also giving myself enough time to recharge everyday.  This past week I've been working out because I want to, not because I feel like it is a chore I need to day. Monday there was a strength training circuit for Best Body Bootcamp that was on the schedule, but I was upset and just needed to run 4 miles, so I did.

If you are caught up in the craziness of life, which is how I usually feel around Wednesdays in the middle of the week, take a moment and breathe. 

Do something that makes you happy :)

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Happy Mardi Gras! Laissez les bon temps rouler= let the good times roll (I was a French minor in college after all!)

A day of indulgence will be less than that for me-I'm saving it all for Valentine's Day with a delicious dinner out and some chocolate. Lately I've been trying to work on little ways to change my routine to make things easier and less stressful for myself. I have some other things to hopefully add into the  mix too. 

Things I've Been Doing: 

1. Food prep

Everybody has been talking about this, but it really makes a huge difference in your day! I've been planning meals out or at least having ingredients/recipes on hand. Sometimes plans change and we eat out or something but it's okay.  I have the Tone It Up Hearty Mushroom Soup in the crockpot today for dinner and can't wait.  

I also prepped a bunch of snacks last night for pre/post workout, after dinner, or those ravenous after work snack attacks.  I made some mini banana muffins, banana chocolate protein bars, and peanut butter raw oats balls (there are a million different recipes floating around the internet).  

2. Unplugging Before Bed

I'm making a rule where I don't check Instagram/Twitter/FB on my phone or computer for at least an hour before bed. I haven't stopped TV, but those blue screens and lights stimulate your brain which makes it harder to go to sleep because it stops your body from producing the hormone melatonin.  Melatonin tablets are a great supplement to take if you have sleep problems, FYI! I'm also thinking of only having 15 minutes a day of social media for a month, but that's for the next post. 

3. Nighttime Ritual

This week I've been better at washing my face, putting lotion on my hands,flossing, and doing all those grooming/bathroom things that sometimes I skip because it takes too long.   My face was breaking out from stress last week but probably also due to a lack of my usual skincare regime.  To keep that ritual/routine is calming to me (OCD tendency, much?) but also becomes part of my schedule so that I'm taking care of myself, especially in these harsher winter months.  

Things to Work On: 

1. AM workouts

I love getting workouts done in the morning. It wakes me up and let's me have time after work to run errands, relax, and subsequently not go to bed past midnight.  This must become a habit!

2. Breathing

When I get stressed lately or overcome with emotions I need to breathe and make some tea.  I usually reach for some candy or freak out instead of taking a moment to try to calm down before it escalates, at which point it's so much harder to calm down.  

3. Making my snacks actual mini meals with nutritional value!

Instead of reaching for that bar that will not fill me up, I want to try eating some chicken or protein filled. I also can try to take the time to make an actual snack and sit down.  This makes it a conscious choice to eat and not just grabbing 4 different "little snacks" over the course of two hours.  

What are things you are trying to add into your daily schedule or routine?

Things I Love Thursday

 Hello all! I haven't been blogging as much due to being extremely busy and tired.  Work and volunteering and cooking dinner and exercising and watching Netflix's House of Cards is pretty much all I've been doing. Ravens won the super bowl Sunday (WOOHOOOO BALTIMOREEEEEEEEEEEE) so I spent Monday morning sleeping in instead of at work after a few too many  beers and not enough sleep Sunday evening.

Chobani Bites

1. Caramel with Pineapple Chunks Chobani Bites (100 calories!)

 I had finally found a couple other flavors of the new Chobani bites that I love so much. My boyfriend thought the pineapple caramel was amazing and decided to use our new ice cream maker to make a healthy treat (we christened it with a full flavor ice cream that used heavy cream!) on my afternoon off from work.  We mixed nonfat Greek yogurt, frozen pineapple bits, a little stevia, and a little almondmilk in the ice cream maker.  He also is a master at making homemade caramel (so bad for you but so delicious on anything!) so he made a small batch and swirled that in.  Thank god he only made enough for two servings because it was SO delicious and not too unhealthy, besides the caramel.

2. This song: I Love It by Icona Pop.
I heard it first on Girls on HBO (which is the best and funniest and most awkward show and you should watch it) and then again on a TV commercial. You can run so many miles listening to this song or have a dance party with it on loop, both of which I have done in the past week.  It will be stuck in your head all day, I promise.

3.  My Crockpot
I think I could cook with the crockpot everyday.  I made a turkey, corn , and black bean chili this week which was awesome. I loosely based it on this Skinnytaste recipe but only used one can of beans, added a can of corn, and some ground turkey.  Chili is the best because it's awesome to eat the next day for lunch!

I also made some crockpot applesauce from this recipe, and it might be something I make every week. I love it as a snack with some greek yogurt or on top of oatmeal for breakfast. It was so easy and so delicious.  Next week the dinner menu is definitely going to include this paleo bbq chicken crockpot recipe.  I'll keep you posted and hopefully take some photos before it gets devoured!


4.  Bootcamp Workouts!
I'm still following Tina's Best Body Bootcamp and loving the quicker circuits and strength training that has been on the plan.  I also have been trying to switch up my routine because I'm bored so I checked out a couple of bootcamp classes at my gym. Definitely broke a sweat and pushed myself during the tabata intervals.  One exercise that still has me sore were these ab rollouts using a scooter (similar to the Ab Roller concept).

You can see it here:

You can do this will a rounded dumbbell too so it's definitely something I'll be adding to my ab exercises!

5. This. Just Kidding. 

Lots of people hate on Valentine's Day, which is a week away, but I think it's nice to do something fun with the person you love because sometimes life gets so busy we don't take time to just hang out or show our appreciation as much as we can.  The expectations can be left at the door, but the chocolate can stay :)

Honestly, I'm just excited to eat out and bake something really indulgent for my man which may or may not have red and pink sprinkles on it.

Note to self: Relax!

Since this blog is not just about health, fitness, my random musings, but also learning how to reduce stress and anxiety.

This past week I decided to finally take a formal yoga class. I've been on a yoga hiatus for 6 months? maybe longer. With moving from the studio I usually went to, along with a tighter budget not being able to afford a yoga studio and gym membership, I stopped practicing.  Then, perhaps as a sign, I received an email with a coupon for a free class at my old yoga studio since it was my anniversary from first going there.  I went to a power vinyasa class which focuses on vigorous flows of movements in a hot room.  

It always is hard coming back after a hiatus because it takes me longer to get into my happy space when I'm anxious about how much yoga strength I've lost and poses that are more challenging than they used to be.  Still could get into a crows pose and full wheel so booyah :) Those last minutes of savasana are worth the whole class. I'm so zoned out in the pose and finally have quieted my mind just laying there.  

By the end of class I was more relaxed and at peace than I'd been in a while.  So much so that I was startled when the instructor came to press my shoulders down.  I'm glad I attended the class and will try to make a yoga once a week now, especially as I up my running miles in the next few months :)

Something else relaxing is a bit more indulgent and less healthy, but totally necessary after a day like today. Stayed late at work, didn't really get to eat lunch, and had to walk home in the pouring rain to boot.  So I pulled out a Justin's Nut Butter Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup pack I impulsively picked up at Target last week. Yes it's candy, but at least it's organic and GMO free.

It's ingredients, from the website are below:

Ingredients: Organic Dark Chocolate (Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar, Organic Chocolate Liquor*, Organic Cocoa Butter*, Organic Soy Lecithin, Organic Vanilla), Organic Peanut Butter (Organic Dry Roasted Peanuts, Organic Palm Fruit Oil), Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Vanilla Flavor, Sea Salt. 

Not bad for a treat in my book. And it really hit the spot. Chocolate keeps me sane, especially after a pretty clean eats day and nice run this morning.  I'm trying to be less hard on myself and practice some deep breathing.  Remember breathe deeply, smile, everything is okay :)