MIMM: Will Run for Bananas

Um, when did June get here? I don't mind right now because I am loving sunny summery weekends. This weekend was one of those marvelous ones. 

 Time is flying by, and I'm SO excited that Fitbloggin' is in 26 days! YAY! I'll be talking about it before, during, and after the trip so stay tuned (and sorry in advance!). 

Friday I went to Crossfit and rocked some deadlifts and then lounged around watching TV and eating this kale salad I made to dinner from an Eating Bird Food recipe. This salad was so good and was boyfriend approved! I added some chicken on top to make it a full meal.  

I also picked up my latest package from Women's Health as part of my partnership with the magazine as a Women's Health Action Hero-two new flavors of the LUNA Protein Bars to try in lemon vanilla and chocolate coconut almond. I LOVE the chocolate chip cookie dough LUNA Protein Bar so I was excited to get to try these flavors.  I even got a couple chapsticks in the  chocolate coconut almond flavor and knew that flavor would be my favorite after testing those out!

As predicted, I loved the coconut chocolate almond which I gobbled up as a snack yesterday. It is gluten-free and packs 12g of protein in a delicious little bar that tastes like dessert! I packed the lemon vanilla flavor today as a pre-workout afternoon snack. 

Saturday morning I meant to go to a free AM yoga class but instead slept in. I did my first Surfset class at a new Baltimore fitness studio called Beachfit (more on that later this week!) which was fun and definitely worked my core.

I Needed a LYFT this Morning!

I was super pumped to get to November Project Baltimore this morning as always, but my body was not liking the time my alarm went off. A five day weekend (thanks to a few extra days off) still has me out of sorts. Luckily I had a extra Pure LYFT Energy Stir Stick on me thanks to an opportunity as a Sweat Pink ambassador! 

Pure LYFT Energy Stir Sticks are an energy product that has zero calories, zero taste, and contains as much caffeine as one tall coffee. However the caffeine is natural from green coffee bean extract and also has vitamins A and B complex.  It's easy because you just open the package, remove a little label and dip the plastic stick into a drink for 20 seconds as the powder dissolves.  

I just put this in a glass of water as I ran out the door. It doesn't have any taste and was really undetectable which made me wish I had put it into something flavored.

We're Going STREAKING!

Guys, I'm going streaking.

No, not like Will Ferrell in Old School. 

 After a relaxing, limited-tech long holiday weekend in the woods I'm ready to get ready for summer and marathon training. Eh, after a weekend consisting of hiking, many beers and mint juleps, smores, and sleeping in, I think I am only actually excited for summer.  It actually felt like Memorial Day weekend was the kickoff to summer this year. 

Mid-hike: look at that view!

I'm in luck because Runner's World magazine is sponsoring it's annual summer challenge where you can join and pledge to run a mile a day, every day from Memorial Day to the Fourth of July. 

Paddling in the Uncomfortable Zone (and my cute new sunglasses!)

Something I realize more and more in life is that the situations that make us uncomfortable turn out to be really great experiences and a chance to grow.

On Sunday I had to chance the take a free Floyo class as part of CapitalSUP's grand opening weekend in Annapolis.  Floyo is a mix of yoga and pilates, all while on a stand up paddleboard. I'm not very experienced with water sports and have never been stand up paddleboarding ever.  

I somehow managed to convince my boyfriend to come,with who's trying to get fit and is supporting my summer goal of doing more outdoor activities. I was really excited because it sounded so fun, but as soon as we got on the dock I was extremely nervous, anxious, and a little scared. It was a small class of around 7 people. Jessie, the founder of Floyo who I know from November Project and her yoga and spin classes, was teaching and did her best to make me feel at ease. I haven't done yoga regularly in a while so trying to do it on a paddleboard on the water made it more difficult. Clearly. 

Sitting on the dock of the bay...

I paddled on my knees out to the spot where we were going to have class because my legs were so shaky that I didn't want to try to stand up and fall in immediately.  In the beginning of class Scott fell off his board into the water, and after that he felt like he wanted to leave. He finished the class like a champ, even though he's far harder on himself.  

During the warrior poses I was still feeling shaky and had those negative voices in my head. All I thought of was how embarrassed I would be if I fell in. 

I'm in the blue on the right doing a modified warrior pose!
(photo courtesy of Jessie and Floyo's facebook page!)

Eventually I got into the yoga flow and realized, so what? I had said it was my first time being on a paddleboard and if I fell it's nothing to be upset about.  I'm trying something new and uncomfortable.  

5 Reasons to be Excited for Summer (Five Friday Faves a day late!) 5/17/14

Okay so yesterday was crazy busy so you're getting my Five Friday Favorites on Saturday, sorry! I'm linking up with the DC bloggers Five Friday linkup too! With the weather finally looking consistently good besides some rainy days, I'm getting even more excited for summer and all the fun it brings! I am warm-weather loving gal for sure. 

Five Friday Favorites: Reasons to be Excited for Summer

1. Sunshine

The warm weather just seems to make everyone happier, especially after the winter that lasted through spring that the Northeast had. I love running downtown and seeing everyone working out, taking walks, and enjoying the weather.   I love flowers,clear skies, and the sun on my face. It makes me want to spend all weekend outdoors!

clear skies and blossoming trees in Philadelphia a month ago!

2. Shorts and Sandals
Honestly, I hate wearing pants. Except yoga pants, which don't really count as pants. I love wearing shorts and tank tops, mostly because it means it isn't freezing cold outside. Also not having to bundle up anymore for running is amazing!  I used to love being barefoot all summer when I was growing up. Now it's great to slip on a pair of flip-flops and head outside!

my current fave Lululemon shorts

Natural Beauty Favorites of the Moment featuring Burt's Bees Brightening Line

Mostly what I have to talk about on here is running and food, but today I'm switching it up and talking about some natural beauty products I'm loving.  Now that it's starting to actually feel like spring/summer and I'm feeling less like a cave creature who doesn't want to leave my warm bed, I've been focusing on trying to look less than ghostly pale and more even-toned.  

Since I have sensitive and acne-prone skin, I'm pretty cautious about what products I'm using on my face. With the huge trend of natural makeup and products, finding things that won't irritate my face has been a lot easier!

Avoiding crappy food helps my acne, but I still have a bunch of leftover dark spots and scars from years of fighting it.  This is why I was really excited to receive some samples of the new Burt's Bees Brightening Dark Spot Corrector (retails for $20.00).  It claims to visibly brighten skin, even skin tone, and reduce the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles in 4 weeks.  I'm a big fan of Burt's Bees chapsticks so I was interested to try another one of their products.   

The Brightening Dark Spot Corrector is noncomedogenic and dermatologist-tested, along with using natural daisy extract which is shown to brighten skin by regulating skin's melanin production.  The whole Brightening Face Care Line also includes a Brightening Daily Facial Cleanser, Even-Tone Moisturizing Cream, Eye Treatment, and Refining Tonic.   The product line claims to brighten and even skin tone when used as part of a daily regimen over 8 weeks. 

The corrector is super thin and light!

Official Crazy Runner Lady and Birthday Recap

I had a marvelous weekend and am happy to say that for my dreaded anatomy & physiology II class I have my final today, and then I'm done! I'll have two nights of my week back and can't wait.  Here's a little birthday week and weekend photo recap! There was lots of food drinks, and smiles! Food and friends is pretty much all I need for a good birthday. 

My watch knows what day it is!

Yay for awesome balloons again

Recovery Tools: Got Chocolate Milk?

When I was offered the chance to try out chocolate milk as a recovery tool as a Women's Health Action Hero, I jumped at the chance. I'm sure you know by now that I have a huge sweet tooth so being asked to drink chocolate milk post-workout was such a treat! Personally I have switched over to almondmilk because I limit dairy due to my tummy troubles, so it had been a while since I've had some real low-fat chocolate milk. 

Some goodies and information about chocolate milk from WH 

Anyways let's be honest, after some swigs of water lately my post-race beverage of choice is a cold beer. 

After the Rock and Roll National half marathon in March I actually drank some chocolate milk I was handed right after the race  before I downed my bottle of water and was reminded how great of a recovery tool it was, before I even started this assignment! I've been having an 8 ounce glass (let's be honest, probably a little bit more!) of chocolate milk immediately after some runs and workouts. 

 I usually look for something I can quickly eat after a workout within the 20 minute recommended time-frame so I love having some chocolate milk in the refrigerator ready to go. It's also great because it's portable! Many times I don't have the tools or the time to blend up a protein shake so having a post-workout beverage handy right away that has carbs, protein, and electrolytes to start repairing my muscles immediately is great!  Since starting to use chocolate milk as a recovery beverage after my half marathon training runs, I've noticed I've been less sore and more ready to attack my next workout!

Lowfat chocolate milk is a natural source of protein, the right mix of protein and carbs, and provides fluids and electrolytes.