Click Here To See The Other Badges I’ve Earned So Far
{Wordless Wednesday} More #FurtherFasterForever Badges
Filed under Fitness Inspiration, Health & Fitness, Running
Color Run…Here We Come…Again!
It’s official! The hubs and I have signed up for our 2nd Color Run!
This is the first “fun run” we ever did and we had so much fun doing it, we decided why not do it again!
If you would like to see our experience from last year, you can check it out HERE and HERE …. or you can just watch the video below, to see what The Color Run is all about.
So far this year, we are officially signed up for this and the Rugged Maniac, which I am both nervous and stoked about. I’m debating a St. Patty’s 5K this weekend and I still want to sign up for The Glow Run, but registration seems to be glitchy at the moment.
If you’re local and would like to join us on August 31st at Raceway Park, feel free to contact me! Team “Off Like A Prom Dress” would love to have as many members as possible! Plus, we have plenty of time to plan out cheesy costumes! I’m thinking tutu “prom dresses” for the ladies and white “tuxedo” t-shirts for the guys.
Here’s a workout plan to get you ready for The Color Run 5K, if you are not used to running already…
Oh…and don’t freak out! The color comes off pretty easily. You just need one of those shower puffs and some exfoliating body wash. However, I highly recommend going to your local Target or grocery store while still coated in color….the look on peoples faces is truly priceless!
Color Run not for you, but you’d like to do a 5K? Let me know! I plan on registering for others and I’m always looking to build a team whenever possible.
Filed under Health & Fitness, Running
I Am Not A Fan Of The Gym
I’m pretty sure many of you who follow my blog already figured out, that I am NOT a fan of the gym. As a matter of fact, I can’t tell you the last time I even worked out in one. Possibly pre-children, so that would be over a decade ago!
This past week, however, I entered a gym again.
As you have seen, I’ve been participating in the #FurtherFasterForever Badge Challenge. I admittedly can be a very competitive person with myself, so I looked over the badges many, many times and set my sites on the ones I felt I could do. I normally do my running up at my local recreation center, which has paved route options as well as a 5k trail option. I also have a stationary bike at home, so I could attempt some of the cycling badges too!
The issue however, was that Mother Nature decided to bless the East Coast with yet another dose of craptastic weather. I powered through the wind and some rain that she dropped on us (and even got the hubs to join me on one of those lovely mornings), but when the slick snow fell, I admitted defeat and headed to the gym, in the clubhouse at my mom’s development.
Mike and I after a windy, rainy 5K.
The slick, snowy mess that Mother Nature decided to drop on us, was my morning warm-up before hitting the gym for the first time in years.
Less stubborn people most likely would have taken a rest day or just did the bike, but I had a badge to obtain. Yes…I am THAT thickheaded.
Anyway…. I must admit there is a nice set-up up there, and it is much smaller than your normal monthly membership gyms. They had a decent amount of treadmills, a few different bikes and an elliptical. They also had a weight circuit and an indoor pool. The pool would have been awesome if I knew how to swim….sigh.
Since I was there to run, I picked a hamster wheel treadmill and started it up. I instantly felt dread and doom take over as I ran but got nowhere. There was no breeze, no change of scenery, nothing. Just the sound of a belt moving below me and the yapping of some other people in the room with me. I realized I couldn’t look down or I’d get dizzy. I also couldn’t look left or right for the same reason. Sigh….I was stuck looking forward at either CNN or my own reflection in a picture on the wall. What felt like eternity was only 1.25 miles and I stepped off in defeat. I decided to hop on a bike, clear my head and then have another go. My second attempt yielded 3.25 miles, which I was happy with.
Top left: Pool Area, Top Right: Cardio Area, Bottom Left: Weight Area, Bottom Right: My first attempt on the hamster wheel.
I left the gym that day happy that I was able to log some mileage, but also in awe of the people I see on Twitter and Instagram who log all these miles on the hamster wheel of doom treadmill. I guess it’s one of those examples of “to each their own”.
My other issue with the gym is time restraints. If it’s busy, you can only use a machine for 30 minutes….I guess that’s not awful, but I have days where I can go further and longer and I like being able to do so, without someone pointing to a sign-up sheet to hint that your time is up. (BTW…that did not happen to me here, but it had in the past.)
I’m sure I’ll have to go back again this week, as there is chatter of another storm brewing. I’m not looking forward to it, but I’m grateful (despite my bitching) to have access to the alternative.
Do you run on the hamster wheel to nowhere treadmill? Do you have any tips or tricks to make it more tolerable?
Filed under Health & Fitness, Running
{Wordless Wednesday} #FurtherFasterForever Badges To-Date
Filed under Fitness Inspiration, Health & Fitness, Running
Being Productive Makes Me Happy
This has been a really good week for me!
I’ve stuck with my workouts, been eating much cleaner and tried some new recipes. Two new ones are right here in this post, and the Green Monsters (which are my new obsession) can be found here.
No-Bake Energy Bites – These are so yummy and really satisfy my sweet tooth! They calculated out to about 120 calories each, which isn’t too bad.
Chicken, Quinoa and Summer Squash Casserole – I swapped out the summer squash for zucchini and used Italian seasoning instead of rosemary.
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As you’ve probably already seen in yesterdays post…. I also reached my 100-Mile milestone this week! I originally hoped to have reached this on Valentine’s Day, but my hamstrings and Mother Nature didn’t like that plan. The important thing is I reached it and honestly, 500 miles seems pretty easy now. I hate to say it out-loud but as long as I stay healthy and don’t get injured, I think I’ll easily pass my goal! *fingers crossed…..knocks on wood….yeah….I know I probably just jinxed myself…sigh.*
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Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
~Tomorrow starts the Road ID Badge Challenge over on FurtherFasterForever! You might recall that a few weeks ago I participated in the Sandy Hook virtual event they put together. I’m really excited about this challenge and I’m curious to see how many badges I can collect from March 1st thru March 14th. I’m a newbie to this and I know most of the people who participate are serious athletes, but I’m a determined newbie and will do my best….everyone starts out somewhere, right?!
How is your week progressing? Anything special you’d care to share? What has made you proud or happy this week?
Filed under Health & Fitness, Main Course, Recipes, Running
{Semi-Wordless Wednesday} 100 and Counting!
Monday’s run brought me to my longest run to date!
Tuesday’s 10k brought me to my first milestone ……… 100 miles ran, so far this year!
Filed under Fitness Inspiration, Health & Fitness, Running
My Name is Nikki and I’m a Green Monster Addict
It’s true. I’m hooked!
For a while I was nervous to try smoothies that incorporate spinach in them, but I was foolish and didn’t know what I missing out on!
Thankfully my friend Jac did a Guest Post here about them and then pinned a recipe over on Pinterest that finally made me try them.
The recipe she pinned was for a Blueberry Pie Green Monster and when I followed the link, I found even more of these Green Monster recipes. Then, one caught my eye and I knew I had to try it. Which one, you ask? Well, the Cookie Dough Green Monster, of course!
I actually had all of the ingredients on hand and just needed to pick up some baby spinach, so that’s exactly what I did and then tossed everything in the blender as per the directions on the recipe and enjoyed!
I always have a bunch of bananas, frozen in a gallon size Ziplock, They’re a staple item for me.
Is this cup fitting for the color of this smoothie, or what?! I also had a fear of it tasting Wicked, but thankfully it was not.
I think it’s safe to say I’ve been enjoying the addition of Green Monsters to my day. If I could lick the side of the cup, I absolutely would!
I have also tried the Peanut Butter Green Monster, but I tweaked that one a bit and LOVED it! I used coconut water and a chocolate coconut peanut butter in it. Yum!
Today I made the Banana Bread Green Monster and tweaked this one as well. I didn’t have walnuts on hand, but I did have Banana Bread flavored Quaker Oats (Weight Control variety) so I used that in place of regular oats and walnuts. OMG….this may be my new favorite!
I tend to use Almond Milk or Coconut Almond milk in my Green Monsters and I like to add ground flax seeds to them as well. You’ll need to take any changes as well as brands you into consideration when figuring out the calories for these. Each of mine were around 400 calories.
Let me know if you try any of the other flavor recipes from the blog where I found these or if you know of another blog that features these cups of green goodness!
Filed under Health & Fitness, Recipes, Snacks & Treats
Halter Tops, Sundresses and Swimsuits…. Oh My!
This week I spent some time shopping and it became very clear that warm weather is on it’s way. Despite the frigid temps outside, many stores already have the swimsuit section all set up and cute little summer dresses and sleeveless tops on display. There were even racks of shorts and the shoe department had the sandals all lined up.
Are you ready to face to skimpy clothing of summer? If not, the good news is you have some time to prepare yourself!
I know it’s hard to think about things like this when you’re still wearing layouts of clothing, but pretty soon, you won’t be able to hide under those layers anymore.
Here’s a quick workout to get your arms ready for the sleeveless, spaghetti strap styles that summer has to offer:
Your fitness level will decide what weights you use for the bicep curls. You want to use a weight that isn’t too heavy since you are doing 30 reps, but you want to make sure that it’s heavy enough that those last few reps feels impossible. Another option would be to do two rounds of this, but split the bicep curls in half for each round, choosing a heavy weight to max out your reps by 15.
Notice the planks in there? They not only tighten and strengthen your core, but they help you to develop sexy shoulders. Gotta love moves that target more than one area!
Start doing this now and you will have toner, tighter, stronger looking arms and shoulders in time for the summer heat up.
Filed under Health & Fitness, Quick Workouts
Expecto Patronum! You Can Be Fit & Nerdy!
In keeping with the theme of my Wordless Wednesday post this week, I offer you the Harry Potter Workout!
What better way to get yourself and your kids moving?!
Expelliarmus!!
Drop the popcorn and quit sitting on the couch, like a spud, watching these movies the 100th time, make it interesting and fun!
How it works: Each time one the items listed on the left is seen in the film, you and your kids perform the task listed on the right that goes with it. You can pause the movie or keep watching, that’s totally up to you and Potterhead level of fandom. Pretty simple, right?
I think “games” like this are a great way to get your kids moving, and make a movie a hands-on experience. Not a Harry Potter fan? Well…you’re probably not human. No really….. just make up your own cues and moves for your favorite movie and share them with me here or over on my Facebook page!
Filed under Family Fun, Health & Fitness, Quick Workouts
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