New Year & New Goals Blog Hop & Giveaway!

I am so excited to be a part of a blog hop & giveaway! 

What a great way to jump start the year and get you closer to your goals with some free stuff!

This blog hop runs January 17th-30th
*This giveaway is for everyone! Not just the participating blogs!*

A blog hop giveaway is a great way to find new blogs to follow and have some fun entering to win some cool items. At the bottom of this page there is a link with a list of other blogs participating. If for any reason that link does not work, please contact me and I will redirect you to the correct page. (Or contact the host &/or co-host of the hop: info on above photo)

This hop is specifically designed to help you achieve your New Years Fitness Goals. 

I am giving away a basket of goodies that will get you moving and motivated to stay healthy. 

What's inside: Gold's Gym massage therapy capsule (for all those aches and pains that come with working out)
Gold's Gym Speed Jump Rope (for a quick/easy workout to get your heart rate up) 
Snacks: Blue Diamond Whole Almonds 
2 Luna Protein Bars
Journal (to keep track of goals and whatever else you'd like to remember or report)

This year I plan to: 
 Get closer to God by praying & reading the Bible more than I workout.
 Run 14 races with a goal of running a 10k at some point.
 Inspire & encourage others to live healthy lifestyles.
Volunteer at more than one race.
 Learn more about recovery and injury prevention (I'm pretty injury prone)
 Spend more quality time with my husband, my kids, and my family.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
To enter, leave a comment telling me your biggest goal of the year and you'll be entered to win this fitness gift basket full of sweet items to get you off to a good start!

There are lots of other blogs participating so I hope you'll check them out too! Thanks for entering & good luck!

Click here if you'd like to hop over to the next blog

My thoughts during a crazy workout

I'm always up for a good challenge. 

Well, today I challenged myself when I took on the following workout. 

It. Kicked. My. Butt.

This workout was found on http://www.kickashmom.com/

I did a 1 mile run before doing this workout, so maybe I would've felt a little better if I didn't.

"No Excuses Cardio #1"

(and my thoughts)

15 burpees & 1 squat: "Wow, great workout!"

14 burpees & 2 squats: "Ok, I'm a little dizzy, but nothing major."

13 burpees & 3 squats: "Break-time. My heart feels like it's going to explode!"

12 burpees & 4 squats: "I'm so sweaty!"

11 burpees & 5 squats: "My legs are gonna look so good!"

10 burpees & 6 squats: "Cramp! Right cheek!"

9 burpees & 7 squats: "Don't forget to breathe!"

8 burpees & 8 squats: "Feelin pretty good now."

7 burpees & 9 squats: "I hope I don't pass out, I'm home alone."

6 burpees & 10 squats: "Ah! I think I just lost where I left off!"

5 burpees & 11 squats: "My ankles are sweating."

4 burpees & 12 squats: "Almost. There."

3 burpees & 13 squats: "I'll be surprised if I can walk tomorrow!"

2 burpees & 14 squats: "I am wonderwoman!"

1 burpee & 15 squats: "Am I dead?"

And here's how sweaty I was afterwards: 

(I wiped my face off so I could see the camera)

Note: large pulsing vein on the side of my head and seriously sweaty armpits. 

Would I do it again? 

You bet!

What did you do today? 

More Toning, Less Running

Since I injured my left leg about a month ago I've been trying to strengthen my legs to help prevent future injuries. I've been sick lately so I've stayed away from running since our treadmill is on our back deck. It's sort of enclosed but still cold. And cold air and chest congestion don't mix. So I worked out inside...After I attempted a short run. Hehe I really am stubborn aren't I? Hey, that's how I found out cold air hurts sometimes.

Here's what I did:

Ran (if you wanna call it that) 1/2 mile

20 fast squats

20 sumo squats

50 calf raises (last 10 fast)

1 min. planks (I'm a newbie to planks)

20 jump squats

stretch/foam roll

*repeat*

My 5 year old photographer snapped these lovely photos while I was working out:

Planks: my new favorite ab workout. Goodbye crunches! 

Jump squats: fun & effective
Throughout the day I'll stop what I'm doing and do something Kate wants to do. She asked me to help her write her abc's. She wrote all of them up to "Q" by herself then got distracted and turned the Q into a monkey. I love how random kids are.

She got some Lincoln logs for her birthday. Those bring back memories.  (I think she'll grow up and still wear footed pj's as a teen and as an adult.)

For dinner last night I was planning on BBQing some Mexican chicken but we didn't have anymore of our favorite seasonings and we were out of lighter fluid. So I seasoned it with what we had and when my husband came home he didn't seem too confident in my marinade so he almost had me convinced to just order a pizza. I did not want to eat something unhealthy so I decided to cook dinner. The chicken wasn't great but it was better when you sprinkled garlic salt on it.
My plate always looks different than theirs. They don't like to venture out very far when it comes to food.

Chicken, trader Joe's Japanese rice and kale. First time trying cooked kale and I liked it! It's pretty strong but knowing how good it is for you makes it easier to eat. I like how green it is too.

I started planning some races for the year but only made it to June because there weren't many local races listed. Here's what I have so far:

January 25th- virtual 5k
February 15th- Resolution run 5k
March- I'll most likely do a virtual run unless more local races get posted. I'm also signed up to volunteer at the Modesto Marathon. It's a Boston qualifier and I'm super excited to be a volunteer and cheer on the runners!
April- not sure yet
May 24th- another 5k and my kids might run the free half mile.

I do have a goal to run a 10k sometime this year but I haven't found one yet.

*The virtual races are hosted by: http://www.licoriceandolives.com/p/5k.html *

I signed up to be a part of a blog hop giveaway. It begins January 16th, so be on the lookout! 

Why I Run & Live a Healthy Lifestyle

source

We all have reasons why we stay active and healthy. Whether it be for ourselves or for another reason, it's all for something. Every time I do something active (mostly running) I think of all the reasons why I do it. Especially when I'm struggling or just being lazy. So here's my list of the top reasons as to why I continue to stay active and live a healthy lifestyle:

1. I do it for myself. To some that may sound selfish, but to everyone who exercises in some way or another probably understands. I've always struggled with low self esteem. I've battled eating disorders since I was about 13-14 years old. (Confession: I STILL struggle with ED's as an adult) That being said, every time I work out, go for a run, do yoga or even make healthy choices when eating, I am boosting my self esteem. Even if it is only a little at a time. I am proud that after years of dealing with being 40+ lbs overweight I took the plunge and started running, doing old school workout videos and started eating healthier. I am happy with where I'm at today. Yes I'm still very critical of myself, but I am far from the self bashing person I used to be. It also helps me deal with my depression. It keeps it under control. 

2. I do it for my children. I want to set a good example. (as do most parents) If our children learn at a young age to eat healthy (and enjoy it) and exercise (play, be active) then we have given them a wonderful foundation for the rest of their lives. It will be something that just comes naturally. It will be something that they'll crave and enjoy doing. I also want to stay healthy so that I can do what I can to prevent illnesses that come with living an unhealthy lifestyle. I want to be able to run around with my kids and (Lord willing) grandchildren. I don't want my children to feel the way I do when I see my parents making unhealthy decisions. 

3. I do it for my husband. Some may think he's shallow for wanting his wife to "look good", but I disagree. He understands I've had two children and my body has changed. He loves me no matter what happens to my body, but I can see how he could lose that attraction to me if I were to gain that 40+ lbs back. Plus, according to what the Bible says, the woman was made FOR the man. I want my husband to be attracted to me, so I'll do what I can to stay in shape and keep him happy. 

4. I do it to (possibly) inspire others. Anytime I go running in town I hope that I inspire one person to get out there and do it. I remember seeing women running that seemed like they just started their weightloss journey, and they didn't seem to care who saw them. THAT motivated me. I want to inspire someone to be the best version of them they can be. I want people to see that life is worth living. 

5. I do it for all of those who can't. One person that comes to mind is my grandpa. I love him so very much. He's in a nursing home and he's dying. I know that sound harsh, but he is. His kidneys are failing, he has dialysis three times a week for 4 hours per day. He has an aneurysm in the back of his head that could burst at any moment. He has congestive heart failure and  a pacemaker. He's also diabetic and is so weak he can't walk. He has had multiple mini strokes and is losing his mind. Sometimes I'm afraid to go see him because I'm afraid he won't remember me. THIS is by far the worst I've ever seen a loved one go. It kills me to watch him suffer.  A lot of what he's dealing with could be genetic, could be just happen chance, but some is from bad life choices. He started smoking around the age of 10. (that's the same age as my son) He was never an alcoholic but he drank regularly. He was never violent or mean. He just looked scary. ;-) He worked hard farming almonds most of his life. He is one of the most important men in my life and every time I run, I think of him. I continue to stay healthy so that I don't end up that way. Or atleast I do whatever that is in my power to do, to prevent most of those things from happening. I never want my children to see their parents suffer. (I'm not saying he made choices that's causing him to suffer at all, just saying that I want to do what I can to prevent the preventable) I won't go into detail here but two other people who motivate me to stay healthy are my parents. They are on a similar, scary path as my grandpa. 

So there's my list. What are a few reasons you stay healthy? What motivates you to keep going? 

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Kate's 5th Birthday Party Recap

Yesterday (Jan. 11th) was our daughter's 5th birthday party. Technically she's not 5 until the 14th, but parties are meant to be done on Saturday's right? Time really does fly when you have kids. You can literally see them grow and change! It happens too fast. It truly does not feel like 5 years has gone by since I gave birth to her. 

Our Princess: 

Then 1-14-09

Now 1-11-14

He looks so thrilled to be a prince.

A few of the Princesses

The youngest Princess

This is the art easel we got her. She didn't waste any time to use it.  (She changed from a fairy princess to snow white sometime during the party.)

This is her first real doll. She has been terrified of any baby dolls since she was about 2. What's cool about this doll is that a portion of the purchase goes to girls in other countries. A portion from this one will go to Afghanistan. This was the first doll that she showed interest in.

Colton loves putting olives on his fingers. That's the best way to eat em.

My husband got a new toy a couple days before the party and really wanted me to try it out...

(A girl can do anything in a skirt)
This was intense! After the first shot and after my heart went back to beating regularly, I shot it again. :-) Turns out I'm a rifle girl. Shotguns kick too hard. It was fun to shoot but you'd definitely get a sore shoulder if you shot it multiple times in a row. 

I'd say it turned out to be a great party, even though it was a bit cold to have an outside party. The kids were jumping in the bounce house a lot so they were taking off socks and tights before too long. I was running on fumes by the end of the day. The only things that got me through the day without passing out were a bunch of vitamin c's, an elderberry and two ibuprofen. I'm still fighting off the flu but getting better. Hoping this week will be a better week to get some miles in.

On a random note: this chicken tortillini soup that my mother in law made tonight was delicious!

How was your weekend?
Have you had tortillini soup before?

Have an amazing Monday everyone!!