Fitness Friday: The Love Club

To celebrate the day of LOVE, here's a glimpse of what I've added to my list of loves lately.

Saucony Bullet Vegans - I've always wanted a pair of "cool" casual shoes. You know, the casual shoes that look good no matter what you are wearing. I spotted these Saucony Bullet Vegan's in the Athleta catalog and knew they were exactly what I was looking for. They're great with leggings, jeans, and fitness wear. I can wear them as an everyday shoe and during my indoor workouts. Score!

Nike Tech Fleece Hoodie V2 - mrC gave this to me for my birthday and even though I haven't taken it for a run yet, I love how comfy it is. It's definitely a great lightweight coverup to wear to and from SurfSet class.

Apera Yoga Tote - Apera sent me this gorgeous bag in Pearl and it is amazing! It has multiple storage for all my running gear and worked perfectly for SurfSet class. With all the room that it offers, it is not too big either.

Take a look at why I'll be taking my Apera bag as my carry-on the next time I travel!



This book: Running Like a Girl: Notes on Learning to Run - Author Alexandra Heminsley writes candidly about the process of becoming a runner. For those of us who have been running for awhile, it takes us down memory lane and brings back a renewed appreciation for the sport we love. For new runners, Heminsley tells the truth about the struggle, pain, and glory in going from "I can't run" to "I ran myself happy."

RunSaveRun - This is a new website where runners can find hundreds of coupons and discounts on all running related items. You can search for coupons by store, category, or race. Some favorites you'll probably recognize include Road Runner Sports, Active.com, and ZOOMA.

What's warming your heart today?

WIAW: Cheesy Quinoa "Sunshine" Burger

One of my 2014 goals is to make healthy food choices and the nice people over at Sunshine Burgers sent me some samples to help me with my endeavor. Sunshine Burgers are the epitome of healthy made without most allergen ingredients including gluten, soy, dairy, and peanuts. They also have an abundance of flavor choices.

This post is sponsored by Sunshine Burgers. I was sent samples of Sunshine Burgers to review. 

I've always liked veggie burgers, but the brand that I used to eat is not gluten-free so I haven't had any in awhile. That's why I was so excited to try Sunshine Burgers. Besides being gluten-free, Sunshine Burgers are vegan, non-GMO, and certified USDA organic. 

You can find recipes on the Sunshine Burgers website, but I decided to try something other than a sandwich and do my own little spin on cheeseburger macaroni. 

For my recipe I chose Garden Herb because it is advertised as having a mild flavor perfect for use beyond the bun. It has 5 ingredients: cooked brown rice, ground sunflower kernels, carrots, herbs, and sea salt.

After cooking the quinoa and letting the Garden Herb veggie patties thaw, I mixed all the ingredients together.

The result is most definitely DELICIOUS! 

Sunshine Burgers are sold generally in the organic market, but can now also be found in major grocery chains. You can check here for locations near you.

Sunshine Burgers are a healthy source of protein, perfect for a post-workout meal, and will continue to be on my shopping list. 

Today I'm also linking up with Jenn for What I Ate Wednesday!

Training Truths: Tight IT Band and a Cranky Knee

My IT band has been tight after my last couple of long runs. After spending some time in my compression gear, it was still cranky and so was my knee.

So last week while I gave my legs a little break from running, I kept myself busy with my February challenges. My #mnbchallenge work kept me extra busy during the week, but I also kept the #30DayRagnarChallenge streak going by using #SweatADay exercises to work toward the #FFBURPEE goal of 1000.

Monday - 35 burpees 210/1000

Tuesday - 35 more burpees 245/1000

Wednesday - Ran 4 progression miles on the treadmill during the snowstorm.  I started off nice and slow ending with a comfortable 9ish pace. Even with the warmup and a good 20 minute post-run stretch the ITB/knee were not happy. Fortunately I did the 35 daily burpees earlier 280/1000

Thursday - Planks and 35 burpees 315/1000

Friday - Some of my favorite squats x25 each and 35 burpees 350/1000

Saturday - Spent the morning at SurfSet class with mrC. My knee was still feeling a little cranky during certain exercises (mostly squats), so I treated myself to a post workout smoothie and an ice pack. 35 burpees 385/1000

Sunday - Since running is not supposed to hurt, I decided to listen to my body and cancelled the long run. Instead I focused on core work...anything that would not aggravate my knee.

How do you feel about taking a break?

MOVE Nourish Believe Challenge

Today marked the end of the first of three weeks that I will be participating in the Lorna Jane Move Nourish Believe Blogger Challenge. It was created to keep people motivated beyond January when new year goals tend to start to fade away.

This week was all about MOVING the body and although I wasn't lacing up my running shoes as much as I'd like, I did move my body everyday!

Monday - This was the first day of the challenge and although I didn't run, I shared a previous post-run pic to show my favorite way to sweat.

Tuesday - After taking an extra rest day from running, I tried the YogaWorks Ultimate Post Run sequence to change up my stretching routine and discovered a great IT band stretch. There's a lot of work to do on that one!

Wednesday -  Planked with Lorna Jane as a pre-run warmup and realized that it had been a long time since I last did some other than at SurfSet class.

Thursday - Decided to run through my plank routine again with my workout buddy.  He is my buddy, but also the only one home at the time!

Friday - For Fave Friday I shared my 5 favorite squat moves and completed 25 of each.

How are you sticking to your 2014 goals?

5 Ways to be FitFluential at Work

I read a great post last week by Coco over at Running With Perseverance about being FitFluential at work. It made me realize that I am very lucky to work in a school where being active is encouraged and praised.

Many of my colleagues are runners and it is not uncommon for our principal to give a shout out to someone who has completed a race or send a good luck wishes to those racing over the weekend. We've also come together to celebrate National Running Day.

This year during Professional Development Days, my principal has tried to add planned fitness activities that the faculty can opt to do during the day. One time he took a group on a (muddy) hike, and another time there was some brush chopping. One day there will be a group run...I can feel it.

Mixing in physical activity doesn't have to be a planned group effort. You can find ways to increase your activity while at work without worrying about looking silly.

Is your employer FitFluential? How do you stay active while at work?

Today is also National Wear Red Day sponsored by the American Heart Association to raise awareness of the fight against heart disease in women. Join the movement by wearing the color of our hearts today and check out all the wear red selfies!