#NoExcuses Badasses

One of my favorite parts of the Sweat Pink #NoExcuses Challenge is the inspiration you get from fellow sweaties. Just take a stroll on Instagram or Twitter and you will find hundreds of motivating posts and encouraging stories from fitness lovers of all levels showing how they live #NoExcuses every day.

That's why I am loving this week's blogging challenge:
Nominate two people who LIVE #NoExcuses every day. There are no hard-written rules; they just have to be people who kick butt, in your opinion, and embody #NoExcuses.

Instantly I thought of my two nominees and I know you will agree that they are totally BADASS!

Nancy from Living the Dream

Nothing gets in the way of Nancy's workout. This is one badass mama who can whip up a spectacular DIY themed birthday party for her girls, take care of her husband who recently had ACL surgery and still get in her workouts. She runs, swims, yogas, strength trains…you name it, she does it. Fancy Nancy is a Boston Marathon finisher, collegiate soccer and softball player, and a Feetures! celebrity!

Nicolasa from Shoelaces and Bibs

Nicolasa takes her badass to another level through her commitment to others. She runs with Team in Training to raise money for Leukemia, coaches runners to their first 5Ks, and dedicates her miles to Shaylene, her Run 4 Buddy who she plans to meet this year. While doing all this, Nicolasa is also mommy to an adorable little boy, teaches elementary school, and gets herself to booty barre class before the sun comes up! If that doesn't make her badass, how about running her first marathon?

Who would you nominate for the #NoExcuses Badass award?

Knee Rehab Week 5 - 20 Minutes

Both my PT and orthopedic surgeon have said that I could likely see limitations in my running as a result of all the damage in my knee. The arthritis alone could be painful enough to prevent running altogether. They have both recommended that I consider taking up low impact fitness options (pff, as if!).

I'm not a glutton for punishment, but I love running and I'm ready to test my knee. I'm also smart enough to know that running is not supposed to hurt.

Cautions delivered, my PT gave me my Back to Running Program. I never thought that I would be so excited to see 20 minutes. The program is set for me to use walk/run intervals that increase the running progressively with rest days in between.

Run #1
The plan - walk 4 minutes, run 1 minute, repeat 4x

Never one to wait, I programmed my watch to the 4:1 intervals and got right out to do my first run on Friday. It was cold and walking doesn't do much for warming up, but I was too excited to care (and a little nervous too). Even though I only ran for 4 minutes…I RAN FOR 4 MINUTES! It felt so good. My knee did not hurt at all, but I did have some swelling after.

Run #2
The plan - walk 3 minutes, run 2 minutes, repeat 4x

My smile is back! mrC even commented that I looked "all happy in my running gear" before I left to meet up with the MRTT group. The group ran a mile out & back while I ran/walked 10 minutes out & back. It worked. We dodged the forecasted rain and enjoyed post-run smoothies at the Bridge Cafe. My smile grew even bigger as once again there was no knee pain and almost no swelling after the run.

group photo by Christine

Weekly Workouts:

Monday - PT in the HS fitness center and 1.5 mile walk

Tuesday - One mile walk after school and PT session

Wednesday - PT in the HS fitness center and 1.6 mile walk

Thursday - One mile walk after school and PT session

Friday - Post Op appointment and run #1

Saturday - PT at home and one mile walk

Sunday - Run #2


Another week of the #SweatPink #NoExcuses challenge began with another round of #SundayZenday. I love seeing all the shares on Instagram and Twitter.

Running clears my mind, but it's also nice to enjoy a little #SundayZenday too. How do you zen? #SweatPink #noexcuses #jointhechallenge

A photo posted by AmyC (@runningescapades) on Jan 18, 2015 at 12:24pm PST

Have you joined the challenge yet (here)??

What I Wear for Winter Walking

Lately it's been seriously cold in New Hampshire! We even had a two hour delay because of wind chills reaching -25 degrees.

The past few years I have been a winter runner, and figured out (for the most part) how to dress for it. Walking in the winter weather is a different story. My body doesn't warm up anywhere near the 10 degrees I get from running.

So dressing for winter walks has been a little more challenging, but I think I have it figured out.

Here's a look at what I've been wearing to survive the bitter cold temperatures while I keep up with my #mileaday Winter Warrior Challenge here in southern New Hampshire.

Puffy Parka (Loft) - Between the hood and the length, this works so well for the bitter cold and windy days.

Therma Fit Pullover (Nike) - I have three of these because they are that good. The fit is snug and the top is super soft. The sleeves also have thumb holes for stretching out that warmth.

Polar Tech Tights (Athleta) - Perfect for winter with fleece on the inside. My legs are NEVER cold.

Neck Warmer (Lululemon) - This thing is amazing. I can wear it down to keep my neck warm and pull it up when it's really cold and windy. It's long enough to pull up and over much like a balaclava.

Thermo Knit Gloves (Mizuno) - Although made for temps between 20-50 degrees, I really like these gloves on even the coldest of days. They are very soft and fit perfectly.

BONUS: Dog Boots (Pet Smart) - we have to protect the paws from the ice and snow.

Linking up with Nicole

and also Fitness Friday Jill and Cynthia, Courtney, and Mar for Friday Five

Workout Wednesday + WIAW - All About Those Hips

The #HolidaySweat challenge ended last week, but we recently received a bonus workout from Suzi at Confessions of a Fitness Instructor. It's so good that I just had to share!

This workout is perfect for me because:

1. I have spent the better part of my life trying to tone my hips (haven't we all?)
2. I love no-equipment needed workouts that I can do anywhere
3. It's a workout that even injured runners can do!!

Speaking of hips, I have been trying to make better food choices to keep the size of mine in check. Here's a glimpse of my eats and drinks from yesterday!

{breakfast} (always coffee) strawberries and a smoothie to go {lunch} turkey and cheese roll-ups, rice cereal and a salad {water} 2 of the 5 bottles of water I drink throughout the day - I really need to get a filtered water bottle {dinner} buffalo chicken quinoa and (not pictured) green beans {fruit} 100% orange juice - still working on my 3 servings each day.

This post is part of the Workout Wednesday link up hosted by 

Diatta, Sheila, Amanda and Heather

This post is part of the #WIAW link up hosted by Jen

I'm MAD passionate for #NoExcuses 2015

It's the first week of the Sweat Pink #NoExcuses challenge and things are already getting insane! Did you seen all the planking on Instagram yesterday? 

Today I'm joining the Sweat Pink team by sharing my fitness story with some Mad Lib fun. 

Want to play along? Just copy the Mad Lib text below, fill in the underlined portions, and share! 

• Hey 2015, it’s me AmyC (nickname, spirit animal, real name, blog name)
• This year I would like to build my overall strength, volunteer at another race, and go on more group runs with family and friends.
• It would also be super duper awesome if I also did a race-cation somewhere exotic and warm this year. It’s not a resolution, though, just a reminder to myself to try and have the best year yet because I can!
• The thing I am looking forward to most this year is spending time with family and friends on the Cape and logging lots of miles together.
• I’ll use the one thing that truly gets me out of bed in the morning which is a fun workout to help me get up, get sweaty (verb) and get after my #NoExcuses 2015.
• Speaking of excuses (ahem), my very favorite excuse is that I don't need to and I have used it to get out of doing stretching and strength on more than a thousand (number) occasions.
• I vow to move my body and be more healthy this year even if it means I have to face my fear and do things I don't like to do.
• Even if my alarm clock gets eaten by the dog in the middle of the night, I'll still find time to be active every day.
• I will stop blaming the kids [ex: kids, dog, husband] for eating the rest of the YPPs when everyone knows it was really me.
• My knee injury [job, hair, car, husband, kids] is not the reason I make excuses. I will show my knee injury [same as before] who's boss this year and get my long run [type of sweaty activity] on.
• I know that slow running [type of workout] is better than quitting. [noun]
• I will reward myself by picking out some awesome new fitness gear.
• No Excuses 2015 has just begun and already I am imagining myself a winner. I can’t wait to rock a hoodie (article of clothing) from Augusta Active. I can’t wait till my sweaty friends are jealous of how fresh, clean and refreshed (adj) I am between workouts with help from ShowerPill body wipes. I can see myself rocking warrior [yoga pose / workout move] in new Own the Draft top [article of clothing] from Actio926 and looking fit and fly while doing it. And of course, I’ll be taking my workouts to the next level and improving my muscle tone [noun] with my new ActivMotion Bar to help me train for my next  half marathon [distance] race with Sasquatch Racing.
• Oh, and let’s not forget how amazing my racer backs [article of clothing] will smell in my / during my summer runs [favorite type of workout] after washing with some WIN Detergent. And lastly, I’ll keep rocking my 2015 with clean eats and nutrition from Beaming with Health!

• Tag, Tweet, shout-out, call, text, fax or email 3 friends to take this survey and share how they will have a #NoExcuses 2015. Remind your friends to simply fill in the underlined parts!
• Use the #NoExcuses hashtag and post to win prizes from Augusta Active, ShowerPill, ActivMotion Bar, WIN Detergent, Actio926, Beaming with Health, and Sasquatch Racing.

Tagging:
Nancy @ Living the Dream
Michelle @ Running with Attitude
Nicolasa @ Shoelaces and Bibs


Did you share your own Mad Lib fitness story? Leave a link in the comments so I can check it out!