Fitness Friday: Treadmill Desk

I first got the idea for a treadmill desk after seeing Al Roker from the Today Show use his. I don't know what kind he has, but there are some really fancy ones that you can buy for A LOT of money. The cheapest one I found was $479! So, I mentioned to mr. C that I would love to have a treadmill desk and BAM! He made it happen.

He said it was a pretty simple process, so I'm going to let him tell you about it!

Hi.  First let me start by stating that this is my first attempt at blogging, as it was in making a treadmill desk.

I researched homemade treadmill desks on the internet, of course, and there were many listings.  I eventually selected a video that was well done.  I wish I could give proper credit to the girl who made that video, but I do not have that info anymore.

Basically, here it is:  Select a proper, desired sized board, get 2 brackets.  Put them together, and Voila!

For the board, I went with a 1inch x 12 inch board approximately 5 feet long, plain pine, straight and smooth as I could find, and of course with the best looking grain.

Now the brackets.  Most brackets would work, and there are many designs to choose from in the home improvement type stores.  As it turns out, the style I found and selected are heavy duty, and rated for far more than I needed for this project.  But they would work.

Some assembly required! (Very little)  Now place the board across the handle / rails of the treadmill and get the table / board to the position you want.  With the brackets loosely in place flush to the underside of the board, and straddling the treadmill handle / rails, simply mark where the brackets are to be attached.  Now, simply remove from the treadmill, and attach the brackets to the underside of the board in the previously determined locations.  Just make sure the screws you use are shorter than the board is thick.  Feel free to sand and paint or stain your desktop.  Not necessary. You should then be the proud owner and designer of a wonderful, practical treadmill desk.

I didn't realize just how much use I would be getting out of the homemade treadmill desk that mr. C made me, but it has been very nice to have while I'm on the sidelines dealing with my hip flexor issues. I can spend hours walking and working and feel little guilt about my blogging activities ;)

Happy Friday everyone!

What homemade fitness gear have you (or your other) made to save money?

Active Accessories Review

First let me say Thank You for all your kind words of encouragement as I deal with being sidelined from running.

My fellow FitFluential Ambassador, Karen, recently started her own company called Active Accessories. She generously shared one of her popular products with me, the On-The-Go Accessory Pouch.

If you're like me, then you understand the stress of carting around your workout gear. During the school year, I sometimes run after work which means I need somewhere to store my watch and jewelry. On weekends and during the summer, if I take a class or drive to my running route, I like to have my ID and some cash, but not my entire purse.

The On-The-Go Accessory Pouch is just the right size to meet my needs. It can easily store hairbands and jewelry in the zipper compartment, cash and IDs in the pocket, and my phone fits in the middle.

With the easy to use clasp, you can attach the pouch to your gear bag, or wear it around your wrist.

The best part about the size of the On-The-Go Accessory Pouch is that it is convenient for those days when you don't want to carry your purse with you while your out & about. There's plenty of room for your basic essentials and it's fashionable.

Before receiving the On-The-Go Accessory Pouch from Active Accessories, I used a small change purse and a small pouch to store all my items. Now I can combine everything into one and attach it to my gear bag or my work bag.

Disclosure: I received my On-The-Go Accessory Pouch at no charge to review, but all opinions are my own.

Training Truths: ZOOMA Week 6

It was not a good week - except for those of you who won some protein from Designer Whey! Check the list of winners at the bottom of this post.

In my last training truths post, I told you my plan to give my cranky hamstring the break it needed to cheer up. No such luck.

My plans for running 3 days instead of 4 last week went out the window on Monday when I found my little hamstring/hip problem had worsened and I could not walk without pain. So instead of logging miles, I was rolling, icing, and popping ibuprofen.

Monday & Tuesday - lots of TLC, and some easy core challenge work. I spent 48 hours thinking that I should not have run 9 miles on Sunday.

Wednesday - finally feeling some improvement, I walked 2.14 miles on the treadmill while working on the computer plus completed my daily dose of core work.

Thursday - rolled & iced before spending about 6+ hours in the car driving to Maine to pick up my step daughter from her summer job.

Friday - walked 2.1 miles on the TM and got caught up on my core challenges. I made the bad decision to do skater jumps which fired the hip pain up again.

Saturday - took a complete rest day from all exercise. (but I really wanted to lace up my Mizunos and go for a run).

Sunday - Early morning core workout for two days and an afternoon walking workout of 3.5 miles on the TM.

As much as I want to run today, I'm forcing myself to wait until I see my chiropractor on Tuesday. I am hoping that I will feel better after my adjustment and can go for a run.

What is the longest break you have taken from your running/sport? The longest for me was after the RnR Providence in 2011.


Congratulations to the Designer Whey giveaway winners!

#31 Katie
#9   Desiree
#15 Amy @Long Drive Journey
#20 Jordan Dunne
#10 Mary Beth Scimemi
#12 Casey

Please email me at by 10AM Wednesday August 21, 2013 with your mailing address so I can forward your information.

Fitness Friday: Fall Wish List

It's back to school time everywhere I look. Now even though I have more than two weeks of summer left, it doesn't hurt to start thinking about what I'm going to need for the Fall...running gear that is!

I've been on an unexpected break from running this week (more on that in Monday's post), so to make myself feel better I've been browsing all the running gear sites, flipping through catalogs, and checking out the latest IT items in the magazines.

Here are a few items on my Back to School Running Wish List:

Mizuno Wave Creation 14 - just a new color that I like in a shoe that I really love. I don't really need new shoes, not really ;)

Athleta Metta Hoodie Sweater. This would be perfect to wear to my step daughter's soccer games after my after-school runs. It gets cool quickly and this is a cute spin on a typical sweatshirt hoodie.

Nike Dri-Fit Graphic No-Show tab training socks. For some reason these are very hard to find, but they are the most comfortable running socks. I've worn them for years and get a lot of miles out of them. Time to replace the old ones.

Go Pro Hero3 Silver Edition. This would be the coolest TOY to have. I saw pictures that a guy captured while wearing it during the NYC half marathon, and they are amazing! I would love to get pictures like that!








What's on your "back-to-school" fitness wish list?
If Designer Whey protein is your wish list, there is still time to enter my giveaway. Winners will be announced in Monday's post!

#DesignerWhey Sustained Energy Review & Giveaway!

Back in December, my running friend took me for a smoothie at a local cafe. It was a perfectly delicious way to celebrate our long run. After that, I really looked forward to those post-run smoothies.

This summer I started making my own smoothies. First I bought pre-made packets and just added milk, because I had no idea where to begin. Then after researching smoothie recipes, I began using my own ingredients. I found a really simple HOW TO graphic on Pinterest that was helpful.

When I found out that I was selected to participate in the FitFluential campaign for Designer Whey I was super excited because a boost was the only ingredient missing from my homemade smoothies. I learned a long time ago that consuming protein after a workout helps aid in the recovery process.

When I opened the box I discovered that Designer Whey sent me their new product, Sustained Energy, to try in two flavors: Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Velvet.

From the website: 

Designer Whey® Sustained Energy™ is specifically formulated with our proprietary Endurance Blend™. Designed to give you balanced, stimulant-free, sustained energy through fast absorbing whey protein and slower absorbing soy and casein proteins, giving you a steady supply of essential amino acids while helping you control hunger with fiber.  Packed with 16 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber and 19 Essential Vitamins & Minerals and naturally flavored and sweetened – all for only 100-good-for-you calories! 

I don't know about you, but after my long runs sometimes it's all I can do to stay awake. All I want to do is take a nice long nap! Designer Whey Sustained Energy turned out to be the perfect product for me to try.

Judging one's own energy level for changes is hard. I've made a couple of batches of smoothies and one treat, and here is what I can tell you:

1. I did not take a nap or feel like taking a nap after my 9 mile long run.
2. After dental work, I almost always take a nap. Instead I had a smoothie. No nap!
3. Rainy days usually make me sleepy. Not the day I ate some of my frozen treats.

Before trying Designer Whey I knew I wanted to purchase protein to use at home, I just didn't know what brand to buy. I'm happy with the Sustained Energy product so far and would put it on my shopping list.

Here are some of my protein recipes. Feel free to pin :)

Designer Whey would like to give you a chance to try Sustained Energy for yourself. To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment telling me which flavor you would like to try. I will randomly select 6 winners and announce in my blog post on Monday August 19th.