Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

Last week I announced that I would be hosting my first ever giveaway over my Facebook page and  today a winner was chosen!

and the winner is....

You are the winner of Nora & Jac's super cute color block infinity scarf and two sailors knot bracelets!

A big thank you to Nora & Jac for providing such an awesome prize package for me to giveaway to the fans of this blog, it's been a pleasure watching your business take off!

I'd also like to thank everyone who entered this giveaway and take the time to read what I write. You are all awesome! (or really bored...I'll go with awesome, though!)

Hosting my first giveaway was actually pretty nerve wrecking for me, but it was fun and I look forward to hosting another soon!

{Summer Giveaway} Fashion Edition

I'm incredibly happy to announce, that I have teamed up with Nora & Jac to offer my readers and Facebook fans a chance to win some great items!

If you love fashionable, handmade accessories, this giveaway is for you!

Entering is as easy as 1, 2, 3...:

1. Visit the Nora & Jac Facebook page and hit "Like"


2.  Visit my Facebook page and make sure you already "Like" it.


3. Click the summer giveaway tab on the top to fill out the form.

(There are also links to Nora & Jac's Facebook page on there if you prefer)

One lucky winner will be randomly chosen on July 1, 2013 by 3:00 pm to win these great items (which are valued at approx $45):

So hop on over to Facebook to enter today and keep an eye on the Nora & Jac page....she has some great sales going on now to make way for new items which are in the works and will be launching soon!

{Wordless Wednesday} I'm KIND of Obsessed

FitBump Almost Makes Me Wish I Was Pregnant

No, no, no...there is no baby on the way here, or in the future. This mama is done with that road in life, but let me tell you... If you are expecting and are into fitness, you have to check out FitBump!

I had the pleasure of meeting the founder of FitBump, Kira Kohrherr, as well as her PR rep Liz Graham a week ago, while attending The Brooklyn Baby Expo. At the time, I didn't realize that Kira also designed a full line of maternity fitness apparel, but as soon as I saw it, I was in love!

This line, which is due out in July 2013, is full of fun colors and cute prints, plus it sports flattering silhouettes that celebrates the bump, while the active-chic styles easily transition from the gym to everyday wear!

One of the things I hated most while pregnant, was constantly having to buy new clothes to fit my ever growing belly. With FitBump's revolutionary design you don't have to, because it expands over nine months and then retracts as your post-baby body gets back into shape. How awesome is that?!

Seeing this line almost made me wish I was pregnant, but then reality hit me, I heard a room full of fussy infants and I remembered how much I love to sleep.

FitBump just launched their new website about two weeks ago, and it was created as a one-stop-shop to help wellness-focused women make mindful, educated decisions throughout their pregnancy and beyond.
Their site offers a community with advice from wellness experts and real moms. There are also categories you can browse including Fitness, Nutrition & Recipes, Mommy & Baby Care, Style, Holistic Health, and Green Living.

FitBump doesn't stop there! They also offer products to make living a healthy life easy and fun. One of the services they offer is called Thrive Foods, which is a specialty meal delivery service. It provides nutrient-dense dishes for moms-to-be and new moms. This farm-to-table option is delivered in 5 or 7 day meal plans. The plant-based, gluten-free meals are prepared in Oxnard, CA and shipped overnight in sustainable, recyclable packing. Nothing is frozen and an air-lock system keeps food fresh and healthy. Click here for more information on this service.

As you can see, FitBump has a lot offer to mom-to-be, so make sure you visit their site, check out the amazing fitness apparel and maybe even give this Total Body Workout a shot!

If you order something from their maternity fitness line, I would love to hear what you think about it, so be sure to stop back and give me a full report!

Also, a big thank you to Kim and Nicole from A Child Grows and Melissa Chapman for allowing me to be a part of the #BklynBabyExpo!

Obsessed With Nautical

I am a jeans and t-shirt type of girl. I am known for my love of hoodies and my hatred of heels. My idea of accessorizing, is grabbing an elastic band for my hair that matches what I am wearing.

This summer, I have decided that I need to put a little more effort into my clothing. I need purchase actual outfits, as well as a few dresses and non flip-flops for my feet.

You can quit laughing now.

No really. Stop it.

As you know, I spend a lot of time on Pinterest, so I began pinning outfits I liked and I even picked up a few things for my birthday and over the passing weeks. Do you know what I keep gravitating too? Nautical style prints.

Honestly, I'm obsessed with it.

If it's blue, red or yellow, my eye goes straight towards it. Add stripes to that color palette and I instantly run to it. I don't know what it is. I just can't help myself. Even when it comes to accessories, if I see a sailors knot, I want it.

Quick! Someone stage an intervention!

Which summer fashion trend are you gravitating to this year?

{Product Review} Ivory 2-in-1 Hair & Body Wash

I recently received another product from Influenster to test and I must say, I was quite impressed.

The product I received was the Ivory 2-in-1 Hair & Body Wash.

I'm not normally a fan of 2-in-1 products, but my husband and son are so I asked them to join in and give this product a try too.

Upon first opening the box to see what I received, I was not at all impressed by the design Ivory chose for this product. If I was in the store shopping, I'd pass it right by, but I wasn't in the store, so the next obvious thing to do was flip open the top and check out the scent. This I was very pleased with. It had a nice, clean scent it, without being overpowering, too feminine or too masculine. Nice save Ivory, however that packaging still needs some help.

Of course the next step was to actually shower with it. I reluctantly hopped into the shower and used only one product for my entire shower. This is completely foreign for me but I was pleased with the results. It gave a nice lather when added to my puffy sponge (do those things even have an actual name?) and it left my hair clean and manageable without drying it out or leaving a heavy feeling to it. (Both a plus since I have curly hair that I straighten daily.)

My husband and two kids also really liked this product, so it was a win with everyone in the family. (How often does THAT happen?!)

I think this would be a great addition to your gym bag or suitcase when traveling. Who wouldn't want to lug around less bottles but still smell good, feel moisturized and have clean manageable hair?! I know I'm all for "less is more"  in both of these cases.

While I don't think the Ivory 2-in-1 Hair & Body Wash will replace my normal products, I do see a use for it and would definitely purchase it. I know my kids liked it and showers become a twice a day thing around here in the summer, so this could definitely make life easier. Two kids, one product, less empty bottles to recycle.... who knew my laziness could be good for the earth as well!

A Day In NYC for #FitBlogNYC (Part Two)

Welcome to Part Two of my #FitBlogNYC recap! I hope you found some helpful info from my first post about the amazing speakers who FITNESS lined up for us! If you somehow missed it, please take a moment to check it out here: A Day In NYC for #FitBlogNYC (Part One)

After our information packed morning of seminars, FITNESS provided lunch for all of the bloggers in attendance and an opportunity to visit all of the sponsor tables that were set up inside of the Mercedes Club. When we arrived at the event, we were given a program and on the back of it was a list of all of the sponsors. We had to use this as a sort of passport and collect stickers from each vendor in order to earn an amazing swag bag!

First up was Saucony, since we encountered their table immediately upon going inside. They had a table set up with amazing running shoes, in bright, fun colors. Looking at the array of colors just made you instantly happy, so you could image how I was about to burst with joy when I found out that we were all receiving a pair of them!! The shoe being featured were the Kinvara 4's and they are simply #Kickassimus and will help me #FindYourStrong!

For specs on the Kinvara 4 running shoes click here.

Next up was the Athleta table. They had a table full of swimwear on display for us to check out and two racks full of different athletic wear. While taking everything in, we were told about an Instagram contest they were running. We were to pick out an outfit we liked from the rack and Instagram a photo of it with the hashtag #PowerToTheShe. A winner was selected at midnight based on who had the most likes. Obviously, I did not win, but it was fun anyway!

From there we moved over to the Marmot table where we met Paige Claassen who is a Professional Climber. She will be taking part in the Lead Now Tour, which is a global tour to inspire people through rock climbing. While speaking with her, I learned that she will be traveling the world for year during this tour and that she is most excited to visit South Africa, which is where the tour kicks off.

For more information on Paige and Lead Now, click here.

The next table I visited was sponsored by Tonalin. I had never heard of them before, but learned that their products are used for reducing body fat and are sourced from natural safflower oil. Tonalin CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is natural and environmentally sustainable. I don't know how much I buy into supplements like these, but if you have ever used them and have seen good results, I'd love to hear about your experience.

From here I moved on to the Reebok table and it was fabulous! They had a great display of their CrossFit sneakers set-up for us to check out, along with some of their new #LiveWithFire apparel! There was also a photo-op set up here. We got to write a catchy phrase on a white board, along with our blog/twitter information and have our photo taken. Later, we found out that Reebok had also given us all a pair of their SubLite Train 1.0 sneakers (not featured in this photo) to try out! Score!

For more information on the SubLite Train 1.0 sneakers, click here.

Vichy Laboratoires was the next table I visited. Upon arriving there, we were presented with an iPad and earbuds so we could watch this funny video, which is part of their #celluliteconfessions campaign:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CX3Dc35HN4&w=560&h=315]

After laughing for a while and joking with Violet Zaki (Fitness Expert, Owner of ZakiFitness and Equinox Instructor), we were introduced to CelluDeStock and their new Capital Soleil Lightweight Foaming Lotion SPF 50, which smells amazing and doesn't leave that gross sunscreen feeling on your skin. Vichy was kind enough to offer us a full size bottle of each in our swag bags, so I'm sure I'll have more to offer on these products soon!

Our next sponsor was Smart Balance and they had a very fun set-up for us. First, we were offered a little snack made with Smart Balance peanut butter, of course! They were No Bake Peanut Butter Cocoa Cookies and they were yummy! They were also kind enough to have the recipe printed out for us to take home, so I figured I'd share with you, too!

Smart Balance No Bake Peanut Butter Cocoa Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Smart Balance Fat Free Milk and Omega 3s
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 Tbsp Smart Balance Blended Butter Sticks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups oatmeal
• 3/4 cup Smart Balance Rich Roast Chunky Peanut Butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

• Boil the Smart Balance Fat Free Milk and Omega 3s, cocoa, Smart Balance Blended Butter Stick and sugar in a small pot for two minutes.
• Remove from heat and add oatmeal, Smart Balance Rich Roast Chunky Peanut Butter and vanilla.
• Drop by heaping tablespoons onto parchment paper or way paper. Let cool for at least 1 hour before eating.

Nutrition Fact: Serves 40. Nutrition per serving: Calories 72, Fat 3g, Saturated Fat 1g, Poly Fat 0, Mono Fat 2g, Trans Fatty Acids 0g, Cholesterol 1mg, Sodium 29mg, Carbohydrates 9g, Dietary Fiber 1g, Protein 2g.

They also had a fun aspect to their table. There were headbands for us to wear with the hashtag #BalancedBlogger on it and we had to attempt to do a fun pose on a Bosu Ball while wearing it. It was an interesting couple of minutes as I tried to balance on one leg for a photo. Luckily the representative taking the photo caught it right before I fell off. Good times! For our efforts we earned a jar of their peanut butter in our choice of chunky or creamy. If you Instagramed and tweeted the photo, you also earned the chance to win free Smart Balance peanut butter for a year.

The final sponsor we visited before giving into our hunger and breaking for lunch was Crystal Light. They had a table set-up with cups of water and a few sample flavors of their new #CrystalLightLiquid flavoring. We had a choice of trying Blueberry Raspberry, Pomtini or Strawberry Lemonade, which is what I opted for. I liked that you could control how much flavor was added to your water and that it wasn't overly sweet because of that.

From here we took a break to grab some food and head back outside to socialize and enjoy the gorgeous weather NYC was having that day.

I wish I had taken more photos of the bloggers I met during the event, but it complete mental overload and I was honestly more into socializing than documenting by this point. It was nice to meet up with Jen (@MomsGottaRun) since we went to High School together and it had been years since I'd seen her.

After lunch we headed inside to visit the final sponsor table, which was brought to us by Ford Fiesta and their #FiestaMovement. They had a fun photo booth set up so myself, Sylvia (@Frolic_Life_Syl) and Susan (@SusanFishback) participated together.

To view our video as well as others from this event  click here.

Our final event of the day was the group workout. Those of you who read my blog regularly already know we had a choice of three workouts. A Cardio Dance Party, Yoga or a Group Run. I chose the run so I quickly changed into a tank top and met my group. The run was being sponsored by Saucony and was being lead by Dorothy Beal (@MilePosts) who is a marathoner, mom of 3, cover model and running coach. Our group wasn't very big, but it was full of some runners who know their stuff and could easily do the 3 miles we set out to do. I felt great at first and was keeping pace with some of the newer runners, like myself, but as we continued our run along the Hudson River, I suddenly felt the familiar tightening of my chest... the one that has driven me crazy since I was Derailed By The Plague back in March.

I was starting to have an asthma attack and I didn't have my inhaler with me. Awesome! I slowed down and walked, tried to run again to catch up and then realized I had to walk if I wanted to make it back to the venue. I instantly felt like I failed and tears began to stream down my face. I called my husband to vent once my breath returned and he tried to reassure me that it was okay and I didn't fail, but it's hard to accept in the moment. I felt embarrassed and I felt like my body let me down. I eventually came to terms with what happened but it still sucks.

Upon returning back to the Mercedes Club, many of the bloggers had already grabbed their swag bags and were leaving. I quickly changed my shirt and headed over to claim my bag awesomesauce before meeting a few of my new blogger friends for a drink and some snacks.

 

Photo Credit: Susan Fishback

 

My bag full of Awesomesauce! (Ignore the mess behind it)

This was hands down and amazing event and I hope I am lucky enough to be invited to attend next year. I promise to share more information about what was in this amazing bag as I use the items, but the brands include Saucony, Reebok, CamelBak, Vichy, KIND, SparklySoul Headbands, Smart Balance, Marmot, Goody, Pure Barre, Three Jane, Athleta, Julep, Bliss Labs and many, many more!

 One quick item I'd like to feature is Sugarfina.

They gave use a beautifully packaged, delicious box of dark chocolate covered Goji Berries that even my kid liked!

They are offering our readers 20% off their antioxidant collection until May 31, 2013. Just visit Sugarfina.com/antioxidant and enter the code FITNESS at checkout!

A Day In NYC for #FitBlogNYC (Part One)

This past Thursday, the day I had been waiting for, finally arrived.... FITNESS magazine's Meet & Tweet, also known as #FitBlogNYC!

I woke up bright and early to catch the bus and head into Port Authority. From there, it was a quick walk over to the venue and the meeting spot where some of us had agreed to meet. We grabbed some coffee, exchanged business cards and just chit chatted before heading over to the Mercedes Club, where the event was being held.

 

Some of the amazing bloggers I got to meet before the event. To name a few @ExSoyCise, @SusanFishback, @TreadmillRunway, @weightsover, @MsHealthyWife, @BlondesRun, @DianaAntholis and @Frolic_Life_Syl who was kind enough to be my buddy for the afternoon. I know I forgot a few people here, but my brain is still in overload, my apologies.

Upon arriving, we headed upstairs to check-in. We received our ID badge, an awesome Camelbak water bottle and there were morning snacks/refreshments for us. After grabbing a muffin and some juice, we headed outside to the rooftop patio where the speakers would be presenting.

First up, were introductions by FITNESS magazines Editor-in-Chief, Betty Wong (@FITNESSBetty). She introduced us to the lovely Heather Muir (@PYTbeauty), who is the Beauty Director at FITNESS as well as Sarah Lucero (@stilaPROartist), who is a celebrity make-up artist and Executive Director of Global Artistry for Stila Cosmetics, as well as a Stage 3 Breast Cancer survivor.

 

Top: Betty Wong telling us about the day in store. Bottom: Heather Muir (L) & Sarah Lucero (R)

During their seminar on "Insider Beauty Secrets to Get You Glowing", they discussed ways to get pulled together in a flash, even when it's 95 degrees outside. Their top tip? Less is more when it's hot out!

• Match the weight of your make-up to the weight of your clothing.
• Use waterproof/water resistant beauty items.
• Always carry blot papers with you as well as a refreshing mist.
• Use sheer foundation - Don't try to cover up every little imperfection!
• "PowerPout" is hot this season! Use a punchy orange to achieve the look.
• Use vibrancy in your lip & eye color by using neon or pastel colors.

We also learned Sarah's Top 3 Beauty Secrets:

1. Make sure you get enough rest (8-9 hours of sleep per night)
2. Use a good moisturizer or balm that is multitasking and color correcting.
3. Wear the same color tone on your check and lips.

"Believe in the Beauty of the Future"

Our second seminar featured, FITNESS magazine's Senior Editor, Lisa Haney (@FITNESS_Lisa) and Jennifer Ashton, M.D. (@DrJAshton), who  is an ABC News Senior Medical Contributor, ob-gyn, triathele and author of the book, "Your Body Beautiful: Clock Stopping Secrets to Staying Healthy, Strong and Sexy in Your 30s, 40s and Beyond" as well as "The Body Scoop for Girls" - which I plan on picking up for my daughter.

 

Lisa Haney & Dr. Jennifer Ashton, speaking about being "Healthy, Strong and Sexy in Your 20s, 30s and Beyond"

They hosted a seminar on "Healthy, Strong and Sexy in Your 20s, 30s and Beyond". Dr. Ashton gave her down-to-earth advice on a holistic approach to health and why you need to be able to talk to your doctor as if they were BFF.

Some of the topics covered and take away points included:

• Angelina Jolie's recent mastectomy.
• You need to treat the whole person, not just the symptom.
• Your body needs to move, rest and be nourished.
• Size and body weight does not matter. It's about the type of fuel you put into your body.
• Bad carbs in excess are not our friends.
• Alcohol increases your risk of Breast Cancer
• Follow a 5/2 diet. Eat healthy 5 days a week & enjoy the weekends. This will help to curb the unhealthy food cravings over time.
• 2.5 servings per day of fruits and vegetables can help reduce your risk of Breast Cancer
• Birth Control pills can reduce your risk of ovarian cancer, which is why Dr. Ashton prescribes them for her gay patients, despite not needing the birth control aspect of them.
• Grapefruit juice interacts with many medications!
• You can Google "Drug Drug Interactions" to check if you have any. Make sure you include all supplements you are taking, even OTC!

"Life Is An Olympic Event and We Have To Train For It"

Our third seminar was one I was looking forward to! It featured FITNESS magazine's Digital Director, Christie Griffin (@ChristieGriffin) - who is one of the sweetest people ever! - Dana Weiss, Possessionista (@Possessionista), Deb Perelman, Smitten Kitchen (@SmittenKitchen), Jill Hanner who is a Ford Fiesta Agent and YouTube guru (@JillHanner) and last but not least, Erin Whitehead from Fit Bottomed Girls (@FitBottomedGirl) discussing their unique success stories and how they turned their passions into profit, during "My Blog Is My Business"

 

L to R: Christie Griffin, Dana Weiss, Deb Perelman, Jill Hanner and Erin Whitehead[/caption]

Some of the biggest take away points from this seminar where:

• Don't blog for money. Blog, then make money. - Dana
• Make what you want to talk about the center, then make money. - Deb
• Have a strong message and know who you are! - Erin

Don't Waste Your Time:

• Worrying about what other bloggers are doing.
• Comparing yourself to other bloggers.
• Obsessing over numbers or followers.
• Give too much weight to negative comments you may receive.
• Ignore search engine optimization offers.
• NEVER pay to rank in a search engine.

Tools They Love:

• Skimlinks: It's Dana's "Magical affiliate fairy" and allows her to focus on content, instead of links.
• Make sure you auto-redirect if you change your RSS feed! - Deb
• Google is Erin's best friend. She uses Google Docs, Analytics and more.
• Jill is also a fan of Google but mainly uses Instagram and Twitter as her tools.

How To Pitch Yourself to Companies:

• Email links of your work with other companies when reaching out.
• Make sure you be yourself!
• If you are offered a book deal, make sure you write a proposal.
• Be passionate with your blog. It'll bring new followers and eventually bring money.

Other Tips They Offered:

• For Pictures - Use a DSLR camera with a 50mm lens. It allows for a good photo, even when less lighting is available.
• On YouTube - Lighting and Sound are key! Also just like with your blog, BE YOURSELF!
• BlogAds is a site that sells ads for you and can formulate a starting price based on readership.
• Should I blog for free? - You bring value to these companies. Make sure you know your value, however, if you would write about them anyway, don't push for more money.

"Don't Blog For Money. Blog, Then Make Money."

Our fourth seminar featured  FITNESS magazine's Deputy Editor, Mary Christ Anderson (@FITNESS_Mary) and Celebrity Trainer Brett Hoebel (@bretthoebel), Founder of Brett Hoebel Fitness, featured trainer on The Biggest Loser season 11 and creator of RevAbs.

 

Mary Christ Anderson and Brett Hoebel discussing the Extreme Fitness Trend.

The topic of discussion here was "The Extreme Fitness Trend: Should You Try It?" They discussed how going to extremes is the new thing in fitness today...but does it work? We learned how and why 20-minute workouts can get the job done better than long, all-out sessions.

First off they discussed CrossFit:

• CrossFit took fitness and turned it into a sport.
• CrossFit is competitive but has a strong community base.
• CrossFit is AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) or Time Based.
• Shorter means it must be tougher!

Then they moved into the Tough Mudder trend and how many people where doing them for social media bragging rights. Brett's advice was to "Know what you're getting into when doing Tough Mudders".

Programs like P90X and Insanity were also discussed, since they are also extreme in nature. The subject of lack of time being the biggest excuse when it comes to not working out was discussed, too. Brett said that 20 minutes is the magic bullet for many busy moms and people who are short on time. It allows you do a few rounds of moves with maximum benefit, but you HAVE to get breathless while doing it!

When asked about his thoughts on TRX, Brett responded "I thinks it's amazing!"

"If Want Results In A Short Amount Of Time,You Have To Get Breathless!"

Our fifth and final seminar was all about food, and you guys know how much I love food and cooking! It was hosted by FITNESS magazine's Executive Editor, Pam O'Brien (@FITNESSPam), along with Rocco DiSpirito (@roccodispirito), who if you don't already know from Food Network, is one of FITNESS's favorite celebrity chefs, author of "Now Eat This! Italian" and star of the AOL web series "Now Eat This! Italy".

 

Pam O'Brien and Rocco DiSpirito discussing how to Eat What You Love - and Lose Weight!

In this seminar, they discussed how to "Eat What You Love - and Lose Weight", and Rocco revealed secret ingredients for speedy, healthy meals, as well as cooking tricks that slash the fat, but keep the flavor!

Some of the advice given to us during this segment were:

• Eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive. (Check out this link, from his tweet above in the photo, for 10 Healthy Foods Under $1)
• Always say no bread at restaurants.
• When eating out, split meals to go, when ordering, this way you won't be tempted to over-eat.
• Make sure you are eating 100% whole wheat or 100% whole grain foods.
• Juicing is good, but blending is better. Blending keeps all of the fiber from fruits and vegetables

Items to keep on hand in the kitchen:

• Non-fat Greek yogurt
• Non-fat cottage cheese
• Parmigiano Reggiano - Tip: Use a micro plane to grate instead of a box grater! A little goes a long way.
• Low calorie, Stock in a box
• Herbs and Spices. These are calorie free/guilt free and big on flavor.
• Vinegars
• Dijon Mustard - Only contains 7 calories per tablespoon!

Two of Rocco's favorite ways to prepare Spaghetti Squash are with garlic and oil - OR - with butter and parmigiano reggiano.

As you can see, the morning was full of amazing and informative speakers. I feel so lucky to have been invited to this event and to have listened, met and spoken with so many inspirational and wonderful people.

I will be sharing information on the wonderful and generous sponsors from #FitBlogNYC in my next post ....so keep an eye out for it!

CLICK HERE FOR PART TWO!

{Wordless Wednesday} Happy Birthday To Me!

Workout Gear On A Budget

I don't know about you, but money is always tight in this house.

My biggest fitness splurge to date, are my Brooks Glycerin 10 sneakers which I LOVE! I purchased them last year while picking up my race packet for The Color Run and while I cried as I forked over the cash for them, they were worth every penny. I think if you can only choose one item to splurge one, running shoes should be that item.

Now my daily fitness attire is another story. Because I need enough clothing to support my daily fitness activities, I need them to be cost effective. When I was just doing P90X or Insanity, I wore tank top and shorts that I already owned. I didn't care if I matched, because I was in my own living-room. My biggest worry was a sports bra for Plyometrics workouts. Since I started running, I've had to think about different types of gear. An arm band for my phone, the type of socks I wear, moisture wicking shirts, compression pants and different types of jackets for the different types of weather I'd encounter, as someone who runs outdoors.

When I asked for recommendations, many people said Lululemon, which is completely out of my budget. (I do like to "window shop" on their site, in case I ever hit the lotto, which I rarely remember to play.)

I had looked at Under Armor, Nike, New Balance and other brands at Sports Authority, but most of them were also pushing the ever shrinking limits of my budget, too.

Thankfully, I discovered Old Navy's Active line!

It's truly been a budget life saver and I adore the colors and styles they offer. I have quite a few of the t-shirts, tank tops and compression pants. I even recently picked up the compression jacket shown above, on clearance and used some Old Navy cash, to get a nice haul for very little money.

I was really skeptical when I first tried the t-shirts. I wasn't sure how they would hold up during washing, and my gear is used often, so it's washed a lot. To my surprise they held up great and I haven't seen any signs of shrinking or fading. (which is amazing because I sometimes forget to double check the recommended washing techniques.)

There honestly isn't an article of clothing I've purchased from the Active GoDry line, that I don't like. The compression pants were my favorite piece of gear when it was cold out. They never rode up or slipped as I ran, which drove me crazy with a pair I purchased prior. The bubble tanks (like the black one on the top left, in the photo above) are adorable and add a little of fun to workout gear. I snagged a few of those in some bright colors on clearance and I can't wait to wear them now that the weather is warming up.

Do you have a favorite, budget friendly place to buy your workout gear?



(This is not a sponsored post. I did not receive any kind of compensation from Old Navy for this post. I'm just simply sharing something that I like.)

{Product Review} Palmolive Fresh Fusions

I recently joined a site called Influenster, which allows you to give opinions of products and experiences. It creates links between brands and members to reward participation and also helps to influence future products that manufactures may be looking to release.

As a member, I was recently selected to participate in a product review. I couldn't wait to open my box of Palmolive Fresh Infusions when it arrived. Right away, I was very pleased to see the pretty bottle design! I normally transfer my dish washing liquids to a decorative bottle which I leave on the sink, but I now get to skip that step! I was also VERY pleased to see a Lime Basil scent option, as it is a favorite scent combo of mine.

Luckily (only in this case...normally this is not a lucky thing) I had a sink full of dishes that needed to be washed, so I picked a scent and went to work.

The first scent I used was the Ginger White Tea. It had a light scent that I really enjoyed and it did a terrific job of cleaning the dishes, that had been sitting in the sink for quite some time. (Don't judge me! Sometimes you have to leave the dishes in the sink so you can get your workout done or fit that run in.) Like with other Palmolive products I've used, a little went a long way and everything was left squeaky clean!

Later in the day I had a few stray glasses to wash, so I tried the Lemon Thyme, and it worked just as well. My hands were left soft when I was done and the citrus smell was a nice pick me up, as well.

As for the Lime Basil, I haven't tried it yet, but I plan on using it on tonight's dinner dishes. I will however admit, that I have popped the cap opened quite a few times to inhale the wonderful scent!

Overall I think Palmolive has hit a home-run with this new line of dish washing liquids. I love that they created a sleeker bottle and bath & body style scents, while keeping the grease cutting power and hand softening qualities that many people have always loved.



*I did not receive any monetary compensation for this blog post. I received the three bottles of product as shown, along with some coupons. I did not have to write a blog post about the product, I just simply liked it and felt like sharing. All opinions are strictly mine.*

T-Shirt Recycling

As many of you know, I am a true t-shirt whore. I love them and have collected many throughout the years. Since losing all of the weight I have, many of those t-shirts have ended up in bags and gone to Goodwill. There are others that I have not been able to part with or have recently gotten too big on me and I have finally found a way to still wear them and not look like a complete and total bum.

I'm sure many of you are familiar with a Pinterest, you know, that website full of neat stuff that sucks you in and eats up all of the precious time that you could have been productive in? I have been guilty of pinning many crafty things and then forgetting about them, however yesterday, I found a pin that really intrigued me and before I knew it, I was going through my dresser drawers, grabbing a pair of scissors and dusting off the sewing machine.

The pin I am referring to is a tutorial on T-Shirt Restyling or Recycling and can be found HERE. That blog also links to where she found the idea so if you decide to give this a try, be sure to visit both sites to see all of the photos!

I ended up doing two t-shirts last night and I LOVE the way they turned out. Of course I got all caught up in making them and forgot to take step-by-step photos to go with this post, but both of the blogs I mentioned above did.

There are so many possibilities for these! I used a fun cord from a pair of old sweatpants on the Star Wars t-shirt, instead of the original collar as the tutorial suggests because I wanted a looser fit to that one. I'd actually love to do the top in orange on both of these and I'm almost positive I have an old orange t-shirt somewhere I can cut up and use just for that purpose. I also didn't worry about swapping out thread colors. I just went with plain old white on both of these and I think they look just fine. (I also stuck with white because I forgot how to change the bobbin on my machine...sssshhhh!)

I'm so glad I found this and decided to actually try it instead of just pinning it and moving on. Buying new clothes over the past 3 years has gotten very expensive, so now I have a fun new way to wear my old clothes while saving a little money!

Tomorrow's The Big Day / What I Wore {Easter Sunday}

Yup! You read it correctly...tomorrow is the big day. In less than 12 hours I will be taking a major step in my weight loss journey and I'll be having my tummy tuck with muscle repair.

The past week has been a whirl wind and with things being so hectic up at work, I didn't really have much time to think about the procedure. I did manage to find time to make a list of things I needed from Target and pick them up, but outside of making sure I was taking my supplements as directed, that's it.

Since we are on the subject of supplements....let me vent about what I pain in the ass they are! I feel like a junkie popping pills all day. It's not fun and I'll be happy when I'm 7-14 days post surgery, so I can stop taking them. 

At this current moment, I keep flip flopping between excitement, nervousness and full blown anxiety. I'm thankful that today was Easter. I had plenty of things going on to keep my mind busy, so I didn't dwell on it all day. It wasn't until around 6pm when people started texting me to wish me luck tomorrow, that I started to enter panic mode.

Speaking of Easter, I decided to be girly and wear not only a dress but also my 5" platform sandals. For those of you know me, you know how tall I am in 5" platforms (as well as how ungraceful I am in them) but I wanted to step out of the box and finally wear these shoes. I bought them a year ago in two different colors because I loved them. I swore I would wear them but they never saw the light of day before today.

Coral Dress: Old Navy, last year. Teal Animal Stripe Sweater: Charlotte Russe, last year. Sandals: Charlotte Russe, last year. Necklace: Premiere Designs about 2 years ago. 

It felt nice to get dressed up instead of just tossing on a pair of jeans and a shirt. I won't lie, I took a pair of flip flops with me in my purse and wore them for the drive home. My feet can only take so much...they are used to my beloved Converse after all! Plus I'll be living in sweats and I won't have a need for shoes over the next 1-2 weeks.

I'm hoping sleep will find me tonight and the anxiety will subside. (Plus I can't eat after midnight or I'll turn into a Gremlin.) I have to be at the surgeons office tomorrow morning at 7:30 am, so I think I'll be waking up around 6 am so I can shower, get into some comfy clothes and try not to be too cranky without coffee or breakfast. Sigh.

Thanks again to everyone who has supported me in my decision to do this, has been there to ease my anxiety and has kept me motivated along the way. You all mean a lot to me and I'm happy to have you in my life.

P.S. - I was hoping to have some pics of where I'll be staying during the first few days of recovery, but we never got around to setting it up this weekend. Thankfully my husband is going to take care of all that while I'm in surgery tomorrow. I didn't want him just sitting around waiting for 4-5 hours anyway, so now he'll have something to keep his mind busy for a little while.