Keep Calm...Dammit!

It's been awhile since I've stepped on a scale. I'm pretty sure I've made it known that I don't like the scale and it doesn't tell an accurate story of what's going on with your body.

I normally just use my measurements and how my clothes are fitting as a guide and I adjust things from there. Well, today I stepped on the body mass calculator, in order to log all of my numbers for the official start of the Focus T25 challenge group that I am running with a friend, and the number wasn't pretty.

Now in the rational part of my brain, I know why there was such a jump in the number on the evil little piece of bathroom equipment, but the rational part of my brain was abruptly over thrown by the irrational part of my brain when I saw the number. I immediately began to freak out and wonder how this could be. I mean, yeah, I haven't followed a program for a while and yes, I've been a slacker with running...but I've been okay with my eating and I have been active. Where did I go so wrong? How could my clothes still fit well if there was such a jump?

Then I took my measurements and laughed at myself. They are all the same except for my thighs...they went up quite a bit and I always had a flat booty but that is no longer the case since I started running and squatting. THAT is my answer right there. I have built a lot of muscle in my lower body over the past few months. Now I know not all of it is muscle, the time of day as well as the month plays a role in a woman's weight and I know there is room for improvement with my diet, but once again, measurements told some key plot points to the story.

It's scary how quickly the rational part of my brain shut down and how upset I got over a number on a scale. I believe part of it has to do with how I refuse to go back to were I came from. It's actually a big fear of mine, so knowing I've been off my normal routine and not as good as I should be with nutrition, teamed up with a weight spike, freaked me the fuck out!

On the bright side, I feel a little clearer on my goals, know that my nutrition is key and I'm truly looking forward to getting to know those participating in the challenge and seeing what a full 60 days with this program can result in!

Have you ever experienced a moment like this? Where you know better but your emotions just take off and leave common sense behind?



 

{Recipe} Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Thighs

We are a week into the August Clean Eating Accountability and Yoga Challenge and I'm loving it!

I've been following a good 80/20 rule with my eating and even that 20% has been full of smarter choices. A new challenge always means new recipes for me, so I hit Pinterest and started searching for Clean Eating and Whole 30 meals that looked good to me...then I put my own spin on them.

The recipe I'm about to share is a combination of two recipes I found on there. One was a stuffed chicken thigh and the other was a bacon wrapped chicken thigh. Both sounded delicious and I couldn't choose which one sounded better so I decided to merge them together, make a few changes to the stuffing and the results were delish!!

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Thighs

• ¼ cup cashews
• ½ medium onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• small handful of basil
• 1 cup baby spinach (kale would work too)
• boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Cajun seasoning, to taste (I use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning)
• nitrate-free bacon

 Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a food processor, combine the cashews, onion, garlic, basil and spinach. Pulse until it forms a thick paste with no large chunks in it. (If needed, add a little water or vegetable stock to thin it out so it doesn't get stuck - but don't make it runny.)
3. Open the chicken thighs and lay them out flat. Sprinkle with your seasoning, then spoon some of the mixture into each thigh. Roll it up and then wrap with a slice a bacon. Place each thigh, bacon seam down on your baking pan.
4. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads the proper temperature, between 165- 175 degrees.

These were really easy to make and they tasted amazing! I served them with some roasted sweet potato and zucchini.

As for yoga, I'm REALLY loving this series and I'm so happy I stumbled upon it on YouTube! Having a quick, program that is beginner friendly has been key to me sticking with daily practice.

I'm also happy to report that I have started running again! It felt good to get back out there and while my legs are really sore right now, I didn't lose that much progress, which was a pleasant surprise.

Have you tried any new recipes since starting the challenge? Please be sure to share them with the rest of the group and if you Instagram or Tweet a photo, use the hashtag #EatCleanWithNikki

If you are hearing about this for the first time, please join us over on Facebook for daily accountability, recipe and snack ideas and of course, the daily yoga video!

Refocusing

More often than not, I seem to be refocusing. I refocus on workouts, nutrition, cleaning schedules, and priorities in general. Life seems to be a constant juggling act, and more and more items keep getting tossed in. It's hard not to drop something from time to time.

Running is the item that got dropped a while back and you know what? I miss it.

I set a goal for this year to hit 500 miles and I stalled out at 250 due to illness, frustration and then the heat. Frustration and heat are excuses and I know it. I know that you have to push through frustration and I know that there are ways around the heat. The time has come for me to stop making the excuses and start logging miles again. I'm a happier person when I run and I'm tired of feeling like a quitter.

This past week I started to refocus with Focus T25. The amount of sweat my body produces in 25 minutes with these workouts, is both amazing and gross. I'm hoping to build my cardio back up with this routine, so easing back into running will be a little smoother.

The next part of my refocus plan is an August "Clean Eating" accountability that I will be running over on the Facebook Page. I'll be posting the basics of clean eating, shopping guides and recipes over there each day. My eating has been pretty good, but it took a nose dive during Mike's vacation this past week. I'm hoping that as a group, we can stay accountable, help each other find new recipes and form new, healthier habits. I've always had success while working in groups and I'm hoping that those participating will too.

As well as the clean eating accountability, I plan on sharing a daily yoga workout on the Facebook page each day. If there is one thing I've learned during my fitness journey, it's that no matter how badly I suck at yoga, it is important to my routine. I'll benefit from a stretching/muscle recovery aspect as well as mentally with meditation/stress relief. I always feel better after doing yoga, yet I always manage to skip it...I clearly make no sense and need to fix this.

Ultimately, life happens, and our grand plans don't always work out as planned. As long as you take a moment to stop, see where things went wrong and refocus, your goals can still be reached.

Are you ready to refocus with me? What aspect of your routine do you need to focus on?

I'm A Rugged Maniac!

Back in March, I was participating in the #FurtherFasterFurther badge challenge and feeling like a total badass. I was on the top of my game  and achieving things I never thought I could do. One Saturday I was scrolling through Groupon and found an amazing deal on the Rugged Maniac mud run, so I obviously bought it and felt instant happiness! Poor Mike.

Fast forward to July 14th....race day. I had fallen off the running wagon, my cardio wasn't close to where it should be and I was now nervous as I drove to the event with Mike. I didn't know if I could hack the obstacles that were waiting for me, but thankfully we were doing the race with Mike's childhood friend, Irwin and his two kids, Jess and Ryan... and this wasn't their first mud run!

We arrived early to park, pick up our race packets and hang out for a bit. We were in the first wave for the day, and I was grateful for that since it was going to be in the upper 90's!

Top: Hanging out before the race - Bottom Left: Let the fun begin! - Bottom Right: 1/2 mile run. *Special thanks to Lisa for taking these photos!*

Our first obstacle was a wall that you had to jump in order to get to the starting line. I honestly felt a little intimidated by it, but I made it over on the first try, and I felt the doubt wash away and some confidence kick in. The first stretch of the course was a pretty easy 1/2 mile run before we hit our first obstacle, which were two A-frames that we had to climb up and over. From there, we headed into the woods and were greeted by ankle to knee-deep mud (which smelled awful) and some 5 foot walls to hop, like the one at the start gate. These were a little trickier to do because my feet and the wall were slippery with mud, but I made it over all of them on the first shot, which made me feel kinda badass again. From there it was more mud and then a football style tire run with swinging tires that you had to push through. Our reward for making it through was a water station, which ended up being the only one on the course!

 

Top: A-Frames - Bottom Left: Tire carry & hurdles - Bottom Right: Sprint to the Finish              *Special thanks to Lisa for taking these photos!*

After our water break we headed onto around the motocross hills and toward the barbed wire obstacles. Thankfully the barbed wire wasn't as low as I was anticipating, so I was able to crawl under it without army crawling. The downside to crawling? I wore shorts and didn't have knee-pads so my knees got really cut up! Lesson. Learned. The next obstacle I remember was the slide! Nothing like sliding into a lake of muddy water to cool off!

 

Left: Fire jumps - Top Right: Barbed Wire - Bottom Right: Sliding into muddy water.                 *Photos taken by Rugged Maniac Photographers*[/caption]

I honestly don't remember the order of the rest of the obstacles. I think the drainage pipes were next and I skipped that one. I'm EXTREMELY claustrophobic and didn't feel like having a panic attack if I had a hard time making my way back up the second pipe. I think it was this obstacle where my teammate Jessica's hair got stuck in the barbed wire while making her way between pipes....OUCH!

 

We're Rugged Maniacs!!  (Ryan, Irwin, Jessica, Mike and Myself)

Thankfully there were lots of sprinklers along the course so you could wash mud off your hands and out of your eyes. Although the one time I needed a sprinkler I couldn't find one. I lost my traction going down a small mud slide and ended up going completely under the muddy water at one point. I wasn't expecting it so I didn't have time to hold my nose and ended up with mud in the my eyes and up my nose....talk about gross! I had to skip the obstacle after that because I couldn't see.

A big thank you to the volunteer who offered me a clean spot on her t-shirt to wipe my eyes!

From there it was the fire jumps and then off to the final obstacle which I failed at. Between the mud in my eyes and the amount of mud on the wall, I just couldn't pull myself all the way up. I was pissed I couldn't make it to the top and across the cargo net, but I achieved a lot and I was proud. Mike and I waited for our teammate on the other side of the wall and then we sprinted to the finish line (and Irwin's kids who ran off ahead racing each other to the final obstacle and finish line. I loved the competitive nature between them)!

 

Before & After

The finish line had a water table which was a welcome blurry site. I grabbed two bottles and started rinsing out my eyes, while rehydrating. From there we showered off, headed to the truck to change and then went back to the after party for our post race beer, music and snacks!

Overall, the course was challenging but not awful. I loved seeing all of the team-work going on around us as well as all of the laughter. I can't wait to do another mud run with this team....they were awesome!

 

Cheers!

Have you ever completed a mud run? Which one and what did you think of it?

{Semi Wordless Wednesday} Halfway There

Yesterday I hit the halfway mark on my journey to 500 miles. It came a month later than I thought, I almost got hit by a falling tree branch on the trail and I apparently didn't lace up correctly, because I ended up with a killer blister, but I did it!

Semi {Wordless Wednesday} National Running Day

Did you get up and go for a run today? If not, there's still time!

{Wordless Wednesday} Color Me Rad Edition

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!

It Might Be Raining, But I'm A Damn Rainbow!

Today I woke up to gray skies and light rain. Not the ideal weather for my first 5K of the year, but it goes hand in hand with the events that lead up to the fun run this week.

The hubs and I were supposed to do this run today, but my mom ended up going to Aruba and my FIL was attending my nieces dance recital. (This is what happens when you buy a Groupon and register months in advance, right?!) We thought about leaving my daughter in charge for the few hours that we would be gone, but then my husband opted to stay home with them (she's old enough to babysit - they just don't always get along), so I went ahead alone. Thankfully I knew someone else who was going to be there, because I couldn't find anyone willing to takes the hubs' race bib.

After sitting in crazy ass traffic to get into the parking lot at PNC Arts Center, I met up with Maria (@mariacmelendez) and we headed up to the Start Gate. We had amazingly epic timing, because our 9am wave was just getting ready to start when we arrived. They just so happened to have everyone turn around to begin, which put us only 5 people back from the starting point.

 

#JerseyStrong

Today's Color Me Rad was being help in partnership with Jersey Strong, to help raise money for the rebuilding of the Jersey Shore after Sandy destroyed so much of it this past October.

With music pumping, people cheering and the rain falling, we were off!

The course was not as nice as The Color Run, at all. This one had some steep hills which became dangerously slick with the rain falling and the amount of people running. We also had some sections that looped into the grass, which also became slick and muddy, not to mention some really narrow parts where we would bottle neck because it was uphill and people were opting to walk instead of run. Overall it was a fun time!

We finished the run in 33 minutes which leads me to believe the course was not a full 5K - but closer to 2.6 miles. We were held up too many times to have finished a full 3.1 in that time. I wish I would have had my RunKeeper on, but I opted to put my phone away to keep it safe from the elements. Either way, we did awesome and had fun!

 

The weather was gray, but were rainbows, dammit!

I was wondering if there would be a difference between Color Me Rad and The Color Run, and the answer is yes! Color Me Rad uses powdered colors much like The Color Run, however, they also had two color stations that were liquid color, and I thought that was pretty cool. I actually thought that the color from this race would be harder to remove from my body, hair and clothing, since they use the liquid color as well, but I was wrong. Showering was super easy and there was no trace of color on my shirt after one washing. (This might not be a good thing if you WANT the color to stay in your shirt as a keepsake/trophy. In that case, simply spray your shirt with vinegar and iron it, to set the color.)  I'm not sure if weather conditions play a role in this or if it is just a difference in product. Either way, Color Me Rad wins in the color removal process.

The other difference, was that Color Me Rad actually had photographers throughout the course taking photos, as well as photo areas at the end of the race. The Color Run only offered the photo area at the end of the race,where you could have professional photos done. In all honesty, I don't know what Color Me Rad is going to charge for the photos taken on race day yet. With The Color Run, I paid a $5 flat fee for the photos and that covered my entire team! I was able to download the digital files and print them at my local photo processing studio. For now, Color Me Rad wins in the photo department because of the on-course photographers, but that could very well change once I hear what it will cost me to purchase these photos.

I ran these at two different venues, but I preferred the course from The Color Run better. It was much wider, which was nicer for those who were running it like a race. It gave enough room for runners to pass those who wanted to walk or just goof-off and it was primarily black top, which was nice and stable. A win for The Color Run!

The other thing liked about Color Me Rad, was that they were giving away prizes at there Finish Line Celebration. I heard them giving away hoodies, t-shirts and 1 year memberships to WOW! (Work Out World) who was a sponsor of this event.

Want to see the professional photos from The Color Run we did? CLICK HERE!

 

Jersey Shore themed cars in the parking lot - sponsored by WOW

 

Thank you Red Bull, for the sample of your new Cranberry flavor!

Overall, Color Me Rad received more "wins" in this post, but I still preferred The Color Run's set up! Would I do the Color Me Rad again? Absolutely! I think 5K's like these are a ton of fun and I'm looking forward to doing The Color Run again in August! Care to join us in August - contact me! Do you have a favorite fun run? I'd love to know which one you think I should keep an eye for!

Leaving My Comfort Zone

After I shared my #FitBlogNYC news and shear giddiness, things got more exciting!

Remember I said I hoped FITNESS magazine would give us more info about the event during this next week? Well... they did!

We all received an e-mail yesterday afternoon providing information on the workouts that would be offered during the event.  We had to choose one of the following three, cardio, yoga or a power run. All three of these are being brought to us by amazing sponsors, and they all sounded great. However, I immediately felt really stressed and out of my comfort zone. My thought process went a little like this:

• CARDIO  - I have zero rhythm and will end up stepping on someone. Save that train wreck for your own living-room.
• YOGA (?) - Possibly, however you've done yoga in a class setting before. Try something new!
• POWER RUN (!) - Initial excitement, followed by self doubt.

Those of you who know me and follow this blog, know that I don't do group fitness activities. My first ever group fitness event was when I met Tony Horton at his book signing, and I at least had my husband and good friend with me. Outside of that, I've done three Bikram Yoga classes (I hid in the back during all of them) and some 5k's, which I dont' mind at all.

I ended up reserving a spot for the Power Run and I am extremely nervous about it. I fear that I won't be able to keep up with everyone. I fear that I'll gas out halfway through the workout. I fear that my fears are going to make me fail. This is not a good mentality to have. I need to learn how to have confidence in these things. I can't compare myself to others. I need to give myself credit for trying, do my best and know that I'll get better with time and training. I need to lose the self doubt, because I have come so far in the past four years. It's time for me to quit trying to be a perfectionist and just have fun!

I clearly still struggle with the mental aspect of fitness, but I suppose that makes me human.

My next bit of good news also came via e-mail!

I received an invite from Physique 57 to try a barre class after #FitBlogNYC!

Once again, group workout anxiety kicked in, but it's not everyday that these opportunities present themselves, so I responded that I'll be there.

I'm sure I won't be the only person trying this class for the first time, so there is a little comfort in that. I believe that trying new things makes you grow as a person. Plus you never know if you'll like something unless you try it, right?

So... Here's to trying new things, leaving my comfort zone and learning how to relax and just have fun! Wish me luck!