Tag Archives: BodyPump

June 12, 2013 · 2:35 pm

Childhood Movies

Today’s Workout

BodyPump – 60 minutes
2.1 miles, treadmill

I woke up this morning feeling a lot better than yesterday. I am still slightly congesting but getting better!

I want to try and squeeze in a 2 mile and a 3 mile run before Saturday, and I knew it wasn’t going to happen unless I ran on the treadmill. So after BodyPump this morning, I hopped on the treadmill and ran 2 miles.

It’s so weird to run on the treadmill again. I used to only run on the treadmill, but since switching to running outside, it makes it a lot harder to run on a treadmill. I was super sweaty after only running two miles.

I hope to run three miles outside tomorrow morning before Danny goes to work. We’re supposed to get bad storms later this afternoon, so I’ll see how the weather is in the morning.

Post workout, I had a mini chocolate mint Builder Bar.

After the gym, we went to pick up my niece and of course I have to share a picture of how cute she is.

My aunt sent her that outfit in the mail and it arrived while were there so I had to put in on her After having two boys, it’s fun to be able to dress up my niece.

Lunch

Lunch this afternoon was two egg whites, toast with peanut butter, and apple slices.

I haven’t had peanut butter toast in forever so it was especially good.

I ate while reading two of my new running magazines.

So, is it embarrassing that I already bought our tickets to see Monsters University next Friday?!

I don’t even know if the kids want to see it, but I do Jacob was little when the original Monsters Inc. first came out, and it was one of the first movies that he loved watching. He used to watch it over and over and over.

I think we all have one of those movies that we watched a million times when we were younger and never got sick of it. For me, it was Ladybugs with Jonathan Brandis.

For my brother, it was 3 Ninjas.

I can’t even tell you how many times I have seen both of those movies.

I feel like Monster Inc. was part of Jacob’s childhood, so I am excited to see Monsters University.

Have a great afternoon!

Is there a movie that you watched over and over as a kid?
Is there a movie that you love watching as an adult? There are some movies that I will always watch when they come on tv – A Walk to Remember, Dawn of the Dead, Resident Evil (for some reason I have an obsession with zombie movies)
What did you have for lunch today?

runeatplay

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Tagged as BodyPump, fitness, lunch, monsters university, movies, running, treadmill

June 10, 2013 · 11:02 am

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Saturday

On Saturday afternoon we went to my stepbrother, Jake’s, graduation party.

My dad and stepmom made him a scrapbook of his life from when he was born until now. My dad also made my brother and me a scrapbook when we graduated high school.

We had fun visiting, eating, and swimming.

I think Jaden stayed in the pool for four straight hours. That kids loves to swim. He didn’t even mater how cold he got or how much his teeth were chattering, he did not want to get out of that pool.

We stayed to watch the Chicago Blackhawks game. Thank goodness they won

Sunday

On Sunday, we just kind of relaxed and hung out all day. I was expecting my legs to be sore from my 8 mile run on Saturday morning, but they felt totally fine.

We worked on the little garden in our front yard a little bit.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a green thumb. My mom does so it must have skipped my generation. I pretty much kill every plant that I touch, with the exception of those two big green plants. We planted those few years ago, and they come back and grow big every year without me doing anything. Those are the kind of plants that I like.

In hindsight, I should have bought bigger plants than those little purple flowers, but for some reason I was imaging the space smaller in my head. We’ll see how long they live with me around.

Today’s Workout

BodyPump – 60 minutes

I went to BodyPump this morning, then came home and made a fruit smoothie.

My smoothies have been so simple lately – frozen strawberries and peaches, peach Greek yogurt, and some Trop50 orange juice. Easy and delicious.

Running

The Biggest Loser 15k in coming up on Saturday. I am excited but nervous. My training plan has a few short runs this week – 2 miles and 3 miles. Then the big 9.3 miles on Saturday. I plan just to go slow and steady. I don’t have a time goal in mind.

I am debating whether or not I should bring my hand held water bottle with me. I run better without holding it, but it’s supposed to be hot on Saturday, so I figure I might need it.

Have a great afternoon!

Do you have a green thumb? Do you like to garden?
Do you bring a water bottle with you for long races or just use the water stations?
Do you like to swim?

runeatplay

8 Comments

Filed under Family Fun, Fitness, Race, Running, Working Out

Tagged as 15k, Biggest Loser, BodyPump, graduation, running, smoothie, swimming

June 7, 2013 · 2:04 pm

Fruits, Veggies, and Water Bottles

Good afternoon!

Today’s Workout

BodyPump – 60 minutes

I felt really good during BodyPump today and felt like I got a great workout in. The triceps track on the new release is killer.

I’m trying to eat lots of fruits and veggies today, so post workout, I had a giant Honeycrisp apple.

After the gym, the kids and I ran a few errands and then came home for lunch. I had a spinach, fruit, and pecan salad.

And some veggies with hummus on the side.

I had a bowl of cherries for dessert. Oh cherries, how I’ve missed you.

Yesterday, I got my Amphipod waist water belt in the mail.

I like that it felt comfortable on my back when I tried it on.

It’s funny because I automatically smiled in this picture even though my back was to the camera. And yes, if I’m home, I’m wearing sweatpants…or workout clothes. That’s just how it goes.

The water bottle stays belted in by a tiny bungee and I was worried how hard it would be to un-bungee and re-bungee the water bottle while running.

Danny tested it out running around the living room and said it seemed pretty simple to do while running. I plan on running in the morning, so I’ll test it out then.

Even my niece needed a turn trying it on!

Tonight, we’re cooking on the grill for the first time this year. We’re making burgers, salmon, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, and watermelon. I can’t wait

Tomorrow, we’re going to my stepbrother’s graduation party. Should be a fun and busy weekend, although next weekend will be way busier!

Have a wonderful Friday!

What’s your favorite thing to grill?
Anyone running this weekend?

runeatplay

7 Comments

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Tagged as amphipod, BodyPump, fitness, gym, lunch, running

June 5, 2013 · 12:06 pm

Skinny Limits Juice Cleanse Day Two and National Running Day

Happy National Running Day!

Unfortunately, I didn’t run today, but I thought it would be fun to talk about our favorite running moments or first races.

My favorite running moment was definitely the Run Like a Mother 5k. It was my fastest race -29:22 and so far my only sub-30 5k.

I was so happy that I finally ran 3.1 miles in under 30 minutes. I was so emotional that I was able to accomplish something that I never thought I could.

Skinny Limits

Day one of the Skinny Limits juice cleanse was hard. I was doing fine up until about 3 pm. Then my stomach starting to growl and I got a headache that I had for the rest of the afternoon. It was unpleasant but not unmanageable.

According to my instruction sheet, if you are feeling bad then it means the detox is working. Symptoms of a juice cleanse include headaches, mild breaking out, and cramping. These are signs that the juice cleanse is helping rid your body of toxins.

I drank my third juice around 3 pm hoping that it would help. It was the Lotus (beet juice) and it was terrible. It was the only juice out of the six juices that I had a hard time drinking.

I still had a headache most of the day, but I started to feel a lot better at night, and I slept really good.

This morning, I started out my day with the recommended cup of hot water and lemon followed by a green juice. I felt really good when I woke up, so I hope today will be a bit easier than yesterday.

The hardest part is cooking for my family. I made breakfast and lunch for the kids, and dinner for Danny and the kids. It’s really hard to be around all that food and not even take a tiny bite.

Today’s Workout

BodyPump – 60 minutes
Approx. 1 mile walk

Skinny Limits says that it’s okay to exercise while doing a juice cleanse as long as your body feels okay. They probably mean exercise like walking or yoga, not BodyPump, but I did BodyPump anyway. I’m a rebel.

It went okay. I didn’t feel terrible, but I didn’t feel 100% either. I have read about people doing juice cleanses who feel great and have a ton of energy. I just feel really tired.

After the gym, the kids and I walked about 1/2 mile to the park, played a while, and then walked 1/2 mile back to the car.

Now I’m kind of wishing I could take a nap

Up next for my juice cleanse is the Scorpion Lemonade.

I think this one of my favorite. It’s a nice break after the beet juice. It tastes like slightly spicy lemonade.

Enjoy your afternoon!

What is your favorite running moment?
Did you run today?
If you could only drink one thing for the rest of your life besides water, what would it be?

Skinny Limits sent me the three day Juice Cleanse Variety Pack to review on my blog free of charge. All opinions are my own.

runeatplay

8 Comments

Filed under Fitness, Running, Working Out

Tagged as BodyPump, fitness, juice cleanse, juicing, national running day, skinny limits, walking

May 31, 2013 · 1:24 pm

Five Things Friday

Today’s Workout

Elliptical – 16 minutes
BodyPump – 60 minutes

I wore my compression socks and shorts for most of the day yesterday, and my legs felt fine when I woke up today. I was a little worried about my calves after yesterday’s run, but that compression gear really is a lifesaver.

Can you believe it’s the last day of May?!

Here are a few of my favorite things from May:

Five Things Friday:

1. This pretty much sums up my life:

2. I am obsessed with the Candy Crush Saga game. Obsessed as in it’s taken over my life.

3. My stepbrother and nephew are both graduating high school today!

Congrats Jake!

Congrats Kyle!

4. I have a movie date with my hubby tomorrow.

5. Today is the last full day of school. (My kids have to go to school for an hour and a half on Monday) I have a feeling that it’s going to be a crazy summer

First and seventh grade coming up!

Tell me a random fact about you!

runeatplay

7 Comments

Filed under Family Fun, Fitness, Fun, Running, Working Out

Tagged as BodyPump, compression gear, fitness, may, school

May 29, 2013 · 1:52 pm

Color Me Rad 5k Chicago

Today’s Workout

Elliptical – 15 minutes
BodyPump – 60 minutes

We did the new BodyPump release today – #86, and it was tough!

Post workout, I had a Builder Bar and watermelon.

I bought a watermelon yesterday, and I think I ate half of it already. It’s just so good. Watermelon is probably my favorite summer fruit. I could eat it all day.

One of the things I really enjoy doing is “fun” races. This includes races with obstacles or mud runs, etc. I think these kind of races are great to do because they focus more on the fun aspect of running rather than the competitive aspect of running. Some of these kinds of races aren’t even timed so that you can just enjoy yourself.

I have completed the Muddy Buddy three times, and while I do have to train for the run/bike race, I do it for fun, not for time. And it’s fun to do it with a partner, especially the giant mud pit at the end.

I ran the Monster Dash 5k with my family a few years ago which included a bunch of obstacles including rope swinging over a river, hurdling over walls, crawling through concrete tubes, crawling under a rope net, etc.

These races are such a nice fun change. And the newest runs to hit the road? Color runs!

The Color Me Rad 5k is coming to Chicago on July 20, 2013 at Soldier Field. A portion of the proceeds will go toward the World Sport Chicago Mission.

How fun does this race look?!

How it works:

Start out as clean as a newborn babe, and throughout the run, you’ll coat your chaffing thighs with Color Bombs of blue, green, pink, purple, and yellow until your face, shirt, and body come out silkscreened like a tie-dyed hippy on the other side.

Each section of the run adds a new explosion of color to your clean, painter’s palate until you cross the finish line into a final blitzkrieg of color.

(Source)

You can sign up to run the Color Me Rad 5k in Chicago here. You can also check out Color Me Rad on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

I have two free entries to the Color Run 5k to giveaway. Rather than do it as a comments giveaway, email me at runeatplay(at)hotmail(dot)com and tell me that you want to run the Color Me Rad 5k in Chicago on July 20, 2013.

If you know anyone in the area that wants to run the race, pass this info along to them

Have a great afternoon!

Want to run the Color Me Rad 5k in Chicago? Email me!
Have you ever ran one of these “fun” races?
Favorite summer fruit?

runeatplay

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Tagged as BodyPump, chicago, color me rad 5k, fitness, race, running

May 22, 2013 · 12:00 pm

Running, The Ninja, and A Movie Night

Last Night’s Workout

3.1 miles outside, warm & slightly windy

Today’s Workout

BodyPump – 60 minutes

Well, the meet-up for the Zooma half marathon ended up being postponed last night. I guess not enough people were able to make it out. I didn’t have to worry about driving and parking after all.

I decided to still run last night anyway. Jaden had t-ball in the evening, so Danny took the kids, and I waited for my sister-in-law to pick up my niece. After they left, I ran to t-ball. It’s exactly 3.1 miles from our house.

Once again, not a great run. I ran two miles and then had to take a walk break because my calves were killing me, which is my own fault for taking the cardio class that morning. I wanted to go farther but after 3.1 miles by legs were done. I am also starting to get a cold, so that didn’t help.

I wore my new Pro Compression socks. While I like them, I don’t love them. I think maybe it’s because I have been wearing the calf sleeves for years. They are a lot thinner than my normal socks so my foot slide around the whole time. Just one foot, which was weird. I think I’ll use them for recovery after my runs and continue to run in my sleeves.

Post run after t-ball:

I also wore my Spi belt that I got for Christmas for the first time.

I never run with my phone, and I didn’t want to leave it at home last night in case I call to Danny at t-ball for some reason. So, I used the SPIbelt. Normally, I don’t like running with things around my waist which is why I don’t run with a water belt, but the SPIbelt was awesome. I didn’t even know it was there and it didn’t bounce at all. For my three mile run, it was perfect.

I also ran with my hand-held water bottle which I filled up with citrus fruit Nuun.

The water bottle leaked the whole time. Not fun. So far, water has been my biggest challenge while running (not including my wonderful calves and quads).

Ninja

My new Ninja blender is awesome…at slicing my thumb open. Those blades are sharp! I sliced my thumb open within 2 minutes of making my smoothie.

The Ninja has a tower of blades that goes into the pitcher. You have to put it in and take it out. I must have grabbed it wrong because I sliced my thumb right open. It wasn’t terrible, but it hurt and bled a lot. Thankfully, the blender worked awesome and my smoothie came out perfect.

I made a peach pineapple smoothie.

My smoothies includes strawberries 99% of the time. I just happened to be out of them this time.

Tonight, I’m going to one of those restaurant movie theaters where you can watch a movie and order dinner at the same time. I’m going with my step-mom, sister-in-law, and grandma. It should be a fun girl’s night. We’re seeing The Great Gatsby.

Have a great afternoon!

Do you run with your phone?
Do your smoothies always included a certain fruit or ingredient?
Have you ever been to a restaurant movie theater? This is my first time!
What’s the last movie you saw?

runeatplay

10 Comments

Filed under Fitness, Nuun, Running, Working Out

Tagged as BodyPump, movies, ninja, Nuun, running, smoothies, SPIbelt, tball

May 17, 2013 · 1:05 pm

Running Fuel

Happy Friday!

I’m so glad it’s the weekend. My birthday is Monday so that means we’re celebrating this weekend!! I told Danny I was very particular about the kind of cake I wanted – chocolate cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream

Yesterday was Jaden’s first t-ball game!

Unfortunately, Jaden doesn’t have a very long attention span so the game was interesting. I think I took him to the bathroom four times, yelled at him to leave his shirt on, and had to find something for him to sit on when he spilled Gatorade everywhere. Fun times.

But he liked playing and even got two hits without using the tee.

Today’s Workout

BodyPump – 60 minutes

BodyPump is usually the most crowded class at the gym in the mornings, but today there was only four of us. Maybe everyone’s starting their weekend early or exercising outside?

I picked up our race packets for the 5k tomorrow from a local running store. The mini Builder Bar was my favorite part.

The race is a smaller race and is about five minutes away from our house. Danny and I are running it, and my dad is coming to watch the kids. Thanks, Dad.

While I was at the running store, I picked up a few different kinds of fuel to try out for my long runs, especially when training for the half marathon. It seems be a general rule that if you’re running over an hour, you should have some kind of fuel – chews, gels, bars, sports drinks, etc.

Personally, I like the chews, but Danny doesn’t. He tried out one of the Gu’s on his run this morning and said that he didn’t like it. I think I’ll prefer the chews to the gels but I’m still going to try out the gels. I’ve had the PowerBar chews at a race before, so I know I like those.

I got my Pro Compression socks in the mail yesterday. I am looking forward to seeing how they compare to my calf sleeves.

I haven’t had a chance to try them out on a run yet, so I’ll let you know how that goes. The only thing that I don’t like so far is the sizing. Since they are socks the sizing chart goes by shoe size.

(Source)

According to my shoe size, I should have ordered a size small/medium, but I know that with my calf size there was no way that a S/M would fit over my calves.

I have very large calves, and I’m not even exaggerating. Based on the circumference of my calves, I had to order my Zensah calf sleeves in the biggest size they made – L/XL.

I just have big calves. It happens. And one is noticeably bigger than the other, which is weird.

So, I ordered the Pro Compression socks in a L/XL. The fit over my calves perfect but the shoe size is a bit too big and they’re very long. I had to push them down my knees a bit. I’m sure they’ll work okay, and I am excited to try them out, I just wish that the sizing was different.

I’ll probably won’t run in them for the race tomorrow. I’ll try them out next week.

Lunch

Lunch this afternoon was a peach smoothie.

In my smoothie:

1 cup frozen peaches
4 frozen strawberries (because it was all that I had left)
1 container peach Greek yogurt
1 cup Trop50 orange juice
crushed ice

Don’t forget, there’s still time to enter the Sambazon juice and smoothie giveaway! Ends tonight and I’ll announce the winner on Monday!

Have a great afternoon!

If you could pick any birthday cake or dessert what would it be?
How do you fuel for long runs? Gels, bars, chews, sports drinks, etc?
Any plans for this weekend?

runeatplay

9 Comments

Filed under Family Fun, Fitness, Lunch, Recipes, Running, Working Out

Tagged as BodyPump, fitness, gu, gym, honey stinger, lunch, powerbar, pro compression, running fuel, smoothies, tball

May 14, 2013 · 12:45 pm

Snacking

Good afternoon! It is a beautiful day here in Chicagoland. Why does life always seem so much better when it’s gorgeous outside?!

Yesterday’s Workout

BodyPump – 60 minutes

Today’s Workout

Butts and Guts Class – 60 minutes

Since I having been watching my niece early in the mornings lately, she has been coming to the kid’s room at the gym with me. She loves playing with the other kids, especially the babies.

Sometimes she helps me set my equipment up:

Running

I have a low mileage week this week before I jump into 7 miles next week. I am kind of glad that it’s a lower mileage week because my birthday is Monday, and we’re celebrating this weekend. Nothing fancy, we’re just going to an nearby Mexican restaurant…but there might be some margaritas involved

This is what my running plan for the week looks like:

Tuesday Night – 4 miles
Thursday Morning – 3 miles
Saturday Morning – Just Play 5k

Next week, I’ll have to figure out when I can squeeze my 7 mile run in because we also have a 5k that weekend. 7 miles will be the longest that I have ever run outside. I have run 10 miles on the treadmill before though.

Eating

I have been eating terrible lately, and I decided that I really needed to get back on track this week. Yesterday, I went to the store and got tons of fresh fruits and veggies for the week.

I also decided to drink the Jillian Michaels Detox Tea again this week. I think it’ll help me lose the water weight and get back on track.

Lunch

For lunch, I made a veggie flatbread pizza on a FlatOut wrap. My pizza had: pizza sauce, red pepper, green pepper, red onion, and mozzarella cheese.

I also had a giant Honeycrisp apple and blueberries.

Snacks

I got this email about snacks which I thought was interesting:

Personally, it helps me to eat small meals and snacks throughout the day. This way, I never feel too hungry during the day. When I wait to long to eat, I get really hungry and tend to overeat.

I usually have a small snack after I workout and a small snack in the afternoon about 3:30 pm.

Have a great afternoon!

Do you eat snacks?
Are you happier when it’s nice out?
How do you find time to run/exercise when you’re busy?
How do you get back on track after not eating very good?

runeatplay

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Tagged as BodyPump, fitness, gym, lunch, running, snacks

May 3, 2013 · 12:12 pm

Happy Birthday Jacob and I’m Home!

Happy 12th birthday to my son, Jacob!

Jacob was born 12 years ago today, 25 weeks early and weighed 1 pound 14 ounces. His weight dropped to 1 pound 8 ounces at its lowest. You can read the post I wrote on his birthday last year with pictures here if you would like

I let the kids pick out anything they want for breakfast on their birthday. Usually they pick out McDonald’s Cinnamelts, but today Jacob picked out Krave cereal.

Love you, Jacob!

I got back from Atlanta last night. It was a pretty quick trip. I flew out Wednesday afternoon and flew home on Thursday night.

The reason I was in Georgia was to film a video for Mizuno’s Mezamashii Run Project.

I promise that I will do a whole post on it soon. I want to be able to tell you guys everything that happened! Today is really busy because I just got home, it’s Jacob’s birthday, and I have to shop for his family party tomorrow. Tonight, we’re taking the kids to a nearby hotel to swim and spend the night. It’s always fun to go to a hotel when you’re a kid, even if it’s close by! So, today is busy, busy, busy!

Going to Atlanta and filming a video for Mizuno was an awesome experience, and I can’t wait to tell you guys about it!!

Today’s Workout

Treadmill, walked slow – 15 minutes?
BodyPump – 60 minutes

I woke up this morning feeling horrible and exhausted. I didn’t sleep very well in Atlanta, I was home and in bed late last night, and for some reason I woke up at 6am this morning and couldn’t fall back asleep.

I am really dragging today and just don’t feel well. I decided to go to the gym anyway in hopes I would feel better. Nah. Didn’t happen. I was still exhausted when I left.

I started out by walking slow on the treadmill and I don’t even know how long or how far because Jaden’s doctor called me and I had to jump off the treadmill to answer, and I didn’t even think to look at my time or mileage.

Then I went to BodyPump, and I ended up just giving it half an effort because I was so tired. Oh well, we all have our off days. I also wasn’t feeling well enough to eat before the gym today so maybe that was part of the problem.

After my workout, I had a Carrot Cake Clif Bar.