Why I Didn’t Run Drenched

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Coco

Are My Reasons Lame or Logical?

I was supposed to do the Run Drenched 5K this weekend, but I didn’t.

My plans started falling apart on Thursday, and had evaporated by Friday night.

Here are my reasons: Continue reading →

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Why I Love This Exercise Program!

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Coco

BestBody Bootcamp Mid-Point Recap

I can’t believe that I am halfway through the summer session of Tina’s BestBody Bootcamp. I had heard great things about this exercise program, but I am still surprised at how much I am loving it.

Tina suggested that we do a fitness test before the session started, so we can assess our progress. These were my results at Day 0. I will do a re-test this weekend for the mid-point.

I Love This Exercise Program I set 3:00 as a goal for the wall squats and planks.
I might have been able to fight through for a bit longer but I doubt it!

Tina divides the BestBody Bootcamp exercise program into four phases, each lasting two weeks, and provides 5 days of workouts per week . For the program I am doing, there are three different strength routines (A/B/C) to be done once each week for two weeks (one phase), using heavier weights and/or doing more reps in the second week. The schedule includes specific amounts of cardio to be paired with specific strength routines (for a total workout time of about an hour), and longer cardio sessions on the other days. While you are free to chose your cardio workouts, Tina provides some great sample interval workouts.

Tina has done a lot of work to make this exercise program awesome:

For each phase, there is a detailed written guide that explains the routines
and gives alternatives to make each exercise easier or harder.

Exercise Program

Tina provides links to YouTube videos for each exercise,
and videos of her doing a few reps of each move of each routine,
so you can see how it all flows together.

Exercise Program

While I usually workout at home,
I was able to keep up with the program using a (luxurious!) hotel gym.

Exercise Program

So far the workouts in this exercise program have included supersets, drop sets, and circuits. Some have been full body, some have focused on upper body or lower body, and they all seem to hit core muscle groups. I love the variety of doing a different routine every time, and I know my muscles are feeling confused and challenged!

Do you workout at home or do you go to a gym?

Which do you prefer?

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Online Shopping (Reebok & Handful)

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Coco

I have been so busy since I got home from Fitbloggin’ that I haven’t had time to write about all the great fitness gear and food products we got to sample. I hope to share some of my new fitness finds next week. 😉

As I wrote on Monday, I really love the Reebok Long Bra Top that was in our Fitbloggin’ swag bag.

20130630-084355.jpg

It even held (me) up during some fast JumpSport action!

I love it so much I ordered another one in a different color.

If you want to check out the great Reebok fitness gear, just go online shopping at Reebok through my affiliate link in the image below. 😉

 

I also am loving the Handful bra that I was given. I got a white one at Fitbloggin’ and came home and ordered a black one.

I ordered from Reebok and Handful over the weekend, and I got both of my packages last night–less than one week without paying for expedited processing or shipping! That’s certainly faster and easier than finding time to go shopping, if I could even find these items in stores.

I don’t usually by clothes on-line because I like to try things on, but I knew which styles/sizes I wanted because I already had a similar item. I have friends that do almost all of their shopping on-line. They shop at sites with generous return policies and just send things back if they don’t work out. My husband is the same way with Zappos. He orders shoes all the time and just sends them back if they don’t fit. For some reason, the possibility of that hassle keeps me from clicking “buy” even though I love the convenience of on-line shopping for other things. I get my money’s worth out of my AmazonPrime membership, because I know Amazon will deliver whatever I need to my door before I have a chance to even look for it at a store.

Do you like on-line shopping?

Do you buy clothes on-line?

Do you check the return policy before you click “buy”?

Posted in Life | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Easy No-Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Balls Recipe

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Coco

5 Ingredients, Gluten-Free, Protein-Packed

I’ve been craving a little something sweet after dinner, but with the July heat and humidity in full swing, I have no desire to pre-heat my oven to 375 to make a batch of cookies. I’ve seen several no-bake oatmeal peanut butter balls recipes, but most called for coconut flour and/or coconut flakes, and I am not a fan of coconut. (Except, oddly enough, I love the Chobani flips Coco Loco flavor.)

I found a recipe that used oatmeal and powdered milked, and modified that to use vanilla protein powder instead of the powdered milk. I made a few other modifications to suit my tastes and came up with this easy no-bake oatmeal peanut butter balls recipe that calls for only five ingredients, is gluten-free, and is packed with protein.

Easy No-Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Balls

Easy No-Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Ball Recipe
(makes 24 balls)

  • 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats**
  • 3/4 cup vanilla protein powder (about 5 scoops of ViSalus Vi-Shape)
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate morsels
  • 2 Tbsp honey

**if you are making these for someone with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.

Using a rubber spatula, blend together the dry ingredients and peanut butter.

Drizzle honey over the dry ingredients and blend until honey is evenly distributed.

Easy No-Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Balls Recipe

Using your hands, form mixture into balls.
Place in a single layer in a container lined with wax paper or parchment paper.
Cover, and refrigerate.

Easy No-Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Balls Recipe

I was stingy with the honey, so it took some work to shape the balls, but they held together well. You might want to add more for a moister texture.

I think the whole recipe has about 1625 calories, which works out to about 65 calories per ball. With the ingredients I used, each ball has about 3 grams of protein and 4 grams of fat. If you use a different protein powder, your numbers may be different.

Although these are small, they are satisfying. One is perfect for a pre-workout nibble, and two go nicely with an afternoon cup of decaf.

Do you try to avoid using your oven in the summer?

Do you have a favorite no-bake recipe? 

Posted in Food | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

Five Tips For Summer Running

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Coco

Staying Cool Being Active When It’s Hot Outside

It gets hot and humid here in Washington, D.C., so summer is not the best time of year for local races. Still, there are two summer races I do every year: the Lawyers Have Heart 10K in June and the Go Fourth 8K in July. I’ve learned the hard way that racing in the summer is different than racing in cooler months, and thought I’d share my five tips for summer running.

summer running

1. Hydrate in advance. Don’t wait until race day–or race day eve–to start hydrating. Focus on drinking enough water several days before your race.

5 Tips For Summer Racing

2. Put ice and Gatorade in your water bottle. I usually only drink water when I’m running, but a hot summer race calls for ice and Gatorade (or some other drink with salt and electrolytes).

3. Bring an icy towel to cool off with. I learned this trick from my son’s summer lacrosse tournaments. Fill a small cooler (or large zipper bag) with ice and water, and submerge a wet hand towel. It will feel so good at the finish line!

5 Tips For Summer Running

Small cooler packed with towel, ice water, and spare water bottle.
Icy Gatorade ready to go.

4. Wear sunscreen and a hat. I usually run at dawn and don’t always put on sunscreen or need a hat, but I use both for summer races since I know I will be out in the sun before, during, and after a race. I really should invest in lightweight prescription sunglasses–but I think it’s sweat that is making me squint in this picture!

LHH Fountain

Cooling off by the fountain after the Lawyers Have Heart 10K.

5. Set your goal with the weather conditions in mind. Unless you live where it is warm year-round, or specifically train in hot weather conditions, your summer pace may not be as fast as your spring pace. It’s hard not to keep chasing PRs, but respect the weather and realize that your body has to work harder under hot and humid conditions. I take the weather into account by running shorter races in the summer, but I still need to adjust my pacing and not start off so fast.

Summer running is hot, but it can be fun, especially if there is watermelon at the finish!

5 Tips For Summer Racing

MCM Mama and I are on the same page! Learn how she is coping with the D.C. weather in her “Running sucks” post.

What are your tips for staying cool while keeping active in the summer?

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , | 13 Comments