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Fitness Friday: 1/10/14

10 January, 2014 59 Comments

*Please join me for weekly Fitness Friday! You don’t have to be a blogger. Let’s motivate each other to be healthier and stronger in this new year!*

It just hit me that it’s 2014- wow! Time flies. The last time I blogged a Fitness Friday post was June 28, 2013. At that time, I’d met my weight loss goals, so I’d decided to stop doing a dedicated “Fitness Friday” series. But now I have actual fitness goals, so it’s time to start again. The original series probably should’ve been “Weight-loss Wednesday” or some such thing, since postpartum weight loss was the goal. If you’re interested, check out my last Fitness Friday post as well as before and after photos. I lost 17 lbs during that series.

So now I’m back.

The numbers on the scale don’t really matter at this point. Last June, I weighed in at 156 lbs (for reference, I’m 5’10”). This morning I weighed 154 lbs, but I can tell you for a fact that I look much smaller than I did in June, even though there’s only a 2 lb difference. And that’s simply because I’ve been losing fat but building muscle. So I don’t expect the numbers on the scale to change that much.

Of course there needs to be photos, to mark where I’m starting! These photos were taken this morning:

Postpartum weight loss and Fitness Friday on My Life: A Work in Progress

Measurements: (taken according to Weight Watchers guidelines)

Height: 5’10”
Weight: 154lbs.
Upper Arm: 12″
Abdomen: 34.5″
Waist: 31″
Hips: 38″
Thighs: 23.5″

Goals:

I wish I had hard and fast numbers I could spout out, but I really don’t know, other than my waist. I’d like to tone my abs; my stomach is still a bit soft from pregnancy. I was surprised that my waist was at 31,” since I’ve been wearing jeans with a 29-30″ waist. I would like to lose a couple inches, to approximately 27-28″ waist. There are jeans in my closet that I haven’t worn in years. I’d love to pull them out!

I want to build more muscle on my arms and rear. At this point, I want to do push-ups, ab and leg exercises every day. I don’t care how many sets yet. It’s just a matter of getting into a habit of doing them. Run 4-5 days a week, and increase my distance and speed as I get closer to my April half marathon. If you’re curious, I keep track of my running times on my personal fitness blog, This Mama Runs.

I’ve been doing great with my diet, but I probably need to start eating more. Since I had my son, I’ve been using MyFitnessPal to track my intake, and I aim for around 1500 calories a day. That has served me well to this point, but as I’m working out more and definitely as I’m running more, I’m going to need to eat more. My goal this week will be to determine what my optimum caloric intake would be, as well as what type of calories (protein vs. carbs, etc).

From now on, I’ll be linking up on Fridays with Jill Conyers at Fitness, Health, and Happiness. Jill is a wife, mom, fitness blogger, and ultra runner. Following her blog is keeping me motivated!

So now it’s your turn. As I said at the beginning of this post, I’d love to have you join in, whether you blog or not. You don’t have to have any crazy goals like run a triathlon (but if you do, that’s very cool!). Your goal can be something as simple as determining to walk an extra 30 minutes a week throughout January. Start with a small, quickly-attainable goal. That will help you give you confidence and motivation to meet the next!

Did you meet your fitness goals this week? What are your goals? What areas of your body or life would you like to improve?

Body after Baby, fitness

Review: Long-sleeved fitness tee and capri leggings from ActivewearUSA

28 November, 2013 13 Comments

If you caught my Body after Baby fitness/weight-loss post, the top I was wearing I received courtesy of ActivewearUSA.

It’s true that you don’t “need” expensive fitness wear to exercise, but I recommend it. Yes, you can throw on a t-shirt and pair of shorts, go out and run. But discomfort is probably going to affect your workout negatively. It does mine. High-quality workout gear is going to keep you cool in the heat, warm in the cold, and comfortable during the in-between. It should wick moisture away from your skin, letting you feel as dry as possible. High-quality fitness clothing should also hold up over time and last longer than cheap or regular clothing.

I received the ION Actif long sleeve fitness tee and Beyond Yoga capri leggings in white.

The top is very comfortable. The fabric feels smooth and sleek, and I’ve been wearing it running when it’s around 55 to 65 degrees. After I’ve been running for over 10 minutes, the top keeps me plenty warm and does wick moisture from my skin. There are two little pockets on both sides of the shirt. They’re large enough that you can fit a set of keys and ID card. The wrists also have thumb holes, so I can keep the sleeves down (and my hands warm). Even without my thumbs through the holes, I never have trouble with the sleeves riding up, but the holes do come in handy if I’m doing push-ups, etc., after my run.

ION Actif top from ActivewearUSA.com- Find out more on My Life: A Work in Progress #bodyafterbaby

When I first pulled the capri leggings out of the package, my initial thought was they are incredibly cute and soft. And they are…just not on me. I gave them to my SIL, who’s smaller than I am, and as you can see, the capris fit her perfectly. The ruching on the legs give these leggings a stylish touch.

BEYOND YOGA white capri leggings with ruching- Read about them on My Life: A Work in Progress #bodyafterbaby

I was impressed with both brands and will definitely purchase clothes from ActivewearUSA in the future. Besides their price match guarantee (keep reading for more on that), they have final sales on many of their clothes. This means you can purchase quality workout clothes at a great price.

Founded on a mission “to offer the largest selection of quality, high-performance, stylish women’s activewear, footwear, and accessories,” ActivewearUSA strives to provide great customer service and apparel guidance to the consumer.

With a huge selection of fitness clothes for women, ActivewearUSA features brands like BEYOND YOGA, O’Neill 365, Zumba Clothing, Fila, Hapari swimwear, lucy activewear, and many more. The inventory changes often, but if there’s a specific brand you like, you can sign up to receive notifications via email of when ActivewearUSA receives more stock in that brand.

ActivewearUSA offers free shipping on orders over $75 within the domestic United States. They also have a great return policy, provided the clothing hasn’t been worn and still has the tags on it. Just send back the new, unused items within 60 days of delivery along with your invoice. Orders under $75 will ship anywhere in the US for just $5. And they do ship to Canada as well as other countries. Check out their site for specific details on their return and shipping policies.

They also have a price match guarantee, but there are some stipulations. See HERE for more info.

Visit ActivewearUSA at the below links:

ActivewearUSA on the web | ActivewearUSA on Facebook | ActivewearUSA on Twitter | ActivewearUSA on Pinterest

What clothing does ActivewearUSA have that you really like?

General Disclaimer- Floral

Review

Review: PURE glass bottle #holidaygiftguide

25 November, 2013 44 Comments

Did you catch my review on Juice in the Box? PURE glass bottles are designed by the same company, and they sent me one of their bottles to review, along with the Juice in the Box.

PURE glass bottle- doesn't shatter when dropped. Find out more on My Life: A Work in Progress

What’s unique about PURE glass bottles is the design that makes them safe if dropped. The bottles are made from borosilicate glass, that can withstand high impacts. If the glass does break, the safe-shell coating keeps the glass shards contained, so there’s a drastically less chance of injury. There’s less clean-up too! The bottle is 100 percent recyclable, so if it breaks, you can toss the entire bottle into a recycling container.

The wide mouth of this bottle allows you to add ice, fruit wedges, and other flavoring. The wideness also makes it easy to clean. I’ve taken my PURE glass bottle everywhere:

PURE glass bottle at Busch Gardens- My Life: A Work in Progress — PURE glass bottle at Busch Gardens

PURE glass bottle at orchestra rehearsal- My Life: A Work in Progress — PURE glass bottle at orchestra rehearsal

PURE glass bottle goes for a jog- My Life: A Work in Progress — PURE glass bottle goes for a jog (just don’t balance it precariously inside the stroller hood!)

I had no intention of testing the shatter-proof ability of my PURE glass bottle, but I accidentally did. It was dropped a couple of times inside our home, on the kitchen linoleum and living room carpet (I have a toddler, it happens). The bottle survived each time, no problem. And then…

My husband actually came running with me one evening, and he ended up putting the jogging stroller in my car trunk for me, after we were finished. Well, I had my PURE glass bottle in the folded up stroller hood (I keep stuff in the hood all the time). Later that day I couldn’t find the PURE bottle, but figured it’d show up soon. It never occurred to me that the bottle was inside the stroller. A couple of days later, I was opening up the stroller to go jogging, and wouldn’t you know? The PURE glass bottle fell right out of the hood and onto the cement. Booooooo!

But the safe-shell coating worked! Not only did the bottle not shatter everywhere, the outside was still smooth to the touch. I could NOT feel any cracks, bumps, etc., on the outside. I’m sad that my bottle is gone, but happy that I was able to inadvertently test out all of the company’s claims!

PURE glass bottle won't shatter if dropped! My Life: A Work in Progress — Cracked on the inside, but the outside is completely smooth!

The bottle I received currently retails for $24.95, so it’s not the most inexpensive reusable bottle out there. But I have to say, this bottle is really elegant and sleek, and it’s glass (see below why that matters). I think the PURE glass bottle would make a lovely gift for someone (or for yourself). Also, if you buy two bottles, shipping is free to US and Canada.

So why choose glass?

Glass vs Plastic

To purchase and to learn more about PURE, including the history of glass and private label options, visit the following links:

PURE website | PURE glass bottle on Facebook | Precidio Design on Twitter | PURE glass bottle on Pinterest

Where would you take your PURE glass bottle?

General Disclaimer- Floral

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