Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone stays safe from Hurricane Sandy and has a wonderful and fun Halloween! 

 Hehe ;)

Kev and I this year... I was a leopard and he was a zookeeper!

Spider cupcakes I made!

Spiderman pumpkin!

Share with me your pumpkins, costumes or treats! I want to see pictures. :)

This Week's Workouts 10/22-10/28

Monday 10/22: Ran/walked 2.2 miles and did some ab workouts.

Tuesday 10/23: Walked dogs for the Humane Society for 2 hours or about 4 miles.

Wednesday 10/24: Ran/walked about 1.8 miles. I ran a pretty quick mile but walked the rest. It was an unseasonably really warm day so that made it kind of tough.

Thursday 10/25: Played Just Dance with a friend for about an hour.

Friday 10/26: Played Just Dance again and did some ab exercises.

Saturday 10/27: Ran/walked for about 2.4 miles and did some sit-ups and stretching.

Sunday 10/28: Day off.

Join me on Fitocracy!

Life's Musings

Life isn't just a series of events strung together. Your life is a blend of your thoughts, feelings, secrets, ideas, events all mixed in with other's secrets and emotions and events. Your life isn't just yours, it is to be shared.

Sometimes you need to let something go for a while to realize how much you need it.

Even when you feel like you aren't very brave, you can always be brave for someone who needs you to be.

Be someone that your friends can trust.

Do you agree with any of my life's musings?

Beauty Blogger VoxBox from Influenster Reviews!

I got my 2nd Beauty Blogger VoxBox from Influenster today! Overall, I was very excited to get some freebies but not that excited about what was inside for the most part. Here are photos and my comments on each product! Some I will have to try and maybe it will change my opinion...

Everything in the box!

I've always been interested in fake eyelashes, but I can never put them on properly and never end up using the ones I buy! I guess I am glad I got some free ones to try and will have to test them out for Halloween. 

I really enjoy this spray! It smells great and is supposed to be moisturising.

I don't really have curly hair or curl my hair, so I will probably give this to my mom.

Another good one! I have this candle in the giant size and love the smell. 

I have some of these in the Pink Lemonade flavor. I will have to try the orange kind, especially with winter coming up. 

I was excited about this product because I love neutral eyeshadows, but it seemed like it was a bit broken from the transit and messy looking.

I actually bought some of these to try when they first came out and I don't like them too much. I have REALLY thick hair and it doesn't seem to stay in my hair.

What do you think? Have you used any of these products? Did you get a Beauty VoxBox?

Disclaimer: I received each product complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster.

This Week's Workouts 10/15-10/21

Monday 10/15: Ran/walked 2.5 miles and did some crunches.

Tuesday 10/16: I started my volunteering with the Michigan Humane Society so I walked dogs for a little over 2 hours. Then I went to the gym with a friend. I rode the stationary bike for 4 miles then did some ab workouts and stretches.

Wednesday 10/17: I was pretty sore from the last few days, so I did some light yoga for 20 minutes and did some crunches and sit-ups.

Thursday 10/18: Went to the gym with my friend. I ran for 3.1 miles on the track in 26 minutes! Yay! We also did some stretching and arm exercises with 3 lb weights.

Friday 10/19: Day off. I had a work event that was pretty much all day and a lot of driving.

Saturday 10/20: Another rest day.

Sunday 10/21: Did some yoga with a friend for about a half an hour. Also went on a walk for 30-45 minutes... wasn't keeping track. Beautiful day outside that day!

Join me on Fitocracy!

Changing Your Ways is HARD!

I don't know about you, but I grew up with the mantra, "If you eat your vegetables, you get dessert!" I often feel as if I deserve a dessert after every meal. It is a funny thing... thinking you deserve all of that sweet sugary sabotage after you eat a healthy (or even worse, unhealthy) meal. You know what you really deserve? Health!

I definitely have developed a sweet tooth over the years. Sugar is one of the most addicting substances on the planet. For most people, this is our crack. When we allow ourselves to eat tons of sugar, our bodies crave it. We just want that cupcake or cookie or heck, just give me plain sugar to guzzle!

Lately, I have been journeying into the world of wellness and learning a lot. I never really gave much thought into what I eat, especially since I am a fairly picky eater and tend to eat the same things over and over. I've been diving into books on what nutrition really means and why lots of foods that claim they are healthy are just advertising rouses.

I have a lot of ideas floating around in my head. I eventually want to cut out most sugar, junk foods, processed foods, dairy and most meat. The hardest part is starting though. That involves trying new foods, actually cooking and planning out meals, dealing with all those sugar and junk food cravings, being mindful of what I am eating, shopping for better foods, avoiding all the junk I know I will be exposed to at home/with friends/at restaurants, explaining to others how I am eating healthier (don't we tend to mock change and think those people who eat right are "health nuts"?), etc. It won't be easy and I have definitely been procrastinating on figuring out a new healthy diet (I hate the word diet... I am skinny and don't want to DIET...so a new healthy way of eating sounds better!).

It is especially hard when they're are so many opinions out there! Some "experts" say vegetarianism is the only way to go, some say sugar isn't the devil but only in moderation, some say soy is horrible and others say it is healthy, etc. With so much information, it is definitely hard to dive right in to any type of new healthy eating lifestyle!

What advice and inspiration do you have for me? Any books or recipes or websites I should check out? Much appreciated!!!

This Week's Workouts 10/8-10/14

Monday 10/8: Day off.

Tuesday 10/9: Another day off. I was really busy the first two days of this week and not feeling 100% but I am not too happy I skipped 3 days in a row.

Wednesday 10/10: Ran/walked about 2 miles and did some ab exercises. I should have gone to the gym because it was freezing outside and made it hard for me to breathe! Glad I worked out today though.

Thursday 10/11: Ran/walked 2.5 miles outside and did some ab exercises and squats.

Friday 10/12: Ran 3.1 miles, barely walked! Yay!

Saturday 10/13: Bought Just Dance 4 - so much fun! I played it for a half an hour. Also went out that night and danced!

Sunday 10/14: Day off.

Join me on Fitocracy!

What's New?

I've been relatively quite on the blog here lately. You've seen my workouts though! Is anyone inspired or motivated by my weekly workout postings? It is definitely helping me to be accountable for my health. I feel guilty when I skip out on workouts because I know I have to confess to all of you! I have been thinking of tracking my eating too because I know I still need to eat a lot healthier...

So what else is new with me? If anyone cares... ;)

My running has been going well. I've been wanting to run a 5K for a while now and I am finally feeling like I might be ready soon to run one. I am definitely going to keep training and then see what comes up. I am nervous to run one in the cold weather though, but I am not sure I want to wait until spring.

I'm taking an online class. Nothing to do with my work, but just for my own interests. You can tell lately I've been more interested in health, fitness and wellness so I decided to take an online Wellness Certification program. It has been going well, just something that I work on in my free time. I'm enjoying learning more about holistic wellness.

I am also about to start volunteering for the Michigan Humane Society. I've always loved animals, especially dogs and just felt like I should be giving back to my community. What better way to volunteer than with dogs? I'll be starting this week as a dog walker and hopefully it goes well!

My work has been going pretty well. Sure, there are days when I am stressed, when my clients are late with my checks and I feel like giving up. But I absolutely love working at home and have been working 30-40 hours a week! I am proud that I have been able to continue to freelance and increase my hours.

Things with the boy are great! Unfortunately we haven't been able to see each other as much lately because he has class and work, but we just figured out our Halloween costumes. Drum roll please... I am going to be a leopard and he is my zookeeper! :) I promise pictures to come!

So what is new with YOU? Tell me! :)

This Week's Workouts

Monday 10/1: Day off. Went to the dentist again and felt pretty groggy.

Tuesday 10/2: Went to the gym, ran about 2.5 miles around the track and did some ab/arm exercises. I ran the fastest I ever have without walking! :)

Wednesday 10/3: Went to a yoga class for an hour and 15 minutes. I tried the next level up class and it was pretty good!

Thursday 10/4: Ran a decently fast mile (I think it was about 9 minutes) then went on the elliptical for a few minutes (I hate the elliptical!). Did some ab/arm exercises and stretched.

Friday 10/5: Day off. I had a work event that was around a 12 hour day then had to visit someone in the hospital so there really wasn't time to work out.

Saturday 10/6: Ran a little over 3 miles outside! I was really proud of myself, I didn't walk much of it and it took me 30 minutes which I think is pretty good! :)

Sunday 10/7: Wasn't feeling well so I decided to rest. :(

Natural Ways to Heal Yourself

I don't know about you, but at the first sign of a cold I tend to take loads of cold medicine and cough drops and power through my day. But is that really the best for your body? Sure, it helps you feel better (sometimes) but what if you let your body heal itself first and used medicine second?

Next time you start feeling ill, do yourself a favor and take the day off. I know, sometimes we can't always do this, but sometimes we can and we make excuses because we feel like it is lazy. Giving yourself time to heal is never lazy! Taking a day to rest when you're feeling sick - this means no exercise, no going out, just laying in bed and relaxing - can be the best thing you can do for yourself. It lets your body's natural defenses jump in and start working to make your infection go away.

Another great way to help your body heal is to take a day of fasting while you are resting. By spending the day only drinking water (drink plenty to help your body get rid of toxins!) you allow your body to spend time fighting your infection and give your immune system extra strength because it isn't spending time digesting. When you are starting to come off your short fast, remember to start slow by eating fruits, juices, small salads, etc. If you don't eat one day then eat a whole pizza the next because you're so starving... imagine how you will feel! Even sicker I imagine!

Remember that your body is an amazing machine. It has all the tools to heal yourself from minor illnesses. The key is knowing when you need help. If an infection hangs around or suddenly gets worse, definitely see your doctor and get some antibiotics.

What do you do when you start feeling ill?

This Week's Workouts

Monday 9/24: Day off.

Tuesday 9/25: Went on about an hour walk with a friend.

Wednesday 9/26: This is shaping out to be a horrible workout week! I tried to run and had sharp pains in my side so I mostly walked one mile.

Thursday 9/27: Day off. Between meetings and going to the dentist that knocked me out for a while, I wasn't up for it.

Friday 9/28: I ran/walked about 1.5 miles. I got sharp pains in my side again so I cut my run short. Any runners out there know what that could be from?

Saturday 9/29: Ran/walked about 2 miles.

Sunday 9/30: Finally joined a gym! Walked, stretched, lifted some small weights and did some ab exercises with a friend.

I apologize for the lack of posts lately - any suggestions on what you'd like to read from me?