Fitness Friday - 1/20

Happy Friday, guys! I'm so excited for another weekend and a chance to relax with my little family...it's going to be a great one!

I know I haven't done a Fitness Friday post in a while...but better late than never, right? The events of last week left zero time for working out (like at all), so I'm back in full swing this week. Also, after my back to back half marathons in December, I needed a break. It was a nice break, I enjoyed it, and now I'm ready to get back out there and go again!

Currently Training For:

• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon
• Disney's Princess Half Marathon & Glass Slipper Challenge

Monday - 4 mile run with Brayden
Tuesday - Rest Day
Wednesday - 3 mile walk with Brayden and Melissa
Thursday - 3 mile walk with Brayden and Melissa - also PT routine/leg strengthening
Friday - PT routine/leg strengthening combined with Tone It Up Girls YouTube workout

On Saturday, I plan to run a long run with my running buddy Heather. It's going to be strange without our running group, but it will be nice to get into our "new normal". Rock n Roll NOLA is literally right around the corner! Eeek! We basically have two Saturday runs left before the race weekend hits!

This past week wasn't a busy one, so I was able to log a decent amount of mileage throughout the week.

On Monday afternoon, Brayden and I set off for a 4 mile run. It was windy, warm, and somewhat humid. 

This weather made me appreciate the somewhat non existent cool days here lately and made me not look forward to summer. Ugh. 

After the run, we had dinner with some friends at Walk Ons. I had the VooDoo shrimp which was basically wrapped in bacon, cream cheese, and jalapenos. Talk about delicious!

Also included in this dish was a side of grits which Brayden ate most of.

This week, we dealt with our first bout of stomach upset with Brayden. Now that it's all said and done, I think something in his food didn't settle right and he threw up all afternoon. It was awful. I did call his Doctor's office who helped give me some advice. Thankfully by the following morning, his stomach was good again. In an attempt to not overdo it, we tried to start slow with pedialyte and just give him a few ml's followed by an ounce in a bottle. He did NOT want pedialyte. He wanted his (formula) bottle and he wanted it ASAP. Poor baby was so hungry! Thankfully he's all back to normal now!

On Wednesday, my friend Melissa and I went for a walk with Brayden. I knew that talking and walking would be beneficial for both of us (which it was). Brayden fell asleep almost the entire time and was still very sleepy for the picture!

On Thursday, my work crew and I went out to eat at a local bistro. I know the owner and loved seeing his place. The little dining area totally reminded me of the tower of terror at Hollywood Studios minus the dust! :)

We also ended up with an amazing King Cake for dessert. This was my first of the Mardi Gras season! Ours was stuffed with strawberry and cream cheese. YUM!

...and after all of the calories consumed, when Melissa asked if I wanted to go on another walk on Thursday afternoon, I said YES! Again, it was good to get out and walk around and just simply talk and laugh!

 Last but not least, this little stinker can get almost anywhere in my house but still won't crawl. He gets excited and tries to army crawl really fast which cracks me up. I looked up from a sewing project last night to find him under the jumper, playing with the hanging toys. He's too funny!

I hope you all have a fabulous Friday! Any fun weekend plans?

Fitness Friday - 10/14

What an eventful week this has been! Where I was sick last week, my husband came down with the same illness this week. Luckily, my sinus stuff only lasted a few days and wasn't that bad but for some reason, it always hits my husband really hard...including red swollen eyes that water non stop. (And I don't just mean...oh he's a man so he's a big baby....like for real, his sinus stuff is pretty rough). I am so glad that doesn't happen to me but I sure do feel bad for him when it hits him! The worst time was a few years back when it hit him while we were in Disney - we even had special pictures planned at the Grand Floridian. Poor guy - the bright sun almost did him in!

Anyway, I know he will feel better soon, it just takes a few days. To top it off, Brayden went to Mother's Day Out all three days this week (as opposed to one) to give Jason a chance to rest. Also, Pixie had to be brought to the vet again because the conservative route of trying to control her collapsing trachea wasn't working. We discussed all the options with the vet and came up with a medical treatment that I hope will work (vs surgery). It's all a waiting game!

Whew. I'm tired. Haha! However, somewhere in all of that, (on top of working full time and having a graduating nursing precepting student this week), I managed to get in a few workouts! 

Currently Training For:

• Cajun Cup 10K (Lafayette, LA)
• Cajun Country Half Marathon (Lafayette, LA)
• Disney's Princess Half Marathon & Glass Slipper Challenge
• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon

Saturday - 6 mile run
Sunday - Rest Day
Monday - 3 mile walk with Brayden
Tuesday - PT workout - lunges/squats/stretches
Wednesday - Rest Day  
Thursday - 1 mile walk with Brayden/1 mile run on my own
Friday - 3 mile run


After doing a little math, I realized that I now have two races to obtain a decent time to submit for Princess in February. Both are 10K's and are coming up at the early part of  next month. I doubt I'll PR (my 10K pre-baby PR is 51 minutes and change), but I would still like to land a time somewhere in the 50 something minute range.

On Saturday morning, my friend Heather and I completed a 6 mile run around the lake. Our running group didn't meet  because a few in our group were running a triple weekend marathon (26.2 on Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday). The thought of that just amazes me. Anyway, we still stuck to our normal area/route and had a great time! The weather was beautiful and so was the sunrise! :)

I love this route!

My running skirt received a couple of compliments along the way, too! Yay for cute running skirts!

On Monday, Brayden and I walked 3 miles! 

My view... :)

He ALWAYS gets cranky around the 2 mile mark. I couldn't figure out what was going on, so I looked down......and discovered that he fell asleep.

3 miles for us! Score!

He loves going on walks with us! I can't wait to get my jogging stroller up and rolling. He has an appt on Monday for his 6 month check up and I'm going to ask about jogging with him now. I think it will be ok, but I want to make sure first.

Last night, we also completed another couple of miles! I walked one with Brayden, then ran one on my own before I ran out of daylight.


Today, I plan to get a run in after work and tomorrow I plan to run another one with my running buddy Heather! This weekend should (hopefully) be low key! Here's to another one!

Happy Friday and have a great weekend! :)

6 Months, Pixie, and Walking Spree!

Another week has (almost) come and gone...yay Friday!! I know I've been absent a bit this week, but it's been a busy week with little time for the computer. Here's a thoughts for this Thursday!

#1 Brayden had his six month pictures on Friday. They were taken by the same photographer who did his newborns and she wanted to do a few "look back" pictures. Brayden was a little turkey during the shoot - he would smile for a few minutes, then I guess all the attention was too much....so the pouty lip would come out and he would start to cry. After a little consoling, we would move on to the next thing and get a few more pictures of him smiling...then the pouty lip would come out. It really was kind of funny and I'm glad he at least cooperated and smiled a little bit! I think he was overwhelmed by both of us trying to get his attention and get him to smile. She also has a Nikon and he lovvvves the sound of the shutter on mine...but he wasn't having it with hers. Silly kid. 

I just saw this preview this week...here's the "look back" of his Mickey and Friends set! 

It's AMAZING to see how much he's grown and changed in just 6 short months. And see...he's smiling! YAY!

Where his newborn shoot lasted a good three hours and he slept the entire time, this shoot lasted maybe 45 minutes (if that) which included a few pouty lips and some consoling! Haha! I'm interested to see what comes of the 1 year session and cake smash!

#2 Remember how I asked for prayers for Pixie last week? Well, she had her teeth cleaned on Thursday of last week which included an X-ray due to her coughing fits. My fears were confirmed - she does have a collapsing trachea. Apparently it's super common in Yorkies and it's a genetic disposition. The vet wanted to see if we could control it the least invasive way after the taper off her other meds (with benadryl), but the benadryl is not doing the job. I'm going to have to bring her back in today to see their thoughts. I honestly don't know much about this except the little bit I was told and some I've read off the internet. Has anyone ever had a dog with a collapsing trachea and how was it managed?

#3 The company I work for is doing a big push to encourage healthy behaviors. One of the newest is the introduction of Walking Spree. Basically, you connect the Walking Spree app to your fitbit (or other fitness devices) and it also keeps track of your daily steps. The challenge begins on October 17th and runs through November 17th. If you average a daily step count of either 6,000 or 8,000 steps, you get a certain amount of points added to your "bank". This bank is like a rewards program where you can pick and choose items/gift cards/watches/purses/tickets/etc depending on your point value. I have enough for an apple watch, but I'm waiting to see if they add the 2nd generation watch and how many points that one will be! YAY for easy points!! :)

Any ideas on Pixie? What's your favorite way to track your steps? 

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you all had a great weekend...we sure did! Although it rained on and off throughout the weekend, we made the most of it and enjoyed spending time together as a family!

This week marked my first back at work from maternity leave. Overall, it was a great week and I enjoyed being back in my "normal" atmosphere. It's funny how quickly you pick back up on things after not doing them for a while - I thought I would forget everything but I didn't! I told Jason on Sunday night (the night before I went to work) that I would probably be sad but I surprised myself to be honest...it wasn't bad at all! I know that leaving Brayden with my mom had a lot to do with it - I'm so grateful she's willing and available to take care of him during the day while Jason and I are at work.

When I returned home on Friday, Jason had a little "congrats on your first week back at work" gift waiting for me!

How sweet is that?! I do collect Disney Precious Moments and I love this one!

I also wore my Mickey/Minnie socks to work on Friday to commemorate a good first week back!

My favorite part of the afternoon is nap time! Love coming home to sweet snuggles on the couch!

On Friday, Brayden and I went for a walk - it ended up being in 2 parts but all I cared about was achieving my 10,000 step goal!

Friday night, Jason and I ordered pizza and had a friend over to hang out. I also worked on Father's Day gifts which I can't wait to show you guys...but it will have to be after Father's Day! :)

On Saturday morning, I met up with a friend for a 5 mile run around the lake (more about our run on Friday's blog post), then returned home to this cute little guy! He's such a happy fella in the mornings...and this is my current favorite sleeper! I just love it!

The next Bountiful Baskets pickup took place on Saturday afternoon and my running buddy Heather just so happened to be there, too! We ran together that morning and didn't think to mention it to each other. It was fun running into her at pickup and even more fun having someone to wait in line with!

I love the contents of this week's basket, although I'm not too sure what to do with the giant vegetable at the top of the picture. I was told it's some kind of turnip (google is saying it's a white turnip). I'm going to google recipes and figure out how to cook it. When I asked my dad how to cook it his response was, "In a big pot". Thaaaaanksss...

This basket included:

• Bananas 
• Nectarines
• Watermelon
• Grapes
• Potatoes
• Cantelopue
• Limes
• Carrots
• Butter Lettuce
• Green Onions
• Corn
• Cilantro 
• White Turnip
  

On Saturday afternoon, Brayden and I enjoyed watching Toy Story together (well, he watched maybe 15 minutes of it..haha)! He was mostly entranced by the colors and noise at the beginning of the movie!

For dinner on Saturday night, we made use of our basket purchase and had baked potatoes and salad! Everything shown in the picture below came from the basket minus the cheese and bacon bits on the potatoes and tomato on the salad which came from my mom's garden. The salad includes butter lettuce, carrots, green onions, roasted corn, and tomato. Everything was delicious!

On Sunday morning we attended church, then had lunch with my parents.

I just love his little outfit and the bow tie was too cute!

He's such a wiggle worm and doesn't like to sit still......hmmm...I wonder where he gets that from?! :)

The remainder of Sunday was spent at home as the rain just wouldn't let up. I intended to go for an evening walk with Brayden but that didn't happen. His next checkup (and first since his 2 week checkup) happens tomorrow. I'm interested to see how much he weighs now....he's definitely filled out!

Hope you had a great weekend, too!

Why Hello There, Fitness! :)

Patience has never been a virtue of mine. I don't like to wait, especially when given a specific date/time and things don't happen in that time frame (think Brayden's birth date...he was four days late, thank you). So, when my OB's specific instructions stated to "resume exercise gradually", I took her at her word. About a week after he was born, we ventured out for a short walk here and there just to get out of the house, but it wasn't anything serious. Last week, a crazy and ridiculous rain storm that lasted for DAYS came through and hindered my postpartum fitness plans.

When the weekend hit and we were blessed with beautiful weather, I knew I had to take advantage of the opportunity and go for it!

Jason worked nights over the weekend, so we headed out for a walk on Saturday while he was still sleeping. Madalynn, Brayden, and I enjoyed a nice brisk 2 mile walk and by the time we returned, Jason was awake! 

He sure looks good in Navy and Orange, IMO! :)

Such a gorgeous day!

After returning the clan home, I ventured out for an additional 2 mile walk on my own. I even attempted a light jog (think like 10 seconds at a time), but that wasn't comfortable so I stopped. The walk was really nice because I was able to take it at my own pace and not one dictated by contractions, bladder spasms, or heart rate issues.

It honestly feels really nice to have my body back (well, somewhat)!

This little girl was whining after my second return home, so we went out for a little venture of our own! She helped round out the last portion of my four mile walk. :)

On Sunday, I decided to take the bike out for a little spin. My sister in law mentioned an upcoming bike "race" that sounded interesting to me, but I hadn't been on the bike in a LONG while, so I decided to test it out! 

Overall, it wasn't bad at all....although my legs did burn which felt really NICE for a change! I managed to go 5.25 miles around my neighborhood at a a decent little pace (for me).

 If we end up doing the bike ride, I think things will go really well!

All I need now is a helmet and I'll be all set! :)

I cannot wait to get back to running, but that will take a bit longer - I'm still taking it one day at a time over here! :)

If you've ever been pregnant or taken a hiatus from fitness, how was your return to it?

Fitness Friday–Disney Week!

Hey guys! It feels SO good to be home. I had a wonderful time on vacation but always love coming home to my two rotten fur balls….they missed us terribly and showered us with love as soon as we walked into the door. :) I also can’t wait to catch up on my blog reading!

It’s Friday again, so it’s time for another Fitness Friday! 

We spent the past week on vacation at Disney where walked, ran a few races, then walked, and walked some more. I thought it would be fun to share my fitbit stats with you!

Currently training for:
Louisiana Half Marathon
Rock ‘n’ Roll NOLA Half Marathon
Disney’s Glass Slipper Challenge (Enchanted 10K + Princess Half Marathon)

When we go to Disney, we like to enjoy the parks…we stay in them as much as possible. The only time I didn’t wear my fitbit was while I was running the Wine & Dine Half Marathon and during the after party (because it rained the ENTIRE time). We also had a few first timers with us, so we made sure to show them as much as possible…hence the large amount of walking during the week!

Friday – 7 miles walked (travel day plus Expo and Downtown Disney)
Saturday –  7.5 miles walked - plus a 5K, plus a half marathon and 2 hours of walking around Epcot at the after party – in total, around 25 miles! I didn’t obey the cardinal rule to take it easy during race day…whoops.
Sunday – 7.5 miles walked
Monday –  10.4 miles walked (Parks + Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at night)
Tuesday –  8.5 miles walked
Wednesday – 10 miles walked (we started early and made it to three theme parks and one stop at our resort during the day!) 
Thursday – 3.7 miles walked  (travel home day)

It’s no wonder my feet were sore at the end of each day! Exhaustion set in by Thursday and I definitely slept the entire three hour drive home from the airport…poor Jason.

Anyway, I have so much to share about the race and our experiences throughout the week! Despite the steady rain during the race itself, I had a BLAST running the race and goofing off with friends at the after party (yes, we stayed until four a.m.)…I wouldn’t trade a single moment of it! I also vlogged during the races, so stay tuned for those!

Have a happy Friday and a wonderful weekend!! I have a local 10K to run on Saturday and it ends on our University’s 50 yard line! Can’t wait!

Do you like to see and do when on vacation or do you like to relax? I think a healthy dose of both is a great combination!

Fitness Friday-April 26

For starters, please say a prayer for my grandfather today if you have a moment. He developed osteomyelitis in his foot and will likely have to have his toe amputated. I spent several hours with him yesterday afternoon in the ER. He’s 92 years old and until this past November, he’s been in perfect health besides being a diabetic.

I appreciate your prayers and I know he does as well. Thank you!



Now on to Fitness Friday!

This week, my major source of activity has been walking related to my left ITBand acting a fool.

Saturday – I missed my long run because of a trip to Texas. Sadly, my ITBand flared up on Friday afternoon’s run, so I didn’t get to run as far as originally planned. I did walk in Downtown Houston – 2 miles
Sunday – Walk in Downtown Houston – 3 miles
Monday – Was super sore after my orthopedic massage. I even have bruises to prove it! Ouch! Ice at night.
Tuesday – Rest Day – Ice at night/Foam Roll
Wednesday – 2 mile walk with the doggies – Ice at night/Foam Roll
Thursday – Was in the ER with my grandfather all afternoon – Ice at night/Foam Roll
Friday – At the moment, I’m most concerned with my grandfather. If I have the chance to walk, I will…otherwise, I’m not worried about it.

I am currently registered for a 5K on Saturday. My plan? If I can’t PR, then I’m not going to try to kill myself. At this moment, I don’t think it wise to push my ITBand to its limits, so I’m going to run it with a co-worker. She’s been seeing a personal trainer for the last month and her goal is to complete a 5K. I’m hoping to run with her and help her reach her goal, if my knee behaves.

Also, my two BRF’s (Best Running Friends) will be there…and I’m SO excited because it feels like I haven’t seen them in AGES! Can’t wait!! :0)

I realize I didn’t do a lot this week fitness-wise, but I’m a strong believer that sometimes rest is the best medicine. Even though I’m about to go stir crazy, rest is exactly what my knee needs right now.

What do you have planned for the weekend? If you are racing, have fun and best of luck to you!!