Words for Wednesday

   This weekend I’m running in my 7^th annual Fifth Third Riverbank run! The years haven’t all been consecutive, but I love doing this run and try to make it as often as I could. Even when I lived in Chicago I would come home for the weekend just for the run. I do the 5k – which some years is no big deal and some years feels kind of hard! One of these times though I’m  going to do the 10k. I love all the excitement and having all the runners and cheering spectators around, it motivates me and helps keep me going through the run. The race is the largest 25k Road Race in the country, pretty cool.   We also have an unofficial tradition after every race, my family meets at a dive bar in town for bloody marys and usually end the morning with lunch at my favorite, Yesterdog.

Do you guys have any races planned for this Summer? I do like how training keeps me accountable and gives me a goal to work towards, I’m thinking about scheduling another run for the Summer so I don’t slack off on my running!

Review & Results of the Dr. Oz 3 Day Cleanse

As promised, here's my review and tips on the Dr. Oz 3 Day Cleanse -- it wasn't overly difficult and it definitely provided results! My Sister and I decided to give the cleanse a try last week as a way to kick start our healthy eating efforts. Our goal wasn't to lose weight, just feel better in general and lose the bloat. The cleanse is supposed to remove toxins from your body and give a jump start to your metabolism  Sign me up! You can read all the details of the cleanse and get the recipes here. 

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Dr. Oz estimates that you can do the cleanse on $16 dollars a day, unfortunately that wasn't quite the case for us. It was more like $25 per day. We didn't use all the coconut oil or almond butter we bought or all of the probiotic supplements, so if you had those items on hand your costs wouldn't be as much. But if you're like us you have to stock your pantry beforehand. Buying all the fresh produce, especially the berries, was the most expensive!

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TIPS
* Unless it's the middle of Summer, you may find that purchasing all of the fruits frozen will be cheaper than fresh. We definitely saved money by going the frozen route for blueberries and raspberries. * The breakfast shake was really pretty good, my least favorite was the lunch shake. I tried to limit the celery a little bit in that one because it was so overpowering.  * The lime was also pretty strong in the lunch shake, so I reduced that by a little as well * One good thing about the cleanse is you do not feel hungry. I wanted to crunch on real food pretty bad, but overall I didn't feel hungry. You can have your favorite shake again during the day as a snack, but I was never hungry enough to want it * Enjoy the detox baths! It always felt like one of the best parts of the day. I may continue to do these periodically. The epson salts are supposed to draw out impurities and the lavender oil smells so good!  RESULTS
I lost 7 pounds! And my stomach definitely felt flatter and all the bloat was gone. I was impressed with the results I got in just three days. My sister lost close to 5 pounds, we're definitely really pleased with our results. Head over to 33 Shades of Green to see her take on the cleanse! I posted my starter guide with the shopping list from after Day 1, too. Let me know if you try this. Feel free to email if you have any questions.

Starting The Dr. Oz 3 Day Cleanse

Today is Day 1 on the Dr. Oz 3-Day Cleanse! I had pinned the information on this cleanse awhile back and my sister and I decided to give it a try this week. With all the eating I did for Easter and the lingering candy I can't seem to stop eating, I thought this would be the perfect time to jump-start a healthier eating kick. Not to mention, Sister and I only have 2 months left to be in tip-top shape for Italy!! I'll be reviewing the cleanse and posting our results at the end in case any of you are looking to try it. I like how it seems very easy to follow and the directions are extremely specific so it would be very hard to mess it up! The cleanse involves 3 different shakes, vitamins/supplements and  a detox bath every night -- looking forward to that part! Before you start be sure to do a weigh-in and measure your waist and a few other areas, so you can track your results at the end.

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My sister and I will be back with our review of the cleanse and our results later this week!

Morning Detox Tea, not a bad way to start the day!

Words for Wednesday

One of my friends posted this on Facebook and I loved it. This could be true for so many things but I was thinking of it in terms of working out. Commit to getting fit! I've got some work to do this week, only one workout done, so I've got to step my game up for the rest of the week and be committed. 

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Words for Wednesday

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Is it just me or is Pinterest a constant source of inspiration and motivation? It seems a little counterproductive to spend time surfing Pinterest to get workout motivation, but somehow it works! I added this to my "Work it Out" board. I've been on the working out bender for over 3 months now and am definitely seeing some changes and improvements -- and some lbs are gone too :)

Best of all, at this point I think working out 3-4 times a week has become a habit. Here's hoping I can keep up with it during the dark, cold winter when I really want to go into hibernation!!

For the Chi Town Runners

What are you guys doing Saturday? There's a really cool event going on that anyone who's into running, fitness or Chicago will like. Nike is going to unveil an awesome new Chicago designed pair of shoes and give great tips for running during our crap Winters :) There will also be a little fashion show with looks that are perfect for Fall running. It's free and all you need to do is show-up. Check out the invite below and stop by!

See those cool shoes on the invite? They are designed by Chicago artist, Tara D. for Chicago runners! So cool. How many cities actually get their own pair of shoes made for them? Are we special in Chicago or what? The designer is going to be on hand at the event to talk about her design and answer questions.

I have really been wanting to try out the new Lunar fit. Of course I'm in love with my Nike ID's too, but this is like a custom ID pair for our city! From what I've been reading the Lunar gives you a lot of stability and extra soft cushioning for hitting the Lakeshore path. I got the hook-up on some pics of the shoes, consider this a sneak-peek to Saturday!

What do you guys think? I love how they say "CHI" right on them. Too cool. I can't wait to get my hands on a pair. And I do have to let you guys in on a little secret, Nike is going to be hooking me up with a pair of these sweet shoes! So excited. Thanks Nike :) I'll have to review them after I run in them a few times.

Definitely try to check out the event on Saturday afternoon. I am really bummed, I am taking a trip to Wine Country in Michigan this weekend so I can't be there, but I'm dying to hear how it goes. Email me with any questions and let me know how it is if you go!

Work it Out

I have been on a major working out bender lately...and it feels great! I've worked out about 3-5 times a week for the past 5 weeks. And I started Week 6 Sunday with running and spin class the other night. I always feel so good about myself after a workout. There is nothing like running or lifting weights to make you feel super confident and de-stressed! Of course with all this working out I've been getting really into my "gear." Here are a few of my favorites, because let's face it, looking cute during your workout makes you run that much faster :)

I know everyone is into the super thin and sleek workout shoes lately, well not me. My first pair of Nike shox got me through about 3 years of workouts, so I wasn't about to turn on them when it was time for a replacement. I finally ordered these last week and I custom designed them with Nike iD. So cool!

One other thing from Nike.com, I ordered these pants on clearance and am in love with them!! So comfy and cute. I love the wide waistband and they definitely stayed put during my whole workout.

Low-Rise Running Capris

Have you guys seen the active line by Old Navy? They've got some great pieces and all at really good prices. I just got a pair of their active leggings. For only $27 they have all the good stuff; moisture wicking fabric, zip pocket for keys. Anything with the name compression in the title works for me...

Compression Capris

I just found a great top from Gap Body that I feel like is so cute I want to wear it for normal activities (I'll try to restrain myself). This little top made me want to run over to yoga class. Literally, I was so excited to sport this at Yoga! I don't know why this top isn't up on their website?! Here are a few pics from the store... It is super comfortable, not to mention ultra flattering with the empire waist. I'd say it has enough support for lower impact activities, I have worn it for yoga and lifting.

A few things I'm eying from Nordstrom...you can never have too many workout tops, right?!

Under Armour Raceback Tank, $19.99

Similar to the Gap tank, but I love this color and the racerback, you can find this online here.

Happy working out :)

A girl, her bike and lake michigan

We had an absolutely gorgeous weekend in the city! I think we even broke a few records with our highs of 80+ on both days. I was loving it! I'm such a Summer girl and am always sad to see it leave. Knowing these are the last warm days we'll get for a long while, I took full advantage. I hit the lakeshore path for a nice bike ride.

Dusk sets in...

Gearing up for the fifth third river bank run!

It's that time of year, time to shed the winter layers...and no I'm not really talking about clothes. I'm talking about some extra uh...insulation I packed on from winter hibernation! Yikes, gotta get rid of that stuff!

Good thing the River Bank Run in Grand Rapids, Michigan is perfectly timed so you can train and run and sweat and by May 8th you'll (hopefully) be ready to run and ready for looking good in Summer clothes! Nice timing.

This race is definitely a GR tradition, this is it's 33rd year. More than 18,000 people are expected to compete in the 2010 event which features the largest 25K road race in the country and offers the only 25K wheelchair racing division in the world.

I've run the 5K race, (there is also 10K) since 2006. I had a nice three year streak going there and then I messed it up last year by at the last minute deciding I just wasn't going to be ready for it. But not this year! I'm determined to run it and get out of hibernation in the process.

Flashback: The '06 run with my smudgie/bff/cousin. Please note this is post-race, we were tired and maybe a little sweaty, OK! Man I wish I had the digital pic of us when we walked/ran the race in 2002 or so. Classic. (Kate, at least that one's safe in our scrapbook! Haha)

And I certainly won't pretend to be training for a marathon here, that's hard work for sure! But for my level the 5K is the perfect length! Just long enough that it won't be a walk in the park for me (far from it at this point!), but short enough that I won't kill myself doing it. Maybe in 2011 I'll train for the 10K....

I slacked this week on the running, but I'm going to have to pick it back up tomorrow! According to the countdown I've got 42 days and 17 hours left to prepare. I'll be keeping you updated on the progress!!

Weekender

I went to bed last night after hearing our weather and expected another gloomy or even rainy day, so I was very pleasantly surprised to wake up to some sun and even blue sky this morning! It made for a nice end to the weekend --it also made me feel pretty peppy, so I got some things done around the house and was pretty productive, by Sunday standards.

*Can I just tell you this? As I sit here typing this out my glasses are barely able to be seen out of, so streaky and almost foggy. These are new glasses and I usually just wear them at night after I take my contacts out. Apparently they have some special, anti-refrac? lens or coating. Well, they are THE hardest glasses to clean. It is beyond frustrating. I just got out my special lens cloth and was cleaning them, but even the special cloth wouldn't clean them, what the heck?? Then I wet them and dried with the cloth again, no dice. And then I proceeded to repeat that process about 5 times...still foggy and streaky. I am extremely annoyed. What kinda of lenses are these?? This is ridiculous! Grrrr.

Alright, sorry, really needed to vent about that.

On to the good stuff. I went for a run by the lake this afternoon, as I got over there it was starting to cloud over, but it still felt awesome to be running outdoors for the first time in ages! And I always loving running with the water and skyline in my view, you just can't beat that.

Lake Michigan was pretty choppy today! A few shots at the beach...

Belmont Harbor

Words for Wednesday

A little inspiration and motivation as I try to get back in shape, because I need to for my health -- and also for my upcoming trip to St. Thomas! Gym tonight. First time in awhile. I'll keep you updated on my progress...

Everything you need is already inside.