Spring Has Sprung

Alright folks, I live in the Midwest and that means if I see another snowman or any threat of a snow flurry any time in the near future...shit is going down. I will flip my lid, lose my marbles and pack up to sunny Florida. BUT so far the sun has been shining this week and it looks like the spring season is finally here to kick off its shoes and stay awhile. THANK GOD. I didn't buy way too many things for my spring wardrobe just to have them hang in my fricken closet for a few more months. Time to pack away the bulky sweaters and breakout my skirts sans tights and ditch the winter jacket. It feels even better to realize that I can also go for morning runs without the cold gear. Tank and some shorts! Lets do this! I also got my free Chicago Women Rock top in the mail to start running in the warmer weather. Gangster style. I'm really excited to run the Chicago Women Rock 10k in September since my mom and my sister will be participating as well. I'm so proud of them!

With spring finally arriving more than fashionably late, that means shorts, sleeveless tops and drum roll please....SWIMSUITS. Bring it on! I'm totally ready especially after 900-1,000 cals burned for each of my workouts. Hard work pays off!!

 After these workouts I'm really not one to be too hungry afterward. However, if I do eat, I tend to lean toward things that are very heavy in protein but I really just gulp down glass after glass of water. One key thing that I have learned is to definitely eat not right before a workout but a good hour or so beforehand so I have some extra energy. There's nothing worse than feeling sluggish and running on low when you're just getting started! I have a few fitness apps on my phone to also help keep me on track throughout the day to make sure I'll make the most out of my workouts. For running I use RunKeeper. There are SO many running apps out there but for me, this is definitely my fav. You can pick what activity you're doing, it'll tell you what pace you're currently running at, keeps track of how many calories you're burning and you can set fitness goals for yourself (oh and it's free!). Another amazing fitness app that I use to mainly keep track of my food is MyFitnessPal (also free). Instead of having to search an endless database of food and beverage items, you can use the barcode scanner and BOOM the food will automatically log into your food diary. It also has a lot of searchable items from restaurants in the database and you can also log your workouts from yoga to boxing in your daily diary. 

I also love the Spartan Race's update for Illinois (sarcasm)...they initially said that the course would be about 7 miles and 20 obstacles...now that has somehow increased to 9-10 miles and 20 obstacles....ummm excuse me but that's not cool...very not cool. I'll be covered in mud, sweat and bruises most likely and they want to add on a couple more miles like it's no big deal? Oh it's on.