Spring Please?

Oh.My.God.....it's happened. I went for my first run without ANY cold gear! Queue the cheers, the hoorays, the happy dances!! I literally made sure Pharrell's "Happy" was played several times throughout my run. My pace was surprisingly quite good despite the hang-ups I've had due to the ice and snow. People got so excited, some runners around my neighborhood were even wearing shorts! I'm not that crazy...snow was still on the ground and it wasn't THAT warm out. But really, if Old Man Winter doesn't go away soon, I'm going to kick him in the balls.

Who knew I would ever be so happy to see brown, gross grass?! I would much rather be dodging puddles than ice patches. Oh wait, joke's on me. There is a snow storm going on as you read this. It was nice while it lasted. One whole day....come on Mother Nature! Get off your rag already!!! Look at Luigi, he's not even an outdoor kitty and he's just so done with this weather too. That blank stare out into nothingness. He's speechless.

I at least was able to get some groceries before the snow hit. If I'm lazy and don't make soup myself, Pacific Foods has the BEST soup with limited sodium. My favorite these days is spicy black bean and kale. It's absolutely delicious and 125 cals per serving.

I'm not one to count calories, but with the FDA reconsidering food labels to accurately portray how many calories someone would really eat in one sitting, I would like to add a suggestion. Instead of saying one cookie: 200 calories, say one cookie: run a couple of miles or BURPEES. Would you honestly eat a bag of chips if it meant having to do 100 burpees? Okay, I get it...it would depend on what kind. But still, it makes you think more. Like, wow...am I really willing to suffer that much for a Starbucks frappuccino? Those bad boys could pack as many as 700+ cals! I sometimes tell myself, "girl, you have your dress fitting next week. Are you willing to run half a marathon to reverse the effect that's going to have on your ass? No? That's what I thought." So I go home and prep kale/spinach salads with grilled chicken. I must say, they're delicious and easy to prep.

In other news, my bluetooth keyboard for my iPad also came in from Groupon Goods on Monday and I'm in love! NO regrets! Shipping was quite fast too! I highly suggest Groupon Goods to anyone who is looking to save some extra $$$ and you're not sacrificing the quality of the product! It certainly comes in handy when I have to visit all of my vendors and jot down notes. (I hate pecking on the screen keyboard).

Oh and just FYI to all of you book addicts out there, I'll be hosting a giveaway tomorrow for Laura McHugh's first thriller novel, The Weight of Blood. I seriously could NOT put it down. Read all about it tomorrow!! I'm so happy to say that I'm slowly getting through my HUGE stack of books that are on my must-read list. Despite the schizo weather, I'm quite happy with how things are going with my fitness routine AND being able to balance out my crazy life so I can still have my "me" time.

Also, it's Blog Hop Wednesday with Fitness Blondie! Go link up with her here and her co-host Kerry at Till Then, Smile Often! Love them both!

How's everyone else doing with their goals/aspirations/fitness etc???

The Grinch Stole My Christmas

I love Christmas, it's my favorite time of year where everyone is cheerful and happy. I had family coming in from out-of-town and I was even ahead with all of my Christmas shopping and wrapping. Score. My mom and I decided to visit my uncle in the hospital on Christmas Eve before all of the festivities began later on...but then...boom...my mom started to mention how her chest hurt and that her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest that morning right before we were supposed to leave. I thought to myself, "this isn't happening...it can't be." Well it was. My dad and I rushed her to the hospital and found out and that she has a tightened heart valve that caused atrial fibrillation and a domino effect of other issues including fluid around her heart, lungs, plural cavity etc. Excuse me while I scream another "EFF YOU!" to 2013...

Once she was moved from the ER and into her own room in the cardiac unit, we found out the following day that she didn't need surgery and could go on medication. Phew. Finally some good news. She stayed in the hospital through Christmas, although my sister and I just decided to bring Christmas to her and decorated her room with a mini pink Christmas tree and a Christmas Snoopy tie blanket that I made the night before. All I wanted for Christmas at that point was for her to feel better.

The nurses that watched over her were great and I couldn't have asked for better people watching over my mom. It was a really scary time in my life that I definitely do not want to relive...but now she's out of the hospital and got to celebrate Christmas last weekend with my mom's side of the family. It's amazing how some quality time with the family can be the perfect kind of medicine and take all of your worries away. I'm not too sure about anyone else, but I am DEFINITELY ready for 2014 to start! I don't think I can handle anymore health scares within the family. I've warned all of my friends and loved ones to just live in a bubble and stay in their houses for the remaining hours of 2013 just as a precaution.

If 2013 taught me anything, it is that life is too short to worry about trivial things. Bring on 2014!!!

The "C" Word

So ever since last Friday I've tried to absorb all of the heavy news that has come my way. My sister is sick again and has to go back to the Mayo Clinic (we're thinking she has a cortisol deficiency disorder) and I also found out that my cousin (someone I see as the brother I never had) has a tumor in his eye that is malignant. Cancer. The big "C" word is not something that is welcome into any family, yet it is very prevalent in mine unfortunately. This type of cancer that my cousin has is apparently very rare, it's called Choroidal Melanoma. There are very few machines in the world apparently that can treat this type of cancer and one of them just so happens to be in Boston so he's headed there next week as far as I understand. I'm not taking this lightly and it's the worst feeling so helpless when the people you love are going through so much. So I'll take this time out to say, EFF YOU CANCER! The good thing is that this treatment process has a 98% chance of annihilating the tumor, however there is a 50% chance he could lose his eyesight in his right eye.

No one deserves to go through something like this, but especially not my cousin. He just started a family nine months ago. He is the youngest at heart and can make anyone laugh themselves to tears.

He has a long journey ahead of him but he's one strong cookie and he'll get through this. One day (hopefully sooner rather than later) it'll all just be a distant memory. While I'm not all too religious, he is definitely a man of faith so right now...I'm going to try and keep calm and say my prayers for him.

When bad medical news hits the family, it hits me hard. I'm VERY close to my family and I have zero tolerance for diseases/ailments that try to mess with my fam's happiness and well-being. ZERO. I can only hope that the Mayo Clinic can help my sister manage her symptoms she's been suffering from at least so she can feel normal again. She was fine for the past five months and BAM she gets really sick again. It's the worst feeling not knowing what you're suffering from exactly in addition to having a bad reaction to most of the medications doctors try to put you on to treat whatever it may be. If I could take her place, I would...just to relieve her suffering. She's my big sis, my other half, my best friend....ILLNESS GET THE EFF OUTTA HERE. She was doing so well and now she's back to square one. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. I love her so much and I need to hear the laughs and see the smiles again. She's the best sister a girl could ever have.

Due to my sister being sick, she can't join me on this Minnesota adventure that will ensue later today. I'm hoping this little mini vacation and spending time with my Minnesota fam will lift my spirits. My cousin is graduating college on Saturday (omg I feel so old) and I can't wait to see everyone there. At this point, I can't handle anymore bad medical news so it can just stop it already. I don't know how I'll keep my mind occupied enough so I'm not worrying about my sister or cousin, BUT the best thing I can do for them is to give them my support, prayers and keep a positive mindset. Ready, set  and go!

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.