Fitness Friday

Thank dear, sweet baby Jesus, it's finally Friday! 

As you all know, hubs and I are training for a 5K on August 27th (any and all donations for Team Nana are GREATLY appreciated!) He's doing amazingly well with this whole running business. Me? I'm trying. That's all that I can do. I've been doing about 3 days a week of run/walk intervals, and let me tell you something, it hurts. Those little muscles on the insides and outsides of my ankles? Throbbing. My shins? A hot mess of hurt. But I'm still working at it...one foot in front of the other, right? 

Source: canttakeitwithyou.tumblr.com via Heather on Pinterest

Between the playlist on my iPod and my motivating, slightly angry "self talk", I'm not usually bored when I run. So that's a plus. I'm trying to channel my inner Jillian Michaels, telling myself that I can push harder. Thinking about the 400 pound people from Biggest Loser who go on to run 5Ks. Surely if they can do it, I can do it too. Some days that works. Other days, that voice is squashed by the Black Eyed Peas.

Source: believe-toachieve.tumblr.com via Heather on Pinterest

On my non-running days this week, I took to some cross-training. Tuesday it was 30 Day Shred with Jillian and yesterday it was supposed to be biking, but it ended up being kickboxing. More later on the bike. Let's just say, I need a new one. The one my parents brought me from high school isn't going to cut it anymore. Time for an upgrade.


And speaking of kickboxing, this Tuesday is my first class at the Martial Arts Academy. Myself and a few friends purchased a Groupon consisting of 4 classes and a free pair of boxing gloves. That's right. Gloves. Shit's about to get real. Roundhouse kicks for everyone. 


Today? No workouts. I'm off to PA for a visit with the fam. Tomorrow? Run in the park. Thank goodness it's flat. My only obstacles are rogue geese and duck poop. 

Wanna See My Feather?

This weekend, I decided to become hip to the newest trend. Yes, I got a feather extension in my hair. Just call me Selena Gomez. Or Ke$sha. Or make fun of me. That's ok too. You'd be in good company...ahem **Katie and hubs**


Haters gonna hate, right? 


I was representing my employer at a fair on Saturday and the booth next to me happened to be a salon offering extensions on the spot. And I've definitely seen them around the blogosphere as well, like on one of my faves and fellow Marylander, AP at I Love You More Than Carrots.


I got one that blends in with my hair and can be hidden, in case my boss doesn't like it...or I'm not feeling hip. 

See it? Yep, there it is. I'm so cool. 

And, no, this doesn't mean I'm trying to recapture my youth via the newest teenage trends. Just something fun and different for the summer. 

Recipe Roundup: Grapenut Pudding

Yes, you read that right. Grapenuts. Like the cereal. In a pudding. Your reaction is probably the same as everyone who I've ever told about it. Disgust, intrigue. How could that possibly be good? Well my friends, it is SO good. 


This is a central PA specialty, as is Grapenut ice cream. I think it's an Amish thing. But it's certainly a delicious thing. And really really easy. 

Grapenut Pudding

2 small or 1 large containers of whipped topping (regular or light)

2 small or 1 large box of vanilla instant pudding

3 cups milk

1 cup Grapenuts cereal

Take one cup of milk and add it to the Grapenuts and let them soak for 10 minutes. Using the other 2 cups of milk, mix with the instant pudding. Fold in whipped topping and mix in Grapenuts.  And you're done!

I advise letting it set up for about an hour. 

Seriously, I dare you to try it. And them come back and tell me how awesome I am for giving you this recipe. 

Our Invisible Fence

When hubs and I moved into our new house, there was one thing I knew we were going to be missing. A fence for the dogs. Not because we necessarily like the looks of a fence, or the maintenance, or the weedwhacking, but because we have an OCD pug who takes about an hour to find the perfect place to poop. And quite frankly I don't have that kind of patience...or time to piss around in the morning. 


So we went and got ourselves an Invisible Fence. Now, before you go reporting me to PETA for animal cruelty, hear me out. Our dogs like their freedom. I like their freedom. It's nice that they can run around the yard without worrying about them getting hit by a car or humping the neighbor's leg. I read the reviews. The good, the bad. And as of a week ago, we were the proud owners of this fence. 


We started the training exactly like we were told. And Saturday was their first day of freedom in the yard. Sure, there were some shocks...literally. Both dogs attempted to go out of the yard to chase birds, but they learned quickly. And the statement, "this hurts me than it hurts you" is so true. Hubs and I cringed every time they got close to the boundary. 


And as good pet parents, hubs and I decided we needed to see exactly what we were doing to our pets. So we strapped the collars onto our arms and ran through the fence ourselves. It only seemed fair. And honestly? It wasn't too terrible. More surprising than anything. Kind of like when you put a 9 volt battery on your tongue. 


So, two thumbs up for the new fence. The pups have a new found sense of freedom, as do hubs and I.

Getting Crafty: Mason Jar Candle Holders

Hallelujah for a holiday weekend! I'm off work tomorrow (Friday) to capitalize on the July 4th holiday. Plus hubs is off and it's nice to spend some time together running countless errands relaxing.


Tonight, hubs headed to the Orioles game, so that means I have the house to myself. Which translated to sushi, reality TV and a trip to Michaels. Which resulted in a mighty fine craft project, if I do say so myself. And now, I shall bestow this creativity on to you. 


I made these lovely little candle holders that I'll use on the deck. Or I could hang them outside in the trees for our BBQ on Saturday. 

Pretty, right? And really easy. I purchased everything at Michaels. You'll need:

• A mason jar ($1.99)
• Small glass votive holder ($.99)
• Votive candle ($1.69 for 6)
• Ribbon ($.99...I got lucky and found this in the sale bin)
• Pebbles/gems/sand/whatever strikes your fancy (sand would look great for a beach themed party or luau) ($2.49)

Fill the jar with pebbles, tie a ribbon around the top, drop in the votive and the candle and you're done! So easy, but definitely pretty. Happy Fourth of July! I'm testing out a no bake cookie recipe for Saturday, so if that goes well, I'll have to share. Because baking and me, don't exactly play well in the sandbox, so the less I can bake, the better!

Guess Who's Going on Vacayyy?

That's right, friends. It's been 4 long years since hubs and I have had a "real" vacation. So we're booking it. One last hurrah before we get down to bidness and make some babies. We've been throwing around destinations. First it was Europe, going to France, Italy and Ireland, but then we figured it would be too stressful to do all that travel. 


Then we were thinking Spain and that was on our list for a while. But now? We've settled on...

Costa Rica!

Source: telegraph.co.uk via Ellen on Pinterest

I'm pumped because I convinced hubs to do an all inclusive again! So much less stress. And the resort looks amazing. We went to one in Mexico for our honeymoon and loved it. We signed up for all of the excursions, but guess how many we made? Nada. They were early. We liked our sleep. Can you blame us? But this time around, we're going to do snorkeling and possibly to the zip line through the rainforest. That is, if I don't crap my pants from fear.

The flight is slightly longer than I thought. About 6 hours. Which reminds me, I need to call the doc for some Xanax, pronto. Hubs is going to have to deal with a drugged wife for the flight there. Which is much better than insanely anxious, panicky wife. Trust me. 

We're hopefully going to book this week for the end of July! Time to start shopping for vacation clothes and counting down the days (and worrying about the flight there...because I need at least 3 good weeks of worry before takeoff.)

Running.

Let's talk about running. You might remember that I tried it last year. I started with the Couch to 5K program and began on the treadmill. Fine, it was working for me. Then I went outside and it was like a whole new world. All my training on the treadmill went right down the crapper. 


Then, hubs went overseas and decided to take up running. I mean, no offense, but he hadn't ever ran a mile. And then, I decided it was time to try again. Outside this time. No treadmill for me. 


So, here I am, Week 2 of Couch to 5K. Am I running a mile? Hell no, are you crazy? I'm doing the classic run/walk. Because here's a few things I've learned about running:


1. It hurts real bad. All kinds of muscles hurt.

2. You have to drink a LOT of water to make those muscles not hurt. Just learned that yesterday. Guess I should invest in a giant water bottle. Also, someone told me to cut back on coffee because it dehydrates me. Never. Nevereverever.

3. You need something else to focus on other than everything on your body hurting. Hence my newest iPod workout list. That might include everything from Justin Bieber to The White Stripes.

4. Running shoes are really important. And I don't recommend Adidas. I almost busted my ass in them.


Let's hope my drive and determination keep this train running. Because I'm signed up for a 5K at the end of August (Free to Breathe for Nana! Deets soon.)

Source: None via Valerie on Pinterest

And I'll end with a quote from my dear, sweet friend Katie (after I was bitching to her about how hard running is):

"Heather, if running were easy, everyone would be doing it." 

So true, Katie. So true.