Leaving my comfort zone… one mile at a time.
Leaving my comfort zone ... one mile at a time.
With so much travel and flight delays and timezones, this wasn't my best workout week, but it had some variety! Thursday, June 27: Rest Day/Travel Day
Friday, June 28: Zumba
Saturday, June 29: Jumpsport Trampoline Class and 3-Mile Run
Sunday, June 30: 6-Mile Run
Monday, July 1: Rest Day
Tuesday, July 2: 4.99-Mile Run
Wednesday, July 3: 45-Min Stairmaster and 20-Min Elliptical
I love finding new companies and products!! As you all know, I only work with companies and promote products I believe in wholeheartedly.
SO my new love?
... and they are based out of Boston - yes I love to promote a local company as well! :)
What are ENERGYbits you may ask?
Made from 100% organicallly grown spirulina algae and loaded with 40 nutrients, ENERGYbits® algae tabs have the highest concentration of protein in the world (64%) all for just one calorie per tab. Endorsed by the United Nations as the most nutritious food on earth, spirulina algae has been a favorite of Olympic gold medalists for decades and is a super food in every sense of the word, delivering instant and enduring energy to your brain and body.
Yes you read that correctly - algae. I was unsure about that at first as well. But when I announced my 3k Twitter Follower Giveaway on Twitter, ENERGYbits contacted me saying they were interested in being a part of my prize packs.
Well, before I would allow that to happen I had to test them out myself. They sent me a sample - a little tin with the ENERGYbits tabs inside.
They recommend taking 30-40 tabs 10-15 minutes before a workout for maximum results. Each tab is just 1 calorie.
I decided to test them out before my 21-miler on March 23. Now I was told you could chew the tabs or swallow them with water. I didn't have any water on the bus so I had to go with chewing.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS ... personally. :P
They got stuck in my teeth and it wasn't the taste -algae - that I wanted to stuck in my mouth for hours to come.
BUT, they paid off.
My legs felt strong throughout the 3-hour run. I didn't feel the normal fatigue that I would feel on such a long run.
So chewing the tabs were worth it.
Since that day, I have ALWAYS made sure to have water on hand so I could swallow the tabs and no taste. :)
I liked the sample so much that I made my first ENERGYbits purchase on March 29 and delivery arrived on April 2.
I like that service. :)
So I have been taking ENERGYbits before runs, Spinning, weight lifting, etc. I even took some before a 45 minute walk with a friend.
Because ... ENERGYBits can be used for:
On April 29, I actually had the honor of visiting the ENERGYbits headquarters since they are just a train ride away from my house. The team behind ENERGYbits are a small, but dedicated group. They have been doing their research for years and are doing a great job of growing their brand through social media and visiting local races/running clubs. (Both things I love :O))
I even saw the guys before the Half of Quincy on Sunday and they came through in a pinch with some water so I could take my ENERGYbits. Thanks again guys!
But after trying the product, really reading up on the benefits of algae and meeting the team behind the product, I definitely wanted to get on board ... and thankfully they agreed.
And Dani as an ENERGYbits Ambassador was born.
(Who am I throwing in the third person there?)
So would you like to try ENERGYBits yourself?
Get 15% off your order by entering the code "WeightOffMyShoulders" at check out!!
Well it is finally time that I put all of my workouts in one post to make it easier for you all to see what I'm doing and for me to keep my week's straight. :P So let's get this party started...
Thursday, March 7: 4 mile Run
Friday, March 8: Rest Day
Saturday, March 9: 2 hours of Spinning while at a Spin Instructor Orientation
Sunday, March 10: 10 mile Run
Monday. March 11: Ran 6.2+ miles And 45 min Spinning Class
Tuesday, March 11: 30 min Stairmaster
Wednesday, March 12: 45 min Tempo Run
Would you all like me to add my Plankaday Streak to this roundup as well?
On November 16 I went to Lululemon to purchase a pair of Wunder Under pants I had promised myself after completing the marathon. Well I tried them on and all I could look at were my thighs and I said out loud to myself: "Hello! Thunder Thighs." I'm sure the people in the other dressing rooms were thoroughly confused by this little outburst.
After posting the picture on Social Media...
... friends far and wide commented and said they had no idea what I was seeing.
How could they not?? I mean look at those thighs jumping out of the pants! I had gone out of my comfort zone and tried on a blue/grey pattern instead of going with the normal slimming black option.
But as the responses came in one after another, friends continuously used the words - lean, strong, muscular and fit - to describe the thighs above.
Interesting.
While sitting in my car in the mall parking lot reading the comments (see don't Tweet, Facebook or Instagram while driving!), I asked myself: "What legs were they looking at?" I really just didn't see it!
So I put the phone away, headed to my first Pure Barre class and let the comments/compliments from Twitter and Instagram resonate. But in my subconscious I was coming to grips with the fact that those Wunder Under Pants I pined for just weren't for me.
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Over the next 10 days or so, things changed.
Ever so slightly.
With each activity I did, another one of those pesky compliments from my friends/followers jumped back out.
* I took the stairs to one of my Weight Watchers meetings a little bit faster than usual. My mind thought: "Wow, this seems easier than the last time I made this trek. Those Pure Barre classes are really paying off.
Muscles.
* I set a PR in The 18th Annual Framingham Turkey Trot Classic 5k on a course I found rather challenging. Okay, I wasn't ready for any hills and there were some. :P I thought to myself: "Something is changing in my body. Those Spin classes are really working to strengthen my legs. Go cross training."
Thighs.
* With each Pure Barre class, the exercises were getting slightly more doable. But since the exercises were being done in front of a mirror, I could actually catch a glimpse of their transformation. The "burning" in my legs was paying off. The Brain said to me: "Look at those strong legs in the mirror. THOSE belong to you."
Fit.
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My girl Nazalee on Twitter immediately pulled out the big guns. A campaign that Nike featured about how the phrase Thunder Thighs is actually a compliment.
(Feel free to click on the image above for a better look or check out the ad here)
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So over those two weeks, the little tweets/instagram messages from November 16 were breaking out of my subconscious and starting to break down through the self-negativity!
But the tweet I got that finally made the mental change was short and simple: "I see a pair of strong legs that just dominated a marathon."
Truth ... but I had to change my mindset to see that!
On November 28 I went back to the store and purchased those pants and now wear them proudly!!
Even in public! :)
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So moral of this little story?
Simple.
We need to be as positive with ourselves as we are with others!!
And of course wipe the phrase "Thunder Thighs" from the vocabulary! ;)
My name is Dani and I am blogging out of the Boston Area. I started this blog in May of 2011 after suffering a back injury and subsequent back surgery in December 2011-January 2011. This space was to serve as a way for me to release the inner feelings I was carrying around and maybe help some other people going through similar situations: eating disorders, depression, weight loss and more.
