Stitching away

After I got done with my run yesterday, I started working on a new purse, complete with a designated slot for the epi-pen and inhaler. The Husbeast thought of that, so that in case of emergency, he wouldn't have to rummage through things. Smart man, and I'm glad I have the craft abilities to make my own custom purses.

And then I spent the rest of the afternoon playing with these:

This is an old photo when I was just contemplating the fabrics, but they are now almost a baby quilt for a friend who is expecting her first baby anytime in the next two weeks (I forget the actual day...). 

I love spending time in my sewing room creating things. I was thrilled on Tuesday when my aunt contacted me about possibly making some items for a boutique in Cincinnati. I spent 2 hours going through photos to put together a FB album showing a variety of projects. If this turns into something, I will be thrilled. If not, at least now I have a designated album for when friends come to me with custom orders- now they can get a feel for some of my past work.

What's your favorite way to pass an afternoon? A perfect day would be a good run followed by successful sewing. :)

What a day.

Today started with a trip to the doctor to FINALLY get some answers about my ever-worsening food allergies. I left feeling good, loving my new doctor (insurance switched me), and kind of sad that she won't be my doctor for more than a few months because she was that cool. It's not often I like a doctor that much!

I left, though, with what I was hoping I didn't need, and then some:

Yikes. An epi pen (and a spare), an inhaler, and a daily allergy medicine. I put up a good fight, but when it comes down to it, the doctor pointed out my symptoms are bad enough I could go into anaphylactic shock and die. I don't want to die, thankyouverymuch. Now I feel like I need a bigger purse!

I also got my tetanus/pertussis shot (only a year overdue). Man, immunization so always make me feel, well, like this:

So I was thrilled when the Husbeast offered to take me out to dinner! We went to Outback Steakhouse, and I had the filet focaccia sandwich. YUM. I made the Husbeast laugh so hard when I told him I could drink the au jus that was served with it. He laughed because he knows if we were at home, I probably would. :) mmmmm, meat juice.....

I also had a strange afternoon in another way- I was expecting a package yesterday, so when we were getting ready to leave at 4:30, I checked my sent email and realized I transposed two number in my zip code!

Face palm.

So I sent off a very apologetic email to the company pointing out my error. I felt terrible. And then, as we backed out the drive, who should show up? FEDEX. with my package. 

Face palm, again. 

So I emailed the company Again, letting hem know I'm sorry for being sorry. Now that they think I'm a complete moron, at least the package made it. 

All of today has combined to make me feel exhausted. I'm a little bummed about having to not only carry an epi pen, but have an inhaler and a daily medicine. It kind of makes me feel like I'm not as healthy as I thought, which is kind of sad because lately I have felt like I'm the healthiest I've ever been.

But, when it comes down to it, I am still pretty damn healthy, and grateful for it. Plus, the doctor thinks the daily medicine might help quiet the allergies enough that my yoga pants will stop making me itch (true latex allergy means you can't even tolerate elastic. Next time you take off a pair of yoga pants, look where that seam left a line, and imagine hives. You're welcome.). 

If the meds makes my skin less reactive, it will be worth it. And if it all keeps me from having a life-threatening incident, even better.

Any allergy horror stories to commiserate?

Tomorrow marks halfway through the week- how is yours shaping up?

move nourish BELIEVE

Believe week- week three of the move nourish believe challenge put on by Lorna Jane and Fit Approach.

We started with pampering ourselves-

So I did a spa day at home. That's a gelatin face mask, friends. That sucker pulled out all sorts of nasty from my pores, and I can honestly say my skin still feels nicer four days later.

Next,

Meditate! I spent about ten minutes just being present. Sometimes, it is nice to just be. I struggle with an empty mind, but I have gotten better at slowing down and being present.

Then, showing off our happy place:

The same spot where I sat the day before, and the spot I am currently occupying. My spot on the couch. It's really just one of many happy places, but given the cold, gross weather we've had, it's the only one I wanted that day. A comfy couch with a quilt and an afghan, with easy reach to my current cross stitch project behind.

Next, gratitude.

I'm so grateful for my whole family, but especially this guy.

Which is why he was my shoutout the next day... Well, sort of-

See, my husband works nights, so he sleeps most of the day. Therefore, snapping a picture of him to post on Instagram and brag about how wonderful he is just didn't seem to justify waking him up. BUT Matty here is "his" dog, so the adoration and love from him is sort of an extension of my husband's love.
  Right?

Anyway.

This week has been fun. Fulfilling. Gratifying. And other ifying things I cannot quite put in words. Perhaps we should all take more time to reflect on moving- being active in our favorite ways and trying new ones- reflect on nourishing- thing about your food, be mindful of what you consume, and find the fuel that works for YOU- and reflect on believing- believe in yourself, and show that girl some love, believe in your support system, and love them and remember they only believe in you because you gave them someone in which to believe.

Look at me, getting all deep. 

Thanks to Lorna Jane and Fit Approach for this MoveNourishBelieve challenge! It's been fun!

Packing

The prospect of moving is getting closer and closer. If things go well, I could be moving in ten weeks... or less.

The tough part is that I will be moving at least twice before being reunited with my husband, and with most of my stuff. We are putting most things into storage until he's in UPT and we will be back in the same house. So, while I love with my mom for a while as the Husbeast goes through OTS, I wiping have much of my stuff.

In light of that, I've been trying to figure out the fewest necessities. So far, I know I have to have access to:

Running shoes and running clothes for all four seasons

Regular clothes, since much as I want, I can't live in gym wear.

A small selection of craft supplies

My computer, kindle, iPad.

And of course the usual toiletries.

I feel like I'm going to overlook things as I pack and sort, so before I get too far into it, tell me:

What could you not live without for a year?

Score!

So, this morning, I went to Aldi. Not unusual, it happens every week. But I've been eyeing something since the beginning of the year, hoping it would go on sale, and being patient because there were several. Well, today I got the last one. 

Ta-da!

Kettlebells! A 5, 10, and 15 lb each. LOVE. Matt Lauer appears exhausted just looking at them.

I now feel like I have everything I need to have a mobile gym while I move around this next year. I have ten lb weights, these kettlebells, and a stability ball. Add the freedom to run outside and my bicycle, I have no excuse no matter where I end up. And I have enough fitness toys to keep me from going insane, even if we have to out the treadmill in storage.

What's the last purchase that you were excited about?

Best deal you've ever got at a grocery store? I'd say these kettle bells are right up there with the super deal I got on chia seeds a few weeks ago.

Happy mail day!

Last week, I finally ordered my Marathon Maniac singlet. It took me three months to decide between yellow and pink! As you can see, I went with pink. 

On Friday, I ordered two more skirts from Sparkle Athletic, too. Both packages came yesterday, making it feel like Christmas! And Sparkle Athletic was celebrating their 4th anniversary, so I got a free hat:

I'm not sure if I can pull it off for day-to-day, but I do love a good ball cap to wear to the beach. If only it were beach season.... Instead, I woke up to temperature of -19 F! Yuck!

How is your week shaping up?

Are you keeping up with the Olympic Challenge? So far, I've done 2 pull-ups, a set of 360 abs, and 3 burpees. Come on, team USA, this isn't much of a workout- let's get some more medals!

Move nourish believe challenge- week 2 recap.

Despite what you will read, I Am enjoying this Move Nourish Believe challenge. But this week proved to be more of a challenge than last.....

Week two started off with a day I wasn't excited about: meatless Monday.

Those of you who've followed along for the last year might remember the failed vegetarian week last year. The Husbeast and I made it four days without meat before we both felt too lethargic to continue. We also both struggled to feel satisfied after meals. It was the same feeling I get if I only eat a small bowl of cereal- hunger returned less than an hour after every meal. It didn't matter how many beans, whole grains, or other filling foods there were; without meat, my body wasn't happen, and it let me know.

But, I made it through a single day. Breakfast was a coffee cake muffin (and was fully consumed before I was awake enough to photograph it), while for lunch I made broccoli patties (they're basically broccoli and cheese held together with breadcrumb and egg) and had mac'n'cheese win ketchup. Yes, ketchup. Don't knock it until you try it.

Dinner was a repeat- except I had two patties instead of one. I've found that if I want to make sure I eat well and eat healthy on the days I work, the easiest thing to do is to cook a good meal for lunch and eat leftovers for dinner.

I survived Day 6.

Day 7: take your lunch to work!

Wait a sec... I only teach two classes... And they're MF, not on Tuesday, and not requiring lunch... So, how about what I pack for the husbeast?  That will have to do.

He eats well, thanks to what I pack (in this case, the rest of the broccoli patties, a hard boiled egg, an apple, string cheese, and celery). He's also very appreciative that I take the time to pack his food and that I pack healthy food for him.

Day 8: WIAW

If you've ever wondered what I eat, there it is in green and white.

Day 9: Smoothie day!

I actually ran to the grocery to get strawberries for this (a pint seems to gain weight as you run, FYI). Strawberries, orange, and pomegranate juice. YUM! But, given that it's winter, the cold smoothie wasn't as appealing as it would be in June. I ended up shivering for over an hour.

Day 10: raw

It's Valentine's Day. This just seems cruel. Instead of cooking lobster or bison or some other meaty treat like I have the past four years, I sit here eating salad. And I'm not exactly excited. Full disclosure, part of that is because we don't want lingering eau-de-lobster lingering in the house for the showing tonight. But if today's challenge was anything other than raw, I would have at least made heart-shaped bison burgers.

If I'm being honest, this week has not been my favorite. As with the smoothie, if it were June! it wouldn't be so bad. I often eat salad for meals in summer, and smoothies on a hot day are fabulous. I don't mind eating meatless when it happens, but having to intentionally avoid meat for a day makes me want to go on a bacon binge.

One more mote of honesty: as I've typed, I finished my salad. And I'm cold. So I'm going to go heat up some of the cooked asparagus from last night. Sorry not sorry. 

So, to sum up the Nourish week, I wish it were June. But being February and a colder-than-usual February, this week was difficult. I'm glad it's over. I'm looking forward to next week, though: BELIEVE!

Thanks, Lorna Jane and Fit Approach for another fun, if challenging for me, week!

Move nourish believe challenge- week one recap

Fit Approach and Lorna Jane  are putting on a really fun challenge called move nourish believe based on Lorna Jane's philosophies.  

Day one was all about a favorite way to sweat... Which, for me, is running outside. I wish it were a little warmer, if I'm honest, but nothing beats running under an open sky.

Day two was trying something new- I did a HIIT circuit and was beat by the end! And the. Or an outside some more, and was exhausted.

Day three- planks! After three 1-minute planks inside, I took a break to go shovel the drive. The snow was stupid deep, so I needed a break from it. Snow planks! I did one 30 second single straight arm plank, then one regular straight arm plank for another minute. Trust me, if I had dropped to forearms, I would have been buried!

Later, I did more side planks just for fun. I probably planked at least 8 minutes by the end of the day.

Day four: workout with a buddy. Due to snow/cold, I was stuck at home, but that doesn't mean I was alone- Prudence loves to workout with me... Err, lick the sweat off my face while I workout. If you look closely, you can see Matty's paw by my head, too. He also likes to "help."

 Which brings us to today- 5 fitness favorites.

This winter, my favorites are getting me through with no excuses. Give me a treadmill, my skora shoes, a kettlebell, my trusty ten pound weights, and my sparkly headbands, and I can conquer the world, er, the workout. This is my home gym. This is everything I need. Simple and effective.

I've enjoyed his first week of the move nourish believe challenge. Next week, it's on to NOURISH. Starting with a vegetarian day. Uh-oh... :D 

Go check out Fit Approach and Lorna Jane  if you haven't yet.

Enjoy your weekend! Any big plans?

Not me- except for watching the Olympics!!!!!!!

Olympic challenge- are you game?

The Olympics start today! Even though he opening ceremony is tomorrow, and it sounds like Sochi won't be ready until May.... But whatever! The Olympics start today!!!!!

I propose a challenge. Pick 3 exercises, and label them Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Then, once a day, check the medal counts. However many of each medals the USA has earned- there's your number of reps (or sets!) for the day.

My choices:

GOLD: pull-ups

SILVER: 360 abs*

BRONZE: burpees

*360 abs explanation: place a towel or glider under your feet, and starting in a straight arm plank position, move your feet together in a circle like you are drawing a clock on the ground.

I went with some of my favorite most-hated exercises. The point is to challenge myself (and, let's be honest, make up for all the extra TV time that will happen!). I can only ever get 2 pull-ups in a row, so if the US does well, maybe I will improve, too.

So, are you in?

What's your favorite winter Olympic sport to watch? I would have to say hockey, ski aerials, snowboard half pipe, ice dancing, curling, basically ALL OF IT! 

If you could compete in any sport for fun, which would you choose? Luge! But I do think I could do well (for an amateur) at biathlon. I used to cross country ski as a kid, and I'm a damn good shot with every weapon I've held. I keep telling my husband that if we end up in Alaska, I'll have to try it out. :D

Go, team USA, go!

BL15 and fat Kasey.

By now, you've probably heard about Rachel's dramatic weight loss for the finale of the Biggest Loser. She went from 260 to 105 lbs- quite astonishing, really, especially when you factor in her height. She's 5' 7". That puts her at a BMI of 16.5. Medically speaking, and you can check the CDC, anything under 18.5 is considered too thin.

Confession: my initial thought seeing her was that I need to lose more weight.

And immediately after that, I wanted to smack myself. You see, there's about a 2 year span of my life when I don't have a single photo.

And it all started after this. I was in France for an exchange program and gained way too much weight in just 7 weeks. This was taken halfway through, so I probably added another ten pounds. I came home and the first ting my mom said to me was, "What happened?" She couldn't believe how much weight I'd packed on so quickly.

I spent senior year of high school monitoring my eating and lost about 30 pounds, bringing me back down to the 120s. I was pretty happy. I have cute photos from prom, from graduation parties, etc. Then I went off to college, and about halfway through freshmen year, the pictures stopped.

Over the next two years, I managed to hate myself skinny. I thrived on calorie restriction and coffee. I at one bagel every day, half for breakfast and half for lunch, and then a lean pocket for dinner. I averaged 500-700 calories a day. My lowest point (mentally and physically) hit when I was 96 pounds. At 5' 3" that means my BMI was 17.0. If you stood that version of me next to Rachel, I would have looked well-fed. But I will never forget my mom wrapping her hand around my under arm, her fingers encircling forming a complete circle, only saying, "Oh, honey," or the way I could see down my pants because my hips stuck out so far from my stomach.

And this is why I am concerned for Rachel on the Biggest Loser. I know how unhappy I had to be to get to my lowest point. I fear she's on a slippery slope here. I hope she can find a healthy balance.

Today, I am angry. Angry that NBC has said nothing as of yet to address any of this, angry that the only positive reactions I found were from Pro Ana websites, angry at myself for that moment of self-loathing that threatened to emerge. 

But I am also happy. Happy for the other contestants who had success, happy for Tumi who looked fabulous and FIT, not sickly, and I am happy with myself that I now recognize the negative, unhealthy attitudes as being just that. I am happy I have found my balance. I am happy that I accept my body rather than reject it. I am happy that I can see the scale and not let it dictate my day. I am happy that I've gained weight - yes, gained weight (3 lbs) since upping my protein intake- since I know that it means I've upped my muscle tone. My skinny jeans still fit. The number no longer defines me. 

Rachel, my biggest hope for you is that you find happiness. Not external happiness like winning, or a number on a scale but the kind that comes from within. The kind that can't be measured.

I am lucky enough to have a wonderful support system throughout my family. They are part of how I began to heal, but most of it had to come from within. It took years to get where I am today.

If you are having trouble, please seek help. 

Snow miles

I set out today with the intention of running 3-4 miles.

But it was just so beautiful out there...

So I decided I'd run a little further down the trail. I had no fuel or water with me, but I felt fan-fricking-tastic, so I new I could make it at least 5 before I needed to be home.

So I ran a little further and then decided I'd go three miles out so the final total would be six.

 And then I could have turned for home, but, being Super Bowl Sunday, I decided to go for the "extra point" since I still felt  great.

By the time I got home, I had run 7.35 miles at an average 9:26 pace, which when factoring in the glare ice and hill for the first/last half mile, makes my day!

This was the best run I have had in a very long time. And going without fuel for that long is basically unheard of for my hypoglycemic self!

I'm starting to wonder if eating more protein throughout the day and cutting down on simple carbs at the same time might be helping my body relearn what to burn. I'm not a dr, but that's my suspicion. 

Do you have plans for the game tonight?

Not me- since I could barely run up the hill, I'm not driving anywhere. But I am making cupcakes to send with the Husbeast for all the guys who have to work!

Happy Sunday, everyone!!!

Declare It Day

Fellow Flowers (a cool, motivational company that makes flowers for your hair... I don't have one YET but have my eye on a few colors for when my hair is longer) has a tradition called Declare It Day (today). The goal is just that: declare it. 

Declare a goal you will accomplish, set a deadline, and go out there and smash it!

One of my goals is to PR in the half marathon. My A goal would be to have a great race and finish under 1:50, B goal is a pretty fabulous race and finish under 1:55, and C goal would be anything under 1:57:04. I have 2 chances for it already on the schedule for this spring, but the first is just two weeks after circular logic, so it will totally be a "race by feel" day. That could mean magic, or that could mean just a 13.1 mile long party with my fellow Team Tough Chik members in Carmel.

The other goal is a bit bigger... Something I've wanted to do for years.

I want to walk on my hands.

I've tried a few times to figure it out, but never really committed to it fully. This year, it is on. All of January, I've been lifting a little heavier than normal, and just might venture into the weight room now since I've mastered the largest body bar (30 lbs). I did 725 push-ups last month and will keep increasing that number each month. I've been working on core strength, stretching, and have been practicing crow pose, and am working towards a basic hand stand.

Today, DID, I started day one of my hand-walking plan: 

That, my friends, is the view as I "marched" on my hands. Just lifting them one by one, left, right, left, right, with my feet on the wall to help. 

I will walk on my hands. :D

Do you have any big goals this year?

How are those resolutions coming along? Good news- if you're keeping up, you've made it far enough that they are almost habit!

I'm still eating more protein at breakfast, and I can tell that it has become a habit now. I don't even think about skipping it. Today I had turkey bacon and spinach artichoke dip- odd, but delicious! And combined with my glass of milk, 16 g of protein. 

Enjoy your weekend!