Author Archives: bec2point0

Dashing Diva Ditches Dairy

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Don’t you just love alliteration? Clearly, I do!

Okay, so there are two parts to this post, and one of them is a giveaway! I promise, we’re not giving away dairy. Although, I’ve got some nice brie in my fridge…

Ditching Dairy

If you follow me on Twitter (@just_bec_), you may have seen my daily rants about the struggle of going dairy-free. And if you’ve read this blog for a while, you’ve no doubt heard me wax poetic about my love of cheese. So, how do these things go together? Hint: Not well.

Based on a pre-existing medical condition I have, my new doctors recommended doing some elimination dieting to see if we can determine what causes my issues. (That made it sound super ominous and serious, huh? It’s not, I promise, I’m fine!) And since dairy is a common culprit, that is where they wanted to start. Enter me having to give up all dairy for two months. ALL dairy. Even cheese Even ice cream.

I'll miss you, buddy!

I’ll miss you, buddy!

SIGH.

After a few false starts, I’ve made it through two full days. Not easily, and not without complaint, but I did it. I attempted Whole 30 last year, so it’s not surprising to me how many things contain dairy. But I only made it to Whole 4, mainly because of cream in my coffee. I’ve gotten a few recs so far for good dairy alternatives. I already liked almond milk, so that was cool. Oreos are vegan, so that’s a bonus. American Flatbread Vegan Harvest Pizza is pretty tasty, especially if you put pepperoni on it (don’t judge). And I even made some really delicious Dairy Free Banana Chocolate Chip muffins (those actually are vegan, so does that redeem me?).

With all that said, I can’t spend the next two months eating Oreos and frozen pizza. I mean, I could, but I don’t want to. And depending on how the test goes, this could be a very long term thing.

So, I’m going to need a little help here. Anyone have awesome dairy alternatives? (Meaning cheese or ice cream, because no other dairy really matters, amiright?) Or recipes you love that are inherently dairy-free? A plant based protein powder you love that doesn’t taste like grass? Or if you’ve successfully given up dairy, and you have tips to share, those would also be lovely.

Dashing Divas

Let’s move on to more pleasant topics, shall we? Diva Dash!

Shape2

 

If you don’t know anything about Diva Dash, it’s a women only obstacle 5K. Think lots of costumes. Think LOTS of tutus! And some running and climbing on things and fun. And also, think charity. For 2015, the charity partner for the Shape Diva Dash is Girls on the Run. Awesome.

Shape

I’ve posted about Diva Dash before. I did my first Diva Dash in 2012. This was pre-Scoot, so to give you some background, 2012 was the year that I started running. I had been Couch to 5King since February, went to Atlantic City in April and did a 7K while Mer and Cam did the half, signed up for a couple of colorful runs over the summer, and when I saw this video, I knew I wanted to do Diva Dash.


Looks so fun, right? And challenging!

So I signed up, with every intention of spending the summer getting ready for obstacles and running. And then July came. And heat came. And running stopped. And by the time September rolled around, I was not at all ready.

I did it anyway, and it was fun, but by the end I was dying, and literally had medics pulling me aside and asking if I was okay. (I was fine, I just get really red in the face). Not exactly the experience I wanted to have.

Still, when sign up time came in 2013, I jumped right on it, planning to spend the summer getting ready. I think you can guess what happened. I went into the 2013 race with so much anxiety, and I wound up skipping a bunch of obstacles because I was nervous. Again, fun, but not the experience I wanted.

2014, I signed up again, and I don’t think I need to tell you what my plan was, or how it went. When race day dawned and it was 95 degrees and I was still suffering from PF, I just said screw it.

So, when I saw the sign ups for 2015, and I got the urge to sign up, I realized something. Diva Dash is my Moby Dick race. I have to conquer it! And, since I wanted to make sure I stayed good and motivated this year, I signed up to be a Shape Diva Dash Ambassador!

What does this mean for me? It means I’ve really got to stick with it this summer, so I can have the experience I want to have.

What does it mean for you? Well, if you live near (or want to travel to) any of the upcoming race locations this year (Washington, D.C. on 9/12, BOSTON on 9/26 or New York Metro on 10/10), you can use Discount Code AXSCOOT to get $10 off your registration. I highly reccommend Boston, since I live there, and that is the race I will be at, and you can come give me a hug.

And, since the Diva Dash ladies rock hard, they are letting us give away one free race entry! Awesome? Awesome. This giveaway will stay open until 6/19/15.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, Divas!

If I Could Turn Back Time

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(Feel free to hum along with me. This will now be stuck in my head for days).

Remember back in 2002, when Cher announced her ‘Farewell Tour’? And then it was popular, so she kept adding more shows? And it went on for years? And then she was still around, so it wasn’t even like a real farewell?

Do you think she felt a little silly and overdramatic for her exit theatrics, or wished she’d given more thought to calling it a ‘farewell’ tour?

Probably. (#relatable)

Now, I’m no Cher. I don’t have any ‘cheeky’ tattoos or a fishnet body stocking. I don’t have an Oscar. Or an Emmy. Or a Grammy. But, I do share (HAHA, GET IT) a few things with the singly named, raven haired wonder.

We like the same people.

Cher

We change our hair a lot.

Cher hairMe hair

And we both mayyyyy have a slight flair for the dramatic at times. But, I could certainly be in worse company, right?

I remember when my mother-in-law retired for a the first time, years ago. I saw her a few weeks afterwards, and I ask if she was loving it. I expected her to say how much less stressed she was, how nice it was to have free time. Do you know what she said?

“I’m bored.”

I didn’t get it then. I have two kids and a full time job. What is this ‘bored’ thing?

I kind of get it now. Without blogging, I found myself bored. I also found myself watching a LOT of reality television. But mostly, I found myself thinking ‘oh, I should write a post about that… oh wait.” And, I missed you guys!

Don’t get me wrong, breaks are nice. And I didn’t spend the whole time watching Married at First Sight (and Arranged and 19 Kids and Counting and Teen Mom), just some of it.

I also used that time to get my head together in terms of what’s next in my health & fitness journey. I had been in a rut for a couple of years, and I really needed to step back and look at where I want to be, and how I want to get there.

I stopped going to Weight Watchers, and started tracking on My Fitness Pal (down 19 pounds, heck yes!). I went back to Zumba classes, took a yoga class, started walking again. I got my butt back in the kitchen and started doing meal prep. I did a lot of reading. And I’m working hard on the internal stuff, too. Loving me. Embracing today. Doing things that make me happy.

And being a chick makes me happy.

So, in short, sorry about that time I got all emotionally dramatic and prematurely announced my retirement. If I could turn back time…

A Great Run

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Please don’t take that literally. This is a picture of my driveway.

There is NO running going on here.

There is NO running going on here.

The ‘great run’ I’m referring to is my time blogging with my chicks here on Scoot a Doot. It has been an amazing two years, truly. But for me, the run is complete. This post is my foot clearing the proverbial finish line. (Ironically, this might be the most I’ve ever written about running!)

Scoot, for me, has been a place to talk about things that matter a lot to me: the struggles of obese athletes, the hunt (an eventual capture) of cute, plus sized activewear, some of the truly dark moments of my weight loss journey. I have gotten an incredible amount of support here, wonderful people sharing their stories with me, and of course, I’ve loved being part of this incredible blog with my dear Chicks, who are among the best of my friends.

That being said, what writing about my weight loss journey has not helped me do is actually lose weight. I type this post today, at my highest weight ever, and unable to find anything to say about it. I have so much work to do, deep down in my soul work, if I am to ever change this part of my life. And I am so ready for that change. But, as much as you have all been so wonderfully supportive over the past two years, and as much as I will miss that interaction, I can’t keep talking about my journey. I need to stop talking, and start doing, and I need the doing to be done privately. I have this intense need to turn my focus completely inward, to really look at where I am and where I want to be, and to take that next step on my own.

Basically, it’s not you, it’s me. (It really is me, I swear). And you know, I’ll still be around, posting pictures of my food on Instagram (@just_bec_) and whining about the current state of Scandal on Twitter(@just_bec_), as one does.

So, I don’t want this to be a sad post! I want to celebrate the good times I’ve had here, and look brightly toward tomorrow and all the wonderful things that are in store for me! And I want to give you all great big hugs, and we can drink champagne and dance and throw confetti around!

Because endings suck, but they have to happen to have new beginnings, and new beginnings are awesome.

In short (too late, as always), thank you for the last two years. Thank you to every one of you that reach out to me and shared your stories with me. Thank you for making me part of your community.

There would never be enough words to thank my chicks. Luckily, they already know how much I love them.

It has truly been a great run.

<3 Bec

Giga-what? (and a giveaway!)

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GigaBODY.

Okay, so what are some things you know about me? I get really bored, really fast with exercise and I live in the Arctic Tundra. If those two came to mind, you know me pretty well, and you know that only one of those things is an exaggeration. (Hint: I don’t actually live in the Arctic Tundra, but IT FEELS LIKE I DO).

Winter can be a tough time for working out. It’s cold outside, it gets dark early, there is often weather to contend with and the living room is pretty darn inviting.

But you could do the working out IN the living room! I’ll admit, when Fit Approach (#sweatpink) asked for people to review Gigabody, I was stoked. I have an abundance of workout videos, but I’m always looking for fresh blood…errr… sweat.

But, maybe you don’t have, or want, a bunch of workout DVDs hanging around. Maybe you’ve scoured your On Demand listings and found that there is only one yoga workout and it’s for 5 year olds. Maybe you’re just not sure what kind of indoor workout you want to do.

Gigabody, guys. It’s where it’s at.

A gigabody subscription is under $10 a month, and you get access to a ton of videos, with all different kinds of workouts.

You like Barre? Try the Ballet Body workouts.

Is Zumba your thing? Body Boom Club is a blast!

Looking for something totally new? Bombay JAM. (This is my new jam, pun totally intended. A Bollywood inspired, cardio dance party? Yes. Yes, please).

Where can you do the workouts? Anywhere you have internet access. I loaded them on my Kindle Fire and took to shaking it in my bedroom while the family was watching TV.

So, I give Gigabody a very enthusiastic, booty shaking, thumbs up. If you want to check it out for yourself, we’re giving away a free month membership!

rafflecoptergigabody

*The Gigabody membership was provided in exchange for a honest review. The opinions are all mine.

 

New Year, New Me?

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So, guess what the most popular New Year’s Resolution is this year.

Lose Weight

And guess what the most popular New Year’s Resolution was last year.

Lose Weight

And guess what New Year’s Resolution I’ve made every year for the last as long as I can remember.

Yeah, you guessed it. Lose Weight.

If you’ve been anywhere near the internet the last few days, you’ve probably seen posts all over the place. ‘These are my resolutions’, or ‘I don’t make resolutions, but these are my goals’, or ‘resolutions and goals are the same thing, and I don’t make either’. I’ve seen a lot of posts, just about the new year in general.

I have a semi complicated relationship with New Year’s Resolutions, and New Year’s in general, that I’m guessing a lot of people can relate to. The intelligent part of my brain knows that there is no special magic to the dawn of a new year, nothing that will make it so that where there was no willpower before, there is now plenty to spare, no real truth behind the idea that somehow when the clock strikes midnight, everything will be different, you will be different, I will be different.

And yet…

Every year, even knowing all of those things, I make resolutions, tell myself that this is the year, that 20__ (or 19__ because hey, I’m old) is going to go down in my personal history as ‘when it all changed’. And years of doing this, and feeling like this, and having it most decidedly not turn out like this, has never really done much to deter me from making those same resolutions the next year. Heck, I’m pretty sure my list last year looked a lot like this:

Lose Weight

Eat Healthy

Exercise More

Save Money

Etc, etc, etc

But, 2014 and I were not the best of friends. Heck, 2014 and I were, at times, mortal enemies. And while I definitely worked on those things, I wouldn’t look at any of those goals and check of the ‘accomplished’ box next to them. The best thing I can say about 2014 is that it’s over.

unnamed

So, time to make some resolutions? Not really. Not the same way, anyway.

This year is different. I am different. Or I’m working on being different, I guess. I mean, are those all things that I would like to happen this year? Sure. I think those are very common things that a lot of people want, New Year’s Resolutions that a lot of people made this year. And I’ll work on making those things happen in some fashion. But in terms of making resolutions, I made just one.

63755_10152898693932159_4513899638722873968_n

 

That’s it. To be happy. In the moment happy. Happy with myself, just the way I am, right now, happy. Happy with my life because it is amazing happy. Happy about the incredible family and friends I have happy. Happy because I have so damn much that how can I not be happy happy. Happy about the endless possibilities that come with being happy happy.

It’s so little. To be happy. But really, it’s so much.

2015 is here and I’m so happy about that. New year, new me.

Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? What are yours? 

 

 

Chick Chat: Hey Santa!

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In case it’s not readily apparent from reading this blog, you should know that we all adore each other. When you get a few of us in a room together, there’s an awful lot of hugging and smiling and giggling. And inappropriate jokes, just saying.

But, since we don’t really get a chance to get together for the holiday, we like to do a litttle Chick Secret Santa Exchange. And by ‘secret’, I mean we spend most of the time trying to figure out who has who. Or maybe that’s just me? It probably is just me!

So, without further ado, I present our holiday lovefest!

Bec

I was so excited when I got Jess in the Secret Santa exchange. Jess is the West to my East. We have a history of long, LONG, emails and a shared love of bacon. But when it came time to actually shop for Jess, I got a little stumped. It wasn’t that I couldn’t think of anything, more that I thought of too many things! In the end, I picked out a stacking set of mugs that I hope will remind Jess of her trip to a city that is as gorgeous as she is <3

Jess

Cam

I was paired up with Kyle this year and I know she’s been focused on getting that ankle of hers healed.  I wanted to send her some good vibes, literally!  I opted for a lava rock and Tiger Eye bracelet from Heal Meow and a little bottle of Serenity Doterra Oil.  Lava beads are made from volcanic rock.  They’re grounding and balancing but provide strength and courage.  They also absorb oils, perfect for getting a whiff of Serenity all day long.  Tiger Eye is a protective stone that promotes commitment, focus, self-worth, luck, balance and strength. Plus, it sounds pretty badass which is perfect for this badass chick.
Kyle

Jenn

What do you get a marathoner and Oiselle team runner for Christmas? Yeah, I didn’t know either. I mean, of course Vic would have EVERYTHING needed for running; she’s been in the sport for a while now. Necessities were out of the question. So when I got to the Boulder Running Company, I asked the very helpful sales woman to show me the luxury! She RAVED and RAVED about the headbands from Smart Wool. Once I touched one, I fell in love, too. They were soft, sleek, and came in several pretty colors and patterns. Considering where Vic lives and runs, I decided this would be the perfect lux gift for my new New England runner friend. After all, you can never have too much cold gear, especially in upstate NY.

Vic gift

Jess

I chose this cozy scarf/wrap for Jenn for a few reasons. Firstly, she lives in chilly Colorado, and who doesn’t want to be all warm and adorable in cold weather (though I suspect she is regardless)? Secondly, the beautiful pattern – which unfortunately you can’t see very well in this picture – reminded me of something she’d wear and like. And thirdly, I’m just obsessed with Zara scarves and am the happy owner of several. I’m more than happy to pass my obsession on to Jenn and hope she enjoys it!

Jenn

Kyle

I won’t lie. I was SUPES EXCITED when I found out Meri was mine. For lots of reasons (you know, she’s wonderful, hilarious, amazeballs… all of that) but mostly I was excited because I knew EXACTLY what she was getting. Immediately.

You see, Meri and I have a few things in common. Like me, she lives on coffee. Also like me, she has an affinity for breakfast foods. And yet again like me, she loves her some Leslie Knope. So clearly, she NEEDED this gift in her life. Literally the best mug ever.

Mer Kyle Gift

Mer

In the fall of 2012 I traveled to Bec’s house for a girl’s weekend of fun. Jenn, Cam and myself descended on Bec’s house, ate her food, drank her wine, and made ourselves at home in her daughter’s room (full of One Direction posters). Oh yeah, we did a Superhero 5k too! While we were there, we were on the search for TOMS for Bec. We went to various stores looking for the perfect shoes but alas, came away empty-handed.

That’s why when I saw this TOMS blanket (at Target, natch), I knew that it had to belong to Bec. We spent many hours hanging out on her couch, watching movies such as Mean Girls and Grease 2. I envision her wrapped up in this blanket, watching movies, and pretending it’s a hug from ME.

Bec

Vic

For the second straight year, I got Cam!

I went shopping looking for baking-related items, because I know Cam loves to bake. Nothing jumped out to me, so I turned to Ragnar. Then I thought, Cam likely already has anything and everything Ragnar one could ever want.

So I decided to buy something for Cam that she would never buy herself – an Alex and Ani bracelet that signifies “beginnings.”

Cam’s life has changed drastically since I first met her three-plus years ago. But rather than letting those challenges overwhelm her, Cam tackles them, head-on  – for her and for her children. It’s for that reason I thought this bracelet was perfect for my dear Cameroo!

And the shirt – it’s a slice of Rochester just for you! My local running store was selling the leftover race shirts on Black Friday and I snagged one for you with hopes to someday get you to my fair city! (Plus I really liked the design this year!)

And you know what this means, Cam. Third year’s the charm. So start dropping hints now. You know I can’t actually ask you what you want once cyber Santa pairs us up again.

Cam

 

From our little Scootadoot family to yours, happiest of holidays <3

 

Holidaze

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Let’s crunch some numbers, shall we?

Days until Christmas – 6

Shopping Days Until Christmas – 4. Or 5, but only if you are completely insane

Deadline for Christmas Eve Delivery with Amazon Free Shipping – 18 hours (but who’s counting)

Percentage of Christmas Presents Bec has purchased – Ummmm, maybe 50%

Percentage of Christmas Presents Bec has wrapped – Is 0 a percent?

Number of Christmas Cards Bec has sent – 0

Number of Christmas Cookies Bec has baked – 0

Number of Christmas Cookies Bec has eaten – Let’s not go there, hmmm.

Expected temperature in the Boston Area on Christmas Eve – 51 degrees (my face, you guys)

Amount of holiday spirit Bec has – 0 is definitely a percent.

Maybe it’s the short amount of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but basically, I’m feeling all of the rush, all of the pressure, all of the stress… and not much of the love.

I don’t like this! I usually LOVE Christmas, especially the big day of cookie baking, which I didn’t even plan this year. But my schedule has just been too crazy. The entire family has been sick on and off, work is a little crazy, the kids have swimming at various daily intervals and time is just flying by and now it’s LESS THAN A WEEK. What???

And it’s warm. Okay, it’s not warm, but for almost winter in New England, it’s WARM. It’s just doesn’t feel like Christmas.

Am I the only one who just isn’t feeling it this year?  Have you had a holiday season like this?

The other day, Chick Jenn posted some awesome tips for a crazy busy holiday season, and I will totally be pulling those out the next time I have one of those packed holidays, at the very least, the Wassail.

But what about a holiday season that isn’t so much busy as it is just…meh. Any ideas for that? Here’s what I’m planning this weekend to help me get into the spirit!

Do Good

I challenged the kids at Thanksgiving to come up with a charity that they wanted to support this holiday season. They talked about it and agreed (MOM WIN) on Toys for Tots. So, we’ll be dropping off some toys at the fire station tomorrow. Do you have a special holiday charity that you do?

Get it Done

Come Sunday evening, the shopping, both food and gift, will be done. So it is written…  Seriously, I think having so little done is seriously crushing my holiday mojo.

Something Sweet

Even though we aren’t doing a big day of cookie baking, I will at least make a couple batches of my Great Grandmother’s Sugar and Spice cookies. They are my absolute favorite, and they taste like Christmas!

Remind Myself

My sure-fire cure for the holiday meh is Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. Since none of the family has anything going on tonight (!!!!), we’re going to cuddle on the couch and watch, and I’m going to let George Bailey remind me just how wonderful it is.

If you’re feeling the holiday meh, what are you doing to turn it around? And if you’re heavy on the holiday spirit, do you have any tips for Bec? 

 

This is 40?

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A year ago, I wrote a post about being a year out from my 40th birthday. It feels like I wrote that yesterday. But yesterday, I actually did turn 40, so apparently, an entire year has passed. I don’t even know how that happened, but the older I get, the faster time seems to go.

That post was all about plans for the year, ways to get healthy. I didn’t really do any of them. If I’m being honest, I forgot most of them as soon as I finished writing the post. This year passed, like so many others, in a blur. There are moments that stand out, good times and bad that will ultimately define this year in my memory, but the year leading up to 40 was no more significant than turning 40 itself. I tend to idealize moments, think that when I hit a certain point, things will be magically different. I had this idea that at 40, I would somehow have everything together, be this paragon of maturity and grace, the perfect picture of modern working motherhood. And I guess I sort of was?

At the exact moment I turned 40 years old, 4:26PM yesterday, I was in the middle of picking up both kids at school/daycare, wishing I’d taken the day off from work, and jamming to Ariana Grande on the radio. And then the moment was gone, slipped by, and it wasn’t noteworthy, except to note that it’s pretty indicative of my life. And it’s a good life. A really good life.

In terms of where the plans for the past year went…

Weight loss? There was none. Well, there was some but not for more than a minute, and I’m roughly in the same place I was last year. It’s okay. I’ll get there. I don’t know when. I don’t know how. But I’ll get there.

Running? Nope. That half marathon didn’t happen, couldn’t happen, and there hasn’t been any running since then either. It’s okay. I’ll get there. Or I’ll decide that isn’t where I want to go, and I’ll get somewhere else.

General health and happiness? Sometimes? I don’t stop and enjoy the little things enough. I spend too much time on the internet. I let anxiety get the best of me. I beat myself up for bad choices. I worry, even though I know worrying won’t change the outcome of things. I think, far too much, about where I should be, instead of embracing where I am.

It’s okay, I’ll get there.

I woke up today, my first full day of being 40, and I felt… exactly the same as I did yesterday. Except that I have a whole new decade stretching out ahead of me until the next big birthday, and it just feels full of possibility. What will my 40s be? What will I make them?

I have no idea. Well, I have a lot of ideas, but right now, they’re all sort of swirling around in my head like confetti dropped into a wind tunnel. They are idea-lets, none of them fully formed.  Eventually, the wind will die down, and it will be the time of making lists and making plans and making decisions. And I will. And it will be okay. And I will get there.

But for now, I’m off to spend some much needed girl time with my bffl. Coffee and shopping and giggling somewhere, because we are us and that just sort of happens.

 

And then later, I’ll pick up the kids while jamming to Jason Derulo, and be glad I took today off.

And it’s Friday, so we’ll get take out and maybe go to the mall.

And tomorrow morning, I’ll drive my son to swimming and my daughter to her job and I’ll go grocery shopping.

And I’ll take a minute here and there to look around, to soak it in, to remember.

 

This is 40.

Black Friday?

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Do you Black Friday? Have you been up for hours, hitting the sales and mainlining coffee? Did you spend yesterday evening camped out in front of the mall?

If you said yes to any of those questions, I’m a little jealous. For years, Black Friday shopping was as much a part of my holiday as turkey and pie. My sister-in-law and I would bundle up and head out, braving traffic and ridiculous lines, to score a few good deals. (She did most of the scoring, I mainly just tagged along). It was fun!

But, as I’ve gotten older, that kind of up-all-night fun leaves me wrecked for days. I like sleep. A lot. So, I hung up my Black Friday hat a few years back, and that was a good decision, but I still miss it sometimes.

One day-after-Thanksgiving tradition is still in full effect, though. Every year for as long as I can remember, at least the last 15, Black Friday breakfast has been coffee and my mom’s Walnut Pie. (If you’ve never had Walnut Pie, you really haven’t lived. It’s incredible.) But, with having to cancel our entire Thanksgiving dinner, and displace our moms in the process, it was looking like there would be no walnut pie.

I was forgetting how awesome my mom was.

 

Bec’s mom came through with the pie!

 

I had actually picked today as a posting day for an entirely different reason. This Friday was black on my calendar for a fully non shopping and pie agenda. Today was the day I was supposed to start Couch-to-5K in preparation of my very distant, and still super secret squirrel, half marathon. I was going to hit the track and actually RUN. But, between this…

 

Oh New England, you’re always drunk

 

…and the bronchitis I’m still fighting, running is most definitely not on the menu today. I did do a Turkey Trot yesterday, in 34 degree weather, so I’m not a total wussbag (I walked, and I finished DEAD last). It’s just that running and non working lungs are a bad mix.

Luckily, being an ambassador for Taffy Activewear means I still have something relevant to post about! Because Taffy has an awesome Black Friday sale going on.

PicMonkey Collage

So, if you’re in the market for plus-size activewear, and you like saving piles of money, hit up Taffy between now and Monday and use discount code BEC50 for 50% off and free shipping. Happy Taffy Holidays!

Well, my couch is calling my name, and this pie isn’t going to eat itself. Wishing you all a happy Black Friday!

Tell me about your Black Friday traditions! Or just come over, and we’ll chat over coffee and pie! 

 

Healthy Holidays?

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Is that even possible? I mean, I know it’s possible, but does anyone do it?

I haven’t. And I don’t think I’ve ever really wanted to. But this year, I do.

Maybe it’s turning the big four-oh-my-god next month. Having a birthday smack dab in the middle of the holiday season means it’s one continuous party from the last week of November until New Year’s. A party with food. Lots of food.

What are the other challenges for me? Mainly, not getting a Starbucks red cup of wonder filled with the new Chestnut Praline Latte twice a day, every day. (I’m barely kidding here, have you tried it???? It’s amazingness in liquid form). And it’s cold here, so don’t exactly relish the idea of heading outside to work out. And I have ALL the shopping to do (my awesome husband actually does a LOT of the holiday shopping, but still, there will be trips to the mall). And there are 5 other birthdays in my family. AND I REALLY LIKE PIE.

But I also really want to at least maintain my weight, if not lose, by the first of the year Weight Watchers meeting (which, if you’ve never been, is very full!) Hence the strive for a healthier holiday season.

In an attempt to jump start this whole process, I started a  14 day pre-holiday challenge. That leads me right up until the Monday before Thanksgiving, which is the first day of the Holiday Sweat Challenge, hosted by SweatGuru and Run to the Finish.

 

Learn about the Holiday Sweat Challenge

Are you joining? You should! And you should totally say Bec Pishkin referred you 😉

 

And since I am a crazy fool, and because my holiday gathering is going to be a lot smaller than usual, I signed up to do a 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.

But, since I’ve never really attempted to keep it in check during the holiday season before, I’m kind of working without a net here. When I was originally thinking of this post, I wanted it to be more of a ‘Healthy Holiday Tips’ post. And then I remembered that I don’t have any tips! So, I’m hitting you guys up for advice. Comment. Email. Text. Show up on my doorstep.

I NEED YOU GUYS. Help a chick out? How do you have Healthy Holidays?