Now that summer quickly approaches, I have noticed the motivations behind eating nutritiously and working out moving more towards the vanity side of things. I will own up to the fact that, yes, I like to feel confident in how I look in a bathing suit or in a pair of shorts and a tank top. It can be a viable source of motivation.

However, I also know the importance and lasting motivation that comes with truly taking care of my body. The value in respecting my body and treating it well so it can live well.

My interest in lifting weights helps to improve my muscular strength so I can perform basic, everyday tasks with more ease.

My desire to eat a well balanced diet gives me everything from more energy for my kids and better sleep to clearer skin and less anxiety.

My passion for running helps to keep my lungs healthy and my heart strong.

As a young woman, it’s easy to overlook the importance of such factors in my fitness goals and concerns. Yet, I know it’s something I can’t ignore. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. It is the thing I have to check in family history concerns on any heath care form I fill out. It’s easy for me to ignore or think I don’t need to worry about heart health, but I know I should.

That’s why it felt good to receive  the update that one of my favorite snacks recently became American Heart Association Certified and meets the criteria of a heart-healthy food.

I don’t have a perfect diet. However, I really do seek a balance and include as many foods as possible to benefit my health. I could never give up things like pizza or ice cream (or tacos/chips/salsa/margaritas ahem), but it pleases me to know that my everyday food choices provide quality nutrition to my body.

My standard bowls of oatmeal, sides of fruit or vegetables, plates filled with beans or quinoa or sweet potatoes or other whole grains, lunches often featuring eggs, and snacks of Greek yogurt help me trust I’m caring for my body. Just as my love for Blue Diamond and their products does, as well.

Not a day goes by that I don’t consume some of their Almond Breeze drink in some form (I use it for my oatmeal and in my coffee or top cereal or to make smoothies…everywhere). And when it comes to snacking on nuts, Peter and I are both big fans of Blue Diamond. Their Bold variety of flavors always taste so good! Jalapeno (my personal fave), Honey Dijon, Wasabi…mmm!

currently in my pantry

And there are quite a few flavors(sea salt, lightly salted, butter toffee and dark chocolate!) that I adore for a sweet finish to lunch or to add a crunch to things like yogurt bowls or cereal.

picture from last summer – loving Blue Diamond then!

picture from a few months ago – still loving the Blue Diamond almonds

Now, Blue Diamond Growers is proud to announce that a variety of Blue Diamond Almonds have been certified by the American Heart Association (AHA) as a heart-healthy food. The following flavors are a delicious snack and feature the AHA Heart-Check mark:

• Whole Natural
• Roasted Salted
• Low Sodium
• Sea Salt
• No Salt
• Honey Dijon

Heart disease claims so many lives, yet can be prevented in many cases with measures like a healthier diet. One of the things I hope to do through this blog is to show that a healthy lifestyle isn’t about deprivation and sacrifice. I want people to recognize that following a balanced diet and fitness routine is not only possible for anyone, but FUN and FULFILLING. Finding heart healthy snacks like this that also taste great just proves the possibility. There really are no excuses. Healthy living can be fun living. And it is!

For more on the American Heart Association and the Heart-Check mark, visit www.heartcheckmark.org. Also, make sure to visit www.BlueDiamond.com and “like” Blue Diamond Almonds on Facebook. They have been around for over 100 years and always seek to provide their customers with new flavors and a tasty way to snack smart. Check them out!

Also, feel free to join in the #BlueDiamond Twitter chat this coming Monday night (May 21) at 8 pm CST!

Your Turn – What flavor would you love? What’s your favorite way to take care of your heart?

Fitfluential LLC compensated me for this post. However, all opinions are my own.

I have never gone crazy over gifts for holidays like Christmas or anniversaries. For those celebrations, I prefer to just spend time with loved ones and forget about the gifts. The relationships matter to me most. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t love some gifts or special treatment on occasion. In fact, after becoming a mother, I quickly realized just how much I value that personal attention and gift giving from time to time.

After giving out so much of myself as a momma on a daily basis, it feels nice to sit back and relax for a day or two. I know my kids and Peter value me immensely and they regularly show their gratitude. Peter marvels me with the support and love he doles out on a regular basis. Yet Mother’s Day is still something special to me – a time meant to get pampered and indulged. This weekend was spot on.

It all started Saturday morning with a usual morning run – my weekly dedicated “me time”. After I arrived home, Peter quickly informed me that I had all the freedom I wanted for the weekend. I played a bit with the kids, then headed to part one of my pampered day: a chiropractic adjustment (so needed) and a sports massage. Heavenly!

I let the masseuse know to focus on my lower back and legs since I want them as loosened up as possible before the race. Then, I realized my hot spots were my adductors and piriformis. Having an hour long massage with the majority of it focused on your booty and inner thighs makes things a tiny bit awkward. Still felt good.

When I got home, Peter told me that I didn’t have time for anything since we had someplace to go. I had not a clue where we could be headed, until he sent me into a salon for a spa manicure and pedicure!

After 20 weeks of training, a foot rub with exfoliation and a mint mask felt glorious on my feet. It’s also nice to have pretty feeling feet and hands (a rarity for me).

Then, the remainder of Saturday, I had the chance to do something even more rare.

I lazed around all afternoon with a book. And a beer. Not an unusual combination by any means.

The pampering and indulgence continued Sunday morning when I came down the stairs to receive a surprise from the kiddos – flowers and a handmade card.

The most heart-melting of it all. Makenzie’s pride handing over the flowers had me beaming with love. I don’t want them to ever grow up!

They will always be this sweet, young, and innocent, right? If only.

We spent the morning at church with friends, which was a very moving service. Our pastor actually had everyone besides moms leave the worship hall so he could give us a special short message and pray for us. Then, everyone else gave a standing ovation as we exited. Talk about feeling special.

A good portion of Sunday included indulgence. First up…lunch with the girls – my mom, my sister, and Makenzie. Three generations of gorgeous ladies.

You all wish you could dine with that, don’t you?

We visited a taqueria that none of us had been to before, but wanted to try. Pure Taqueria.

We started with some chips and salsa.

A lot of times I can tell if I will like a Mexican/taqueria style restaurant based on their salsa. Yep. I make snap judgments based on the salsa. This one passed the test.

My theory has yet to fail me. Everything else was spot on, as well.

The house margarita…

…and the tacos…

One Fish and One Pork – they are my weakness.

The indulgence couldn’t stop there, though. A bit after eating came the time for more indulgence.

A mother-daughter cup of frozen yogurt shared with Makenzie. The best way to end the weekend! This Mother’s Day was absolutely perfect. Just the right amount of time to myself, special treatment, and time with family.

What did you do this weekend? How do you like to pamper and indulge?

It’s true what they say. They will get you. They will get you good. I didn’t think the “Taper Crazies” would get me. I thought I wouldn’t turn into a loony bin thinking constantly about the upcoming race. Turns out…I’m not so immune. It makes sense. I spent about 5 months and countless miles preparing for THIS Sunday. Uhhh, wow.

The past few weeks I have had to “taper” to rest and allow my body to recover. Suddenly running a fair amount less than previous weeks, coupled with the anxiousness of a big race on the horizon,I find myself with an exorbitant amount of extra energy. Enter the crazies – the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions coursing through my mind. I can only imagine the places it will go in the days to come.

As of Friday afternoon, I began checking the weather for Cleveland this weekend on a daily basis.

Please, please, please stay like that. Or a little more cloudy and a few degrees cooler. I’d be game for that too.

I spend way too much time contemplating the most inane concerns.

Like…should I or should I not run with my handheld Nathan water bottle?

The main reason I would is to have a Nuun tablet during the race (helped SO much during my 20 miler). However, I’m thinking the hassle of carrying a bottle isn’t worth it and I should just go with the stops on the course.

Other things taking up space in my head: Will I be able to shower after the marathon? I need to organize my playlist. Do I have time to go to the eye doctor this week for extra contacts?

I consider finding a way to pack my 3-in-1 foam roller.

It would take up half my carry-on luggage space, but I know I will want that thing Sunday night. Or, I’ll just recruit Peter to give me an intense rub down. Minds out of the gutter, people!

I get all worked up about my workouts this week. What should or shouldn’t I doooo??!!?!!? I have a scheduled 4 miler today. I have a 3 miler on the books for Wednesday. Is it okay to still do my spin class tomorrow? Should I do the optional 2 miler on Friday or Saturday or skip it since I’ll be walking some to get the conference? Or change the 2 miler for a gentle yoga on Friday to stretch myself out?

See? I told you. Crazies.

Then, when it comes to the race, I find myself overthinking things too. How do I pace for a marathon? Obviously, start slow. I plan on it. But, if I’m feeling good, when is it okay to start picking it up a bit? Do you tend to run faster miles in the middle or at the end? What does “the wall” feel like? Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

I also have to smack myself for the doubts that creep in. The taper crazies side of me feels under-prepared for the race due to the few weeks I had to backtrack when my foot got all angry with me. I had planned three 20 mile runs. I still had two solid 18 mile runs before my foot mishaps, then a fabulous 20 miler a few weeks ago…but I still get a bit nervous. Logically, I know I’m trained enough.

In sum, my mind is a mush of running related excitement and nerves. I am SO ready, but also in shock that the race is almost here. Oh, I hope this week goes quickly. And that I can walk a week from now.

If you’re interested, there is Live Tracking for free. You have to register and then search for me (I’m the only Tina Reale) to add text/email/etc updates.

T minus 6 days and counting!

Run a marathon before? Give me any tips you got!

Otherwise – what types of things make you full of nervous energy?

It’s Friday! Yahoo! This week felt so weird – it both dragged on forever and sped by really fast. I plan on catching up and getting ahead on some work today. It’s Makenzie’s last day of school. I have to take full advantage. So, let’s get this show on the road. Bringing back the countdown, baby!

5 Links You Need to Check Out

• How To Make Your Own Greek Yogurt from Paige
• Common Workout Mistakes from Annette
• A Quick & Fun Workout to Burn 50 Calories in 5 Minutes from Carissa
• 6 Factors Contributing to Your Exercise Plateau from Girls Gone Sporty
• Totally Delicious Looking Triple Chocolate Puppy Chow from Madeline

4 Instagram Pictures from the Week

at first I wasn’t sure of the flavor combo…but now I’m loving it!

Monday morning’s workout

Makenzie’s boat for her fish that she made out of her sandwich – such a cutie!

All I wanted to do was read this book nonstop. Surprisingly VERY good. It keeps you hanging. Synopsis here.

3 Things I’m Thankful For This Week

• the blogging community and the friends I have made through it
• only one more week until my marathon (taper crazies do exist!)
• breakfast for dinner – a saving grace when I forgot to defrost the chicken

2 Favorite Workouts of the Week

• perfectly paced 6 mile run on Wednesday – I hit 9:10 average on the dot
• yoga – I’m technically heading there this morning but my body needs it after Blend weekend workouts and a couple challenging strength workouts this week, so it’s a favorite.

1 Inspiration from the Week

 source

Your Turn – Favorite chip flavor? Recent book you read and loved? Anything fun you wish to share!

I’m going to end up spoiled. First, a fun weekend at the Blend Retreat filled with blog friends. Now, a night hanging out with two more of my best blog pals just a few days later.

Lee and Jolene

When I first started blogging over 2 years ago, both of these great women were around. They each write some of the first blogs I ever read…and still continue to read. We have plenty in common and have only connected more and more over the years. I’m lucky that Lee is a fellow Atlanta blogger, so we have numerous chances to hang out in person. Jolene, though? She’s up in Massachusetts. When she mentioned being in town for a work conference and asked if I would have the chance to meet up one night after her and Lee were done conferencing, it had to happen.

We visited a tapas place called noche in one of the popular little neighborhood areas of Atlanta – the Vinings.

 source

We grabbed a table on the patio to enjoy the beautiful outdoor weather and get started on our meal. As usual when bloggers get together, we took our dear sweet time ordering. Or talking so much the waiter had to come back at least 3 times before we were ready.

It didn’t help that the menu had SO many delicious sounding options. So many that we decided to not each order one individual plate, but share a few different ones.

We each started with a salad. The citrus vinaigrette sold me on the spinach salad. I’m a vinaigrette girl all the way. I’m also a nuts/dried fruit/cheese girl all the way.

spinach salad with cotija cheese, marcona almonds, dried cranberries, and citrus vinaigrette

Then, we ordered a variety of dishes to share in order to grab a few tastes of different things.

We went with the recommendation from our waiter to try the scallops with spinach.

The jumbo scallops were cooked perfectly – seared to just slightly crisp on the outsides and still tender on the inside. They had zero of that rubbery chew to them. I always wish I could cook shrimp and scallops at home. So good but SO hard to get cooked to the right texture.

The second dish we shared was a large plate of arugula with a variety of mushrooms.

They were sautéed in some sort of garlic sauce that had a slight kick to it. I love mushrooms and loved that I dined with two fellow mushroom lovers. I find it’s a food a lot of people hate – Peter included.

The above two dishes tasted wonderful, but the bacon wrapped dates stole the show for both Jolene and I.

Oh. Muh. Gosh. I haven’t even had breakfast yet and I would so eat another plate of those right this second.

Once we finished the plates we started with, we considered ordering some other things to share…but decided to fill our bellies with something else instead. I don’t think you need three guesses.

The fro-yo-loving-blogger stereotype exists for a reason. I will happily take on that stereotype.

After the failed quest for frozen yogurt over the weekend, I couldn’t get it out of my head. Jolene had apparently encountered similar failed attempts at frozen yogurt recently. Lee reminded us of the Yoforia just around the corner. It was a done deal before you could say “typical”.

I rocked a blueberry cheesecake flavor with white chocolate chips and coconut on one side, plus a vanilla with toffee bits and peanut butter cup chunks on the other side. Craving = satisfied. Although I could always go for a second cup. Request for Mother’s Day, perhaps? ***Public Service Announcement = Mother’s Day is on Sunday and, from experience, you don’t want to disappoint a mama in your family by forgetting. Do something nice for your mom (or momma figure) this weekend. Or yourself if you’re a mom. You deserve it! End PSA.***

Moral of the story?

• blog friends are amazing and I wish we could all bring our families and create our own little community to live together and hang out all the time

• dining with people with similar tastes and getting to share dishes to taste a variety of things is my favorite way to eat
• frozen yogurt cravings never really go away
• Peter won’t forget Mother’s Day again this year (love you, honey!)

And I was about to type Happy Friday. Dang it. It’s only Thursday. Well..happy Thursday!

Your Turn – Do you like sharing dishes or having your own meal? Any blogger stereotypes you don’t mind fitting? Or…what was one of the first blogs you read and continue to read now?

***Catch Part 1 of the Blend Retreat recap!***

I can’t help myself. More Blend action. It was just too dang fun and I want to remember every little bit. If you’re only interested in the final thoughts – scroll to the last paragraph or two. If you’re only interested in photo scanning – you may get a good chuckle. If you’re reading despite other countless recaps – I love you forever and always. Let’s do this.

After our very active Saturday morning and lounging in our dirt and sweat most of the afternoon, we finally decided to get cleaned up for a night on the town.

First stop? Avery Brewing! I heard the word “brewery” and had no doubt that I would make it there.

Quite a few of us felt the same way.

We had a good-sized group and I think we all had our share of the good stuff. Most of us went with the $1 tasters. I tried out a variety – I don’t remember what all they are and don’t care to go into detail. I just know they were dang good.

I heart good quality beer.

I also had a Turkey Bacon sandwich that had avocado and coleslaw along with the standard lettuce and tomato on it. The menu only had your typical bar food, so none of us had too high expectations. Boy were we wrong! My goodness it was delicious.

I pretty much cleaned my plate. We all did. And some sweet potato tots we got to share. Yum!

Finishing dinner up, we determined that Cinco de Mayo called for margaritas and so headed out to a bar/restaurant called Rio to meet up with a large group of fellow “blends”.

The following may or may not have happened…

I plead the fifth. Or not. When on vacation, I’m not fretting one shot of tequila. Thank you Christine for that fun!

We had quite the time hanging out in the restaurant taking the smoothest tequila shot ever and sipping on a margarita while cherishing our last night all together. The creepers cherished it too.

photo courtesy of Alyssa

The laid back atmosphere and openness of the group totally rocked! We had two large tables and all tried to mix and mingle as much as possible. Until the cravings for frozen yogurt struck.

After sipping our margaritas for about an hour or so, a group of us went on a quest for frozen yogurt. When I say “quest”, I mean it. We walked to about four different locations, which were all either closed (at 9:30 pm!!!) or not up to par (only four funky flavors like cherry limeade? no thanks!). We finally settled on gelato.

Put your mind to it, go for it. You gotta break a sweat. Rockin’ and rollin’…you ain’t seen nothing yet. <<<anyone?

We were determined little gals. Or shall I say…guys?

And that, my friends, is what happens when you have the perfect mix of a drink or two, sugar, and good friends.

Final summation? I have been to a few different blogging events in the past year or so. They all had a purpose and served that purpose. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at them and learned some things while in attendance. However, I left each thinking I appreciated the experience but wouldn’t really have a huge desire to attend that particular event again.

Blend Retreat, though? I cannot WAIT to go back again next year. It was everything one of these events should be – energetic, yet relaxing; inspirational, yet light-hearted; health-oriented, yet party-oriented. All in all, an absolute THRILL and BLESSING to participate.

Thank you Lindsay, Janetha, and Katie for all your hard work. Thank you Chobani for being a main sponsor. And thank you to all the other amazing companies that helped it happen as well – FitMixer, Xagave, The Simply Bar, Bob’s Red Mill, PopChips, Core Power, ProBar, Love Grown Foods, Larabar, Nuts About Granola, Green Mountain Coffee, and more. Needless to say – I can’t wait to not only get my hands on all the swag…but go back again next year. Best. Blogger event. EVER.

Your Turn – Did you do anything for Cinco de Mayo? What would/do you look for in a blogging event?

*many photos from the Blend Retreat Facebook group pages – so from Janetha

Lindsay, Janetha, and Katie did an astounding job putting together an event to truly revolve around the community of the blog world.

These ladies know how it’s done. No cliques. No negativity. No strict schedules. No being cooped up in conference rooms. 100% pure fun and involvement with one another. Allow me to welcome you into the atmosphere…and if you weren’t physically there this year, I sure as heck hope you can make it next year. I know I’ll be there! I’ve already been recruited to do another boot camp with my pal, Lindsay.

Friday Evening

I was so stoked Friday afternoon to meet my good Atlanta pals Laura and Heather at the airport. We ended up having seats close together, which helped the time pass by very quickly for the flight. At least for us. Maybe not so much for the poor folks likely annoyed by our jabbering around us. Oh well. We were too excited. 

As soon as we landed, we took a cab and booked it to the retreat. We checked in and then I went to my room to get prettied up as quickly as possible since the Friday evening cocktail party had already started.

After finally meeting some AMAZING pals and socializing for a bit, we all headed in to the dinner.

It started with a glass of chardonnay and a salad…

…then a chicken, quinoa, and vegetable dish…

…all served alongside the catching up with blog friends, old and new. I spent a good bit of the time chatting with Heather from Heather’s Dish. We have wanted to meet in person for forever and it felt so great to finally have that chance. I’m so happy she was able to make it out for a few of the events since she lives in the area. I wish I had a picture of us together! We’ll just do a picture of the mini cupcakes instead.

Shortly after dinner, most of us headed back to our rooms to get an early start for bed. I roomed with Lindsay’s sister, Katy (such a sweetheart!), and we crashed really quickly.

Saturday Morning

Well, I already let you in on the fun we had at boot camp that morning.

It was actually my first time leading a group that large. How cool! I felt in my element, though, so I wasn’t too nervous. Or maybe it was all those aminos I drank?

The kind and fitness inspired people from FitMixer sponsored the boot camp workout.

Can I just say how cool they all are? I loved them! And their branch chain amino acids mix. I was stoked we got to go home with a full container and make it for myself – even if it did mean getting my bag searched at the airport. I can’t wait to try their other stuff, too.

After the boot camp, we all refueled with some breakfast sponsored by Xagave. They really did it up right and even had the whole set-up decorated!

I got to try Xagave for the first time with a plain Chobani, some dried cherries, and some special local granola that was a lemon blueberry flavor. I adore lemon and blueberry together.

I also had some fruit (mango and blackberries for the win!) and a blueberry muffin that was made with whole wheat flour and Xagave instead of sugar.

Such a good breakfast!

Saturday Afternoon

Not too long after fueling up with breakfast, we set out for the quintessential Colorado event. You simply cannot go to Colorado and not do a hike. At least I think so. Saturday afternoon we did just that.

We were just a teeny little group, no?  

The hike itself was about 2 miles to the top and had a lot of very steep climbs an slippery, rocky sections. It felt right up my alley. I LOVE hiking and now I have a rekindled need to do so again pronto with my family.

For this trip, my gal pals Courtney and Alyssa sufficed.

Oh, you girls know how much I love ya!

Even with all the huffing and puffing on the way up, we made it and the views were definitely worth it!

Once we all made it safely back to level ground (thank goodness I didn’t sprain an ankle or something!), we ventured back to the lodge and considered going to the afternoon yoga session. However, once our booties parked it on the couches, we knew that wasn’t happening. The next few hours included nothing more than snacking, laughing, and girl talking it up. A huge perk of Blend – freedom to chill and really get to know each other. I loved it!

This seems like a pretty good stopping point, so stay tuned for tomorrow for part 2! I promise you won’t want to miss it. #crazyphotosalert

Your Turn – Do you like to hike? Ever had agave or branch chain amino acids?

Good morning! I’m back from the Blend Retreat in Colorado and could not have had a better time. I’m missing it more than a little already. I can’t wait to share it all with you – once I catch up with the time difference again and figure out why my camera hates me with its messed up pictures. Either way, why don’t we get moving for Monday and let my sore glutes do the talking?

When you go to a fitness retreat, you will get your body moving. A lot. Lindsay and I helped kick everything off with a bootcamp on Saturday morning.

photo taken from Lindsay

Yes, we both had the best time coming up with a workout to make our friends’ hearts race, sweat pour, and butts scream. So much so that I don’t want all of you to miss out on the fun, so I’ll share our little workout with you here today as a way for you to join in the fun. Why not this afternoon in your home or gym? Or your front lawn at 7:30 am so a lady can come yell at you that you woke up her baby at 6 am? Yep. Happened and I’m still trying to figure out how we woke up her baby a full hour before any of us were up moving around either. Whatever. You don’t care about angry people when riding a workout high.

Our little bootcamp will give you that workout high.

For our bootcamp, we began with 2 laps around the lawn that took about 10 minutes to warm our bodies up and get the blood flowing. Then, Lindsay led everyone through a group of stretches to make sure they were primed and ready for a couple circuits.

We put together a couple of circuits with resistance bands. It’s amazing what you can do with some basic resistance tubing! I helped lead the crew through the above circuits.

CIRCUIT ONE

• Lunge with Reverse Fly with Band (6:15 into video) – Complete 15 lunges and flyes with 15 pulses at peak contraction on the final rep.
• Jump Square – We did a square of squat jumps jumping forward and back with some 90 and 180 degree turns to make a square. You can also simply jump forward in a squat and then back. Complete 20 total jumps.
• Up/Down Plank Complete 10-20 repetitions, changing the starting arm halfway through.

CIRCUIT TWO

• Plie Squat with Lateral Raise using a resistance band – Stand on the end of a resistance band with one foot. Grab the band with the opposite hand. As you lower into a wide-stance squat, raise the arm holding the band into a lateral raise. Complete 15 squats/raises with a 15 second pulse on the final rep.
• Side Shuffle and Hops – Complete 5 side shuffles to the right, then do two jumps into the air. Repeat on the other side. Complete 10 total shuffle/hop combos.
• Bicycle Crunch – Complete 25 repetitions.

BOOTY BLAST

• Tube Walking Squats – Take 10 steps to the right in a low squat and 10 steps to the left in a low squat. Repeat 4 times for 100 total steps.
• Squat Pulses – Immediately hold a squat position and pulse for 30 seconds at the bottom of the squat.
• Squat with Leg Lift – From the low squat position stand and lift one leg to the side. Go back to a squat position, then stand and lift the opposite leg out to the side. Complete for 10-15 reps per leg.

*Note: The Booty Blast keeps the resistance tubing tied around the ankles at all times.

For our bootcamp, we actually only did each of the above one time through because we had a special game to play. Lindsay had this fabulous idea and it was a hit! The Tennis Ball Game. Fun and apparently pretty tough. Just as Lindsay & I had hoped.

photo courtesy of Heather @ Better With Veggies

We broke everyone into eight teams and everyone made a large circle. We tossed 12 tennis balls into the center of the circle with exercises like burpees, high knees, push-ups, ski hops, crunches, jumping jacks, and more listed on the balls. Each team would have to choose a member to sprint to the center of the circle, grab a ball, and have their team do as many reps of the listed exercise as possible in the 60 seconds the teams had for each round.

It was a blast! And something you could do at home using playing cards or other small to pick-up items. Just list a different exercise for each different item, randomly grab one, and GO for as many reps as possible.

Like I said – the Blend Bootcamp certainly gave us a great workout high. But that was just the beginning! I can’t wait to share more with you later and hopefully you can feel part of the retreat trying this workout out for yourself. Have a great Monday. And…get moving!

Your Turn – How was your weekend? What is the exercise move you love to hate? Burpees and lunges!!!

Good morning!!! Guess what I’ve been up to this week? Preparing for a little something special.

I’m headed to Boulder, Colorado baby!!!! This will be the farthest west I have ever traveled in the States. In fact, I think the most west I have gone before this in the States was like Alabama. And I live in Georgia. Sad.

I have actually visited more foreign countries than U.S. states.

I spent a lot of my childhood taking cruises all around the Caribbean. I wish I had some old throwback pictures of those days for you. They’re awesomely hilarious. Think huge bangs, posing with an iguana, and Limited Too outfit. You get the mental picture.

Peter and I hope to take another cruise late this year or early next with some friends. I’m already excited just thinking about it. I wonder if I can convince them all to do a theme night a la Julie??

Anyway.

Then, in my young adulthood, I spent about two months traveling all around Europe.

and I did not just run 20 miles…although how GOOD would that taste after a long run???

Then I got engaged…married…popped out two kiddos…got more reasonable and realized I can’t spend ALL my money on epic vacations in one fell swoop again…

So, needless to say, I’ve been fairly stoked at the travel I’ve been able to do the past couple of years to places here in the good ole U.S. of A. – like Philadelphia (three times), Indianapolis (hi Mandy!), Baltimore, and our usual beach trips.

Now, I get to go to Colorado and Ohio in just the next few weeks – for the Blend Retreat and then for my first marathon. I’m not going to lie. I love travel revolving around blog friends and running.

at the Healthy Living Summit last August with my roomies

I even have a top ten list of cities I want to visit.

#1 – Chicago!!! <—which I will be visiting later this year to run marathon #2 and hang out with this fabulous lady

Haha! You love coming to visit my blog and seeing a huge picture of your face, don’t you, Chelsey?

#2 – San Francisco (with a drive up the coast to some wine country)

#3 – New York (yea, I’ve never been)

#4 – Hawaii (come on, it’s Hawaii!)

#5 – Miami

#6 – Las Vegas (for the shows and the food…yea)

#7 – San Diego

#8 – Grand Canyon

#9 – somewhere pretty and cool to hike in Oregon or Utah…or somewhere

…like this…

#10 – Washington D.C. (well, I’ve actually been here but I was in 5th grade on a school trip)

A few of those places have pretty awesome races. Just saying. And warning Peter. Although if wine or hiking or late nights Vegas style are involved, I’m not interested.  

Well, it’s about time for me to hit the road. As in, go cram in my long run for the week before grabbing as many hugs and kisses as possible from my two little ones before flying my way to a weekend with lots of fabulous friends. I can’t wait! I’ll be back to regale you all with the adventures on Monday. Have a great weekend!

What is your favorite place you have traveled? Where do you REALLY want to visit? – Barcelona is my #1 place I have been. Outside of the U.S. places I have listed above, I would LOVE to go to Australia.

I have a super important post that I feel compelled to write…floating around in my head. Not here ready and waiting to greet you this morning.

Why?

Because, well, this…

One of my fabulous clients, Glenneth, pinned that this morning and it spoke to me.

One of my weaknesses is wanting control and wanting to do it all. I’ve been working really hard on prioritizing and letting the little things go, with a big focus on those things the past month. I was starting to have a moment of stress this morning, when I gave myself a 2 minute mental break on Pinterest. I know I’m not the only one who does that…

Anyway, this popped up. It was just what I needed. I’m working on my weaknesses. I’m working on finding peace at all times and not needing to control everything. I’m still working (and will always be a work in progress), but battling my weaknesses is slowly becoming more natural. One day it will all be second nature.

What about you? What are you working on? Stay dedicated! Happy living.