As a very “connected” people, we are always finding new ways for technology to help us improve our lives. One thing a lot of people have begun to do is use it for health and fitness, which I think is a fabulous idea. Verizon has a ton of accessories that can be helpful in achieving the fitness level you desire, and to also help you keep your weight on track. Check out some of my favorite cool accessories that Verizon offers:

Fitbit Zip: This is a simple tool to help keep you on track with how much you are moving during the day. It tracks your steps and your distance, as well as calories burned. I love mine! It easily clips onto your belt loop or shirt, and it doesn’t bother you at all during the day. (At least not me!) I have even heard people say they accidentally put it through the wash and it came out ok!

Smart Scale: My favorite thing about this scale is that it updates your stats to your fitbit dashboard so you can keep track. It also measures body fat and BMI (honestly I hate BMI though, so don’t get me started.) This bad boy is wi-fi enabled for easy tracking and recording. Pretty nifty!

MotoACTV Bike mount: I don’t really ride, but I know my husband would love this. It easily attaches to your handlebars so you can clearly see your stats as you go. It has a GPS in it, so you can track your training and also put it online on your personal training log. You can also sync this to your android phone and be alerted when you get texts, tweets, etc. I love that!

QOTD: Which of these three would you like to try?

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Ambassador program and have been provided with a wireless device and three months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.”  #VZWA #VZWVoices

We had a car bring us to the terminal on Saturday morning where we checked in and waited to get onboard the beautiful Disney Fantasy. We booked a category 4C, and once we got onboard and ate lunch, our room was ready.

We spent some time walking around and exploring the deck while we waited to sail away

Check out the beautiful couples villa at the spa!

We had a good time relaxing and hanging out but then it was time for dinner

Dinner was at Enchanted Garden and I absolutely love the theming!

We were lucky to get a table to ourselves, and we met our servers for the week, who we really enjoyed! After dinner, we went to the adult area for some fun game shows. I LOVE match you mate. Hilarious every time. If you cruise with Disney, don’t miss this! We turned in around 11:30, ready for Palo brunch reservations the next day!

QOTD: DO you like game shows? I like to watch and laugh at other peoples expense.

Why do we do this to ourselves? Don’t get me wrong, competition, setting goals, and pushing are awesome qualities to have…but we seem to jump to the “could have been” so quickly, we often don’t take the time to celebrate the small victories, or the things that we love about ourselves.

I grew up in the south, where you are taught to be super humble and modest when it comes to compliments. No matter what. Even if you know you look awesome in that new dress, it can be said we are “trained” to say “oh, no, this old thing? Eh. it’s ok. It would look better if I lost a few pounds.” It’s almost awkward and embarrassing for some people to accept a compliment or say something good about themselves that could be misconstrued as being cocky, egotistical or snobby. Friends, we need to wake up and realize how AMAZING we are! Sure we all have room to grow, but even just the way you are, there are SO many great qualities you possess. You are unique, there is no one on this earth exactly like you.

It’s ok to accept a compliment and just say “thank you’ or even “I know right? I love the way it looks on my too!” Be PROUD! Give yourself a break and stop looking in the mirror and picking your body apart. Stop thinking you should be smarter, better, faster, or funnier. Just be YOU! Let’s all do something together. I want you to list something in the comment section that is a “brag” about yourself. No, let’s make it two. 1.) something you love about yourself physically (I have awesome hair, or my butt looks great in jeans) and then 2.) something you are proud of that you have accomplished in the past month. Claim it! Be proud of yourself and start acting like it. Love yourself today!

QOTD: 1.) Physical attribute you love about yourself 2.) Brag on an accomplishment from the past month

I had an amazing time and learned a lot about some upcoming projects Disney is working on or introducing. The tradeshow was amazing and overwhelming (in a good way). I met a bunch of great people and wanted to share with you some of the things I learned at the different booth, and even host a giveaway of a small sampling of some of the swag I received!

After the main presentation and breakfast, we headed into the tradeshow and were given a map and a goodie bag. I wasn’t sure where to start but saw some familiar faces at the runDisney booth so I headed there first.

I chatted with Faron and Tammy, then headed off to some other booths, like Disney waterparks. I don’t know about you but I love Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.

We moseyed over to the Splitsville booth where they were handing out sushi! (Tons of food would be a common theme even though we just ate!)

I chatted with the owners Guy and Mark who I met back in February. Super nice guys!

California Grill was there handing out food and they also had photo renderings of the newly renovated restaurant. Can’t wait to eat there (hopefully) in October.

I also got to talk to Ginger from the Senses spa at the Grand Floridian. She is who I interviewed for the post I wrote awhile back on the reopening of the spa. They had renderings of the new spa that will be opening at Saratoga Springs resort this summer. It looks awesome!

New Fantasyland had a booth with desserts from Be Our Guest. I got to try the grey stuff and it really is delicious!

Disney Cruise Line was in attendance and I got to tell the, I was sailing on the Fantasy the next day!

Hollywood Studios was advertising Star Wars Weekends, and Bobby was all over it.

I also got more information about the Wild Africa trek at the Animal Kingdom Theme Park. I so hope to do this one day, it looks so awesome.

Cirque De Soleil Characters were wandering around the room!

I also learned about all the amazing offerings from Disney Floral for guests staying at the on property hotels

I met a lady from merchandising who was exhibiting a lot of new things coming to the Disney stores this summer and Fall.

My favorite things were of course the bags. New Dooney’s and Vera Bradley! (Vera Bradley coming end of August/beginning of September)

close ups

Disney ray bans!

We also got to meet Mike and Sulley!

We also got to talk to someone about some new health initiatives Disney is implementing to make choices easier for kids to identify on food items.

I was sad it was over, but was also exhausted. I talked to so many people and had a blast!

We were given fun little things at each booth (and lots of food!) and I wanted to share a small sampling with my readers! One of you will win some swag from the press event! Enter below using Rafflecoptor. You have until May 22 to enter, and I will announce the winner on my blog. Good luck!

Star Tours bag, limited time magic notepad, Star Wars toy, WIld Africa Trek clip and pin, Animal Kingdom Vinylmation, Monster’s University hat, and Cars antenna topper.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

There is something so beautiful to me about helping others. It can be anything from a shoulder to cry on, a warm meal for a needy family, or an encouraging note to help someone get through the day.

If you look around our world, you will notice opportunities all around you to help people by motivating and inspiring them. As an athlete, I particularly have a soft spot for helping people to get going on their fitness journey. Not just beginners, but sometimes even the most experienced need a little nudge. As people with an online/social media presence (who doesn’t have twitter or Pinterest or Facebook? I know you have at least one!) we have an opportunity to really reach those around us. So let’s inspire other female athletes to get out there and be the best version of themselves that they can be!

Here’s how you can join me. Under Armour just launched another round of their successful What’s Beautiful campaign. A quest to redefine the female athlete. You set a goal, and work towards it by uploading videos, photos, joining teams and connecting with others. It’s free and a great motivator! Want to join in the fun?

1.) Create a profile on the What’s Beautiful site

2.) Follow my profile on the What’s Beautiful site

3.) Join my team, I would love to have you help me to be an inspiration! My initial goal is to put at least ONE inspiring thing on a social media platform a day. This may change or grow, but it’s what I plan to start with.

Under Armour will have weekly and overall WINNERS as well. Did I mention that? (Hello trip to Costa Rica!)

For more info on my plans and how I came to my goal, check out this short video:

Be sure to use Under Armour hashtags #Whatsbeautiful and #IWILL and if you join my team use #teaminspireothers

QOTD: What do you do online to be an inspiration to others? What is your goal for this campaign?

After brunch the guys started playing Xbox…and literally didn’t stop until dinner. Karen and I chatted then went to get everyone snow balls! Most people call them “sno cones” but not here in the New Orleans area. You go to a snow ball stand. Just how we were raised! Anyway, they were amazing (I had wedding cake cream, my usual) and we were kind enough to bring them back for the boys.

My dad BBQ’ed for dinner and Karen made the most delicious dessert, ooey gooey toffee cake like at Liberty Tree Tavern in Disney World. It was amazing! Must. get. recipe. Let’s just say I was in sugar overload.

We chatted late in the night and left the boys up…you guessed it, playing Halo! This morning we had breakfast and chatted some more before they had to go back home. It went by too quickly!

We both have on #ClaimYourJourney shirts! Not planned, just great minds.

For Mother’s Day, my mom claimed she wanted a hand written card. Ok then. I busted out the crayons and drew her some stick people and Bobby drew on it as well. She absolutely loved it as you can see from this picture.

We ate lunch outside on the patio and enjoyed the last of the cooler weather, and then headed back home to a very messy might I add, house. I still haven’t finished unpacking from my trip. Oops.

I hope you got to spend some time with your loved ones this weekend like I did. Enjoy your Monday!

QOTD: What did you do for Mother’s Day?

I am proud of the amount of times I worked out on vacation, however it’s time to up the intensity and get back to running longer distances. Here is what I did this past week:

Sunday: walked around the parks

Monday: walked around the parks

Tuesday: walked around the parks and 5k run

Wednesday: rest/travel

Thursday: 50 minutes stationary bike

Friday: 20 minutes elliptical, biceps

Saturday: rest. Was going to run at my parents house but it was raining

Where is the sun?!?

Not too shabby for vacation week and coming home to a pile of work. If you saw my May goals post you would see that one of my goals is to get my running base back up. I am going to hopefully start that this week.

QOTD: Do you workout on vacation?

It’s official. I will be running the runDisney Wine and Dine Half marathon again! Everyone on Twitter pushed me over the edge with their darn peer pressure. Ok, so many it didn’t take much convincing, but still.  I really wanted a redemption run. I was so sick last year I didn’t enjoy the race and had to leave the after party right as I had changed clothes to go out and enjoy it. Not so fun. Since we will have just been in Disney for the Tower of Terror 10 miler, we are only staying 4-5 days and will be staying at a new-to-me resort, Port Orleans French Quarter!

No offense to the resort, but being from New Orleans, I was never thrilled about staying here, but in an effort to stay at as many different resorts as possible, I thought I would give it a shot. I did spend some time over there on this past trip taking photos and I went on a run through the property, so I am kind of excited. I love how you can make a Disney trip “new” every time by staying at a different resort.

If you are on the fence for Wine and Dine, consider this your nudge to the other side. Hurry, this race probably won’t last through the weekend. Register now!

QOTD: Have you ever stayed at a hotel themed like your hometown? Thoughts?

One of many photos from our trip. We had a blast!

Before we dive into my goals for the (remainder) of the month of May, let’s look at my April goals and see how I did:

1.) Stretch: (F…) Oh boy…this is not a good habit I have fallen into and my IT bands are letting me know. They have been super tight the past few weeks. This one will have to appear again…

2.) Cross train twice a week: (A+) Thanks to #Crosstrainorremainthesame I completed this one! (Also a huge thanks to those who completed the challenge!)

3.) Cut back on the sweets: (C+) This one is tricky because I did a decent job before our trip but on our trip..not so much. However the trip only fell the last week of the month so that counts for something.

4.) Run two more races: (B-) I am giving myself a B because I was so close on this one. I ran the Zombie run in April, and on the cruise on MAY 1, I ran the Castaway Cay 5k. So I missed it by a day but still a good solid effort.

Ok, the past is the past, let’s move on to May:

1.) Build my running base back up to at least 7-8 miles: I took a break from distance after the Princess half and honestly have lost a LOT of my distance fitness. Time to rebuild!

2.) Cook a new recipe: You know how it gets…same out rotation of same foods because well…it’s easy.

3.) Back up my photos: My laptop has been finicky lately and I don’t want it to die and not have backed up my photos. This truly scares the mess out of me.

4.) Stretch: enough staid

QOTD: Do you have any goals for May? Did you accomplish an April goal?

*FREE DINING was released for Walt Disney World for most dates in September. email me for a free quote, it’s free to have me book for you!

runDisney announced the new medals for the Disneyland half marathon weekend, and I am hosting a giveaway for a $100 visa gift card!

I still have a lot to share from the press event, my cruise, and time in Walt Disney World, but I will be spacing those posts out with some other things. I also wanted to post a few runDisney related photos from the press event. I got to chat with Faron Kelley at the trade show, and actually hold the new coast to coast medal. It’s so beautiful in person! I have never run Tink, but would LOVE to have the opportunity this year!

I got to chat with some of the runDisney team including Faron Kelley about the new Princess half weekend changes. A super great guy, it was a fun chat as usual. He has such a passion for runDisney.

Faron Kelley and myself at the press event

I got to hold the medal, drool!

What a beautiful sight.

Isn’t it pretty? Hopefully it will be mine! Where’s that money tree?

QOTD: Do you prefer the new coast to coast or the old one? What is your favorite runDisney medal?