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  • Fitness Friday: Reebok and the Sport of Fitness

    Fitness Friday: Reebok and the Sport of Fitness

    Reebok #getafterit

    A woman’s dress should be like a barbed-wire fence:
    serving its purpose without obstructing the view.

    ― Sophia Loren

     

    I love that quote.

    So, I’ve been sharing my run times and photos post-run on Facebook and everyone has been so lovely and supportive. I’m working to redeem myself after my pathetic run time at the West Chester 5k I ran a few weeks ago, and on my birthday I gave myself this:

     

    run 4 good app

     

    That’s more than three minutes faster than I did on the West Chester run. (That’s the Run4Good app by Saucony, by the way. It tracks your miles and if everyone who has the app downloaded collectively runs 10,000 miles in a month, a charity dedicated to fighting childhood obesity receives a sizable donation.)

    Tomorrow I’m running another timed 5K and we’ll see how it goes. I’ve been sneezing and congested all day so I’m trying not to get my hopes up, but under 31 minutes would be a real morale booster.

    Since I post pics I’ve had a couple of questions about what I’m wearing, and since I LOVE my running clothes with a white hot passion I’ll tell you.

    You may remember my go-to running outfit from this past spring:

     

    reebok running skirt

     

    That was purchased with my own dollars out of my tight little fist from Dick’s Sporting Goods. This tank top and running skirt was pretty much the first tech fabric stuff I had ever bought and I was blown away by how much more comfortable they were to run in (and how well they repelled water on my mud runs). The shoes are Pumas that I bought as a Groupon deal.

    The next month I attended a Fitness Magazine event in NYC and everyone walked away with a pair of Reebok RealFlex Transitions. These sneaks are like walking on clouds. They’re nice and grippy on the bottom and crazy cushiony for your feet. I ran in them for a while, but these eventually became my favorite for using on gym machines and for anytime I’m going to be on my feet for long periods of time.

     

    reebok realflex transition
    Reebok RealFlex Transitions
    mia hamm
    completely gratuitous photo of me with Mia Hamm at Fitness Mag event

     

    Reebok sent me some other gear to try out. This is the Play Dry Short Sleeve Top and it does something magic to sweat— I’ve been told a few times now that I don’t look like I just ran for 30+ minutes in the hot sun when I’m wearing it.

    Normally I hate sleeves of any kind when I’m working out, but these don’t bother me.

     

    reebok
    Post run. I'm sweaty as hell here but you really can't tell. It's vaguely annoying.
    reebok
    Someone didn't feel like getting out of the car.

     

    The capris are awesome and I’d wear them every day if I could. They have a slightly rigid waistband in the back, so they don’t ride down/stretch out and show nanny crack, but they are soft waistband in the front to lessen muffin top. The bottom edge is fitted. It’s basically a perfect blend of hold where you want it and give where you need it.

     

    RealFlex Fusion
    RealFlex Fusion

    Reebok CrossFit sock

     

    I had some issues at first with my RealFlex Fusions. I opened the box and they were like the Holy Grail, the perfect lightweight low-profile but supportive black sneaker that I’ve been looking for (it’s really increasingly difficult to find black sneakers). So I put them on right away with the CrossFit socks Reebok sent to run some errands, and the left shoe rubbed my heel and tore. it. up.

    After a breaking in period they’re way better. I honestly don’t know whether they’re a touch too big (I do have room in the toe; I also have very narrow feet) or whether I just had to break them in. I don’t wear them with the no-show socks because I don’t want to risk new blisters. But with thicker, higher socks they work great for me. They’re way super grippy and stable, while super lightweight— we’re talking a rigid sock with a sole, basically. I love them as my go-to all-around shoe and I get a ton of compliments on them. The upshot is: try them on if you can, the sizing may be slightly bigger than you’re used to.

    The CrossFit socks are barely-there and have no seams that bother me. That’s all I ask of a sock, really.

    The one thing about these flexible soles (the look is reminiscent of Legos) that’s been a pain is that I get pebbles stuck in between the nodes when running at the beach or down trails. It doesn’t affect the feel or performance in any way, you just get a click-click-click with every step that drives you completely insane until you can stop and pull the offender out.

    And finally— the #getafterit top is cotton, so it got satisfactorily sweaty (a friend on Facebook who does roller derby says they call the sweat/sports bra look “angel wings” which is sort of awesome). It’s just generally badass and fun to wear to the gym or about town. It comes in purple for women and navy for the guys, and says @reebok on the front. Yes, it’s mainly aimed at us Twitter fiends.

    For more info on any of these, you can just click on the item in the board below 🙂

     

    Reebok running gear

     

    Reebok’s slogan is “The Sport of Fitness has Arrived” and I love this on many levels. I miss sports, frankly. I was never very good at them (I was good at skating and good at shooting hoops; not so good at making shots in hockey or remembering plays in basketball) but I enjoyed being part of a team, the competition, the drills, the getting better all the time. I love this idea of bringing what I loved about sport into my life as an adult.

    One thing about sports: you learned to show up. You practiced as a team and you practiced on your own so you wouldn’t let your team down.

    It’s just a viewpoint I haven’t had in a while. I love that we’ve formed a “team” of local mom bloggers that are pushing each other to run, on our own and together. It’s a welcome addition.

    I’m making fitness my sport. (I’m also thinking I want to make dodgeball my sport. Wanna play?)

     

    What do you miss about sports?

    What’s your go-to workout gear?

     

     

    Disclosure: Some of the gear shown here was supplied by Reebok. The rest I purchased with my own money as indicated. All opinions are my own.

     

     

  • Let’s #GetUnreal with Our Candy

    Let’s #GetUnreal with Our Candy

     

    Candy, Candy, Candy
    I can’t let you go
    All my life you’ve haunted me
    I love you soooooo…
    -Iggy Pop, “Candy”

    It’s October, and my favorite holiday is nigh.

    For me, what makes Halloween awesome is the costumes. I love dressing up, the freedom to be as ugly and ridiculous as I wanna be. I also love going door to door and talking to all the people who live in the neighborhood across the way.

    For the kids, those things factor in too, but let’s face it: for them it’s all about the candy.

    What’s in the candy can be super scary, though. Artificial flavors, artificial coloring, HFCS… all stuff you really don’t want your kids putting into their bodies.

    And the thing is… they don’t make the candy taste any better, they just make it cheaper to produce.

    Have I ever mentioned how much I loathe the idea of cheap? Yeah, I think I have once or twice 🙂

    Vote with your dollar. Buy things of value.

    UNREAL candy looks like those familiar standbys: Milky Ways, Snickers, M&Ms, peanut butter cups; only made with quality ingredients.

    • Without the corn syrup,
    • without the partially hydrogenated oils,
    • without the GMOs,
    • without the artificial flavors, colors and preservatives,
    • key ingredients needed to be responsibly sourced,
    • dairy needed to come from pasture raised cows with no antibiotics or added hormones
    • and with 40% less sugar per serving on average.

     


     

    I like this and I don’t even like Milky Ways.
    Wait, 100 less calories? Here, give me another one.

    —actual quote from one of the moms at our Unjunked movie night

     

    More UNREAL candy stats here.

    I already knew my friend Kristin liked UNREAL candy bars, as she’d been praising them on Facebook. I wanted to see if kids would like them, or if handing them out to trick-or-treaters would be the social equivalent of being that family that gives out apples or trail mix.

    So, we assembled a bunch of kids and parents for a multi-family Unjunked movie night: watching The Sandlot, eating air-popped popcorn and UNREAL candy. Everyone got a goody bag with one of each of UNREAL’s offerings.

    And… it was a hit.

     

    I especially love the colors of the not- M&Ms. Much like organic clothing, the shades are muted and pretty.

    I am not especially crazy about the colors in these photographs. Sorry guys, I should have brought my real camera.

    Look, I’m not going to ask you to be that family that hands out toothbrushes or pretzels at Halloween.

    I’m not going to say kids shouldn’t ever have candy. Or chocolate.

    I’m going to ask you to consider the little-to-no nutritional value of candy and chocolate. And wonder why we’re ok with straight up unhealthy stuff like artificial anything on top of it.

    UNREAL isn’t expensive, but it costs a bit more than junk candy. I think that’s OK. It serves to remind us that most candy is junk, and not really suitable for giving our kids.

    UNREAL is a treat that you don’t have to feel guilty about.

    It helps that it’s really tasty, to adults and kids.

     

    What do you usually give out to trick-or-treaters?

    Are you trying to unjunk your kids’ eating habits?

    Disclosure: this is a sponsored post through Global Influence. All opinions are my own.

     

     

     

  • Fitness Friday: Blueprint to Quit

     

    Hey.

    This post is hard to write. Bear with me…

    So, there’s something I haven’t been telling you. Sin of omission.

    Last May I publicly stated that I was trying to turn my health around. I was low-energy, overstressed, carrying some extra inches around my middle, and I was still smoking a few cigarettes a day, having. I had quit twice, each for a period of several years, starting up heavily after my dad died and my mom’s death two months later. I quit again when I started this blog, but was triggered again by the stress of essentially being a single parent of 3 while Jeff struggled with a prolonged illness.

    Every so often I think about the story of how my dad picked up a pamphlet in the hospital waiting room while I was being born. He read about the dangers of secondhand smoke. When my mom and I came home, she went to empty the ashtrays and couldn’t find them. He’d quit, just like that. For me.

    My dad was stronger than I am, but that’s not news.

     

     

    I still smoke one or two a day. Always before bed. Sometimes after dinner. Sometimes I skip a day or two.

    On occasion I’ll have one or two more. I always feel like hell the next day.

    I don’t need the nicotine. The patch or the gum isn’t going to work for me; they deliver more nicotine than I get now.

    Quitting is tricky that way. The dependency is two-fold; the physical dependency on the drug(which you address with nicotine replacement), and the pschyological & emotional craving which is treated with behavioral support. You need to treat both for long-term success.

    Which I am a poster child for. I associate these little time outs with stress relief. And I’m having a really hard time letting go of them.

    If you’re like me and having a hard time letting go of smoking— even though you know you should, have tried in the past, hate yourself for your weakness every time you light up— it’s time.

    (The Great American Smokeout is coming up next month. Commit now to being smoke-free by then, so that your kids don’t try to sponsor you. Trust me, that’s heartbreaking.)

    If a support system is what you’re lacking, you can join QuitNet, an online behavioral support community with expert help. It does cost money, which in my mind is helpful because it makes it harder to conveniently forget about (kinda like a gym membership). You can join QuitNet on its own or bundle with select Nicorette or Nicoderm products, which can be ordered online.

    Right now, the membership to QuitNet is free after mail-in rebate when coupled with Nicorette or NicoDerm CQ.

    The latest study shows that teenage smokers are more likely to eventually die of heart disease, even if they quit before they hit middle age. If you smoke continuously from those early years to mid adulthood, you’re twice as likely to die early.

    I’m 36 on Monday. My first pack of cigarettes was when I was 11, bought for a buck fifty from a vending machine at the bowling alley. Two and a half decades of stupidity.

     

     

    A quarter of a century of slowly poisoning myself is about enough, I think. I’m ready to ask for some help.

    This is the part where you comment and tell me I can do it. Please.

     

     

    I’m a member of the Mom Bloggers Club and this is a sponsored post, but all of these words are mine.