Tag Archives: Fit

Every Mile Is Earned

Posted in Black Women Workout, Fitspiration, Health & Fitness, iRun, Running by

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I shared in a previous post about my first half marathon. It was such an incredible experience! Running is something that I truly enjoy and love! It’s a personal thing for me. As I climb to higher heights, I set new goals (big and small). I push myself past limits and boundaries to prove to myself that anything is possible. People often ask me about the races I’ve done in the past or what races I plan on doing. Of course Mercedes Marathon was a big accomplishment, but I found myself being guilty of saying things like, “I only ran the half, not the full”. I would say, “Hold up now!” (to myself of course), “13.1 miles is a big deal!” One day I do plan on running a full marathon; but right now, I’m very happy where I am on this journey. To all of my runners whether it’s a 1K, 5K, 10K, 15K, 13.1, or 26.2…just KNOW “every mile is EARNED, never given”. Sometimes we just need that reminder. Be happy for every accomplishment, PR, health goal, and beyond!

I wanted to share this post via I ♥ to Run:

13.1 Miles… It ain’t half of anything!!!

I remember running my first half and thinking, “Oh, I’m only doing the half.” Excuse me? I’m ONLY doing the half? NO. No, no, no, no, no. I’m running 13.1 miles. THIRTEEN POINT ONE MILES. I’ve trained for 3 months, giving up most of my Saturday morning sleep in time to get up and run. I’ve forgone the Cheetos for Cheerios. I’ve swapped the brewskis for water. I’ve chafed. I’ve been sore. I’ve lost toenails, had blisters, pulled muscles. Basically, I’ve worked hard to get to the point where I can run more miles in one morning than most people will drive the entire weekend. So this is a big reminder to me and to all half-marathoners not to cheapen the distance. It’s COOL to be a half marathoner. No, it’s not the big dog, but that doesn’t make you any less of a runner. Be proud of your accomplishments! You’re able to run 13.1 miles! And that is pretty frickin’ sweet.

- Amy (The Bookworm Wife)

“Success isn’t given. It’s earned. On the track, on the field, in the gym. With blood, sweat and the occasional tear.” #runningquotes

Hello April…Birthday Countdown!

Posted in Celebrations, Cool Events, Places, & Spaces, Holidays, Team Fitness by

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I’m so excited because April is here and it’s my Birthday month! Whoot Whoot! The weather is starting to warm up and that’s something to be excited about! I have something exciting planned (well at least to me), but I’ll tell you more about that later. I really didn’t want anything for my birthday, but of course I made a birthday wish list! *wink* I was laughing as I was putting my list together. Everything and I mean everything was health/fitness related. These are things I’m for real-for real excited about! Wait, I did get one non-fitness/health related gift, but it was a must! Let me start off by saying, I kind of already got one of the gifts. Okay, okay…I didn’t “kind of”…I actually did!

polarwatch

Polar Sports Watch and Chest Strap — Love this watch! It syncs to my heart rate monitor (chest strap - seen below) to tell me skinny on my workout progress.

My Birthday Wish List!

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Yes, that’s a fanny pack! I’m an 80′s Baby and a Vintage Lover…what can I say!

I added a NutriBullet which I bought a few weeks ago that I absolutely LOVE! I also bought new running shoes (and a few pair of pants) prior to my Half-Marathon back in February, but you can never have enough running shoes or pants right?! And I mean…who doesn’t want kettle bells? I’m thinking they will all come by way of a big, PINK bow!

No seriously, I’m just happy to see another birthday and when you get to the tender age of…(yeah) the simplest things make you happy! Just living, breathing, and being in good health is more than enough for me!  So gifts or not, I’m going to have the Happiest Birthday Ever!!!

 

Grilled Red Garlic Chicken

Posted in Healthy Eats, Recipes, Weight Watchers by

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Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

I saw a new recipe pass through my newsfeed from My Healthy Dish about a week ago and thought it would be PERFECT to share on Valentine’s Day, especially since February is American Heart Month! I love a good, healthy recipe and it gave me an excuse to finally put my new rice cooker to use my Sissy gave me for Christmas. My 20-cup rice cooker is pretty cool — it cooks rice, steams, and it can also be used as a slow-cooker. I know you’re like 20 cup? Yep! And I plan on making an authentic Paella dish soon (perhaps for a party). It’s by Aroma and it’s stainless steel. You can see it here.

The first time I was going to use it, I was in for a surprise. We were having Indian Night and I found a very good organic (brown) basmati rice at our local Earth Fare…but little did I know it takes brown rice longer to cook. *blank stare* I was ready for the next time. Thanks to the “Delay” feature, it worked with my schedule and it was ready on time! In the cooker it took the brown rice about 92 mins to cook.

Grilled Red Garlic Chicken from My Healthy Dish

Ingredients:

  • 2 Chicken Breast
  • 2-3 garlic cloves minced
  • ½ tablespoon five spice seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
  • ½ tablespoon of low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons of ketchup
  • ½ tablespoon of Stevia
  • 1 tablespoon of sesame oil

Directions:

Cut chicken breast in half and rub five spice seasoning evenly. Spray George foreman grill with Pam olive oil and cook medium high heat 5-7 minutes. In a small bowl mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, lemon juice, ketchup and stevia. Heat sesame oil and garlic in a non-stick pan on medium until garlic is slightly brown. Add sauce mixture to the pan and simmer on low until sauce thickens and then add cooked chicken. Great with rice or quinoa

 

*I served this delicious recipe with fresh steamed broccoli and organic, brown basmati rice

To find more delicious healthy recipes, visit My Healthy Dish!

Don’t forget to go RED in February for American Heart Month! Find out more about it here!

Enjoy and SHARE THE LOVE!!!

XO

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead | Time to REBOOT!

Posted in Health & Fitness, Juicing & Smoothies, Must See Movies, Series, TV, Weight Watchers by

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I just finished watching an AWESOME documentary called, Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead. The documentary follows Joe Cross who is 100 lbs overweight, dealing with an autoimmune disease, taking various medications, and dealing with other issues/concerns.

Joe’s goal is to kick to the curb all the bad stuff (junk food, bad eating habits, etc) and vow to only juice fresh fruit and vegetables for 60 days. He was on several pills before starting his juice fast and to even consider coming off of them, he must make some serious changes.

Joe will travel from place to place talking to Americans about food, juicing, and living a healthier lifestyle. His journey is no accident. Joe will transform inspiring many to get on the road to living a healthier life!

This documentary is a MUST-SEE!!! It’s also available on Hulu and Netflix. To keep the inspiration going — my HB and I will be kicking off the weekend watching another documentary, Forks Over Knives. I’ll post about it soon!

REBOOT!

Watch the trailer here!

Black Girls RUN! Preserve The Sexy Tour is Coming to Birmingham!

Posted in BLACK GIRLS ROCK!, Black Women Workout, iRun, Running, Team Fitness by

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Black Girls RUN! Preserve The Sexy Tour is coming to Birmingham (AL) on February 2, 2013! Co-Founders Toni Carey and Ashley Hicks decided to take Black Girls Run! on the road and travel to cities in the “Stroke Belt”. These cities have some of the highest obesity rates in the United States. They will be hosting a day of health and fitness clinics. Their training program “Walk Before You RUN!” will help guide women on their fitness journey from walking to running. It will also include tips on fitness, hair maintenance, running gear and much more!

From Black Girls RUN!:

Join us on Saturday, February 2 for a fun and information-packed day of health and fitness. Black Girls RUN! founders Toni Carey and Ashley Hicks will host a great lineup of speakers and presentations to get you running, including our exclusive “Walk Before You Run” program.

To find out more about BGR, the Tour, Tour Stops and to REGISTER for PTST13 visit here!

I’m super excited about this event and look forward to meeting so many new faces on this journey to better health!

~A

Photo/Image:Black Girls RUN!

Yum In My Tum, Raw Tacos!

Posted in Healthy Eats, Recipes by

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This was the first time in life that I ever had Raw Tacos!!! As you probably can tell from my blog posts, I LOVE to try new recipes especially the ones that are easy on the waistline. I’m always searching for something fun and different to try so when I saw a photo with the caption, “The best raw taco on earth AND the best raw sour cream. Help me Lawd!” you know I had to try them right!?

Okay, before I get into the ingredients, etc if you want detailed, product photos and items used make sure you visit the post here! (My recipe is not 100% raw. Modifications were made.)

RAW TACOS
Taco “Meat” (Walnuts) Filling:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup raw walnuts
  • 1 tbsp nama shoyu (raw, unpasteurized soy sauce) — (I used regular reduced sodium soy sauce, not raw)
  • 1/8 tsp ground chipotle chili/pepper seasoning
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a blender (or food processor) and pulse just to mix. Don’t over-blend, or you will end up with walnut butter! We don’t want that!

WAIT! THERE’S MORE!!!

Cashew “Sour Cream”

(Before preparing sour cream — place raw cashews in a bowl, cover with water to let them soak, then place in the fridge for approximately 4 hours)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tsp of raw, unrefined apple cider vinegar
  • 5 tbsps water (I used 4)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in the blender [food processor] and blend. Add a few tablespoons of water to start with then adjust accordingly until you reach your desired consistency. If you want a thick cream, use less water, for a thinner sauce, use more. Like I stated earlier, the consistency of my “sour cream” was perfect using my blender! I think it will still be great with a food processor.

You can’t have tacos without toppings:

  • Head of Green Leaf Lettuce, Butter, or Romaine Lettuce (I think we made about 6 all different sizes)
  • 1 medium tomato ( I also made fresh pico de gallo – found a great recipe on Big Oven (found in my Android Market)
  • 2-4 green onions (I love green onions so I used all 4)

The raw tacos were very good!!! They were obviously a hit, ’cause I had to make extra for my husband! lol I think they will work great as a meal OR as an appetizer. This will also be great for a dinner party or gathering with family or friends! I was really surprised how delicious the cashew “sour cream” turned out. I definitely will be making more and perhaps of other varieties. The walnut “meat” filling also surprised me. I loved it! I’ll definitely be making these again!

Recipe can also be found courtesy of Shape.com