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Jumbled Thoughts: How Blogging Fueled My Body Image Issues

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Warning: This post is kind of a hot mess. A jumbled mess of thoughts that kept coming to me and may not flow well.

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I was very fortunate growing up. I never really had to worry about my weight since I was either in gymnastics class, playing soccer, dancing, or doing various other sports nearly every night of the week. Even after I quit training full-time as a gymnast and dropped track (I’m sorry running, I just didn’t realize I loved you yet. With time we got there though, that’s all that matters) I was still very active and continued with other sports throughout high school.

I very distinctly remember the first time I looked in the mirror and truly, honestly, thought “oh my god. What is THAT??” (Referring to fat that sprung up what felt like over night) It was after I had ovarian surgery in 2010. It was fleeting, after recovery I started my journey to a truly healthy life and found my love for running and saw my body return to it’s regular shape and size…. So the body image issue thing was always a bit perplexing to me.

Until I started reading blogs. I’m a runner. I’m obsessed with yoga. I like to learn about the newest findings in the health world. I like to keep my body looking and feeling good. I like to read about people’s inspirational journeys to health and fitness. So, naturally I was attracted to healthy living and running blogs…. When I started my blog, I talked about MY kind of healthy living and running a lot. However, I hardly consider myself in either of those categories. Although my association with FitFluential, SweatPink, and Oakley Women kind of contradict that statement. I don’t label this blog. It’s just 100% me. I had no idea what would come of Wild Things RUN Free. I had no idea it would take off as much as it has.

With that being said, there appear to be a ton of healthy-living blogs in the blogosphere who are living the complete opposite life of a healthy one. Preaching so many scary, terrible habits that can do some serious damage to women (and men) all over the world. People read our blogs because they either find us relatable, entertaining, or inspirational. If they find you inspirational they are likely to take your advice and follow in your footsteps. Telling them to gulp down workout enhancers, and push a small pile of vegetables around on a plate a couple of times a day is just not healthy living, in my opinion. The amount of times since really getting in to the blog scene that I have said to myself “oh my gosh I just want to shove a burger in her mouth” or have had to remind a friend “food is fuel” kind of scares me, and makes me really sad. I’m deeply sorry if this offends any of my friends in the blogosphere, but a multi grain hotdog bun filled with a few pieces of spinach, a large carrot, and some PB2 is NOT good fuel for your body. Food is meant to be seen as yummy, tasety fuel. It is supposed to help our bodies recover. Fuels our crazy workday, hectic social schedules, amazing workouts and sound nights sleep. The idea of ingesting 80% chemical laden food and preaching about HEALTH seems like such an oxymoron. There are certainly times for a protein shake, an energy bar, or even protein brownies if you so feel inclined.. But certainly not every day. Certainly not for your main source of energy.

Sometimes I feel like I don’t fit in with some of my blogging peers what-so-ever, because I don’t diet. I eat healthy about 70-75% of the time, the other 25-30%??? Ice cream sundaes, the occasional burger, and oh sweet mother of everything holy, onion rings. On the weekends, I enjoy some adult cocktails and sometimes wake up Sunday morning with a headache. I am not “skinny”…. And quite frankly up until very recently I was perfectly okay with that fact that my size is just normal.

What tipped me over the edge? Blogs and self comparison. After a while it is hard not to compare yourselves to others. You see others making strides on their weight loss journey and you realize you’re just kind of there. I am running further, and faster times than when I first started this blog two years ago (significantly so) but I am not weighing any less, and I don’t look any better in the photos I post. You see people post fitspo pictures of themselves day in and day out on their blogs and their instagram.. A lot of them completely unhealthy with ribcages sticking out… But its still hard when you stand in the mirror and see nothing remotely similar.

It really struck me in Utah when I was at the Oakley Women Summit.. Every photo that was posted I thought to myself “I am the fattest girl in this room. Wow I am the fattest girl in this photo” I certainly didn’t feel this way in June when we were all in Napa. The very few pounds I have put on, aren’t what’s causing this psychological break down.

I am not perfect. I am not a size 0. You can only see my abs certain days of the week. Every time a friend posts a picture of me on instagram or facebook I immediately get embarrassed and think to myself “I look so fat”. I go into panic mode and try to figure out how I can eat and exercise out this terrible feeling. THAT IS NOT HEALTHY.

I am a healthy woman, rationally, I know this. I run (well ya know… when I’m not sidelined with a grade II ankle sprain) I do yoga multiple times a week. I eat whole, real, foods a majority of the time. I left smoking behind with my past. I let go of toxic relationships/friendships. I also believe in splurging and balancing the good and the bad. (aka living a little) This to me, is HEALTHY. Not being 100% in the no carbs, no this, no that category but knowing the difference between “all in or all out” and being able to moderate my actions. That is living a healthy life. Doing what is best for our bodies, mind, and soul. Yes, sometimes eating a pile of onion rings is good for the soul. ;)

Yet, I can’t shake this feeling recently. I find myself reading blogs more and more for the inspiration rather than just the enjoyment. Filling myself up with before and after photos and vowing to myself that I’m going to be better. That next month I’ll have a before and after photo to show.

I am at a weight high right now, but I already know most of you will want to smack me for even complaining about my weight. The rational girl in me knows this.

Why do we let the rational girl in us disappear? Why do we let the irrational woman beat that girl down?? What if we stopped comparing ourselves to others? What if we stopped trying to be the thinnest girl and instead just try to be the HEALTHIEST we know how to be for OURSELVES. Fuel our bodies. Laugh often. Exercise frequently. Rest when needed, and stop taking ourselves so seriously.

Life is not an all or nothing battle. Neither should our eating habits.

Oakley Prescription Glasses

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During my Oakley Women Ambassador Retreat in Napa Valley, California in June one of the coolest parts of the weekend was getting to go through the Rolling O Lab.

Now, I know what you’re all thinking. What in the world is the Rolling O Lab? Well, it’s a test lab set up to show the science and technology that goes into the Oakley glasses. Lenses and Frames. Designed to show you exactly why Oakley is the best glasses designer on the market.

First thing we learned was about the High Definition Optics (HDO) and boy did they put this to the test for us. HDO is the technology Oakley uses to give clearer and sharper images without any corruption. What does that mean? No headaches! Typically people blame headaches from glasses on the tightness of the frame, when in reality it usually comes from your line of vision created from the lenses in your glasses… The lenses tend to shift everything over. With HDO you see everything exactly where it is, NOT shifted…

This is when the really cool test happened. *pushes up nerd glasses* The laser prism test! A laser is fired through each lense in a frame and in theory, the dots should come together in the center to focus on a single image. So each eye sees the same thing. See, what we see isn’t actually where they are in most glasses. The typical lense will bend light…. Our brain is wasting energy trying to put these images together… Have you ever put on a pair of glasses and felt like the ground was closer to you than it actually was? That’s what causes that feeling. Hence the headaches!

Not with HDO! HDO pretty much eliminates any distortion. What we see, where we see it, is where it’s actually at.

After the HDO tests he did a series of impact tests. As the leading brand in the athletic field for eyewear, you never know what could happen. You could take a spill on your face. Get hit in the eye with a ball. Have a rock shoot up and smack you in the forehead. Athletes are constantly taking risks and sometimes things go wrong. The last thing we want to destroy is our eyes! So Oakley puts all of their lenses to the test to make sure they can uphold the worst of the worst.

The Metal Spike test compared the Oakley Dart lenses with the lenses of the leading competitor, where a metal spike weighing more than 1 pound dropped from over 4 feet up, directly onto the lenses. The Oakley lenses scratched a wee bit, but there was no cracking, no shattering of the lenses. The Competitor? Well, it shattered… Which could lead to some pretty nasty eye problems…

Needless to say, I decided then and there if I was going to be wearing glasses on my face all day everyday, they would be Oakley glasses for sure. Then I discovered that Oakley has some of the cutest Prescription glasses on the market. It was like I won the jack pot!

I was beyond thrilled to get my hands on a pair of Rx glasses from Oakley. In fact, I hadn’t even realized they made them! I mean, it makes sense… I just never looked into it before! Boy oh BOY am I glad they filled me in on that bit of information!

I had such a hard time picking out which ones to get. Literally every pair of frames are adorable! But finally with the help of Zack I narrowed it down and ordered a pair of cute little pair of wire frames! Meet the Oakley Noteworthy.

These adorable frames are super lightweight! I forget they are on my face just about every time I wear them! haha. (Other than the whole being able to see thing… ;) ) However have no fear! If these aren’t your style; there are a variety to choose from!

Women:

Men:

(DISCLAIMER: as an Oakley Women Ambassador I was provided a pair of prescription glasses by Oakley. However all opinions are my own)

Do you wear prescription glasses? If so, check out Oakley.com and click on the prescription link under the STORE tab!

Time To Face the Strange Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

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I have always, always been a firm believer in keeping it real on the blog. It seems silly to me, to have this place that I pour my heart out to, only to sugar coat things when life gets rough. Who wants to read a blog about how perfect someone’s life is? Nobody. That just brings us all down. We like to be able to relate to the writer, like to know that there are others out there who are experiencing the same things we are.

Then something truly embarrassing happened, and I hid. I wasn’t sure how to write when I wasn’t able to be 100% honest. I didn’t know how to allow myself to talk about it all, either. So I rounded up some of my favorite Blends (blog friends) and compiled guest posts while my entire life changed before my eyes.

It is a commonly held belief that moving home comes second only to Divorce in terms of the stress it causes to the individuals concerned. Fortunately I am not getting divorced; I did however move home, and am separated from my now ex-fiance. It has been incredibly stressful, but I honestly can say I have learned some incredible life lessons.

  1. Move slowly and stand your ground! Don’t date someone who doesn’t respect your values and convictions, and/or who doesn’t respect you as a person.
  2. Don’t date someone whose actions don’t back up their words.
  3. Don’t change your plans for someone unless they’ve proven their commitment by doing the same for you.

Life truly is what happens while you’re busy making plans. Cancel your plans. Yeah, I get it: I should be saving for retirement; I should be eating 8 to 10 servings of vegetables a day; Alcohol is bad; I should be looking toward marriage, kids, a home or I’ll never achieve it. But you know what? Nine times out of 10, life never works out as one thinks it will.

So, I’m going the way of Buddha and learning to enjoy the moment.

You can’t control what’s going to happen to you. I’m not religious, so I don’t believe there’s a god-driven plan to life, but I do believe wherever we are at the present moment is where we’re supposed to be. (Yes, my problems are champagne when compared to others, but there’s still something I should be learning from them.) 

If you self-destruct, you have to pick yourself back up. I learned this earlier this year. I began to self-destruct when my brother passed away. I can honestly pin point the beginning of the end of the life I knew so well, to that. Nobody can help you up from the bottom except for yourself. Sure, there are sometimes people in our lives that help us see the light of day again, but without the inner strength, there is no moving forward. I am not going to self-destruct. I’m not going to throw a pity-party for myself. I am better than that.

I could sit here and pull my hair out over the amount of love, time, and money I put into our engagement. I truly thought we would spend the rest of our lives together, hand in hand. The multiple-years I let myself put my plans on hold so that he could accomplish his dreams. The gorgeous wedding dress that I already paid x amount of dollars on and is now collecting dust in a closet. But, in the end it is not and will never be worth it.

I refuse to mourn the life I had, and instead I am diving forward into a new chapter of my life. Of course, new chapter means new look….

I cut off 7 inches of hair that I was growing out for the wedding. As soon as I flipped my head back and forth after the cut, I felt free. I was free of the choke hold that he had on my heart and was ready to move forward….

What lies ahead? Well, stay tuned… It’s going to be all about adventure, running, health and happiness over here!

Oakley Daisy Chain – Because Every Fabulous Woman Needs A Pair of Aviators

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I have yet to put on a pair of Oakley glasses, be they active sunnies, lifestyle shades, or Rx prescription glasses; that I haven’t absolutely loved. However, when I tried on the Oakley Daisy Chain, I felt like I went up 10 degrees of awesome. ;) Seriously, EVERYONE needs a fabulous pair of avatiors – Both men and women alike. I was so VERY pleasantly surprised to learn that Oakley has the best of the best, in both the active world and the lifestyle wear!

Daisy Chain™ puts a cool twist on the ever-so-popular avatior style sunnies. Sleek, and so light weight, that you can repeatedly forget you’re even wearing anything on your head at all. Made from the C-5™ frame that weaves an elegant, but very clearly Oakley symbol along the stems of the glasses.

The C-5™ frame is made out of 5 metal compounds that are superheated to create a super alloy that maintains state of the art durability, even in the most lightweight of frames!

Complimenting these light, perfect fit frames is Oakley’s Plutonite® lens material that filters out 100% of UVA / UVB / UVC & harmful blue light up to 400nm. Eye safety is huge!!! UV light does worse damage than most people even realize, and its so easy to prevent with the right lenses! Oakley never misses a beat when it comes to protecting our eye sight! On top of all that, they’ve we’ve optimized peripheral vision sight and side protection with 6 base lens curvature.

You can even snag these babies with Polarized lenses, adding even more protection (and less glare!) OR prescription lenses.

The bottom line is, if you’re looking for a fabulous pair of lifestyle glasses I highly recommend the Daisy Chain!

What are your favorite pair of LIFESTYLE sunnies?

My Favorite Sports Bra – Oakley Align Bra

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You guys, I simply didn’t know that they made Sports Bras that are actually comfortable. One of mine squeezes in all the wrong places and is loose in all the other places. The one that fits well makes me look well… Relatively similar to a 12 year old girl. FLAT FLAT FLAT. (I have a pretty small chest, I don’t need any help looking 15 in that department) The bottom line is, all of them are perfectly “okay” but none of them were great.

Until I put on the Oakley - ALIGN BRA.

It ever so softly and supportively HUGS MY CHEST. It doesn’t just just try to duct tape it down, it supports.. “Cups” if you will.

What I really truly love about the ALIGN BRA is the design. It looks extremely feminine. It includes molding cups that create a sculpting fit, with thinner lifestyle bra-like straps that cross in the  back. It creates a beautiful look, that also hides easily under any tank.

Its pure love. The best part is, true to Oakley fashion — it really has the performance to back up the beauty. The bra is made of 90% Supplex nylon / 10% Lycra® with mesh panel in the back, creating an incredibly breathable and light weight bra. (TMI alert, but my cleavage sweat has gone down drastically since switching to this bra. I’m just sayin)  …Which also has to do with the O Hydrolix Moisture Management technology.

Oh & Chafing. Yeah, say bye-bye to that, ladies!! This Cami style bra is SEAMLESS, leaving a smooth, CHAFE FREE bra. It doesn’t slide around, and it doesn’t have any seams sticking out to irritate the skin and well, chafe. Hallelujah!!!!

It’s honestly the best bra I’ve ever put on. The fact that its so cheap on the Oakley Women website is a dang steal. Straight up.

Why shouldn’t we feel beautiful & feminine while being totally bad ass? ;)

Confession: I’m in a Running “Funk”

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I haven’t been talking about my running much lately… That’s because there hasn’t been much of it, and the runs I have gone on certainly haven’t been note worthy.

I have nothing to blame, really. I’m not injured. I haven’t been sick (though I feel like crud all the time recently, but that’s unrelated I think) I just haven’t made the time. I admit it.. I have let life get in the way. Which, is fine – but I do have a 10k coming up that I had some pretty high hopes for….

I know that I’m not burnt out. That’s not the problem. I still LOVE running and I can tell that a lot of the reason I’ve been feeling so “meh” in my brain is that I’m not running more… I’m just in some sort of funk. I need to shake myself out of it. I’m the ONLY one to blame.

The past couple of weeks I keep wanting to sign up for a 5k, because I think a race will help this, a race that doesn’t matter (goal wise) but will get my blood pumping with adrenaline. Unfortunately for one reason or another I haven’t been able to. Either too pricy, far away, conflicting times with work. Booooo.

So I am super stoked it’s Warrior Dash weekend. I 150% believe this will help LOADS! Getting muddy with some awesome people while running & doing absurd obstacles?! heck yes. I am so excited. Call the mud runs what you will – I think they’re awesome. We should always take time to have FUN with the sports we love!

I have absolutely no time goals for Warrior Dash. I just want to be the muddiest person in my wave. Or at least the muddiest person I see near the finish? haha ;)

Of course, I made the excuse that I don’t want a farmers tan from any of the t-shirts I don’t mind getting muddy and that I “don’t want to get my racerbacks too muddy” (aka I just want to go buy something cute for warrior dash. here’s a list of excuses that aren’t real but sound nice) and picked up a cute outfit for Sunday.

A very Charlotte-esque outfit. Though I have to admit I don’t know what to put on my feet. I am not that girl who owns 10 thousand pair of running shoes. But I think I’ll just wear my white/sea foam green connects since they need to be retired within the next couple of months anyhow.

Anywho — what fun things do y’all have planned this weekend?
Have you ever been in a funk with your running or fitness? What helped you get out of it? 

Oakley Overtime Polarized Sunglasses

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At the Fitness Magazine Meet & Tweet event last week, in NYC (#FitBlogNYC) one of the many booths was Oakley! I, happen to be in love with Oakley!!!! I have been since I started skiing as a kid so I was super giddy when I saw that I would be able to talk the nerdy science behind the lenses with some of the peeps from Oakley! It couldn’t be better timing. With the weather warming up quickly & the sun shining longer, we’re all squeezing in as much outdoor fun as we can! We should never forget the importance of protecting our eyes!

Photo Credit: Steven Meyer #FitBlogNYC

They were promoting their Perform Beautifully™ campaign. The idea is to look great, feel great, perform great! Who is to say we can’t kick ass in style? Crossing high fashion with functionality bringing us exactly what we’ve wanted all these years. To look damn good breaking a sweat ;)

With them they had some deliciously good-looking sunglasses for their new Spring 2012 line!

Photo Credit: Steven Meyer #FitBlogNYC

I was immediately drawn to how sleek and gorgeous they are. SO not typical of a pair of activewear sunglasses. I tried them on and jumped up and down like a buffoon and they felt as good as they looked! We had the option to choose which pair we wanted to take home with us. I was over joyed! I also instantly knew I wanted the Overtime!

I loved them immediately for two reasons. A) They looked high fashion. As soon as I walked over to the table I noticed they were there, and they were Oakley. They didn’t look like anything I’d seen Oakley make before. I’ve owned Dior sunglasses that look something like this before. B) They were insanely light weight when I tried them on. It really didn’t feel like I was wearing anything on my face at all.

It was love at first wear, and I have to say that love has only grown deeper and into obsession. I wear these things ALL. THE. TIME. They are basically permanently glued to my face.

I have a serious issue with wearing things on my head. Hats, sunglasses, headbands, headphones… After being there for more than about 20-30 minutes my head starts ACHING. I have chalked this up to the fact that I must have an abnormally large head…. ;) But, these babies DO NOT pinch or squeeze. They are virtually weightless on my face and are “stress free”

But it doesn’t end there! The Oakley Overtime features polarized lenses. What does that mean? Well – basically it protects against 100% of UVA / UVB / UVC & harmful blue light up to 400nm - and it reduces glare! (like we need more reason to look at our smart phones… ;) ) Looking out of these lenses you can easily forget you’re wearing glasses. It doesn’t tint the world orange, or blue, or tan – it just simply blocks out the bright sun. It’s kind of incredible.

I really have to say, after several runs with these new loves of my life, I can HONESTLY tell you that they are worth every penny! They even come in other colors besides the Crystal Raspberry that I received!! They also come in Polished Black, Tortoise, White, and Chocolate Sin. (Varying lens options depending on color)

Protect your eyes while looking fabulous this summer with a pair of sunglasses that will stay on through the most active of lifestyles! ;)

What are YOUR favorite sunglasses?

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Oakley Overtime Polarized sunglasses as a gift for attending the FITNESS Magazine Meet & Tweet. However I was not endorsed by Oakley or asked to write this review. I only review products that I feel will benefit my readers. My opinions are 100% my own. 

Apartment Wars

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I need to ask you guy’s a question. I’m sort of at a loss as to what I’m supposed to do at this point.

We moved into our apartment complex at the end of August of last year. We signed a 12 month lease instead of a 2 year lease… We knew we wouldn’t want to stay in Owings Mills. It’s a snoozefest out here. Maryland is gorgeous, Owings Mills – is boring ugly commercial crap. (at least the part of town we live. right on the main strip)

By the time we moved in the weather was still considerably warm, but the peek of summer had died down significantly. The apartment is certainly SIMPLE SIMPLE SIMPLE, but it’s in our price range and not at all ghetto. It’s brand new within the last few years. So – I completely tossed aside the few bad reviews we saw online. It appeared (at the time) the positive reviews outweighed the bad. && I have to say for the first 6 months we lived here all was honky doory. Then, seemingly 6 months TO THE DAY everything started falling apart. The sliding door do our hall closet/pantry fell off the hinges one day (perfectly easy normal use. We aren’t rough with our apartment at all) Another day, we were sitting in the livingroom and just watched 4 blinds fall to the floor. Just fall. I would love to blame the cat, but she can’t reach these particular blinds. I can barely reach them! We put in a ticket for the door to be repaired…. 2 months ago. Still nothing. (Yes I have called, resubmitted my ticket. etc.) I let it go, it looks a little tacky when we have visitors and there is a sliding door leaning against the wall of the closet – but it was only that. Not going to throw a fit over a door and a few blinds. Blinds we just replaced ourselves. No big deal. Doors  though – yea no. Those things are pricy.

Then Spring came, and with the rising heat bugs bugs bugs galore started coming into our apartment. Fun Fact; I CAN SEE THEM COMING IN FROM THE “CRACK” IN THE FLOOR WHERE THE HALL CLOSET DOOR IS SUPPOSED TO GO. I don’t just mean a few bugs here and there. I mean bugs to the point where we have BOMBED, we have set up ant traps. We have sprayed bug repellent to the point where I probably now have lung cancer from the toxins (kidding) and they are STILL coming in, in the masses. They are like super bugs that don’t die from anything (except when I spray bleach directly on them, then I watch them squirm. Yeah i know – how cruel. At first I felt really bad…. Now, not so much. I’m THAT irritated with this nonsense)

Then today I am cruising home from work and decide to call Zack to see what kind of side dish he wanted me to get stuff for, for our chicken dinner I was planning to make… Only for him to tell me the Fridge isn’t working. I shrug it off and tell him to make sure the dial is set to the coolest setting and go on my merry way…. Then I get home and discover that the dial was already on the coldest setting, and the fridge is ROOM TEMPERATURE (which mind you – in this apartment is about 70 degrees. Its warm in here.. Another thing on my list of complaints but that’s neither here nor there at the moment) All of my frozen meats are now spoiled. Zack’s milk ( I don’t drink the stuff, but it is still absolutely maddening) was so spoiled it STINKS.. Eggs, destroyed. Fruits/Veggies – a few survived – but a lot of them got so soggy and disgusting we had to toss them. Yogurt, see ya… Basically, everything had to go. Other than like – our bottled water, a couple apples, and of course or bananas.

Now we are at an impasse. The apartment complex is telling us they won’t help us until we pay our rent for the month (Which btw I had full plans of doing on my way home from work. Sorry, a girl had to cash her paycheck and we have a 7 day window in this complex) before they will fix the issue. I refuse to pay rent until it’s fixed, and on top of that I feel I deserve to either be reimbursed for the money I spent on groceries (look at that, Charlotte still has her receipt and all!) OR get $100 off of our rent. (this is actually an estimate that is UNDER what I spent. Was stocking up so Zack would be able to survive without me when I go to NYC Tuesday)

This is where I’m at a loss. My mom, my dad, and several other people agree with me that I shouldn’t have to pay until these problems that just keep getting worse are resolved. Zack, and a few other people I’ve talked to disagree. They think I’m expecting too much (Zack doesn’t think that per-se.. He just wants the damn situation resolved however it needs to be done)

But – NO… I’m not in the wrong am I? Isn’t that the BEAUTY of renting? When things break the company or landlord you are renting from have to fix it! THAT IS WHY I RENT. I’m not ready to take responsibility financially for everything in my house/apartment. I had neighbors when I lived in Dallas who called the office for EVERYTHING. I mean, LITERALLY would have them come replace lightbulbs..

On top of all of this I am so fed up I don’t even want to live here anymore. I know its only 4 more months but ITS FOUR MORE MONTHS. I do not want to be here for 4 more months and I am looking up all ways to get out of a lease to see if we have any way out. I’m about 95% sure we don’t… But – if you’re into real estate and know something I don’t let a lady know! ;)

What would you do in my situation? Am I in the wrong for expecting them to pay for the food that was destroyed? 

A Saturday Jam Session For Your Workout Playlists

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Every time I take a good look at my running playlist, I can’t help but laugh. It is the most ridiculous mix of music ever. 75% of which I would never listen to outside of running… I constantly keep adding to it, and most times – I just hit shuffle and whatever comes on, comes on. I find myself laughing at several points in a run, and a lot of the time it’s almost like my iPod knows when I need a distraction or a kick in the rear.

Some songs I’m REALLY feelin’ for my half-marathon tomorrow:

1) Eminem – “Lose Yourself“
“You better lose yourself in the music The moment, you own it, you better never let it go You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo”

2) Bassnectar & Ellie Goulding “Lights”
“You show the lights that stop me turn to stone. You shine It when I’m alone And so I tell myself that I’ll be strong And dreaming when they’re gone ”

3)Kelly Clarkson “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, stand a little taller doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone. What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter. Footsteps even lighter”

4) Foo Fighters – “Everlong“
“And I wonder when I sing along with you, If everything could ever feel this real forever. If anything could ever be this good again”

5) Green Day – “Basket Case” (OMG I miss old school Green Day. Dookie, was the shit no pun intended)
” Grasping for control. I better hold on tight. “

6) Sub Focus Feat. Rusko “Splash”
I just love love love this song. I am guilty of playing it on repeat sometimes.  

This next song always gets me moving when I’m running. I love it for so many reasons, but during a run the chorus in particular gets me moving

7) Florence + The Machine “Dog Days Are Over“
“Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father. Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers. Leave all your love and your longing behind, You can’t carry it with you if you want to survive”

last but not least, a little bit of my Texas side… leave me alone. It’s a hilarious song and video

8) Toby Keith “American Ride“
Momma gets her rocks off watchin’ Desperate Housewives. Daddy works his ass off payin’ for the good life. Kids on the YouTube learnin how to be cool. Livin in a cruel world, pays to be a mean girl. Thats us, Thats right. Gotta love this American ride. Both ends of the ozone burnin. Funny how the world keeps turnin. Look ma, no hands. I love this American ride.


;)

What songs pump you up when you’re running or working out?
If you don’t run with music, what helps you dig deep when you’re hurtin’ or have hit the wall? 

Fitness Friday: Tabata Training

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A few months ago (where does the time go?!) I swore to do at least one workout a week that I have never tried before. Well, it didn’t happen at the time I said I was going to start… But it IS happening now. ;) So, welcome to my new Friday Feature – Fitness Friday where I will feature a cool, fun, new workout I tried during the week!

This week, I decided it was time to jump on the Tabata Training bandwagon. I guess in theory, I’ve done a tabata workout before. I’ve done short spurts of high intensity. But never with the goal of performing a Tabata workout.

What IS Tabata Training? - Essentially, it’s a high intensity interval workout. The intimidating name comes from it’s founder, Izumi Tabata. It’s pretty easy, really. A really scary sounding word for a fun (to me. But, I’m a crazy cardio lover) and easy (as in, not complicated. It isn’t very easy to actually do) Tabata can more or less be performed with any exercise method, so long as it can get you to maximum intensity. You typically will do roughly 20 seconds of intense workout, 10 seconds of rest – with as many repetitions as possible during. It is known to quickly show you aerobic, anaerobic, and endurance benefits! (All around win in my opinion) as well as burn fat! CHA-CHING! ;)

I felt it. I laid on the floor on my back in the fitness center, and literally was asked if I was okay. I was…. I was just soaking up that awesome rush/trying to catch my breath. :D

Tabata will certainly be added to my weekly workouts! booooom :)

Have you ever done any tabata training? What is your favorite mash up?