*Disclosure: I have received the running belt and towel for free through Tomoson.com to review in exchange for my honest opinion. I agreed to review these products because I found them useful in my daily life. All opinions expressed here are my own and are not influenced in any way! I hope you enjoy and find this post helpful!
I am so excited to be signed up for another virtual race! This particular race will be run on my birthday this year, December 21st! I will be participating in Elf On The Run 5K! I am most excited about the medal! I love race bling and this particular medal has the cutest little holiday elf on it! Christmas is my favorite holiday probably since I was born just three day before. I love all the twinkling lights and holiday cheer that comes this time of year! I plan on running my race in the evening in hopes of seeing lots of Christmas lights along the way. I have put together a Small list of my five running must haves to share with you!
First on my list is a comfortable pair of running shoes. the shoes must fir properly to avoid blisters, and for me must have a well cushioned sole to ease my knee pain! Everyone has their favorite brand and fit. As for me, I am really loving my K-Swiss Tubes right now!
the second thing on my list is comfortable running clothing. You want something that fits properly and that you are comfortable in. I personally like Capri running pants, but again everyone has their own preference. just be comfortable!
Number three on my list is a running belt! I am so excited I have finally found a belt that is comfortable and is able to fit my phone in it. I have tried different products in the past and they either slid on my arm or my phone just did not fit. I am going to be using the SKMEI LED Running Belt for my virtual race, because it not only holds my phone in a comfortable belt, but also my money, I.D, a small towel, and house key! I love this new belt not only because it holds all my essentials but it also has an LED light on it so cars can see me while running at night! You can check out the belt in action here!
Four on my list is a small towel. This may be TMI but while running I sweat A lot, not only that my nose begins to run right along with my legs. So I have learned to bring something along to wipe my sweat or my nose if the need arises. During my virtual run I will be using a Ultra Compact Sporten Microfiber Towel! I love this towel because it fits perfectly in my belt and comes in very handy for any natural disasters!
Number five on my list is a head band! There is nothing more maddening than fly aways sticking all over your sweaty face while running! I love the buff style head bands so I can adjust it to the conditions. If it is cold I can have it cover my ears which keeps more more comfortable in the cooling temperatures!
That is my top five must haves. Do you have a must have while running? What is it that you can not live without while out on the trails or running paths? I would love to hear about it!
It's Mother's Day!! Mother's Day has become a little bitter sweet for me. A day of reflection. Remembering my own mom and missing her dearly. Reflecting on becoming a mom myself, from the very first birth of my daughter 14 years ago to the birth of my angel just this year. Feeling proud, yet disappointed in myself daily! Feeling one minute like I'm doing everything right when my kids tell me, "I'm the best mom in the world" to the next minute feeling like I'm screwing it all up. Being a mom is hard! I have been blessed with becoming a mom four times! I have three of the most beautiful kids I can ask for, with the biggest hearts of anyone I know! They are kind and smart and beautiful inside and out! My fourth child was too beautiful for earth and will be spending his first birthday next month in Heaven with my own mom! I know he is being well taken care of :)
This Mother's Day I got to spend it at Walt Disney World with moms and their children from all over the country at The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration! I set my alarm for 5am. At the sound of my alarm, I moved around the room quietly getting ready for my Morning Fun Run sponsored by GoGo SqueeZ! Yup, you heard right! I woke up at 5am to go RUNNING for FUN on Mother's Day! I dressed in a fun Disney Bounding outfit consisting of, a blinged out tank top that read #TeamDoleWhip, a red and white polka dot running skirt, and red and white polka dot head band!
The Fun Run began on the outdoor Patio of The Disney Yacht Club. Here there was a booth set up with excited GoGo SqueeZ representatives welcoming us and handing out capes for the Fun Run! All the ladies were gathering in groups, taking pictures and selfies reminding each other of the proper #hashtags for the event! A true scene of a social media mom event!! We scooted to the start line and off we went! Although there were many women who decided to run and support one another through the course, this was a personal journey for me! I had been practicing my running which is absolutely dreadful for about six weeks now and I really wanted to push myself in this moment! The run was AWESOME! The air was crisp and clean compared to Arizona. The moon was bright, and the sun rising made everything look just that much more beautiful! I was Happy! We made our way through The Epcot, which had their annual flower and garden festival happening! There were toparary and flowers everywhere! Not to mention the rivers edge, the bridges, the architecture of the buildings, I'm not sure I've ever in my life Witnessed so much beauty all in a 30 minute time period! During the run there were cast members holding lighted wands to mark the path and each one encouraging us to the finish line! I made it!! I picked up my medal and my swag bag and felt so invigorated, I couldn't wait to get back and tell my family about my adventure!
I got back to my room and the family was starting to stir. I immediately heard little voices, from the darkness nestled in their beds, wishing me a happy Mother's Day! I opened the curtains and started sharing my beautiful morning and accomplishments with them! Each one of my hugest accomplishments (my children) picked me out a Disney pin while I was in sessions on Friday and one by one presented them to me! One a Mickey Head all blinged out in pink glitter, a Minnie Mouse pin that reads, "World's Best Mom ", and another with two Mickey hands making the shape of a heart! I immediately attached them to my lanyard and wore them proudly the rest of the day!
At 8 am we walked to the conference center. We entered the very room we learned so much from incredible speakers a couple days prior, but this time with all of our families! This is where we will have the most beautiful Mothers Day ever! The breakfast was sponsored by Disney Consumer Products --Imagicademy! We picked out our table which was elegantly decorated with fancy napkins and glassware as well as baskets of pastries and a glass full of the most beautiful yogurt I've ever seen! Beautiful edible flowers adorned the top of each yogurt, which I think completely confused every kid at our table! As we went through our meal of several courses there were pictures being played of all of us attendees during the last several days as well as our tweets and instagram photos!
Remember how I told you, my kids had been keeping a secret from me!? The secret was about to be revealed, they drew our attention to the stage area. The team started a video, on this video was our children! While we were busy at work, listening to speakers, networking, and learning on Friday, our kids were at a meet and greet being interviewed! The sweetness and innocence of the video had us laughing and crying, and swelled my heart two sizes too big this day! I want to thank all the crew for this special surprise!
Next we got a special tribute show from Imagicademy themselves, and a private concert from Voice Play, whom just returned from tour! If you have never seen these guys, you should really check them out! They are super talented!
Now it was time to say goodbye...this Mother's Day breakfast, the conference, the attendees, the cast members, friends... It was time to check out of our room at The Beach Club Resort, The 2015 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration has come to an end. Honestly I'm getting a little teary eyed writing this, but this is not the end! I will take many great things from my time here! I met a lot of inspiring people, I learned a great deal of things not only about social media, but about myself! I will take away friendships, and knowledge of grand proportions! Until next time, thank you for following along on my journey! We'll see you real soon!! Love ya :)
Well it's Wednesday again, and as many of you know I have been participating in a Virtual Marathon with a group of women who are there to motivate and empower one another in our fitness journey. Since beginning my journey I have had some pretty painful days! I thought surely exercise was not for me! I was suffering from shin splints for the first week or so, and then runner's knee after that.
After some anti-inflammatory, ice, and some encouraging words I got my booty back out there! My shins were still giving me issues of burning pain and fatigue! After doing some research I thought maybe I needed to give compression a try! Fitness Foundations sent me a pair of their calf compression sleeves to try out in exchange for an honest review! They designed their compression sleeves with the highest quality material to help train harder and recover faster. This sounded like just what I needed to keep strong on my journey!!
So I awoke on Saturday morning, had my cup of Joe and some breakfast. I got dressed in my fitness clothes opened the little package and pulled out my calf compression sleeves. The material was breathable and comfortable with a very snug fit! My husband was a little jealous that he didn't get a pair! They were black, so they matched my outfit perfect and had these really cool reflective stripes! The reflective stripes will be cool when the weather warms up and I need to run more at night or early morning. It's a great added feature!
Fitness Foundations currently have one size of calf compression sleeves, that are good for men or women with a calf circumference between 11 and 16 inches. The compression sleeves use true graduated compression to improve your performance by stabilizing the lower leg muscles and improving blood flow. These are said to prevent shin splints and muscle soreness.
This was my first experience using compression sleeves during my workout, and I must admit I was pleasantly surprised at how great they worked!! My husband and I went close to five miles and I had no pain what so ever in my shins!! I am thrilled about this! I also noticed that they did help with my blood flow! My ankles were not as swelled up afterwards as when I normally return from running! So I give Fitness foundations Calf Compression Sleeves two thumbs up for a great product!
Now I just need some for my knees and I'll be good as new ;)
Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. All Opinions expressed here are that of my own :) As always, Have a beautiful day!!
As many of you know I am getting ready to attend The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration this May 2015. Although I have never been to Walt Disney World, being a West coast girl I have been to Disneyland more times than I can count. When I think of the times I have visited the Disney parks, all I can think of other than all the Disney Magic are the long hours on your feet, and the delicious treats that are sold at every corner!
We will be staying at the fabulous Disney Yacht Club Resort, where I will be splashing it up with the family in the 3 acres, and 750,00 gallons of water wonderland also known as Stormalong Bay! All of that being said, I am in desperate need to get not only in bathing suit shape, but gain some endurance to walk the parks during the day! I have joined a group of other bloggers to motivate one another and try and complete a virtual marathon by the time of our check-in!! You can follow along on Instagram and Twitter as we make our way through our virtual marathon and fitness journey by following #TeamDoleWhip
Every Wednesday until the conference I will share with you my week of work outs, what is keeping me motivated, and fun tips and stories along the way!
I have begun walking every morning at our local park! Right now everything is in bloom, all the flowering trees are a welcoming sight as I start my day! After getting home and doing some chores, In the late afternoon I hit a workout dvd! This week I have been doing week 1 of Jillian Michaels, Ripped in 30!!
So far so good! Since starting my virtual marathon here is what I've accomplished so far!
Disclosure: I received free products in order to host the LeapFrog and CLIF Kid sponsored MommyParty. The opinions expressed here are my own! On September 6th , LeapFrog Enterprises inc. declared the day National "Fit Made Fun Day", a day when families are encouraged to get up and active while playing together! In celebration of the launch of the leap band activity tracker for kids, Leap Frog and soccer star Mia Hamm hosted a premiere Fit Made fun Day In Santa Monica, California where more than 300 children and their families engaged in fun activities, attempting to become the new Guinness World Records holder for multiple active play records!!
We had a "Fit Made Fun Day" ourselves and joined in on the record breaking via social media! Mom Central, LeapFrog, and CLIF Kid sponsored our party by sending not one but two leap band activity trackers, and CLIF kid bars to keep the party go-ers fueled for their day of fitness. Our "Fit Made Fun" day was accompanied by healthy snacks of fresh fruit and sandwiches, and plenty of ice water to keep our kids hydrated!
I set up our relay field grabbed my stop watch and let the fun begin!!
We had several relay races and filled the day with lots of crab crawls, frog hops, grass angels, jumping jacks, a running! We had several water relays which kept the kids cooled down in the Arizona heat.
At the end of our "Fit Made Fun" relay party each kid went home with a gift bag and a "Fit Made Fun" trophy! All the kids and parents alike were great sports and enjoyed getting out and active.
The CLIF Kid bars were a huge hit and kept the kids fueled for all the activities.
The LeapFrog Leap band activity trackers have not been put down other than having to charge the batteries! My kids absolutely love playing with their virtual pets and gaining rewards for their activities.
Thank you Mom Select, LeapFrog, And CLIF Kids for sponsoring such a great day!
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/05/6681341/leapfrog-and-mia-hamm-declare.html#storylink=cpy
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