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Showing posts from 2014

Reflecting on 2014 + 2015 Resolutions

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Happy New Year's Eve! To all you late-night crazy people, have a great time doing the New Year's countdown tonight! As for me, I will do my best to stay up until 10 pm. Today I've been thinking about the past year and what lies ahead for 2015. It's been a crazy year, as usual it's gone by too fast, and we've made some great memories! Here are a few 2014 moments worth noting... March 3 - Mr. E celebrated his first birthday Apr 23 - 1 Year "Blogiversary" May 10 -  Ran my first half marathon for Mother's Day May 19 - Celebrated 2 years of marriage June 21 - Ran our first race together as a family of 3 August 9 - Survived my first year of being a stay-at-home mom Sept 27 - Placed 3rd in my age group at the Wild Hog Half   Sept 30 - Then we found out we're expecting Baby #2 Nov 20 - Met our midwife and had our first appointment. Dec 28 - Made our first airplane trip with a toddler I'm trying to remember what green grass look

Glad to Be Back + 17 Week Update

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I am so glad to be home . Not in a car, not in a plane, just home. Now if only I could get all of our west coast family to move back here with us... Home sweet home Our week-long trip to northern California started a bit rough when E came down with the flu the day before we left. On our way to the airport early Saturday morning, he threw up all over the carseat, himself and me. Despite our morning surprise, we did make it to the airport on time even after a wardrobe change and quick trip to Target! E generously shared his flu with me (pregnancy and the flu just don't mix!)... and then Leo, Grandma, and Grandpa got sick, too. This trip has been interesting and we have learned a few lessons along the way! #1 Lesson Learned: Pack extra carry-on clothes for the toddler AND for parents. E ended up being a wonderful little flier for us but he still wasn't completely over the flu. In between flights, he threw up again all over himself and me. He had extra clothes in my c

Staying Sane While Flying + Week 16 Update

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Surprise, surprise. I've procrastinated packing most of this week and now Friday is here. This afternoon I am power-packing! I am very excited to visit the in-laws though I'm not a huge fan of flying PLUS this will be little E's first airplane trip! I'm praying that our flights go smoothly and that we will stay semi-sane through these holiday travels. E has been throwing up this morning and I hope we can all be healthy by tomorrow morning and ready to fly... The only plus about sick days: more cuddles! Here are a few things I'm doing to make flying more enjoyable... 6 Sanity-Saving Airport Strategies: Keep Moving During Layovers - This is our active time to blow off the toddler's steam before sitting down on the flight again. During our 4 hour lay-over, we might as well do some jumping jacks, lunges and squats, too! I bet we'll even have time for a game of tag. Dress Comfy - I'm wearing semi-activewear for our big travel day so I can com

Professional Fit Mom Series: Laura

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This week, we are talking with Laura for the second interview in my  "Professional Fit Mom" series! Laura is a mom of 2, holistic health coach, running coach and she also writes over at her blog, Mommy, Run Fast . Laura from Mommy, Run Fast Coaching & Training Who or what inspired you to be a coach/trainer? A friend told me I would make a great health coach, and I started looking into options and got excited about the idea. I added a running coach certificate as well, as it's another passion of mine! How long have you been a coach/trainer? In April, it will be two years. What type of coaching/training do you do? In my health coaching practice, I work with women to help them meet their health goals, overcome cravings or emotional eating and often lose weight. For runners, I create individualized training plans and guide them through their training. What certification did it require to coach/train? I went through the Institute for Integrative Nutr

Favorite At-Home Workouts + Week 15 Update

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Before E was born, I was a regular at the gym in our old hometown. I really enjoyed being around the people there and all of the equipment available. Now, since moving to a much smaller town and becoming a mom, I'm all about at-home workouts. At-home workouts have really grown on me because 1. They are free , 2. There is such a variety available , and 3. No childcare required ! My at-home "gym" consists of a treadmill, yoga mat and 2 10-lb. dumbbells. Here are a few of my favorite strength workouts to do at home: 5 Favorite At-Home Workouts G-Fit Workout of the Day - Gina Aliotti shares great strength training workouts with videos. Ctollerun Training Tips   - Olympian runner Carrie Tollefson shares runner-specific workouts with accompanying videos. CrossFit Home WOD's  - Melissa at Fit N' Well Mommy has a variety of CrossFit circuits on her blog. Fit From Home - On the "Workouts" page of this blog, I share a variety of at-home-friendly work

Professional Fit Mom Series: Becky

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Welcome to my "Professional Fit Mom" series and our very first interviewee! This series is a look into the lives of women who balance motherhood and being a professional in the fitness industry. My motives behind this were somewhat selfish, as I am interested in pursing coaching or training myself. There is no better way to learn than to ask the women who are already there and active in the fitness industry! --- I'm so excited to introduce you to Becky! She is the creator of  Shape Her , a Christ-follower, wife and mother. Shape Her: Faith, Family, Fitness Coaching & Training Who or what inspired you to be a coach/trainer? I've always enjoyed exercise. I'm kind of a junkie. I like all types - running (short distances), weights, bootcamp, kickboxing, yoga, pilates, swimming....you name it! I created Shape Her to help encourage, equip and motivate women in their faith, family and fitness. I want to help women make the connect between their f

Baby #2: 14 Weeks

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Second trimester, we have arrived! The bummer is that I've been sick most of the week with a sore throat, stuffed up head, headache + tired combo that just continues to linger over the days. This week I made homemade the easiest  no-cook playdough  ever for E and it actually turned out really well! E played with it for about 20 minutes straight and wanted to play with it again at lunch. He drove his tractor all over his playdough and then wanted to thoroughly wash it with the dish scrubber afterwards (he wanted to wash tractors like daddy!). A toy tractor and homemade playdough brought nearly a solid hour of toddler entertainment! Playdough farming!  With this pregnancy, I have been very sensitive to smells and have been getting headaches a lot (being sick probably didn't help either). After contemplating for quite a while, Leo and I finally decided to try essential oils. They came in the mail this week and the oils have helped so much for my headaches! Pepper

Hydrating Body & Soul

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Hydration is probably one of the most popular topics I read about in the running world and it's popularity is well-earned. Drinking enough fluids is key to running well and, actually, staying alive! The average person will be able to survive only  3 to 5 days  without water  ( source ) . Normal levels of dehydration will make a runner feel uncomfortable and cause them to slow down ( source ) . Dehydration is even more dangerous in pregnancy because it can lead to serious complications including premature labor ( source ) . How much water should you drink each day? There are a few different theories for how much water we should drink. For one, Runner's World shared the below formulas for calculating the water intake for moderately active males and females. That leaves me drinking about 40 oz. of water a day. Male Drinking Requirement, in fluid ounces: Body Weight x .35 Female Drinking Requirement, in fluid ounces: Body Weight x .31 Now the American Pregnancy Associat

Meeting Our Midwife & 12/13 Weeks

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We met our midwife last week for my 12 week appointment and it was so great to meet her in person! I had contacted her back when we first started trying for Baby #2 in October 2013 and she was so helpful to answer my questions, even if it was over Facebook messaging. (See, there are a few good things about Facebook!) One of my biggest concerns was that she wouldn't work with us since E was born at 35 weeks. Because he was born without any complications, having a homebirth is an option for us this time around. He is our miracle baby! The doctors were shocked that our "preemie" would score a 9/9 on his Apgars. All the glory goes to God! Why We Chose a Homebirth This Time It's a better fit for me personally. Homebirths are not for everyone and I totally understand that! I'm most comfortable with having our baby at home in a more relaxed environment. Water birth is an option. This wasn't a possibility in the hospital where we had E and I was really hopi

Why Winter Is Awesome

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Winter gets really long in these parts and can be a drag some days. For this week's Fitness Friday , here are a few positive points on this season that takes up half of our year! 5 Things That Make Winter Awesome 1. Running in the Snow. (Notice I didn't include wind or sub-zero temps in that subhead) Peaceful, snowy mornings are actually quite beautiful. The unplowed roads even have an extra leg-strengthening effect. On the days I can force myself outside in the early morning, the dog and I both get a good run in. He needs his exercise, too! I wear a reflective vest; Saul has reflective eye balls. 2. Seasonal Flavors. E and I shared a delicious pumpkin smoothie this week. SO GOOD plus it's on the healthy side. Basically anything pumpkin-flavored sounds wonderful right now.Can't wait for the Thanksgiving treats next week! Our pumpkin-y smoothie mess. 3. Family Time. We love our families - both the Minnesotans and the Californians. It gets even bett

Battling Fears in Pregnancy + 11 Week Update

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My guess is that about 99.9% of pregnant women battle some sort of fear(s) during their pregnancy. Pregnancy is a scary time because you can do all the "right" things yet there are so many factors out of your control. Week 12 is coming up soon and this is the time when many announce their pregnancy due to the decreased risk of miscarriage . Though I feel more peace in knowing that the second trimester is near, fears still come up in my mind. In fact, I know Satan whispers lies to me about what could happen and he does his best to distract me from enjoying this pregnancy. Here are a few fears Satan throws my way... What if we lose our baby later in the pregnancy? What if baby has developmental issues? What if baby arrives premature? (this is one that comes up often for me) What if I have a horrible delivery? What if I gain a ridiculously huge amount of weight this time? Fears are going to come up, it's just a part of life. What I remind myself is that fear

Friday Favorites - 11/14

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It's been feeling like winter this week! I woke up this morning and was contemplating going out for a run with the dog. The temp was at 5°F above and I opted for the treadmill - I'm just not ready for cold running yet! E and I made it outside to play for only 15 minutes this week on one of the "warmer" days (+20°F). Hope you are staying warm! Here are my favorites for this Fitness Friday ... 5 Blessings This Week Snow. I really enjoy winter for the first few months. It's around March or April that I really get sick of the snow and cold! As for now, thank God for snow! It's beautiful and E looks like a cute little snowman when he's all bundled up :) Determining My Value. In my Bible study we are going through a book called "Chase" by Jennie Allen and it teaches on chasing after the heart of God. We talk about all that we are chasing in this world that doesn't satisfy because nothing is more satisfying than God. This paragrap

Baby #2: 10 Weeks

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This weekend is deer hunting opener in our part of the country so I chose to hit the treadmill instead of running outside with the stroller. You never know where a stray bullet could end up and I'm super cautious when little man is with me! Even though it's National Stroller Running Day, I opted for the treadmill this morning. My re-organized "home gym".  I usually just listen to music while running but decided to get crazy today and watch a grown-up movie. I watched "Run for Your Life" , the story of Fred Lebow (founder of the NYC Marathon), for approximately one mile and then little man woke up. After he woke up, the movie choice changed from running-related to Veggie Tales Sweet Pea Beauty. Give E his milk, a breakfast muffin and some Veggie Tales and he's as content as could be. Yesterday I made some banana carrot spice breakfast muffins for the guys because I knew I wouldn't want to wake up early to make them pre-hunting breakfast. Wen