It’s been a busy week of life, half marathon training, and half Ironman training. Yes, I’m training for half marathons and triathlons at the same time. Because I’m apparently slightly insane. And I like to run. And I like to do triathlons. So I don’t want to commit to just one or the other. Last year, I finished the running races with ZOOMA Annapolis and moved into duathlons and triathlons until the fall, but this year it’s all mixed up.

I have so much going on right now it’s not even possible to list it all here, and if I did, you would be bored to tears. Things like doing our taxes, random acts of public speaking, and cleaning up something that exploded in our pantry. I’ll spare you the details on that one, but our kitchen still smells horrible. Fun stuff, right?

So to sum it up, I’ve been super busy with work, super busy with training, super busy with the kids and their activities, super busy with household chores, and we had a very unexpected death in the extended family last week. So I’ve gotten a little behind in everything. And then we have instances like last night where I fell asleep on the couch after putting the boys to bed at 8:30pm. I guess I’m a little run down!

I had promised you another giveaway so I promise it’s coming tomorrow! It’s supposed to be April Blogiversary Giveaway Fest and I won’t disappoint – I have two more in my drafts folder just waiting to be launched!

So what was on tap this weekend for training? A lot. But I did miss the mark with my planned bike mileage.

Let’s start with Friday since it is technically part of the weekend – I got my morning Masters Swimming workout done and it was awesome. We had a lot of short, speedy intervals. Well, speedy for me, which is not speedy for fast swimmers! I was late getting there since my 3-year-old woke up just as I was leaving and I had to set him up with a movie so he didn’t wreak havoc in the house. Better late than never!

I love seeing this guy at the pool when I’m still half asleep.

I was so glad to get it done on Friday morning because I had to work until late Friday night, I worked two concerts back to back.

On Saturday, we had the first Team LUNA Chix group bike ride of the season! I was really excited to get my bike rack back on the car for the first time in 2015.

We did about 17 miles through the hills of Arlington, Virginia, and it was such a perfect weather day for it. I had 30 scheduled on the training plan, so I meant to ride more after the ride, but instead I took my time in Tri360 talking with a friend and looking at bikes. Oops.

The entire rest of the day I stayed in the stinky bike clothes because I was going to hop on the trainer to finish up my workout and it just didn’t happen – I had to pick a kid up from a birthday party and other fun things. So right after the kids went to bed, I got in a short trainer ride. Good thing I was still in the smelly clothes.

I was SO tired and really hungry – I had dinner waiting in the other room, so I cut it short at 23 minutes. When it hit 9:30 I was off the bike and eating my dinner.

On Sunday, I met my Moms Run This Town group for a fun run – we went just over 2 miles, which felt like a lot more since I pushed this crazy 5.5 year old.

 Then we rushed back to get to my daughter’s soccer game.

As soon as the game was done, I hit the paths around the Soccerplex to finish my run. It’s my favorite place to run, even though it’s hilly and windy. I was in my happy place.

I realized I should apply something I learned in the RRCA Coaching Certification course and slowed it down after the first few miles. Conversation pace was beat into our heads during that course, and I have the Columbia Half Marathon next Sunday and didn’t want to overdo it.

 9 miles done, then a super quick shower and it was off to ice skating lessons with my two older kids.

On Monday, I only had about 5 hours of sleep and almost turned off the alarm and skipped Masters Swimming. But I felt okay and decided to go for it.

I was so glad I did, it was a great practice. I got in 2,000 yards and felt pretty strong. Aside from any time I attempted butterfly.

This is what went through my head as I finished swimming:

I feel fired up for the week – I’m starting my search for a triathlon bike, and I have the Columbia Half Marathon on Sunday. I am so excited!

Do you have a race coming up this weekend? When is your next one?

Do you attempt to swim butterfly or any other stroke but freestyle?

The post A Swim Bike Run Weekend Update appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

Hey hey hey Friday! I’m writing this Thursday night while sitting in my cycling clothes. Major workout fail, because I’m not sweaty at all. You see, I didn’t get actually on the bicycle tonight. Do I still get credit if I’m dressed for the workout, planned to do the workout, but then was busy putting the boys to bed until after 9pm and then spent time taking my RRCA Coaching Certification test? I guess that doesn’t burn calories or build muscle, but I have been up at 5am for a couple days and feel kind of exhausted.

So now I’m writing my Friday Five, and it’s getting pretty late at night. I should be getting more sleep because I have a half marathon on Sunday – the Columbia Half Marathon in Maryland. I got my sub-2-hour half at Rock n Roll DC, so I’m not sure if I expect to beat that with the hills of Columbia!

The theme Courtney, Mar and I came up with for this week is Five Blogs to Read. I’m going to give you five running blogs to read and you can visit all the blogs linked up at the bottom of the post for even more!

Here are a few blogs to add to your Bloglovin or other blog reader!

1. Fit Balling Running Mom – If you haven’t checked out Tamieka’s blog, you really should! She’s in my Moms Run This Town group and is a huge burst of positive energy. I have to say that she is one of the people who inspired me to get out there in sub-0 temperatures this year! She plays football on a women’s team so her life is packed with fitness!

2. Madeleines & Marathons – Another friend from MRTT is Alanna. She’s been a regular at our MRTT runs since the beginning, and we’ve done a couple of races together. You may remember her from my Rock n Roll DC Race Recap as we got soaked to the bone in the pouring rain. She ran the Baltimore Marathon sub-4 hours while balancing motherhood and work as a pastry chef. And someday I’ll learn to spell Madeleines right…

3. Find Your Inner Pace. Heather is on the DC LUNA Chix Triathlon Team with me and has a great running blog you should check out! She’s a passionate runner and super motivator of other runners!

4. This Mama Runs For Cupcakes. Sue will eternally be one of my favorite bloggers and people. She recently ran the Paris Marathon and is going for the Marine Corps Marathon again this fall!

5. ZOOMA Annapolis Ambassadors. I’m cheating a little bit since this isn’t just 1 blog, but I highly recommend checking out the awesome ladies that I’m getting to know as part of the ZOOMA Annapolis ambassador program! You can find their bios and links here.

They are: Jen at Miles and Blessings, Christine at I’d Rather be Sweating, Natalie who works at RunHaven, Sarah Jane at Clean & Proper, Kara at One Redhead and Lighthouses (we just took the RRCA Coaching course together!), Aundra at Fit For Life, Lauren at Breathe Deeply and Smile, and Sam at Bake n Burn.

For more blogs to read and love, see these previous posts:

Five Triathlon Blogs to Love

Five Blogs to Love

What do you look for in a running, triathlon, or fitness blog? Comment below – I’d love to hear it!

And don’t miss my latest giveaway – you could win a 6-pack of BODYARMOR Sports Drink and a Target gift card! Enter here!

Join the linkup and/or visit the blogs below. Just see the linkup rules and be sure to comment on several other blogs!

The post Five Running Blogs to Read appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

If you know me at all, you know that I like to talk. I’m chatty. And I like to talk about fitness, running, triathlon – yeah, you get the point. It’s one of the reasons I have this blog – I always say that I started the blog because my husband did not want to hear another word about this stuff. Truth. So for this week’s Friday Five theme, my co-hosts Courtney and Mar and I picked the theme “Five Ways to Share the Running/Fitness Love“. If you have a blog, you can link up with us at the bottom of this post, just read the linkup rules and have fun. If you don’t have a blog, check out the fitness/running blogs linked up at the bottom of this post and have fun.

Since I’ve transformed my life through fitness, I love to share this with people. I know that I’ve motivated others to embrace a more active lifestyle and so I decided to focus on Five Ways to Share the Fitness Love.

1. Be positive. I’m a positive person by nature, a glass-half-full optimist. But just like anyone, I too need to vent and blow off some steam sometimes. But overall, being positive and not complaining about your workouts or training, instructors or other people, is a great way to share the fitness love.

2. Don’t brag, don’t judge. Everyone is at their own place in their fitness journey, and being supportive of others’ goals, progress, and especially their first steps can make all the difference in sharing the fitness love vs. turning someone off and discouraging them.

3. Be a cheerleader for others. Take a morning off from your own training to watch a friend’s first 5K race, or run along with someone who might be new to running, even if it’s not your typical pace. Finding the time for others is a great way to share the experience.

4. Volunteer at a race. Seeing the encouraging, supportive faces of volunteers at races is an amazing motivator for participants at races. Knowing that you’re there supporting them can be a great way to share you love of the sport. In fact, go check out my Five Fitness Ways to Pay it Forward post for more ideas on giving back.

5. Don’t go overboard. Guilty as charged. I try not to talk too much about running and triathlon to those who simply aren’t interested but it’s all about finding the balance. I have a Facebook page to keep a lot of my antics sequestered off my main personal profile so I don’t alienate my non-fitness friends. And I think sharing it in smaller doses has helped to share the fitness love because it helps inspire others rather than overload them with every.single.run being in their face. I’ve found the people at work or in my life who care about my latest race, and those who do not, and I try to manage the amount that I share with the “don’ts”.

It’s fun to share the fitness love, and we can all use more fitness and running buddies to bond with and share our lives with. 

I hope you have a fab weekend! I’m looking forward to making up for my lack of long bike ride last weekend, soccer games, kids’ ice skating, my niece & nephew’s birthday party, and a ZOOMA Annapolis training run. Phew! Oh, and there’s Mother’s Day in there somewhere! 

Is there someone in your life that you wish would start running with you or working out? Have you ever motivated someone to try running, a new sport, or a fitness class?

The post Five Ways to Share the Fitness Love appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

I had to laugh when my Friday Five co-hosts Mar, Courtney, and I picked today’s Friday Five theme: “Five Ways to Organize your Running/Fitness Gear”.

Why?

Because I’m incredibly disorganized lately, and I have a million home/house/life projects piling up as my triathlon training heats up, and I’m in no position to give anyone tips or advice on organizing their fitness gear. In fact, I need someone to come over and give me a few tips. Or just do it all for me, because that would be awesome.

So I figured I’d take this opportunity to make myself a little To Do List of sorts to inspire me to get the project done that’s been handing out there. And maybe it can inspire someone else to take on the same project that I’m taking on, because we could all use a little inspiration.

Five Steps to Organizing Your Fitness Gear

STEP 1: PURGE WHAT DOESN’T FIT

This is where many of my organization problems stem. It’s hard to purge – it’s not easy. It takes work, time, and also letting go.Over the years, I’ve been so many different sizes that I have a lot of clothes. I know I’m never going to get pregnant again, and I hope that I don’t gain back the weight that I’ve lost. So I need to purge those bigger sizes. I’ve done quite a bit of that, but still haven’t mastered it.

STEP 2: MAKE SOME TOUGH DECISIONS

So you’ve purged what doesn’t fit. Now you need to make some tough decisions on how things fit, the style of them, and the functionality. Will you honestly wear those long shorts from 1999? Will that tennis dress, although the right size, really work for the activities you’re doing now? Donate them, give them away, sell them – whatever you do, just clear some room.

STEP 3: SORT THE CLOTHES

Now you need to organize what you’re are left with and the first way to do that is to sort it. I typically sort by long pants and capris, shorts, skirts, bike shorts and tri shorts for bottoms. The by long sleeved, short sleeved, and sleeveless and/or yoga type tops for the tops. Then sports bras, socks, and so on. Sort it all, then put it away neatly.

STEP 4: ADMIT YOU HAVE GEAR

It’s one thing to sort and organize the clothes, but the gear and fuel – OMG the gear and fuel! It could take over if you let it. The key for me is to admit that I have gear. I used to try to shove it in a gym bag, or leave it on my dresser, and basically pretend that it didn’t really need a place. I realized that I need to admit that it exists, that it needs a place, and carve out that place for it. For example, water bottles. I can’t ignore that we have a lot of water bottles now and we cleared a shelf for them. And I have a dresser drawer for other gear – extra shoelaces, bike gear, spare goggles, things like that.

STEP 5: BUY THE ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPLIES YOU NEED

Is there something that will make this whole project easier on you? Don’t fret too long – just go out and buy some plastic bins, some hooks where you can hang your hats and visors, or whatever you need to get organized. If you don’t have the right supplies and set up, you’ll end up back in the same place the next time you get busy and let things slide.

So that’s it – my list of things that I need to do this summer myself. I always like to say “A year from now you will wish you had started today” about exercise, running, weight loss, and triathlon. But I’m realizing now that it’s also true for living in my own house. A year from now I’ll be glad I purged and organized.

So you can tell from this list how I’m spending my weekend, right?

PS – I posted my Columbia Half Marathon race recap kind of late in the day yesterday – check it out to read about my half marathon PR on a hilly course!

Do you have a great system for organizing your fitness gear? Share in the comments!

Join the linkup below if you have a blog, just follow the link up rules here. If you don’t, please hop over to the other blogs and see what wisdom they can impart on this topic!

The post Five Steps to Organizing Your Fitness Gear appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

I love health and fitness data – I love knowing the ins and outs of my distance, mileage, pace, nutrition – anything I can learn about my body, training performance, health, nutrition, wellness – you name it. I’m not obsessed with the data, but I love seeing not only the results of my efforts, but learning from them.

Because of this, I’ve fallen in love with – and even become kind of addicted to – several gadgets and apps that give me data and information. For example, my Garmin 920XT watch doubles as an activity/step/sleep tracker, so it’s the only gadget I’m wearing right now. I use apps like Strava, Map My Run, Apple Health, My Fitness Pal, and more. At times, all these apps and gadgets can become overwhelming. And if I spent the proper time analyzing the data and information from all these various resources, it would leave me with no time to actually work out. Or sleep!

So I’ve been using an app called Addapp, which takes all that health and fitness data that’s being collected from various sources and provides insight into your fitness and wellness.

Addapp is an app made for iOS, the Apple/iPhone platform. It syncs up with various gadgets and apps, takes the information they’re gathering, and analyzes it to provide insights into your health and wellness.

“The real problem is that the data generated from wearables and tracking apps only tell half the story. You can see how far you move and how well you slept, but the next step in the evolution of wearables and personal data is to help you understand why.”Kouris Kalligas, founder of Addapp

Addapp provides context to all the information that is being gathered for you. It can answer questions about how your diet is affecting your performance in your cycling or how your sleep is affecting your mood.

One feature of Addapp is the actionable insights. For example, when I scrolled down from the screen above, I saw this:

Addapp didn’t see much running data since I had been sick for a while, so it suggested that I block out some time to run. If you click that “Schedule a run” bar, it integrates with the calendar so you can actually schedule a run! Very cool. I’m a big proponent of scheduling workouts – sometimes it’s the only way I can really fit in exercise, so this integration really spoke to me.

Addapp connects with a lot of different apps and devices, such as Apple Health, Jawbone UP, Fitbit, RunKeeper, Strava, Misfit, MapMyRun, Withings and Under Armour Connected Fitness. And through Apple Health, it can glean data from more sources, such as MyFitnessPal, Human, Endomondo, Nike+ Running, Runmeter and Wahoo Fitness.

I’ve been embracing Strava lately after hearing everyone rave about it. I love the cycling focus that Addapp provided.

Go me!

If you scroll down from that image, you’ll get more insights into cycling. These little tidbits are really motivational for me. Providing some context to the health and fitness data is a really powerful concept.

I have to also commend Addapp for the gorgeous visuals. The “insights” are beautiful and inspiring in their visual presentation. And I’ve loved learning little tidbits about the various topics – it feels like I’m looking at the info on my total body and not just one cycling workout.

As you use Adapp more, you’ll learn more and gain more insights. And the more sources you connect with it, the more insights you’ll gain. Pretty cool!

This one wasn’t from my app, but it’s a cool example of an insight!

If you’re interested in the bigger picture of your health and wellness data, download Addapp in the iTunes store. It’s not available for Android yet, but they say they’re working on it in the FAQs.

Right now there’s so much integration with the Apple Health app, and having been a longtime Android user, I’m not sure if there’s an equivalent that is universal for Android since Android phones come from so many different manufacturers. But I’m lucky I have both types of phones (an iPhone and an Android phone) so I can reap the benefits of Addapp on my iPhone and then when it rolls out for Android, I’ll be a pro and can give it even more data to analyze.

Do you wear an activity tracker?

What’s your favorite fitness or health app?

This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of AddApp.

The post Addapp Review: An Insightful Look at Your Health appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

I have no idea how it’s Friday again already. Seriously, this week went by too fast! This week’s Friday Five linkup theme is “5 Fitness Trends I’ll Never Try“.  Join me and my co-hosts Eat Pray Run, DC and Mar on the Run by linking up below per the linkup rules, and enjoy visiting the other blogs participating in the Friday Five!

I realized in writing this that I realized that I never say never – I’ll try anything once! So I debated changing my post title because some of these are just not my “thing”, but never say never. But I decided to leave it – it’s all in good fun, right? I try to not take myself too seriously.

1. Strength training only/no cardio. Nope, not for me. I need my cardio, I love my cardio, I’m never giving up my cardio. Give me a nice long run any day over solely strength training. Sure, adding in strength training is a great idea, but I just don’t believe in the no-cardio approach.

2. Barefoot running. I’m not sure if this is still a trend, and I’m sure for some it might be a lifestyle. But I just can’t fathom it. With all my foot issues, I’m sticking with good shoes.

3. Ultra running. It seems like with the rise in the popularity of marathons, more and more people are jumping on the ultra running train. As for me, I can barely find the time to train for half Ironmans and marathons, I just can’t devote my time to running ultras. And I’m not sure that I want to – as much as I love running, I like variety. But someday when “I signed up for that” includes an ultra, you can point me back to this post and say “you said you’d never try it!”

4. Parkour. I’m just not that talented. Or that daring.

5. Crossfit. I’m never saying never – crossfit looks like a great workout and a great way to get in shape, I just don’t think it’s my thing. I might try it in the future, but I already have an expensive fitness hobby – triathlon! And I love other things like barre, yoga, pilates, so I can’t pay hefty crossfit membership fees and devote my time to only crossfit, which it seems like people do.

I have also been turned off by crossfit “superiority” when people have said to my face that crossfit athletes are in much better shape than Ironman athletes, or that anyone who does crossfit can do a triathlon, and other statements. Um, I don’t care? It’s not a competition! And thinking your fitness way is the only fitness way is really sad. I think everyone should find what fitness routine works for them and motivates them to get up every day and exercise to improve their health and their life.

There are so many fitness trends that I want to try – I should devote another post to bucket list things to try!

And just to check in about training this week – I’m skipping a training recap as I mentioned on Monday. I had a medical procedure this week so I was mandated no exercise or swimming for a few days. I’ve been a little behind with blogging and keeping up with others this week due to that stuff going on, and I’ll try to keep up on our Friday Five posts better this week!

What is a fitness or diet trend you’ll never try? Or what’s something you tried that was a total trend?

The post Five Fitness Trends I’ll Never Try appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

I’m joining Tiffany, Debbie, Natalie and Truitt Family Foods in sharing my Top 10 Takeaways from BlogFest 2015.

I’m back from Blogfest and the IDEA World Fitness Convention, and my head is swimming with all sorts of blogging information, names of new people I’ve met, ideas for fueling my training and life, memories of the weekend, excitement for new workouts to try, and blog “to-do’s” I want to implement.

It was a jam-packed three days, and it’s hard to digest it all and sum it up for you, so I’m joining the linkup hosted by Tiffany, Debbie, and Natalie with my Top 10 Takeaways from Blogfest!

What a fun idea – you can see their posts for the linkup of all the bloggers joining in to recap and you’ll get a great snapshot of the weekend.

I feel fortunate that I was able to attend this year because I won the entry from Katy Widrick in her giveaway. I was torn even after winning, because even with the free entry it still cost me a decent chunk of change, but I booked my flight and then I was committed. Then I made the lodging work with the help of AirBnB (that’s a referral link). I’ll admit I had some AirBnB snafus – I did the shared apartment thing and the owner’s cat puked, I had access issues getting into the apartment building – but overall it was an affordable way to stay in Los Angeles.

Blogfest is produced by Sweat Pink, and it’s unique in that it’s a part of this gigantic fitness convention by IDEA, so not only did we have two days of Blogfest sessions, but we were able to attend the conference sessions on the weekend that are geared for fitness professionals and the massive Expo.

How incredible is that guy? 

I stayed through Saturday evening and then hopped on a redeye home so I could spend one weekend day with my kids before the work week got going again.

On that Saturday I attended two different cycling workshops/workouts, one Bodyshred with Jillian Michaels class, one Ahnu YogaSport mini class, and even did a quick tranpoline workout at the Expo. I was wiped out by the time I got on the plane!

My Top 10 Takeaways from Blogfest

1. Be the change. Lead by example. The IDEA World convention Opening Ceremonies had a number of inspiring moments. I loved hearing Jenna Wolfe‘s speech as she accepted the Jack LaLanne award – she’s a mom of two toddlers and she was funny and interesting and motivating and real.

The keynote speech was given by Brendan Burchard, a motivational speaker. Confession: I’m not typically into motivational speakers, but his speech wasn’t full of fluff. It was pretty applicable to my work, blogging, triathlon and running training, and life in general. Things like being clear about who you are and your identity, quality interactions and relationships, living your life so that you’ll be happy with the answers to the questions you’ll ask yourself at the end, being to others how influential people in your life were to you, challenging people, having courage. It’s hard to wrap it up in a nutshell but I found it a good complement to the fitness-focused weekend.

We each got a copy of The Motivation Manifesto by Brendon Burchard.

2. Invest time into design, SEO, and navigation of the blog. I have had a list of things to do on this blog in terms of design clean-up, new theme, navigation, etc. that keeps getting longer! But I just don’t spend the time to actually get it done. But I need to spend that time because sowing that seed that could reap readers who stick around more, look around more, and that I can connect with more. Investing the time will be worth it.

3. If you’re lacking fitness inspiration, try something new. I found it cool to just walk around a huge place filled with people who have health and fitness as a focus in life. And whether in sessions or in the Expo, there were endless ways to find fitness in your life. I always say that everyone has to find what works for them and the thing that they love getting out of bed to do every morning. If you need inspiration for working out, go to something like this Expo or a fitness event and you’ll find a new way to work out that gets you motivated again.

For example, we fitness bloggers did Zumba with the founder, Beto Perez, on Friday afternoon. I’ve only done Zumba at home in my living room and it’s been years, so I was worried that I’d be uncoordinated or get frustrated that it’s not natural for me. Instead, I found myself smiling, dancing, and feeling… free. And in the process, I worked up a sweat. It didn’t even feel like exercise and I can see why it’s a sensation!

4. We’re training for life. The Blogfest keynote speech was by Gabrielle Reece. She was pretty down to earth and I loved hearing her perspective on being a mom to daughters and leading by example. She said that since her pro volleyball days she gets asked why she’s still working out and what’s she’s training for. She says she is “training for life”. Great perspective as I am constantly training for races, but really I need to remember I am training for life.

After her talk she led us in her HighX circuit training workout, which was great! She had talked about fitness as a community and using each other to motivate each other and show up to help others get it done. So the workout was done in teams and partners.

5. Be authentic, be true to yourself. This was a recurring theme in the presentations. Be YOU and figure out what makes you unique. I hope that I’m authentic on the blog and on social media – heck, I admit when my workouts, races, and life don’t go the way I expect. But it’s a good takeaway to keep this as the guiding principle.

6. Newsletter vs. email blog post subscription list and when/why I might want to switch over. I hear about people making newsletters for their blogs and frankly, I just don’t have the time for yet another blog-related chore. I have a “real job” and do this in my spare time, and it always seemed pretty unnecessary to create more work for myself by doing a newsletter. I have people subscribe to my blog by email, or via Bloglovin and Feedly, and figured that was enough.

But hearing Laura from Mommy Run Fast talk about how she transitioned her blog into a business for her Running & Health Coaching endeavors gave me a lightbulb moment. I recently became a certified RRCA Running Coach and have an idea of what I want to do with it. I knew I needed to update my blog to include a page on coaching services, for example, but didn’t think of the fact that a newsletter subscriber list might be a great thing to build in order to best serve my running clients and others with information that isn’t just blog posts via email.

At dinner with Sandra, Natalie, and Laura

7. Jillian Michaels is just the same in person as she is on my TV. Jillian Michaels has helped me get in shape after three babies, through late night workouts on my basement TV. For example, this pic is from October 2013 right here on this blog:

She helped make it possible – I should credit her with 10 of the 50 pounds I’ve lost! So to do Bodyshred with her in person was incredible and meaningful.

 

Jillian Michaels helped get me in shape after three babies: I had lots of late nights and early mornings in my basement, sometimes with kids crawling on top of me or joining in, sweating while Jillian gave tough love through the TV. So it was a huge deal to be in a workout with her in person today. That Bodyshred workout was tough stuff! @jillianmichaels #ideaworld #blogfest #Bodyshred #workout

A video posted by Cynthia (@yousignedupforwhat) on Jul 18, 2015 at 5:06pm PDT

8. Noindex for a better crawl budget. Whaaaaaa??? I had no idea what this even meant when Sara Downey Robinson mentioned noindex and crawl budget. But now I’ve learned another new thing. I can “noindex” unimportant posts so that Google doesn’t “waste its crawl budget” on them and will crawl other more important stuff on my blog. Who knew? Sara did. I did not.

9. Optimizing images for each social media site is important. Okay, I knew this one but I basically ignore Twitter-specific images. I don’t have time to create several different versions of each image I create for the blog. Amanda Vogel gave a time-saving tip on taking a screenshot of an image and then using Canva to create a Twitter-specific image. I use Canva all the time so this was a tip I’m dying to try!

10. People are awesome. I had a fantastic time meeting friends from online, and also new people, in person. I developed real friendships and that was the best takeaway. I have to admit that by the end of Day 2, I still hadn’t met everyone at Blogfest. I wish we had done a bit intro of everyone and their blog, but there was probably too many people to go around the room like that!

With Ariana, Lea, Sandra, and Natalie

As you can see, I got a lot out of the trip!I feel fortunate that I was able to attend this year, make connections and new friends, and be exposed to so many awesome fitness, food, and health products and methods. And new people.

With Sandra and Katie

There were moments during Blogfest where I felt like I already knew the information, or wished that I could have a deeper dig into that area, but I definitely gained a lot of useful information. And I think even when I knew the content being shared, it helped me gain some clarity and focus and to be inspired and motivated to get to work on the things I need to do here on my little space on the internet.

Because we have to be the change. We have to lead by example. We have to train for life. We have to connect with others and build a community.

That’s what it’s all about.

Be the Change and other Top 10 Takeaways from #Blogfest! #sweatpink #ideaworld
Click To Tweet

Have you ever been to a conference like Blogfest? Or had another conference/experience that left you motivated and inspired?

The post Top 10 Takeaways from Blogfest appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

And now for something fun today – I’m excited to share a Bowflex Body review, discount code and giveaway with you! I’ve been hitting all my workouts this week (aside from cutting one bike trainer ride a little short) and feeling really great. I honestly don’t know if it’s coincidence, or if it’s that I’m mostly hitting my healthy eating goals this week too. I’ve also been fueled by Bowflex Body for my workouts and daily life and I am seriously loving it and happy to share it with you today.

I had always heard of Bowflex for home fitness equipment – weights, machines, home gym necessities – but I didn’t realize that they had a line of nutritional products too. I’m so glad to have been introduced to them!

I’ll give you the run-down and then you can go forth and enter the giveaway, or order Bowflex Body products using the discount code at the bottom of the post!

BOWFLEX BODY FITNESS SHAKE

The foundation of the Bowflex Body Fitness Shake is the French Vanilla flavor.

Just pour water or milk in your glass, add a scoop of the French Vanilla base, and then you can add a “boost” if you want to – Rich Chocolate Fat Burner, Peanut Butter Protein, or Mixed Berry Antioxidant. What you use depends on your flavor preference and/or your nutritional goals.

I absolutely love the taste of the Shake – but a quick disclaimer: I’ve been using the Rich Chocolate and the Mixed Berry, but because of my son’s allergies I did not open the Peanut Butter Protein Boost – someone is going to be a lucky winner and get it in my giveaway – you can enter below!

I didn’t need to blend the Bowflex Body Fitness Shake in a smoothie, or hide the taste with other ingredients, I just drank it straight up with water or milk as the instructions said.

Quickly.

With no hesitation.

Finishing the drink wanting more because of the taste, but not needing more because it’s filling.

The Rich Chocolate Shake Boost is geared towards fat burning. It is seriously delicious.

I drink it in the morning to replace breakfast sometimes and other times to replace a snack and stay on track with my weight loss and maintenance goals. I’m often rushing around after a morning workout and need to get kids their breakfast and get ready for work, so it’s been convenient to have something filling to drink while I get ready that doesn’t take a whole smoothie-making process to prepare.

For example, my mornings are really rushed on Masters Swimming days – I get back from swimming and I walk in the door soaking wet, greeted by a five and a three year old demanding breakfast. It was handy to toss a scoop of shake, a chocolate boost, and some milk and shake it in the Blender Bottle.

It didn’t even make it to the cupholder in my car for my commute – it was long gone by then!

The details on the boosts in general, with specifics found on the Ingredients page:

• It promotes fat burning and helps boost metabolism
• It has 15 grams of the highest quality proteins
• It has essential nutrients and vitamins – details here
• It curbs cravings and makes you feel full longer (I can attest to this!)
• Packed with antioxidants andimmune-enhancing ingredients
• The protein formula helps develop lean, toned muscles and refuels you after a workout
• It’s lactose free, soy free, low sodium, and low fat
• It has 16 potent antioxidants including acai berry, goji berry, pomegranate, mangosteen, spinach, kale and more

The Blender Bottle mixed it up a little better than my spoon could handle, but I also prepared it it without using the Blender Bottle and it was only slightly thick in spots. Really, not a big deal – it mixed pretty well compared to other products I’ve tried, it tasted great, and the consistency wasn’t uncomfortable – I guzzled the shake on those instances in about 2 seconds flat. However, for the best mix and easiest consumption, I highly recommend the Blender Bottle.

Water vs. Milk?

I have drank the Bowflex Body Fitness Shake with water and with milk, and so did my au pair. We both agreed that either way tastes great. That means that I can take the shake on the go easily when only water is available, or if I travel to a race or brick workout.

But I did prefer it with milk, for two reasons: it was a little creamier, which made it taste like a yummy milkshake or ice cream, and it also kept me full longer. On days I drank it with milk it curbed my appetite and cravings more than with water. Makes sense since milk is filling itself.

BOWFLEX BODY PRE-WORKOUT ENERGY & DAILY ENERGY

The other items that Bowflex sent me were the Pre-Workout Energy and the Daily Energy. You mix these packets with water and they were similar to other pre-workout and daily mixes I have tried. I loved the flavors – the Pre-Workout is Berry Pomegranate and the Daily is Passion Fruit. Yum!

A few details about the Energy products:

• They mix really well with water – no gritty texture. There is a small amount of powder at the bottom of my glass, but I could only tell by looking at the glass – drinking it provided no gritty texture or aftertaste.

• The Daily Energy has 50mg of caffeine, so about the equivalent of 1/3 cup of coffee. The recommended limit is 6 packs per day.
• The Pre-Workout Energy has 80mg of caffeine, so about the equivalent of 1/2 cup of coffee. The recommended limit is 3 packs a day.
• The only negative? I could have used some guidance on the Pre-Workout Energy mix – for example, how far in advance of my workout should I drink it? Any time? 30 minutes? I’ve tried other things that were very specific and they “kicked in” a certain amount of time after drinking. In this case, I never felt a huge kick-in of energy, but I did notice the boost of energy in a more sustained way, with some clarity of focus happening shortly after drinking it. The info says it contains theanine, an amino acid from green tea, which helps prevent caffeine jitters and “crash”. I’m thinking that’s why I didn’t feel a huge jittery kick and have only a short window of time to use it.

BOWFLEX BODY DISCOUNT CODE

Great news if you’re interested in trying Bowflex Body – they’re giving you a discount code to order at 20% off and free shipping and handling! Just go here and use the code BOWFLEXSHAKE at checkout. Bowflex has a 100% 30-day buy back guarantee (minus shipping and handling), so go give it a try!

Now for a GIVEAWAY!

I’m super excited because one lucky reader will get to try the Bowflex Body line too! Bowflex has generously provided a Bowflex Body Sample Pack, and I’m also throwing in the Peanut Butter protein shake boost that I received in my package.

Because of my son’s peanut allergy, I can’t open this package at home. I was intending to try it at work or the gym, but I decided that someone else could be the lucky recipient who would be able to enjoy it without worrying that they’ll come home with peanut butter dust or residue on their clothes. As you can see, the box has a slight dent from when it was shipped to me, but I believe the boosts are in packets in the box as with the other boosts, so the product is intact.

Just enter through the Rafflecopter giveaway widget below. Giveaway ends Thursday, August 6 at 11:59pm. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 24 hours to respond before I choose another winner. Prize will be shipped by me to US addresses only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you use when you need a quick boost? How about when you don’t have time for breakfast?

This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Bowflex Body.

The post Bowflex Body Review, Discount Code & Giveaway! appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

Howdy! (Okay, I didn’t really say howdy, did I?) I’m just being silly since I’m just back from a Texas vacation with my family. So “howdy” it is! We’ve had a fabulous time visiting family in the Houston area.

But vacation throws off your game. The diet and exercise game, that is.

And I don’t mean that I expected to diet, that semi-dirty word to a lot of people who don’t believe in diets. I just mean that the things (and quantity) that you usually eat is often altered on vacation. Some of it is intentional (i.e., I want to loosen up a little on the nutrition sometimes for sanity sake), and some of it is circumstantial (i.e., this is what’s available to eat right here right now).

Often I can go on vacation and still keep good eating habits, but that was not this trip. I have a couple extra pounds to work off from the vacation-mode eating and drinking, but I am going to have to be okay with that. Sometimes you just have to relax and enjoy yourself.

I’ve had this post written since Sunday night and it’s now Thursday, so this is my recap of LAST week’s workouts and other activities. When I last posted, I left off with Iron Girl Columbia pre-race. I am trying to catch up on race recaps so that will get up as soon as I can get a few free moments to finish them!

Basically, after Iron Girl I rushed home to host a home brew beer tasting party for my husband’s 40th birthday. That was awesome but it was a crazy busy day!

Monday – I dragged myself to Masters Swimming despite being exhausted from the weekend. I got there and thought “Why did I come? Why didn’t I take a rest day? How will I make it through this whole workout?”

I struggled through the beginning, but by the end of the workout I was in such a good groove, and asked the coach if I could squeeze in another 200 before getting kicked out of the pool.

Lesson learned? The hardest part is getting started.

Tuesday – I had a bike trainer workout on my calendar, but after a hilly 20 mile ride on Saturday and the Iron Girl triathlon on Sunday, I wasn’t really feeling it for a trainer ride. I had a free class at Zengo Cycle that was about to expire (your first one is free!) so I went to the 6am class and loved it! It was a great way to mix it up and get in a great workout.

It was a busy day at work getting ready to leave for vacation, then a busy evening packing, so I was really relieved I got in the workout first thing that morning.

Wednesday – I couldn’t get to my usual track workout since we were leaving for the airport and I had to drop the dog off at the boarding place first. It was a long day of travel with three kids, nasty weather, and Houston traffic upon arrival, and we arrived at our hotel later than we expected.

We were staying at the Woodlands Resort in The Woodlands, Texas for a couple of nights before visiting with family in the area, and so we ate dinner, swam in the awesome pool, floated on the lazy river, and watched a dive-in movie. It was just what we needed!

Thursday – Why do I always think that being on vacation with three kids will leave me time to work out? It was pouring rain and so we had to find other things to occupy ourselves and our three kids. We went to the Woodlands Children’s Museum, where the kids were occupied for hours, and then met my uncle and aunt at a great restaurant nearby. It was called Crisp and it was delicious food, excellent service, and a wine machine where I could sample an ounce or three of various wines without committing to a whole glass.

That’s my kind of place.

After the restaurant, the weather had improved and the pool was open, so we spent some time swimming at the hotel. I skipped out to go work out at the hotel gym. I tried to get in a solid bike ride, but the interval workout was not only cut short due to time, but I lost my groove when I accidentally turned on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and almost dropped the iPad trying to fix it.

We got room service, which the kids thought was really cool, and had a quiet night.

Friday – We tried to swim at the hotel pool but again: the weather was horrible. I thought I might run even in the rainy weather but it just didn’t happen. Thunder, lightning, heavy rain. So we packed up, checked out, and drove to my cousin’s house south of Houston. They have twin boys and the kids had a blast together! My daughter and I fit in a workout – we did Jillian Michael’s Ripped in 30. I only found 10lb weights at my cousin’s house, which actually worked well for most of the arm exercises. My daughter didn’t use weights but loved doing this with me, and my 3yo tried but didn’t last long! Fitness with kids is fun!

Saturday – Oh yeah, run time! I had the time and we had the weather for it. It was hot and humid in Texas but there was a nice breeze coming off of this lake. Midway through the run, I figured out why there was such a nice breeze.

It was about to pour on me. I had just run back to my cousin’s house to use the bathroom, and ran back out at about 2.3 miles into the run, and then the skies opened up. I waited it out undercover and when it cleared, I finished the last 4 miles!

My other cousin and her two adorable kids arrived, and my uncle and aunt. The rest of the day was spent swimming in the pool, which the kids loved.

And the evening was spent playing Cards Against Humanity with my cousins while the kids had a sleepover.

Sunday – Confession: I stayed up too late drinking and playing Cards Against Humanity to be a good triathlete on Sunday morning. Oops.

But it was a great day with a horseback riding lesson for my daughter, whose one wish was to ride a horse in Texas.

And spending time with family.

So that’s that! This weeks’ recap won’t be nearly as exciting.

Have you ever played Cards Against Humanity?

The post Vacation Throws Off Your Game appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

Greetings from New York! Yes, I know I just got back from Houston the other day, and already I’m on another trip. So I basically just kept my suitcase packed and zipped it back up this morning to take a bus from the DC area to NYC. My daughter has a doctor appointment at Memorial Sloan Kettering for her rare tumor, which is thankfully doing fine right now. So today’s Friday Five linkup with me, Courtney, and Mar lives on, despite all my travels! Last week I wrote from Texas, this week from New York. And in the last few days I’ve run in Texas, Maryland, and now today NYC!

I posted a training recap for last week yesterday on the blog, so don’t miss that one – it’s appropriately entitled Vacation Throws Off Your Game. There’s an adorable picture of my youngest, if nothing else good is happening in that post, so don’t miss it!

This week’s Friday Five theme is “Five Things I Did This Summer”. I can’t believe school is starting for the kids on Monday and the summer is over! It really flew by this year. I’m going to post a slew of race recaps next week that I’m woefully behind on, I just haven’t been able to keep up recently! So this post contains a sneak peek of a couple of those races.

FIVE THINGS I DID THIS SUMMER

1. Became a Half Ironman for the second time. In June, I completed Ironman 70.3 Eagleman, to make my second half Ironman in a year’s time (the first was Ironman 70.3 Augusta – recap here). Eagleman was such a different race. Hotter than the surface of the sun (for reals), completely flat, and harder in many ways than Augusta. My official finish time was 6:43:35.

2. Had fun times with my kids. I tried to soak up some fun times with my kids and get in a lot of quality time with them. This is going to be an exciting school year with my oldest heading to a new school for Fourth Grade (she’s going to a magnet program), and the middle starting Kindergarten.

3. Made it onto a podium. Yes, the unthinkable and unbelievable happened. I am typically a solidly “middle of the pack” triathlete, but somehow, some way, at the Fort Ritchie Triathlon in early August I placed third in my age group of 10 women who finished. Great race!

4. Became a running coach. I took the class, passed the test, and in June I became a RRCA-certified running coach!

Hello Cynthia: I’m pleased to say, “Congratulations, coach!”  

You have successfully completed the certification requirements and are now an RRCA certified coach.  

I haven’t done much with it yet except read and learn more, and think about running and training in a different way, but I hope to coach people to 5Ks, half marathons, and marathons in the near future. I’d better get that part of my life organized because I don’t want to get rusty with what I’ve learned about creating training plans.

5. Went to my first ever blogging conference. This was totally surreal to go to an actual blogging conference, but really cool! I went to Blogfest in July in Los Angeles. It was great to really think through the nuts and bolts of blogging and social media, and meet some awesome people.

With Sandra/Organic Runner Mom and Katie/Moms Little Running Buddy

Can you believe summer is over? Here are Five Things I Did This Summer on the Friday Five linkup!…
Click To Tweet

So that’s just five things from my summer. There were so many great things about this summer – while I’m sad it’s over, I’m anxious to get started on a great fall!

What’s one favorite memory of your summer?

Don’t forget to link up with us per the linkup rules!

The post Five Things I Did This Summer appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

Recently, I had a crazy awesome experience in fitness. It was the day I was “up close and personal” with Tony Horton’s abs.

Let me explain.

Tony Horton is the celebrity trainer and guru who created the home workout phenomenon P90X and its variations. Now, I’ll admit that I’ve never done P90X myself, but have always wanted to try it. I’ve researched it and talked to people about it, and have always loved the concept of the workout. And I’ve *almost* bought it a few times when neighbors and family members were raving about it.

So when I was invited to The National Press Club for a live P90X workout with Tony Horton himself, I jumped on it. What better way to get in a workout after work than with the master himself?

Tony was in town to promote the “Beat the Deadline 5K” that was hosted by the National Press Club. I had a coworker running the race and it sounded great!

Before the workout, I was led upstairs to a private Q&A/Tweet-Up for media and bloggers. Knowing that so many people I know were huge fans of Tony Horton, I had asked followers on both my Facebook page and personal page what they would want to ask him if they had the change to meet him in person. I had a few questions of my own, and was simply fascinated to meet him in real life after seeing him on TV and workout videos.

And let me tell you, I’m hooked. Tony was smart, interesting, and funny. But most of all, he was motivational. I left the Q&A feeling like “heck, yeah, I’m going to give this workout all I’ve got and eat healthier tomorrow!” His catch phrase is “Bring It!” and after talking with him, I wanted to bring it – every day.

With Coco from Running With Perseverance 

Here are the highlights of what I learned from Tony Horton:

• Tony likes to stay ahead of the game in the health and fitness world. He’s always working on new projects and the current project has just been shot. He said it’s going to be the biggest thing since P90X. I’m intrigued.
• Tony just turned 57, he’s engaged, and he looks and feels better than ever. True story.
• He cues each move and indicates the proper form in his videos. He says he doesn’t overtax each muscle and provides variety. It took a lot of trial and error to develop his program, and he experimented on his celebrity clients who he was “not allowed to hurt”, so that enabled him to develop something really effective!
• Tony states “I like to force people to work on their weaknesses”.
• I asked Tony about his philosophy on cardio vs. strength. He explained that not everybody is the same, and people tend to gravitate to what they like. Exercise is hard, and you have to find what works for you. He says he can look at people physiologically and their body type and help them find what will be their thing. He says “you can become a healthy version of anything”.
• So where does that leave me, a runner? He said “if you love to run, and you’re not getting hurt, then run”. He suggests adding resistance and yoga because as you get older, you’ll get more vulnerable to getting hurt.
• Work on balance and stability – create an unstable environment and work on it.
• What’s his advice for working moms like me? He suggests his videos such as the 10 Minute Trainer. Because what’s better – 0 minutes or 10 minutes? Then increase it, take 10 and turn it into 15. Then 15 into 20. I loved hearing him say this because this is exactly how I started on the road to fitness – I started small and increased it.
• Food = Health.

Okay, let’s talk more about this Food = Health business. Tony is promoting fitness videos, right? Isn’t that his bread and butter?  Yes, but he’s also a proponent of healthy eating. He stated that every food is a choice.

Tony stated that he had cut 98% of the sugar that he was eating, which was still a 90/10 or 80/20 diet. For 9 weeks he had been having rice pasta, rice crackers, granola mixed with chocolate nibs, no bread, no bars. And he has more energy, patience, and feels better than ever. And he looked amazing, too!

He stated that manufactured sugar is the devil, and it feeds cancer. And we should all just eat “recognizable food”. He emphasized that combatting the country’s health crisis is all about food.

Would your great-great-grandmother recognize what’s on your plate?

Clean eating inspiration through and through.

I was thrilled to receive a copy of his book and a the P90X workouts! I can’t wait to get started.

I didn’t have to wait long, because after the Q&A/Tweet-Up we went to the live workout downstairs. It was in the ballroom at the National Press Club and it was filled with people in P90X and Beachbody attire, and workout gear with his catch phrase “Bring It!”. I felt like the newbie and placed myself in the back.

The workout was intense. It was a series of timed intervals. Tony explained every move from his spot on the stage.

I always find it helpful to watch an instructor, so I was glad he was demonstrating. I am sometimes form-challenged in group workouts.

There were moves on the floor, jumping up and down, and crawling around. A lot of core and upper body work. Supermans, jumps, squats, lunges, spiders, t-rex moves where people made crazy sounds – the workout had it all.

Tony hinted that the workout would give us a hint of what’s to come in his “next big thing” workout video that he’s been working on. And if this workout is any indication, it’s going to be pretty hard core and military-esque.

I was surprised and impressed to see Tony walking around correcting form and encouraging people. He was very hands-on and actively interested in everyone’s workout.

Tony stressed yoga as the key. At the end he had us do some “ohhhhmmmm” relaxation and opening up exercises. It was pretty powerful.

He chatted a lot with the room, and pumped up his new workout and his whole philosophy. Tony Horton was energetic, funny, and he makes you feel like he’s your buddy.

I’m telling you, I can do a half Ironman but 60 minutes of this stuff and I feel like jelly.

It was fun to have Coco to share the experience with. We were both totally drenched with sweat.

With Coco from Running With Perseverance 

After the workout they had some Shakeology to enjoy. I’ve never had it before – it was tasty!

Overall this was enlightening, motivational, and a great workout!

Have you ever gotten up close & personal with @Tony_Horton’s abs? #tonyhorton #p90x
Click To Tweet

Have you ever done P90X? What’s your favorite at-home workout?

The post Up Close and Personal With Tony Horton’s Abs appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

Music. It’s the most amazing thing in life. Well, fine, it’s one of the most amazing things in life. I’m all about music – as many of you know, my career is in the music field and I’m a lifelong lover of many genres of music.

Sure, I’m a total classical music geek (I’m always game for a conversation on which is your favorite Mahler symphony!) but I also like straight-up Pop music. And Classic Rock. And what used to be called “Alternative” when I was a youth, which is now… I don’t know what. Thinking about how my favorites are probably now almost “oldies” is going to make me feel too old, so let’s move on to the topic of the day!

Today’s Friday Five, co-hosted by me, Eat Pray Run, DC and Mar on the Run, is themed “Favorite songs to pump up a workout”. I heart this theme so I’m going to give you my Top Five Workout Songs.

But wait for it… this list is going to be old music. Nothing that’s on the Top 40 now. Why? Because I tend to use the same playlist over and over, and it’s been summertime. I don’t run with music outside very often and I’ve been doing most of my running outside. So I haven’t been that hip and cool and in-the-know about what the current pop songs are that are good workout songs.

I do use music religiously on the treadmill, bike at the gym, and for other workouts, so I’m gearing up for cooler weather running and other fitness activities and need to compile a great playlist.

Top Five Workout Songs

1. Beastie Boys – Sabotage. This tune has always been my all-time favorite pump-me-up workout song. When it comes through my headphones I run faster, dig deeper, and work harder.

2. Jennifer Lopez – Let’s Get Loud. Okay, do not laugh, but this song was on the playlist for a BodyStep class I used to do ten years ago when I lived in Florida, and from then on it became one of my favorite workout songs. I like the steady beat for running, it’s easy to sing to (loudly with headphones on), and it has a nice fun dancy rhythm.

3.Avril Lavigne – Girlfriend. OMG I love this song for working out. I don’t know why, I just do. I love running to this son – I often put it on replay and keep running. And running. And every time the “HEY!” part comes on I kick it into high gear.

4. Gwen Stefani – Rich Girl. this is kind of a silly song, but it’s been on my playlist for a long time. There’s something about the funkiness and the rapping in the middle by Eve  keeps me entertained and moving.

5. Black Eyed Peas – Pump It. This song is buzzy and constantly moving – just like you are during a workout.

For more workout songs, see my reader’s choice Ultimate Workout Playlist!

Need to pump up your playlist? Here are my Top 5 Workout Songs! #fitfluential #sweatpink #fitness
Click To Tweet

PS – don’t miss my review and coupon for ZonePerfect Perfectly Simple bars that I posted this week. You’ll want to use this coupon, they are tasty!

What are your favorite workout songs? Do you rotate them or stick with the same ones over and over?

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking one of them I’ll get a few cents that help pay my hosting fees. Thanks for supporting the site!

The post Top Five Workout Songs appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

Happy Friday! This has been a great week, but busy. I’m swamped at work, getting up early to exercise, and things are really hectic at home with kids’ sports and doctor appointments. For this week’s Friday Five linkup with me, Eat Pray Run, DC and Mar on the Run, we’re sharing our Five Favorite Fitness Bloggers. I love finding new blogs to read, but admittedly haven’t had as much reading time as I’d like lately. Here are five fitness bloggers to follow, but check out the linkup at the bottom for more fitness blogger suggestions!

Five Fitness Bloggers to Follow

1. This Mama Runs for Cupcakes

Sue at This Mama Runs for Cupcakes has become a friend over the years, meeting as running bloggers in the DC area. And not only is she a great mom, a dedicated runner, but she’s also really hilarious. 

I can’t get enough of Sue’s blog – she always has something interesting to say. And I have fun every time I see her in person. She’s pretty “real” and also inspiring.

2. Organic Runner Mom

Sandra from Organic Runner Mom and I had gotten to know each other online, being moms who run and do triathlons, and finally got to meet this summer at Blogfest. I really love her blog and following her training – she’s a runner, triathlete, mom of two, and her family runs an organic egg business so she really knows her stuff with organic farming and it inspires me to make better food choices.

Side note – I realized one day that Sandra’s family business was the egg brand that I always have stocked in my refrigerator – and her kids are even pictured on the packages. How cool is that? I mean, really, I’ve even had these eggs pictured on my blog when talking about cooking up a yummy healthy dish – love Pete and Gerry’s eggs!

3. Nat Runs Far

Natalie a.k.a. NatRunsFar and I got to know each other this summer at Blogfest too, and she’s just the sweetest person! We had a lot in common as moms and runners, and I wish we lived closer. Definitely check out her blog and follow her!

Here’s a photo of me, Sandra, and Natalie at Blogfest checking out the GoRoll foam roller. That was a really cool product – you can lock your items in the GoRoll, and it’s waterproof.

4. Mom’s Little Running Buddy

Katie from Mom’s Little Running Buddy is an inspiring runner, mom, and writer. I enjoy following her adventures! As a working mom who fits in fitness and also travels for her job, we have a lot in common. She’s training for the NYC Marathon as part of team ASICS and it’s really cool to follow along! I also met Katie at Blogfest.

With Sandra and Katie at Blogfest.

[PS – I’ve got a mom-theme going on, don’t I? I didn’t intend that, but I suppose those are blogs that I gravitate to since we relate to each other.]

5. Everyone who links up with me, Courtney and Mar!

It’s so hard to narrow it down to only five so guess what? You don’t have to stop at just five. There’s a whole linkup at the bottom of this post with other great blogs who link up with us every Friday on a Friday Five theme. Go give them some love and check out our linkup below for more great blogs. If you’re on the East Coast, you could spend the entire weekend rained in by Hurricane Joaquin just reading through our linkup! Not a bad way to spend a rainy day, right?

If you want more suggestions, I’ve done posts like this before:

• Five Triathlon Blogs to Love
• Five Blogs to Love
• Five Blogs to Read

I’ve also created a page in my menu called Triathlon Blogs and am adding more and more tri blogs as I go.

Five Favorite Fitness Bloggers! #fitness #bloggers #fitnessblog #fitfluential
Click To Tweet

Who are your favorite fitness bloggers? I’d love to discover more great reads!

Oh hey hey – have we talked about the DC-area fitness bloggers’ happy hour on Thursday, October 15? Meet me, Courtney, and Mar for a drink! We’re finalizing location, stay tuned…

Join in on our linkup! Meet other fitness bloggers and get to know each other. Be sure to leave comments on a few blogs in the linkup and don’t ignore the people who link up at the end!

The post Five Fitness Bloggers to Follow appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

I can’t believe this week. It has seriously flown by. Don’t I say that every week? Well this week, I really mean it. I’m in New York City for a meeting and then staying for a little thing called the Rock n Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon on Saturday morning. Then post-race I have to quickly run to catch a bus to back to Maryland for my mom’s birthday dinner.

I didn’t even post my training recap from last week and it was a pretty good week! I’ll do a combo with this week’s training recap at the beginning of next week because I am ROCKING IT this week too!

(Well, so far. The week is not over yet…)

It’s time once more for our Friday Five linkup. My buddies Courtney, Mar and I chose the theme 5 People Who Motivate Me. To be honest, this was a tough one. While there are many people who motivate me, how do I pin down only 5 when there are so many motivating people out there? We also did a Fitness Inspirations theme a year and a half ago, and that was a great one – check it out!

I noticed that my co-hosts thought the same thing and shifted their themes, so if you have another “five” post today just link up at the bottom, no matter the theme! Just follow the linkup rules.

So here’s five things about People Who Motivate Me!

1. My dad. I suppose my mom will kill me for mentioning my dad when tomorrow is her birthday, but my dad is a huge source of motivation so he has to be mentioned first. He’s turning 70 next month – 70! And this guy not only biked to work regularly before he retired last month, mountain bikes, raced his first Olympic duathlon this summer, but he’s planning a bike trip across France. And it’s not just the fitness, he is the type of guy who will drive you to the airport at 4am. [So let’s not mention that he totally forgot to pick me up at 7am this morning to take me to the bus to NYC… retirement, what have you done to my dad?!]

But seriously, folks, everyone should want to have his energy when they grow up.

2. New runners. I am totally motivated by new runners and people who want to change their lives by getting more active. I was that person 11-12 years ago and when I look at someone who is just starting to run, it takes me back to my beginning as a runner and it motivates me to keep up this reformed healthy lifestyle of mine. I got my RRCA Coaching Certification to be a running coach a few months ago and feel motivated when I see people seeking advice, running for the first time, and running distances they never thought possible before.

3. Lester. Lester is a triathlete who lives in Virginia. Sometimes I feel as though everybody knows Lester. But for those of you who haven’t met Lester, he’s this really nice guy who used to be overweight and sedentary, but he decided to get more active because of his young boys. He became a triathlete. And now he’s not only a half Ironman finisher but he is so strong and fast that he qualified for Ironman 70.3 Worlds and went to Austria this summer to compete. He works hard and he’s an all-around great guy. It’s not just his story that’s motivating, he is the supreme encourager and motivator of others.

With Lester at Ironman 70.3 Augusta in 2014.

4. My daughter. My daughter is my oldest. She’s at a very interesting age, she’ll be 10 in February and it’s the cusp of “tweendom” and the teenage years. She motivates me to be a good person, to show compassion for others, to demonstrate the good in this world by example, and to be a healthy role model for her. Yes, I have two sons too, but lately I’ve looked at her and I can just see and sense that these are the moments that will make a difference. She’s a compassionate, beautiful soul and such a precious person.

5. The readers of this blog. It’s no secret that I sometimes fail miserably at my training and working out. And life is not always sunshine and roses juggling kids, work, working out, and everything else. Things are tough sometimes. So it’s truly motivating to have this online space where I can come and write, and have this outlet to share my successes and failures. And the miracle is that people actually read it. So thank you for reading, commenting, and motivating me to keep going!

This weekend should be interesting – tomorrow it’s Rock n Roll Brooklyn, my mom’s birthday, and our Danish au pair’s parents arrive for a visit. I can’t wait for all three of those things!

Don’t forget Fitness Blogger Happy Hour on Thursday, October 15 with me, Courtney, and Mar! We decided on Gordon Biersch in DC. Be there or be square.

Who motivates you? What motivates you? Or if you want an easier question to comment on, what are you up to this weekend?

The post Friday Five: People Who Motivate Me appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

Ah, love is in the air. Why? Because it’s the topic of today’s Friday Five linkup with me, Courtney and Mar.

And guess what? It’s also the two year anniversary of our linkup! I can’t believe it’s been two years since I joined forces with these two awesome ladies.

I feel lucky to know them, become friends with them, and also gotten to know all of you readers and linker-uppers during the past two years. So what better theme for the Friday Five than “Five Things I Love“?

I will try to give you five random things I love, otherwise I could take care of three things I love with Kid #1, Kid #2, and Kid #3. There. Boom. Almost Done.

Okay, I’ll spare you the obvious in the list, so you’re going to get five random things I love. Stream of consciousness style!

5 Things I Love

1. Watching my kids learn. So here’s a really neat things – my middle child, the boy who didn’t want to work at reading or learning and just wanted to know it all already, is at the beginning stages of reading and it is so cool. My daughter was already reading before Kindergarten, so it’s neat to see how he’s progressing and growing as he learns to sound out words. The pride he has in his success is awesome and it makes him want to keep going.He’s also spitting out random facts he learns at school about the United States, addition facts, and other random things. He used to only talk about video games, hockey, or soccer, so this is fun!

Also, my youngest has speech and other delays and he is really doing incredibly well this fall. I love hearing the new things come out of his mouth!

2. Bags. I have a thing for bags. Some people love shoes? I love bags. Bags of all types – gym bags, triathlon transition bags, backpkacks, bags to take to work, and bags for travel. I can never find just the right bag. Or I find the right bag and then I need another bag. Here’s just a sampler of a few sports bags I have from a post last year:

I am always on the hunt for a new purse. I need one now and can’t find what I want!

3. Books. I love to read and have not had the time much lately. So I’m thrilled to be picking it back up lately on planes and while on trips. I love a good book! Hey, shameless recommendation – if you love discovering new books, check out my friend Michelle’s best seller A Paris Apartment, and her new book I’ll See You in Paris coming out soon!

4. Traveling. I love going to new places and getting to know places I’ve been before. I have a work trip to Europe in February and I’m into the nitty gritty of the planning right now. It’s not just a solo trip – I’m in charge of 125 people as we play concerts throughout Europe. It can be super busy but also a really incredible way to see the world. I also love traveling places not for work – racecations are the best!

5. Halloween. Next week is Halloween and I swear it’s one of the most fun days of the year now that I have kids and live in a great trick or treating neighborhood! My kids are going to be Luna Lovegood (from Harry Potter), Captain America, and Spiderman.

Can you believe it’s been two years of our Friday Five linkup? I’m still in awe of how this blog has brought me together with Courtney and Mar – they have made me a better person just by knowing them! We banded together as the “DC Trifecta” and it’s been a great experience.

We decided next week’s theme is “Free Friday” so join in the fun with whatever list of five things you’d like! Link up below but remember the Linkup Rules or you’ll be deleted.

What are you excited about this weekend? Tell me one thing in the comments!

The post Friday Five: 5 Things I Love appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

It’s a fun Friday this week – it’s not only the day before Halloween, but it’s a “Free Friday” theme for the Friday Five linkup with me, Eat Pray Run, DC, and Mar on the Run! What does Free Friday mean? It means we can write about anything we want.

And with Halloween tomorrow, I can’t ignore the obvious: the candy. Yesterday I posted an honest post having to do with body image, weight, criticizing myself in photos, and being a role model for my daughter. You can find that post here – please check it out if you’re like me and over-analyze pictures of yourself.

So today, I thought I’d focus on the positive. And with Halloween this weekend, I think many of us could use some healthy eating tactics for Halloween.It’s so easy to get carried away during a holiday that is so focused on candy, but it is possible to not go overboard. To not overindulge and have regrets. These things worked very well for me last year and the year before, and I want to implement them this weekend.

Five Tactics for Not Overindulging on Halloween Candy

1. Don’t buy your favorite candy. It’s tempting to buy your favorite candy at the store, but if you don’t have the thing you absolutely cannot resist in your house, you’ll be in a better position to not overindulge when you’re waiting for trick or treaters or have leftover candy.

2. Savor one piece of something good. The taste of something sweet is sometimes all I need to open the flood gates to overindulgence. But realistically I’d have to say that deprivation often makes us more likely to spin out of control with the Halloween candy. The only time deprivation works for me is when I’ve seriously cut the sugar out of my life completely. Then I’m not tempted, not even a little bit. But if you haven’t cut the sugar out of your diet, savor one piece of Halloween candy. And make it a good one.

3. Avoid the empty stomach. If you’re hungry and the candy is there, you’re more likely to have that Snickers bar lunch than if you eat a sensible meal and then have one favorite item. Healthy snacks can also help avoid the mindless noshing on Halloween candy.

4. Out of sight, out of mind. People always laugh when I tell them I hid something from myself. But it works! Hide the candy in the back of a cabinet and you will be less likely to reach for it and eat it without intention.

5. Track your food. When I’m tracking with an online website or app, or even just jotting it down on a piece of paper, it’s easy to catch when I’m out of balance with my eating habits. If an app or website like My Fitness Pal isn’t for you, carry a small notebook for the week and write down everything you put in your mouth.

I’m hoping to use all these tactics this weekend and beyond! After this weekend I can expect all my co-workers’ leftover Halloween candy to be in the office kitchen, and that is actually harder than Halloween itself.

For more tips, see last year’s Halloween post for Healthy Halloween tips.

Five Tactics for Not Overindulging on Halloween Candy #halloween #diet
Click To Tweet

What’s the Halloween candy you can’t resist?

What’s your tactic for not overindulging on Halloween candy?

Want to link up? Just follow the linkup rules and add your link below.

The post 5 Tactics for Not Overindulging on Halloween Candy appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

Wait, what’s that sound? It’s the sound of quiet.

The quiet here on the blog, as I traveled to Florida for my big triathlon and left this space dead quiet.

The quiet in my life this week as the stress of an impending Big Goal Race is over.

The quiet sound of no pending races at all.

The quiet of the off season.

The truth is I’m seriously ready for the off season. I did a lot this year, and I need a little time to catch up with my life and recover mentally as much as physically. I have things to do here on the blog like finish my half-written race recaps, blog posts, and also things at home. And just life in general. Work is insanely busy and although kids’ fall sports have faded, they still have soccer clinics and other activities going on.

I had a great weekend at Challenge Florida. It was a great race, but super hot. I had a super fantastic time with my SOAS Racing Ambassador buddies Nadia and Stephanie.

With SOAS Racing Ambassador friends Stephanie, Nadia, and me before a practice swim for Challenge Florida.

It was so great to have them to pal around with all weekend and obsess about our packing list, have them view my “tri kit fashion show” to decide what to wear on race day, and cheer for each other at the race.

I ended the race about the same as Ironman 70.3 Eagleman, with similar hot conditions! Somehow I managed fourth in my age group, even with a less than stellar time on that “run” (which had a lot of walking since I was overheating!).

More on Challenge Florida in my race recap, which I promise won’t take very long to post!

The race being over has lifted a fog in my brain and I am catching up on ALL THE THINGS!

So it’s back to reality. Today I have a day off work for Veteran’s Day, but a day off work means trading one full-time job for another: MOM. I’m going to three parent-teacher conferences at two schools this afternoon with my husband and I’m looking forward to hearing how the kids are each doing in school.

So what’s in store for the off-season?

This winter during the off season I’m going to work on core strength, which has been neglected recently after being in the groove with it for so long. I’ll resume regular yoga classes, spin on my new indoor cycling bike, swim, and run. I’m a pace group coach for the local road runners’ Winter Half Marathon Training Program, which will be fantastic.

I’m excited for the chance to keep the three core triathlon disciplines going while not having the pressure of races looming on the calendar, and to mix in some variety that I love – core and yoga and barre and pilates.

I’m also thinking a lot about next year and how to balance my priorities with work, travel, kids, running, and triathlon. It should be a great year.

I wrote a post with Off Season Tips before the off season actually began for me. Now that it’s here, it’s time to re-read it and transition into that mode.

Expect fun things on the blog including a giveaway very soon!

What is your main off season goal?

The post Is it Off Season Yet? Yes. appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

In less than two weeks, it’s already Thanksgiving. The fall has flown by! And we’re embarking on the start of the dangerous sweets-in-the-office season. The holiday cookies, boxes of chocolates, and home-baked goodies season. It’s practically a sweets fest in this food-focused time of year. And for someone who is trying to lose weight, maintain weight loss, or just not gain weight it’s a hard time to navigate.

So with the holidays fast approaching, Courtney, Mar and I decided on a timely theme for today’s Friday Five linkup – Five Ways to Stay Healthy during Holidays. Check out all the posts linked up on the theme below, and add your own if you are a blogger. Just follow the linkup rules to play.

I’ve blogged about healthy holidays before, and I try to stick to my own tips. I’m not perfect – get a glass of wine in me and I mindlessly nosh at the food table at a party. It’s a tough battle to fight.

It’s a stressor for me right now, as I’m going into this off-season hoping to lose a few pounds and get stronger and fitter, rather than flabbier and heavier. So here are Five Tips For Healthy Holidays for this holiday season.

Five Tips For Healthy Holidays

1. Write down your goals. The act of writing down your goals makes them less likely to be broken. It’s extra accountability, and something you can refer to every week as the holidays progress.

2. Pack healthy snacks. The trick here is to be prepared. There are so many opportunities to indulge this holiday season, but packing healthy snacks for work, outings, car trips – anywhere – gives you an edge in sticking to your healthy goals.

3. Make a regular workout date. Whether it’s a fitness class you attend at the same time every week, a workout buddy who is waiting for you at the gym, or a running group, commit to something. Make it a standing date and you’re more likely to keep up your fitness activities if there’s external motivation.

4. Don’t eat as a favor. Everyone is baking at the holidays, and while it’s the thought that counts, let that treat that doesn’t align with your goals remain a thought. I’ve often felt bad declining someone’s treats, as if I were personally rejecting them. Let’s get one thing straight: you are not obligated to consume something as a favor. Keep your focus on your own health and fitness goals.

5. Choose your position wisely. If  you’re like me and can’t stop grabbing food mindlessly from the food table at a party or gathering, just move. MOVE! Blowing hundreds of calories on mediocre snacks just because they’re there isn’t worth it.

For more healthy holidays tips, see Five Holiday Fit Tips and Five Tips For Staying Fit Over the Holidays!

Do you have a problem with #4? Five Tips For Healthy Holidays #fitfluential #health #fitness
Click To Tweet

Do you have endless amounts of sweets around over the holidays? How do you balance healthy holidays with a bit of enjoyment?

The post Five Tips For Healthy Holidays appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve posted my weekly triathlon/running training recaps, and it’s too bad because a couple weeks ago I completely rocked my workouts. I felt great two weeks before the race doing what I needed to do!

Then the week of Challenge Florida I super-tapered. Which really means I didn’t get in tons of workouts leading up to the race, but since it was taper time it wasn’t a tragedy. One factor that contributed to the extra tapering was the switch off from Daylight Savings Time.

You see, what happens when the time changes is that my previous workout time of 6am is actually 7am to a little kid, and they’re wide awake and want breakfast (and attention) by that time. And they want me. They don’t want me to run out the door to go to swimming, and they’re extra energetic when I come back from track at 7:30am on Wednesdays.

So that posed some challenges the week before the race, along with the week after. Fine for a taper week and a recovery week, but now I want to get into a good groove of exercise.

Last week I did have a nice Veteran’s Day off where even though it was a day off, I got to track at 5:45am. I also got a ton done – from raking to groceries – and got to walk the kids to school.

But then I had three parent-teacher conferences at two different schools – whew! Thankfully all kids are doing pretty well in their various grades and programs.

So what else has been going on? Sometimes I’m getting in a walk with the dog.

And this weekend I rocked both longer workouts – on Saturday I streamed two different cycling classes for a 70-minute workout on my new spin bike. It was fun to be able to watch the boys play while I was working out, although I was interrupted every 10 minutes for one thing or another – potty training the youngest, reading hard words on the video game screen for the middle, mediating fights over toys. The usual.

I felt great though – 70 minutes on the indoor bike is a great workout! I haven’t abandoned my bike trainer – I’m just loving the new Real Ryder bike and pumped to stream in Peloton classes! The first one I did was live – totally wild to be doing a class going on in NYC at that very moment on my iPad at home!

Later I went to a college alumni event, took my daughter to a birthday party, then went to work an evening concert downtown.

Then on Sunday I got in my 7-mile run. It was actually split between two different times and two different climates. I had a 1-mile run + 2 mile walk in the morning with a newer runner with my Moms Run This Town group, then after a morning with the kids I went out for 6 more miles on my own. The morning run was 34 degrees and the midday was 61 degrees – totally confusing!

And yesterday I WON MONDAY! Why? Because I beat the 3 year old at the workout game for the first time since the time change. I’ve been up and dressed before, but never out the door and swimming before he woke up.

So the trick is to wake up earlier, sneak out earlier, and get it done. I’m excited to shift my sleep patterns and feel like I can get in mornings again. I’ve been so tired in the evening and unable to get late night workouts to happen consistently.

Does the Daylight Savings time change affect your workouts?

The post Beating the 3 Year Old at the Time Change Game appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.

This week’s Friday Five theme is all about winter – our theme is Favorite Winter Activities. Courtney, Mar, and I hosted this theme last year and it was so fun to talk about various winter fun that wasn’t just running or other purely fitness activities. You can find it here, including a cute pic of my Great Dane trying to get around in several feet of snow. Link up at the bottom if you have a blog, and if you don’t be sure to discover new blogs via the linkup!

So since it’s already mid-December, I thought I’d just talk a little bit about my winter activities and what I have in store for the coming months to stay in shape and maintain my base fitness in the off-season.

1. Indoor cycling. I’m kinda sorta obsessed with cycling classes right now. I have my new spin bike that I won from Real Ryder this summer and picked up in October, and I stream Peloton classes. It’s amazing. Live or on demand classes on my iPad.

I’ve been doing a few Soul Cycle classes since it’s walking distance to my office, but it’s not my favorite. I really liked the Zengo Cycle class I went to last Thursday and want to go more to that particular instructor’s classes!

2. Winter Half Marathon Training Program. As I mentioned in this week’s post about the “Other” side of running, I’m a coach for the local running club’s winter half marathon training program. It’s been a great way to stay motivated so far this winter, and it’s not even that cold out yet! So I imagine when the temps drop it’s going to be even more of a driving force in getting out there week after week.

3. Swimming. I’m still doing my Master’s Swimming workouts but haven’t actually been there in a week or more. The pool was closed last Friday on the day I planned to attend, and the week before I had to be at work really early each day. I need to get to the pool more on my own.

4. Yoga. I’m seriously slacking on my yoga lately, but I plan to resume doing it regularly because I can totally tell the difference lately since I’ve let it slide!

5. Video workouts. I am loving working out at home – I have a post coming up on Monday reviewing the video streaming platform I’ve been using and it’s great! This is going to be key when I’m traveling in February – I’m in Europe most of the month of February and being able to stream workouts in my hotel room will be awesome. Stay tuned for more info on Monday!

What’s your favorite winter fitness activity?

The post Friday Five: Winter Fitness appeared first on You Signed Up For WHAT?!.