For in thy light we see thy light.

In order to save face and avoid being annoying, I'm writing here. Today was a day to be thankful for. It was ordinary, but not in the same sense. I felt instantly energized when I saw the sun peak its head out. I went for a run. 34 minutes without stopping. The sunshine said, you are light. You are love. Be love. Live love. Live.

<3

My quest to find the right running shoe. *UPDATE*

This is me, wearing my brand new running shoes. I am VERY happy. About  two months ago, I wrote about how I was trying to find the right shoe, but I wanted to find a deal. Well, I realized that when it comes to running, there are no deals. Running is something that takes time to get used to, and in order to do so, you need a shoe (at least beginners who hated to run before) to help.

I have tried to start running for a very long time...since I started college, really. But, every time I get going, I get so frustrated because my back, hips, and knees begin to ache, terribly. The last time I started to run was back in April, and it went alright for about 2-3 months. I started to run ` 4-7 miles per week, and if that would go well, then I would try to bump it up each week. I really wanted to be ready to do a mini marathon by the end of the year, but early August hit me with another plan: severe sciatica.

I started to see a chiropractor, Dr. Kostidis, and he really changed my life. I saw him every other week for about a month or two, and my pain was gone. My life had changed!!! I wasn't hobbling around in pain, and I was able to begin working out again. He told me that I needed monthly visits to keep me aligned, so I have been sticking to that. He also advised me to stay away from running for about 3 months after I was pain free so that any residual recovery in my hips could happen. He also told me I needed a good running shoe.

So, I gave my body time to heal. I started my hunt for a better running shoe, and after saving up enough money to afford the price range that would benefit me, I finally bought some. This time though, I didn't head to Finish Line, or jump online--well, I lied. I did go online and investigate the ones I liked/thought were good. I also asked my FB friends to help me decide. You know what the majority of them said? GO GET PROPERLY FITTED. So, that is what I did today.

I went to a lovely, local store called  Extra Mile Fitness Co. There, I was nicely greeted by the owner, Todd, who sat me down, looked at my feet, my stride, and my entire body and decided what I needed. He matched me up with a pair of AMAZING lime green and purple New Balance 860 v3. They are like cushions of air, with beautiful coloring and a shapely design. They are not too gaudy, nor do they make my foot look terrible. I LOVE THEM.



My drop pattern, or so I'm told, is called late pronation--meaning I don't over pronate as much, but I do pronate at the end of my stride (?). I am told to start taking smaller steps so that I can get more out of each step, rather than taking more out of me, making it harder to run. This guy, seriously, was awesome. He knew his stuff. He wanted to tell me about it, too!! It was amazing. I think I will start to go running with them once per week, if I get the courage up!!

Another thing he told me was that running takes a little bit of time before it starts to feel good. He actually said 45 DAYS. Holy smokes. But, at least it is something to start working on and by the time those  45 days are up, I will be 45 days closer to summer, and more favorable outdoor weather.

Well, here's my post for today, and it's dedicated to the awesome Extra Mile Fitness Co. THANK YOU!!!

<3 Amelia

PVbody Review!

Hi there!!!

Okay, so I am a fitness freak--or at least my wardrobe is. I love to wear work out clothes all the time, warm/cold, active/lazy, casual/work...I find some way to always fit them into my outfit, whether you can see them or not.

Well, I guess Facebook is becoming quite the stalker, because I started getting ads about this company called PVBody.  Basically, they send you a workout/fitness outfit every month for 50$ or something. Honestly, I didn't know it was 50$, and I didn't pay that much (I got a coupon and paid 27.50$ for the first month.) But, for the price I paid, and for what I got, I am really happy.

The idea is genius. A new outfit each month for a relatively cheap price? CHYEA!!Yeah, that is why i signed up, at least for the first month.

So here is what I got!!!!!! Plus, they send it in this SUPER CUTE magenta pink bubble package, which made me feel super awesome!!

So, it's a GREEN racer back cami, with this super cute back detail. It fits me perfectly. Like a glove. Seamless. Super soft. Sweat-wicking material. MMM. Love it!!!

The pants are a "mountain" blue, which I would've NEVER picked for myself, and I was even a bit pissed when I first saw them.

My actual words were, "What the fuck?!"

But, after I tried them on, the anger immediately subsided, because--Dude--check out my booty!! It looks awesome!! Plus, they are a perfect fit, and make moving around so comfortable! MMM. Love it!!! 

Okay, so I pretty much love this outfit, and they do actually look really cute together, I think.

***Sorry for the bathroom pics, people. I know it's not the most professional.***

This is the view from the front. I love the fun pattern. The fit, like I said above, is amazing. You guys at PVBody really rocked it out.

I am not particularly fond of the way my thighs look, but I read in a magazine once that the only way to motivate yourself to look better is to put on tighter clothing so that you are forced to see yourself that way. Then it's like, okay, wow--do I really want to look like this forever? NO! Well, then, get off your A$$ and move!!!

Yeah, so this is how I feel about these pants.

I didn't get a great pic of the whole length of the pants, but they are mid calf, tight capris. They are super thick, too, which might be surprising, but it's like the thickness you want to wear so they don't fall down.

Anyways, I really do like the outfit, even though it's a bit untraditional and I definitely wouldn't have picked it out myself. Needless to say, change is good!

~ ~ ~

The ONLY thing that really bothered me was the fact that they took a month to get this to me. I know I am being picky and childish, but it said that it was shipped the same day, which must have been a lie, because it doesn't take ground packaging 4 weeks to arrive. I did read somewhere else that they have been BUSY because they are now booming with business.

Guess FB is doing it's job!! PVBody, go pay them!! Bahaha, just joking. Pay me to wear more of your clothes and review them!! I'D LOVE TO!!!!!! I will have to see how my budget is next month, and then I might sign up again. (I cancelled, and was about to call the BBB if I didn't get my package by the 16th--I was getting FREAKED that they were FAKE!!!)

But, alas, my faith is restored, and these girls really know what us fitness (clothes) freaks will LOVE!!!! Thanks again, and I am sorry for ever doubting! Because I got my clothes today, I went on a RUN for the first time in two months!!!!! Way to motivate me, yo!!! GOOD LUCK with the biz, and let me know if you need any more testers ;)

<3 Amelia

Nearing the end of my first week: feeling optimistic!

Last week on saturday, I started a running program (called color runner)to train you for a 5k in 8 weeks. Seemed lengthy, but I didn't want to over do it. It was easy enough, in theory. The first week, run 1 minute, walk 1.5 mins. 8 times. Takes 20 minutes to do and you're supposed to do this 3x per week.

With that accomplished, I am leading into next week (starting tomorrow). Run 2 minutes, walk 1 min, 7 times. 3x per week. This equals 21 minutes of running. I can't wait.

To keep my mind on it, I had the program picture as the background on my phone.

I also wanted to start #P90X again, so I began that on Monday. I did it everyday, except Wednesday so far, and I hope to make it up on Sunday (which is normally a rest day).

So far, I'm happy with how I feel and motivated by the cuts and increased strength I've already noticed.

Check out my week 1 pics below!

131lbs

Good luck to the rest of you, if you are starting something new, continuing a program or just finishing. Health isn't a choice, its a necessity, keep it up!

...Amelia...

Yesterday's triumph and today's .... tragedy.

Well, I can say that I cannot make cookies on an empty stomach. They are much too appealing, and one doesn't do the trick. Especially this new recipe that I just made. I think I had like 5. YIKES.

What's worse is I didn't even get a run, jog, walk or body weight activity in today because I was cooped up stidying all day. (Terrible excuse that I will no longer use in the future.)

My mom did treat me to a wondeful haircut, tho, and it truly made my day. Plus, she liked hers as well, which is rare....she's phobic about her hair.

I did manage to do a great circut workout by the dunes yesterday, and I took a walk up and down Franklin St. and central ave to central beach. The air by lake michigan is so fresh and inviting. It's almost a sin not to take advantage of it.
This is what I did for resistance and strength building:

25 jumping jacks
10 burpees
10 squats (butt to the ground, weight on your heels!!)
10 side squats
50 situps, at intervals of 5, holding every 5th one for a long 6 second exhale)

Repeat 4 times.

I did my recovery magic drink ( 1 heaping teaspoon of L-glutamine and 4 oz of water, followed by vitamin c).

I also chugged 32 oz of water and then ate a great litttle tomatoe, mushroom and leek sautee. It was very good and even the baby chowed down.

So, my goal for tomorrow: run! It's been two days, and I think I'm ready for another shot. I have two chapters to read and take notes on, so a nice run in between will keep my head in the game.

Good night, yous!

...Amelia...

FITNESS: A beginner runner with one goal.

I am Amelia and I am a beginner runner. My goal is to become LEAN!!

 9 months ago, I had a baby, and I came out of the hospital weighing 174lbs, a sight I hope to never see again in my entire life. I was overjoyed with my son, yet dismayed how my body had handled the pregnancy (or rather, how I handled the pregnancy....oreos are not my friend anymore.)

Saggy boobs, stretch marks and 50lbs of extra fat made looking in the mirror a night mare and finding clothes to fit and make me feel good a chore. So, for the past 9 months I have been working my ass off (literally) to get back into my bangin' body that I had when I was 20. Honestly, it was about 3 months ago that I really honed in on my diet, physical fitness, and lifestyle, so I wasn't completely honest, but due to stress and other things in life, I couldn't devote my time to being healthy until now.

Currently, I weigh a nice and healthy 132-138lbs...I always get different answers on different scales, so I think I am going to stick with the heavier weight to make the weight loss that much more amazing! This pic was taken last weekend, and honestly, I feel HOTT, but now all I can think about is LEAN!!!

I started reading about running and how it has so many wonderful benefits, not to mention it's 100% free, which is nice cuz I'm a broke college kid. My mom always warned me that running kills your knees...blah blah blah, but it finally hit me that I have to try it out myself to see if I like it.

In my youth,  i hated running because I was bad at it and mostly because I never thought I could do it. I was overweight, teased by my gym teacher and made to look like a lazy fat kid. Now, as a 22yo getting ready to embark on an adult life, I want to embrace my body as a temple and never say "can't" again.

Bart Yasso is kinda like my go to running guru. He is the CEO of Runner's World Magazine and he tweets so often about how to improve your running skills, that I just couldn't not try it any longer!!

The thing that really kick started my training was a pic of my big brother, Paul and his friends and wife running in a 5k, without even training. Now, he did play soccer for his entire youth, but come on! No training at all??? My sister-in-law invited me to a health fair at their community village and one thing was a 5k, so I decided to commit to doing it and get motivated.

I found a plan to help train for a 5k in 1 month, even though I have about 5 weeks until the event, but it gave me an extra week to start even slower and see where I was on a fitness scale. Turns out I can run a mile under 11 minutes, which knocked my socks off, to be honest!!

So, here is my training schedule for this week:

pre week:
Monday: walk 3, run 7, walk 1 run 7 walk 3 @ a pace of 5 on the treadmill
Tuesday: fluidity bar work out  intermediate (cross training)
Wednesday: walk 3, run 10, walk 3 run 10 walk 3
Thursday: fluidity bar work out intermediate or swimming (cross training)
Friday: walk 3 run 10 walk 1 run 10 walk 3
Saturday: fluidity bar work out intermediate (cross train) or maybe a rest day
Sunday: rest day

I will do everything in my power to stick to this schedule, if not, i will come back and cross the things out I didn't do.

So, all of you out there who do not think you can start a running schedule....Shut up and just do it...

Oh, and go by yourself a pair of Nike free 2+. Seriously the best running shoe ever. EVER.

<3