Feature Friday: Home Gym Essentials

Happy Feature Friday on a Saturday! You know how somedays you’re just really not into doing certain things- well, that was me yesterday. I got through some chores/things on my to-do list and then I just really wanted to lounge on the couch and do nothing. SO, I did just that. I think sometimes I get into such a mindset that I need to ‘go go go’, when in reality-> it’s OK to not do everything on your to-do list. If you did everything on your to-do list in one day, then what would you have to look forward to tomorrow? I would (most likely) make another to-do list. ANYWAYS- enough on my tangent. I wanted to share with your some of my home gym essentials that I LOVE to have at my disposal (and there are still a few things that I definitely want). Now that most of the fitness centers around me are closed, I’ve slowly started to incorporate my favorites weights/foam rollers/tools to have at my disposal. No affiliate links here- just sharing what I love to hopefully help inspire someone else to continue to build their tools!

• Foam Roller - love to use this to massage my IT band, back, glutes, quads

• Massage Ball - love to use this to massage out my feet and calf muscles

• Resistance Bands- use them to help warm-up my glutes and legs before a run!

• Floor Sliders- I use these for SO much (they slide well on a Yoga Mat). Lunges, skaters, planks on my knees with pushing one arm out at a time..

• Pilates Ball- I use this to help engage my core. Donkey Kicks, between the legs for bridges or clam shells, behind my low back to help me engage the c-curve in my spine..

• Free weights- These have certainly been hard to come by during the Pandemic (and I’m still looking for relatively inexpensive heavier weights), but they are great to add to your collection!

• Ball- Love to do hamstring curls on this one.

• Treadmill- OK, this one is definitely only if you need one/ will use it often, but we LOVE our Nordictrack so so much. I never thought I would look forward to running on a treadmill, but ours is so sturdy and fun and I love to run fast on it.

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Any other favorite home gym equipment essentials that you love?

7 Things

I’m back again for what seems like my monthly posting! I have less than 3 weeks left of classes, so hoping to make my blog posts more regular again. Life has been completely crazy this past month with my nursing senior practicum at the hospital (night shifts!), but I finished my last one this morning. Cheers to no longer having to look like a smurf & maybe a week without mask-ne (the masks we have to wear during our 12 hour shift causes me to break out in crazy acne)

We’ve been biking together so much lately & I love it. It’s amazing how much farther you can get when you’ve got two wheels!

We ate-out for the first time since the pandemic started & it was so nice! We wore masks to our table (we ate at the Old Saco Inn) & then took them off. The Chicken Piccata was amazing (& leftovers just as good)!

Every time I feel like I’m heat-acclimated, I run in crazy humid weather and become very humbled. I know running this Fall will so good once those cooler temperatures come.

We took the kayaks out last week and it’s so nice being out on the water after dinner. It’s quieter on the water and so serene.

It’s funny when this is actually your “nights “ sleep (when I have back-to-back night shifts I sleep during the daytime)

Really enjoying splurging on coffee Oreo ice cream lately. So so good. Maybe my favorite flavor?

Just a daily dose of Manx kitty cuteness.

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-What’s your favorite Ice Cream flavor?
-How much sleep do you get each night?
-Biking or running- tell me your favorite way to get around

10 Things And A Race Recap- Wedding Updates, REALLY EXCITED FOR THIS, This Was A Bummer

I’m BACK. Momentarily. Well, now maybe i’ll be back a bit longer since our campus is switching to online classes after Spring Break next week. So I’ll have a bunch more time since I don’t have to drive everywhere. Maybe, just maybe I’ll be back on here more often? Maybe I’ll just be CRUSHING MORE PR’s- Like what I did at the Hamptons Half Marathon last weekend. My race recap is HERE.

We’re deep into the Wedding planning over here. So far, I’ve fallen in love with my Brunch (the morning after) outfit. Also obsessed with my awesome haircut by Sara Ghelfi (Lotus Organic Hair Studio in North Conway for any locals out there!).

Also got all of my earrings for the Wedding weekend- including these for the actual Wedding day!

It’s been a heat-wave here (or well, maybe our thermometer no longer works/ is in the direct sun….yeah I think that’s much more realistic). Ha.

I got to go skiing!!! ONE DAY THIS WHOLE SEASON. WOW. Remember when I used to go like three times a week? Yeah…

I think I already announced this on here, but I got in the Mt. Washington Road Race again! YAY to running up crazy-steep mountains.

I’m trying to swim one time per week and it’s still so hard. Convinced that swimmers are the real deal athletes.

I rewarded myself yesterday with an Iced Coffee and donut yesterday. Good thing that Stella ate my donut for me before I could have a bite……

I’m in my Labor & Delivery clinical (hoping we can still go since classes are online after Spring Break) and so far, haven’t been able to catch any babies!!! I HAVE been able to hold a 31 week old little nugget, which was literally life-changing. I cannot believe that I graduate in August?!?!?

And some of the BIGGEST NEWS YET!!! So excited to announce that I’m part of the Brooks Run Happy Team for 2020! Can’t wait to help spread my love for Brooks Running this year.

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Anyone have any Wedding suggestions for me?!? I NEED YOUR TIPS!

Favorite Brooks Running outfit?

Anyone else a Nurse that loved their L & D rotation? I’M OBSESSED.

7 THINGS

You know when you go on vacation and come back and are constantly wondering what day it is? Yeah. That’s definitely me today. It’s a Monday, but really kinda feels like a Wednesday? to me. One of the best things about this weekend was that the lake trail is now dry and snow-free! I got out there on Saturday morning and was so so happy. I’m planning on getting back out there today to get my last 20+ mile run until my 50 miler! I’ll simulate the race course by doing a 3-mile warmup (the course has us do a 3 mile loop and then 3 x 25k loops) and then 2 loops of the 10 mile lake trail. It’s supposed to be rainy until Friday, so I think mother nature is giving me a sign that today is my long run day ; )

Brady was also in his usual spot last night - he loves to hide behind our fan while we go to sleep?!? Anyone elses cat do this?

After I ran Saturday morning, we headed to the movies to see the new Avengers: End Game! It was SO good. Normally I have a really hard time watching a movie that is 3 hours long, but this one was done so well and it honestly felt like several movies in one.

Also weekend chores including laundry. Just realized that Brady is basically the highlight of this past weekend. I guess I missed him on my trip ; )

The weather was so beautiful this weekend, so we also took advantage and got a few things done outside including taking the cats out! There are too many coyotes, mountain lions, and foxes near our home so we choose to keep them indoors, but will take them out on leaches/ harnesses during the warmer months.

Maple says her harness complements her fur so well.

Cat bouquet!

I think this photo also gives nice scale to how giant Brady is compared to Maple. Ha. I swear they are brother/sister!

And we went out for a hike out Mad Creek yesterday afternoon! The trails were crazy busy, but DRY so yay!

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-How was your weekend?!?

-Anyone else see the Avengers movie this weekend? Thoughts? No spoilers though!

-Are the trails dry where you are?

29

Last year in my 20’s?!? The past 9 years have seemed to both fly by and go ridiculously slow. I remember being 22, fresh out of college, and wishing so terribly to be in my ‘late 20s’. I thought that I would finally be considered an ‘adult’ to others and respected more-so than I was in my early/mid 20’s. Well, spoiler alert: I honestly don’t think much has changed in terms of what others perceive of my ‘you’re so young age’, BUT my perception of what they think has. I don’t really care anymore. I embrace who I am, my capabilities, my strengths, weaknesses, and honestly- a ‘I don’t give a F*** what you think because I know ME’. Maybe that’s conceded, maybe it’s confidence, maybe it’s seen as a ‘bitch’ to some - I’m no longer fretting over what others think. So, there’s that. I am me and I will embrace myself and continue to grow/learn/challenge myself/ and love myself.

So, in honor of turning 29. Here are 29 things that I’ve learned/ done in the past year : )

1. It’s ok if not everyone likes you. What’s most important is that you like yourself.

2.Find your passion and don’t let anyone dull your fire. It will be hard at times and really f*ing tough and you’ll question yourself a lot, but don’t give up.

3.Love yourself. At the end of the day, it’s you so it’s imperative that you love yourself before you look to anyone else.

4.Give yourself a priority list. What are your priorities for the day, month, year, your life? I’m still learning what mine are, but knowing whether or not something is ‘hard priority’ or not has helped me let things go and move on. Focus your intention fully on what is important to you.

5.If something doesn’t bring you joy or isn’t a necessity, then why are you doing it? Somethings you have to do that aren’t necessarily ‘enjoyable’ like cleaning the bathroom or laundry, but other things like wearing clothes that don’t make you feel great or uncomfortable shoes. I’m just over that.

6.I love to cook and create in the kitchen. Cooking something from scratch is super satisfying to me and like running, it almost always brings me joy.

7.I love to sign-up and conquer really scary-to-me things. Maybe I’m considered a ‘thrill-seaker’. I like to think of it as pushing my boundaries. There is no better feeling that conquering something that you once imagined impossible. Last year, that was my MS Run The US 175 mile segment. This year, my 50 miler.

8.I’m learning to not sweat the small stuff. If I don’t feel like running, I no longer feel compelled to run. If I don’t feel like cooking dinner, well then I’m not going to cook dinner. Cold pizza sounds great. I used to hold myself to super high standards, but I’m learning to let those things go (and also- wow does it feel empowering to do so!)

9. Upcycling clothes is my jam. I used to LOVE to buy all the clothes, but upcycling is so much better for the environment and cheaper. I will definitely never purchase used gym/work-out clothes, running shoes, or everyday shoes —> the necessities ; )

——————————————————-Now for things I DID this past year!

10.I think my biggest thing that I did this year was go to therapy. It was really REALLY REALLY hard to make that step, but wow did it help me to finally break out of my anxiety/depression/ PTSD shell that I’ve been in for many years. I blogged about this more here if you’re interested.

11.Got engaged to my main squeeze! I blogged about this more here if you’re interested in that sort of thing : )

12.Ran my first ultra on a very queezy stomach and wanting to DNF halfway through. More of that here.

13.Fundraised over $10,000 for MS Run The US.

14.Ran 175 miles over 7 days for MS Run The US and crossed that finish line with my two favorite people. One of the best days of my life.

15.Put together and hosted my first 5k! Wow was that hard. Ha.

16.Started to do strength consistently three times a week AND switch up my strength training routines every 6-8 weeks. <— One of the biggest reasons why I think I’ve gotten stronger at running AND stayed injury-free.

17. Started to do things that I want to do, regardless if anyone else wants to join me. I would constantly feel the need to stay at home if that’s what Alex wanted to do, but I’ve learned that ‘doing me’ is also important. So, I did more solo hiking, cross country skiing, and longer runs and feeling less-guilty about it (although sometimes I do feel guilty).

18.PR’d the half marathon and broke 1:45. I never would have thought it was possible and I ended doing so without even setting my sights specifically on it!

19.PR’d the marathon. I was actually pretty injured (knee), so I scaled back my goals of breaking 3:45 and just decided to mainly enjoy the race. I ended up walking away with a 3-minute PR.

20.Started journaling and meditating. These two things have been HUGE for me to see growth and get me out of my depression-hole I’ve been in for years. I’ve loved finding the simple things in life really enjoyable and going on more runs without headphones. I’m more present and able to enjoy something simple as noticing the leaves falling, sipping coffee in the mornings, or the quietness of reading a book.

21.Weekly yoga. Even if it is just ten minutes, I LOVE this time. It’s helped me regain some of my flexibility that I lost and improved my strength overall.

22.Received my first Age Group placement at a half marathon!

23.Visited a new National Park, Capitol Reef!

24. Went backpacking in Rocky Mountain National Park

25. Paced Kristen (past MS Run The US alum) through the night miles 52-71 during the Run Rabbit Run 100 miler. She ended up finishing!

26. Played hooky at work and went to some pretty iconic Denver city spots, like Union Station.

27. Saw Celine Dion and cried because she was so beautiful.

28. Took part in the Honey Stinger photo shoot. Still one of my favorite memories, even if I could barely run since it was only 5 days out from MS Run The US relay. Ha.

29.Joined the Bib Rave community and found incredible, supportive people there. Finally a running community to be a part of!

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These are honestly my favorites posts, so if you’re interested here is a look back at 28.

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-Favorite way to celebrate YOUR birthday?

-I LOVE birthdays. Always have super high expectations and have normally been disappointed because I’ve relied on OTHERS to provide the excitement. This year, I’m doing ME. If their plans don’t fit ‘into my day’, then it doesn’t matter. I will celebrate MY way.

-Favorite cake/ ice cream / cupcake/ or candy to eat? Either black raspberry ice cream or cookies n cream. Love either TIramisu or coconut cream pie (not really a huge cake person otherwise). LOVE cupcakes. Preferably something with strawberry frosting. Sour Patch Strawberries, Swedish Fish, or Sour Green Apple Belts.