My sliver of happy

Usually I point you all to blogs regarding weight loss, healthy eating, mindfulness, or friends that I know.

But today, I'm going to encourage you to check out a blog that is first on my reading list - and has been - for weeks.

Enjoying the Small Things is written by Kelle Hampton. 

She takes pictures of things, mostly her girls.  She writes beautifully.  She's not perfect (even though she looks like she is).  She shares and she practices being centered in the right here and now, in taking pleasure in the enjoyment of the small things. 

If you're new to her, I recommend her post about the birth of her second child.  It's a great starting place.

Reading her words and seeing her pictures makes me relax; it soothes me in ways that I can't clearly articulate.

Do yourself a favor - check her out.  I'm pretty sure you'll be glad you did.

Safety first...

I have a few things to report on today, but safety first...

Mid 2010, I ran across a product that really filled a need I had.  See, I had been steadily ramping up my running, but when I moved in with Joe (in downtown Denver) I wasn't so confident of my surroundings and found myself sticking with shorter distances.  Sure, I try to tell people that I'm strong and could fend off an attack.  I tell myself that I'm healthy and that nothing should happen to me.  But what if something DID happen to me?  As my distance training lengthened, I got a bit more wary. 

Until I ran across Road ID.  In fact, I believed in it so strongly, that I got one for Joe too. 

What IS a Road ID?  Well, it's either a band, bracelet, or strap that is attached to you when you run.  The band has either your contact information or an "interactive version" where you put in your unique code on their website and it will give your saviour your information.  This means that if someone finds your body (or shoe or dismembered body part), they can't call someone right then.  They have to lug the appendage to a computer and then figure out who to call from there.  My luck, it'd be someone like my mom who happened upon it and would be all "I'd LIKE to help, but computers confuse me...so maybe I'll just leave this poor girl here and pray that someone else stops." 

If you choose to have your info on it, you can customize it to however you want it to look, but Joe and I picked basically the same thing:  the Shoe ID version.  It's velcro and just attaches to the laces of your running shoes.  This was perfect for me, because I didn't have to remember to strap on something else prior to my runs AND I didn't have to deal with the irritation of something rubbing against my wrists or ankles.  Besides, I only use my running shoes for when I run, so I didn't have to worry about leaving it behind.

Joe and I both chose to have our names (in case we needed to be checked into a hospital so our loved ones could find us easily) and three phone numbers.  Joe has a medication allergy, so he listed that too.

Honestly?  I hope that it's never used...but I feel better knowing that it's there should it be needed.

Why am I writing you about this?  Because I just got an email that stated they're having a sale, where the Road IDs are 10% off.  So from now until February 21st, you can enter "pcVDay14" upon check-out and get 10% off your order.  The coupon code apparently IS case-sensitive and no, you shouldn't use the quotation marks around the code when entering it. :)

Okay, secondly, I rocked last week's interview...BUT it turns out I still have another one to pass through before being offered the job.  The more I know about this job, the more I like it...but SHEESH!  This will be our fourth conversation (three in-person interviews) and I'm kind of ready to end this process so I can get on with my life, whatever employer I may work for.  It'd be more money than I make now, and hopefully more vacation, but these hoops that I'm having to jump through are feeling like a bit much.

Lastly?  I kindasorta didn't do Jillian Michael's 30 DayShred this weekend.  Both Joe and I came down with a stomach bug and then the flu - which involved running a temperature for me and general crankiness for us both.  We slept over 17 hours on Saturday and over 13 on Sunday.  I feel a bit better today and I've committed to doing the 30 Day Shred DVD if I'm not running a temperature tonight when I get home.  So I'll do 30 out of 32 days...and that's got to be good enough!

Oh, and just so we're clear, I don't have anything to do with Road ID - it's just a product that I really like and figured you all might think is groovy too.  They're not paying me a dime and don't know that I am even writing about it. 

All the voluptuous ladies...

I'm big chested.  Like my bras are either 36DD, 36DDD or 38DD depending on the cut.

And for all the small chested people rolling their eyes at me, I get it.  You want them - or at least some of them.  I also want to wear sundresses or strappy tank tops without huge bands on my shoulders screaming "I can't wear this without a bra!" 

But I have them, and while I (in general) do love them, running with them?  Not so much fun.

You name it, I've tried it.  I've wrapped my chest prior to running.  I've doubled up on sports bras - and that worked for a while.  But still, running at the weight I am (and the girls at the size they are), my entire chest heaves up and down with each step.  When the girls aren't tucked in appropriately, it hurts.  A lot.

And then I found Enell Sports Bras.   And no, they're not paying or compensating me to write that.

Here is the cheapest place I found them.  And Brian, the owner of the place, was really cool when I wanted to exchange one for a smaller size.

They're not pretty or cheap.  And despite the pictures that the website has of girls exercising without a top on, I would NEVER be out in public like this.  Although you might recognize them from the women on "The Biggest Loser" show - their before pictures are always taken in these babies.

They work because they squish your boobs tightly to your chest (so tightly that the first time I wondered if I actually had the right size!).  So yes, my chest still heaves up and down with each step, but they're not so...out there...that it's a big problem.  The straps are supportive and wide.

And they make running a ton easier.

Get one and your boobs will thank me.  No thank you card needed. :)

Listen Up!

When I started working out about 12 years ago (and mp3s were the newest rage), I started compiling a workout play list.

The thing is, I never actually changed the list much. As I heard a song I liked, I'd add it to the list (I currently have over a 100 songs on my workout play list)...but I never really deleted the songs that were older. So when Britney Spears' "Stronger" comes on the rotation, I still like it, but I've been listening to it when I work out for 10 years, so I usually want to fast forward to the next song. I've had runs where I've fast forwarded through as many as 10 songs in a row before landing on one that I'd like to run to. It's a bit silly and interferes with my pace.

The distraction of listening to music is fun...but recently, I've discovered other things to listen to. Sure, there are books on tape or CDs on tape, but I haven't yet branched out into that world...yet.

I'm talking about the world of podcasts. In case you're new to the idea, podcasts are typically free and you can get them on iTunes or maybe directly through the original site. They're like little taped radio programs that you can listen to. I've listened to Jillian Michael's podcasts (which I actually love, but because I can't get them from iTunes, I don't remember to check her site as often) where it actually IS a radio show that's been taped for your listening pleasure. Other podcasts that I've listened to are just informational and not as much question and answer.

I've already told you about my recent experience with the podcast, "Two Fit Chicks and a Microphone" but there are other podcasts that I like to listen to too.

The one I'd like to recommend today is "Nutrition Diva's Quick and Dirty Tips For Eating Well and Feeling Fabulous."

The first thing I like about her podcast is that they are quick. Each podcast is about 5 minutes long which means that I can listen to several of them in any given run. So it's kind of like songs where the subject matter changes every 5 minutes...so it keeps my attention a little bit better than others. If I'm in the car and only have a few minutes until I arrive home, I can click on her podcast and know that I'll get a tiny snippet of information that will entertain me.

The second thing I love about it is that it is an information-dense podcast. She doesn't waste time boring you with mundane details about her life or experiences just to fill up space. Don't get me wrong, she shares details about her life, but only when they're relevant and she does it in a succinct way. She also doesn't waste time plugging her own materials/ads for other companies like other podcast hosts I've heard. She has one plug at the beginning and one at the end...and I think that's fair. In the middle is gooey wonderfulness where you can learn things about the health benefits of nuts to why a certain food diet fad is a bunch of crap.

The third thing is that she doesn't ascribe to one way to eat or a diet plan of any type. She simply gives you information so that you can make your own choice. She informs. Want to know about the benefits of fiber? She has a podcast on that. Is pasta really going to make you fat? She answers that too.

She's professional and pleasant sounding. I really enjoy her podcast.

The great thing is that with iTunes (which again is free and how I subscribe), the most recent podcast is synced each time I plug in my iPod/iPhone. I can also download all the ones from years past that I might've missed. It makes my runs a lot more enjoyable when I have options of things to listen to.

I'm interested to know what you listen to when you're exercising and if you're interested to read about the other podcasts that I enjoy...so let me know!