Run.Chew.Sparkle

I am a huge snack monster!!! I love to snack!! Come over to my house, ask my boyfriend, look at my Instagram and you will see I am obsessed with snacks. And I tend to not discriminate against types of snacks. I just love to pick and snack through out the day, which snacking is what got me into weight gain problems my life. BUT now I know what to snack and how to snack!! Today I was traveling for work and no matter what, if I am traveling or not, I always bring my lunch and snacks with me. So today I brought a turkey sandwhich, some grapes, a plumout (plum that married an apricot, Delish!) a Dannon Light and Fit Key Lime yogurt, and Blue Diamond Blueberry Almonds mixed with Target Banana Baby Puffs. Yes, I eat baby food puffs!! They are an amazing mix in to Ice cream, yogurt, frozen yogurt, trail mix, popcorn, etc. I don't even have kids and I love them! I picked up this banana puffs because I love the taste of bananas! Now here is the awesome part, you have 90 pieces, 90!!!! fo...

July has to be one of my most favorite months. Work begins to not be so crazy in July, I usually take off to spend time with family, the weather gets super hot, which means I can lay out even more, who am I kidding I live in Florida, I lay out all the time hehe, July brings my birthday month, YAY!! I just love July, and this July has been pretty good to me.  I did go on vacation the first of the month and celebrate with my family most of our birthday, practically my whole family is born in July. I got to spend some awesome quality time, which I don't get to do at all, since they all live in New York and Indonesia ( yes my Uncle and cousin live there and that makes them super awesome). Fourth of July was fantastic and even took in firework festivities. Running was great this month, I got a lot of time in, considering I ran every day while on vacation. I got to test out running hills while home in Catskill, here in Florida we have flat land, so the only hills we have are bridges, w...

As much as I don't want to throw this out there I am going too. I feel like I had a pretty good week, I ran and went to the gym every day except Monday. I got in a long run on Wednesday, did some 2:1 running intervals, went to the gym and worked out and I thought I ate pretty well. I ate over my 49 extra points, but racked up 36 Activity points. I have been drinking tons of water and other liquids, green tea, my diet soda, I know not the greatest but I have an obsession with it lol. I have ate fruits and veggies, but I noticed I was craving carbs a lot this week. Like chips and such, I found healthy alternatives, such as Special K crisps, nothing that were not at least Weight Watchers approved. So today when I got on the scale before my meeting tonight, I had full hope I would have lost something or stayed the same. Boy was I surprised!! I had gained 4.4 pounds. I literally had tears welling up in my eyes. The manager said by your reaction I am assuming you weren't expecting ...

I really wish I took my own advice today!! This morning I had full drive to go for a run after work tonight, I brought my clothes, water bottle and gym boss to make sure I was fully prepared. Well, lets just say the case of the Monday's! I woke up in a funk, I had a really bad dream last night that set me off. While getting ready for work I just couldn't get it going and then when I got to work, I was all over the place. The phone was non-stop, the orders were coming in and I was busy, which I was very happy about, but it knocked me out and didn't help my mood. So after work all I wanted to do was put on my yoga pants, an old tee-shirt and veg out on the couch for a bit. I literally did that when I got home, I curled up on the couch and just unwind.  I haven't had much alone and me time, so I was really needing this, even if it was just an hour. I know I should have just sucked it up and put on my running gear and went outside, but mentally and physically I just cou...

So from the title you can imagine I would be talking about a new quest I might be venturing out on or a new quest in life, but believe me that is far from it, I am just clever haha. Actually I would like to review the new Questbar that is out in stores and online right now. I love Questbars!!! I mean I really really love Questbars. If you haven't heard about them by now or have tried them, please do yourself a huge favor and go and get some. I have found them at Smoothie Kings, GNC (my main source) and Vitamin Worlds. They are also online at Quest  and even can be ordered through Amazon. I like to go to GNC and pick them up because I can buy them as singles rather than committing to a whole box when you order online. I was introduced to them from a daily email from Hungry Girl, she had mentioned them in an email about their awesome flavors and their fantastic stats. These stats are impressive, at least 21 grams of protein, 1gram of sugar, 170-190 calories, and about 4g of carbs. ...

I am new to the crock pot love, well for the last year or so. I was given one as a hand me down and I love it. I totally didn't realize what I was missing. I thought it was made only for roasts haha, but with the joy and love and obsession with Pinterest, I use that bad boy every week, at least once or twice a week and continuing to branch out with it. This week in my crock pot favorite section of life haha, I chose to make Buffalo Chicken. The best part of all is all it takes is 3 ingredients . Frozen or defrosted chicken breasts, 1 bottle of hot sauce and 1 packet of dry ranch dressing !!! WHAT!? How amazingly easy is that!! Pour it all together in the love machine, or crock pot, whatever you call yours and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Then when all done, inside the crock pot shred the chicken if you so choose. I shred mine but first take out my boyfriends, he is not a fan of shredded chicken. And that's it!!!  I ate mind this time over lettuce with some tomatoes and Fa...

For the past couple of weeks, I have been having some pain in the upper, side left part of my quad. Its a weird pain, very tight muscle, it just feels like I have overworked the muscle. I have been running most of my time, and I do work out at the gym and do weights on my legs and have designated "leg days", so I know I am pushing my body. Ever since I have started running, I have not had any issues, I was blessed. My knees are holding up, no feet issues, I haven't lost any toe nails, the most I have had was some scrapes and bruises from falling or tripping over lips in the side walk. I have had to ice my knees and legs because of over working, but this pain is different. My friend Jacke has experienced the same pain and took her out of running for a while, so she has been my go to person with how to handle this situation, plus she is studying to be a nurse, its a win win for me. She has given me some great tips on the foam roller, what weights and stretches to use to h...

So I believe a couple of posts ago I mentioned the new Special K nourish hot cereal items. I had tried the Maple Brown Sugar Crunch, it was tasty, not great but not bad. I had picked up a second one also, Cranberry Almond, same concept, just different mix-ins. The hot cereal part was still a combination of quiona, barley, wheat and oats. The only difference was instead of just almonds to mix in, it was almonds and cranberries. I loved the cranberries part. It was perfect as a mix-in. It made me think about picking up some craisins to keep in my house so I could add them to my own oatmeal from time to time. The hot cereal mixture was a little bit bland because it didn't have that brown sugar scent or taste to it. I would definitely sprinkle in some cinnamon or splenda to sweeten it up a bit. The almonds and cranberries were portioned out and I thought they were just enough. The texture between the soft cranberries and the crunchy almonds were perfect. I ate it for breakfast this...

Flashback Friday!!! Always remember and embrace how far you have come!!! Sometimes it is slow and steady, but it is worth the wait!! Keep Going and never give up!! Make time for yourself, it may hurt, but in the end you will never regret the way it makes you feel!! Have an awesome FRIDAY!!!

First off I love anything and practically everything Vanilla. In High School, I loved  Vanilla Coca Cola, geez it brings back a lot of memories of summer. They took the Vanilla Coke off the market for a long time and now its back even better than before and totally right up my alley! Vanilla Coke Zero, zero calories, taste like the first one but not feeling so guilty. LOVE IT!! I need to find this in diet vanilla coke and I would be in even more heaven. This would also make an awesome ice cream float..ooo yum, I think I might go do that now!! Enjoy!!

I know a lot of people complain when they are "dieting" they cant eat anything, just lettuce and air. Well I can tell you I eat everything and anything. I eat whatever I want, whenever I want and however I want, BUT I choose to do it in a healthier way and on my terms. I have not given up anything I loved before, I have just made it a different way and found ways to make it fit my new lifestyle now. Case in point, PB & Jelly Sandwiches. Growing up and throughout life I loved comfort foods and believe me, you will see lots of posts of comfort like foods from me. The difference is how I go forward with them now, instead of how I used too. For instance my PB and Jelly Sandwich is made with the amazing PB2, Sugar Free Strawberry Preserves and Light 45 Calorie Bread. My PB&J is only 3pp, where a typical one can run you about 11pp!!! Are you kidding me??? I could have 4 of my version for 11 regular one. WOW!! Its amazing on this journey, I have looked back on how I used...

I am sitting here on a day off and absolutely bored, not just bored but a tad bit worn out, tired, zapped of energy, etc. It is uncommon for me to not have something to do on my day off. Usually I am running, working out, shopping, etc. Today though, I set my alarm for 8:30 and just woke up tired. I got out of bed because I had originally had planned to go to the gym and work out for a bit, but I had no energy to do so, BUT I did decide to do some weight training. I had just bought a small kettle bell, 5 pounds at TJMaxx and wanted to use it. I know a lot of people use kettle bells and I am very interested in the methods and training of them. So I used the exercise guide that was in the box, I got 30 minutes in, even doing some weighted crunches and using a resistance band on my legs. So even though I didn't get up and go to the gym, I did do an in house fitness regime. After that, my heart was racing and I even had a bit of sweat, I felt good. Made myself a nice fruit filled break...

I figure on my longer runs, I can post the details here. Usually my shorter ones I wont post, unless it is a milestone in the making sort of run. This run took place on Bayshore Blvd. Awesome place to run, same place as my second half marathon. Close to the water, awesome breeze, lots of people out doing the same thing as you. Its hard to not stay motivated in Florida, there are so many awesome people out in the morning, day, night doing the same thing as you, trying to be better. The run was good, I struggled a bit in the end, around mile 5, I have a sharp pain in my upper thigh. I was feeling a bit run down and tired. I had to walk for a couple extra seconds. I did stay hydrated but my legs did start to feel very heavy. I hadn't ran that long of miles in well over a month, so it was just adjusting to a longer time frame. Managed to get through and keep my time at about where I want to be. Really shooting for a 10:30 or less mile, determination is the key! All in all a gre...

When I am out on a run my mind is running also. At times my mind is running faster than my own feet. While I am running, I'm thinking about the day, work, friends, cleaning my apartment, what I will make to eat, my grocery list, what I will be wearing for work that day, when I can get a nap in, I thinking about what other people may be thinking, thinking about keeping my eyes up so I don't trip, thinking about what song will be coming up next, TV shows I am watching, things to do on the computer, my blog and topics (like this one), I think about my family and a lot of times my dad, but all in all while I am running, I am thinking about life and how much I love running. So today while I was running, I was thinking about what I can post today. I came up with my favorite running essentials. I guess what prompted this topic was I thinking about all the stuff I pack up when I am going on a long run. Usually when I plan my long runs, I have a mapped out area when I can get a lot of...

First off I have a wicked sweet tooth, which was a big, HUGE problem of my weight gain and life in general. I love sweet and salty, but lean heavenly on the sweet side. Dessert in my family was always and option. There was always cake, cookies, ice cream, pudding, candy, etc available at any reach. And I am not saying it was my families upbringing that made me fat, not at all, I could have controlled myself when I got older. Believe me I am sure I didn't need the doughnut with every coffee or dessert every time I went out to dinner or candy at the movies. I made my own choices!! And my choices got me over 200 pounds! The beauty is now I can make a choice to find lower calorie and points plus choices. When I started WW I was interested to the beautiful world of Hungry Girl, if you haven't heard of her or have been living under a rock in my world, here is her amazing website  www.hungry-girl.com ! Sign up for her daily emails and research her cookbooks, they will change your li...

Tuesday's are a crazy and mixed feeling kind of day for me. I usually head into work early on Tuesday's, so I can get out on time to go to my Weight Watchers meeting and weigh in for the week. I really do not fear the weekly weigh in, I actually look forward to it every week. In the last 2 years since I have joined WW, I have never missed a weigh in. I weigh in every week, maybe not always on Tuesdays, maybe Monday or Sunday, depending if I will be out of town that week. I weigh in before I go on vacation and weigh in after I come back (I even raced to my last weigh in from vacation the minute I got off the plane), even if I have to stay late at work or my schedule changes or if there is an emergency in my life (such as the day my father died, I went in weighed myself in so I could have a sense of control and normalcy after getting that horrific phone call) I make sure I get on that scale, well now that you get the point and I don't want you to feel bad for me, the point is...

A little motivation goes a long way... So, will you???? Hash tags are all the rage now. Not sure when they began or where they began but they are everywhere. I admit, I am a hash tag addict. I love it, I wish I could hash tag my life everyday, believe me more days more questionable then others. Think about it, what hash tags would you use for your life? Hmm for me, runner, sparkly, bubby, tired, boss, funny, fitness, weight watcher, sweet, now blogger, lol. I could go on and on. But one hash tag that I have grown to love on Instagram and Facebook is motivation Monday or motivational Monday, which ever you choose. Poor Monday gets such a bad rap. Its the start of the new week, most people have had the weekend off and back to the grind bright and early. I don't work a typical 9-5, so Monday's don't tend to bother me much. I do however, love motivation because I think everyone needs that here and there, something to kick start their day. And if I can do a play on words,...

Today was just one of those dragging kind of days. I had a wonderful two days off from work, I got a good work out each day, and including the one I put in on Thursday, so I thought for sure I could get a run in before work today. I set my alarm for 7 and planned on a short quick run, maybe 2-3 miles. But when that alarm went off my body shut down. I just had no energy and motivation. I had a slight pain in my thigh and my body felt like bricks, just heavy muscles. I took that as a sign that today would be a rest day. I had to work at 10:00, which in my position we never sit down, so I knew I would be running around most of the day anyway. Sometimes you just have to listen to your body and read the signs it is craving a little relaxation. I know I should push it and fight through fatigue, but it gives me the strength to just fight a little bit harder the next day. Also after work, I picked up some more of B12 sub lingual vitamins, to help give me a little pep in my step. They have work...

First I would like to say I am a big fan of a lot of Special K items. I love most of their cereal, especially Red Berries and the pastry crisps are a perfect 3 pp snack. I have noticed this new line on display on my BzzAgent website but also in ads on the Internet, but haven't dug into it. My bf and I were picking up some items at our local Winn Dixie and I saw an end cap with the Special K Nourish items sitting there and on sale for 1.99. I picked up the two flavors they had displayed. Special K Nourish Maple Brown Sugar Crunch Hot Cereal and Cranberry Almond. This morning I decided to try the Maple Brown Sugar Crunch. I was in a hurry for work and wanted something quick and easy and try something new. The top of the lid holds a mixture of almonds and then you pour in 1/2 cup of hot water in the cup which holds the oat mixture and I microwaved it for time purposes rather than steeping the water into the coop. It cooked up just like oatmeal does, like the Weight Watcher Oatmeal I h...

Some mornings you just crave some chocolate and something a little special. S'Mores In The Morning 1 cup of Fiber One 80 Calories-3pp 10 mini marshmallows-1pp 1 half of a full square of low fat graham crackers-2pp 1 banana-0pp 2/3 cup of fat free milk-1pp

For my run today I used 3 different items to help push me through the miles. I try to try out different products to really find what works for me. Then when it comes to the last month of training, I will stay with those items for each run, especially when I do the long miles. For example, when I run 10 plus miles, I will wake up and have some water with a multi grain waffle with PB2 on top and a banana, then some flavor of GU. GU has been my go to item, but I had a hard time getting it down, so I am branching out. In this months Bulu Box, I received Power Bar Performance Energy Blend in Banana Blueberry, so I had that before my run, also had a Good Run cookie from Whole Foods. Good Run cookie is filled with nuts and goodness. The Power Bar Performance Energy blend was really tasty. I love those fruit filled squeeze packets and anything that deals with banana and blueberries. During my run, I just used good old plain water. I took my fuel belt and filled the bottles with 10oz of water, ...

I tend to live my life through moments or experiences, I find little milestones in my journey everyday. Well, today was one of those little, Big moments for me. Yesterday while I was shopping, I picked up a couple of running shorts. Living in Florida and during the summer months the heat is unbearable at times. I run with carpi's, but being that I am 5 foot nothing, they tend to look and feel more like pants. So it can get really hot and nasty, even if I wear the wiki drying fabric. But the big problem is I don't work out in shorts. I try to avoid it at all cost because being honest I don't like my legs. My thighs are big, they jiggle, they have pockets of fat, my calves are bulging and big, I am just not comfortable in them to run because I feel everyone can see them move in a very unflattering way. Plus I know my legs rub together, so the idea of doing that for miles and miles, just makes the matter worse. As a new change to my new year, I figured, I am going to branch ou...

Lets first start off and say today was a fantastic day. I had off of work, which was fantastic enough in its self. I was going on 9 days straight, coming off of a very busy vacation previous, and threw myself into work, preparing for my inventory. So today being my day off alone was glorious! Started the day with a gym session with my very close friend, Jacke, (follow her blog at wants2savelives.blogspot.com, she is pretty much amazing).  Our gym sessions are an hour long of catching up, girl talk, venting and working up a sweat at our local gym. Working out with a friend is probably one of the greatest things EVER. Even though it is 6:00 am, I am dead tired and sore, knowing you're meeting one of your best friends, changes the whole dynamic of the day and it becomes a fun task, rather than something you have to do! I recommend finding a gym buddy, they pretty much change your life!! So any who, got the work out in, feeling energized, and ready to take on the day. The bf and I both...

Well, its my birthday!!!! I turn 28 today. I have to say, I love Birthdays. I am not sure why or when it all started but growing up I remember birthday's just being a really big deal. It was a day to celebrate, reflect, have fun, enjoy, etc. Parties were had, cake, balloons, presents, the whole nine yards. Then as the years pass, birthday's become much different, parties not so much, maybe meeting up for dinner, phone calls rather than seeing someone in person, cards in your mailbox and trying to forget your birthday and how old you are getting is the true reflection. I am not one to reflect on how old I am getting, I am lucky to make each birthday. Its a blessing and a chance to start new. I understand that New Year's is usually the time to reflect on the year, etc, but your birthday, well for me, half the year is over by this time, its a time to reflect on how you want to spend the rest of the year and your birthday year. I know I am not making much sense, but bare with m...