Fitbit Flex!

   A couple of weeks ago I splurged on something that I have had my eye on for months and months: a Fitbit Flex! I have been researching activity trackers for a while now on Amazon, and came to the conclusion that Fitbit was the way to go. My other option was the Nike Fuel, which in my opinion looks really neat- I love how sleek it is, but the ratings weren't great. The Fuel seems to have a life of about 6-8 months, and if I am going to spend $100+ on something like this, it better be lasting a while!



   

My Fitbit!

    After choosing the Fitbit Flex, I knew I needed it right away. (I am the very definition of instant gratification). Ryan and I zipped over to Radio Shack, where I purchased my Fitbit Flex for $99 plus tax. I also opted to get Radio Shack's 1 year replacement warranty, which will replace the Fitbit if it stops working for any reason.

     I quickly downloaded the app to my iPhone and got started. You customize your goals for each day, and your device tracks your every move. Goals include Steps Taken, Miles, Active Minutes (meaning more intense movement), and Calories burned. Because I am training for a half marathon right now, I upped my mileage and calorie goals.

My day so far.

     The Fitbit is connected to my phone via Bluetooth, so anytime I open the app on my phone it syncs and loads my new data. One of my FAVORITE parts about the Fitbit is that I can link the Fitbit app to Myfitnesspal, another app I cannot live without!

    This device is pretty great for people that are competitive with themselves. Seeing exactly how far I am away from completing my goals gives me a reason to get up and move.

     Double tapping the top of the device causes the bracelet to light up with dots. Each dot represents 20% of your daily goal- so the more lights the better. As you can see from the above picture, I was about 40% complete when the picture was taken. The picture on the right is how the app looks- it's very user friendly.

     One of the reasons the Flex is so popular is because of its sleep tracking. When it's time to go to bed, tapping on the face of the bracelet for 2 seconds activates "Sleep Mode". Fitbit tracks your sleep, when you wake in the night, and when you are restless. I am still trying to figure out how to use this data, but for now it is just fun to look at every morning.

I will update you if I learn new quirks with the Fitbit, but for now I'm obsessed!

I'm Back!

     It's been a crazy few weeks and I haven't done the best job of managing the blog. I was hoping to update more about Advocare, but I just was too darn busy!

     I finished Advocare a while back and was extremely satisfied with my results. I lost about 6 lbs total, but the biggest change was my bodies composition- I lost inches around my waist, chest, legs, and arms. I would do the cleanse again in a heartbeat- but you've got to wait 90 days in between to give your body a break.

Day 1 and Day 24!

     I also signed up to be a distributor- if anyone would like to order Advocare products through me, learn more about it, or restock their current supply, I would love to help out! You can contact me here about supplies :)

     In other news- I have signed up for two half marathons! The first one is the Snoqualmie Cinco de Mayo half marathon- it's a beautiful, flat course that runs right by my house. The finish line is just a skip away from a great Mexican restaurant in downtown Snoqualmie, which is where I will be for some after race margaritas!

     The second half marathon is the one I am most excited about- the Disneyland half marathon! It's going to be a family event- my parents and Ryan will be running the 5K, and then the next day I will be running the half, where they will meet me at the finish line. I am SO excited to have all of my family there to cheer me on. We are already planning what our big after race meal should be.


That's all for now- but I will update tomorrow on my new Fitbit, as well as some healthy, runner-friendly breakfasts I've been in to!

Advocare: Day 9!

     It is hard to believe that the first ten days are almost over for Advocare. I made sure to take all of my measurements at the beginning of the challenge, because I hear that more often than not I will loose more inches than actual weight.
  
    So far things are going well, I may have had a couple of cheat moments (ie a handful of chocolate chips when I was craving chocolate, and about a half ounce of cheddar cheese one night on my chicken!) Regardless, I don't let myself get too off track, and if I am feeling like I need something more to eat, I try to make up a big salad to satisfy the need to chew.


Alki at Sunset

 
    On Friday I went for a run on Alki with my good friend Kelsey- she was my running buddy last year when we did the Leavenworth Oktoberfest Half Marathon, and it felt good to get out and run with her again. We started off slow- doing a walk/run combo so as to not get burnt out too fast. We both haven't run much over the past few months. We were able to do three miles in just over 30 minutes, which wasn't bad considering the cold air was killing our lungs! It always helps to have a running buddy, and the view wasn't too shabby either.

     Sunday came around and that meant food prep day. My mom is in town and came and spent the night, so she got to see my food prep first hand. I made another pot of my chicken, brown rice, boiled eggs, and quinoa, so we would have things throughout the week.

Food Prep!

     For dinner that evening Ryan made his amazing Dijon/Balsamic salmon, and I added some asparagus and roasted potatoes for sides.


 

Delish!

After tomorrow I will be on the Max phase of Advocare. I am trying to incorporate as much running as I can into my days to help the inches and lbs come off. I will keep you posted!

Advocare: Day 4

Day 4 is officially here!

    I am excited to say that as of this morning, Day 4 of the cleanse, I am officially down 3.3 lbs! Yes, this is water weight, not fat, but it feels good, and I am so happy with how much energy I have had so far. Ripley, Ryan and I have been going on 2-3 mile runs/walks. It's been 4 months since my half marathon and I am trying to get back into the groove of running. It is scary how even just a little time away is so hard on your body.

    I have been killing the first few days of Advocare- throwing myself into planning healthy, whole food meals, and cooking them for Ryan and I. I am so happy how supportive and into the cleanse Ryan has been. Although he isn't doing the supplements, and doesn't need to loose weight, Ryan is following the plan, even when I am not there. (It also helps that I had prepped our fridge full of yummy foods!)


    I have been trying to make sure that our dinners in the evening don't stuff us, but don't leave our stomachs grumbling either. A few of our meals include:

*'Taco Salad (no cheese or sour cream, just salsa for dressing. Add some lean meat and avocado!)
* Egg salad (I used a dab of Dijon and some vegan canola mayo to bind everything together.)
* Chef salad (again no cheese. I used a non fat raspberry vinaigrette.)
* Stuffed peppers (ground turkey, brown rice, tons of veggies.)

    Here is a picture of all my chopped up veggies that go into most all of my salads. I find this combination flavorful, filling, and completely healthy! It includes lettuce, black beans, tomato's, jalapenos, red onion, a variety of sweet peppers, and any other veggie in my fridge that sounds appetizing. For the dressing I usually just throw some salsa on top. It gives it an extra kick and adds moisture without loading it down with fat.


 

I love the bright colors of this salad!
 

Advocare Challenge: Day 1

     I woke up this morning excited to start my Advocare journey. I had pre packed my lunch the night before, so no prep work was needed this morning. I had spent half of yesterday preparing different items and labeling them in the fridge, so that every night I could scoop out my portions and add them to my lunchbox.

 

Healthy Fruit Salad: Mix your choice of fruits
with a splash of lime juice.

     For protein I made a big crockpot of shredded chicken- a brainless recipe that I LOVE. For our complex carbs during the week I made a pot of brown rice, and washed and packaged up black and kidney beans. Veggies will be a variety of carrots, broccoli, snap peas, and spinach. For my snacks- fruits and healthy fats, I have a big bowl of "fruit salad" that I can pull from, and I pre packaged almonds and walnuts.

Pre packaged nuts

     So far everything has been going great! I absolutely LOVE the Spark drink in the morning- it tastes just like Kool Aid. I also had the Mocha Meal Replacement Shake for breakfast- it was filling and tasty. The only thing that was hard to stomach was the dreaded Fiber drink. Picture 9 oz of thick sludge, the consistency of oatmeal, that you have to chug before breakfast. WOW it was gross- thank goodness it isn't an every day part of this challenge!

Today's lunch and snacks

I haven't felt hungry at all- Advocare has you eating something every 2 hours to stimulate your metabolism. The portions are great, and it really promotes a healthy lifestyle. I am still debating what to make Ryan and I for dinner, but I know that I have plenty of options with all of the food prep I did last night!

No Brainer Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

Ingredients:

Shredded Chicken on spinach.

6-8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
8 oz all natural salsa
Mrs. Dash seasoning (Salt Free)


Directions:

Place the chicken breasts in a crockpot. Sprinkle seasoning over the chicken and pour the salsa on top. Cook on high for 4 hours or until chicken can be shredded with a fork. Once shredded, let chicken stand in crockpot for another hour to absorb the salsa.

***Recipe can also be done on a low temperature if you want to start it before heading off to work.

The Advocare 24 Day Challenge!

     Tomorrow I start the Advocare 24 Day Challenge. I'm excited- but nervous. I have been accustomed to eating whatever I like the past two weeks due to vacation, and I just know my body is going to be in for a shock! I made sure to do a lot of research on Advocare- to make sure it was healthy to do while trying to get pregnant. Because a lot of Advocare is healthy vitamin supplements- doctors say it is completely fine to do.

     My main reason for doing the program is to detox my body and get in some better eating habits. But I do have a goal to loose about 15 lbs- which would put me about 10-12 lbs away from my goal weight. I want to keep this weight off this time- I have a tendency to loose about 20 lbs in the spring/summer and then promptly gain it all back in the fall/winter.

    I started off the day by doing a quick inventory of what I had/needed from the store, and set off to pick up the goods. My goal was to spend about $150, this, I calculated, would last Ryan and I about two weeks or so. I ended up spending $135 at QFC and still need to go to Costco for some salmon and chicken. I'll be a bit over budget but I'm guessing we can stretch the extra food.



Bento Box

Healthy Food!

 

     









I packed my Bento box (thanks Groupon!) for my lunch tomorrow. Once I figure out how to upload pictures from my phone I will show what I made. I made sure to pre pack all of the supplements and drink mixes this evening so I could just grab my lunch and go. I plan on updating this blog at least a few times a week to share my successes with the Advocare program. 

Cheers to Healthy!