Review: FlipBelt

April 24, 2015Andrea 2 Comments

The folks at FlipBelt reached out to me and asked if I would sample their product for a review. It was timely because I just happened to be looking for something I could wear while running and walking the dogs that would hold keys and my phone.

I have a phablet size phone (Samsung Note 4 and it’s awesome) and finding a holder has proved challenging. I didn’t really want an armband but was struggling to find something that would fit my needs.

FlipBelt to the rescue!

It’s a band that you wear around your waist and it has pockets that go along the length of the band. You can slide your phone in there, keys, or snacks, flip the belt over and everything is secure.

Right now I am “curvy” and I actually have junk in my trunk, so I was curious how the FlipBelt would do with a frame like mine.

I have been running with the FlipBelt for about 3 weeks at this point and it has preformed quite nicely. It does ride up on me a little and ends up around my waist. If I try to keep it down around my hips it does not stay there. It will roll and twist a little if I try and keep it down around my hips.

This is a me issue and not a FlipBelt issue. Like I said, I actually have an ass which prevents the FlipBelt from being able to stay around my hips.

That said, I have no issue with it being on my waist. It is not uncomfortable and I don’t even notice it when I’m running or walking the dogs.

Like I mentioned before, I have a huge phone and this accommodates that just fine. It’s bulky but I expected that. When you have a phablet sized phone you can’t really expect it to not be bulky.

I also appreciated that there is a little key fob provided as well to keep keys secure. I definitely utilize this feature every run.

I don’t put ID or credit cards/cash in the FlipBelt. I have shoe pouches for those types of things. I use the FlipBelt primarily for my keys and phone.

The material of the Flipbelt is not itchy or uncomfortable. It’s really stretchy so definitely check out the sizing chart to make sure you get the right size for you. I have a medium and it’s perfect.

It’s easy to put on, it’s secure, and it’s comfortable. What more can you ask for in a gear belt? If you’re curvy make note that you will probably be wearing it around your waist and not your hips.

If you are in the market for something to hold your phone, keys, and snacks while running or hiking, definitely check out the FlipBelt. It will suit your needs and you won’t be disappointed.

Disclaimer: The Flipbelt was sent to me to sample and review. All opinions are my own and I was not further compensated for this post.

Tweaking The Streak

September 18, 2014Andrea 1 Comment

We are smack in the middle of the third week of the #30DayStreak! At the point where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel! If you’ve been following along on my instagram then you know that there are some days where I’m doing something other than running. At the beginning of this challenge my goal was to run for the 30 days.

While doing this challenge I’ve realized that running and I need to breakup for a while. Currently I do not enjoy running. I dread it. Without this challenge, I think that I would have kept plugging along trying to run and then bitching about it.

Instead of doing that, I’m focusing on things that I do enjoy and that I want to do.

Like taking hikes with my dogs. We take our longest walk on Tuesday mornings because that’s when we meet up with our walking group. It’s a 2 – 3 mile hike (depending on the heat) and it’s awesome. Fantastic views and very peaceful. The rest of the week we take smaller hikes 1 – 1.5 miles. I would rather hike with the dogs instead of just walking around our neighborhood. Hikes are calming and very relaxing. The dogs and I enjoy hikes way more than neighborhood strolls.

I recently purchased a bike and have fallen in love with biking. I cannot wait to get on my bike and go for a ride. I’m pretty sure this is going to replace running for me, at least for the time being. Biking deserves its own post so I will be sharing my thoughts on biking and my transition next week.

For the remainder of the streak, my focus is no longer on running. Now my goal is to get outside as much as possible and to move my body mindfully everyday. Whether it’s a hike with my dogs or a bike ride, I want to be out embracing the day.

How has the streak been going for you?

A Little Streaking, A Little Indulging

September 4, 2014Andrea 2 Comments

Today is Day 4 of the #30DayStreak! How are you all doing with your streaking? Scott has jumped on board and decided to go streaking too!

So far things are going well but definitely challenging. I will admit that starting running again from square one is much different than the first time I did it.

Now I’m sore!

Six years ago when I first started running, my shins hurt for the first week but otherwise running wasn’t a big deal. My main issue was endurance and working to build that up. Now not only do I have to build endurance, my muscles need to get used to running again AND I have to work towards tolerating exercise at elevation.

My quads and my groin muscles are sore after running. Running is so much harder now.

DAMN IT.

Aside from that, streaking is going well. Please know, I’m not complaining, more just talking out loud about the changes I’m experiencing.

Eats have been spot on this week as well with a little indulging that I’ll address in a minute.

BREAKFAST

Monster breakfast sandwich and it was amazing!

365 Organic Whole Grain Bread
1/2 Smashed Avocado
1 Egg
Prosciutto
Cheddar
Onion
Lettuce

Filling and delicious!

Sliced peaches with coconut Noosa and some dried coconut flakes on top. Perfection! There is nothing like Colorado peaches. The coconut Noosa was fantastic! I wasn’t sure what to expect but it totally delivered. Slightly sweet shredded coconut blended perfectly with the yogurt.

LUNCH

I made a quick salmon salad with canned salmon and homemade mayo. It was super simple with some green onion, celery, and seasoned with lemon pepper. I planned on having this as a wrap but the lettuce wasn’t playing nicely so it got chopped up and I placed the salmon on top.

Along with some carrots and a cucumber and tomato salad. That salad was lightly seasoned with salt and pepper then drizzled with balsamic and olive oil.

DINNER

I planned a roast dinner for Tuesday which worked to my advantage because I was so tired and feeling a bit run down that I didn’t have much motivation to do anything.

Roast dinners means everything goes in the oven till it’s done! Minimal prep and very little clean up makes life easier.

Whole roast chicken seasoned with a little lemon pepper seasoning from Simply Organic and Flavor God, roasted until done.

Along with some roasted potatoes and carrots, seasoned the same way. I also made a quick gravy out of the pan drippings. It was such a comforting and perfect meal, totally hit the spot.

Scott and I had what we refer to as A Big Bang Night. We love this show and I will sit down and watch it every chance I get. TBS has little mini-marathons almost every evening.

If the Big Bang crew is having a special evening, entertaining someone, or having guests over, they usually are eating spaghetti. That seems to be their go-to fancy meal and honestly it always looks delicious. And I don’t even like pasta that much!

Last night we decided to indulge and have a Big Bang themed night. We had pasta with garlic bread and red wine. There was cheesecake for dessert, that we didn’t get to but will be eating tonight! And of course we watched the show while sipping the wine.

I had a little too much red wine but eh, it happens. It was a fun evening and an awesome way for us to relax and feel like we were indulging a bit.

Everyone is going to have a different idea of what indulging means. I’m sure pasta and wine isn’t a big deal to others as it is to us.

But with indulging, the point is to still make it count. My philosophy is always make sure it’s the best that you can get. Meaning, if you want fries, don’t wast calories on fast food fries, seek out some damn good handcut fries with sea salt. Not only will they taste better but it will be better for you which means you can still feel good about eating it.

For our Big Bang Night, the pasta was whole grain spinach spaghetti, the bread was from Whole Foods and I made a garlic butter spread for it using grassfed butter. I made the sauce and added local sausage. The parmesan cheese was freshly grated.

We indulged but it I made sure that what we ate still mattered. That we weren’t just eating empty calories but something we could still feel good about.

That’s how I approach indulging and “treats”. Nothing is off limits because I don’t really believe in restriction but I do try to always eat the best possible that I can get.

Tonight it’s leftover roast chicken and veggies for dinner! Thank goodness for leftovers, they make life so much easier.

September: Go Streaking

August 29, 2014Andrea Leave a comment

As most of you know, I have been struggling to get back into running since moving to beautiful Colorado. The altitude is hard for me to adjust to and that makes running a big challenge. I need to change this because I hate not working out and feeling like a lazy jerk.

It’s going to take baby steps but in order to get my ass in gear I’ve decided to do a running streak for the month of September. Distance and pace aren’t important, just that I run everyday for 30 days.

I’ll probably bitch about it and it’s going to most certainly be a challenge. But I can do anything for 30 days, right? Earlier this year I did a diet challenge and that got me back on track so logic tells me this should help. I will be instagramming this challenge and posting a picture after each run, using the hashtag #30DayStreak.

I would love to have some friends join me! Are you looking to make a habit change as well? Maybe you want to start doing morning workouts or perhaps you want to bike more? Whatever your goal is, I encourage you to streak for it! Challenges are better when we can all support one another.

So are you in? Let me know what you will be doing for 30 days and where we can follow along!

Streaking starts on September 1st, which is next Monday! So soak it all up this holiday weekend because we start first thing on Monday!

Here’s to streaking! I hope you’ll join me!

Monday Meals: Too Much Take Out

July 14, 2014Andrea 2 Comments

We had a lot of takeout this week and it was a little disappointing. Both the food and the fact that we ordered out so much. By Sunday I told Scott that I was done with eating out unless it’s really special and we make it count.

Meaning it’s got to be a restaurant that we know serves quality food and it’s worth the effort and the money to eat there.

Why spend money on crappy food? This is what I was asking myself by the end of the week.

Most of us probably need to ask ourselves that more often. Crappy food does nothing for us. It doesn’t nourish us, it causes havoc on our digestion, and we pay money for that.

That’s just silliness.

This past week also made me realize that my body is over crap food. When I eat it, my body reacts right away, like, “Ugh why are you doing this to me? We were eating so well and it was soooo good! This is horrible.”

I usually end up eating an apple or something to try and make my body feel better.

This week the goal is to only eat out once or twice. Most likely that will be on Sunday because we are traveling down to Boulder for the day. Boulder has more variety of options for food and I’m excited to see what all is available to us!

On to eats!

BREAKFAST:

Veggie bowl! I cut the corn kernels off of the cob and sauteed that in ghee with some chopped purple cabbage, shredded carrot, and some chopped onion. Seasoned with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Very yummy and colorful breakfast!

I prepped some sweet potatoes for the week. I peeled and chopped two very large sweet potatoes, tossed them in a little olive oil and roasted them at 400 until they were just shy from being tender. Then I used them for breakfasts for the rest of the week.

This sweet potato bowl has roasted red pepper chicken sausage. Everything was heated up in a skillet in a little lard and seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Having the pre-roasted sweet potatoes on hand makes things so much faster and easier to create breakfast during the week.

Lots of scrambled eggs, more sweet potatoes, and a few slices of bacon. Easy and filling!

Probably the saddest breakfast! A large piece of fried chicken and some nectarine slices. I had some leftover fried chicken in the freezer that needed used up. I didn’t eat the coating, it’s tasty but a little too heavy. This was the end of the week and I was running out of foods!

I had some plantains that needed used up as they were getting a little too ripe. I tried my hand at making some pancakes with them. I’m on the right track with the batter, I just need to tweak it a little bit more.

Having these for breakfast, while delicious, my body needs a little bit more in the mornings. Protein and fiber from veggies or fruit. This didn’t fill me up for long and by noon I wanted to gnaw my arm off.

Ham and swiss hand pies with grain free crust. I need to work on this a bit more to get the crust right so that it isn’t quite so dense and can be rolled out.

There is a French bakery here that makes the most amazing ham and cheese croissants. I tried to make clean eats version but it still needs a lot of work! Also, I’m not at all saying that this compares to French pastries in anyway because it doesn’t. I wanted to experiment and see if I could make a hand pie turnover thing. Close but not quite there!

DINNER:

Last week I mentioned that we were going to have pho for dinner and we did. It was so yummy! I get the chicken pho with chicken broth. The chicken is a little on the sketchy side so I try to avoid it and load up with onions and bean sprouts instead. It was delicous!

I had the leftovers for breakfast the next morning and that wasn’t so delicious. It turned sweet and a little strange. I’m going to stick with a smaller portion next time we order out.

I also got some fried rice which was actually amazing. It was full of flavor and not in the slightest way greasy. Now I know they used a less desirable oil to cook this in but for a treat I was pleased with it.

This was my big kitchen fail of the week. I attempted to make a quick grain-free pizza. I’m not sure what happened but the crust turned out awful. It smelled and tasted like cooked shrimp. EW I added baking soda and vinegar to this dough hoping to get a little more rise but I think that might have been the issue. Those two things didn’t react well with the other ingredients and so we had a very horrible tasting pizza. Ugh.

We tried to remedy that with takeout pizza which also wasn’t the best. We tried a new pizza joint in town that was rumored to have great gluten-free crusts. After researching, I learned that it’s a pre-made crust (from a company in Loveland but still, not house made) and is frozen. It’s smaller in size and costs $3 more.

For my money I would be getting a frozen pizza crust that isn’t even the same size as a regular pizza AND it costs more than the regular pizza.

Sorry but I’m not that dedicated to the cause.

Gluten doesn’t give me digestion distress, it only causes me to be a little bloaty and feel sluggish. These are things I actually can live with if the pizza is worth it.

This pizza is not worth it. We got the regular crust and just were not impressed with the pizza overall.

Roast chicken (sort of) and mashed potatoes and turnips. I learned a lot from this meal.

1. You can cook a whole chicken in a slow cooker and it won’t take nearly as long as you think. This chicken was ready in about 5 hours. Sure the skin won’t be crispy but the chicken is tender and has a more intense chicken flavor to it.

2. My body hates turnips. As soon as I ate them my stomach bloated up like an inflated balloon, and I was gassy the rest of the night. TMI? You’ll live.

I haven’t had a reaction like that to a vegetable before so that was definitely an interesting experience! But no more turnips, ugh.

Ham and cheese hand pies were not enough so I made us something else for lunch. I had a craving for seafood so I busted out the shrimp.

Spiralized three yellow squash. Roasted some chopped tomatoes at 400 degrees. Coated some shrimp with olive oil and lemon pepper seasoning and roasted those at 400 until done. About 10 minutes. Caramelized some onions in some ghee, added the squash noodles, more ghee and lemon pepper seasoning. At the end I added the tomatoes and topped everything with the roasted shrimp.

Delicious and totally what my body needed!

I used the leftover chicken and broth from the earlier in the week to make soup. Broth chicken, shredded carrots, chopped onions, celery, and potatoes all went into the slow cooker and cooked all day long.

It was comforting and tasty way to end the week!

Despite all the take out, this was a great week! I experimented in the kitchen, sure there was a huge fail, but shit happens. I learned that I can cook a whole chicken in a slow cooker which is perfect for when I don’t want to heat up the whole kitchen. I discovered that turnips hate me and not to ever make shrimp pizza again.

This week I’m busting out the meal plan and making sure everything is ready to go!

Fitness Friday: Up and At ‘Em

July 11, 2014Andrea Leave a comment

I am choosing to focus on the positive of this past week. I only ran twice but I did get up three times at 6am to start my day.

This is HUGE. I’ve been struggling with getting back into an early morning routine. Even though I love early mornings and morning workouts, it’s been a challenge to get back into the habit. Of course I blame poor eating for that. The more crappy I eat, the more I just want to stay in bed in the mornings.

Duh.

I worked hard this week to make sure that I got to bed early and was able to get up early. Adopting that habit again isn’t easy but the more I do it, the easier it becomes. In order for a new behavior to become habit, it has to be done consistently for 14 days. I’m working on making morning routines the new habit.

This past week, I made sure I got to bed early with plenty of time to read and relax. Most nights it was lights out by 9:30. I felt amazing when I did that and I’m looking forward to more of those evenings.

Scott said that he wanted to start running again. We seem to go through this cycle of him running for a bit and then phasing out. This time I hope he sticks with it! He’s been getting up in the mornings with me and we have been running first thing. Even though I have always viewed morning runs as “me time”, it’s nice to have company. It motivates me a little more to get up and get moving.

And yes we are still at a mile. But with sleeping habits changing and eating habits changing, I see us being able to up the mileage very soon.

Did you get a chance to move this week?

Fitness Friday: Cramping My Style

June 27, 2014Andrea 1 Comment

I had an alright week with running. Definitely one of those times where I could have done more.

Monday I went out for an afternoon run and it was horrible. My left shin cramped up pretty badly which then caused my calf to start cramping as well. UGH I had to stop 1/2 mile in and walk the rest of the way back home. It was another 1/2 mile before my leg stopped cramping. I tried stretching it out but that didn’t help at all.

It was so weird! I have never had that happen before. Yeah I have had sore shins from running but they have never seized up while running. Strange!

I took Tuesday off to give my legs a break. I went out Wednesday morning for a run and that was much better! I did have to stop for a walk break because my calves were getting achey. But otherwise I was able to keep running no problem.

Friday I did an afternoon run again. The bad news is that my stupid leg cramped up again. The good news is that it didn’t take nearly as long to recover. I walked a bit, tried to run again and then had to stop.

DAMNIT.

Now I’m annoyed at the situation.

My Calves are really tight and I’m wondering if it’s from the hike I did last week. The trail had a pretty steady incline on the way up and I did have to walk through a lot of snow. I’ve been stretching them out this week and making sure I get in some bananas! If I don’t eat a banana, I notice that my calves are more likely to start to cramp or get a charlie horse when I’m sleeping. It’s weird I know but if I make sure to get at least a banana in during the day then my legs are fine. I normally eat bananas mixed in with a smoothies and it definitely makes a difference! Apparently my body needs the potassium.

I just made a smoothie and used two frozen bananas! Take that, stupid leg!

I’m also going to make sure I’m well hydrated and I’m going to fiddle with the laces on my shoes to see if either of those help.

My Garmin has been having trouble connecting to satellites lately. I start it while I’m getting dressed but most days it doesn’t even connect until I’ve already started my run. Weird. I wonder if it’s because all the trees are full now that it’s summer? Anyone else having trouble with their Garmin?

As always, next week I will shoot to be better! How did your week go?

Fitness Friday: That Time I Saw A Moose

June 20, 2014Andrea 3 Comments

This was a much better week! I ran twice this week and went on a hike so I am pretty pleased with how the week turned out.

Tuesday I did a lunchtime run and it was so stinking hot. I did have to stop and walk but I didn’t really care. I was out running and that’s all that mattered. Then we took the dogs out for a walk and I ran some intervals on the trail with Penny to wear her out a little more. We let the dogs cool off in the river which is Avery’s favorite part. He will lay down in the river while Penny will dig around for rocks.

Wednesday I went out again in the afternoon for a run and thankfully it wasn’t nearly as hot and there was a lovely breeze going. I only had to walk once during the run which made me extremely happy!

The heat and the fact that it’s a later run (for me, I’m a morning exerciser) is why I had to take walk breaks. Otherwise I’m willing to bet I could have run the entire thing.

The best part of the week though was going on an afternoon hike up in the Poudre Canyon. I went with Kristin and two other ladies all of which have way more hiking experience then I do. This is exactly why I wanted to go, to gain more hiking experience so that Scott and I can get out more and explore.

The plan was to hike the trail up to Zimmerman lake. It is an “easy” 1 mile hike in to the lake and 1 mile back out. Easy in quotes because for a n00b like myself, I don’t really consider anything easy.

We passed the trail head since it was very small and mixed in with another larger trail. We stopped to turn around and that’s when Kristin quickly pulled over because there was a moose hanging out eating in the field next to the road.

Not the best quality picture I know but considering this was taken with my phone zoomed in and from the backseat of a car, it’s really not too shabby.

I could have happily went home at that point because MOOSE. This was my first time seeing a moose and it was awesome. His horns are starting to grow in and they are all velvety. He was beautiful.

We headed back down and pulled back into the first trail head that we stopped at and finally spotted a sign for Zimmerman Lake trail.

That’s how tiny it is so you can see why we missed it the first time around.

We were up around 11,000-12,000 feet in elevation. The air still had a chilliness to it but not so much that it was cold.

The trail was snow covered, more than any of us were expecting. We all agreed to push through and try to make it to the lake.

This made the trail a lot more challenging! My quads and calves were definitely working hard.

We made it though and it was totally worth it. Look at that view! Gorgeous lake! It was very peaceful and calm up there. Yep, I get to live here.

We didn’t stick around too long because we had somewhere to be and maybe because we also saw some bear poop.

For my first major elevation hike I did really well! I made sure that I was well hydrated and I brought my camelbak. When we first started up the trail I was a little short of breath but I took things slow and didn’t try to force my pace any faster.

Once we reached a certain point my breathing leveled out and I was able to breathe normally and wasn’t quite as slow on the trail. I also didn’t get a headache. I’m calling this a successful hike!

Afterwards we headed out to meet up with some more friends for some beers and food at a local bar located on the river. It was an awesome day!

Fitness Friday: Andrea 0, Procrastination 1

June 6, 2014Andrea 2 Comments

I want to get back the core of what started this blog; food and exercise. Showing how living a healthy lifestyle can be fun and fulfilling while not depriving yourself of good food. I do not believe in being restrictive when it comes to life and food.

When I started this blog I shared my journey becoming a distance runner and I also shared our journey changing our eating habits and becoming more healthy. After a while I moved away from that and focused more on recipes and kitchen tips.

While that is still important to me and I’ll still be sharing recipes and kitchen strategies, I’ve realized that I need to go back to my roots.

We’ve come full circle.

I’m starting and learning how to be a distance runner again. Starting from square one and learning how to run in the mountains. We’re also back to changing our eating habits for the better.

I’ve struggled with both of these things for the 2+ years that we’ve been living here. Getting back into a routine but also finding the motivation to do so. I used to read blogs to help with motivation but I struggle with finding blogs that focus on realistic healthy living (food and exercise) and that are also written well.

I tried having accountability partners and I’ve tried joining groups but none of that worked for me.

What works for me is seeing someone else’s journey and being able to relate to them in some way. Since I can’t find that, then I need to be that. And that’s what this blog is going to get back to. A space used to show off life and a journey back to being active and eating well.

Fridays are going to be about fitness and what I did that week to move and be active.

I would love to share great stories with you from this week but I didn’t do anything. That doesn’t mean that I was sitting on the couch all day every day. I’ve got two dogs and they need to get out for walks and exercise. Scott and I scouted some new trails but we’re still looking for one that’s perfect.

For the first half of the week I was recovering from a cold so sleeping was way more appealing than running. Walking the dogs and playing with them outside was about as much as I could muster. I’m ready to get back at it this coming week!

I’m all about being realistic. Not working out happens. I’m not perfect and I’m OK with that. It’s a process and I’m learning all over again.

Goals for this week are to get out and get running in the morning and maybe getting some cross training in. How did your week go?

Running Clubs In Fort Collins

May 12, 2014Andrea Leave a comment

As I slowly (oh my god so slowly) get back into running, I’m pretty excited about two new running groups that have popped up. They involve my favorite things; running, food, and drinks!

Not surprising that two such groups have launched in Fort Collins where we have plenty of runners and places to socialize afterwards!

The first group is bRUNch Running, where participants meet at a local restaurant and then from there either do a 5K or 10K loop ending back at the restaurant where it’s time for brunch! There is no membership fee but participants do have to purchase a ticket to the event.

Tickets are $25 when purchased in advance and $30 at the door. Ticket price included: entree, two drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), tax and gratuity. A dollar from each ticket sold benefits the Food Bank for Larimer County. bRUNch is open to runners and walkers of all levels.

The northern Colorado group will meet weekly through September. On September 28 there will be a final The bRUNch Run, a 5K timed race at Denver’s Stapleton Central Park. Throughout the season, participants will bRUNch at restaurants like the Mainline, Rainbow and Mulligan’s Pub in Fort Collins and Sports Station in Loveland.

The website has a calendar up and you can purchase tickets through there.

Another running group that we have here in Fort Collins is called the North FoCo Running Club. They meet every Thursday at 6pm at different locations. They run a loop and meeting back at the location for a drink after the run. Their schedule is up on their website. I’m not sure the mileage for the loops, I think that might be determined on site.

So if you’re looking for some new fun social groups that also involve running, now you’ve got two to check out!

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