IfItPlugsIn

I've been hella busy, so here's the rundown of my workouts: 3/4 - Ran 3 miles 3/5 - Ran 3 miles 3/8 - Ran 4 miles 3/10 - Zumba 3/14 - Ran 5 miles 3/15 - Zumba 3/17 - Zumba Whoa, cardio queen, huh? Oh well, hopefully it will make the weight drop off (so far so good). We've also had gnarly sickness rotating it's way around our house. I've had 2 sick days in as many weeks, and have been taking care of 3 sick babies. Hopefully we'll be in the clear of that soon. I don't feel at all close to being prepared for my half, but I guess I'll just do my best to train as much as possible. I have quite a bit of travel coming up that might interfere (girls weekend in Vegas, visiting family for Easter, and a work trip), but I'll have to keep my head in the game if I want to finish the 13 miles. Guess that's all I know today! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ran last night - 3.5 miles. It would have been 4, but my husband came home and was overwhelmed by taking chicken out of the oven, cutting lettuce for salads, and letting the kids watch a movie... Yeah. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm with you on no new goals = pointless to do a challenge. Also, I never had to do much for farm chores, but I know how hard my daddy works. Also, animals usually means married to the farm. Not sure if I want that or not. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I decided to google the shocker before you gave the history lesson. Thankfully, I did so from my phone rather than my work computer. Not sure how you have settings in MFP, etc. but I've been using a FitBit since Christmas. When I sync it with MFP, I usually get quite a few extra exercise calories just from daily activity, meaning I've been underestimating my baseline. Just a thought, if you're into gadgets. I'm sure other extenuating circumstances are playing a factor as well, which makes it difficult to know what to do. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My half is in May also, so I need to get my butt in gear. It's definitely one of those things that you just want to have the pride of saying you did it. Zumba rocked last night. So much more fun than running... Good news/bad news: in an effort to get more work done (and because my work installed new internet monitoring software), I've been avoiding personal sites. However, I just put Tapatalk on my phone. NF was the one thing I was having trouble doing from my phone, but once I get used to it, I think I'll really like it. Goodbye, productivity! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Love it, BB! Keeping it simple is the way to be Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So much here already! 1. I am just starting to get into tea as well. So far, I'm into peppermint, or passion/hibiscus. I'm not a huge fan yet, but I love the idea of using tea to temper the amount of soda you're drinking. 2. Fat loss FTW! That's my main goal right now. I'm supposed to start training for a half-marathon ASAP, so I'm all in on cardio right now. 3. I'm a water snob at work too. I bring 2 1-liter bottles with me everyday. 4. Meat collage is awesome! 5. Bro Science GIF is awesome! 6. No whining/bullshit is awesome! (so much awesome here!!)

It's been how long since I've posted?!?! Before Thanksgiving, yikes! Holidays have come an gone, and the bad news is that I gained some weight back. The good news is that I'm back on track in a lot of areas and that situation is improving. I'm up about 3 pounds from my lowest post-baby-#3 weight, but down over 10 from Jan. 1. Workouts - I am still teaching Zumba occasionally, and attending at least once a week. We also got a new treadmill, so I can get started on that half-marathon training before it's warm enough to run outside. Lifting has slipped, but I'm ok with that until I get my weight back down, and half training in full swing. 2. Tech-driven eating - I'm such a sucker for gadgets. My husband got me a FitBit Flex for Christmas, and I'm loving it. I've synched it with MyFitnessPal, so I'm keeping track pretty well with that. I'm not stressing too much over my eating, just because I don't have the energy. I'm trying to make good choices, especially for breakfast/lunch, and letting supper be a chance to enjoy time with my family. 3. Sanity - I've let up on the baths and books (which I know I need to do again), but I'm super excited about the 2 upcoming girls weekends that I have planned. First, I'm spending a weekend with my sister in Minneapolis. We're going to a dinner theater showing of the Little Mermaid, doing some shopping, and just hanging out (sans kids!). In April, I've booked a trip with a handful of sorority sisters to Vegas! I've never been there, so I'm super excited. We're just making it an extended weekend (3 nights, 4 days), so nothing too crazy, but it should be a blast. 4. Other news - I started oil pulling. I'm going to give it a try and see what I think. So far, I'm using about a tsp of coconut oil, and just doing it while I'm in the shower. One cool thing about the FitBit, is that it tracks your sleep. I can see that I'm getting enough hours in bed, but also how broken up the time can be, depending on the kids. It's still a pretty rare occurrence for me to get a restful night. Totally what I expected, but also eye-opening at the same time. Stop reading now, if you're put off by bodily function stuff. You've been warned. I'm so sick of puke and poop! My youngest has been battling colds, teething, etc., and it has been non-stop diarrhea, puke, and mucus coming out of him. My husband is a sound sleeper, and gags at the sight/smell of it, so guess who has been cleaning up? End rant. I'm going to do my best to start posting regularly again. I miss you all! Off to search for challenge threads to follow...

Monday 11/18 - Zumba Saturday 11/23 Squat 2x5x65 2x5x85 2x5x95 Bench 5x5x60 Sit-ups 5x10 Day 2 DOMS has set in, and I can really feel it in my legs. Surprisingly, the squats felt really good while I was doing them, and I probably could have gone for more. Shooting for Zumba tonight and Wed. and 1 more workout this weekend (maybe after Black Friday shopping?). Traveling again for work next week, so I'm not sure how good I'll be about workouts, but I'll see what I can do.

Awesome info on grass-fed beef!

I'm also firmly in the "I <3 Epsom soaks" camp. Warmth, magnesium, relaxation. What's not to love?

So, I got talked into running a half in May. Got an awesome training plan to follow that you can recommend, or tips/tricks for me? Most I've run so far is 10K.

Working out hasn't been happening lately. I have a bad case of "too much shit, not enough space." I would like to rearrange my workout area, so it's readily available when I actually have a few minutes to do stuff. I had to travel for work the last 2 days, so eating has been pretty bad too because airports. Good news about travel is that I somehow got booked in the "bridal suite" at the hotel I stayed at. The place didn't have a gym, but I did get a spa tub, so I took advantage, and also finished the book I've been reading.

Natural recipes for those that asked: Face Wash3 T aloe vera (we use the clear gel that you get in the sunscreen area)3 T coconut oilup to 1 T carrot seed oil (we used 10 drops)3 T castile soap (we used 1 1/2 T) We add this after everything else – even after the essential oil – because of foamingEssential oils – 3 drops of 3 of these essential oils (all good for oils skin/acne) bergamot, cypress, eucalyptus, geranium, grapefruit, jasmine, juniper, lemon, lemongrass, orange, patchouli, petitgrain, sandalwood, tea tree, or ylang ylangWe used:3 drops Ylang Ylang extra essential oil (good balancing oil)3 drops Pink Grapefruit essential oil3 drops Sea Buckthorn Berry essential oil (good oil for mature skin or keeping skin youthful) Blend the ingredients (except the castile soap) together using a small spatula – NOT WOOD – it absorbs the EO’s. Pour the mixture into a jar or bottle, then add the castile soap (use a funnel if you need to), cap and shake. Body Butter1/2 c coconut oil2 T horsetail butter (optional)1/2 tsp. Vitamin E oil1/2 tsp. jojoba oil20 drops carrot seed oilEssential oils of your choice – we used Fennel 4 drops, Vanilla 5 drops, Orange 7 drops. Or you can just use vanilla and/or spices from your kitchen. Whip with mixer until fluffy and put in jar. If your coconut oil is really hard, you can soften it, or melt about 1tsp of it to help it mix smoothly.

Awesome challenge, MP! I especially like the "do something every day" goal. Sounds simple, but I find it a lot harder to actually do. Also, jealous of all you non-parent folks that actually have a say in how much sleep you get! I was primed to get 8 hours last night, and 2 of the 3 kids woke me up (at different times), bringing me down to a measly 5.

Great goals, Mir! I'm with y'all on chasing the past PRs. If you can get your doctor to run the tests, it won't hurt to look at the cortisol, other adrenals, reproductives (testosterone, estrogen, and another I can't remember), and thyroid. My doctor suggested IBS and anxiety for some of my similar issues.

Thankfully, it's almost the end of the day, and there aren't very many people around to see/hear me choking on my water from laughing at that vid! Pretty sure I have to subscribe to his YouTube channel.

Checking in... Zumba on Monday, and the scale cooperated on Tuesday morning. Yay! Yesterday we had business meetings, with lunch brought in (sub sandwiches and cookies). So tired at the end of the day, that we had pizza for supper. Scale responded accordingly this morning. I took an Epsom salt bath last night, and it did help me feel better. I'm off to a slow, sad start.

Love the "Don't Die" challenge theme. I went the route of forgoing the challenge, and am just going to use a Battle Log. My remainder of the year looks pretty crazy. Good luck, girl!!

Love the collage! Such a great project YAY PEPPERS!!! I know you've missed them, so it rocks that you didn't have any negative effects from them! Sigh, lifting. I have no idea where I am on my weights. I last lifted once in September, and before that was once in May. Yikes! I'm sure I'll be working my way back up to PRs with you and PH.

1 - Heck yeah on 140 squat! 2 - Do you lift at home? I think I remember you saying you do... What do you have for a setup? I have a squat rack, no cage, and am a little worried at weights over 100lbs, for the consequences of accidental dropping. Just curious.

I'll have to double-check on the amounts in the face wash. My mom has the recipe, since she buys all the essential oils that go in it. The base is aloe, coconut oil, carrot seed oil, and a small amount of castile soap. Then a few drops of essential oil for scent and/or effect that you want. I use ylang-ylang because I like the scent, grapefruit for energizing in the morning, and sea buckthorn for an anti-aging property. LOVE IT! Acne has pretty well disappeared, and I had just a small amount of rosacea on my cheeks. When I added the homemade lotion, that pretty well went away too (along with the small wrinkles that had started around my eyes - soooo thrilled with that!). The lotion is coconut oil, jojoba oil, carrot seed oil, horsetail butter, and essential oils for scent. I'm hoping it will help with my stretch marks too, but we'll see. We just made gloss/chap-stick for the first time yesterday, but I already love it. That one is jojoba oil, beeswax, and essential oil for scent/flavor (we used peppermint). We also added some mineral makeup powder for color, and it came out just right. I can already tell the cracks that had started in my lips are healing. SS - I think there are so many to handle skincare - kinda like diet for other bodily symptoms - and you have to find what works for you. I finally realized, after about 15 years of acne, that I had always thought my face was oily, so I'd use harsh cleansers to strip as much oil away as possible. In reality, my body was just trying to keep up with what I was putting it through. When I started using oil on my face, it made my skin less oily... kind of counter-intuitive, but it worked. I quit doing scrubs on my face because of the "harshness" of it, but maybe with just coconut oil and sugar, it would be good. I've never used tea tree oil on my face, but I've heard really good things about it. I do use a tea tree/peppermint shampoo and conditioner from Trader Joe's - all natural/organic ingredients - and it took some time for my hair to adjust to it, but I really like it now. I'm seriously excited to be back! I was waiting for the next challenge to start before posting again, but then decided that I don't need to wait, and may even do better without an actual challenge going on. I've gained about 10 lbs back that I am antsy to lose, and just missed the encouragement from all the lovely folks here

Oh, the troubles of being hit on! Seriously though, dude needs to take a hint. Remind of boyf nicely at first, but after 1 or 2 times, I'd go for the cold/short responses. Adrenal stuff sound confusing. It's really tough when everything looks good on paper, but you still aren't feeling well. Docs don't seem to know how to handle that. Good luck girl!