100th Post=Pro Compression Socks Giveaway!!

Posted by hellyontherun in Fitness, Giveaway, Running, Shopping and tagged with Giveaway, PRO Compression, Recovery, Running, Socks April 17, 2014

It’s crazy that I’ve reached the 100th post milestone. Technically this is 101, but hey, I’m in the triple digits 🙂

So in celebration, I’m giving a away a pair of socks!

Cue memories of opening Christmas presents and being sad when they were socks.

These aren’t any random pair of socks though. These. Are. Awesome!

You might have heard of compression socks and the benefits of wearing them. They help increase blood flow in your legs, reduce swelling and inflammation, and are great for muscle recovery. I’ve been known to wear my sleeves under my pants during winter lol!

So I’ve tried the sleeve version of compression socks–these you slip them on over your feet so it hits around your ankle. (This is no easy feat by the way–sorry, couldn’t help myself. I’ll be here all week.)

Calf Sleeve
(Source)

My good friends at Pro Compression sent me the regular sock version to try out and I was so very excited.

Here I am sporting them at the track:

I’m not usually a bright color gal but I LOVE these. I like to think of them as Phoenix Suns orange (who didn’t make the playoffs by the way 😦 )

Wanna try a pair? Want to OWN a pair? Enter for a chance to score some sweet Pro Compression socks in the color of your choice!

First, make sure you click on the Rafflecopter link below. Then, comment on how you like to recover after a run or race. (I love to kick my pro compression clad legs up and drink a coke)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more entries:

1. Like Helly on the Run on Facebook.
2. Like PRO Compression on Facebook.
3. Follow Helly on the Run on Twitter.
4. Follow PRO Compression on Twitter.
5. Tweet about the giveaway.
6. Follow Helly on the Run on Instagram.

Good luck! And hey, everyone’s a winner here. If you want your socks NOW, use the code BLG14 at checkout for 40% off! Go to their website and start shopping 🙂 Be sure to check out their Sock of the Month at the bottom of their homepage and sign up for great deals!

Fine print:
The giveaway will on Tuesday at midnight and I’ll announce that morning.
Ships U.S. only
Void where prohibited by law

I did receive my socks courtesy of Pro Compression. My opinions on their product are honest and forthright. I have tried other similar products but wholeheartedly prefer Pro Compression for the quality.

Liebster Award Part Deux

Posted by hellyontherun in Award, Bloggers, Fitness, Running and tagged with About Me, Blog, Blogging Buddies, Blogosphere, Getting To Know You, Liebster Award, Running April 15, 2014

A while back I was nominated for the Liebster Award, an award acknowledging bloggers and helping readers find new bloggers.

Well, I’ve been nominated again! 🙂 Thanks Laurie aka Better Late Than Never! (Check out her page–she rocks!)

The Rules for the Liebster Award:

1. You must link back to the person who nominated you.
2. You must answer the 10 Liebster questions given to you by the nominee before you.
3. You must pick 10 bloggers to nominate.
4. You must create 10 questions for your nominees.
5. You must go to their blogs and notify them of their nomination.

Here are the questions I have to answer:

1. What inspired you to start writing/blogging?

My answer to this is similar to when I was asked the first time I was nominated for this award. I love running and I love writing. I’m an English teacher so I think it’s just a natural thing for me to love 🙂

I like Laurie’s answer to this question. Like her, I didn’t start this blog to amass followers or make a business out of it. I love being able to look back on how I felt about things–certain runs, certain races, goals I had/have–things like that. I think a lot when I run so this was also a good place for me to put those thoughts 🙂

Finally, my BRF Salt inspired me. She was a blogger before she had her running blog and always had to good things to say about having a place for your thoughts and “meeting” people with similar thoughts and interests.

2. What is your favorite trick to staying healthy on the go?

Well, those of you who have been reading my stuff for a while know I’m not the healthiest person/runner out there. I guess my only positive healthy thing I do is when I go to restaurants I order water instead of a soft drink or juice or tea. It lets me better enjoy my meal and saves me a few bucks too.

I also take a bottle of water whenever I leave the house. Helps curb hunger cravings when I might not really be hungry and if I’m thirsty I’ll have that instead of getting a Big Gulp (which is always what I really want).

3. Mountains or oceans? Summer or winter? Why?

I live in Arizona so I love my mountains. Plus, I’ve never been a fan of large bodies of water. I don’t like not knowing what my feet are touching.

Summer. I don’t do cold very well and would much rather deal with my 120 degree summers than a polar vortex any day.

4. What is your favorite “clean” treat? Link to a recipe.

………yeah

5. Name three things you cannot live without.

Well, I won’t include people since the task says things….hmmmm

My phone. Really so that I can call my mom and not so much for the social media connection of it.
My closet. I love my closet and everything in it.
Coke. I probably could live without it but it’d be a hard knock life for sure.

6. What is your favorite workout and/or body part to work out?

Fave workout, running 🙂 Body part, I’d have to say abs. I actually like working my core and think it’s cool how strengthening it helps out with so many things.

7. Is blogging your profession? If not, what do you do outside the blogosphere?

Right now, I’m a stay at home mom but I’ll be returning to teaching in the fall. I teach high school English. I love my job and am very exciting to go back after taking a year off.

8. Name three guilty pleasure books, T.V. shows, and/or movies that you’re sorry not sorry you like.

I looove watching Dancing With The Stars. I get said when there are rumors the show will get canceled 😦
I subscribe to quite a few girly fashion magazines–Vogue, InStyle, Elle are my faves..
This wasn’t part of the question but I’ve never seen Star Wars and I’m sorry not sorry that I have no desire to ever watch it.

9. What advice would you give your eighteen year old self?

Try hard in school–you’ll actually miss it when you’re older.

I wish I could go back and take some of the classes I took in college over. I’d really read the stuff and not just pan over it. And I’m sure I’d have a lot more to say about things now than I did back then.

10. Five things that make you the happiest.

-My husband
-My kids
-Running/working out
-Reading
-Shopping

These are the blogs I’m nominating (I’m being a rebel and nominating 6). Check them out!

Let’s Go Running
I’m Going Slightly Mad
The Sideache
Fun Mother Runner
Meg’s Life Running
Slacker Runner

Here are your questions!

1. When people ask you, “Why do you like running?” How do you respond?
2. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
3. Someone received an award they cheated to get. Do you notify someone or keep quiet?
4. What’s your favorite food?
5. Do you speak any other language besides English? If not, what language would you like to learn?
6. The Voice or American Idol? (or none)
7. What is the last book you read?
8. If you could time travel, would you go the past or future?
9. What are you most looking forward to this year?
10. What is your favorite holiday?

–Join in and answer one of the questions above!

–Reading any cool blogs? Tell me!!

Weight Loss Denial

Posted by hellyontherun in Fitness, Healthy Eating, Running, Weight Loss and tagged with Body Image, Exercise, Fitness, Losing Weight After Pregnancy, Personal, Running, Self Confidence, Weight Loss April 11, 2014

I wrote a couple of months ago how I was able to lose the pregnancy weight after two babies back to back and how I was so happy to be at my pre pre-pregnancy size.

I love clothes and nothing made me happier than finally fitting in to them 🙂

Since that time though, I’ve lost a few more pounds and while some might ask, “Wait, isn’t that a good thing?” it is, but I’m having some trouble accepting it.

I’ve never been below my pre-pregnancy size. High school and earlier not counting, I’ve always been the same size and I worked out to maintain that comfortable, healthy-for-me number.

But as I’ve been shopping, and I do that a lot, I’ve been noticing that size not fitting like it used to. I’ve chalk it up to design and cut and still buy it because I like it.

On one shopping excursion, my husband was with me. I chose a few things to try and on and he waited for me to come out and model for him. I love getting his opinions and he actually likes going shopping with me (I have a winner!).

He took one look at me and said what I couldn’t for some reason let myself say out loud, “I think you need to try a size smaller.”

“It’s not going to fit.”

“Just try it.”

I’ve never had any major body issues (thankfully) but I also don’t like not fitting into things and I was scared of the possibility of sardine-ing my way into a pair of pants I knew wouldn’t fit me.

Except they did.

I’m not a big scale person but I do weigh myself from time to time and I’m actually a few pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. So while I’m in my normal size of clothing, the number isn’t what it used to be. (Further proof that you shouldn’t live by the scale.)

I bought the new size pants but with the bag of new jeans I carried away a feeling that they would most likely collect dust in my closet.

But why? I know that my fitness plans are not changing. My diet has changed a bit as I’m no longer consuming insane amounts of McDonald’s but that’s not changing either. There’s nothing to say that I won’t continue to maintain my body the way it is now. In fact, with MCM in the fall and Phoenix Marathon early next year, I might even lose a few more pounds and/or tone up a bit more as my training increases.

So why am I in a weight loss denial?

I brought this topic up to my Healthy Moms online board where several moms have also lost weight. A few of them agreed with me that there’s something scary new about losing weight. Will I stay at that weight? Should I invest in new clothing? Will I eventually go back to my old size? The pounds will surely come back, right?

Why is hard for us to accept accomplishment and trust in ourselves to continue and embrace our new lifestyle? Because for me it was never about about dieting. It ~~was~~ is most certainly about changing the way I approach working out and eating right. I wasn’t looking for a number to reach and stopping when I reached it. I started taking running seriously because I wanted to challenge myself with goals I hoped to reach–and then challenging myself by setting new goals. I don’t think any of that is going to change soon.

While I’m learning to accept this new body and embrace, I made a pretty significant breakthrough yesterday.

I was at a small hotel gym getting some treadmill miles in. It was really hot in there but I figured it had something to do with our 98 degree weather outside. About a mile in, I was sweating profusely and decided heck, no need to suffer, I’m taking my shirt off.

I’ve NEVER ran in just a sports bra. Not even pre pre-pregnancy, not in high school, not because of our scorching summers. Never. But somewhere long the way of losing weight, I’ve gained self-confidence. I could see my body in the multitude of mirrors in the gym and I was perfectly fine with what I saw. No nit-picking, no self-judging, just me running.

In fact, I looked at my two baby body with pride. I’ve worked hard.

I’m working hard.

–Have you lost weight and felt uncomfortable with the newness?

–What are your thoughts on weight loss denial? Why do you think it’s hard for people to accept weight loss?

Thanks for listening friends. This was a personal piece for me.