August 26, 2013

Weekly Wishes: Last Week of Summer!

Beach

So I was going to fill you in on a short and quick recap of what I did this past week (ie no ballet and no running–but lots and lots of walking) but I’ve instead decided to go with this rather cool idea of Weekly Wishes (thanks for the idea, Amanda!) than bore you with how I walked miles across the city of Philadelphia with different friends who were visiting and spent a day at the beach.

The Nectar CollectiveI wish…to get back on track in ballet and running. And not to be so hard on myself when it doesn’t happen like I want it to. I did neither last week, and my left leg is still really tight from flips flops and subconsciously putting more weight on that leg because of injury to my right foot.

I wish…to be injury free, and for patience when I’m not. Even if it means  missing out on a few weeks of ballet and running, it’s better than pushing my injuries further.

I wish…that everything goes well with starting a new part-time job next week and possibly extending my current internship, and that I can handle and organize both well.

On that note, I think I’ll be scaling back how much I blog on this blog from 4 or 5 times to about three times a week (Especially while working on the studio website). Feel free to let me know if you’re interested in guest blogging!

What do you wish for this week?

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August 20, 2013

Sponsored: July Kona Kase Review

I was given one Kona Kase in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own, not Kona Kase. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.

photo (1)I love, love, love getting packages in the mail, and last month’s Kona Kase was no exception (I’m a bit behind, I know). While I haven’t gotten the chance to try everything in the box quite yet (discovering I have a slight possible soy intolerance made eating any different foods a bit daunting) I liked most of what I tried. Here’s a list of the boxes contents:

  • Caveman Cookies: These we really chewy, but had good flavor. Not sure I’d buy them though.
  • Garuka Bars: This was delicious, although it may have contained soy, so I’m not sure how I reacted to it.
  •  Barbara Llewellyn Granola: Haven’t tried it yet.
  • Body Glove Surge Gel: Waiting for a nice long run to try it.
  • Perky Jerky: Still haven’t tried these yet, they’re still sitting in my goody drawer!
  • Enjoy Life: I was super excited to try this dried fruit, seed and chocolate mixture, but all of my chocolate was melted so I haven’t bothered yet!)
  • Pro Bar: These chews were my favorite thing in the box and I plan on buying more. They tasted awesome and they were good for two fueling sessions.
  • Health Warrior: I’m not a fan of Chia Seeds so I didn’t really care for it.

Ways to order Kona Kase (use GIFTSUMMER for $5 off your first box)

  • A month-to-month subscription for $15 each month. All prices include shipping costs.
  • A 3 month subscription for $41 total, a $4 savings.
  • A 6 month subscription for $77 total, a $13 savings.
  • A 12 month subscription for $145, a $35 savings.

Have any questions about the products in the box? I’d be happy to answer any questions or try something (or have HQ try something if it contains soy) and give you my feedback!

I was given one Kona Kase in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own, not Kona Kase. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.

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August 19, 2013

Weekly Recap: Ballet, Pointe Shoe, and Running Updates

This past week started off rough.

Sunday 8/11:  We ran about a mile last Sunday to get some of our favorite mac and cheese, but it was too hot out to do anymore than that. We stopped by the library on the way home and I picked up Apollo’s Angels, a history of ballet.

photo (21)

I did a 3o minute barre3 workout (HQ‘s birthday present to me) and a few hours later my left calf started nagging me.  I can’t wait to share more about Apollo’s Angels (once I read more) and Barre3 once I do a few more workouts–but so far, I’m in love with both!

Monday 8/12: We ran about a mile out the pier here (one of my favorite routes to do near our apartment) and both of us were having horrible shin/calf/knee pain. We ran about 3/4 of a mile back before eventually quitting and walking the rest of the way home. I decided to skip ballet.

Tuesday  8/13: I worked for a little in the morning and then we went to an awesome event about becoming an entrepreneur featuring a panel of young entrepreneurs in the city. You can read my recap here.

Wednesday 8/14: Got to pretend I was editor at work for a little and then got some more mac and cheese for lunch. Clearly, I have a mac and cheese problem.

Thursday 8/15: Finally got some more exercise into this week in the form of beginner ballet, which went really well. We then attempted to go to Night Market here in Philly but the lines were horrible and the tacos I wanted were gone by the time we got there. So we got Jim’s Steaks instead.  This further proves that my life is pretty much the definition of #fatfluential. I exercise, but I eat pretty badly. My legs were also exhausted from ballet plus a ton of walking.

Friday 8/16: Family came down for a last minute so trip, so today meant lots of walking as well. Good news is, I’m now a member of the zoo and I can go whenever I want with up to two guests.

The giant tortoises at the zoo are my favorite.

The giant tortoises at the zoo are my favorite.

Saturday 8/17: Day of the horrible ballet class. I hate when I have a bad class, especially when my teacher can tell I had a bad class. My legs were just too tired. I went to pointe class for a little but the shoes came off roughly 5 minutes in, and 3 hours later I have a little bit of pain on the top of my foot (yes I realize, my feet are probably too weak).

Good news is, I’m staying on top of the squat challenge and got 80 squats in.

Sunday 8/18: Hellloooooo, rest day. Took it easy with some stretching (and catching up on Doctor Who).

I plan on taking the rest of the week depending on how I feel. Luckily, if I decided I need to take the week off, I’ll be fairly busy with work and friends visiting to not go stir crazy.

How do you keep yourself from going stircrazy from an injury?

PS. I’m contemplating a name change, so let me know what you think. Run. Dance. Write. is what I’m debating right now.

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August 18, 2013

Should We Change Our Name?

I’ve been debating a name change recently, for a few reasons:

  • I went for an interview once and someone told me when they read the name they thought it was pornographic….
  • E-mails I send from my domain aren’t getting responses/are possibly going into spam.
  • I get spam related to the “adult” in the name.

It’d be a fairly cheap (money-wise) change over, and I’d be able to redirect people who type in the old address. So I want to know–do you like the name, or is it kind of lame?

If you have any suggestions for possible new names,   I’d love to hear them.

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August 13, 2013

Hairband Meets Bracelets: Active Accessories Review +Giveaway #ad

I was given one set of Active Accessories hairbands in exchange for this review and they provided another  for a giveaway. All opinions are my own, not Active Accessories. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.

I’ve always been dying to try cute ribbon hairbands, and these hairbands from Active Accessories seemed just the perfect ones to try!

The colors mine came in!

The colors mine came in!

These were very cute and look great as an accessory on my wrist, instead of the other boring hair bands I usually wear. The ones I received came in shades of  pink, blue, silver, black and polka dots. They don’t cut off circulation, unlike many of the other hairbands I wear. As someone with thick, curly, unruly hair, carrying hairbands with me at all times is a must.

The only downside is I’m not sure these would necessarily hold my hair up during a super active, jumping around, exercise class due to how crazy my hair is (I struggle to find any type of hairband that holds up my hair well). In fact, I usually find myself having to tightly wrap two different hairbands to keep up a messy bun (and three for ballet buns).

These both match a new leotard I just ordered!

These both match a new leotard I just ordered!

But I’ve found they’re really useful for two reasons: when I want to throw my hair up on the go (at work, while running errands, etc.) or as a way to style my hair with a cute ribbon to look cute when I go to ballet. They function well as the third hairband I use to hold up my ballet buns.

Here’s a quick overview of how I felt:

PROs:

  • cute
  • doesn’t cut off circulation
  • works in a pinch
  • easy to take with you

CONs:

  • doesn’t hold up my uber thick hair well for strenuous activity
  • bit on the pricey side at $7.99

 

You can order your own here, or enter for your chance to win! Open to US entries only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How do you style your hair for a workout?

I was given one set of Active Accessories hairbands in exchange for this review and they provided another  for a giveaway. All opinions are my own, not Active Accessories. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.

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