We are fast approaching December, so some shoppingfessions have crept into this runfession post. Mostly revolving around food & drink, but I could certainly share about all the clothes I have bought recently. All the sales in November and December always seem to get me.
I shoppingfess . . . I went to the grocery store one morning because I was out of my favorite chocolate. Do I have other chocolate? Of course! The heart wants what the heart wants, right? It wasn’t the only thing on my list, but I probably would have put off the trip until another day if I’d still had my chocolate.
I really need to go back & get a few more boxes so I don’t need to ration again this year!
I shoppingfess . . . I have become a hoarder. Of my favorite decaf green tea from Trader Joes. I was haunting the store for weeks waiting for it to make its appearance. Then I snapped up nine boxes. I’m hoping they still have some left so I can make it an even twelve (you know, twelve months).
I runfess . . . Between helping my mom and the hiking the last few months, I haven’t been hitting those four runs a week. There will be more time in Winter, when I’m not hiking — assuming we get that new treadmill.
Working on hamstrings & hip flexors
I runfess . . . I had some great runs last week. I also did way more Yoga than normal because I was trying to take advantage of Mr. Judy being out of town and filmed a lot of Yoga videos.
More leg strengthening
I even got to film early in the morning, when there’s almost no chance of the phone ringing (which had happened on a few other videos recently).
I runfess . . . I have had to pull out my short sleeve Wonder Wool running top from the dirty clothes at least once. It may seem like I have lots of running clothes — and I do! — but there are some things I only have a few of. Good thing that wool really does wick away sweat, dry quickly, and usually not get smelly the way regular running clothes do.
Do you ever wear the same running top more than once? Not me usually, but with wool, I runfess occasionally
What one thing would get you to the grocery store if you ran out of it?
What do you have to runfess from November? Come join us
I had seen Mezcla Protein Bars on sale at Fresh Market — in the app. When I went to buy them, though, there were none to be found. Until finally, probably a month later — not on sale — there they were.
Yup no chocolate & I still loved it!
I tried two flavors and I love them! I knew you could get a mixed flavor box, but of course the bars are pricey, so I didn’t want to spend $$ before I knew I liked them.
Plant protein, relatively healthy ingredients
What I like about Mezcla Protein Bars There’s a lot to like!
Soy, dairy, and gluten free (although made in a plant that might use milk/soy)
Plant protein (pea crisps/protein, quinoa, amaranth)
At 170 calories they’re a true snack (perfect for post run IMHO), not a meal
2% of the profits go to fund art projects in underserved schools (browse through the amazing artwork here!)
The flavors: Mexican Hot Chocolate, Peruvian Cocoa Peanut Butter, Japanese Matcha Vanilla
Not my fav flavor (or best photo) but you get the idea
What about the taste? Initially I tried the Mexican Hot Chocolate and Japanese Matcha Vanilla bars (all I could find) and loved both! The Chocolate bars have a chocolate coating on the bottom, while the Matcha bars have a vanilla coating on the bottom — so they’re not a snack to bring along on a hot day.
I did worry about the coating melting when I got my variety box from Amazon, but they are well packaged and even in summer they arrived in great shape. I did finally try the Cacao Peanut Butter bar — oddly, that wasn’t my favorite. Still good I preferred the other two flaovrs.
Great flavors & great tasting!
Final Thoughts The ingredients are pretty natural. Sure, 7 gm of sugar is still almost 2 teaspoons of sugar, but it’s far less than many protein bars. These bars won’t weigh you down but they should help stave off the rungries as a post run snack. Best of all is the taste!
The only downside to Mezcla Bars is the price. Although I always say to Mr. Judy — what is your health worth?
You can buy Mezcla bars from their Website here or on Amazon here (Amazon Affiliate link, mixed variety box). I bought these bars on my own, and the opinions in this post are my own, too.
Do you use protein bars as post run snacks sometimes?
What’s your favorite one?
What’s your favorite healthy one, LOL!?
Even though I felt even better most of this week, there were a few days I didn’t. Very annoying. Even more annoying? I managed to tweak something in my dominant arm shoulder, not once, but twice! After a lot of SMR (self myofascial release), both times, the pain quickly went away — although it took some working on!
*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links
Running Update
Still not running
Thanks for giving me a reason to be creative, Liz!
Favorites of the week
I had fun drawing Liz’s cats for my Happy Birthday sign for her. Thanks, Cari @ Travelingwithcari for the heads up and glad you had a good birthday, Liz!
I made chicken soup yesterday from the bones of a chicken we cooked. Nothing quite like home made chicken soup on a very cold day!
We split the certificate so not all the chocolate stuff was mine!
We also finally used a gift certificate our SIL had given us for hannukah. Above is our haul.
ICYMI, I did a soft launch on my Yoga Website here. Yes, a second blog. Some freebies. Still a work in progress, in fact hoping today to set up a Yin Yoga FAQ page to link up to all the short videos I’ve been created on that. Not being as active gave me the time I needed to work on that, and it was a lot of work — even though I used to design Websites as a living! That was a long, long time ago though. They were much simpler back then.
Have you ever tried to run two blogs simultaneously?
How would you fill your time if you weren’t able to run?
What would you love to do, career wise, other than your current job?
ICYMI: Before the inauguration I felt called to do a Facebook Live, leading a meditation for unity. I’ll help you move your body a little first so you can relax. guide you through a healing meditation, and we’ll spend a little time in gratitude. You’ll find the video here.
Coming up on Tuesday: I’m sharing six favorites from 2020. Yes, 2020 was challenging in so many ways, but there were good things that came out of it, too. Always better to focus on the positive. Friday it’s time to get a few things off my chest at the runfessional here — join us!.
I was kind of dragging when I ran with Darlene on Monday. By Tuesday afternoon I was exhausted. I took it easy on Wednesday, but I still felt really tired by the afternoon. Thankfully by the end of the week, despite some unexpected healthy problem with my Dad, I was feeling better and that meant better feeling runs, too.
I’m joining up with the Weekly Wrap from Holly @ Hohoruns and Tricia @ Misssipppiddlinto show you where and when I’m running — won’t you join us and show us where and how you stay active?
Workouts update
Monday: Pahla B ST, Dogwalk, 3 miles easy
Tuesday: Pahla B Core, Dogwalk, Pilates Perfect Body Perfect Silhouette & Stretch
Wednesday: Slushy Dogwalk
Thursday: Pahla B Flow, Dogwalk, 5 miles easy (felt anything but), YFR Foundation
Friday: Dogwalk, 3 muddy miles (easy?), Pahla B ST
Saturday: 7 mile LSD
Sunday: Dogwalk
Mileage: 18 (-.75)
TIU = Tone it Up
TM = Treadmill
YFR = Yoga for Runners*
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
YFPR = Yoga for Pain Relief
YTU = Yoga Tune Up Lower Body*
*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links
Running updates
#nofilter
Monday
Since Mr. Judy doesn’t have MLK day off, I didn’t think about anyone else having it off. But Darlene did, and because of the warm weather last week, we hit up one of my favorite paths for some recovery miles.
I don’t think I’ve ever run there during the winter before, because usually the path is covered with snow and/or ice. We kept hearing these noises, and it wasn’t until we finished and I stopped to take some photos that I realized it was the river moving — the ice on it crashing into things.
My legs were tired from our race the day before, but clearly Darlene wasn’t.
Nothing pretty on the run; no energy before/during/after!
Thursday
Bandit got so excited as I changed into running clothes and did my warmup. He clearly enjoys running with me. I did my first couple of miles with him before dropping him off at the house.
This run was a struggle from beginning to end. I’ve been super tired this week — hope I’m not coming down with anything — and despite an extra rest day on Wednesday, I didn’t get enough sleep the previous night.
It felt easier once I dropped Bandit off, but it never felt easy at all. And I search and searched for something to take a photo of outside . . . it was a chilly gray day (although warm enough that the freezing rain from Tuesday was completely gone) and I couldn’t find anything photogenic.
Friday
Friday’s run was an epic fail — in my choice of where to run, that is. I decided to take Bandit with me to one of my favorite little trails, since all our snow and ice is gone. What I didn’t take into account was how wet it’s been and that this is a trail, not a paved path.
It’s just a little trail, not a technical trail, but when you factor in sneaker sucking mud and some remnants of ice . . . let’s just say it was way slower than it ought to have been.
I’ve also gotta say Bandit was a trooper. Poor guy got so muddy. Someday when it’s a whole lot nicer we’ll go back. There aren’t usually a lot of people there, so it’s nice to know that I can go there and feel a little more secure with Bandit along.
Saturday
My father was admitted to the hospital. Let’s just say it’s not good thing, but he also shouldn’t be there long. We hope. My sister said there was no reason to come down. I wanted to get my long run out of the way anyway — I just had a strong feeling it was better to get it done and have Sunday free. Just in case.
Sometimes a solo run is just what the doctor ordered. It might even have been a little too fast, especially considering it was my third running day in a row — but it always feels good to run hard when I’m stressed. I’m glad I could, and I’m glad I finally got to see the sun for a little while.
Favorites of the week
In general this week was kind of meh. We went out for sushi and stopped at my favorite local chocolate place afterwards yesterday– a nice reward for those 7 miles. And I had buttered popcorn at the movies (Hidden Figures) again. My Dad is still in the hospital, but seems better — and now I have jury duty tomorrow. With wintry mix moving in. And apparently about a mile walk from where you park to the courthouse. I could use some stay safe vibes!
And that’s a wrap
This week I am also linking up with the Sunday Fitness & Food Linkup brought to you by Ilka @ Ilka’s Blog and Angela @ Marathons & Motivation.
Let’s get the conversation started:
Would love to hear something good about your week!
#teamloathejuryduty or #teamjurydutyisfascinating?
What was the last movie you saw — do you remember?
I’m Thinking Out Loud about meal prep, just a little this week. How most people’s idea of meal prep is getting healthy dinners, etc., prepped on the weekend. And my idea of meal prep might be baking.
Which just may explain why weight doesn’t come off of me easily.
The Perfect Curl That’s what my husband called it, anyway.
My hair has a mind of its own. I never really learned how to tame its curls with a curling iron. I just air dry, and what happens, happens.
My husband commented at dinner one night that one side (yeah, it’s always one side) was just perfectly curled, and wondered if I’d had a hand in that. Nope, I just had my hair cut, which always brings out the curls, but it just happened.
I really do wish I could make that happen! Then hat hair wouldn’t matter so much.
Trust me, it was really very bruised
My Treadmill is Attacking Me Seriously, my pinkie finger was quite black and blue last week. The handlebars are short, and I have a tendency to swing my hands right into them.
And I bruise very easily.
Am I the only one that does that?
The Randomness of Chafing Every time I think I have it figured out, I get random chafing. Yes, even when running on the mill. Never used to happen, but has happened a couple of times this winter. With tops I’ve already worn without chafing.
I thought I mostly got chafing when my weight was up, but the irony here is that it’s actually down a bit right now.
Most be those darn batwings.
A Serious Senior Moment I’ve mentioned before how I basically split my credit cards between two wallets. One of them has my license and obviously the other does not.
I left for the chiropractor Friday, and planned to stop at Sephora for an exchange and at the library for a book pickup.
I could have sworn I’d put both wallets into my pocketbook, but when I got to Trader Joes (because yes, I was stopping there, too), it was nowhere to be found. No license, no library card, and not the credit card I usually use.
I was not happy, and had to skip Sephora and the library.
And then when I got home, I found that wallet underneath the book I’d brought with me in case I had to kill some time before my appointment.
I seriously felt like I was losing my mind, because while I remembered taking it, I swear I remember putting it into my pocketbook!
Weekend meal prep, but I didn’t stop there
Meal prep in my house When most people talk about meal prep, they mean grilling protein, chopping veggies, baking potatoes.
My idea of meal prep is a little different . . .
This is how I roll with chocolate So Tuesday I shared my first vlog (and yes, I’m milking that baby for all it’s worth) about why I have to take some of the chocolate out of Chocolaterunsjudy.
And then this happened. (recipe is pinned to my Pinterest Brownie board — it’s the one from Sunwarrior).
But above is exactly what I was talking about in taking the chocolate out of Chocolaterunsjudy: it’s exactly the sort of recipe I would have normally thrown in a few chocolate chips into, even though the recipe didn’t call for it. Because if chocolate is good, obviously double chocolate is better, right? Or is that just me?
Except not always. That’s fine if you’re trying to maintain your weight, but no so good if you’re trying to lose weight. Especially if it’s those last few pounds.
So I refrained myself.
And by the way, when I talk about chocolate, I am not talking about milk chocolate. I never eat the stuff anymore. Or only on very rare occasions. Too sweet. Yes, I said too sweet! Because as I wrote about in 5 Simple Ways to Ditch Sugar, when you use less of the sweet stuff, you crave less of the sweet stuff.
Peekaboo, Lola!
Where’s Lola? Obligatory Lola photo. Gotta make an effort to take more of Giz, he’s older after all.
As I said on my personal FB page, girlfriend knows how to live.
Speaking of Lola, Tuesday I was rooting around in the fridge for an ingredient I needed for dinner. And knocked a mason jar full of nut butter sauce onto the floor. Which proceeded to smash into smithereens, of course.
Many expletives flew.
After I was done cleaning it up, I saw Lola wasn’t in her bed as usual. I like to know where the animals are, mainly so that they’re not up to no good.
There are three different beds Lola often lays in. Nope, she wasn’t in any of them. Not on the bed in the bedroom.
She was in her crate in the bedroom, because that’s where she goes when she’s scared. Even though I was calmer, she did not want to come back out. I eventually persuaded her, but then she just went right back in.
And just a few moments ago (it’s Wednesday now), I went upstairs with the intention of icing my foot, and found a little glass shard on the couch. How the heck did it get there
Are you a chocolate person? Or salty? What type of chocolate?
Don’t worry, I don’t need to change the name of this blog. I still eat chocolate. Almost every day. But I’m going off the reservation (again!) for today’s Tuesdays on the Run.
Getting to know me
I am including my first (I think) video of myself talking a bit. If you’d like to hear how this Yankee sounds. I am sooooo not good on camera. I can’t begin to tell you how many takes it took me to get a semi-good video. But at least now you can hear me (if you care to) and see what I look like when my hair isn’t sweaty, in a ponytail, or flattened by a hat, which is about 75% of my life.
Leave me a comment if you want to “hear” more from me. Or just give me tips on how to take a good video!
Memorable blog names
So I touched briefly, in the video, on why an easy to remember blog name is important. Only if you want to share your blog with other people! No doubt most of your readers will find you via the Web, but even then, have you ever read a blog and a few days later tried to recall the name of it?
Or you’re at a function or party and realize the people you’re chatting with would be interested in your blog. Maybe you just whip out your cell phone and show them, but what if you have to just tell them and hope that they’ll remember it and can actually spell it?
So yes, your blog name is important. It should be short, easy to remember, and easy to spell. Not that that’s always easy considering everything is already taken these days!
Losing those last few pounds
That’s what I’d like to do, anyway. And yes I’ve been saying that for basically almost three years now. It’s not completely vanity pounds. Weight Watchers works for me. To not pay WW, I need to maintain my weight within 2 pounds of my goal weight. My goal weight, by the way, is set at the very top of my weight range (basically a healthy BMI).
Have you ever tried to maintain your weight +/- 2 lbs?
It’s hard, y’all!
I’m actually quite good at maintaining my weight. Within about 5-6 pounds. Which is quite healthy. The problem is I’m maintaining the wrong weight.And when I’m more than a couple of pounds over my goal weight? Yes, I can see it in my face and other places. Just a few pounds is a lot on a petite woman.
Not to mention that extra pounds make running more difficult.
I really want to get to the point where I can go on vacation, gain a couple of pounds, and come home and not be stressed about having to take those couple of pounds back off. I’d like to go out to eat the night before my weigh in and not worry about what that sodium will do to the number on the scale.
I will always be on the more fluffy side of a healthy weight, and I’m okay with that mostly, but I would dearly love to get to a place where I didn’t have to always be trying to lose weight. Especially because training for halfs while trying to lose weight — which is basically all I know — is really hard!
Don’t get me wrong, either: most of the time I’m pretty happy with how I look, what I weigh, and what I eat. In fact, that’s part of the problem — it would be easier to buckle down and stay the course and lose those last few pounds if I wasn’t happy with myself.
Life wouldn’t be fun without some chocolate now & again
Giving up a little to gain a lot
I am the girl who thinks that dessert isn’t dessert unless it’s chocolate. I am the girl who looks at almost any recipe and thinks that it would benefit from some chocolate chips.
So yes, it’s incredibly ironic that I named my blog Chocolaterunsjudy and here I am, trying to reign in my chocolate tooth. I will still eat it, because life without any chocolate would be too sad, but I won’t add it to all.the.recipes.I won’t eat it every day.
I will eat more whole foods, more savory breakfasts, more freggies. Small changes can add up to big changes.
Don’t be sad for me, fellow bloggers and readers, because at some point I’ll throw in a few chocolate chips whether or not a recipe calls for it. Just not all the time!
Same dress, 30 lbs lighter
I am very proud to have maintained a 30+lb weight loss for roughly 3 years. It’s hard work but it’s worth it. Because I don’t want to go back to being the girl on the left side of the photo above.
I am also confident, that no matter how long it takes me (years, probably), I’ll get where I want to go. And confident is tomorrow’s Wednesday Word, by the way. You might want to swing back and see what I — and other bloggers — think about being confident tomorrow.
I am participating in Kristy’s Grow Your Blog Hop (thank you, Kristy, for hosting it!). You might want to hop on through and discover some new blogs, too.
Chocolaterunsjudy 