health

My First 5k: The Color Run Night Detroit

My First 5k: The Color Run Night Detroit

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Running a 5k was one of the many things on my “Things I want to do in 2015” list that I really wanted to accomplish. I’m far from a “runner” so I knew I had to sign up for a fun race to keep me interested and I even somehow amazingly convinced my mom to run the race with me.

We decided to try a Color Run because they always look like a big fun party, and to make it even more exciting I decided to do one at night. Night runs are basically the same as day runs but they have neon UV glow powder.

The Color Run was held on Belle Isle in Detroit, which actually had some amazing views of Detroit and Windsor at night. I wish I had brought my photography camera but I didn’t want to have to run with it on my neck or get it covered in colored dust. So please excuse my crappy phone pics >.<

Breaking Bad steez! 
I was not getting in my car covered in glow powder lol 
They had a super fun Zumba dance warm up featuring local Zumba instructors, lots of dance music and a very party like atmosphere. I guess that’s why they call it “The Happiest 5k on the Planet“! I had a blast on the course everyone was really nice and friendly to each other and not competitive which I loved. The race was untimed and there were more walkers than runners which I also enjoyed because I didn’t feel pressured to run the whole race. 
Overall I had a great time from stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new to me. I definitely recommend trying out a color run if you’re looking for something fun and active to do with your friends or family. I actually think I want to try another 5k next summer.
Of course we had to round out the night with FOOD! We had post-race dinner at one of Detroit’s local haunts Traffic Jam and Snug. It was another “first” for me at Traffic Jam but I’ve heard it’s pretty popular. My crab cakes were delicious but my mom’s fish and chips were even better! ♥
Check out HeyFranHey‘s video of her Color Run Night experience in ATL
#MichelleAmandaGetsFit: Sari Foods Superfoods Supplements Review & Updates

#MichelleAmandaGetsFit: Sari Foods Superfoods Supplements Review & Updates

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Sponsored Post- Products Sent for Review
Sari Foods sent me packages of their Nutritional Yeast Flakes, Spirulina Powder, & Vitamin C from Acerola Cherries to test and review. All of these products are said to be sources of natural “food based” vitamins as opposed to man made vitamins. 
I had never heard of Nutritional Yeast before learned that it is naturally comprised of 50% protein (a complete, bioavailable and vegan source), over 20% fiber, contains all 18 amino acids and 15 different minerals (including iron, selenium and zinc) as well as a natural vitamin B-complex and Beta-glucans (known for their extreme immune enhancing properties plus their ability to lower bad cholesterol). Sari foods also states that Nutritional Yeast has a cheese like taste… interesting. After trying the Nutritional Yeast I really just couldn’t get into it. I’m not a huge fan of cheese or faux-cheese and the flakey texture just never mixed well with anything I tried it in, so the Nutritional Yeast gets a pass from me. 
I was familiar with Spirulina, you can get a scoop added at most juice or smoothie shops that I’ve been to. Spirulina is said to be one of the most nutrient dense food with amazing benefits for the body, with over 100 naturally occurring and bioavailable vitamins & nutrients, Sari Foods Spirulina contains more than 60% protein and is a non-synthetic source of iron, calcium, magnesium, selenium, beta-carotine, B12, chlorophyll, phytonutrients, antioxidants and essential amino acids (GLA, Omega 3, 6 & 9s). The Spirulina is much more my style when it comes to vitamins and supplements. I just add a scoop of the powder to my green smoothies and I’m good to go. It seems to give me more energy than drinking my usual green smoothie which is pretty impressive. 
I think everyone has tried Vitamin C before but I’ve never tried a powder form made from cherries. I was foolishly expecting this powder to taste like cherries so I mixed it with water and it had very little taste at all, just a tinge of tartness. This powder is another one that goes great in pretty much any smoothie or juice blend because it has practically no flavor on its own. I take iron pills for anemia which need Vitamin C to help it absorb, so I like to toss a small scoop of this in whatever I’m drinking to take my pills. 
Available on Amazon
In other fitness news…. 
I decided it would be a good idea to go to the River Walk walk-jog and run the stairs at Joe Louis Arena and then go home and go swimming. Not my brightest decision of the year. I pulled a muscle somewhere in that process & woke up the next morning in ridiculous pain. I’ve been out of commission for the last 5-6 days but I think it’s healed now so I may try to squeeze in a light workout tonight. On top of that PMS has me eating everything under the sun. Not the best combo but I’m working through it wish me luck!

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#MichelleAmandaGetsFit: Polar H7 Heart Rate Sensor with Polar Beat Review and Non-scale Victories

#MichelleAmandaGetsFit: Polar H7 Heart Rate Sensor with Polar Beat Review and Non-scale Victories

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The best project you'll ever work on is you
I’ve had my Polar H7 Heart Rate Sensor for about two weeks and I’m in love with it. My favorite thing about this HRS is that the strap communicates via bluetooth with several devices. Polar offers a few watches and activity trackers that it can be used with but I chose to use it on my phone with the Polar Beat app. It’s way more convenient for me because I always have my phone when I work out anyway. 
The H7 HRS is comfortable to wear and I haven’t had any problems with it not picking up my heart rate accurately while working out or with connecting to my phone. The Polar Beat app is also pretty cool because it gives you a lot of information about your workout and records other things like distance, calories burned, mood, for each session and weekly. The app also syncs with the a number of other fitness and health apps. The only feature that I haven’t tried yet is the distance feature for running and biking. I’ve only done indoor workouts since I’ve gotten it so I’m not sure how accurate the distance recording is.  
One of my weekly summary’s on the Polar Beat app. 

The session analysis shows the time spent in each heart rate zone and your heart rate throughout the whole workout. 
The session summary shows time, calories burned, average heart rate, and allows you to record your mood after each workout. You are also able to share your summaries via your Twitter or Facebook. 
I’m about three weeks into my fitness journey and I’m only down about 3lbs. Although my weight has not changed much yet I have been able to notice several “non-scale victories”. Even though I love weight lifting and hate cardio, I still force myself to do some cardio every workout and I’ve noticed that it’s finally getting easier and I don’t feel like dying every time now. I’ve lost some body fat and gained muscle from lifting. I’ve lost inches off my waist and my booty is looking everyday thanks to all the squats and lunges! Overall I’m trying to worry less about what my scale says, which can be discouraging, and worry more about how my body looks and feels everyday. 
I think it’s working! 
#MichelleAmandaGetsFit: Gym Musings & My 7 Day Exercise Challenge Week One

#MichelleAmandaGetsFit: Gym Musings & My 7 Day Exercise Challenge Week One

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I’ve mused about my journey towards getting back in shape in the past…. let’s just say I haven’t stuck with it. My last semester of grad school was pretty stressful, which led to me “stress eating”, which of course made me gain about 18lbs. (I can’t believe I’m writing that #soashamed) 
Now that I’m on break for summer and still haven’t found a second job, I’ve decided to dedicate my free time to my health and fitness journey. I joined a gym last week which I think I’m in love with. It has some great equipment like a Jacob’s Ladder, Woodway Curve Treadmill, TRX Straps, a sauna, tons of weights and since we’re being honest there’s always lots of man-candy to stare at while I workout. I’ve also been trying to focus on eating less fast food and cooking more healthy meals at home. 

So to kick off my first week of my journey I decided to challenge my self to exercise EVERYDAY for a week. I don’t think I’ve ever worked out for seven days straight so I was interested to see how I would feel. I’m happy to say I completed my seven day exercise challenge today and it was actually not as hard as I thought it would be. It got a little rough in the middle of the week because my body was so sore and tired but after I pushed through it I felt great. I also snagged a new heart rate monitor, the Polar H7, on sale this morning. My last one broke and once you’re used to working out with a HRM workouts are just not the same without it! I’ve only used it once but maybe I’ll post a review in a few weeks because I’m kind of already in love with it. 
So at the end of my week I’m down 1.6lbs and down .5% body fat. 
#progress

Check Out This Cute Fitness Gear: 

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Review: Zenwise Labs Super Strength Probiotics

Review: Zenwise Labs Super Strength Probiotics

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product sent for review

Zenwise Labs’ Super Strength Probiotics contains 10 natural probiotic cultures that assist in the body’s digestive process. These probiotics also serve to fight and protect against harmful bacteria to promote a healthy immune system. Each serving of our probiotics contain 15 billion live probiotic cultures to ensure a natural digestive balance.

Key features:

Contains 15 Billion CFU to promote digestive and intestinal health

Promotes a Healthy Immune System

Improves mood and energy levels

Relieves stomach discomfort

I was recently given to opportunity to try these probiotics and since I’ve been trying to be on this health kick (I’m failing FYI) I figured I would give them a try. The pills themselves are small and easy to swallow. I haven’t noticed any upset stomach or nausea that I sometimes get with other herbal supplements. I don’t regularly have any digestive issues but these probiotics do seem to help when I occasionally experienced an upset stomach or bloating. I also gave them to my mom to try as she tends to have digestive issues on a regular basis and she said that they helped to get rid of her bloating and stomach pains.

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Turning Down: Back to Reality

Turning Down: Back to Reality

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FTC: Scale & Yacon Syrup provided for review
So you know how you go on vacation and you’re just eating all that yummy free food and drinking all those delicious fruity cocktails with the cute little umbrellas and then you come home and get on the scale and have a small heart attack? Yeah, that was me last week. I came home tanned and happy but bloated and then came Christmas with even more food. I decided to try to do a light detox using Yogi Peach Detox Tea and Yacon Syrup to help me get back to feeling like my normal self.
Living Natural’s Yacon Syrup is an all natural sweetener that is supposed to help with slimming down, boosting metabolism and increasing energy levels. Yacon root is a soluble fiber with a low glycemic index. I’ve been using about a 1/2 of a tablespoon to sweeten my detox tea that I drink twice a day. In the past I’ve used Agave for sweetening tea but Yacon syrup does the job just as well with more health benefits. After drinking the tea I can definitely feel an energy boost which I believe comes from the yacon because the Peach Detox tea is caffeine free. The detox tea is herbal blend of teas that are supposed to help remove toxins from the body and support healthy liver function. It’s labeled as Peach Detox tea but it taste nothing like peach! This tea is very cinnamon flavored which when mixed with the Yacon syrup actually reminds me of Horchata. Random but delicious. I’ve been drinking this tea twice a day in combination with eating a mostly clean diet for about four days. So far I can feel much less bloated and have more energy than I had before.
I’ve also been using the Smart Weigh SBS500 Body Fat Precision Scale to help keep me on track. The Smart Weigh Body Fat Scale is not just your typical scale. It features advanced technology to provide you with important body information such as your BMI, body fat, body water, muscle mass, and bone mass. This scale is really cool. You can create a profile with your gender, age and height and it will store all of your info to help you track your progress. The profile was super easy to set up using the buttons on the scale; it took less than five minutes. I like this scale so much more than a traditional scale because it can be so discouraging to get on the scale and see a higher number when you’ve been trying to lose weight but with this scale you can see if you’re building muscle or carrying water weight. The scale can hold up to eight profiles so everyone in the family can use it too.
I plan on really rebooting my health journey and getting back on the wagon in the coming weeks but this feels like a nice baby step in the right direction for me.


Michelle’s Summer Beauty Essentials

Michelle’s Summer Beauty Essentials

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My favorite thing about the summer is having a fuss-free beauty routine. I mean like honestly I love beauty and products as much as the next girl (probably more) but I can’t bear a full face of makeup when it’s hot and muggy out. I find that its much more fun to keep it light and fresh feeling and enjoy the feeling of sun on my face NOT MAKEUP! Here are my faves that get me through this season…
 My grass needs to be cut :-/

Tinted Moisturizer: I love this one by Smashbox (in dark) because no one wants to worry about some cakey, melty foundation when its 80+ outside. **Get one with a lil SPF for an extra bonus**
Liquid or Cream Highlighter: Use it on cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, and under brows for a pretty natural looking glow. Smashbox Artificial light in “Glow” above.
Tinted Lip Stains & Balms: No one wants to carry a compact, liner, lipstick, and gloss in their beach bag, it’s just too much work! I keep it simple yet cute by sticking to a tinted balm or lipstain. I like the ones by Revlon above.
Bright Nail Polish & Shiny Topcoat: OMG NEONS NEONS NEONS!! I love how super bright colors make you look super tan, China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini & Sun Worshipper look great on toes. I swear by Seche Vite topcoat to make my polish last through sun, sand, and chlorine.
Sunscreen (face & body): MORE SUNSCREEN = LESS WRINKLES need I say more? I’ve been using Aveeno Continuous Protection facial lotion, its light and non-greasy &hearts; &hearts; and Neutrogena wet skin for my body.
Body Splash: Bath and Body Works summer collections are always amazing!! They’re perfectly light and refreshing for those hot summer days. I keep one on my desk at work, in my car, and in my purse (obsessive I know) to stay fresh on the go. lol.
Coconut Oil: Honestly, what don’t I use coconut oil for?? I slather this stuff from head to toe nightly… I wish it came out of my shower head! lol. It’s great on fried hair, rough heels, dry skin, ragged cuticles basically EVERYTHING and it even has a little bit of SPF (around 10, I think) for a hint of sun protection (I would still use sunscreen tho).