Tag: blogging

food, goals, Recipes, restaurant reviews, Sunday Supper, weekend wrap up

Weekend wrap up

Movin' it with Michelle

Hey gang!! How was your weekend? Friday my hubby and I went on an impromptu date in downtown Tampa. We are at a place called Oak and Ola and it was amazing. I wrote about it on Yelp (Michelle D. in Tampa), but may start writing more restaurant reviews here on the blog again this year.

oakandola

Saturday we did some errands and went and saw “Jumanji” and we thought it was really cute and entertaining. We also hit up my favorite consignment shop as I still had money left over on my Christmas gift card.

Sunday I slept in which I always allow myself to do when I’m not training for anything, because I have to get up early enough every day for work. I also decided to meal prep for the week, as this is where my diet/exercise regime have gone to crap over the last six months. I made some egg muffins for the week, as well as a big pot of Chicken Soup. (Click the link for the basic recipes but feel free to change up whatever protein/veggies sound good to you!!!)

Tonight after dinner I went for a nice walk with my neighbor, and did my plank. I’ve been planking since October 1st, and haven’t missed a day yet. I did this back in 2016 when my husband was deployed, and managed to plank for an entire year straight.

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How was your weekend? Does cooking ahead of time help you? Any tips for burning belly fat?

Have a great week, everyone!!

Cheers,

Michelle

moving forward, Novo Renew

Thoughts and Movin’

Movin' it with Michelle

So a little while back I spoke about Battling mid-life and how one of the things I would love to do is help people. While I have had a successful career in the lab, helping people in general, is something I’ve always enjoyed doing. Be it an inspirational quote, or a quick chat, I love helping people feel better. So, when I was afforded this Exciting opportunity to be an Ambassador for Novo Renew, I jumped at the chance. In the last month or so I have really enjoyed promoting these amazing supplements I just can’t stop talking about, and I don’t just talk about them, I take them as well. I’ve loved the feedback I have gotten from those that started taking them as well, and my favorite customer (My DAD) just ordered a second bottle. WOOHOO!!!

So while I may be tired after working all day, I truly have a passion for Novo Renew, and plan to continue to spending a couple of hours each night working on spreading the word about these life changing, all natural, amazing supplements.

novorenew

Click HERE to order yours, risk free! Use code Michelle25 to save 25% off of your order!!

Cheers,

Michelle

 

 

knee pain, moving forward, Novo Renew, real life adventures, running

TBT

Movin' it with Michelle

My #tbt goes back to 2013 when I crushed my goals for my second marathon. My first marathon was in 2012 and my knee gave up at mile 17 but I didn’t quit…I finished in 5:23. One year later and a lot of determination landed me with my current marathon PR of 4:25, and I even negative split the race meaning I ran the second half faster than the first half. It was one of my proudest moments and this picture captures the sheer happiness running brings to my life. (And I still wear that exact same visor…LOL! I’m surprised it hasn’t fallen apart!)

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Thanks to Novo Renew I have hopes that one day I just may run another full marathon!!! Check HERE to learn more and use my code Michelle25 at check out to save.

Have you ever ran a full marathon? Do you have aching/sore joints and muscles? Remember, these supplements aren’t just for runners!!!

Cheers,

Michelle

knee pain, moving forward, Novo Renew, real life adventures, running

Pi day miles

Movin' it with Michelle

Woohoo it’s Friday eve! Thank goodness because my patience is wearing a little thin this week. My goal was to get 3.14 miles in for “Pi day” or is it “Pie” day? LOL, I have heard discussions of both on the talk show listen to on my way home, so I suppose why not celebrate both?!?

Unfortunately the temps got the best of me, and I was trying to push my speed a little since my knees are feeling so great since taking Novo Renew (<–check out the link). I ran the first mile in around 10:30 and the second mile in 10:14 (mind you it was a real feel of 88 degrees outside) and I could feel the sun beating down on me and decided I would cut it short by a mile. Let me tell you what, my knees really didn’t hurt at all. Sure, a little wiggle here and there, but heck I’ve been running for 30 years so that’s expected!

 

How was your day? Did you celebrate with Pie, or some Pi miles? Interested in learning more about an all natural way for pain relief in your knees/joints? Click HERE!!

 

Cheers!

Michelle

moving forward, Novo Renew

Weekend wrap and more!

Movin' it with Michelle

Gosh I’ve been so busy I’ve not had time to write, or read many posts over the last several days. My weekend was cram packed full of fun which always makes for good memories.

My friend that took me in when I moved here (one of my dearest Air Force friends whom I love dearly) got tickets for me and herself along with her Mom and sister to see Blake Shelton. She surprised me back in January for my birthday gift and we had a complete blast. She believes in making memories for gifts vs. buying an actual gift which I completely love. She and I headed down to down town Tampa and had dinner at Sparkman’s Warf. It’s a new outdoor food court for lack of better description but that has yummy “elevated” food. After dinner we met her Mom and sister at the concert and we had such a great evening. Here are a few photos:

 

Saturday my daughter had her “belt promotion” ceremony for Jujitsu and Muay Tai, and wouldn’t you have it, who got promoted to yellow belt after just four months of training? Yup, that’s my girl. It’s so amazing to watch her train. She simply glows, and has gained so much confidence. I LOVE it.

 

Sunday was a much needed retreat to the beach for the day. We relaxed in the sun, and although the water was too cold for my liking, my husband and daughter had a blast playing around in the water while I napped and searched for seashells (not at the same time, LOL).

 

Today I have vowed to get back into routine workouts. I have both a core (SworkIt) app and a Yoga app so I have no excuse. Tonight I did a 10 minute core workout and an 8 minute Yoga workout after work, and it felt great. I am also shooting for at least 2 runs per week.  My goal is a minimum of 3-4 workouts each week.

I’m also happy to report that my back and knees are singing since taking Novo Renew.

(<—Affiliate link) I have even noticed a difference in the smoothness of my skin due to the collagen component of this amazing supplement. I hope you will all give this a try, and make sure to use Michelle25 at check out to save 25% off of your order. There is a 30 day money back guarantee, so I urge you to give it a try for your ailments. My joints, knees, and shoulders as well as my neck have felt tremendously better.

How was your weekend? Is the weather getting any better where you live? Have you considered trying an all natural alternative to NSAIDs?

Cheers!
Michelle

moving forward, Novo Renew, race recaps, real life adventures, restaurant reviews, weekend wrap up

A good day to run!!! Belated weekend wrap up!

Movin' it with Michelle

I decided to be smart and take a week off after running the Gasparilla half marathon the last weekend of February (click the link to read my recap), which turned out to be a week AND a half off since I was still recovering from this past weekend. Keep reading and you’ll understand why…

Saturday night my hubby and I escaped away to Orlando for the evening to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary (which was back in November but he was traveling for work and we never got around to celebrating). Since we had Hilton Honor points and our daughter was spending the night at a friend’s house, we thought, why not? We had a blasssst. We ate a place called The Flying Fish (the food and service was truly amazing. Freshly caught fish being cooked in an open kitchen made it quite the experience), and then hit up Disney Springs for some drinks and dancing. It felt so good to be US for 24 hours without any of the stressors in life (we won’t talk about the $1800 estimate I got on repairs for my 8 year old Jeep Saturday morning…we decided to NOT talk about it all weekend, and we’ll worry about that Friday morning when I drop it off, LOL).

 

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The Flying Fish
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Us at The Edison
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Amazing music
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Inside the restaurant
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Lobster Bisque
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Crispy Oysters
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Sea Bass
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Seafood over pearl pasta and saffron sauce
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Cheers

We got home from Orlando in enough time for me to unpack and change clothes to go see the P!NK concert with my good friend Kandice. We got the tickets last fall and have been counting down the days until the concert. I have loved P!NK since the 90’s so this was definitely a bucket list item checked off!!!

 

SOOO I was going to run yesterday after work but MAN was it cold and dreary here in sunny Florida so I decided to put it off until today. I am so glad I did, because despite the strong winds, the temps were in the low 60’s and the sun was SHINING bright. I was able to maintain an average of a 10:16 pace and even hit in the 9’s during the 3rd mile. What’s even better, I was able to run all three miles PAIN FREE thanks to Novo Renew (affiliate link) which has drastically helped my knees and joints. If you’d like to try a bottle at no risk (30 money back guarantee) use Michelle25 at check out to save 25% off!! I’d love to hear your feedback as well, should you decide to give this amazing product a try!! (click the link to learn more)!

How was your weekend? What’s the best concert that you have attended? Have you ever taken a chance and tried a new product? (click that link above, you won’t be sorry!)

Cheers!

Michelle

 

half marathon training, Keto adventures, moving forward, Recipes

What a difference a day can make

Movin' it with Michelle

Wednesday I went out for my short run after work, and felt incredibly strong. I always wonder how I can pull these runs after working all day, but I got it done and it felt great. Fast forward to today’s long run, and whoa…but we’ll get to that in just a bit. I haven’t gotten a chance to write since my last post about mid-life due to crazy schedules, but just thought I’d share a little about my week last week.

Like I said, my mid week 5k went great. I settled in after the first mile and was able to let go and just run. While I often miss my once speedy average pace of 9:15 for short runs, I will celebrate my time no matter what. I didn’t get to run much for the year of 2016 while my husband was deployed, and 2017 was busy playing catch up for the year I lost with my husband, and moving my family across the country to start our Florida adventures.

 

This weekend started out really lovely. Friday night I cooked dinner and we relaxed at home. Saturday my husband came up with the idea to drive to Clearwater to watch the sunset and have dinner with one of our neighborhood friends. It felt SOOOO great to have my toes in the sand!!!!

 

Today was my long run. The last one before the Gasparilla half marathon on the 24th of this month in downtown Tampa. We had ten miles on deck, and I knew as soon as we walked out of the front door, that this run was going to suck. Mile 2 my stomach started to talk to me and we had to make a pit stop at the house after mile 3. (I don’t think Mexican food is a good idea before a long run, especially when its going to be blazing hot with full on sun with absolutely no clouds for miles. Thank God for the breeze!!). Mile six, the same thing happened and we had to swing back to the house yet again. We had gone 7.5 miles and I just didn’t think I could keep going. I drank some Nuun and had some Huma Gel, but I was still grey and pale. My hubby said I needed to stay home, and he was right. He finished out his ten miler, and I spent the next 30 minutes getting my body temperature regulated. Looking at my Garmin stats it showed my heart rate had gone to 195 bpm. Yikes. This will definitely be my last long distance race this season. I’ll stick to 5K and 10K distance until the fall/winter months, or until I cave and get a new treadmill. (My Mom had given me one back in IL, but it was old and just wasn’t working anymore so we had to get rid of it).

2.10.19longrun

For dinner tonight I made Beef bourguignon over cauliflower mash and it was amazing. To keep it keto friendly I omitted the carrots, but I feel like it was missing something with leaving them out.

Please click the links for the recipes!

How was your week/weekend? Are you training for any specific races? How do you handle running in extreme temperatures?

Cheers, and have a great week!!

Michelle

 

 

 

Thankful

Frozen tundra

Movin' it with Michelle

Gosh, I can’t believe the weather across the Midwest (well, I CAN, I’ve lived in it for years having grown up in Minnesota, and having had been stationed in Alaska for three years, and lived outside of Chicago for almost 7 years, but STILL).

I had started to complain about our chilly temps until I saw the forecast up north. I’ll take mid 40’s of a low, and highs of 60’s this week. Heck, I ran in a tank top last night. While I do miss living up north for many reasons, I DON’T miss that winter weather at all. Check this out, so sad, stay warm my northern friends!!

1.29.19florida

Today’s Thankful five:

  1. The longer days. During the winter it’s dark driving in to work, and getting dark on my way home. More day light means I can get more running done in the evenings. Score!
  2. Long showers. You know, the kind where you blast your favorite music, take your time, and even shave your legs!
  3. My husband. I know, I’ve listed him before. But he does all he can to get home from work in time to take our daughter to her Tues/Thurs jujitsu lesson so I can have an hour and a half to myself. Between deployments and work trips he’s gone a lot, so it means a lot that he always steps up to help when he’s here.
  4. Florida. My body couldn’t handle another winter, so I am so glad we live here where the coldest temps I’ll have to deal with is mid to high 30’s.
  5. My blog! 🙂 It feels good to be writing again, even if most of my posts are short and sweet.

How’s the weather where you live? What are you thankful for? THANK YOU all for reading and following along.

Cheers,

Michelle

moving forward, Thankful

Saturday unexpected fun and Thankful #9

Movin' it with Michelle

We had no plans this weekend which is sometimes fun. I have been battling bronchitis and now allergies for nearly a month and rest was something I welcomed. I woke up this morning with a cold pill hangover but was told my daughter had made plans to go to the mall with her friend. My husband told me they weren’t leaving for an hour so I quickly made some tea, showered and got ready. I wasn’t going to miss out on some fun. We picked up her friend, and headed to the mall. Once the kids went on their way, we grabbed some lunch and did a little shopping. What a fun day! We also had plans for my friend Kandice that I was stationed with back in Texas to come over for dinner, so we stopped by the store on the way home for some last minute dinner items.

Today I am thankful for:

  1. The fact my daughter is finally making friends here. Middle school age is hard.
  2. Last minute date lunches with my hubby. We don’t get much time just for us, so today was nice.
  3. 65% sales at Dillards. I got two super cute Free People dresses for 65% off. Winning.
  4. Dinner with friends. For the first time since we’ve moved here, we had a friend over for dinner. Steaks, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, bacon wrapped  asparagus and my cauliflower mash were a big hit.
  5. Positive outlooks. While this year may have started out rough, I am hopeful for better days.

Do you make time for date time for your significant other? What’s your favorite dish to cook for others? Are you an “on sale” shopper?

Cheers!

moving forward, Thankful, Thursday

Is it Friday yet…and TF#7

Movin' it with Michelle

 

Anyone else feel like 2019 has been off to a rough start? Between 3 weeks of Bronchitis, getting slammed with a 500/month house payment increase  this year as a result of a mistake in our escrow last year (WTH?), and the never ending debt we have incurred due to moving to Florida (we didn’t get any relocation assistance and moving across country is crazy expensive), and ongoing vet bills for my Sammy (he had two bouts of cancer last year and I just found a couple possible more bumps), we just can’t seem to catch a break. I had hoped at my age I’d finally start to feel “comfortable” but nope…ah such is life. It’ll happen eventually, right?

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Which is a perfect Segway in to my thankful post…because I do always TRY to look on the bright side. So here goes…

  1. Bacon Cheeseburgers. Yup, this girl that eats healthy 90% of the time has a secret weakness for bacon cheeseburgers. It is my favorite comfort food paired with crispy French fries and after the week I’ve been having, I treated myself to this amazing indulgence today at lunch and had no regrets. Ok, I regretted it a little after I started to fall in to a carb coma an hour after eating it, but hey…it was worth it.
  2. Hot showers/running water. After a long day at work I love to take a hot shower and destress. Sometimes I cry, sometimes I sing, and sometimes I just shut my mind off.
  3. Rest days. My legs aren’t quite as sore today, but that good ole right knee that gives me constant issues still isn’t happy with me.
  4. Friends that check on you when you are quiet. These friends are the best, because they can hear you even when you aren’t talking. They just know.
  5. Rain. We had quite the storm roll in at around 3 am this morning and while I am not thankful for the early morning wake up call, our grass looks greener already.

How has your year started out? What is your greatest weakness in regards to food? Thanks for all of your likes, comments and shares. I love this amazing community!

Cheers,

Michelle