Month: January 2016

Some Days Workouts Are Just HARD

/ Anna @ Piper's Run / 11 Comments

I had one of those days. Busy, running late for everything and then I knew I needed to get my workout it and TRY to get to bed at a decent hour. Life doesn’t always work the way you want it to, nor do some of your workouts.

I woke up Thursday morning with tired legs (thighs to be exact). It was from a great run the night before (7k) and I was okay with the feeling. I was going to run in the evening but then thought about it and decided a DVD workout would be good enough.

I was late picking up the girls, late getting dinner on the table and late getting the girls to bed. Then I remembered I needed to get the garbage and recycling ready…..six bags later and a bunch of broken down boxes, I got it done. I said “screw it” to the laundry pile and put on my workout clothing.

Down I went to the basement and popped on Ripped in 30, Jillian Michaels. A workout I normally love. I went straight to week 4 – bah ha ha…..normally, I would love this workout but I just didn’t. I did enjoy the “abs” part 🙂

jan 28th workout

It took me a while but the reason I didn’t like it was because it was HARD! Good lord Piper, get a grip…it’s not supposed to be easy especially when you jump right to week 4. I recollected my thoughts and felt thankful for the workout, did love it but I got it done in the end.

Thanks goodness it’s now FRIDAY!!!!!! We are in for a snow storm 15-20cm – whoop, whoop. Guess my Saturday morning run might be a snowshoe trek just to get out of our subdivision 😉

Ever have one of those workouts? 

What do you do when you have tired legs? (I’m going to foam roll tonight). 

What are your weekend plans?

Bell Let’s Talk Today #bellletstalk

/ Anna @ Piper's Run / 4 Comments

Wednesday January 27th 2016 is “Bell Let’s Talk” Day. It’s main focus is to raise awareness and reduce the stigma around mental health.

All YOU need to do is use the hashtag #BellLetsTalk and Bell (a large company in Canada) will donate 5 cents towards mental health programs in Canada.

An example would be a few years back I attended a “Mental Health First Aid Course – Adults working working with Children”. Part of the funding to run the course came from Bell which allowed participants to pay a lower registration fee. And to be completely honest, after taking that course I truly believe everyone should take it.

You don’t have to be Canadian for them to raise money. You just have to care about others and use the #bellletstalk hashtag. Those who use Bell can also raise money by making mobile and long distance calls, texting or tweeting out #BellLetsTalk, even sharing one of their photos on Facebook.

I mean really, what’s stopping you from using the 12 letters when you tweet today? 

I don’t know about you but I know more than a handful of people living with depression, anxiety, stress and those people are close to me–> Family AND Friends. There’s lots of people I come across each day {online too) that I don’t know are dealing with their mental health. Maybe it’s stress, maybe it’s bipolar, or mood disorder. You sometimes never know!

If anything, just use the #BellLetsTalk hashtag today because you care – even just once!

Do you know anyone with a mental health illness?

Did you know in Canada, 1 in 5 children who need mental health services need them? ~CMHA

27% of Canadians are fearful of being around people who suffer with a mental health illness. ~Canadian Medical Association

What are the numbers in your Country?

Will you use the #BellLetsTalk hashtag today?

I was not asked to write this post or link back to Bell – this was written simple because I want to be apart of #BellLetsTalk day and support my family and friends.

Manitoba Hemp Heart Bars {Contest & Review}

/ Anna @ Piper's Run / 10 Comments

Lately it seems as if I can’t get a hold on my hunger especially after I run. I’m just rungry all the time. I’ve been doing my best to eat “good for you foods” but as life goes on, that doesn’t always happen.

As part of being a Sweat Pink Ambassador with Fit Approach, I had the opportunity to test out the Manitoba Hemp Heart Bars! I can’t lie, I LOVED the Apple Cinnamon bar. They filled me up when I needed the extra fuel.

IMG_20160120_074539_edit

What are they?

They are these soft bars filled with hemp hearts and yummy other ingredients. Manitoba Harvest whipped up three different delicious flavours to choose from: vanilla, chocolate and apple cinnamon. Each 45 gram bar contains 10 grams of plant-based protein and 10 grams of omegas, so whether you grab one for a pre-workout snack or nutrition on the go, these convenient bars are sure to get you through even your busiest day.

IMG_20160119_173302_edit

What I liked about them:

  • Super soft.
  • Lots of protein.
  • Not overly processed with crap.
  • Great as a snack or after a workout when you need a little something
  • Loved the taste of the Apple Cinnamon bar – my favourite.
  • They are also vegan….no I didn’t let my husband try them…whoops!

What I didn’t like about them:

  • The Vanilla and Chocolate lacked flavour; kind of bland.
  • That’s it.

Nutrition Content:

MH_HH_Bar_AC_45g_NFP_2015-10-02

You can check out more at their website here: Manitoba Harvest 

PHOTO CONTEST:

You can win!!! Join this contest by tagging @manitobaharvest #hempheartbar #fuelledbyhemp #sweatpink @fitapproach on Instagram or Twitter for a chance to win a box of your favorite flavor of Hemp Heart Bars! Photos do not need to include Manitoba Harvest products, but of course it’s fabulous if they do.

Eligibility: open to US and Canada residents. Full contest details are here. 

Also: You can use this discount code hhbarlaunch1015 will get you 15% off! Expires 3/31/2016. 

Have you tried Hemp Heart Bars?

What’s your favourite go-to bar?

Which flavour would you want to try?

Note: I was provided this opportunity through Fit Approach as part of being a Sweat Pink Ambassador; all opinions are my own.

Also the photos taken are terrible but I didn’t realise this until after all the bars were consumed 😦 Blogger fail….apparently my eyes are failing me.

Building My Base {Week 1}

/ Anna @ Piper's Run / 19 Comments

Last week I decided that I needed to start building my base again. You know, like properly running and cross training not just flying by the seat of my pants.

I’ve been going to yoga once a week and running when I feel like it but that’s not really going to get me where I want to be. I’m tired of running slow and want to get back to my old running pace (2014). I’m feeling like my hamstring and glutes are under control and getting stronger with the cross training that I’m doing.

Build My Base Week #1 Went Like This:

Monday 18th: Yoga Class {Vinyasa}. I learned how to do “Eight Angle Pose” and loved it! I can only do it on one side and the other side I can’t even get up. I’m really loving going to yoga class mid day as it stretches my sore muscles yet gets me energized for the afternoon and evening. My body feels so much better after going to yoga.

Tuesday: 5k treadmill run. As I jumped on the treadmill and turned it on, “lube belt” showed up on the screen. That means you can’t use the treadmill until you lube it with oil (or whatever it is). The last two times I did it, I failed miserably with it resulting in 3 – 5 days of not being able to use it.

I took a deep breath and may have said a few swear words as I thought my much needed run was going to go out the door. I loosened the belt, put the oil on, let it run for 3 minutes and then another three minutes of walking on it, then I started to run. NO BELT ISSUES this time…it was awesome!  Oh, and 30 jumping jacks.

Wednesday: Snowshoeing at lunch (30 minutes) by myself. It was a perfect day to be outside. The sun was shining and the air was crisp! I was motivated by Molly at Fresh Start for Molly when she said she was trying to get outside more this winter. I could have done nothing over my lunch hour and ran that evening on the treadmill but I wanted to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine. Snowshoeing won.

Thursday: 8k treadmill run. This was a great run. This is when I decided I needed to start focusing better on “building my base” for half marathon training.

Friday: Date night of downhill skiing! A last minute decision to go downhill skiing was made when my Dad came down for the night. Sai and I took off to the hill and managed a handful of runs before we got too cold and tired.

ski jan 22nd with sai

Saturday: Nothing! I was planning to run in the evening but my body was exhausted and I took a nap in the afternoon watching “Frozen” with the girls. I could barely function so I basically did nothing while my husband took care of dinner and bed time for the girls. Well, I didn’t do nothing, I did 15 minutes of light stretching to feel better.

Jan 24 run

Sunday: 30 push ups & 5k treadmill run. I wasn’t loving this run but was thankful to be able to do it while the girls slept. You may see “30 push ups or jumping jacks” randomly through the week – it’s part of a monthly challenge I’m doing. I don’t like push ups.

What I’m planning for this week:

  • Run three times
  • Yoga class
  • Snowshoe or cross country ski during lunch
  • PT exercises – yes I’m still doing those for my hamstring and glutes.
  • Maybe some other cross training: DVD workout at home.

How was your last week?

Are you building a base for upcoming training?

For those who got it by the storm, did you get to play in the snow at least?