Healthy Happy and Free

Will Run for Pizza and Donuts! The China Grove 5K is one of my favorite 5K races! It's in my town, just down the street! It has a fun post-race spread of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Pizza Hut pizza and fresh watermelon! The atmosphere is fun and family friendly! It's at 9pm at night which I think is pretty fun! Flat course! This means people come from far and wide to set PRs and it's very competitive! Photo by Aaron Cress - Facebook The China Grove 5K Main St. Challenge  This was my first race since my diagnosis of iron deficient anemic which had really affected my running - in fact, that's what prompted me to go to the doctor! My running got so bad that I couldn't even run half a mile at a ten-minute pace! I've now been taking prescription iron supplements for about two and a half months and have seen much improvement, however, I'm still not at my all time fastest, so I was very apprehensive about this race! Thankfully, my age group is ...

One week, Seven days, 168 hours, 10,080 minutes, 604,800 seconds Without sugar. Wait, that's too easy. The internets tell me I must eliminate ALL sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, and yes, even stevia) to really change habits, curb cravings and discover how my body reacts. So I tried this once before but I crashed and burned! I made it one day and I felt miserable all day. What was wrong? Maybe I was just having a bad day anyway but I simply felt irritated all day and that was not fair to the people around me lol! So I quit. However, about a week or so later, a #healthspo account on Instagram did it and I regained my motivation and determination. This time, though, I had a new mindset! I focused on the fact that this was my personal choice. I am in control. I am choosing not to consume these things because I want to be kind to my body. I want to see if I will feel any different/better. I choose not to consume these things versus I can't, I'm not allowed, etc. This s...

Hey there! I've decided to share a few products, services, podcasts, etc. that I've been enjoying lately! First up is a practical one: Yes to Cucumbers Hypoallergenic Facial Wipes (can be found at Target) I don't know about you, but when I go to the gym (especially if I hit the StairMaster or bike!), I get SWEATY. I had bought some cheap facial cleansing wipes from the Dollar Tree but they just weren't cutting it. I felt like I might as well be using a dampened paper towel. I've also recently been breaking out in little bumps on my face so I decided to try something different. I haven't been using these long but they feel really good on my skin. They have cucumber, aloe vera, and other natural ingredients to cleanse and nourish your skin . I'm hoping the breakouts will stop! target.com Workout Apparel: Kitty Gains Who here is addicted to buying workout clothes? I'm guilty. I just recently got a Kitty Gains crop top to workout in. It says ...