May My Way Sisterhood Challenge Check In

I missed blogging to you last week about my weight check in. Since training for my next half marathon I have stopped stressing out about the scale so much, I only weigh myself once or twice a week and I do still go to Weight Watchers weigh in once a week. But it is frustrating because I had been lingering right around the 153 pounds mark.

Lifetime goal weight is 150. This puts me at a 'healthy' BMI and honestly if it was not for Weight Watchers requiring this, I would have set my goal weight at 152. I am happy here, I rock my size 2s and feel good. I am sure I can lose the last few pounds but it just seems like it is taking forever!

So yesterday when I stepped on the scale i almost fell off, I looked and blinked in disbelief and saw the number, the infamous number which I honestly did not ever think I would see : 150.6
It scared me a little but excited me at the same time. I am flirting with my ultimate life time goal weight finally and it was a nice feeling :)

It also brings this fear inside of me.... Maintaining is notorious for being difficult and I'm up for the challenge but it scares mea bit because it is something totally new for me. I am confident though because last night I packed up the rest of my "fat" clothes to give away at the great clothing Exchange at fitbloggin :)

Some people have cautioned against giving away all of my big clothes but honestly I know deep down inside that I will never need them again. I'm making a promise to myself that I will stay healthy, fit, and happy. My daughter deserves it but more importantly I deserve it.

What Keeps Me Running: Zensah Calf Sleeves

About 6 weeks ago I started having some intense knee pain when running. I have been going through physical therapy and working to lessen the pain but I will have to take 2 weeks off from running. I will do this as soon as I complete my half marathon on May 29th. In the mean time there are a few great products out there that have helped me immensely so I thought this week I would show case them.  

Today I wanted to tell you about my compression sleeves that I wear on my calves made by Zensah! When I first started running I got shin splints and wanted to quit running. Honestly when I weighed 230 pounds and started out running a lot on my body hurt. But slowly and steadily I plugged along and kept trying.

When the shin splints got out of control over the winter as I was training for my first half marathon I sought out some help. I saw several bloggers talk about compression sleeves and how it had helped their shins. I have monster calves as I like to refer to them LOL they are 15 inches in diameter and no matter what I do they are not going away! I have gotten used to it, not being able to rock some skinny jeans, or cute high boots, but when running they need a little extra TLC. So I decided to try out the compression sleeves. I figured if nothing else it could not make things worse.

Well I am happy to report they worked well for me!! When I run with them my calves stay happy and by this I mean there is no tightness during or after a run. I also noticed a decline in the pain from my shin splints which us what I was looking for. I will not run without my calf sleeves now a days.

What Keeps Me Running: KT Tape

About 6 weeks ago I started having some intense knee pain when running. I have been going through physical therapy and working to lessen the pain but I will have to take 2 weeks off from running. I will do this as soon as I complete my half marathon on May 29th. In the mean time there are a few great products out there that have helped me immensely so I thought this week I would show case them.

Today I want to share another great product that has been helping me KT Tape. When I started going to physical therapy my therapist started taping my knee to help teach my knee cap to move to the proper position. See losing 122 pounds has caused my body to get confused as he explained, and the way my weight shifts has totally changed. I started running and now my knee has yet to catch up to the changes. So I have been going once a week and getting it taped.

I started researching online and found KT Tape. It comes pre cut and the adhesive works well to bond with your skin that it stays in place for several days and through several showers/workouts. The beauty of this tape? It is light weight and stretches so you can roll it and curve it to meet your unique needs. I find the taping better than a brace because you can customize the support and target specific muscles. This seemed like what I needed to maintain my knee long term and so I ordered a roll from amazon in my favorite color of course.

I was surprised to see how big the roll was it comes with plenty of pre cut strips so it will last me awhile. It also comes with step by step instructions for injury related taping methods. If you cannot follow those they also have video instructions on their website. I thought that was great. Since I am in physical therapy already I brought it with me and had my therapist teach me how to tape it specific for my knee.

That is what I look like after I am taped up! LOL not the most attractive sight in the world but hey I will do whatever it takes to keep me running injury and pain free. Since I started running taped up I can definitely feel the difference. Each stride feels stable and supported when I am taped properly. I hope soon I will not need it as much but for now, I am trying to make sure I run with tape every time. And it lasts. I can attest to this. I typically shower twice a day and workout everyday. This puts a lot of wear and tear on the tape but it lasts for me a good 4 days. They come in many different colors too which is nice!

Have you tried anything like this yet? How has it worked for you?

What Keeps Me Running: Arctic Ease

About 6 weeks ago I started having some intense knee pain when running. I have been going through physical therapy and working to lessen the pain but I will have to take 2 weeks off from running. I will do this as soon as I complete my half marathon on May 29th. In the mean time there are a few great products out there that have helped me immensely so I thought this week I would show case them.

Today I want to tell you all about Arctic Ease!

Arctic Ease are wraps that you can apply after a workout to sore joints or muscles that may be inflamed.  They deliver a nice blast of cold therapy just where you want it. This means no more wet leaking messy ice bags!!! No more freezing your skin while trying to calm down a muscle!!! And it sticks to your skin so guess what? You can go on about your routine!

They come in wraps and patches. I prefer the wraps because my knee loves being all wrapped up after a run:

If you have not tried them yet then you are missing out. They come in a reusable zip close bag. It is important because you can keep using the wrap over and over again! Just roll it back up and add 2 tablespoons of water and in a few hours your wrap is ready go again.

I love how portable these are. I always have a wrap in my gym bag, yep they do not have to be refrigerated or frozen!! That is the beauty of their portability. I bring them to races and wrap my knee as soon as I finish! And unlike a freeze pack you can walk around and stretch, etc whatever your heart desires. This is important because many times my knee is hurting but my toddler is ready to play. The wrap allows me to chase her but calm down the swelling and pain.

Last year I would not dream of being able to run. In 2 weeks I will be finishing my 3rd half marathon!! If you had told me 14 months ago that I would be medicine free and running I would have laughed at you. I have arthritis and was on Celebrex twice a day to control it. Since losing over 100 pounds and staying committed to exercise, I have been able to come off the medicine and I am pain free most of the time. When I do have trouble it helps to have products like Arctic Ease and the others I will introduce this week to keep me mobile and meeting my fitness goals.

I am excited to meet you all at Fitbloggin and be an Arctic Ease Ambassador!!!!

Have you tried Arctic Ease yet? If not then now is a great time they are having a sale on their website check it out!