4 Natural Products I’m Loving, Vol. 1

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natural products

natural productsHey guys! If you follow me on social media, you know that I’m playing nurse this week to a recovering patient.  (If you don’t follow me on social media, my youngest daughter had her tonsils removed on Monday!)  Coincidentally, the events leading up to her tonsillectomy are the same events that led to the research behind this post.

I’ve been researching natural products.  I’ve become very aware of how many chemicals we put into, on, and around our bodies daily.  (Yes, this is the same girl who had Botox and dermal filler and drinks Mt. Dews religiously.  I’m not giving those things up, but every little bit counts, right?)

I started a little over a year ago slowly replacing our normal products with natural products.  I did not (and will not) throw away all our cleaning and makeup products and go purchase all new natural ones–I just wait until a product is empty and I replace it with a natural product.  (I don’t have the budget for a cleansing like that!)

After a year of this process, I’ve found quite a few favorite natural products.  I’m sharing some of those with you today, and I’ll share even more later. {Affiliate links are used in this post. Shopping these links will result in a few extra pennies for OAL at no extra cost to you.  As always, your support of OAL is appreciated!}

4 Natural Products I’m Loving

natural productsMethod Cleaning Products.  Method is probably the natural product I’ve used the longest.  It was the first thing I bought last year (maybe even longer than that) when I started thinking about using natural products.  I love the way it smells–Clementine and Grapefruit are my favorites.  I love the way it cleans.  The spray works well on everything–my laminate countertops, my wood kitchen table, our concrete floor, my mirrors.  Our cleaning lady (oh how I miss her!) was converted after seeing how brightly the Method made my microwave shine!

natural productsTom’s of Maine toothpaste.  Tom’s leaves my mouth feeling super squeaky clean–almost like when you leave the dentist office.  I’ve been using this toothpaste for several months and I immediately noticed a whitening of my teeth.  Tom’s doesn’t have that minty fresh taste I’ve gotten used to with other brands, even though the label boasts “mint” flavor.  It doesn’t taste bad;  it doesn’t actually have a taste at all.  Tom’s has a strawberry flavor for the kids that I haven’t been able to convince my girls’ to try yet, but I’m still working on that!

natural productsBurt’s Bees lip products.  I would be embarrassed to count how many Burt’s Bees lip products we have lying around.  The lip shimmer is my favorite, but I have the “real” lipstick, too.  In addition to being natural, this product feels (and smells!) so good.  I love how much softer it makes my lips feel.  The lipstick and lip shimmer both have color in them and the color stays on just as well as any other lip product I’ve tried (except for that 12-hour Cover Girl stuff!).

natural productsDickinson’s Original Witch Hazel.  I use this as a toner on my face, after my face wash.  (My face wash isn’t yet natural, but I am open to your recommendations!) I noticed a huge difference in my face following my acne facial a few months ago, but within days of using this witch hazel as a toner, the remaining bumps disappeared.  {Disclaimer: I think hormonal acne is something I (and most women) will always deal with, but if I can reduce the amount of time that hormonal acne is visible, I call that a win!}

A few other natural products I’m trying, but with-holding judgment on are:

A service that I have enjoyed using to explore natural products is Grove Collaborative.  Grove Collaborative Right now, if you sign up using my link, you’ll receive $10 off your first purchase PLUS a Method superstars set retailing at $30 for FREE when you spend $20.

I’m curious–do you use any natural products in your home?  I would LOVE to hear which natural products you love, OR which ones you’ve tried and disliked.  

4 Ways to Get Back in the Habit of Exercising

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I love running. I love most physical activities, but running is definitely my favorite. That being said, it is SO hard to get back into the habit of exercising after a break. (Or get started, period.). This is also the time of year when all those New Years Resolutions start sliding. You were doing so well working out then the cold weather put everything on hold. Now you’re trying to get back into the habit.

After the half that killed my hip three weeks ago, I’ve run a grand total of three times. My hip is better. It didn’t hurt on any of those three runs, but it does ache when I’m sitting still. It’s especially rough on long car rides (which I’ve had several of lately) and right before I fall asleep at night.  With all that, I’ve gotten out of the habit of exercise.
With my next half being two months away, I’ve GOT to get back on the training plan. If it’s this hard for ME, someone who generally loves exercise, to restart my running plan, I can only imagine how tough it is for those of you who don’t enjoy sweating. So for all of us, here are my tips to start (or restart) an exercise habit.
1. Just go. Go in the morning. Go in the evening. Go on your lunch break. Just go. Don’t talk to yourself about it. Don’t let that time be optional. Look at your calendar, find a time that works for you, and go!
2. Find a partner. Or two. With the weather slowly getting nicer, I’m rounding up some friends to meet me for early morning runs. Having accountability is the number one way to ensure you won’t skip a workout.

3. Have a motivational wall. Whether it’s a physical wall or a Pinterest board, gather together some things that motivate you. It doesn’t need to be all photos either. Seeing a super toned female in a bikini is not my motivation. Yes, I want to be super toned, and I’m proud of that girl for her achievement, but I don’t want to motivate myself by the success of someone else. I prefer my motivation to come from quotes. You can find my motivational Pinterest board here.

4. Make it fun. Even though I love running, it can get boring if I do it every day. Find something you love, but still mix it up. Try new things. Do what you love a different way. I can run for fun, train for races, or work on speed. I also like to throw in yoga, spin, kickboxing….anything to change up my routine so boredom doesn’t set in.
I’m trying my hardest to get back in the habit this week.

Do you have any tips to share with me?

Callaway Gardens Half Marathon, Race Recap

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I have to start this post with a photo of my favorite spectators.  After dropping me off at the start line, they were able to grab breakfast and then wait in the warm car before coming out to cheer me in for the finish.  I was so happy to hear their voices.  (It did hurt a little when Libby said, “Mommy, I didn’t think you were ever going to finish!”  Thanks, Lib.)

The race began at 8am eastern time, which was 7am for me.  I had woken up feeling pretty crummy (hello, UTI symptoms), so I took Tylenol before the race began.  The event coordinators were REALLY good with organization–we started at 8 am on the dot.  The half runners and full runners both began at the same time–the race course was a loop around the gardens, so the half runners completed the loop once and the full runners did it twice.

The race reviewers weren’t kidding when they said the course was hilly.  I don’t know that any part of the course was flat….at all.  I felt like I was either running up a hill or down a hill.  Even with all those hills, I felt strong.  I paced myself really well (as opposed to previous races) and was hitting a steady 8:30 per mile going into the 7th mile.

Around the end of mile 6, I started to feel a nagging pain in my right hip.  Nothing severe, just unexpected.  I’ve never actually hurt during a run at all, and I’ve especially never had hip pain, so I didn’t quite know what was going on.

The course was beautiful–winding through trees and flowers and around a lake.  The weather was great–39 degrees with zero wind.  Chugging through mile 7 listening to my tunes and taking in my surroundings.  All was great in my world.

Mile 8 I made a friend.  He strikes up conversation.  (Thankfully, he did most of the talking and I did most of the listening.) He was a trainer for the Biggest Loser contestants once they returned home from the show.  He had actually just completed the Disney World Marathon two weeks prior, expenses paid (flight, room, and race fee) by a client who wanted him to pace her.  Now that’s a job I could handle, right there 🙂  Conversation with this friend lasted a little while, and I made it to mile 10 without thinking about my hip.

I’m not sure what happened between mile 10 and 11 (I’m thinking the Tylenol wore off), but my hip started screaming.  Every step I took was excruciatingly painful.  At mile 11, my mental toughness (or stubbornness, maybe) kicked in.  I was determined to finish.  I had made it that far with a pretty steady pace and with zero walking, so I wasn’t quitting.

Miles 11-13.1 were miserable.  My hip pain radiated down my leg to my knee and into my foot.  I was fighting back tears, and my pace had slowed to somewhere just over 10 minutes per mile.  Still not walking, but not good pacing either.  (I actually attempted walking, but the hip still hurt just as much, so I figured I might as well run.)  I was SO glad to see the sign for the finish.  I heard my girls cheering me on and mustered up this smile for a photo.  Totally faked and completely for my girls.

I crossed the finish in 1:56:42, with an average pace of 8:55 per mile.  My first half was 1:55:16 and almost completely flat.  Even though I didn’t PR, I feel like I ran a better race this time when you consider the hills.  And the pain.

I made Justin take this picture of me with the girls before literally falling into him and having him drag me to the truck.  I don’t know if it was the hills, or if I stepped off the trail and pulled a muscle during the run, or what, but as I’m writing this (on Wednesday) I’m still having hip pain.  It has gotten slightly better, but not much.  I can walk without falling now.  After the race on Sunday, I would literally stumble with each step.  When I put weight on my right foot, something in my hip area hurt so much that the muscle would give and not support me.  Crazy, right?
I’m completely baffled by this race.  It was superbly organized, and utterly beautiful.  Definitely a race course I would recommend.  They have several options–5k, half, and full marathons.  The hills were killer, but who doesn’t like a good challenge every now and then?  What confuses me is my hip.  I’m not sure what the problem was (is?!?), so I don’t know how to prevent it from happening again in a future race.  My plan is to give it a few days of complete rest, and then work on stretching it out really well.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to walk normal and start running again next week.  Until then, I’ll just be limping around over here. 🙂
Any suggestions for hip pain?  I need a diagnosis 🙂

Workout Rewind and A Christmas Partying Weekend

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I’m noticing a trend with my workouts lately.  I do REALLY well at the beginning of the week, and then not so well at the end.  The end of our week just seems to get busier somehow?!?  This week went  a little like this:

Monday:  4.5 miles on the treadmill with my new friend Lipstick Jungle.

Tuesday: 4.5 miles on the treadmill.

Friday:  4 miles on the treadmill.  Making my way through Season 2 of Lipstick Jungle.

And that’s it.  Total miles this week = 13.

No long run that is very much needed for this training.  No outdoor runs at all.  My plan for this coming week is to switch it up a little–I’m going to attempt a long run early in the week (Monday or Tuesday) and then the shorter runs towards the end.  We’ll see how that goes. 🙂

Yesterday, we had Christmas with my Dad’s Dad’s side of the family (That’s not confusing at all.) for brunch and then Justin’s Dad’s side for lupper.  (<–Yes, that’s my word.  If there is a brunch, why can there not be a lupper?)

Via Instagram.  Our Papaw ALWAYS makes deer jerky and gives it to us for Christmas.  We look forward to it every year!

And then, today, we had Christmas with my Dad’s Mom’s side of the family.

We rounded out the weekend celebrating my cousin’s 13th birthday.  She is officially a teenager, and I can’t believe it!

How was your weekend?

Any winter training tips to get me ready for this half at the end of January?

Weekly Workouts

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If you’ll remember, I completely let go of all running-related stress last week.  Then, this week, I had to keep reminding myself not to stress 🙂  The week started out great, but then fizzled toward the end with all the sickness we had going on.  The Callaway Gardens half is just a little over 6 weeks away, so I’ve got to get the miles in!

Monday:  4 miles on the treadmill.  I watched Melissa and Joey on Netflix, which is HILARIOUS if you’ve never seen it!

Tuesday:  Session 1 (30 minutes) of Jillian Michael’s Yoga Meltdown DVD.  This KICKS my tail every time I do it.  Probably because I only do it once every few months, but I’m going to work on that 🙂

Wednesday: 5 miles on the treadmill. <–I’m REALLY wanting some outdoor runs!!  It’s just too cold!  I do change up my incline to mimic outdoor running, but it’s just not the same!

Thursday:  7-minute workout (I’ll explain more about this later!)

Sunday:  8 miles on the treadmill.

Total miles this week: 17
Total miles that I was ‘supposed’ to run, according to the training plan: 25

SHOUT OUT to my friend Anna, who ran the Rocket City marathon yesterday morning.  It was her first marathon, and she finished in 4:25:00!! GO Anna!!! <–After saying that I NEVER wanted to run the marathon distance, this made me change my mind a little.  We are discussing the idea of a fall 2014 marathon.  (ONLY discussing, so don’t hold me to anything just yet!)

What is your favorite race distance?
Mine is still the 5k, because I like the shorter, fast race.  I’m really digging the half though, too.

If you had to pick only ONE race to run each year, what would it be?
Toray Rebuilding Together 5k.  It is the first race (post-high school) that I ran and it holds special memories for me.

Training Plan for the Callaway Gardens Half

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I’m mixing things up a little for the Callaway Gardens half.  I’ve tried different plans for several weeks, and none work just right for me.  So I took my five favorites and combined them to make my own.  That’s professional, right?  I took into consideration the number of miles I wanted to run each week leading up to the marathon, as well as the number of days that I could run.

I also have been running consistently for several months now, so I would only recommend borrowing my plan if you are a semi-advanced runner yourself.  My weekly mileage leading up to this has been between 25-30 miles each week.  If you are a beginning runner, you will need MUCH more than 6 weeks to train for a half.

So after all that, and after LOTS of brain-work, here is MY personal, half marathon plan:

The note at the bottom, in case you can’t see it, reminds you that I am NOT a certified running coach.  This plan was developed BY me, FOR me–If you choose to “borrow” it, I am in no way responsible for an injuries you may (but hopefully won’t) incur.  <—And that’s just the disclaimer that I feel needed to be added so that I am being responsible.

I think it will help my training that my plan is so pretty.  Don’t you?  And I will definitely be using my bright, colorful pens to check off each workout as I do it.  That’s half the fun, right?

I’m interested, what running plan do you use?

Happy Running! 🙂

The Struggle

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After all those warm-weather-in-December comments that I made, our temperature dropped from 70 degrees to upper 20’s overnight.  Mother Nature thinks she’s funny.
My running this week has been almost non-existent.  I have the motivation to run, I just don’t have the time.  (I say that loosely.  If I had MORE motivation, I guess I would get up at 4am to run each morning, but that’s not happening!)
I took Monday off after Sunday’s long run.  I did 3.5 miles on the treadmill on Tuesday and 3 miles on Wednesday.  When I missed Thursday’s run, I shrugged it off.  NBD.  Then I missed Friday’s.
I was signed up for a 5K on Saturday morning–one that I had actually payed for–and skipped it.  The run was at 8 am and K was in a Christmas parade that started at 9:30.  Techinically, I probably could have squeezed in both but it was too much rushing for me, so I ditched the race.  Then, this morning’s long run didn’t happen.  There really is no excuse, other than the weather predicted a 70% chance of rain at 5am and I believed the forecast.  Just so you know, it wasn’t raining at 5am, but I didn’t get out of bed.
When I finally rolled out of bed this morning, I started to get a little stressed.  I am in the middle of half marathon training again, and really want to do well in this race at the end of January.  I NEED those runs to get me ready.  But after a few minutes of a pity party, I reminded myself that I LOVE running.  I do it because it is FUN for me.  If I let myself stress over missed workouts, its not going to keep being fun.  Yes, the training is important.  But this is also December, the most busy month of the year.
So this morning, I made an important decision.  There will be ZERO stressing over running this month.  If I’m able to get the workout in, GREAT!  If not, that’s ok too.  I’m sure I’ll be able to run enough that I don’t lose any fitness, and then I’ll have the whole month of January to work at getting faster.
The point of all this rambling is this—-> Working out should be FUN!  If you don’t like what you are doing, find something else that you do enjoy.  Don’t stress over missed workouts (unless your days turn into weeks, that turn into months…then you might need to reconsider!).
And if you need more encouragement, you can read Presley’s post here or this post about falling in love with running.

Charity Miles and My Wounded Warrior Project run

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Photo borrowed from Greatist.com

I have been admiring the app “Charity Miles” from a distance for a while now.  Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea, authors of Run Like A Mother, have been participating and posting their runs on Twitter.  I even downloaded the app myself a few weeks ago, but kept forgetting to use it.

Charity Miles is a company that links investors with athletes–bikers, runners,and walkers–to raise money for charities.  Bikers earn 10 cents per mile and walkers/runners earn 25 cents per mile, all donated to the charity of their choice.  The charity must be one already partnered with the company, but there is a wide variety of options.  Some of the supported charities include:
  • Autism Speaks
  • Wounded Warrior Project
  • Partnership for A Healthier America
  • Pencils of Promise
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • the World Food Programme
  • Girl Up:  United Nations Foundation
  • Stand Up To Cancer
  • Feeding America
  • ASPCA.org
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • Every Mother Counts
  • Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
  • and MANY more!
The process is simple.  Download the app.  Choose whether you will be biking, walking, or running.  Select your charity.  (You may choose a different charity each time.)  Go!  The app uses you phone’s GPS to calculate your miles.  (If you want music, you need to start that before opening your Charity Miles app!)
The company requires you to post your activity to Facebook or Twitter before they will donate your earnings.  It raises awareness of the app AND the sponsor, so it’s really a win-win.  I mean, I raised an entire $2.50 for the Wounded Warrior Project during my long run on Sunday =)

New Training Plan

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I have a few 5k’s on the schedule before the new year, but the race I’m really training for is the Callaway Gardens Half Marathon on January 26, 2014.  Fun fact:  I’ll be running this race at a discounted rate.  I shot an email to the race director (what could it hurt), and while he couldn’t comp my race entry he did offer me a nice little discount.  Every little bit helps, right?

For this race, I’ll be using Hal Higdon’s Advanced Half Marathon training plan.  We all know I stink at following plans, so we’ll see how this goes 🙂

I’m just going to put in out there–I would love to run this at sub-1:50.  Of course, I would really LOVE to run it even faster than that, but this is actually realistic.  My current (I.E. first) half marathon PR is 1:55:16.  I think sub-1:50 is achievable for me.  Maybe even sub-1:45, but let’s not push it 🙂  Everything I have read about this course says it’s super HILLY.  I am really going to have to push it on the hills during this training.

I am really excited about this race.  It is a smaller race, which I like.  I’m guaranteed gorgeous scenery, which I like.  It’s 13.1 miles, which I actually like.  And it’s a mini-vacation, which I really like!

What races are on your schedule for the rest of 2013 and the beginning of 2014?

Anyone running this half?  If not, sign up now! You have 10 weeks to train for it!

How to Run on a Treadmill Without Dying of Boredom

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First, an update on the girls.  They were up sick most of the night last night.  Libby was crying with a headache and running a low grade fever.  Kyndall was crying with her throat, and actually started throwing up (again) around 2am.  What is it about kids that make them be deathly sick during the night, and then fine as can be in the mornings?  I mean, not that I want my kids to be sick, but some consistency would be nice.  Sick, not sick.  Help me out here.  There is nothing worse than going to the doctors office, waiting 2 hours (at least), paying the outrageous copay, only to be told its “just a virus.”  Am I right?

I was fairly certain Kyndall had strep, again.  I’m not sure what is going on with Libby, but I might as well get her checked out, too.  This is what happens when you have 2 sick girls, who do not know they are sick, and the doctor can’t see you until 11.

The West girls are pretty awesome at some Jenga 🙂
After a somewhat short wait, and the outrageous copay, it was just a virus.   Money in the trash, right there.  I guess I should just be grateful that it wasn’t anything serious.  Always look for the positive 🙂
And now on to more important things……
 Quinceañera (1)

How to Run On A Treadmill Without Dying of Boredom

Being a southern runner, who is also a mom, I do a large part of my training on the treadmill.  (I’m not sure if you are familiar with the humidity in Alabama, but it’s killer.)  I struggled with major boredom for a long time while running on the treadmill, but now I actually enjoy it.  It’s definitely not the same as running outdoors, but it is convenient when it’s your only way to run.
1. Read a magazine.  This is actually my least favorite, but it works.  Not only does it sidetrack your mind from being bored, but it covers up the data screen.  I don’t let myself look until I’ve finished the whole magazine, and I’m usually presently surprised.  The reason this is my least favorite is because I have to turn the pages more.  It’s more difficult to keep my stride when I’m turning the pages every few seconds.
2.  Read a book.  Also covers the screen and I don’t let myself look until I’ve finished a chapter.  Turning pages isn’t really an issue because all I have to do is tap the screen for the page to turn.  Gotta love the Kindle 🙂  I’ve heard a lot of people say that it’s hard to read while they run, and I’ve decided these people must be really bouncy runners.  I have no issue with it, even when I increase my speed to a near sprint.
3.  Watch Netflix.  Or Youtube.  Or Hulu.  Or whatever digital streaming device you have.  This is one of my favorites, but I have a hard time stopping.  Oh, I might stop running after an episode, but I can’t stop watching after one episode.  Hello, Gossip Girl and your 7 seasons.  The great thing about this is that 30-min, or 45-min depending on what you are watching, seems to fly by when you are zoned into a good show.
4.  Switch it up.  I have two go-to workouts on the treadmill that I use when I’m not doing one of the above.  The constant clock watching and pace/incline changing make the time go by quickly.  Here are two routines I use often:
Do you run on a treadmill?
What are your tips?