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reviews

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Garmin Fitness Tools To Keep You Healthy

March 14, 2021

For me, I have embraced measurements and tracking. I am not a numbers person by nature, but I have become very goal-oriented. As a marathoner, I learned a valuable lesson and embraced the belief that “What isn’t measured cannot be changed or evaluated.” To change your lifestyle, it’s essential to look at habits. Habits are the cumulation of repetitive patterns, so we must substitute or break them to form new ones. Changing To A New You With The Right Tools Tracking and measuring your habits is easier when you have the right tools. Whether you plan a new year’s resolution or make an immediate life change, here are three easy tips to help you change into a new year with the right tools. Tracking Your Full Measurements Most people have a love-and-hate relationship with the scale, but if you want to change and improve your health, you must be aware of your weight and overall body composition. Looking back year-over-year, I weigh just about the same, but my body composure is very different due to the impact of the pandemic and my training. The Garmin index scale allows other areas of your physical composure to be tracked and adjusted, such as muscle mass and bone structure. Additionally, it syncs seamlessly within the Garmin Connect App. Simplify Your Habit Tracker When tracking and making new habits, it’s crucial to keep things simple. You can be overwhelmed with writing something in a journal or have too many apps to update your daily log. This is why I love the Garmin Connect App, which keeps everything within one app. Everything is within one app, from the scale to my Forerunner 945, which has unique connectIQ apps that help me keep track when away from my phone. The Connect App also directly connects with other apps like Strava, Tacx Trainers, and Apple Health, so whether I am cycling, logging my water, or weighing myself, having one app to save everything allows me to focus on being more mindful. Train to Your Beat There has been an increase in heart rate training from classes like Orangetheory to training plans focusing on heart rate zones and lactate thresholds. While the running pace stays the same, heart rate data will adjust and change based on my training and condition, making tracking a helpful metric. The HRM-Pro™ heart rate monitor transmits real-time heart rate data, whether swimming or on other fitness equipment. It’s neither bulky nor interfered with a sports bra or other clothing. Additionally, the HRM-Pro™ includes running dynamics that can help you improve your form. I like to think of this as a digital coach that adjusts and knows my every move. It also helps to track and monitor all the data for training metrics and overall physical and mental health.

Top 5 Supplements for Plant-Based Diet

March 15, 2020

Ever since I learned I was 200+ pounds and blood pressure was high, I’ve made serious changes to how I choose to feed and nourish my body. I focused only on decreasing stress, sugar and increasing sleeping mostly, which resulted in losing almost 30 pounds within two months. One area that was stressing me was lack of vital supplement of nutrition to my diet. For years, I have always purchased from a variety of sources and stores such as Amazon, Wholefoods and many retail stores, which was confusing, time consuming and ran into many issues. Instead, I now purchase directly through Amway. I loved being a customer so much, that I partner now directly with them. Below are my top five supplement for my plant-based diet, which aide in my weight loss and keep me fueled each day. Before you purchase any items, continue to support me by signing up for a free customer account. This also allows for me to help share great savings such as free shipping, discount and more through out the year exclusively to you. Once you sign up, by clicking Register then Become a Customer, then come back and click to shop. PS: I won’t email you or anything, and it takes just 60 seconds to do so. Before purchasing signup for a free customer account Click Here To SignUp Women’s Daily Vitamins Instead of buying individually up a multi-vitamin, vitamin D, magnesium and having a series of other supplements, I normally have every day. Instead of buying from multiple sources and outlets, I now am able to purchase my essential vitamins within one transaction but also have it in one packet portability. This pack includes the following vitamins for $1 a day! Vitamin D, Calcium and Magnesium Daily Multi-vitamin Hair, Skin and Nails Concentrated Fruits and Vegetable If you are a male or want an alternative one with Omegas included try the Men’s Packet. Similar to the Women’s Daily but instead of Hair, Skin and Nails it includes a daily Omega. Purchase Daily Women’s Pack Purchase Daily Men’s Packet Meal Replacement Shake I have always had a shake in the morning for weight loss. It helps fuels my day and is portable no matter where I go. I start my morning with water and a shake on my way to work but when at home, I add some of it to my daily green protein smoothie, which contains water, bananas, greens and frozen berries. Purchase Meal Replacement Shakes Immunity Supplement When traveling, I would always get sick especially when traveling to marathon. I have a series of items that I always use and take including immunity tonic. With immunity pack or tubes, I am able to travel and keep my immune system up to combat any other diseases. I prefer the liquid form but the pill version is also a great option. Purchase Immunity Pack (Pill) Immunity Twist Tube (Liquid) Multi-Purpose Wipes This isn’t a traditional nutritional supplement, but does affect your ability to intake nutrition. With diseases everywhere, I am always wiping down the office, seats in airline , my hands and everything. While soap and water are great, I sometimes am not able to get to them so I use the wipes. No phosphates, chlorine or other unpleasant ingredients, so it’s safer for the environment too. Purchase Multi-Purpose Wipes Hydration Drink As an athlete, I am always about staying hydrated. With summer months or longer workouts, I make sure to stay hydrated and replenish my body’s lost minerals with a hydration drink. Even if you work from home, you will be amazed at how easily you can be dehydrated as well. Being portable and having it easily on the run or in my gym bag. This is a great option for or runners, athletes, and anyone who wants to replace electrolytes and minerals without ingesting artificial colors and sweeteners. Purchase Hydration Supplements

Bras Brunch and Run Recap

March 9, 2020

Spring 2020 – Bra and Brunch Recap We kick off the first Saturday of Women’s Month with me for my 4th #brasandbrunch with @rei and @brooksrunning! This year, you all were in for a treat as attendees were able to get their first hands on the new Brooks Run Dare collection and I personally took everyone on an easy run/jog on a beautiful trial. These RunBras are created for just us runners in mind. I’ve got various sizes and includes the larger cup sizes. REI took care of the food in making sure we had something for our tummies and setup this super cute outdoor section so we could truly experience and enjoy nature. I shared the importance of the basics and how with running it is important to know your sports bras and running shoes are the foundations for success. Everyone was able to try on the new Glycerine shoes as well as test out the bras. Checkout the photos below and if you missed it, I have tons of upcoming events, sports bra guide and much more on the site. Bras, Brunch & Run Photos

Brooks Hyperion Elite Line Review

February 29, 2020

I had a lot of chatter on Facebook about the Brooks Running Hyperion Line, particularly with its release during the Olympic trials and the elite runners running in them. So with anything, I had to stop and chat finally about these shoes I have had since last year. So, I had a few minutes to review some of my notes and share about the shoe. As always, I am a Brooks RunHappy Ambassador, but my views, opinions, and such are my own. I keep it real. Brooks Hyperion Elite & Tempo Running Shoes Honest Review and Thoughts About the New Elite Shoe First, things First. The Hyperion Elite sold out within an hour or two. Yes. These are sold out. So if you were looking for a hookup, keep that moving. …. At this time, I’m unsure of the next release. It might be a minute to see how those who have this first batch respond. Higher demand for the shoe often pushes up production. Who are the Hyperion Elite Shoes For? Hyperion Elite is For Elite Runners… End of Subject. Thanks for Reading. .. This shoe is not for everyday runners like myself. In short, unless you are training to BQ (Boston Qualify) or regularly BQ, leave this shoe alone. For real. It’s a 300+ shoe. That’s like a a 6 month supply of Chipotle. The Hyperion Elite is not for training but specifically for race day. The Elite was designed for a maximum of 100 miles. Less depending on the runners’ weight and built. So in short two races and they are done. Yep! I won’t spend time on this review discussing the shoe’s detail, foam and all that jazz. The site does a great job of doing that so I am going to keep it on the things most folks aren’t discussing and give other insight into it. Wait !The Shoes You Have Are All Black, but They are White and Yellow Online? I have a black unicorn version because I’ve had the shoe since last year when I went to Brooks Headquarters for their Innovation Summit. All the more reason why you should be keeping up with me on the IG. Due to a nice embargo and me not trying to get sued, all you saw was a group pic of us in the shoe and no up close pics. They had just finished the color of the shoes during that time; thus, why we don’t have them in white and yellow. Also, it’s hard to keep a secret about shoes when you have pictures of bright white shoes with neon yellow in them for 30+ people. The Hyperion Elite Have Been Around For A Bit For Real? While at the Innovation Summit, we worked out with them and knew about the shoe in Boston when Desi won Boston the previous year. We couldn’t take pictures of the shoes that she signed, but if you ever visit HQ, they are there signed, and you can compare. The shoes we have in all black are the same that Desi and Shaddy ran in for Boston 2018, aka the Hurricane, Tsunami, hail, and my DNF year. (If I had the shoe maybe I would have finished too. But hey…) They are all black. She spoke about having brand new shoes on that year and never wearing them before. They were delivered the day before the race to both runners and the rest you can find out on Google. The color scheme is now white and yellow because of the Spring colors, and the focus on how “looking good” affects us as runners. A good outfit can boost our moods basically, so the shoe has a little style as a result. What Does the Hyperion Elite Feel Like When Running It feels like walking on air but curved. It sounds weird, but if you look at the pic, it’s shaped in a bow or C shape. This helps your naturally his the ground in a more efficient state with stability that’s natural to you. Instead of forcing you to spring, or run a certain way, The shoe and Brooks in general, are helping the body guide into a natural pattern to you. This is seen in the elite shoe but also all shoes. Their marketing has shifted to “guide” and “what’s natural” to you. For elites, this is the same. This reduces injuries and causes you to be a more effective and efficient runner. How Light Is Hyperion Elite and Tempo Shoe? It Looks Heavy My phone is heavier than the Elite running Shoe. I have an iPhone 10. That’s the best way I can describe it. The Hyperion Elite Shoe Compared to Other Shoes I’ve seen a side-by-side comparison of elite runners in other shoes versus running in the Elite. It was eye-opening and clear as day on the benefits of the shoe. You saw how unstable a lot of different shoes made the runner, and eventually, this instability is what causes a lot of injuries and or weakness in the runner. While we aren’t elite athletes, we can always learn. I highly recommend this for all runners to do because you can see visually how much energy is lost and the instability one has without the proper shoe. Most running shoe stores offer this. If not, you can record yourself on a treadmill and see how your form is when running on different shoes. So what about the Hyperion Tempo Shoe? Is that a good purchase for me? This shoe is a training shoe for elites but I can recommend it for those who want a super light training shoe and are faster runners in general. The Hyperion tempo and the entire Hyperion line are all made to wear without socks so keep that in mind when buying. The sizing is about 1.5 in difference for most. So I wear at 9.5 and I have a size 8. It fits like a glove and rather breathable.

Toronto Marathon Guide & Review

June 28, 2019

This year, I set out to do my second international race. I went to our neighboring country of Canada to tackle the Toronto Marathon for a weekend run-girls trip on a budget. We travel, shopped, ran and conquered new records in Tonrot and had a great time! Here is your guide to traveling to Toronto and running the Toronto Marathon. Where to Fly I flew both American and AirCanada and honestly because AirCanda is so large, I recommend flying it. It’s much better in service, food, and cost. Additionally, the AirCanada terminals are way better than what I experienced with American Airlines, which I was returning from Toronto to the USA. The American area was depressing and barely had anything for us. Toronto’s airport is very nice, organized and clean. Additionally, they allow you free carts for your luggage and various accommodations for those traveling with families/kids. For my United States folks, this is International so I recommend having global entry or at one of the other international trusted travel programs like Nexus if you have that to avoid the customs lines. Because I have global entry it took me 90 seconds to get through customs compared to my friend Alex which was over an hour. Where to Stay in Toronto for the Toronto Marathon Since this right before the summer break, flights are cheap and tons of options for traveling. So your hotel won’t cost nearly as much as most races ($200-$300 a night) During my stay, I choose the Hilton hotel, which was also the host hotel. The main reason is due to the service and also centrally located to everything. The shuttle for the race also picks up outside the front of the hotel and thus you can roll out of bed easily and without much stress. You will have to pay the additional $30 bucks or so for the shuttle to make sure you do ahead of time. It’s cheaper and seems to be less of a hassle. Pricing was affordable and it’s connected to a variety of other areas within the area to walk too. I picked out a few other popular housing that many runners also recommend and close to the city. Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Residence Inn Toronto Downtown City*Stay Condos – Simcoe Street The Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar Toronto Luxury Accommodations – University Plaza Where to Eat & Dine In Toronto for the Toronto Marathon Don’t forget that your dollars go a lot longer as the currency situation works to our benefit. For one American dollar is equal to .70 Canadian cents. This means you can budget very easily on everything from hotel to dining especially when splitting it between two people. If you get lost, one thing I noticed is that we consistently hit the street Queens so when in doubt, try to head on this street and you can venture to most places from or to there. While you are on Queens don’t be surprised to see fries being served everywhere. It’s a thing in Toronto. Titos: Since this race takes place around or during Cinco De Mayo, you must have a margarita, or tequila or some chips and salsa. Go here to have it all and a band and much more. Vegandale Brewery –Toronto’s Only All Vegan Brewery and Restaurant. This was a great pre or post race place for the race. Donatello: We went here for our pre-carb/race meal and had a great authentic pasta. Juice: There are several juice spots and bubble tea in the city but one popular place is Revitalize. Fresh juice was amazing there and a great variety of flavors and sizes. Bacon Nation: When you finish a race and want to demolish all your calories, this is one place that you can indulge. Candian Comfort food is the slogan and thus it lives up to it. Assembly: Don’t know what to eat? Go here. We went at least twice because we didn’t know what we wanted. From vegan cupcakes to the Gnocchi that Beat Bobby Flay, we ate everything we wanted while surrounded by great DJs, a nice projector displaying the latest news and sports and loads more celebration. Toronto’s City Hall: On our way to the Mall, we ran into Oosege hall, which is a part of Toronto’s city hall. It’s a great place to quickly learn some history and a nice area to get on the streetcar. What to Do & See In Toronto For Toronto Marathon Biking: Easily grab a bike and ride around town, which is great before or after the race. The Mall: Enough said. Everything you need and then some. Great mall within a few blocks of the hotels downtown. We shopped, ate and even had bubble tea while there. Diverge Virtual Playground, which is awesome to do if you can plan accordingly with a group. Sports: You have a variety of sports to pick from such as baseball, basketball and the beloved hockey. Take a day to enjoy and celebrate! CN Tower: Completed your race and then head over to the CN Tower the following day. Take the tour and then take the picture of your medal over the entire city. You gotta do it for the gram! Bricktown: Shop, chill and eat in this cool part of the city. This is also a great spot for local “relaxation” if you get my drift. Chinatown & Kensington Avenue: These two places are next to each other so grab your wallets, put on your shoes and take a walk up and down these two unique towns. Don’t forget to grab your camera to stop and take tons of photos for the gram. Graffiti walls around all around these towns as they are truly town art. Toronto Marathon Review, Tips & Recap No matter when you go to Toronto, I highly recommend the Toronto Marathon race in May. It’s the perfect weather for anyone traveling to Toronto and the best times too. For runners, the race

How I Lost 30 Pounds in 2 Months

May 31, 2019

I thought about having a webinar or going live to discuss how I lost weight but you know what, I just hit the video and recorded it for you. Instead of editing down this video, I thought it was important you got an idea of my journey and who I am. I am honest and hardly did any edits because in all things I want to continue to be authentic about who I am and what I am doing. #nocookiecutter Don’t worry. I am making shorter videos on everything I listed so those will go into details. Consider this your intro and pep talk about health and wellness first before going into the details and action of everything. Losing 30 Pounds in 2 Months & Running 3 Times a Week Before starting, I highly recommend doing a spring cleaning. I got rid of everything in my house. From food, the pantry, clothes, to underwear and old sheets, everything must go in order to make room for the newness. This wasn’t pretty but it forced me to see how much clutter I had physically that was reflected emotionally and mentally too. Importance of Tracking and Finding Habits for Weight Loss When I saw the scale hit 200lbs on February 13th at the doctor’s office, I was filled a lot of emotions and also sick for the umpteenth time. However, I left out of the office more concerned about my weight than ever. I was the heaviest I had ever been in my life and the main issue I had was – how did I get there. I was not only the heaviest but sick, high blood pressure and just a mess. My life was falling apart both physically, emotionally and mentally and I couldn’t keep it together anymore. After a few weeks, I finally got myself together and made a plan. The problem was that I didn’t know how to tackle weight loss and stop yo-yo dieting for good. One day, I heard the quote “we are all just creatures of habits” and it occurred to me that I needed to figure out what I was doing in order to lose the weight for good. So I tracked everything! I tracked everything to make myself accountable for results and know what’s going on. AKA what are my habits. So below are the things I tracked. Weight Blood Pressure – Doctor’s orders Sleep Food & Water Everything Else (Stress, Exercise etc) By seeing what I was doing on a daily basis I had a better idea of how I could make a plan and then adjust. I was able to see what was working, big time failures and how to create new habits. It wasn’t pretty but it kept me accountable to see what was happening every single day and to get raw and honest about what was going on with myself. Focusing on the Big 3: Stress, Sleep & Sugar. After reviewing my habits, I didn’t change everything. Instead, I focused on breaking and forming new habits of the following three items: Stress, Sleep, and Sugar. Pretty much I did the following Sugar: Sugar is literally in everything! I also have a big sweet tooth so this was probably the hardest for me. I cut out sugar in all things from food to fruit. At first, it was hard and no it wasn’t perfect. I skimmed through a few books that discussed the impact of sugar but it’s basically a drug. I kept tracking everything I consumed and would make adjustment each day and week. It’s now easier and I don’t think about it. I have some form of sugar in things such as post-workout drink or a cookie here and there but it’s super rare. I do have stevia often in my tea. Indirectly this made me cut out most bread, pasta, and al the other stuff too but that’s another video for another day. Sleep: I re-read my book so I could have a healthy foundation but the biggest things that stood out was my discussion of sleep in the book. I forgot all about the importance. Did you know that lack of sleep or keeping someone up is used as a form of torture in war or capturing an enemy? Yep! When tracking everything via my Garmin, I saw how little sleep I was getting. I thought I was having a night of at least 7 hours of sleep but in reality, it was more like 4 hours of sleep. I made it a priority to make sure that I had a lot more sleep. I started going to bed earlier and sleeping about 9-10 hours a night. It seems like a lot but I was making my body find a natural sleep pattern at first. Eventually, I even out and have a good cycle. Some days I do need more sleep and I am mindful of it. Stress: I monitored this via my watch but also just taking time out to each day to workout, write, meditate and such. This is a big issue and there isn’t much advice I can say about watching stress levels. Most of it is mental so my advice is to get some therapy and also adjust what you are consuming into your ears/eyes/mind on a daily basis. During this time, I unfollowed a lot of random accounts and people on social media that didn’t align with where I wanted to go. Additionally, this happened in real life as I begin to be aware of what was stressing me out or making me sad. This can be a job, person, car, meal prepping, etc. What I realized was that I didn’t have a lot of time and it was stressing me out so I begin to invest in things that would aid in decreasing stress such as trying meal prep companies and delivery services. In short, I substituted unhealthy stress for a healthier option such as traveling and working out/running.

Bermuda Marathon Weekend Review

March 8, 2019

Bermuda is known for the’s Bermuda Triangle challenge where you run three different races and distances throughout three days. This is awesome and challenging because the competition is crazy hilly. What the race will challenge you in hills will reward you in views. Plan beforehand by just taking it easy and doing most sightseeing during the run instead of paying for a tour. Here is my review of the Bermuda Marathon Challenge.

Bras And Brunch Recap

February 1, 2019

I am so excited that I was able to host my first Bras and Brunch event with Brooks & REI. We had a blast in both Dallas and Fort Worth locations. Thank you to everyone who came out to hear me speak and also try on shoes and get fitted for sports bras.

Turmeric For Runners – Golden Milk

January 13, 2019

Every week, I have been making this tea called Golden Milk. If you didn’t now basically golden milk is a tea that is a golden color because it’s made with/from turmeric, which is yellowish. It can be made with a variety of spices such as pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Most people make it with regular turmeric but lately I have been using turmeric supplements instead as they are of higher quality and a quick way to ingest the supplements without taking a pill. I have dubbed this “Super Charged Golden Milk Tea.”

Boston Marathon Race & Review – A Happy DNF

December 31, 2018

Let me first by stating if you are reading this, it has taken me over 6 months to write this blog post because the Boston Marathon was the best memory and achievement of my life for a race AND also the biggest disappointment and sadness at the same time.