Monday – Page 4 – sassyfitnesschick

Monday Musings

Send a boat. Seriously. Send one. The rain has been going on here long enough and I’m starting to feel like if I should sit still to long I may get moldy.

In the south we hate to complain about rain ’cause when it’s done, it goes and we don’t see it for awhile, but I think we’re all ready for a break. The ground just can’t hold anymore and smooshes under you when you walk.

Yes, I just used smooshes. Enjoy that 😉

I’ve come to the realization if I’m running or cycling I’m gonna get wet from more than just my sweat. I’m ok with that, mostly.

Have you ever been on a bike, flying along, with water flying from the sky and it’s all over your glasses?

I’ve yet to figure how to make that all work as I need/ prefer to have them on.. tricky though.. with water on them and not wanting the wind in my eyes.

Speaking of my athletic shenanigans……

I took off on Friday with the intent of doing a brick session, meaning a run/bike training work out.

The weather guy had promised a “mostly dry” day ahead. I pondered that statement when I walked out and felt light, misty rain hit me.

No big deal. I grabbed my bike and other gear, got set up and took off to do my 5K run.

Finished off the run. swapped gear, and got on the road for miles on the bike. It always feels good to settle in and have time to drink something and catch my breath from the run.

IMG_20180914_141533_900 — It was still fun and games…until….

My mind moved ahead to the route I was taking as the miles dropped under me. I approached a road that I turn on and ride into the cul de sac before looping back the way I came.

There’s a house that sits on the corner and the people there have a couple dogs. It’s not usually an important thing to me however one of them last summer decided it wanted to chomp my thigh when it chased me into the cul de sac and I had to really slow down because of all the loose gravel.

It took me a couple rides down that road before I started to relax again. So whenever I ride I’m always aware.

This was my mental status on Friday. However as I approached to turn on the side road I saw one of the dogs through trees in front of the house…. immediately aware…

Oh my gosh they are out and loose.

It’s funny…well not funny… but my mind began to immediately seek out the best way to avoid conflict.

First, I’m obviously not turning up the road as planned. If I kept going straight it took me down a huge hill that immediately dropped into a sharp, fast “S” curve. As much as I love playing daredevil off those hills. the idea of doing it with dogs chasing me didn’t seem prudent.

I determined to come to a stop as quick as possible, unclip, and hopefully put my bike between us.

I guess I wasn’t aware of this, but now instead of having two dogs, there were four, ( when did they get more??) who began barking and heading towards me, including one who snacked on my thigh last year.

It just happens so fast….

Before I could fully stop to unclip, he came charging up and yes, again, chomped me in the thigh.

By now the owner was calling all of them and they were scampering off sniffing grass and what not.

Shaking I got off my bike, my upper thigh already throbbing, blood running down my leg.

Then damn it, tears.

It hurt, but seeing four dogs coming at me had been a little unnerving. I can’t explain how my brain was processing things, but I couldn’t get it all going in time to avoid the bite.

Tears because I was angry as I knew my ride was over, that I’d need to go home and tend to myself. Angry because I already felt like I’m behind in my training and this clipped the rest of my training time.

Angry because that stupid dog bit me….again.

The owner was like… “Oh that’s bad bite.”

Really??

I’d say as it was a full mouth bite.

At that point I just wanted to get home. She asked that I wait while she herded them inside.

Here’s what you need to know. I live in areas where the roads are mostly quiet and there aren’t a lot of people up and down them. It’s great training ground. Plenty of hills, inclines and flat roads.

Being outside with your dogs with you, not in a fence, isn’t awful, necessarily. The problem is, if someone comes along and you have a dog that already goes after someone on a bike, he should never be loose. I mean, realistically, they don’t know when someone will come along and well, then, it’s to late.

After getting home and cleaning up, I sent hubby a lovely leg photo. Probably not the kind of leg photo he may have preferred as this one was a thigh with teeth marks, bruising, and blood. Let’s just say I won’t win any great leg contests right now 😛

Of course, he wanted me to go to the clinic to be seen. Which of course I did.

Something I hadn’t really planned into my day.

Before I got back home, the owner was sending messages that they were calling authorities, that the dog would be quarantined and was current on shots etc.

Damage control?

The thing that concerns me with all of this is…. the dog was very focused and intent on what it was about. Headed right into me to bite. I carry a lot of heavy muscle on my thighs and it took the impact and still had damage. But what if I was a smaller person? Or worse, a kid on a bike? They might not stand up under it as well.

So I’ve got some decisions to make and things to consider with this.

I hate having to deal with it. I hate that my leg is swollen and tender and I seem to hit it on everything. I hate something making me feel insecure. ( after last years event it took several times that way before I didn’t feel tense riding there)

Could I not ride that way?

Yeah, I guess. But why shouldn’t I be able to ride a public road without fear of being attacked? It’s not my responsibility to keep my dog under wraps.

and this is the second time…..

Anyway… that was my exciting way of ending my week…

In the ways of work…

it’s been a busy week in my vintage furniture world. I sold several things this week, picked up another custom order and got the coolest table and chair set… that I want to keep. That is the cool thing about doing this. If I find something I love, I rework it, and it gets added to my collection.

I’m going to freshen it up and it will be a unique kitchen set, It’s legs and details on table…. so gorgeous!

I’m telling you… you just can’t go down to the local furniture place and find things like this anymore.

Oh and I also got some fun fabric for my chair projects.

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I scored a set of 8 antique harp back chairs that I’m getting this week. I guess we’ll see what I do with them…

I know we are approaching Fall….

my daughter in law asked me the other day if I was going to decorate for fall. I told her when it’s not 99 degrees and feels like summer.

I just want a little bit of a weather change, that’s all. Just a bit of crisp in the air.

The warm, muggy, humid, sauna like weather we’ve been having has not put me in a festive mood wanting all things Pumpkin Spice

Speaking of that…shame on Starbucks for getting greedy rolling out Pumpkin Spice in August,

Are you kidding me? August?

Not feeling it guys, not feeling it.

The grey days though have put me in the mood for soup and cozy foods. One favorite around here is taco soup. Toss all the ingredients in a crock pot and whoever shows up can grab something to eat. It also reheats well too.

I’ve got another busy week ahead…per usual…. and as always new adventures wait.

20180910_133652 — Smiles for a new week ahead

What does your week ahead hold? Are you ready for fall and a change of seasons?

Monday Musings

Monday. Literally like swimming into Monday. Was it only not so long ago that I was complaining we needed rain? Well as it goes in the south, when it shows up, it’s ready to party. The past week offered plenty but the weekend saw lots of local areas, streams and creeks flooding.

I’m just over here annoyed that it doesn’t make for the best training environment for running and cycling. But I also know it’s good to train in everything since you never know what race day will offer up in the weather department.

It always amazes me though, with a good dose of all that wet stuff, how it almost turns everything green overnight. The fact that my grass is going to be approaching my height in days is rather troubling… and means I’ll be picking up some extra cardio work shoving a push mower all over the place cutting it.

I’ve had people tease me about my preferring a push mower over a riding mower, but honestly, I just like the work that comes with it. There’s something satisfying about it and it feels good to be able to do it.

Do you have a preference?

Rainy days are always good for projects…

So I used the time inside this weekend to work on some of my furniture projects. I pretty much wrapped up a custom order I’ve been working on. Two of the final chairs are old harp back chairs and I’ve had to basically build the harp part (painstakingly) back up because age and careless handling from a previous owner’s “better idea” had left them broken and in sad condition. My customer loved them and wanted all four I had ( plus four other random ones I had) But I’ll really be glad to get past the repair stuff on these, it’s been one of my more challenging projects.

I did however, flip this cute phone bench I got last week fairly quick. It too needed veneer repair on side so it made it a good paint candidate… not only that… I just got a quick vision for what colors it needed and I couldn’t be more thrilled with how it came out…

20180907_123323 — And after… I am seriously in love with this.

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Not happy with the lighting in photos, the yellow is actually a bit deeper and warmer but matches the fabric perfectly.

In the list of things that are annoying…..

This week, once again, I was wrestling off thick, goopy price tags off some glass items I’d purchased. It is up there on my most annoying list.

I get it… person slapping price tags on glass or other surfaces doesn’t have to see it after that. They don’t have to go home with it and begin the frustrating attempt to remove it without destroying item in the process.

Ugh.

There’s got to be an easier way, right? Something kinder and gentler to the poor purchaser. I try a variety of tricks to extract them, do you have any clever ideas that make the work easier?

Oh. Let’s not forget to add to the list “easy open tops”, “just tear here” markers on packages, and “re closeable Ziploc ” tops.

Lies.

They are all lies.

It sounds good in theory, but really, have you ever tried to really successfully open those package tops without losing your sanity, much less having it actually zip and seal afterwards?

This my friend, is what scissors are for, and re closeable tops be damned.

Making the news this week…..

Just Do It.

I probably don’t need to say more than that do I? Unless you live in a cave you couldn’t have missed Nikes controversial new campaign ad with Colin Kaepernick.

The meme’s have abounded from humorous, to crazy, to thought provoking, to well, down right stupid.

Every person has become an expert on knowing him and what he stands for…or doesn’t stand for.

Every person has an opinion on Nike even if they didn’t previously.

I’ll just state the obvious here. Personal opinions are not absolute real…. facts. No matter how hard someone tries to make them be, they just aren’t.

I have sat back and processed, observed and studied lots of angles of this. I’m certainly no expert on the topic.

I just try to look at things in an objective way not driven by wild personal passions or half baked beliefs of questionable truths gleaned off internet postings of my friends, or worse yet my own desires to “make” something be true without actual, ya know, real facts or evidence.

It is crazy to me how people jump on bandwagons without actually digging into something on their own and gathering their own info but just blindly accept others thoughts or opinions on a topic.

There is a reason people are referred to as sheep. Sheep just collectively follow each other without any thought to doing something different from the others, thinking for themselves.

Maybe because I write and am often digging and researching for information that my perspective looks at it in a different way.

If you tell me the sky is blue, but I can’t for sure assess that myself, then I’m darn well gonna go look to the best resources I can find to help me come to a conclusive idea if the sky is really blue or not.

Nothing gets me more than self imposed ignorance on anything.

I was going to make this a passing topic on todays post, but really have determined it needs it’s own platform, it’s own separate post.

I’m going to let my own opinions out ( and yes, I’m just as entitled to them as the next guy) perhaps I’ve seen this whole thing in a different way than others. I have seen some interesting, sane, thoughtful posts made by others that let me know there are other thinking and reasoning people lurking out there.

I also plan to bring some “facts” in alongside my own thoughts.

And on that note… I’ll move on… for now.

Let’s talk about food….

Of course I need to share a new recipe with you. I went out to eat this week and the local restaurant had added fresh asparagus and cherry tomatoes with garlic as one of their side dishes.

It was amazing and colorful.

Of course I immediately set out to find a similar recipe to duplicate at home, which I did and whipped up last night.

Seriously these few items paired together are amazing. I baked chicken, made some rice pilaf and dinner was served.

In other news….

I got a new book this week I’m really eager to get into. It’s called “Roar” and it’s written for women athletes, addressing our physical make up and how we difer from men in our training needs, eating, and conditioning to be stronger, better athletes. It’s such a rich book full of great information I am hopeful to get some new ideas for training. Of course, once I finish there will be a book review on it as well 🙂

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That’s a wrap for this week. Have you read any good books lately? Tried any new foods?

Monday Musings

Hello Monday. Another one in the works.

Monday, the day of the week that seems to garner the most whining, complaining and lamenting. It’s the killjoy of the week, the black sheep of the family, the ugly step-child, or the stuff you stepped in on your shoe.

I’m never sure why Monday always gets such a bad rap.

Oh I know, the party’s over, right?

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Back to work, the grind, the no fun and games grind of the work week.

Of course some of you get up with your positive pants on and head into work and you be like…..

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And with all the negative Monday talk have you ever wondered if……. monday3

Yeah, something to ponder.

But then, I’m over here like….

I guess for me it’s easier to embrace it as another day of opportunities and chances to do things.

It’s another day we’ve been given this amazing gift called, life, and we are complaining about Monday.

You. Are. Alive.

One more day to spin around the sun, see things, do things, feel, touch, love, and experience life.

Yes, you might view Monday as the armpit of the week, but don’t miss out on living while you feel that way.

Speaking of living….

Yikes. I seem to be meeting myself coming and going lately. Working with my son for awhile at his business ( means being gone all day) training for my duathlon, maintaining the household/ life stuff, writing for this blog, doing research for mentioned blog ;), and attempting to work on my projects for my business leaves me feeling like I want another hour or two in my day, preferably to sit and be still for a moment.

Training is rolling along for the duathlon.

I took off Sunday morning to go run both legs of the course where the race will run. I’ve done it like. twice, since last years race. As I shared in a recent Instagram post, it’s not an “easy” 5k. I mean really, to me a 5k is a distance I’m just warming up in. But this 5k, literally out the start line, is on an incline and you head right into hills, big hills. It continues pretty much until they turn us around to head back, then there is some down hill work, but also more up and down action too.

Anyway, I wanted to be out there to get it under me again mentally as well as physically. The heat and humidity is just a part of what goes with my training so that adds to fun as well.

As I was heading into the final stretch I checked my watch to see that I had clipped a 10 minute mile… now for a lot of you that’s like…slow.

For a 50ish year old woman, I’m okish with that 😉 especially given the mile it had been. I saw my finishing time was close to what I did in the duathlon last year when I was in my peak condition and all I could think is… “I need to get my average pace down”.

I’m hard on myself. I expect a lot and I have high goals. don’t like to feel like I’m not working towards improvement in what I do.

The beauty of athletics right? The sky is the limit on reaching new goals no matter how small or big they may be.

I reminded myself that my last mile was worth cheering over and a decent time on that course was celebratory too.

20180902_085627 — Finished both run legs for the duathlon… smile time.

Of course I might’ve been smiling ’cause I knew food would be imminent. It’s not a good sign when I take off and my tummy is already growling. Food never, ever tastes better than post workout and my hunger is deep, real, and needy.

Do you ever let yourself get that hungry? Trust me, you appreciate food on a whole new level when you are that kinda needy.

Speaking of food….

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nothing like finding a random snack hanging out in my purse haha I guess it beats having candy in there or something of that nature.

In the category of things that make me go hmmmm.

Featured stories on the daily news leave me shaking my head.

daily interaction with your children will help them grow and thrive.
eating a diet with less processed food and sugars will help you lose weight.
exercise can help you feel and look better.
eating a diet high in vegetable and fruits can help prevent many cancers.
reading to your children will grow their vocabulary.
smoking can shorten your life, be aging and cause other health issues.

I mean, aren’t these “no brainer” kinda things? Common sense? Like you should just know this stuff? Maybe not but it always leaves me scratching my head when I hear stuff that just seems like you’d know to do it or not do it.

When I’m not trying to eat well and train for a duathlon….

Ok I’ve shared in other posts about my new little vintage business. https://sassyfitnesschick.com/2018/07/25/the-journey-of-opening-a-vintage-business/ Believe it or not, it’s been a month since I jumped in the deep end and got my little space at a local shop. I’m so excited that the month has gone really well! I’ve sold a lot of things, I’ve also sold stuff online and picked up some custom orders too.

This is where I start thinking I need 8 days a week with 36 hours in a day…..

especially with the upcoming holiday season on top of it all.

Goodness.

I’ve got plenty of projects going on. I scored this cute little number the other day…

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I have a thing for these old phone tables. This one is unique so I was excited to literally stumble across it one day last week at a local thrift shop. I love the fabric on seat and it appears rather new so I’m working with it… I already have a vision for what the rest will look like so stay tuned.

Ok, it’s getting late for me and I need to wrap this up… but first.. this week when I was doing a shift at the shop… I saw one of the girls selling this…. I instantly related….

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I mean… really…. I do believe this could be true 😛 Coffee is a the soothing beverage of life. It can pat me on the back and remind me I can do great things haha

I do believe it could be my spirit animal.

Do you have one? How do you feel about Mondays? Tell me something cool and interesting from your week.

Monday Musings

Oh Happy Monday beautiful people! Seems like we were just here, right? Once again it’s late evening as I write this reflecting back on the week and all that’s gone on.

On a positive, exciting note for me, I’ve had a lot of sales with my furniture business! Just when I start thinking I may grow into an old furniture lady surrounded by beautiful relics, things sell.

I had sold several pieces last week, then a woman saw a chair I had done and was selling online, went crazy over my stuff and has bought up every finished chair I had, as well as every unfinished, and even one I had to go out and find to get her an even number of 8.

She also bought an unfinished telephone bench I had, and has custom ordered a 7ft antique buffet that I haven’t gotten to yet.

Wow.

Funny thing about the chairs, I had finished several and was planning to take them into my shop. I stood there thinking ” I hope the people who love chairs show up soon”

Then the next day this lady comes into my life. She is off the chart crazy over my work and I’ll be busy finishing her order in the upcoming next week or two.

Now I’m realizing all my unfinished projects I’ve had waiting for me have dwindled down and I’m hunting for more things to do. I’m also realizing the holiday season will be here in a few months and I need to be thinking of things to keep my little shop area full of goodies for customers.

received_1740764015993170 (1) — I love this wall in my little room 🙂

If you want to read more about my journey into this process, you can find it here

The Journey Of Opening A Vintage Business

I’m still a working woman….

I mentioned last week I was helping my son out for awhile at his shop… that combined with my projects above is enough to keep me running right now. I try most days to assemble healthy foods to take with me.

Salads, as I’ve mentioned before are one of my favorite lunch meals because they are satisfying and nutritious as well as leave me feeling energetic and not lethargic from a big meal

20180814_125747 — it’s really ok to mix fruits and veggies 😉

When people ask me what I “take” to stay healthy and fit…. this… is more important than anything. Lots of colorful fruits and veggies are what I “take”. ** not shown or getting to make an appearance, my two hard boiled eggs on the sidelines. Gotta have that protein. ** 😉

On the topic of food… I tried a couple new recipes this week… maybe not so light on calories… but definitely tasty

https://www.plainchicken.com/2009/01/creamy-chicken-casserole.html

http://bestrecipesww.com/philly-cheese-steak-sloppy-joes-recipe/

( ok the recipes are being brat’s and not appearing to link properly… both the chicken casserole and philly sloppy joes were big hits )

In the ways of technical stuff….

I may have been whining… I mean…uh… sharing….. with you that my Garmin bit the dust. Well, I mean it was working , it just kinda lost it’s top. I could still hear it making various sounds I had become accustomed to but, well, it’s inside were hanging out and as you can imagine, that was a wee bit of a problem.

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turns out according to Garmin, they had some issues with the adhesive that holds the face plate on. So after a bit of communication, I had signed up to get the new Vivoactive 3. (For the record, they are really awesome to work with on issues like this)

It’s just like the Vivoactive HR I’ve worn for two years, but more refined, enhanced and well. prettier looking.

I decided I needed the white and rose gold….

IMG_20180817_130826_383 — So pretty all still packaged….waiting…

Of course one of it’s new features is that it looks more like a watch than the rectangular Vivoactive HR.

It’s got lots of other cool stuff too, but that will have to wait for my review on it in a few weeks.

For now, I am a happy camper to have it tracking me and using it for my training again.

IMG_20180817_130826_380 — it’s so pretty… out for it’s first workout 😉

I’m finding that the heart rate tracker ( which was pretty accurate before) is really even more fine tuned now as it captures more data than previously. My resting heart rate can bounce between the 40’s and 50’s beats per minute (bpm)

remember boys and girls, when we do cardio training, our heart is a muscle that gets strong too. A lower resting rate is a good indicator that your cardio work is paying off and your heart doesn’t have to work as hard.

The watch has so many awesome features. One of the best improvements is the all touch screen and it’s high level of responsiveness. It has good back light and a large, easy to read screen.

Gosh. I’m sounding like a commercial here.

Ok, let’s just say it’s impressed me and I’ve only had it a few days. I love figuring all the techie stuff out on it ( well, mostly) and I know I still have a lot to learn ( I think I’ll catch on)

Oh, and it comes in black on black to which I almost got as black is one of my signature colors, but gosh, ya know the white and rose gold just won out.

I do promise a better review and not just a tease on my Monday Musings about it.

Oh, speaking of writing.

I’m working on some fun posts and (hopefully) a relevant series for women on menopause ( OMG did I just use that word in public?!) partly, I’m educating myself as I know some day it will happen and I just like to know and understand things. The other part is I want to educate women better on this topic. In todays day of anything goes and everything is talked about, I’m constantly shocked at how this is still whispered behind a hand or met with some shocked silence. Why?

So I am wanting to do a little series on the topic examining varies things about it, how to deal with it and some self care ideas as well. I know I have a large readership of you, men, out there. You can read along too as I’m sure you have women in your life as this topic will affect them at some point too.

I did write an article called Menopause, Muscles and Middle Age, you can find here while you wait for me to get my act together on that series. https://sassyfitnesschick.com/2017/05/10/menopause-muscles-and-middle-age/

20180819_191726 — I do love the strong bold lines of this watch as well.

That’s a wrap for now. Make it a good week, smile and remember to make time for yourself.

Now tell me… do you use a sports watch? If so, what is it and what do you love most about it?

Monday Musings

Hello world and welcome to another edition of Monday Musings!

It’s been a crazy weekend and as I write this ( late Sunday evening) it feels amazing to finally sit and get comfy and chill for awhile.

I’m listening to thunder in the distance and the sound of rain falling outside on my deck. Heaven knows we really need the rain here so I’m grateful for that. I also kinda like the sound of evening storms. Do you ?

We hosted my grandsons 6th birthday party this weekend so we were all pretty happy the rain held off all Saturday for his party. We had one of those huge inflatable water slides and probably didn’t need any extra water to go with it 😉

On a side note… you know it IS true…. grandkids are all the amazing things your friends always whispered to you before you had them.. but you thought they were lying or crazy or some other adjective.

Anyway, we did the party, he had a blast and that’s what matters.

I still have an obscene amount of balloons gracing my dining room….

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I finally got some time to work on some of my projects for my space at the Vintage store. If you missed my post on my journey into a vintage business, find it here. https://sassyfitnesschick.com/2018/07/25/the-journey-of-opening-a-vintage-business/

I love doing small things to fill in at my shop. I scooped this little wood caddy up on a local garage sale site this week.

It was kinda…. well…. sad… but I was already envisioning it’s future beauty….

But then… just give me a little time with something and then this happens…..

20180812_195537 — Does it even look the same now ??

Look inside… I love this…

20180812_195616 — Uh…yeah it was a pain in the butt cutting out those squares but so worth it 🙂

I think it came out super cute… such a bright cheery little thing now compared to its former self 🙂

Oh and I’m pretty excited to have had several people contact me to do custom orders for them. Meaning, they have a piece they want me to do some wizardry on.

One girl has a 7 foot buffet. For the love of heaven… nothing small….

I had been chatting with her answering questions, looking at pics and she messaged one night asking if I had an estimate together. I took a deep breath, finished it off, and sent it thinking she’d either decline my price or take it.

The next morning her message simply read… “When can I bring it by?”

Ha… I guess I got the job.

My weekends need to be productive ’cause I’ve kinda signed on to help my son at his shop for awhile since the woman who typically is up front is off gallivanting on a month plus long vacay.

Which means I’m like… a working outside the home kinda woman… most of the week.

Gah.

So my mornings start with me hitting the floor early to get my workout in, showering and eating yogurt and berries while I get ready at Ninja speeds so I can get in to the shop at a reasonable time.

My “boss” knows I’m training for a duathlon so he’s willing to work with my training schedule 😉

Oh yeah speaking of that…..

IMG_20180809_100855_560 — I already rode up this sucker, now the fun part 😉

How about a look down one of the hills I ride on the regular? and don’t be jealous of my snappy Cannondale bike.

So I get some training in before I go to work…..

My son has a small engine repair shop. I run the front taking in orders, checking people out, answering phone and doing anything else he throws at me.

Like helping him lift a heavy generator into the back of a truck.

Those “Practice” squats and deadlifts in my workouts do have pay offs for real life 😛

I had forgotten how… “fun”…. dealing with the public can be in customer service ways or how people can have such high demands and well, gosh, they can be horribly rude.

One customer… “well, I’m not happy. I had this in here for repair recently and it doesn’t seem to be working now.”

Me: “Ok, well when was it in? If it’s recent then we can fix it under warranty, no problem. ”

Customer… “yeah it was in March I think.”

Me: ” Uh… so you mean like about 6 months ago….”

( I always use my smile when I’m dealing out an obvious statement to Mr. Customer)

Then you find out they were using it and ran over a rock or a stump…. like no.. we are not responsible for fixing your stuff for free when you trash it, just because you had it in here 6 months before…

And yes, yes they do expect that.

Or they want stuff fixed but don’t want to pay for what needs to be done, like fix it for free or do just enough to make it work but not do the actual work to fix problem so they can come back and complain.

The other day this man was ranting about a charge for a pick up and delivery fee ( which is the cheapest in town for this service) he’s… older… one day he’s asking me if I’d come cut his grass and telling me he’d make me zucchini bread and the next he’s ranting about the charge and how he’s gonna write negative reviews on us and blah, blah, blah, I just casually tell him no worries we’ll be fine, and may I please have his card number?

Threats are always great too.

When he called back to ask about the exact charge to his card, I told him, as I asked if he’d like a receipt I heard a weird noise and realized he’d just simply hung up on me.

Ah yes. The world of customer service.

I’m constantly amazed not just working there but out in the rest of the world, how horribly awful people can behave to workers behind the counter….like they have a given right to treat them badly…. just because….

I’ve seen to many people go off on baristas at Starbucks over a drink. Like for real. Even if it’s not right, can’t you be decent, talk nicely, and state the problem?

Didn’t your mommy teach you to be polite and respectful ?

The world would be a nicer place if we all took a deep breath and smiled a little, right?

IMG_20180811_090815_895 — Saturday morning… coffee n braids 😉 I love my Starbucks baristas.

How has your week been? Any new adventures? Any thoughts on the world of customer service? How do you feel when someone is acting poorly to a person behind the counter?

Monday Musings

I’m not sure how this has happened but here we are on another Monday again. Did the week sail by and I missed it or what?

Or… is it true.. the older you get the faster time goes?

And I’m getting older.. but more on that later…

In this weeks news we finally had rain! True it came in on the afternoon of July 4th and probably shut down lots of outdoor celebrations but it’s hard to complain when the grass has been crunching under foot for over a month now.

But then we had rain the next few days too so that’s a total win.

*** And in a side note as I’m preparing to launch this post, it’s been storming here since early morning hours. Am I the only one who loves waking up to the sound of a thunder and rain on the roof?

20180706_085727 — Can you go wrong with a pink rainy hoody? I think not.

And rain means getting to break out those rainy day garments that mostly hang out in the closest… for a girl who likes fun clothes and gear… it’s a win/win thing.

Speaking of fun stuff….

I kinda have a birthday later this week. Due to logistics of getting all the fam together we had the big celebration this weekend but I plan to milk the upcoming week for all it’s worth 😉

Hubby surprised me.. totally caught me off guard with his gift….. check out what I got.

20180707_210725 — Why yes, that’s a GoPro. Now I gotta figure out all the operations of it.

I’m not sure but he may have been worried about me trying to make a video while holding my phone, flying off a hill on my bike, or the fact I’ve talked about paddle boarding and having my phone out on the open water 😛 I love that he supports my adventurous nature.

Anyway, I feel fairly certain you’ll be hearing more about this in the future… once I read all the directions 😛

On the topic of reading….

When I’m not flying down the road on foot or bike or flipping furniture or just doing life, I really do like to read.

I’ve always loved words and I’ve always enjoyed reading. One of my favorite things I did during the summer as a kid was go to the library and drag home bags of books to read.

Once I had kids, it was something I enjoyed taking them to do during the summer.

My kids are grown now but I still love going. There is something about walking in and seeing rows and rows of books, and that “library smell” that whisks me back to earlier, simpler days of my life when I could get lost for hours in a book without a care in the world.

Don’t get me wrong, I can still read for hours but gosh, adulting often comes calling and I have to abandon reading till those things are done.

I love all kinds of books but I really love books I can get lost in with a good story line that don’t demand anything from me but that I enjoy them.

Summers really are meant for carefree days spent reading, aren’t they?

Summers are also meant for easy foods right?

I made this new baked bean recipe recently and it was a huge hit. Note it makes a pretty good amount so you can feed a lot of people.

I also experimented on the fam with this dinner recipe last week. It was easy and well liked so it may get used again….

During the summer I’m all about what I can put together easily, what feeds lots of people and is nutritious and tasty too. The longer days have me involved in projects and I like having meals that don’t take forever to put together.

Oh and on topic of food… if you missed it…. a post over the weekend was on food, eating and guilt. Something many struggle with and is a part of our dysfunction with food. If you missed it you can find it here…… https://sassyfitnesschick.com/2018/07/07/food-and-guilty-feelings/

Speaking of projects….

you know I’ve gotta tell you about some of my furniture adventures, right?

20180708_181543 — Vintage harp back chairs

So I got this group of 4 chairs yesterday, and how nice, someone has actually sanded them and made new board seats which speeds my work up 😛 I love old chairs to flip, each one is a fun project unto itself. I can hardly wait to see what clever ideas come to mind for them.

I got this cute little vanity with a stunning mirror about a month ago. I just finished it’s transformation. I love how simple and clean it looks now.

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There are some pieces I really want to keep…. this is one of them… but hopefully it will be going to a new home soon.

I also got this super ugly, sad piece a few weeks ago… you can see it here in this post….https://sassyfitnesschick.com/2018/06/25/monday-musings-16/

I’ve been busy at work on it and can hardly wait to show you… it’s going to be so gorgeous! Nothing feels more rewarding than transforming something ghastly into something beautiful and usable again.

Moving along…..

My week ahead will be full with all the usual life stuff and in the mix of that finding time to read, write, and work on my projects that is slowly becoming a fun little side business.

My birthday is actually Wed so I have plans to do things that I love doing and to enjoy the people in my life who make me happy.

I was reading the other day that we all move through our life doing things that we (personally) enjoy and we learn to make room for doing those things that matter to us.

I try and take care of the “necessary” stuff in life ( ugh like cleaning) but get it done quickly so I have more time for the things that make me happy and give me joy. I hope you have time in your days for doing things that bring you simple joy.

Now tell me what adventures you’ve been on this week. Have you got any good reading suggestions for the summer? Tried any new healthy recipes? What are things you do in your life that bring you a simple joy to do them?

Monday Musings

Welcome to another edition of Monday Musings where I let my thoughts out to play….well most of them… some need kept under lock and key haha

Here we are in another week and I’m ready to take no prisoners, carpe diem and all that, right boys and girls?

I ended my week yesterday by knocking out some miles on the bike. I always say it’s not the “miles” but what’s IN those miles that really counts. Sometimes it’s both as well.

Usually when I am training for something I do what I think of as “pieces” I’m putting together for a puzzle. I work sections and gradually put them together till I’m doing all of a long run or ride etc. Training for the duathlon has many pieces for me. I had thought last week after finishing a particular section of road with some big hills that I’d branch out farther and start adding more miles and getting more time out on the road where the race is held.

But then…..

I had this great idea that I was just gonna go out and do the whole thing on Sunday. No pressure to ride fast or capture new PR’s or anything like that. Just ride, get the course under me mentally and physically again.

I mean… if I started feeling like an old lady and needed to stop and rest under a tree I could, right? ( ha for the record I didn’t 😉 )

I know I have a good strong physical base so I thought if I got the whole thing under me, it would definitely give me a good idea of how hard I can start pushing myself.

I got about 5 easy miles in before I headed to the main road that took me all the way down, then back that encompasses the whole course.

I’m just gonna say… it’s work…ok? This race isn’t listed as the toughest in the state for nothing.

20180701_092752 — I’m smiling ’cause I’m on top of the last hill of many AND that I set a new PR on this one and the one that drops off on the other side

So I did it. Did the whole thing. Finished with 22.5 miles although the mileage for course is a little over 16 beastly miles.

It was a good ride and I feel ready to really push into my training in these upcoming months. And I do love getting back into the thick of training…. the tiredness that only comes from a hard workout, the fierce hunger I can only experience once my training increases, the solid night sleep where you can move the house from under me ( try it!) the increased strength and power I grow into again as my body adapts to the heavier training, getting more chiseled as I drop some body fat, setting new Pr’s… I love it all.

All that work though makes me hungry….

I had to venture to the store over the weekend ’cause ya know, I like to eat. And so do the other random people who wander into my house.

On a side note, it always amuses me how one of my married sons can venture into my pantry or ‘fridge and complain about what’s not there.

Like…dude. You’re married you have your own home and pantry…stock it with whatever junk food you wanna find.

Anyway… I went to the store. I was out of a lot of produce and I start to get concerned when I don’t have fresh stuff… well not really… I wanted donuts too 😉

So I do all my shopping, find a lane that is open, and get the process rolling to get out.

The bagging part always makes me edgy.

Will I get a good bagger? Will I get the cashier having to do both? ( I usually jump in when that happens) or will I get someone who didn’t finish bagging school?

I got a bagger and a checker who didn’t make it out of bagging school.

Obviously.

Let me pose this question…. shouldn’t bagging groceries be a common sense act?

It should right?

Bananas should not be tossed into a bag with other things piled in on top. Chips don’t get tossed in with canned goods. Frozen foods and produce shouldn’t all be thrown in my freezer bag. Bread shouldn’t be “pushed” into an already full bag.

Yet I watched all of those things happen… horrified… like I’m paying for this food you are bending and smooshing everywhere.

I paid, thanked them both, and left. When I got to my car I was rearranging my stuff. Does anyone else do that?

Tell me, IS bagging groceries a common sense activity?? Or is it a skill reserved for a few?

The joy of people watching

So I couldn’t help but noticing people when I was out…. noticing on a day topping into 100 degrees why so many were wearing … jeans??

My legs won’t see jeans till Oct… maybe…

20180313_144354 — My fav jeans. Why do old people offer to buy me new ones?? haha for the record this pic was taken in cooler weather

I can’t think of anything more hot to wear than denim from waist to ankle. Maybe I’m weird… ok well you could take the “maybe” out…. but I just can’t do it. Summer means cool, light, breezy, enough to be legal, fun clothes for all these sweltering hot months we’re in.

I’m just not in the “jeans in hot weather” club. That my friends, are what shorts are for.

Can you believe it’s July already?

We’re gonna be celebrating the 4th in a couple days and that means food, and maybe a little more food.

I found this amazing looking baked bean recipe that’s gonna be on the menu, among other things 🙂 The chocolate coffee/mocha brownies have been requested and I will make a double batch having learned from my previous experience a single batch was not enough.

I’m sure there will be watermelon and I will have my once a year participation in eating hotdogs. 😛

We won’t be purchasing any fireworks as there is a ban on them since we’ve had no rain and everything is so dry here.

July also means birthday month for yours truly so there will be a post on getting another year closer to my senior breakfast discount as well thoughts, observations and life lessons learned from the year gone by.

You know I gotta keep you posted on my furniture shenanigans…..

I finished this little table off yesterday and I love it so much. It’s had lots of positive feedback and I’ve had a couple people come look at it…. 20180630_193835

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Here’s a reminder of what it looked like before….

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A nice little improvement, hmmm? Once I got the top sanded down I decided the ebony would be a nice change but I did it light enough so the wood grain would still show through. It’s fresh and crisp and ready for years of service. This is a Mersman antique table, I thought the fold out part was rather cool. I literally picked it up on our trip to Canton last month as we were heading out of town. It was like it was just sitting there waiting for me haha I’m glad we found each other 😉

Oh, and in other exciting news, I sold several pieces this week so that always encourages me to keep on going. Heaven knows I’ve got plenty of projects waiting for me to set them free from ugliness 😉

Ok that’s a wrap on today’s edition… there’s a lot more I could blab on but… we both have lives to get to, right?

Have an amazing week beautiful people!

Ok it’s your turn to weigh in…. thoughts on my question of bagging food… is it common sense to bag groceries a particular way? Will you wear jeans when it’s hot? If you live in the U.S. what will you be doing for the 4th of July? Any fun foods or treats?

Monday Musings

Happy Monday boys and girls! For me it’s Sunday evening as I write this and my body is in that happy, tired kind of place. Tired from a good bike session this morning, 20.50 miles to be exact.

I love the feeling that comes from a solid, strong workout. The way my body kinda wants food all day, the ache of muscles well used, the satisfaction of doing hard work. I love it.

I’m used to working hard in general, but there is something about my athletic “labor” that makes me feel fierce, even if it might leave me tired by the end of the day.

I should say that when I got up I had thought I’d ride “a few miles” to shake out my body from the fun of deadlifts the day before.

You know how people complain of just general aches and pains? I’d rather have tight muscles or wake up wondering what I did to myself the day before then having aches and pains from doing nothing.

Anyway, my sleepy mind quickly remembered all those deadlifts which explained some muscles reminding me they were there 😛

Once I got warmed up with a few miles under me my mind started deciding exactly what I wanted to accomplish on the ride. I thought about these crazy hills that are a part of the duathlon course and how I had only ridden them last year.

Why? I’m not sure. I love riding down the biggest one frequently (hello fast speeds) but I felt intimidated about riding them back up.

Now this in theory sounds kinda crazy right? I just told you I rode them in the race. I should add, for the first time in the race. I thought the course ended before that so I hadn’t ever practiced riding them … till that day I had to… and I nailed them.

So it shouldn’t be a deal to be doing it but I haven’t been. There is another set of hills, equally as mean and tough that I do more often.

I decided today I was just going to do it. I had to silence those voices in my head that were trying to convince me that I wouldn’t be able to do it.

I engaged my mental muscle reminding myself of all I’ve done, all I can do, and how strong I am. And really? what was the worst that could happen? Have to push it up?

For the record I’ve never had to do that on any big hill….

So off I went.

As I sailed around the corner leading up to it I just focused on letting my body do it’s thing and work with the bike… I was shocked when I found myself easily on top of it. But once you crest that hill, it drops off immediately down the other side ( it should be mentioned this is really a paved over mountain) it’s about a half mile down to the cul de sac, make the turn, then pedal back up where I just came flying down.

Again, I got to the top a bit shocked at how easy it had been. Perhaps a nod to my other cross training should be mentioned here…

Let me tell you after that, I kinda glided home those last 6ish miles in a happy place.

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Hubby calls me a machine… or a beast.. both terms I weirdly love. But I do tend to forget that I am strong. I am capable of doing some pretty strong things… like taking on big monsterous hills.

I’m fairly certain I’m not the only one who can at times, get hindered by voices that try and convince us we aren’t enough, or lack, or can’t do something. I’m usually good at stomping them down and I had decided I had let these stick around for to long.

What was I afraid of? That was the root of it….

Failure.

I want to do things and I want to do them well. If I do something I like to be good at it. But when I stop and take things apart, sometimes it’s not as big of a deal as I thought it was. Those voices fade as I take control and exert that mental muscle I rely on so frequently.

I guess that has helped me a lot get to where I am today as an athlete. If I stopped and examined to closely things I thought about doing, I’d probably run the other way!

So the take away here is… if you want to do something (sometimes) you may have to stomp down those voices or reasons in your head that make you doubt yourself. Pursuing big goals and big dreams requires ( I’ve learned) a healthy dose of fearlessness and not looking it to closely in the eye.

You square up, hit it head on, and do it.

And I’m gonna say, when I’ve accomplished big things that I never saw myself doing? Well I’ve learned more and more about getting out of my own way.. cool things happen when I do.

All that work makes me sweat…..

Seriously, even in the earlier morning hours, with the work of my body and the warm air it’s a sweat fest.

Of course that means proper hydration and good nutrition.

I may have mentioned in a previous post I’m all about light foods during warm weather and namely I love experimenting with salads. I can add so many various ingredients to them depending on my mood or items I have on hand.

Maybe I should do a salad business too haha. My kids give me a hard time for adding fruit into my salad but I love the contrast of flavors and really, the more variety, the less I think a salad needs much dressing on it.

This one is loaded with colorful veggies and some fruit and a healthy amount of grilled chicken for protein for those muscles and to keep me from getting hungry later on.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different textures and foods for an interesting lunch plate!

Other life stuff…..

Have I blabbed much about my furniture adventures lately? Ok well, here’s my newest….

This is actually a base to a vintage china cabinet. I’m gonna repurpose it into a buffet/sideboard type thing. I’m plotting a “new” top for it along with some sanding and some minor repair work it definitely needs.

Did I mention that I’m keeping this one 😉 Actually there are a few pieces I’ve wanted to keep but I’ve really had to develop a catch and release policy haha

20180624_130814 — Nothing says angry home owner repair like a massive 4 inch nail/spike driven through the hardware for the screws.

Ok I’m not like, a carpenter, ya know? I mean I’ve learned to do a lot with hands on in this stuff by just doing it. However, I’m fairly sure the huge nail in pic above is a bit…overkill….

Yes, the door is off cabinet and I knew I would have to find suitable screws and get the poor thing installed again. But first….surgery to remove that nail… seriously…..

I’ll keep you posted on it’s progress 🙂

I actually have a few things in various stages of being worked on and I’ve sold some this week so that’s always a win too.

Some days… ah.. I just need more hours!

Before I leave you….

Hubby and I were on a date last weekend, finally, finally got to see Deadpool 2.

I love his dark, snarky, sarcastic nature and funny ongoing comments through movie. I giggled over some things long after they had passed.

Was I the only one focused on him wearing crocs in the opening scene and how totally goofy it was? and that it was meant to be that way?

Hubby however, didn’t have the same appreciation for much of his humor.

No matter what though, it’s always fun when we get time away from the hustle and activity of the household, to just be us for awhile.

Even if he does think my choice of movie sucked haha 😉

Tell me… have you seen the movie? Did you like it? have you seen any good movies this summer? Considering my opening comments, have you ever struggled to push down thoughts you couldn’t do something or you didn’t think you had what it took to accomplish it? Anything new up your sleeve this week ?

Monday Musings

So I’m gonna start today off with a rant. Why not. And you might laugh or be surprised when I tell you the rant is over…. donuts.

Yes. Donuts.

I don’t really eat them much, rarely actually.

But I do have a little thing for powdered sugar donuts. I’ve talked about them before.

Food Choices Deprivation Or Empowerment

Sometimes in the mornings I just want one or two. That’s it.

I don’t binge on them or eat a half a bag. I have the discipline/self control/ whatever you want to call it to have a taste and put them away.

In fact unless some of the others who live in my household eat them, I will often throw half a bag away when they’ve sat for awhile. ( here’s a nod to all the preservatives that keep them alive and well haha)

Anyway….

Since I am selective in how I eat them I expect them to be good, ya know? With the most recent purchase it appears they have somehow changed up the donut recipe, and not for the better.

20180610_192542 — Posing with a bag of defective donuts. Why am I smiling???

The donuts are like… sponges. Chewy sponges. Sugar coated chewy sponges.

They are awful. Hideous. Not worth wasting calories on.

I’m contacting the company and asking them what they’ve done to my little white, fluffy tasty treats. I’m going to whine and cry and ask them… why?? Why did you go and mess with a good thing?

Incase you don’t know, the donut should be rather light, fluffy, and kinda melt in your mouth with the powdered sugar.

It should not be like chewing through a kitchen sponge.

I guess that’s one way to break me from them, right?

**sniff, sniff**

I’m done whining now….

Ok maybe I don’t really need them after my doctor appointment this past week.

Yes, everything is good. I don’t talk much about this but I have hypothyroidism.

I really never mention it ’cause 1) I don’t want to be defined by anything and 2) it’s not a big deal to me as I see my doctor yearly to monitor my TSH levels and I take my meds like a good girl. I also think eating healthy and exercise help as well.

But besides my check up on my thyroid he runs a whole panel of blood tests. He got to my cholesterol and said “Your HDL ( the good kind of cholesterol) is 79.”

It should be mentioned here that the highest level the lab has as, I guess, an “optimal” level is 39mg.

He laughs and calls me an over achiever and then says “it’s all that exercise you do that drives it up”

Consistent, daily, vigorous exercise is the best way to help your good cholesterol levels. So if you struggle with cholesterol issues, you might want to consider trying to get more purposeful movement into your week.

It’s not only good for your cholesterol, but all of your body as well.

In my furniture adventures…..

20180606_172943 — An old window screen with a few additions

Ok this isn’t like, furniture, but it is old and crusty. Look how cute this old window screen turned out with some additions to it 🙂

I did score this vintage buffet this week. Other than some veneer damage on top ( ugh, which I’m removing) it won’t have much repair work to start transformation.

20180607_121008 Actually this little piece will be adorable as a coffee bar or a entry way piece. There are so many ways to repurpose buffets.

In the past few weeks I’ve finished off a few chairs and a cute table. I have several things on the list for the upcoming week, including the buffet. Hubby has told me I get nothing else… but he accompanied me on a run for some stuff this past weekend haha

Seriously. I’m so grateful for how he supports all my craziness and adventurous ideas 🙂

I promise a peek at the buffet when it’s all done.

When I’m not doing furniture….

I’m slowly working my training back up in preparation for the duathlon later this year. I think if there’s one thing I’ve had to learn as an athlete is the ebb and flow of a training season. It is SO hard to give up a high level of fitness, to be at a peak, and then come off that and have to start building it again.

Not that I’m “out of shape” not even being in peak condition I know I can still do more physically than most people. I have a good physical “base” to build on as I start my training. I just kinda wish I could always stay at that level although I know my ( or any athletes) body isn’t designed to always be in such peak condition.

So I’ll start increasing my training, building each week, and celebrating as I conquer new goals.

I’ll start with a brick session today ( bike/ run) and gradually add those workouts in twice a week. There will be specific long rides and on foot, mile repeats working on kicking up my speed a little.

And in the mix, I’ll keep up strength training to keep my body strong and balanced for my on road activities and because I like having some muscles too 😛

I’ve written a couple posts on that… find them here…….

Muscles Are For Girls

Menopause, Muscles And Middle Age

Seriously though, I feel so alive when I’m out on the road whether I’m running or cycling. I’m ready to work hard and enjoy the fruit of my labors 🙂

I’m ready to take on this tough duathlon again.

Now… have I ever mentioned……

My son is in the ball python business. Yeah. Snakes. Check out this little baby, and it literally is a baby at only about 12 days old.

20180610_161039 — He’s being a little shy and hiding out ….

Oh no! Have I creeped you out now????

20180610_161116 — Getting a little more adventurous now….

20180608_164123 — I think he likes me now.

I may have just lost half my readers showing these photos haha

Evidently, according to my son, ball pythons are big business now days. While I was letting this little guy crawl around he casually informs me it’s a 1,500.00 snake.

Yikes!

And you may now have assessed that I’m not a girl who runs from snakes.

Here’s the deal, after raising three boys, I’ve learned to roll with just about anything… it definitely has made me a stronger woman on a lot of levels.

If you’re still with me….

tell me if you’re someone who gets creeped out over snakes or if you find them interesting?

Are you sympathetic over my donut plight ? Have you ever been disappointed in some particular food you find enjoyable to have it not measure up?

Have you tried any new foods or recipes this week ? Summer heat is in full swing and I am more about eating light foods and plenty of salads. Do you have any light, cool recipes you prefer ?

Do you have an upcoming event you are training for?

Monday Musings

Hello boys and girls… and hello Monday. As I’m writing this ending out the week, I guess I’ll start with our weather and how we’ve been dancing into the 100 degree temps this week.

I should be used to it after living my entire life in the South.

I should be used to going from warm, sunny, pleasant, perfect days that are enjoyable to be outside, to the weather turning crazy hot in an instant leaving those mild days a memory till fall rolls around.

Maybe I’m mean, but I think, really, the weather reporters don’t need a job when all they do is show a picture of the sun shining all week and the temperatures listed at 100-102.

I mean if you have nothing else to share, you don’t need to be there telling us nothing has changed. 😛

Exercise and the heat

Once those temperatures start getting hotter again, I know I’ll be feeling it in my workouts. I am pretty acclimated to training outside but when there have been months of mild weather, it does take me a few weeks to get used to the heat and humidity again. Even going out early, like 7-730, it’s already warm, often hot, and then there’s the humidity along with it.

This turns most workouts into a crazy sweat fest. No one. And I mean no one, takes my offers of a hug when I come in from working out.

20180523_094957 — Believe it or not, this is still early in the morning and I have a hot 5k in front of me.

Of course if I’m not out running, then I’m doing this….

20180531_085251 — It’s cool to be all matchy, matchy with your bike, right?

Needless to say, I try and become a little more aggressive with my hydration during these hotter days. Once I learned how to check my sweat rate, I was amazed at how many pounds of fluid I could lose in a training session. Anywhere from 2-5 pounds depending on the temperature and duration of my workout.

I learned that I needed to replace those lost pounds with 16oz of water for each lost pound and then keep drinking to maintain normal hydration.

I know the drill and do it. And I’ll have to stay on top of things since it appears summer is gonna be really hot as I get my training ramped up for my second duathlon in November.

The race organizers just dropped the date this week for it so I anticipate that registration will open soon.

I tell you this… once I cough up money for an event… there is no backing out and it gets me more motivated knowing I’ve made that commitment.

Of course nutrition will be as important as ever….

I whipped up my own tasty salad to take with me when I worked with my son this week. I shared in a previous post I’ve been helping him some at work so instead of running out to a drive thru for a salad, I put one together that’s cheaper and tastier.

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Spinach, cherry tomatoes, avocado, green apples, grilled chicken, feta cheese with a lime vinaigrette dressing.

Oh… if you missed my spotlight on apples post and how good they are for you find it here… https://sassyfitnesschick.com/2018/06/01/spotlight-on-apples/

Seriously though as the weather gets warmer I love the lightness of salads and how they fill me up but don’t make me feel lethargic like eating a more carbohydrate laden meal would.

Of course with salads, you can make endless combinations that won’t get boring. When making your own just make sure you add plenty of protein in with your veggies and add in variety of textures and flavors. Watch the dressing you use because you can add 100’s of calories to a healthy meal.

I hate seeing people trying to make a better food choice with a salad and then drowning it in Ranch dressing. At that point, a sandwich would be healthier and offer way less calories than a salad covered in so much dressing.

Consider using dressing on side and dipping your fork into it or look for dressings that have a low calorie content. Better yet, whip up some of your own for a tasty treat.

So I’ve got these other projects….

I have a room my now married son vacated so I decided I was going to paint it this week when I scored paint for 5.00 a gallon. How could I not??

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I hadn’t used this particular brand so I wasn’t sure exactly how the paint would be. It turned out to be as thick and covering as a big name brand I always buy. I had brushes so my total purchase here was 11.65 for this little room project.

Go me.

I’m almost done ’cause I wanna get back to some of my furniture projects I’ve got going on. I have one really needy chair waiting for my attention and a cute vanity I’m eager to get started with.

Ha… I have plenty of projects waiting for me. I don’t NEED any other projects, yet I keep my eyes open for anything cute or unique that comes along and needs some help.

Painting, writing, training for my duathlon, life stuff, some extracurricular “work”, I also finally got a business page launched for my vintage furniture… ah… sometimes I’m busy.

20180531_150141 — This is where I enjoy crafting out my posts for the blog 🙂 I hadn’t been here in awhile.

Iced coffee. That’s where it’s at during the summer months for me. My baristas usually have it served up before I’ve made it through the line.

If you get coffee at coffee shops I seriously hope you appreciate the young people behind the counter who are serving up your coffee. They put up with more in their days sometimes than you and I will ever have to. I have unfortunately seen several instances where customers acted in sad, deplorable ways because something wasn’t “right”. I believe of course, if I’m paying for something that it should be what I want. I also believe you can express yourself in a courteous way if there is a problem with your order.

It is disturbing to me how some people seem to view themselves as “above” those behind the counter and can therefore speak in ugly ways.

That’s just… not… cool.

Drinks need food…

Last week was Memorial Day in the states and I shared some recipes I’d be experimenting with on the family.

One that was a huge hit was a brownie recipe….

Mocha brownies with coffee cream cheese frosting.

The bad thing about them? I should’ve doubled the recipe as there were battles breaking out over who got the last one. I had to laugh when the recipe said to refrigerate left overs.

Left overs. Right.

They were beyond amazing. If you want the recipe, find it in this post….

Monday Musings

You’ll also find the recipe for an avocado salad I made… it was pretty good too.

That’s a wrap…

Did you make any new recipes this week? Are you dealing with really hot weather and how does that affect any training you might be doing? Do you have a favorite hot weather drink?