Saturday, November 27, 2010

these are a few of my favorite things...

Hello everyone! I hope you all had an amazing holiday. Though I've been working my ass off this year trying to incorporate healthy habits into my life, I do firmly believe that the holidays are a perfect time to loosen up and have a few of those naughty treats you've been craving for. Granted, I did have some of those treats. However, I had way less than I normally do. Translation: I didn't gorge on holiday eating as much as I used to. This is mainly because I can't stand the post-sugar coma. It makes me feel like crap!

As for the bday challenge, I completely slipped this week, logging in only two workouts. I'm not sad though because overall, I'm only down by two workouts. I suspected this would be a tough week to train, so I "deposited" as many workouts as I could before this week. That way, I wouldn't fall way behind. I have a plan of attack for next week and I should be on track in no time!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, people are in a mad frenzy trying to get some Christmas shopping done. In the spirit of that, I've decided to list some cool gift suggestions for the fathlete in all of you. (Also, I'm kinda hinting that I wouldn't mind getting a few of these things too. Did I mention that my bday is coming up soon? haha!) So here it is. My list of cool things to give and get for Christmas (in no particular order).

This is the new ipod shuffle. Small,
convenient and amazing!
ipod shuffle. There is nothing cooler and more convenient than an ipod shuffle for your workouts. I live, die, and swear by mine. I'm overjoyed that they went back to the old style shuffle. That way, you can use your own headphones. Speaking of which...

airdrives earphones. I think the ipod shuffle would go great with a pair of these earphones. These are fantastic because it gives you your music as well as your safety. For those of you who run outdoors, you can run and still be aware of your surroundings. In CrossFit, you can listen to your tunes and still hear the trainer's instructions. These things are amazing!! (I personally own the original airdrives, but I'm curious about the Fit airdrives. If any of you have any input, I'd love to hear from you!)

itunes gift cards. When people ask what I want for my birthday or Christmas, this is always the first thing that comes to mind. This is one of the best gifts EVER (especially since I can buy iphone apps with it too)!

I'm sure I love Nike Free way
more than Oprah does!
Nike Free. Oprah isn't the only one who loves Nike Free shoes. I adore mine! My only complaint is that they're way too expensive for what they are. Luckily, I bought mine during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale in July. If I were in my right mind, I would have bought two pairs! These are perfect for CrossFit and other gym type workouts.

lululemon gift card (or pretty much anything from lululemon). My goal is to one day own a pair of groove pants, lulu's signature "my ass looks amazing" pants. Though they're worth every penny, $98 is still a bit steep for me. Still, a girl can dream, right? I recently scored on the groove shorts (they were marked down to $19) and I LOVE them! Guys, if you wanna please your athlete gals, lulu is definitely the way to go! (I hesitate to write "fathlete" gals because lulu only goes up to about a size 12, sometimes a size 8 on certain items. BOO on you, lulu! Note: I would have added a lulu jacket to the list, but since they run small and only go up to a size 12, it's a no-go for me. The bust is way too uncomfortable. BOO!)

lucy gift card (or pretty much anything from lucy). I've written about lucy before. I find that their stuff is more affordable (especially since they have better sales and offer 20-30% discounts, depending on the promotion). Also, they're totally underrated. I was a lucy gal before I was a lulu gal, so lucy definitely has a special place in my heart. In particular, I'm all about the hatha power pant (in the short length, of course). It's pretty awesome.

I have have to remind myself
that this isn't edible! 
charity shower gels by philosophy. fathlete confession: I have a special relationship with philosophy. Regardless of that, I do think these shower gels are amazing. Besides, if you have to wash away the stinky, don't you want to shower for a good cause? The proceeds from purchasing these shower gels (and lotions) go to some fantastic charitable foundations. Note: I only linked the charity shower gels. However, philosophy has an amazing shower gel collection (that are not charity items)! Currently, I'm all about the hot buttered rum!

purity made simple cleansing cloths. fathlete confession: When I first used these, I wasn't a fan. However, I've definitely grown to love them. I keep them in my gym bag to clean my face before a workout. They're fast, convenient, and I'm in LOVE! another fathlete confession: My biggest pet peeve is watching women workout with a fully made-up face. It makes my stomach turn. Seriously.

Oh tea, how I love thee.
You put me in such a
zen state.
teavana gift card. I haven't mentioned this yet. But as of today, I'm officially trading my coffee and latte habit for tea. (Note: My personal deal is that I'll only have a latte if I have a certificate from Starbucks for a free drink!) In particular, I adore green and white tea from teavana. I have some tea at home and I've been dying to get their tea maker. If you know someone who is all about their tea, this is an amazing gift! (I know because I bought this for my sister a while back and she LOVES it!)

sports bras. Granted, this isn't exactly something you would give as a gift. However, as I've mentioned before, I do recommend getting a good bra fitting and I think Nordstrom is the best place to do it! (Maybe a gift card to Nordstrom so that your person could get a sports bra? I don't know. Use your imagination.) I think every fathlete needs a good sports bra. My recommendation is this one by Donna Karan and this one by Freya. fathlete confession: When it comes to sports bras, every person has her own favorites. I like these two because they're built for a bustier frame. A tip to save money is to get fitted at Nordstrom and maybe buy one bra from them (it's good to support the workers there; it's also good to form a relationship with a good bra fitter). From there, go online and see where you can get the same thing for less. That way, everyone wins!

For now, that's it for my gift suggestions. In truth, I haven't really hit the mall to see what's hot in all things shopping. However, I'll let you know if I find other cool things!

Today's Small Victories
I hit the gym and did better than I thought.

Warm-up
Row 800 meters

CrossFit One World WOD: Barbara
One round is the following for time:
20 pull-ups (band assisted)
30 push-ups (on knees)
40 Abmat sit-ups (feet unanchored)
50 air squats
Rest three minutes and repeat for a total of five rounds.

Joanne's Final Time - 5:38 / 6:17 / 8:27 / 7:36 / 7:28

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I was feeling really bummed about this WOD because I was beyond dead last in class today. I knew I'd be really slow because I did band assisted pull-ups. Since I have TERRIBLE upper body strength, I knew it would slow me down (I had to use two bands - the blue one and the beige with green one). However, I really wanted to start doing more band work with the pull-ups. For the most part, it wasn't pretty. But I'm okay with that. I need the practice. I got home feeling defeated because I took forever! However, I looked back at my previous Barbara times here and here. Turns out, today was really good! I logged in my fastest round time even though today was more challenging than I've done it in the past. Wa-hoo!

4 comments:

Lyn C. said...

I got my Nike Free from Nike Outlet Store in San Leandro. It was $49.99. I want Lulu Groove Pants too. I want to go to their store & try on the size 12 & see how my booty looks lol :)

j-ro said...

You totally lucked out! I can never find Nike Free in my size at the Nike outlet.

When it comes to workout pants, my sizing is weird. I'm a size 10 in lulus and a medium in lucy. However, I'm way bigger than that in regular pants. Go figure!

Lyn C. said...

I already put Lulu Groove Pants in my Christmas Wish List. I told my husband but he said he wants me to try it on first & see what's the hype about a &98 booty pants lmao Seriously, we are about the same size. Let me know what size you wear with Nike Free Hyper TR. If I ever find you a pair, I'll let you know. I'll send you the pic. Nike Free are awesome gilr!

j-ro said...

Thanks Lyn! I'm a size 10 in the Nike Free because they run kinda small and I have wide feet. If you could lmk when you see affordable Nike Free shoes, I'd love you if you told me about them:)