Monthly Archives: June 2011
Just to say…
| June 30, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Uncategorized |
…HEY friends!! I’m still on my residential nutrition course at the moment, but I will be back TOMORROW for a proper post! 
Hopefully, I’m having a GREAT time, and right now I should be out at a posh dinner! Let’s hope they have good vegan food! 
jdyd
Hope you’re having a great day!! LOVE you guys and I can’t wait to catch up with y’all tomorrow night! <3
Thoughts on New Rules Of Lifting For Women
| June 29, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Review |
HEY friends!! I am currently on a short residential nutrition course at a university, and I’ll be back on Friday! In the meantime, here’s me advocating possibly the best book I’ve read all year/ever. I was NOT sent this to review or anything, but I just loved it so much that I thought I’d share it with y’all!
grrs
This is the book: The New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Shuler.
When I first read the cover reading about a fitness and diet plan, I had serious doubts. I don’t want one of those thank you! BUT this book is SO much more than that. And my other doubt was why a book on lifting for WOMEN was written by a MAN. It’s all explained though in the intro, and it worked actually, even when it came to talking about periods! Don’t worry, there’s only a tiny bit of period talk 
gre
The first chapter outlines all the basics. It tells you WHY women should not lift the 2lb dumbbells but instead head for the heavy weights like the men, and briefly covers why low-cal diets are stupid. I LOVE the author’s informal and humorous tone! It made the book a very entertaining read as well as an interesting one, and it was very newbie-friendly, so no long words that people like me can’t handle! 
grs
“This book refutes the misconception that women will “bulk up” if they lift heavy weights. Nonsense! It’s tough enough for men to pack on muscle, and they have much more of the hormone necessary to build muscle: natural testosterone. Muscles need to be strengthened to achieve a lean, healthy look. Properly conditioned muscles increase metabolism and promote weight loss—it’s that simple.”
rges
So far, so good! However, the doubts resurfaced when I hit this chapter:
Hmmm…! It was actually well said, and he wasn’t totally bashing cardio as I thought he would. He advocated interval training and HIITs, but says that endurance training isn’t good for fat loss. For me obviously, I still am going to do the endurance because I NEED to, and since my goal is not really to lose fat but to gain muscle, this doesn’t matter to me. He DOES warn that endurance training can hinder muscle growth, but I need to run distances so I’ll just have to make that compromise 
Like I said though, it is all very well said and restored my faith in the book.
gesz
And then this chapter came, and I wanted to HUG it.
YES PEOPLE. Carbs rock my world and I’ve always hated the diet emphasis on low-carbs! And there were so many more gems in this book:
Too right calorie restriction is the worst idea ever!! Here’s the bottom line about what happens when you restrict:
gsg
The nutrition part was definitely my favourite bit of this book! It’s hard hitting and gives the facts straight up. There was then a meal plan which must have been the first ‘diet’ plan I’ve ever seen with a 2000 calories a day intake!! LOVED it!!
grse
The book shows how the ‘Eat less, exercise more’ mentality is totally flawed and even dangerous. Um, you hear that Women’s Running magazine?!
One thing I wasn’t a huge fan of in this book however was the recipes. I don’t think there was a single vegan one (not that I expected there to be really!) but I found the strong emphasis on protein powders a little wearing. I mean, I use them, but I don’t think they’re as essential as it comes across in the book, and that there are just as good natural sources of protein that can be used. Just my personal opinion though!
gse
And then there’s the WORKOUTS!
There are 6 months worth of programmes, assuming you do the workouts 3 times a week for maximum benefit, with exercise variations to make them easier or harder. You can download logs to keep track from the NROLFW website where there is an awesome support forum too! It explains all the moves in the book, and gives reasons why a lot of commonly used exercises (like tricep kickbacks for example) are not very beneficial which was really interesting to know! And good because I’ve always hated tricep kickbacks
gesr
I did the first workout on Tuesday, and man ALIVE I can tell this is going to be AWESOME!! Hurt so good
I could not recommend this book more. That was the best £8 I have spent in a long time.
gers
Have you read this book? Thoughts on it, or any questions on it?
gres
Do you regularly strength train? Why, or why not?
ges
Okay, so I’ll be back on Friday night from my nutrition course! See ya then! <3
What I…Wednesday!!
| June 29, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under What I...Wednesday |
I’ve been hiding something from you. I’m sorry, but sometimes things are just hard to say, and there’s just never a ‘right’ time. *Deep breath* here goes…I’m going away tomorrow on a residential nutrition course at a university! I’m so excited (mainly because all I needed to get in was the grades- it’s totally free!!!), and it’s only for a couple of days, so I’ll be back by Friday night! But I hate being away from you guys because I’m not at all needy or clingy…! 
Anyway, I have something lined up on the blog, so I won’t be totally AWOL 
ANYWAYS lets move on to the usual PARTY!! Jenn, you know it. It’s time for me to get my butt to the WIAW party!! 
As always, I pretend Tuesday is Wednesday because of the time differences, and it makes life that much more fun.
What I Ate Wednesday!
Started the day in the PERFECT way:
Banana oatmeal (1/2 cup oats, 1/2 banana, 1 cup water, 1 cup soy milk) topped with caramel pudding, almond butter, and JAM too this time!
I swear breakfast is THE best thing ever!! I have no idea how on earth I skipped it in the past. Crazy.
I was actually up and some ridiculous hour in the morning because my postman loves to drop round when I’m still in bed because he loves to see my grin when he gives me a package and that lights up his day. Or it’s me in my PJs and bed head that makes him happy:
Definitely the bed head that does it
Anyway it was from the wonderful Jess at Almost Over Now. She is a seriously beautiful and talented person, and look what she sent me!
My bad photos do them no justice, but they are SO awesome!! In her oh-so-sweet note, she said that the cheetahs reminded her of me running in my fire shoes! Awww!! I’m putting these up over my desk this weekend!
And not ONLY that, but this stuff too!
Moo free chocolate which is new to me, Sea Salt chocolate which is my favourite chocolate EVER, and PEANUT FLOUR!! I’ve wanted to try this stuff FOREVER, and I know it will heal my shins as Jess said!! Thank you so so much Jess!! I am seriously SO thankful and blessed to have so many amazing and wonderful people in my life
Hanging around isn’t my thing. You can bet I busted STRAIGHT into that peanut flour and got to work!! (Whilst eating the chocolate…)
Mama Pea’s energy bars, made with peanut flour instead of WW flour. These bars are SO delicious!! It has all my fave things in: oats, peanut butter, chocolate chips, dates, and now PEANUT FLOUR!
Aaaand…a Double Peanut Butter Single Lady Cupcake!! SO yummy, and with around 18g of protein, it makes the PERFECT post-lifting snack in my opinion 
Ok, well I topped it with White Chocolate Wonderful PB to make it Triple Peanut Butter hehe! This recipe is adapted from Katie’s Original Single Lady Cupcake recipe, and I don’t normally repost recipes, but I have changed a few things here so I hope you don’t mind Katie!!
Protein Peanut Butter Single Lady Cupcake (lightly adapted from CCK’s recipe)
- 3T peanut flour (1/4 cup or 30g)
- heaping 1/8th tsp salt (I liked it slightly salty, like salty peanut butter, but use half if you want it normal)
- 1T peanut butter (crunchy is AMAZING in this!!)
- 1T + 1 tsp agave nectar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- drop almond extract
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
Combine all ingredients, and place in a greased muffin cup (I just put a muffin case in a small ramekin) and microwave for about 75 seconds depending on your microwave. Or use Katie’s oven version.
Other eats from today:
Lentil stew and brown rice with (unpictured) brocc on the side for dinner.
Stuffed dates warmed in the microwave. Obviously.
Banana with Dark Chocolate Dreams PB.
Just realised that everything except the lentil dinner involves nut butter. How normal! 
What I Worked Wednesday: 5 miles elliptical+ first EVER workout from New Rules of Lifting for Women! (See tomorrow’s post for deets!)
I did NOT use those weenie dumbbells by the way! That is a old photo because I looked odd enough being the only girl in the scary weights area without whipping out my camera!
It was TOUGH and definitely kicked my butt! I sure needed that protein cupcake afterwards! I also ate a hummus+avocado+lettuce roll on the way to the gym as my pre-workout snack.
Why do people give me funny looks when I eat when walking? I’m sure it’s cos they’re just jealous. Or possibly because I get hummus all over my face, who knows.
What I Danced To Wednesday
I’m sorry, but when the Glee version of Raise Your Glass comes on the radio in the gym changing rooms, I just can’t help it.
Only this time I got caught dancing by the cleaner. I know she was jealous of my moves and wanted to join in the fun despite the look she gave me which told me otherwise. Solo dancing= WAY too much fun
Best thing you ate today? Oh, er, EVERYTHING I posted!! Bit of a cop out I know!
What was your workout today, or was it a chill day? I should be able to do a longer RUN tomorrow weeeee!!
Random Q: What are you like with packing? Um, I’m awful. It’s midnight and I leave early in the morning and I haven’t even gotten my suitcase out yet. And I always pack WAY too much and have to sit on it to zip it up so it’ll close !
Hope you guys have an AMAZING day!! LOVE YOU ALL <3
Nike Tempo Hot Chick
| June 28, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Uncategorized |
Had a good start to the week? I did, and it was a HOT one!! So that partly explains the title, but mainly it’s because one of the top searches to my blog today was “nike tempo hot chick” 
I had a laaaazy morning, involving oatmeal of course! Ever since Amanda recommended I add almond butter to the caramel pudding, I’ve been craving it like a crazy person. So I bounced around the kitchen impatiently until this was born:
Banana oatmeal topped with caramel pudding, almond butter and strawberries. I LOVE how the cold pudding and strawberries balanced out the hot oatmeal. Perfection 
I also had two chocolate vegan cupcakes as a mid-morning snack. Honesty is my shiz. Was this a wise choice? No. But does it hurt now and again? Course not. And it tasted pretty darn good too
Lunch was another completely RANDOM affair, but totally hit the spot…
Broccoli, romaine and kidney bean salad, with PB+J raisin toast on the side.
I then took Buddy on a walk to meet a friend at the park.
“Oh, you’re taking a photo of me?” I hadn’t brushed my hair in case you were wondering why I have the Einstein look going on there. It was too much to ask.
Enjoying the SUN!! 
Buddy wasn’t a fan of the heat though.
I forced him to have cuddles with me even though he was boiling. He’s a lucky dog.
And then I made the worst decision EVER. After our walk, I thought, “I can handle the heat no problem! Why not run in it?” Yeah, this is why…
Because you DIE. Note to self: do NOT run in the middle of the day in 90F heat. Not smart. I only managed 2 miles outdoors, then took it indoors to the gym treadmill, where it was equally hot and possibly even worse! (From my Dailymile):
I am slooowly making my way back, so WATCH OUT Paula Radcliffe/Kara Goucher/Shalane Flanagan, cos this Nike Tempo Hot Chick is gonna getcha!! 
Still rockin’ the hair turban by the way
And I refuelled in the PERFECT way:
Katie’s voluminous ice cream made with chocolate soymilk and peanut butter, drizzled slathered in more PB. This is AMAZING!! I will be having this non-stop this summer!! And I definitely am going to try it with full-fat coconut milk to make it even richer!
I also treated myself to coconut water to help replace those electrolytes:
Darn this stuff is expensive!! Which is why I usually stick to cheapo chock-full-of-chemicals-and-funky-colours Powerade
Oh, and I spent lots of time finishing this AMAZING book:
My thoughts on it coming at you on Wednesday!
Weird blog searches you’ve had? I get a lot about whether or not not washing your hair/showering for a week is ok. I wonder why that is…! Nike Tempo Hot Chick was definitely my fave today though!!
Your current favourite oatmeal topping? At the moment, it is DEFINITELY caramel pudding! With almond butter too, and I am SO adding jam to that mix next time!!
Favourite flavour of ice cream? Cookie dough. Or Chocolate Fudge Brownie. Haha I’m totally thinking Ben&Jerrys right now! And I am SO making a cookie-dough version of Katie’s ice-cream ASAP!!
Have an amazing day tomorrow friends!! HUGS!!
Typical weekend…or not.
| June 26, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Uncategorized |
HEY!! Sorry I missed posting yesterday! I’ve had a CRAZY few days, and you’ll see why in a sec 
Hope you’ve all had an AMAZING weekend too!! I’ll try to catch up on all my emails and on all your amazing blogs soon!!
In many ways, I had a typical weekend.
Usual foods:
Cereal yoghurt mess with a (buried) PB spoon.
Quinoa salad, with kidney beans, romaine and spinach.
Banana with almond butter 
Greeeeeen Monster with PB.
Stuffed dates with PB and choc chips
Usual long run cycle.
I SHOULD be back to almost normal running this week yaaaaay!!
Usual Church Time. The walk to church is SUCH a beautiful one, especially in the sun today, and such peaceful alone-time.
AWESOME sermon about finding true happiness. I seriously loved every word of it!!
Usual Pancake Sunday obsession.
PB&J pancakes with banana and maple syrup. Such LOVE for Pancake Sunday!!
But in many ways, this was NOT my usual weekend. It definitely involved more (veganised!) pizza + brownies + cupcakes + sugar than usual!! 
Four parties. Three Days.
Lots of sun and pool time.
Lots of dressing up.
Lots of sunbathing.
Birthdays.
Cake.
30C weather and bad sunburn. (I’m in the corner looking disapproving! )
Girls just wanna have FUN. And we sure did
How was your weekend? Got any exciting plans for this week? Catch me up on your lives please!!
Do you get sunburnt easily? I’ve never actually been sunburnt. Being half Indian has it’s benefits
Random Q: What are you reading right now? ALMOST finished New Rules Of Lifting For Women (review to come!) and then I’m going to start The Hunger Games I think!
Hope you all have a GREAT week!! <3
Friday Faves!!
| June 25, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Friday Favourites |
HAPPY FRIDAY+WEEKEND friends!! Have you had a good Friday? I have had an AMAZING day, filled with people I love and doing things I love 
It’s now almost midnight on Friday, and basically this is the first time I’ve been on the computer all day, so SORRY for being so AWOL and I promise I will be back stalking all your blogs as soon as I can!!
ANYWAYS time for my usual Friday Faves!!
1. AWESOME Friday breakfast!! I always make an EXTRA special effort on Fridays to make breakfast even BETTER than usual, which is a tough thing to do, but basically I just throw my favourite foods in a bowl. Like so: 
Chocolate-Banana-PB Oatmeal, topped with more White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter (there was lots stirred in for extra PB goodness 
) and chocolate chips!!
2. MY BOOK ARRIVED!! 
If you haven’t heard of this book yet, you clearly haven’t spent half your day blog reading like I usually do. I first read about it on Kelly’s blog, and then Amanda’s review pushed me to order it! I have read about half of it already and I seriously LOVE it so far!! I’ll definitely give ya my thoughts on it when I’m done
3. Having an awesome time with my friends!! LOVE these people so much!! We are the cool kinda people that go bowling at 11am. The place was totally deserted unsurprisingly! 
Gotta love bowling shoes. I mean, as if my feet don’t look big enough in normal shoes. Oh so flattering.
I came second in our game, and accepted that loss (fairly) graciously. Then we played pool, and I got my butt totally handed to me by this pro:
I suck at pool.
LOVE my friends, even if they do fall asleep when I give them hugs…
4. The kindness of strangers! I managed to leave my running shoes (which I had in a separate bag) in Starbucks before I headed to the gym, and some random guy found me (er, reading magazines without buying them again…) to give them back to me! He said he’d been looking for me for 20 minutes to give them back! How LOVELY of him!! I wanted to give him a big hug, but I’m sure he would’ve found that creepy, so I just hugged my shoes instead.
If I had lost my beloved Brooks there would’ve been a lot of tears. I LOVE strangers like that!! Makes me so happy (P.S. Please don’t laugh at the fact that my shoes are twice the length of my head)
5. More PAIN FREE RUNNING!!
I know, recycled photo, but it’s the kinda thing you only can take once before the Gym Security Guys take you away to a nice padded cell.
Did 3 pain free miles, and then a bike workout for an hour:
SO FUN!!
6. Copious amounts of cake batter consumption. I made FOUR batches of cupcakes this evening, which drove me slightly mad, but the icing and batter ‘testing’ made it so worth it
So I’m off to spend more time bonding with my new favourite book!
And maybe I’ll get some sleep too…ready for some POOL PARTY action tomorrow! 
Bring it ONNN!!
One of your Friday Faves? I’ll do another Friday Fave features soon so you can share yours in a post!
Did you have a Friday workout or a chill day? Workout! But I’ll probably have another chill day tomorrow eating lots of vegan cupcakes. It’s a workout getting through all that frosting y’know.
Cake bit or frosting bit? FROSTING. My friend prefers the cake, so I eat her frosting for her and she eats the cake, and it works like a charm
HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEKEND!! Love you all!! <3
Rest Days the Sweet Tooth Runner way
| June 23, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Uncategorized |
HELLOOO lovelies!! Haha reading your confessions from yesterday made me crack up so much!! You guys are too funny! 
Ok, so today was a rest day for me. I used to HATE them/never do them, but now I love and EMBRACE them! They are proven to make you a better and stronger athlete with less chance of developing injury, and even the elites take them, so they must be good for ya! 
Sweet Tooth Runner’s definition of a rest day: A day when you just chill, let your body relax, and eat lots.
So putting this into practise…
Chilling
There was a lot of this today:
Lying down and just chilling. The sun came out for a few minutes when I was walking Buddy and I took full advantage. The sun makes me so HAPPY!
There was a few thousand episodes of Criminal Minds…
…which I have clearly watched too much of, because now I even have dreams about it! And they are SCARY!!
And much reading and drooling over the recipes in this book! I have a lot of parties this weekend, so I’ll be taking stuff from here…
I am The Cupcake Girl. Whenever I go to a party, I bring cupcakes. So there’ll be a lot of cupcake baking over the next few days, including a lot of frosting consumption, and I’m definitely not complaining 
Relaxing
I went to a relaxing evening BodyBalance class. Well, it was relaxing up until the point where I lost my balance doing this pose…
…and fell into the random guy next to me. It was awkward enough, but somehow managed to make it even MORE awkward by joking about us ‘skipping first base’. He didn’t look amused.
Eating lots
OATS IN A not-very-empty JAR!!
That is my FAVOURITE non-flavoured peanut butter!! Even better though when enjoyed like this…
I’ll have to get a big jar next time cos my oats never all fit in the jars! And I highly recommend leaving a REALLY thick layer at the bottom. Best thing EVER!!
Still enjoying being reunited with my stuffed dates!
Reader Glenda emailed me today to tell me that I should microwave my stuffed dates for 30 seconds. And I did. AMAZING!! I am never going back to the normal way!! THANKS Glenda!!
Lunch was a HUGE salad!
Avocado, broccoli, peppers and sweetcorn topped with Sabra hummus and with a multigrain wrap on the side
There was a SECOND round of OIAJ in the afternoon! I just can’t get enough! 
Oats in a not-very-empty cashew buttah jar!
And my current FAVOURITE sandwich!!
Crunchy peanut butter, apple, banana and jam sandwich. It. Rocks.
And MOST EXCITINGLY there was a Sweet Tooth package!! (Quality photography skills below…)
THAT is a special package containing Sweet Tooth giveaway thingies for you guys! Woop! I’ll post the review+giveaway soon so stay tuned!!
Do you take rest days? What do you do on them? I always make sure I have at least one a week, and more if I’m feeling it!
What is your fave sandwich? Mine changes on a weekly basis, but it’s definitely the crunchy PB, apple, banana and jam at the mo!
Got any plans for Friday or the weekend? MORE RUNNING WOOOOOOO!!! Ok, so just a few slow miles, but running is running and I can’t WAIT!!
LOVE y’all, enjoy the rest of your week!!
Confession Time
| June 22, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Uncategorized |
Howdy guys!! Hope you’re having a good day!! Thank you all so much for the comments on yesterday’s post!! I loved hearing what you are thankful for, and your kind words meant a lot!! It’s taking a lot of patience and self-discipline not to go straight back into in but I know I have to go slow. I’m just going to be thankful for every moment 
A couple of weeks ago (fashionably late?), the beautiful Chelsey tagged me in this award!
YAAAY thank you Chelsey! I’m sposed to give you 7 things about myself, but since I’ve already done that (on my Fave Posts page!), I’ll give you 7 Confessions from today…
1. I had pudding for breakfast. And I probably will now every day until I die.
I seriously cannot thank Amanda enough for introducing me to this amazing idea. Caramel pudding as an oatmeal topping= best idea EVER!! I made more of Julie’s peanut butter granola specially for the occasion 
2. I am addicted to stuffed dates. I had such strong stuffed-date cravings this morning that I went out and bought Medjool dates specially. I had run out and it had been WAY too long (like, 3 days!! 
)
Stuffed with crunchy PB mmmmm….
3. Whenever a killer upbeat TUNE comes on I can’t help but dance. Wherever I am, I just break into it. RAISE YOUR GLASS!
4. I am seriously starting to LOVE the weights!! Even though it can leave me in pain…
…it really kicks my butt and I LOVE seeing results!! I CAN SEE MUSCLES WOOOO! 
My morning date with the weights was AWESOME! And an amazing weight training book that has been raved about recently by everyone (any guesses?!) is winging its way to me as I type…
5. I sweat more than anyone else in the universe. Thank goodness I had my Bondi Band for evening spin is all I can say!
BUT as my spin instructor always says, more sweat is a GOOD thing and means you’re fitter! Thanks, but I’d still take the non-sweaty look any day! 
6. My ‘snacks’ are basically meals. Tropical Protein Oatmeal was one of my afternooon snacks:
1/2 cup oats, soy milk and 1/2 scoop tropical protein powder, topped with the last of my PB&Co Crunch Time! BUT guess what tomorrow’s breakfast will be in…?
7. I sneak into newsagents and read their running magazines without buying them. I DO always buy Runner’s World, but otherwise it just gets too expensive. So I do it my (illegal?) way!
They’ll never see me if I hide behind it…right?
‘Fess up people! Give me a confession please!
What is your favourite bit about strength training? So much!! The results (obviously!), the way it works me REALLY hard when I lift heavy, and the way my appetite increases a TON! And that’s seriously saying something!
Favourite magazine/s? Runner’s World all the way! *Almost* worth the fiver it costs… I also like Running Fitness!
P.S. I’ll tag some commenters in tomorrows post to get this award!
Have an AMAZING rest of the week friends!! <3
What I…Wednesday! Thankful Edition:)
| June 21, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under What I...Wednesday |
HEY friends, and welcome to another What I…Tuesday Wednesday! Last week this party of Jenn’s got over 100 participants!! Wooo!! Go Jenn! 
So this week I thought I’d do a slightly different focus. What I’m THANKFUL for Wednesday! So not WIAW but WITW!! There’s SO much to be thankful for and it’s too easy to just take things for granted, so today I’m going to count my blessings! 
What I’m Thankful For…BLOGGER FRIENDS!! Jenn for doing this awesome thang, your comments/emails/friendship, and blogger inspiration! Like Amanda who inspired me to top my oatmeal with caramel pudding…
Which seriously was AMAZING. Caramel Pudding Oatmeal is to die for!! Plus then there was the last of Amanda’s yummy banana bread warmed up and topped with almond buttah…
What I’m Thankful For…delicious, healthy meals!
Marinated tofu, sweet tater fries (it’s been waaaay too long!!), cucumber, and Sabra hummus for dippage
Katie’s Pizzert! A banana-date one!
Haha forgot to grease the pan, so I had to eat it outta the tin! 
My favourite salad: Get-As-Much-Produce-As-You-Can-Fit-In-Your-Belly salad, topped with more Sabra spicy hummus. (With the obligatory PB&J toast on the side 
)
Peanut Butter Crunch oatbran! My banana oatbran pudding topped with PB&Co Crunch Time and the last of the peanut butter granola.
What I’m Thankful For…the reduced aisle in the supermarket!
BARGAIN!! And I LOVE cherries!! I may or may not have bought four punnets…! I used one punnet to make these:
Mama Pea’s AMAZING Double Chocolate and Cherry cookies, but with added pecans! Oh, and the cookie dough is beyond belief by the way
What I’m Thankful For…help from Facebook friends for post inspiration!
Workout playlist? OKAY then!! Well I actually have a LOT of playlists! I have long run playlists, speedwork playlists, tempo run playlists, easy run playlists, etc, but I’ll share with you today’s short playlist:
Have I ever mentioned I have the coolest taste in music? This playlist has a mix of everything, from Rock music to Glee, Disney and a Christmas song too. I love being in a Christmassy mood any time of year!
What I am MOST Thankful for today was this moment:
I RAN AGAIN!!! COMPLETELY PAIN FREE!! Being reunited with Betty was a sweet sweet moment. 
There were tears, there was laughter, and I grinned like a crazy person the whole time. I think I forgot that it wasn’t just me and Betty in the room, but I was too happy to care about the very odd looks I was getting from my fellow gym-users. My first mile in over 4 weeks!!
Did 1 mile slow run, 1 mile walk, 1 mile slow run, 1 mile walk, came home and took Buddy for a walk, including a 1 mile run on grass.
I’m thankful that my running Buddy (haha!) makes sure I don’t go too fast! He can’t keep up if I go too fast, bless his little legs
So 3 miles run today in a very slow (for me) average 8.30 min/mile, COMPLETELY pain free! I can’t remember the last time I ran pain free!! In many ways I’m actually THANKFUL for my injury, for teaching me so much. More on that in another post, but for now I’m just going to drink up my chocolate soy milk (HEALED me I tell you!!)…
…and try not to burst with happiness!! I’m taking it all out on the poor dog right now because he can’t escape me hehe 
What are you thankful for today? YOU GUYS for sticking with me and being so lovely to me and being my No.1 motivation not to run cos I know you’d all kick my butt!
Best thing you ate today? EVERYTHING I posted!!
What is your current favourite song on your playlist? Definitely the Christmas one! I’m excited already- only 185 days to go!!
Have an AMAZING day friends!! SO MUCH LOVE for you all!!
Featured Athlete: Kaila from Healthy Helper!! (+Giveaway Winner!)
| June 20, 2011 | Posted by Sweet Tooth Runner under Featured Athlete, Giveaway |
Hellooo!! Had a good start to the week friends? I am SOOOOO excited for tomorrow, and you’ll see why then!! 
Quickly first, the winner of the Bondi Band!
Which is…
…a Facebook entry from Cait Chock! Congrats girl, email me your address please!! And THANKS to everyone who entered!! 
Anyway, Monday=Featured Athlete time, and today’s volunteer is the beautiful Kaila from Healthy Helper!! This gal seriously ROCKS and she is so kind and sweet and lovely ALWAYS! She is an AMAZING and super speedy runner too, so here is more about her…
1. Tell us a bit about yourself:
First off I want to thank the lovely Emma for allowing me to be a featured athlete! I love Sweet Tooth Runner and of course the girl behind it!!!
Well for starters my name is Kaila and my lil’ bloggy is the Healthy Helper!!!
I am 16 and am a senior in high school (wow I can’t even believe that!). I started blogging about a year and a half ago and haven’t looked back since!
I started reading health and fitness blogs about a year before that, but pretty much my whole life I have been into healthy living! My parents were always very active when I was younger so they definitely instilled the importance of healthy living in me.
Blogging has become such a passion of mine and I never really knew how much I enjoyed writing until I started doing it on a daily basis. Some of my other hobbies include: running (more on that later!), cooking, acting (I have been acting professionally since I was 8), being outside in general, gardening, traveling, and volunteering! I am actually going on a service trip this Summer to Costa Rica, to help build homes and a school for an impoverished community.
2. Share with us a random fact about you!
Last year I went to China for three weeks!!!
I have been studying mandarin Chinese for four years now and last Summer of few kids in my class were offered the opportunity to take part in a student ambassador program. I LOVE traveling so I jumped at the opportunity! It was definitely the trip of a lifetime. The site seeing was incredible and just the sheer amount of culture shock we experienced definitely left a lasting impression.
3. What would be the five items you would choose to have with you if stranded on a desert island?
That’s a tough one! But I’d have to say:
-my dog, Ella!
-my camera!
-my sneakers (gotta have comfortable foot wear right?)
-my own personal Whole Foods (with unlimited restocking of course )
-my netbook (so I could post about all my shenanigans on the island)
4. So you’re and athlete then?
Yes, for sure! I have always been involved in sports and over the past few years my love of fitness/working out in general has grown. I started off in soccer and dance when I was little, and then moved to softball which I have played for about 11 years now.
I also joined cross country in middle school and then in high school.
That’s when my love of running really took off.
I don’t compete much anymore, but I still run around 3-4 times a week, anywhere from 7-10 miles at a time. I just love it! For my other ways to get exercise I love biking, ellipticating at the gym, walking my pup, hot yoga-ing, and Bob and Jillian workout DVD’s (<-they are KILLER!).
5. WHY do you workout/run/cycle etc.?
Honestly…because I LOVE it!
Yeah I know its good for my health and all that jazz…..but working out seriously makes me so happy! I love the endorphins it gives me and how much of a stress reliever it is for me. Whenever I am in a bad mood or tired or just in a funk in general, I always know that a workout (even if it’s quick!) will make me feel better. It also gives me some alone time. I love working out on my own, so its just my chance to reflect and be by myself with just my own thoughts.
6. Have you always been active?
Definitely! I think I came out of the womb running around!
(little me)
Okay so maybe I’m exaggerating, but as a little kid I literally had a never ending amount of energy and I STILL do! My parents were always taking me for walks and getting me involved in all sorts of “active” activities just so I could release some of that energy! Plus, I just enjoy being active in general! I get SO antsy if I am sitting for too long (the 14 hour flight to China was HELL for me!!!), so I am always taking random walks or just kind of jumpin’ around all day long.
7. How do you stay motivated? Do you have any motivational tips to share?
I stay motivated by my love of fitness in general. But also, seeing what other people are doing definitely motivates me to get up and out there too. One of my most helpful tools would have to be my Daily Mile account! If you don’t know what Daily Mile is, it’s a website that allows you to track your workouts and friend others so you can see their workouts as well! It’s awesome when you need a little kick in the butt to get ya going and the people you can connect with are always good for offering support and kind words! Love it.
So how about some random questions for all you!!!
So you have a Daily Mile account? If so, lez be fraaaanz
What is your favorite breakfast as of late?
Here’s mine:
(overnight oats with Cherry-Banana softserve….recipe on zee blog!)
What’s your favorite source of exercise? I am looking for some new ideas!
Thanks again to Emma for the opportunity!!! Stop by my blog so I can get to know all of you a little better!
Listen to the girl people!! Go say hi to the gorgeous Kaila on her bloggie here!! Let’s spread some love!
THANKS Kaila for being a Featured Athlete!! I couldn’t agree more with your reason why you workout!! And your breakfast looks AMAZING and I’m so making that softserve!!
So let’s answer Kaila’s Qs…
Do you have a Daily Mile account? Yes I do too! Love DailyMile…it’s addictive!!
What is your favorite breakfast as of late? You’ll see tomorrow in my What I…Tuesday Wednesday!!
What’s your favorite source of exercise? Other than running, definitely classes! I love trying new ones and shakin’ up my routine!
Sending you all love and hugs for an awesome day!! <3
