No hat, no gloves, NO PROBLEM!

...and no running tights too! Because, in case you hadn't heard from the entire tri-state area:January short shorts. Never thought I'd say that! I wore some of my favorite warm weather clothing and headed out. It was PERFECTION in weather form! I was almost too warm in a short sleeve tee. HUH?! I'm still baffled. I ended up doing 4 miles at a 9:30/mile pace, which is really good for me since I was stopped a bit at cross walks and crowded sidewalks.
January sensory oddities were messing with my head. I kept seeing people in winter jackets and scarves. HELLO!? It's 60 degrees! It made me hotter just looking at them! When I arrived to the park, it was Christmas tree recycling day. I was oddly greeted by the strongest smell of Christmas trees...so this must be what it's like to have a warm weather Christmas! Then, there were the seagulls. Hello, it's JANUARY! Not beachy time birdies!
January Al fresco lunch. It was technically too late for brunch, so we'll call it lunch! Lambeau Puppy got to come!!! We had the best time with my work wife Ms. S and her sissy. Lambeau Puppy was on sensory overload and met a few nice puppies along the way!!!
January puppy people watching. Lambeau puppy was thrilled to sit outside and people watch. Just look at that watchful eye...

So pretty much, no hat, no gloves, no problem! PLUS the forecast looks mighty fine this week. I may be in for some two a days...or simply bringing Lambeau puppy to the park a few times. Tomorrow I may have a running date with a certain blogger, CT4LIFE!

What did you do today?! Was the weather picture perfect for you as well? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Running and Cross training my way because it's...

48 days until Cancun and Winter Polka Dot Bikini!!!

79 Days until the 13.1 NYC half marathon!!!

I tried Hot Yoga

...and all I got was a sweaty tank top.

This is me before hot yoga:
I was full of anxiety and curiosity. I do NOT do well in heat. Ever. Just walking ten minutes to the train in 85 degree weather dehydrates me! I always carry a huge nalgene during the warmer months, but always end up buying another bottle of water if I'm out for a few hours. So, obviously hot yoga wouldn't be my first choice. However, the Yogi I spoke with a couple of weeks ago claimed it's not like "hot and humid NYC in the summer", and that the yoga moves are actually easier to do because you're warmer. Hmmm. Figured I'd give it a whirl. I took my edurolyte pills just in case, brought a nalgene filled with a lot of ice and a little water. Okay, I'm dry in a tank and shorts in January. Let's do this.

This is me after hot yoga:
SOAKED TO THE BONE. I was soaked in sweat ten minutes in. At first the heat felt nice, then it felt strong, then it felt overwhelming as we did a never ending series of stand then butt to the floor squats. I had to step out of the room for a 30 second breather. I get dizzy just from standing up too quickly sometimes, so that was a bit much for me to handle. We did a lot of balancing, lunges and warriors, and of course, downward dogs!

The verdict is in: I think I liked it. It was a huge challenge for me. It really pushed me to focus and evaluate if I was being a sissy or dizzy ;-) Really though, it's significantly faster paced than the normal yoga (cold yoga?!), with upbeat music. It felt like a normal fitness class with dimmer lights and higher temps. Also, it worked out the kinks from the Pilates class yesterday...I was definitely sore today! I googled how many calories you burn in hot yoga, and they say an hour burns 575! I will go again. Next up: Hot Pilates Saturday!

Why all the new classes? I got Groupons for after the marathon, and they expire in February. I got the flu after the marathon, then a kidney infection, then a two week cold, then a death in the family. Really, these Groupons were burning a hole in my pocket and I'm so glad to be using them!

I ran 3.5 miles this morning too. The streak continues of at least one mile a day! I didn't want to wake up, but I knew I would be going to yoga this afternoon and would not want to put miles in. I went to the gym and pounded out some good ones.

Dinner was great tonight, too. Whole wheat pasta, spinach, sauteed chicken with garlic and red pepper, and marinara sauce. I figured since I did my second consecutive two-a-day, I could have a nicely measured cup of pasta with the yummy goodness of spinach and chicken! Mmmm.

Tomorrow is a rest day, and I'm excited for it.

Have you tried anything new lately? TELL ME ABOUT IT! Is there anything you would like to try? What are your thoughts on hot yoga???

Running and Cross training my way because it's...

48 days until Cancun and Winter Polka Dot Bikini!!!

79 Days until the 13.1 NYC half marathon!!!

Healthy morning, noon, and night

I believe in early to bed early to rise...or maybe snooze anyway. However, these last few days I've been slow to adjust to being back to work. Over Christmas vacation I tended to stay up until 11pm-12am (Oh the horror!) as opposed to my usual 9-10pm bed time. I also woke up SIGNIFICANTLY later, between 8-10am instead of 6am...and 6:30am if it was a snooze day! So, the oddest things has happened: I've still been going to bed later (between 10:30pm and 11:00pm), but I've been getting up earlier. Usually I would feel gross and exhausted, but I've still felt energized! Must be going to the gym at 5am...and my delicious food I've been creating. Want to lead a healthy energized life? Do what you can to be healthy morning, noon, and night.

Morning: 5am workout. I headed to the gym and immediately completed my one mile on the treadmill...January Challenge of running at least 1 mile a day still going strong. I then had my workout/gym life revolutionized. Immediately following reading this post, commenting, following my blog and finding me on Twitter, you must download the new Nike Training Club app. I told 15 people about it today just because I loved it and felt like it NEEDED to be shared. It has 85 different workouts, different goals such as getting lean, toned, bulked, and levels such as beginner, intermediate, and advanced. In addition to this, you can choose from MANY different workouts, get picture how to's for each move, the trainer speaks to you, times you and encourages you, AND it syncs to your music to pump you up! Best part? IT'S FREE. NO CROWDED GYM FULL OF GEMS REQUIRED. You'll only need a couple of free weights and maybe a medicine ball. Get this app. I act like I make a commission on it, but I seriously felt like I had a personal trainer kicking my rear end.

Morning: Breakfast of fitness-ers. I go with the Bob Harper motto: oatmeal every day. I make three servings of Trader Joe's instant steel cut oats at once, keep them in the fridge and measure out breakfast every morning. Since New Years prompted "healthy lifestyle changes" and a shortage of ripe bananas at my grocery store, I replaced them with apples and cinnamon. I usually add a teaspoon of peanut butter as well:

Noon: It's lunch time, yahoo! (Note: Mid-Morning Snack, usually a piece of fruit is not pictured.) I always bring two Nalgene bottles (32 ounces each) to work and drink them throughout the day. I pretty much have the same salad for lunch every day as well (Remember, I don't like change). This salad usually includes 1/4lb chicken breast deli meat rolled and sliced, chopped carrots, celery, red peppers, and any other veggie I have on hand with spring mix organic lettuce. I also found a GREAT use for my Hammer Gel dispenser...put salad dressing in them! I have so many, you get two with every order of a bulk size, so I have oh four of them. I figured out that they don't leak salad dressing (especially balsamic based dressings) like most containers do. Plus, they measure out the serving size for accurate measuring. Last, I take my GNC BeHot vitapak. This has tons of great stuff for active people and gives me a little boost to beat the 2pm slump. Sorry 5 hour energy, you're gross.
Night: 4pm fearfully anticipated Pilates class. Now, I got there 10 minutes late because I had to take care of Lambeau puppy...he's been sick since last night and having "accidents". When I deemed that he was sufficiently on the mend I raced over. Yup, it was scary. Especially since I had done a kickin' strength routine this morning. I survived, and I am gladly sore right now. I am excited to go back and push myself. Lesson learned: it was something to be feared, but a fear that I can conquer.

Night: Come and get some din din! Tonight we had a great dinner. I sauteed chicken in EVOO and cajun seasoning. I then made a great quinoa recipe, but sadly forgot the avocado (THAT I ALREADY PURCHASED!). Fail. I'll just have it in my salad tomorrow. Yummy.
Healthy all the time: Looking to keep yourself accountable? Yea, I should be getting commission on all the free apps I'm promoting. This here is MyFitnessPal. I've mentioned it before, but it is a fabulous way to keep yourself accountable with your intake. It is so easy (ESPECIALLY as a teacher with females who love chocolate) to indulge over. and over. and over. I indulge, trust me. The weekend is a non recording time, but I am mindful. I enjoy a glass of wine while cooking weeknights. If you're looking to keep a record of what you eat and know how many calories you should eat, check this one out. It also has a cool bar code feature for smart phones that allows you to scan a bar code and it automatically details the calories and serving size! This app is ALSO FREE!
Healthy clean clothes. Yea, this really has nothing to do with health, but isn't this the cutest laundry bag Mr. Miller got for us from Urban Outfitters!? The irony is that I do indeed drag a huge stockpile of clothes to Connecticut when we visit. Yup. I'm 27. It's all good.
Let's talk healthy! Do you find it hard?! It's taken me years of trial and error to figure out what works best for me. Have you used any of these apps? Tell me when you fall in love with Nike Training Club so we can proclaim it together.

Follow me on Twitter! @MrsMillersMiles

48 days until Cancun and Winter Polka Dot Bikini!!!

79 Days until the 13.1 NYC half marathon!!!

What day is it?

It's a day to #makeitcount! Funny, when you're pepped up for a good day of working out, things often go awry! Oh wait, what is this? Another New Years Eve photo. I couldn't stand on the roof laden with rocks in my heels, so I rang in 2012 overlooking the beautiful Manhattan skyline in my marathon Nike mandarins. Love these shoes. Lunarglides rock my socks off! (Note: I'm in tights and shorts, totally not being an inappropriate over sharer here.)It was a 5am day. Hello old friend. January means the gym is packed, so I went in at 5am. Literally 8 of us there. LOVED. IT. I ran my 2 miles on my training plan, plus the .25 each way to and from the gymnasio. I then scooted over to do a quick strength routine. I have a hip that started cracking...a lot...back in May. When I visited a chiropractor he told me my hip muscles needed strengthening, so here are the machines I worked on:

(Not Pictured) Seated Leg Press: 5 sets of 10 reps on 70lbs.

Outer Hip Abductor: 5 sets of 10 reps on 40lbs.
Inner hip abductor: 5 sets of 10 reps on 30lbs.

Wrong day for Pilates. I was so excited to go use my Groupon and experience my first Pilates class. Okay, so I wasn't excited; I was scared. My core is horrible weak and I'm not in the mood to be sore, but as I said so wisely as a 13 year old: "Pain means beauty." I show up and boldly proclaimed, "I'm here for the 4:00 class." The nice receptionist said, "Wow you're really early, because it's tomorrow." (In all seriousness she really was nice.) Oops. She took all my info and I filled out my stuff, so tomorrow when I go to the 4:00 class I can swipe and go right in. Win? Jury is still out.

It was a 7.5 minute day. As I got home and felt defeated since I had the excited nervous energy for Pilates, I realized I had plenty of workout stuff in my house to do SOMETHING. So,I started using the resistance bands and did two sets of three different moves (Both feet on resistance band, pulling up from behind, to the side, and to the front) with 10 reps. I got bored (I was in my own apartment!) so I did a quick 7.5 minutes worth of circuits:

Three stations:

1. Plank - 5 sets of 30 second reps

2. Push-Ups - 5 sets, 5 REAL push-ups

3. Squat with arms straight in the air - 5 sets of 30 second reps

What's this, a day where I actually liked working out at home?! I decided that I would try to do this little circuit everyday, trying to build up to full minute reps and 10 push-ups per rep. If I'm alone, I'll add (nauseatingly hardcore) jumping squats, but today my third shift nurse neighbor and husband are napping, so I didn't want to disturb the peace. I ended my little 10 minutes of toning (Hmm, trademark it?) with rolling. My shin has been hurting, and my crazy self was avoiding thinking, yet constantly harping, "DO I HAVE SHIN SPLINTS?!" Well, smart me pulled up my pant leg, which we all know is scary in the winter time, and saw a big fat bruise. Do I care that I don't remember where I got it? No. That's common for me. Am I glad it's not shin splints? HECK. YES.

It's a day for a reader shout out! Mrs. C from my school is a crazy avid reader! She's an amazing wife, mother, grandmother, friend and coworker. Love you Mrs. C!

What day is it for you today? TELL ME! I've been getting tons of page views on here recently, and I want to know who you are!!! Also, follow me on Twitter! @MrsMillersMiles!

49 days until Cancun and Winter Polka Dot Bikini!!!

80 Days until the 13.1 NYC half marathon!!!

Confession: I love winter running, and other stuff.

I may look like a boy, but I love winter running! My winter gear is very specific. I usually opt for a short sleeve and long sleeve shirt combo, always moisture wicking. (Location of short sleeve shirt depends on the fit of it!) I got a nice running jacket from my Miller-in-Laws for Christmas, so I'm stoked to try that out in sub 30 degrees conditions. In order to get my TREND SETTING boy look, I wear my favorite Eddie Bauer beanie with a scratchy wool hat over it. I tuck my ponytail in between the two hats, and it so freeing and comfy, a la boyish. Add in some running pants and running gloves (Biker gloves for 30-40 degrees, adidas performance gloves for under 30 degrees), and there you have it. Today, since it's VICTORY MONDAY, AKA the Packers won (15-1, playoffs!) I wanted to wear my red shirt and Packers beanie, but alas, Mr. Miller has misplaced it. I opted for the home town rep instead. So, here is Mrs. Miller on a 3.4 mile Monday COLD run: (34 degrees)

January one mile or more streak going strong.

Despite popular belief, I love winter scenery. I stopped stretch out my hip for a brief second, and when I looked up this is what I saw:

A little barren, but full of potential. I hadn't run in the park since the beginning of December, so it was nice to return to my running grounds. There were plenty of runners out there pounding the pavement. I liked it.

Something not to love: the gym in January. I'm considering a January Gym Gem photo of the week, displaying the ridiculously crowded gym. If you want to make a change, I'm proud of you and encourage you to stick with it! If you're just taking up space and doing a half baked workout, that's what bugs me. Worst January Gym Gem memory from last year: All treadmills taken up...more than two people sipping Arizona iced teas to hydrate while walking at a 2.5 speed. Maybe I'll just avoid going to the gym in the afternoons in January. 5am-ers are pretty much the same folks I've been seeing for a year.

I love this cute puppy photo!!! I forgot about this one from New Years Eve. Isn't Lambeau Puppy a looker in his tuxedo?! Love him to pieces. He's a refined pup who enjoys cityscape views of the Empire State Building and New Yorker building. Classy Lamby. Classy.

This is what I'm currently excited about:

I. LOVE. THE. OLYMPICS!!! I'm an Olympic nut. The summer Olympics far outweigh the winter Olympics in my humble opinion. Swimming is my favorite event, followed by gymnastics, track and field, beach volleyball, and basically I'll watch anything else that's on. Does anyone else remember this photo? Men's 400m freestyle relay? Oh yea, Australia was ready to wipe the floor with us. Not on that day. The US KILLED it! I was jumping up and down screaming, I'll never forget it. Statistically the US was not favored, but their perseverance won them a huge gold medal. What spurned this addition to the post? NBC Sports just showed a commercial for the London 2012 games. Did I mention I teared up? I know I know. There's just something about sports and achieving a dream that gets me all welled up...

NEW COUNTDOWNS! We'll have two. Two things to look forward to. One running related, one fun related. Both are going to require a ton of working out, discipline, and healthy living!

50 days until Cancun and Winter Polka Dot Bikini!!!

81 Days until the 13.1 NYC half marathon!!!

2012 Goals: #makeitcount

Big announcement! I got twitter! @mrsmillersmiles. We'll see how this goes!

2012 Goals will be ever changing. Just as life throws new obstacles and plans change, I plan on adapting and reexamining my goals monthly. I'll have big goals, as listed here. Then I'll have monthly goals, which will be recapped on the first of each month. I believe in attainable goals; not easy goals. Attainable goals are ones which are in your power to accomplish, yet require sacrifice and hard work.

I want 2012 to be The Year of Giving. I want to be more generous in life; generous with time, talents, and resources. This week I thought long and hard about a theme for the year, and I kept thinking of the NYC marathon (obviously, when do I not think if my marathon glory days?!), and I love that running meant something to more than just me; I gave, others gave, and impoverished children received. I want to continue using whatever I have to be more giving in every aspect of my life. As the Nike running campaign states, #makeitcount. I want this year to really count.

So, duh duh duh dun! The 2012 Attainable Big Goals:

Personal:
1. Stay organized. I'm not, Mr. Miller is, so I want to make an effort to give my time toward keeping a clutter free home.
2. Put in more thoughtfulness into relationships. My good friend AD in Florida sent me a a sympathy card when my grampy passed, an anniversary card, and a Christmas card. She always remembers things, and I want to be more giving in my relationships.
3. Read three books that will help me this year. I hate motivational books, but I know they help change you for the better, so I will try to read three this year! (up from half a book this year!)
4. Complain less.

Running/Fitness:
1. Help new runners complete challenging races. My next half marathon is in March, and I have one but possibly three friends who want to run their first half. I would rather help others cross the finish line than get a PR for me. If I get a sub 2 hour half this year, awesome. If not? Who did I help cross the finish line?
2. Cross train regularly. I've been having hip cracking issues, and weight training etc will help solve it.
3. Try workouts from Shape magazine at least once. I love this magazine and always intend on trying the workouts, but I usually flake. Not in 2012!!!
4. Run races that benefit causes close to my heart. I don't do a ton of races, because quite frankly they can be expensive. However, when I do run races, I want it to be about more than the run. #makeitcount
5. Get 100 followers on the ol bloggy blog! Somewhat running related :-)

January Goals:
1. Run at least one mile every day in January.
2. Send five cards to five friends.
3. Finish all yoga and Pilates groupons that expire at the end of January.
4. Do something completely selfless for a stranger.

If you made it this far, wow. Maybe you should follow the blog if you haven't already seeing as you committed to reading a really long post, why not follow and see how it turns out?!

Happy commencement of The Year Of Giving. #makeitcount

In 2012, no matter what: I'd still run!

Happy New Year Miller Style!

This is my New year in a nutshell! I'm blogging from the new (at least to me) blogger app on the iPhone so this is not a typically formatted post. Oh the horror. Its really plain and I can think of 29 ways to make it better....alas something is better than nothing.

Suffice it to say, we had a fun 3rd Annual Miller/Gray +? New Years Eve. Lambeau puppy was especially excited to break out his formal wear...doggy tuxedo!

I successfully executed the Nike+ Hangover Challenge: running one mile today :-) Spolier alert: a goal for January is to run at least 1 mile a day for the whole month! Join the January jogathon! (name pending trademark...) there's still time to join me! Do it! All the cool kids are.

Happy New Year to you all! Enjoy some pictures. 2012 Goals coming soon!!!