Paleo spicy spaghetti

Hi all. Happy Sunday. We had our first flurries today. They started when my son P and i were heading back from the park on our walk. So pretty:) I love snow and i love winter. I think i may end up starting to listen to Christmas music soon. I love The Carpenters "A Christmas Portrait". What is your favourite Christmas cd? When do you start listening to Christmas music?

I have been eating a lot of squash lately. All varieties spaghetti, butternut, buttercup, pumpkin you name it. My husband was away for the night so i decided to have some "spaghetti" with spaghetti squash last night. While he eats and is learning to love lot's of clean eating cooking and baking. He's not as sold on squash yet but he's coming around. He also doesn't like stewed tomatoes. And i do….so thus my Spicy spaghetti squash recipe was born.

Paleo Spicy spaghetti (serves 4)

1 medium-large Spaghetti squash
1 can salt free whole tomatoes (or 4 cups fresh tomatoes stewed)
1 can tomato paste (i didn't have any but i think i will add for next time to make the sauce thicker
2-3 gluten free degenhardts spicy italian sausage cooked
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup yellow onion chopped
4 garlic cloves sliced and pressed
1 tbsp Olive oil
8 slices of nitrate free naturally smoked bacon
2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp oregano


1. Pierce spaghetti squash several times with a knife and bake at 375 for 45 min to an hr (may need a little longer mine took about 1hr15min.
2. Saute onions, garlic and mushroom in olive oil in a pot.
3. Add tomatoes and break up with a wooden spoon as they cook.
4. Add cooked sausage, spices and tomato paste to thicken.
5. Let the sauce simmer for 15-20 min.
6. Cook bacon.
7. Cut squash in half length was and take out the seeds. Then run your fork along to create the strands of squash. Put on plates and top with sauce then crumb 2 pieces of bacon on top of each.

Let me know if you try this and what you think:) Hope the rest of your sunday is great!

Chicken Vindaloo (slow cooker or stove option)

As promised on instagram here is my version of a chicken vindaloo recipe from the Truffled Pig. My husband and i love indian food and score to the fact that most of it's gluten free:) I love using my slow cooker in the winter especially as it just makes life so much easier:) I plan to try to start using it even more and trying a new slow cooker recipe a week. Please share your favourites with me.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp of fresh ginger grated
• 3/4 tbsps curry powder (medium)
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tbsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 tbsp ground mustard powder
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsps of ground cinnamon initially or 1 cinnamon stick added to the pot
• 2 cans of tomato paste with 2 equal cans filled of water
• 1 can stewed tomatoes no salt added and buzzed up with a hand blender or can of no salt added crushed tomatoes
• 1 small white or yellow onion chopped
• 1 lb of skinless organic chicken breasts or thighs quartered or cubed
• (Optional) 1/2 of a small cauliflower cut into bite size piece
• (Optional) 2 cups green beans and/or layer rice/quinoa with a large handful of spinach and then add the chicken vindaloo. The heat of the vindaloo will wilt and cook the spinach a little.

Directions:

1. Puree the first 10 ingredients in a food processor
2. Pour puree into the crock pot add the tomato paste, can of tomatoes, water, cinnamon, and stir
3. In non stick skillet use 1 tablespoon olive oil and saute onions until soft, then brown chicken on all sides
4. Add Chicken and Onions, (Cauliflower and/or green beans) to Crock Pot, stir and then cover
5. Cook on low in a Crock Pot for 5 hours or over the stove on medium low in a Dutch Oven or large pot
6. Serve with organic sprouted quinoa/wild rice blend from costco (and roti if you can eat gluten)

Let me know if you try the recipe and what you think!

Legs for Literacy 2013 race recap

Well thats my 7th half marathon (1st post Peyton) under my belt. I couldn't be happier with my time. No, it wasn't the time i trained for but great considering i was on the verge of a hip flexor injury and basically had to take the 3 weeks leading up to the Oct 27 off from running. I ran very slow easy runs about once a week but they didn't feel good so i really laid off and that was one of the smartest moves i could have done. My hip didn't hurt for the race and was only a little achy the rest of the day on Sunday. It did hurt to sleep on my left hip but last night it didn't which is a really good sign.  So while taking the break was a great thing for my body before the race there are a few lessons learned that will only help me become a stronger runner the next half marathon.

1. If you move your original goal race out by a month take it easy running wise for 3 weeks or so. I took it easy for a week then just kept up with the speed workouts and intense tempo runs. I had never changed my goal race before so i didn't really know how to change up my training but now i do.

2. NEVER EVER try something new in the night before or the day of the race. This is something i know but ignored. My lovely thoughtful friend gave me airbonne's icy hot for my hip (to use the night before) and some cooling cream (to use during the race to help me push through if needed). Well i should have read up on airbonne and headed her warning that her husband had to wash it off in the middle of the night because it was too much for him. Well i put it on in the afternoon with no issues and decided to put more on before bed. BIG MISTAKE. I woke up an hour and a half later with my legs on fire. I had not only put it on my hip but both hips, IT bands AND glutes. I quickly jumped in the shower trying to wash it off only having the heat activate it even more. I then ran downstairs to get help/advice from my husband. I was freaking out. It was 11:30pm and i had to be up for 5:45am (to nurse Peyton and have him up for a bit so he could get an hour or so nap before meeting me at the finish line. I began google-ing about airbonne and discovered less is more and you either love it or hate it. It was even taken off the market for awhile, for this reason i assume. So after my husband google-ing it we tried dabbing olive oil on and wiping it off (but that didn't work as it was already absorbed in to my skin). Next he found that mixing baking soda with water and making a paste and putting it on would neutralize the burn and it sure worked thank god! I washed it off after it dried and still felt it a little but barely. Then i found out that not only heat reactivates it but sweat as well so i opted for shorts for the run instead of pants just in case:)

Okay now to the race recap. I decided to run my first race ever without my fuel belt and water. There were a lot of water stations and i find the water weighs you down. I know lots of runners swear by not running with their fuel belts. I have a race bib belt with a stretchy pocket that held my honey stinger electrolyte chews, my fuel of choice for long runs and long distance races. I decided to stop at every water station to sip water. This may have been why the lactic acid built up so much at the end of the race. I walked the length of each water station. So while i loved running without a water belt i think that for the next race i won't stop i'll run and sip. I decided to start the first 5km slow since i hadn't really run the last 3 weeks and just to see how my hip was and then i was going to pick it up. I stayed between 5:19-5:24 min/km the first 4km and then ended up picking it up at km 5 to 5:10. For km 6-16 i was between 5:01 and 5:16 but then the lactic acid got more and more intense the last 5km and i just couldn't get my legs to go any faster. So i was between 5:20 and 5:37. Then for the last .32km i was able to pick it up somehow and sprinted at 4:31. Oddly enough the faster i ran the better my hip felt as well it was as if it was really being stretched out. I finished the race with a time of 1:51:56 beating my last PB 2 years ago at the same race, 1:55:27.

Now it's time to rest! As per my physio, Heidi, i am taking two weeks off total from running. This week i am only walking and doing easy yoga, stretching and foam rolling. It still hurts to walk down stairs so i am ok with this. Did anyone else race this past weekend? If so how'd you do?

Days away from my 7th half marathon and nervous

I am a tad nervous to say the least. This sunday, October 27th, i will be running my seventh half marathon. My first half post Peyton. The last half marathon i ran was February 2012. Which due to the weather was my worst time for a half marathon yet the race where i felt the most hardcore. After that race i felt like i was part of an elite runners club. We ran the race the day after a huge blizzard and temps dropped to -20 c. Brrrrr. Steph and i powered through it and finished which was clearly the only goal.

Originally i had planned on doing the Fredericton fall classic september 22. However with a 6th month old (who i'm still breastfeeding) and being on maternity leave it just didn't make sense to travel for a race. So i pushed my goal race to Legs for Literacy over a month away from my original plan. I semi took a week off from hard training workouts and then kept on with my really effective speed workouts.

Fast forward to now i have only been able to run once a week for the last 3 weeks. A little over a month ago i started getting issues with tightness in my left glute which then moved to my hip. So needless to say i am nervous and not so confident about my speed anymore. My 1:40/1:45 goal is now out the window and i am just aiming to finish, tight hip and glute in tow. Who knows i may surprise myself! But i don't want to get my hopes up.

I have been getting treatments and exercises from my physio, Heidi, and she has cleared me to run the race but i must take 2 weeks off of running after the race to give my body a break and let it heal. Which will be tough mentally as i already have dialed it down the last few weeks work out wise and i haven't ran much or worked out as intensely. I have been doing a lot of yoga and focussing on upper body, core and lots of walking to help stretch my hip out.

In hindsight i should have taken a 2-3 week break from hard running workouts when i decided to change my goal race up. Allowing my body to heal a bit then back in to my hard speed workouts and tempo runs. Oh well lesson learned for future half's.

Here is the great schedule i used for training for my half marathon and i also used pace calculators like bane.info and Mcmillian to help me pace my workouts to reach my goal. I will report back Monday with how i make out at the race.


Happy running and good luck to all those runners racing this weekend at Legs for Literacy.

"If you listen to your body when it whispers you won't have to hear it scream"

I came across the quote in the title of this blog post earlier this week and it really spoke to me. I have been battling with a tight hip flexor the last 2 weeks of my half marathon training. So i ran a week ago monday and then didn't run again until Sunday for a long slow run and i felt it still so i have taken the rest of this week off as well. This is so hard to do mentally. But i must listen to my body so i can still race on Oct 27th. This race will be my first half marathon since having Peyton. I had originally planned on racing in Fredericton a month before this race so i think my body just has had enough of the rigorous speed workouts, tempo and long runs. It needs a break. Time to heal and get stronger. An "off season".  

I have never used training calculators this intensely before and really tried to match my paces to my goal race pace. And wow what a difference it makes. In my 10km virtual race i shaved almost 10 minutes off my PB (personal best) for a 10 km. I used both the bane.info and mcmillian training pace calculators. I recommend both for reaching those goal paces:) Runner friends have any of you used pace training calculators before? Do you find that they have helped you shave seconds and minutes off your PB times?

Back to the importance of an off season for us runners or even those who constantly put lots of work in to working out. I truly believe that taking it easy a week here and there is good for the body and allows it to come back even stronger than before. Most if not all professional athletes do it. You basically just tone down the intensity for your particular sport and concentrate on activities that will help make you stronger in your sport of choice. For running i think its beneficial to take a week or two totally off after a big event like a half marathon or a marathon and let your body heal. Then for your off season bring down your mileage and just run some easy slow runs and concentrate more on functional strength training, yoga and foam rolling. This is a time to allow your body to heal and to prevent over use injuries. According to active.com here is a list of reasons why it's so crucial for tri-athletes and runners to take time off:

1. recover from race season

1. avoid overtraining

1. and prevent injuries.

Here are seven more reasons to take an offseason and, for the restless ones, five things you should do during the down months.

Photo from active.com article on "10 reasons triathletes and runners need an off season

7 MORE REASONS YOU NEED AN OFFSEASON

To rest your cardiovascular system including your heart and lungs.

1. To allow your joints, tendons, ligaments, muscles and fascia time to heal from all the stress.

1. To work on postural and muscular imbalances. If you have injuries or muscle tightness/trigger points that are one-sided, then you have an imbalance that should be addressed to prevent future injuries.

1. To hit the weights. Strength training will help you to train harder and provide greater stability and strength to help prevent injuries.  

1. With age, your body needs more time to recover. If you want to continue racing competitively for years to come, then taking care of yourself is important.  

1. You stress your adrenals by training hard, getting up early, and racing.  

1. Endurance athletes have a tendency to become catabolic- you lose lean muscle. If you lose too much muscle, then the integrity of your bone density may become affected

WHAT TO DO DURING THE OFFSEASON

1. Cut your training volume. You can and should train three to four times per week for 30 to 40 minutes at an easy pace. But you should avoid intervals and speed work.

1. Do yoga or tai chi.

1. Rest, sleep in, and sleep more.

1. Plan your goals for the next year; pick your "A" races.

1. Strength train two to three times per week. This is the time to hit the gym hard and work on functional strength exercises with free weights, cables, barbells, Swiss balls and balance boards.

1. Weekly soft tissue work sessions. Even if you don't feel that your muscles are tight, there are trigger points and fascia that need to be released. Trigger points reduce the ability of the muscle to work, which leads to compensation and the potential for injuries. Neuromuscular therapy, neurosomatic therapy and myofascial release are techniques that should be used.  

1. Go gluten free. Endurance athletes need more carbohydrates when they're training and racing.  Many athletes eat processed carbohydrates often with gluten. If you're not gluten free already, you should be. Gluten causes systemic inflammation in the body, hampering training and recovery.  There are over 100 symptoms. Try going completely gluten free for one month. The goal is to go "grain free" and eat lots of meats, fish, eggs, vegetables and fruit.  After you have been gluten free, eat a large bowl of regular pasta and see how you feel.

1. Eliminate caffeine for a minimum of six weeks. Caffeine stimulates your nervous system, which can add to stress on the adrenals.  The more you use it, the more your body gets used to it.  It will work much better if you come off of caffeine and then reintroduce it for key training runs and races at a future date.  

The article goes on to discuss how after a 4 week rest you can slowly bring in the number of days you train in "your" sport and increase your volume. But it's best to keep the strength training and stability work in your program until you start seriously training for races again. After 4 weeks you can slowly add back in some easy speed work. Like running 200 m repeats at a 5k pace. This gets your body geared back up for speed work without putting too much stress on it. The author of the article, Karen Redmond, also recommends that you should give yourself a full 3 months off from racing each year. She indicates your body will thank you in the long run if you give it the rest it deserves. Mentally an off season can be really tough. Do you normally take one? I do for the most part i still run but with all the snow it's at a much slower pace. I love running in the winter and just enjoy it and it's nice not to have to stress about missing a run or two. I also plan on every few months taking an easy active week like this week and concentrating on yoga, easy upper body work, core and lots of walking. I have been referring to this week (or maybe two) as my active recovery week. It's important to me mentally to keep moving and keep active but it's a nice break to do more lower intensity activities. Your body is meant to move so i don't think being a couch potato is beneficial but active recovery sure is. Have you started to plan your "off-season" what activities will you include? I like to get out snow shoeing, downhill skiing and would love to get a pair of used cross country skis in the future. 

Breaking bad habits

A veteran Leader

Labor day weekend race results

I have been meaning to write this post as soon as the results came in from all the runners who participated in my first virtual race. However i distracted by a very cute and chubby baby:)

I got 5 other runners to register in the virtual race (with 4 actually running) and hope to recruit even more next time! Next time i will plan it farther in advance and promote it a little better. CONGRATS to all the runners who participated and thank you for registering for my first virtual race!

Without further ado here are the results:

Distance
10 km	Place	city/town	Prov	Co	Time (min:sec:ms)
Amy McKee	1	Riverview	NB	Ca	46:40:00
Stephanie Patterson	2	Moncton	NB	Ca	58:32:00
Lindsay Cooper	3	Waldorf	MD	USA	59:07:00
5 km
Jane Grant	1	Moncton	NB	Ca	30:00:00
Gina Monk	1	Halifax	NS	Ca	30:00:00

I was in complete shock over my result pre baby my PB was 53 min with my race results normally being in the 55 min to an hour range! I really wonder why women run faster after having a baby? Does giving birth give us a crazy super power that makes us run fast like ninjas? Or is it that our running time is very precious to us so we must make the most of it? Whatever it is i'm going to go with it! It just drives me more and more the faster i get. What drives you to push harder during races and in your training? I often repeat to myself during my tough tempo and speed workouts that change is uncomfortable and boy it sure is but so worth the reward of being in constant competition with yourself. You can always push harder and further and you will surprise yourself. Keep on keeping on and as my friend Kendra says don't stop believing. I will leave you all on that note today. Have a great rest of your week!

Will you guys participate in my next virtual race? What would make it more appealing? Should i try to get some prizes donated to entice you more? Let me know what YOU want:)

Sign up for my virtual 5 and 10 km race this weekend

Hi all. Wow its been a long time since i posted! Life as a new mom is very busy and demanding. Any free time is spent working out, eating or relaxing:) I'm sure loving my life as a mom. It's the most rewarding and challenging job i have had yet.

Peyton is 5 months now! Crazy! Where have the last 5 months gone? Such a time warp. He is such a cutie and a great little baby. I have been back at the running and working out since he was 2 weeks old. After he was born i got my doctors approval to start up after 2 weeks as long as i was feeling up to it. And i was despite the extreme exhaustion that comes from waking every 2-3 hours to feed him. I am still breastfeeding but he luckily sleeps through the night:) Breastfeeding and working out can be tough but thats a whole other blog post. This one is to promote the virtual race i created and will be running this weekend. As a mother on maternity leave i am on a tighter budget so i can't afford to run a 10 km race in the middle of half marathon training. So i decided to challenge myself and create a virtual race just to push myself more. If i know others will be running as well then i will be in the mindset that i'm racing even virtually:) So i am asking you guys to sign up. The race is free and for fun and to push us.

I was originally going to be running my half marathon in a month but it was an out of town race and didn't make sense to spend $300 plus to go run it. When i can run a local half marathon in 2 months for $55 bucks. So this has forced me to revamp my training schedule. I ran a slow 13 km last weekend instead of my planned 18km and after talking to some runner friends decided on a 10km race but i cant really spend $35 on the race that is this weekend. So i came up with the idea of a virtual race. My current PB for a 10km run is 53 min. And to keep on par for my 1:45 half marathon goal i need to run a 47 min 10km. I'm nervous and excited about my goal. I will be posting all the results and pictures of the participants finishing their races in a blog post next week. I really am going to try to blog more and so much to talk about and tell you my birth story and how i manage keeping up with my work outs with a 5 month old baby:)

So please register here and run the race with us! And tag me via instagram (@amymckee83) and Twitter (@amygrant83) with a picture of your garmin or nike app (or whatever you use) to prove your distance and time and post a pic of yourself after you have finished the race!

Third trimester workout updates

Well at 33 weeks i am still feeling wonderful, have lots of energy and rarely have any back pain. I get it here and there but often found (after further investigation) it was after my 10 km runs. So after another physio session and another pelvic tilt exercise to add to my daily regime i decided to decrease my inclines for running and walking workouts as well as my distance and since then. WOW what a difference. My pelvis has felt much better with my max runs being 8km now. And thus less strain on other parts of my back too. So now i am doing 4, 6 and 8 km runs. I am so happy i am still good at 8. I will continue listening to my body and decreasing again if need be. I also found a new walking incline workout yesterday that i did last night. It was one i found for an intermediate/advanced women in her 3rd trimester. I however found some walks a little too slow so i sped them up and altered the workout to suit my fitness level at this time. It is more of walk/run incline workout and i felt great last night and still do today so i know i didn't over do it. My legs are actually pretty sore today from all those squats and lunges:)

Now let's touch on the importance of doing pelvic tilts during pregnancy especially your third trimester. Your pelvis is going through a lot of changes and the hormone relaxin is doing it's work to relax all the ligaments in this area to make room for baby to come out (don't worry everything goes back to the way it was before for most women). So pelvic tilts help ensure that your pelvis doesn't stiffen up due to all that extra weight on it from baby and it strengthen your abs and helps to prevent and soothe back aches. They also help encourage your baby to get in proper positioning for delivery head down and back towards your back. They also help ease delivery of your bundle of joy. So many pros and i know i have noticed a huge difference since i have started incorporating them.

Here are the ones i do before and after every workout:

Pelvic tilts with back against a wall so my arms wouldn't be up like this picture. Repeat 10 x

Pelvic tilt with hands on wall: Stand a few feet out from the wall and lean forward and put hands on wall at shoulder height. Keep legs hip distance apart and knees slightly bent then tilt your pelvis much like picture above. Repeat this move 10 x


Cat cow yoga pose: Start on all fours in a neutral position with your back push your belly down with head up and bum up like a cow then arch your back up much like a scared cat would do and go back and forth between these movements 20 x

Pelvic tilts while seated: sit with both feet firmly planted on the ground and place hand on one leg and push down as you try to lift up. This is essentially a pelvic tilt only on the side you are doing it on. Repeat on both sides 10 x. You can also push down opposite leg and push it down with your hand as well which also works the other side in another way. Repeat 10 x. I only do this one for my left side as thats where i seem to have the issue. This exercise was given to me from my physio Heidi.

32 weeks and 6 days

Clean gluten free biscuits 2 ways

Hi guys. Its been awhile since i posted a recipe. On Sunday i made a big batch of curried sweet potato apple soup from Gracious Pantry.  And of course i needed to make my clean gluten free biscuits however i couldnt find the recipe i normally used to i adapted one from http://www.glutenfreecookingschool.com. I will include my go to recipe after i post my adapted version below.

*Makes approximately 16 large biscuits depending on how large your biscuit cutter is (and by biscuit cutter i mean a glass from your cupboard)


1.5 cups brown rice flour
1 cup corn starch
1.5 cups sorghum flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. xanthan gum
8 Tbsp Earth balance spread
1 1/4 cups plain almond milk
 1 1/4 cups water
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
 1 egg, beaten (or make a flax or chia egg if vegan)

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl thoroughly combine the flours, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and xanthan gum.
3. Use a pastry blender to blend the butter into the flour. However if like me you don't have one simply use a fork and blend up until well combined and no chunks of butter are left.
4. Add the almond milk, water, vinegar and beaten egg to the flour and stir until the dry and liquid ingredients are combined.
5. Roll out the dough thickly on wax paper sprinkled with flour and cut out round shapes with a large glass cup and Cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.


Now you can see my go to recipe here:) For this recipe i use earth bnlance and plain almond milk as well. Let me know if you try either recipe in the comments below! Please note i have found that gluten free biscuits are better the next few days heated again in the microwave they don't crumble quite as badly then and taste better! I spread mine with a little earth balance spread.

Working out in the 2nd trimester

WOW. It's hard to believe i am already 30 weeks today. This pregnancy is sure flying by! I have noticed these last few weeks that my runs are getting a little slower and my circuit weight training is a little slower too. But that's ok! At least i can still work out.

Working out in the 2nd trimester was amazing i had so much energy and was able to even incorporate some easier intervals:) I was atill doing all the Tone it Up circuit workouts with some super set arm and leg workouts from PB fingers thrown in as well. I just had to modify some of the moves to work with my growing belly and make sure i listened to my body stopping certain moves as needed. I was actually able to still do crunches up until 22 weeks. I know working out on your back isn't recommened by many however through my research and talking to my dr it's ok as long as i feel ok doing it. So right now i am still doing glute exercises on my back and feel great doing them. The key is that as long as you are still moving and not laying still on your back (and don't feel dizzy) you are good to go and it's not bad for you or the baby:) I was also able to keep my runs at a max of 15-16 km for long runs, intervals one day and then steady runs with no walking breaks another. I also added in another cardio day where i would do a running/toning workout (where i'd do a toning circuit & then jump on the treadmill to run 5 min-ish intervals between circuits) or a walking interval workout. For my long runs i would mainly run 10 min and walk a min or even take more walking breaks if i needed them. I did my last 15 km long run at 26 weeks and since then decreased to 10-12km but as of last few weeks i'm down to 10km max.

Now as i mentioned above working out in the third trimester has changed a little. I ended up tweaking my pelvis a little the week before christmas. I over did it that week with a killer leg workout and then a running workout where you'd jump off every 5 min or so and do squats and jumping jacks. Needless to say as of sat that week my pelvis on my left side started to get a little tender during my run and then ached on and off throughout that week after taking a few days off.

As of this past monday it was still hurting on and off when i ran so i went to see my physio, Heidi from Physio for you. And i was sooooo happy to hear her say it wasn't major and basically my tight glutes, hamstrings as well as tater tot always hanging out on my left side cause my pelvis to get a little over worked and then the tight muscles pulled it forward a little on the left side. I had started doing pelvic tilts as well as only pre natal workouts the week of Christmas so i think thathad helped it from getting worse. So all Heidi had to do was some traction work to get it to loosen up a bit and go back in place:) This is what i remember from my appointment with Heidi so it may not exactly be it...Heidi may correct me a little on this.

I now do pelvic tilts & some stretches for my glutes before and after every workout and its feeling much better now! Pheuf! I was worried that it was time to stop running:) But not yet...body and baby are still good to go with my workouts:) YAH! Next week i may start incorporating some tone it up circuits again (modified of course) as long as they feel alright! (I am currently still doing some pre natal specific workouts along with my running and incline walking workouts). I am so grateful i can run as far as i do now as well as workout as much as i do too! I also have moved my runs all inside on my safe treadmill. It's too icy and snowy out there and i don't want to risk falling!

And because its not janurary without some fun challenges to keep you motivated I have joined the Tone it Up Love your body challenge that runs from now until valentines day (It's not too late to still sign up, join the fun here). As well as Janine's (writer of the purple giraffe blog) Chilly challenge:) You can sign up here still! It's fun to do little challenges to keep myself accountable as well as keep myself on track with eating clean and healthy while being pregnant. I definatley had too many sweets over the holidays and have been craving them daily...so im working on not indulging as much and limiting my sweet intake.

Post Friday 60 min bootycall workout this morning:)