lululemon

Christmas gifts I’m loving…

As I sit here and watch my kids play with their new toys ~ most popular were the trampoline-turned-ball-pit, plethora of baby doll stuff and the Razor scooters ~ I thought I’d share a few of my favorites that were under our tree this Christmas! Time with family, a week off work and celebrating baby Jesus are the real gifts (of course)… but a few running & fitness related items are always fun to head into the new year! Many thanks to Santa, my hubs and our parents for helping me prepare for another 365 days of merry miles & time on the mat. 🙂

My Top Five Fitness Gifts of 2017

1. lululemon “The Towel” – I seem to be one of the few at Harbor Yoga without one of these! With their 103 degree temps, having an extra layer to absorb the sweat seems like a great idea.

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2. Training Journal – I’m big on journaling and recording my miles and workouts.  To me, its super motivational, and can help with goal setting & planning out your week. This could be a blog post on its own!  I’ve used several different types over the years ~ BELIEVE training journal, plain lined journal ~ and this year asked for an Erin Condren planner to try something new.  It has spots for writing goals, motivational quotes (which I’m a sucker for), weekly planning and more!

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3. Gift cards and a shopping trip with my mom – I’ll be heading to Dick’s & lululemon to start, searching for a new running coat. I am NOT a cold weather runner, so once it hits 20s or lower, I’m definitely in a jacket. I’ve been eyeing the luluemon Down for a Run and the Northface Thermoball Active Jacket.  I currently have the lululemon Fleecy Keen run jacket that I’ve had for a few years… LOVE it and want a white or more reflective option as well. Let me know if you have any insight!

4. Destination trip details!! –  Eeeek!  One of my absolute favorite things is to travel! Isn’t it fun to explore new places, especially while running?! Stocking stuffers included…

  • Registration to the Knoxville Half Marathon in March – this will be my 10th state and we are excited to spend a few days in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina for our spring break this year.
  • Denver Running Tour – we are headed to Denver in July for our anniversary (my first time!) and we are scheduling a City Running Tour! I originally was hoping to do the half marathon while we were there, but since its a short trip, this is a good compromise. I’m hoping to run stairs or do yoga at Red Rocks as well, it’s come highly recommended!

5. Hubby running Cap City – so this one wasn’t wrapped up under the tree, but within the last few days he’s committed to running the Cap City half marathon! This has become one of my top five gifts this week. 🙂 He will train with me over the next few months and will start at least the first half of the race with me in the two hour pace group… then he may pull ahead and finish strong. This will be his second half marathon and compared to the Flying Pig, will be flat & fast.  I look forward to the time we’ll spend during training miles, the race and the after-party!!

Other gifts this year included a NoxGear visibility vest, Honey Stinger fuel, some new water bottles, Nike running gloves, Nike running vest, oodles of running socks (which my husband will likely steal, even though they are pink), a renewed subscription to Runner’s World and a new book, Run Less, Run Faster.  Runners are easy to shop for, in my opinion.  Anything that helps us stay warm, stay focused or just look “put together” while we sweat gets an A+ from me!

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Completely unrelated to running – my mom wrapped up a coupon for our first Disney Cruise on spring break of 2019! This will be our first and I’m super excited! More on this in the future.  Can you turn a cruise into a running blog post?! Hee hee.

Hope your Christmas or holiday was a fun one! What great running, yoga or fitness gifts did you get (or give)?

Now time to put all this stuff to good use and start focusing on those 2018 fit goals!

Week FIVE of our Living Fit Winter Challenge

You made it half way through the challenge!

Week 4 …

  • Log your points sometime soon ~ Remember, $50 in Bend Active gift cards are at stake!  Winners will be announced early this week.  Make sure to LIKE Living Fit & Bend on Facebook.
  • AWESOME JOB on all the miles this week!  15 miles per week is a good push during winter/off training months.  Pat yourself on the back and log your total mileage [Google Drive] so we can see how much pavement we accumulated!

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Week 5…

  • Week five bonus challenges… ITS DOUBLE BONUS CHALLENGE WEEK!!!  That means you can earn 100 points instead of the usual 50! Pick TWO – each is worth 50 points…
    1. Log 200 minutes of yoga or 200 minutes [approx 20 miles] of running.  Or combination of both.  You can do it!
    2. Attend a FIT event OR a new FIT studio/gym.  Remember Fair Trade Yoga’s open house is today and next Sat is a yoga day, we can try a new place.
    3. Prepare your FIT and personal 2015 goal setting and resolutions!  Get them to Teresa somehow by Jan 15 so we can do a blog post.

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  • Inspiration points are also double.  This week, you must post to social media to count your inspiration points each day.  Pick your fav ~ FB, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest… 10 points per day for posting whatever you choose; photo of your sweat session, inspirational quotes, bucket list/resolution items, favorite workout, clean eating ideas… you name it!  Remember to use #livingfitcolumbus on Instagram 🙂
  • We officially have an Instagram account ~ please follow us @LivingFitColumbus [right now we are pretty lame!] and also continue using #livingfitcolumbus

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Other news

  • Email us @ LivingFitColumbus@gmail.com for more info or to share ideas ~ we are considering a blog overhall in January and would love your input.
  • A few of us are heading to the Open House today for Fair Trade Yoga Studios in Powell around 2:30PM, see flyers below.  This fits one of the bonus options for this week – 50 points woo hoo!

Can’t wait to see those FIT goals! Happy 2015!

Holiday/Christmas wish lists

Okay so maybe we waited too long to post this because HOPEFULLY your holiday shopping is coming to an end (its 2PM on Christmas Eve!)  Regardless, here are the top FIT items we had on our wish lists so we wanted to share them with our readers…

  1. Legwarmers & tall socks ~ since we basically live in our yoga pants, these not only are comfy, but make a stylish statement too!  Freepeople has some great options… or even your local Kohl’s or Target.
  2. Athletic vest ~ puffer please!  lululemon and Northface have great athletic models, but more affordable options can be found in lots of places, including Old Navy.
  3. lululemon athletica vinyasa scarf ~ so many uses!
  4. Boat neck sweatshirts ~ great for throwing over your sweaty athletic clothes to keep you warm after a session, or just lounging around in. As Bend says, fitness meets fashion!
  5. The mat.  If you do hot yoga, there really is no better mat out there!
  6. lululemon hot cheeks shorts ~ Lan likes to layer and cover her booty on cold winter runs… but still, of course, look cute!
  7. Leggings.  Who couldn’t use another pair of leggings?  Maybe you want to make a BOLD statement and get Robert Sturman/Bend Active’s Italy or Prayer Flag leggings.  Or maybe you’re more subtle… some of our favorite basic black leggings include lululemon’s run crop or wunder unders and Bend Active’s leela leggings.
  8. Stocking stuffers like Honey Stingers, gloves, running headbands, headphones, juice bar giftcards, running socks (Balega is one of the best!) ~ anything that will fit!  And maybe a Starbucks or Winans giftcard… we deserve a little chocolate or coffee after a long run!
  9. Fitness passes ~ think yoga class passes, yoga retreat, race entries, etc.
  10. Running inspiration; subscription to Runner’s World magazine or maybe an iTunes giftcard to update our running playlist.

You can also check out lululemon’s gift guides for more ideas!

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Thanks for checking in!  Hope you have a wonderful Christmas Eve (or whatever you celebrate!)

Merry FIT-mas!!!!

A fun FIT weekend!

Weekends fly by around here.  The hustle and bustle of the 40-50 hour work weeks may slow down, but we have families, Thanksgiving prep, house cleaning… and of course have to make time for some fit activities!

For the winter months we’ve decided to alternate our Saturdays with runs and yoga [see our schedule HERE].  Yesterday was a RUN day and although the original plan was for 9AM, the cold and ice around Columbus caused us to postpone.  We decided to meet at 2:00 in the afternoon yesterday and got in a much needed run, most of us doing 4 miles and Lan logging a whopping 12.5!

Today we headed to lululemon polaris to take advantage of their complimentary class, hosted by our all time favorite yoga studio, Harbor Yoga.  The class was taught by Meg, an instructor I’d never met before.  We chatted with her a minute after class, thanked her and naturally talked to her about running.  She was quite humble, just stating that she couldn’t run anymore.  After checking out her bio, we now know why!

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photo(3)Lan rocking her half moon… notice the cute vests in the background

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Closeup of the vests.  Christmas list perhaps? 

We then headed to Bend Active’s new store on Lane Avenue.  We’ve mentioned Bend in a previous post and are excited to work with them on some fun FIT projects in the future.  More on their new store & events coming soon!

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The Italy Pant, by the one and only Robert Sturman & Bend Active

Love when a weekend involves some fit time with Living Fit Columbus friends.  Check back soon for updates on Bend, Living Fit events and our upcoming post on our Christmas wish list!

Photo credits & info… the pics in the post were all taken with Teresa’s four year old iPhone 4.  December purchases will include the new iPhone 6 ~ Can’t wait to get ahold of this awesome, updated camera phone!!  DEAR SANTA text credit to http://the121life.files.wordpress.com

Running in the cold [and dark!]

Happy Friday friends & fellow runners/yogis!  images

We Columbus-folk are sitting prettier than Cleveland right now… the radio said they got a FOOT of snow yesterday?  Christine & I hit up PAI yoga last night while Amanda and others were at Harbor yoga… hot yoga in the cold winter is the best!

And then, there’s Lan.  She texted me at 7AM to say “I ran this morning and survived! Brrrrrr, its cold though!” Which reminded me, I still hadn’t posted her most recent guest post about running in these temperatures…

So have a happy Friday and enjoy a little morning read with your coffee.   And don’t forget to bundle up!

Running in the cold (and dark) [by L Nguyen]

It is now officially that time of the year again when it gets dark early, on top of cold weather.  The first thing most people would prefer to do is get cozy on the couch, next to a fireplace, with a cup of hot cocoa (or whatever your choice beverage may be!).  Me, on the other hand, I have made a decision to train for another marathon.  Crazy?  Yes. I know. There is that thrill in running.  The excitement for new running shoes, discovery of a different running path, an updated music playlist.  It goes on and on. The one thing no one ever raved about, however, was running in the winter….in Ohio.

We are currently a few weeks out since The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon.  Several of us are getting back to the groove of running or taking a break to do other fit activities [Living Fit Columbus is now alternating Saturday runs with some HOT yoga!].  With the cold and snow around the corner, I have been working on finding a sweet spot in terms of layering, depending on the current outside temperatures.  Also important is mapping out running paths where there will be a coffee shop or something of that sort nearby for pit-stops from the wind, cold, etc.

One of our Living Fit running gurus, Deedra, has suggested layers and layers for top and bottom.  So here are some tips I’ve come up with based on recent experiences:

  • Running in the dark:  Assume cars cannot see you.  Safety first. Wear reflective gear.
  • Mid 50’s: Capris bottoms. Tank top. Very thin top. Normal running socks.
  • Mid 40’s: Full length running tights. Tank top. Very thin top. Light zip jacket (if you get cold easily). My Northface fleece is optional, it may get warm for this, but better to layer and take off! Smart wool socks. Headband or something to cover ears.
  • Mid 30’s: Same as mid-40’s but with a hooded sweatshirt in lieu of a light zip.  Double legging bottoms if your bum gets cold easily. Ear warmers/headband. Gloves/mittens.
  • Mid 20’s:  Double (maybe triple!) those bottoms or your bum will be COLD!  I do two pairs of running tights, shorts over tights, smart wool socks, sports bra, tank, thin top, thicker top, hoodie and of course an outer layer such as my Northface fleece.  Ear warmers/headband. Gloves/mittens.

The day of the marathon, I went out and purchased lululemon’s vinyasa scarf (I had been thinking about that one for weeks and it has been worth the investment!).  It comes in handy during the 20’s & 30’s temperature range.  I can pull it up and down as needed and the fabric breathes easily.

Some of my favorite cold weather pieces:

lululemon athletica vinyasa scarf
Bend active leggings and outer layers
Northface fleece or hoodie

Maybe December will be mild for the sake of marathon training?  Maybe running in the cold will actually be enjoyable?  We shall definitely find out!

Let us know if you have any tips on staying warm when running in the winter!  We would love to hear what you think!

Giveaway [lululemon athletica & NOOMA]

As you probably know by now, we are pretty fond of lululemon.  You can read why in our earlier article, 10 reasons we love lululemon athletica.

Our awesome partnership with the polaris store has brought so many benefits.  We cross-promote each other.  We have met some awesome people and attended some great events.  And now, they are offering their first giveaway to Living Fit followers!

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Goodies include [$60+ value!]…   

  • a reusable tote  LU9416S_012305_1
  • the [small] towel
  • ultimate padded run socks
  • purist water bottle
  • samples of a new energy drink, NOOMA (more about them soon, check out their website HERE)

To enter all you need to do is…

  • ATTEND at least one group run or event listed on the August EVENTS list [check events on our Aug newsletter HERE]
  • LIKE our Living Fit FaceBook page, LIKE this post on our page and COMMENT stating which event(s) you attended or plan to attend
  • BONUS! – TWO entries for bringing a friend to an event!  Just make sure you comment on the post stating which event and tag your friend so we can keep track of both your entries.

Last day to enter will be the last run of August [Saturday, Aug 30th] and winner will be chosen shortly thereafter.

Hope to see you soon!

Yoga Challenge Day 24

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It was group run day.  Group one did 3 miles easy and group two did 4 miles, a little bit faster.  A great run for everyone!  No matter your pace or distance, we always say… “Anything is better than nothing!”

At the end of the run, we stretched it out (along with a few high fives) and everyone went their separate ways.

On running days, yoga often takes the form of stretching either before and/or after the run.  Today’s sequence comes from Yoga for Runners from LoveLifeSurf.com ~

  • Forward fold/ragdoll (lower back and hamstrings)
  • Downward dog (hamstrings, calves, ankles, shoulders)
  • One legged dog/downward dog split (bend at knee to open hip flexors)
  • Downward dog twist (hamstring and side of body)
  • Triangle pose (hamstrings, calves, hips, IT band, outer shins)
  • Lizard and/or Pigeon (hips!)

 

The #independencearmy  challenge is Side Crow.  Check out one of our very own ptown run club members, Lan, rocking it after our group run tonight!

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Here’s a quote to close the night with…  whether you are just getting into running, you are a newbie yogi or maybe entering the fitness scene all together…

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Don’t forget this!  We all start somewhere.

Tata!

Follow our yoga challenge from the beginning by visiting our first post HERE.

Yoga Challenge Day 20 – more yoga for runners

Day #20  

[t gellenbeck]

I was THIS close to going to lululemon polaris for yoga this morning as they have Sunday Fundays aka FREE yoga classes and today was my FAV yoga studio, Harbor.  BUT the typical lazy Sundays set in and I lounged at home with my men and missed the class.  I did make it there at the end of the class, however, just in time to stalk the instructors and use the gift card the hubby got me for our anniversary last week.  And of course, got a Starbucks.  So it was a nice little start to the day!

Bought this adorable STUFF YOUR BRA running tank ———->   Screen Shot 2014-07-20 at 11.24.06 PM

You can stuff it with tissues if you want, but its meant to hold your keys or gels or cash or whatever you carry around on your runs.  Its moisture wicking and their Luxtreme fabric that feels amazing.

So excited to use it!

Anyhow, I have really grown to love yoga this year, but I am still a runner at heart.  So today was more YOGA FOR RUNNERS.  We have information on our blog, but here are some more highlights on the benefits of yoga for runners.

Yoga at Gazelle Sports (from yesterday’s post) states that yoga…

  • is a perfect cross-training activity to help prevent running injuries and pain
  • will help with stress in your body and mind
  • strengthens your balance and elongate your muscles

Christine from Christine Felstead’s Yoga for Runners says yoga will…

  • Strengthen your body by using muscles you don’t use when you run
  • Improve your breathing and can actually improve your VO2 max
  • Deepen your mind/body connection

She states that runners often JUST want to run [I used to be in this category] but that yoga can help you run safer, smarter, stronger and healthier!

So anyhow, I didn’t make it out for a run today, but I did do this Yoga for Runner’s sequence:

c3e4d6c33679a5f0dc8001716b2df1fe For more detailed information, visit the site HERE.

The #independencearmy  challenge is Galavasana or Flying Pigeon.

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Watch Kino model it HERE in her video.  She makes everything look so easy and graceful!  

We leave you with this inspiration… two yoga poses I can hopefully conquer someday!

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Night night 🙂

Follow our yoga challenge from the beginning by visiting our first post HERE.

Baby/Toddler Yoga! [yoga day 18]

Today we will be attending Kid’s Yoga for our yoga challenge…  

  • Kid’s Yoga hosted by GoYoga @ Polaris Fashion Place from 10:30AM-noon [outdoors by the fountain area near Cheesecake Factory] Sunny95 & Ivivva.com will be present too!  Find more information on lululemon athletica polaris‘ FaceBook page.

If you can’t make it or would prefer to try it at home, grab the nearest baby or toddler and try our sequence below…

Yoga Challenge – Day #18 

[t gellenbeck]

If I don’t want to share my mat, yoga must be done either during nap time, after bed time or at a studio.  Otherwise, my little guy [and often my Golden Retriever, Murphy] tends to cramp my style.  I can’t help but laugh at his desire to climb on me, jump, tumble and giggle on the mat!  So we made up a quick yoga sequence that we run through on days we want a little momma/baby time.

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Here are some photos for you visual learners, in no particular order…

 

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Have the little one help roll out your mat…

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And get started on the fun!

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Core work – legs bent, legs straight… similar to Superman [or Super Baby as we call it]

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Baby bench press – bring baby down to chest, then push up towards ceiling, as many as you can

Baby yoga-7     Baby yoga-13

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Forward fold and/or downward facing dog –

baby can participate or if its a little one, do some down dog kisses! 

Baby yoga-8   Baby yoga-10

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Baby’s turn!  

Help them do downward dog, summersaults, backbends and anything else they enjoy doing!  

 

#independencearmy challenge

Today’s posture, like so many others, is another challenging one… Eka Pada Koundinyasana II.  If you’re a beginner, just practice any of the other poses that you’ve been wanting to work on.

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@LauraSykora rocking it!

 

Today’s quote… help inspire a child to find the FUN in FITNESS!

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Follow our yoga challenge from the beginning HERE.

Have a fabulous start to the weekend!

Yoga Events [& yoga days 16 & 17]

Yoga Challenge – Day #16 

Nothing too creative here today.  We simply repeated Monday/day 14 workout…

You can find the yoga stretches on lululemon’s blog by clicking the links above, or on our earlier post.

#independencearmy challenge

Today’s posture, like so many others, is a challenging one… Astavakrasana or Eight Angle.  Good luck if you can master this one 🙂   As for us… maybe someday!

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Laura Sykora making look easy-peasy…. love when she does yoga with her mini!

 

Yoga challenge day #17 – Run @ Scioto Mile & POGA

A few of our runners met @ Bicentennial Park to get in a pre-yoga run.  We had hoped to get in 2.5 – 3 miles, but by the time we all found parking and laid our mats down for poga, we only had time to squeeze in 2.  The area around the park, including the Scioto Mile, is a beautiful place to run!  We first went along the skyline and of course, stopped to get a few pictures.

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We then ran through downtown and felt very urban!!  It was a good warm-up to our yoga class and we tracked it on the RUN FOR GOOD ap via Saucony.  More on this to come!

 

POGA was fun as usual.  It was through GoYoga, who is also running the Kid’s Yoga tomorrow @ Polaris.  It was a hip-hop theme so there may have been some dancing and booty-pops going on during the sequences 🙂  A good time was had by all!

POGA

POGA @ Bicentennial Park
POGA @ Bicentennial Park

#independencearmy challenge

Today’s pose was kukkutasana.  Laura Sykora demonstrates below…

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Follow our yoga challenge from the beginning HERE.

Speaking of beginning, check out these inspirational quotes, borrowed from @baileyactive and @yogainspiration…

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If you are new to yoga, why not take a 30 day challenge?  Get yourself into the habit of practicing daily, even if it is just for 10 minutes?  Kino of @kinoyoga stated, “Yoga is a daily personal practice that leads to the discovery of the inner self.”

Hope to see you in the next few days, either virtually… or even better, in person at one of the yoga events!