Mimi's Fitness and Things!

Last Sunday I ran my first half marathon!  I ran the  Rock N Roll Latin Music Miami Beach Half Marathon. I know in my previous post I said that my first would be in January but this opportunity fell into my lap and I couldn't say no.  So I laced up my sneaks, attached my heart rate monitor and put on my bib number and ran 13.1 miles.  Ok it wasn't that simple but to say I was nervous was an understatement.  I was so nervous that I went into total denial about the whole thing.  My running mates would ask me if I was excited and I'd say yes but in my mind I would be thinking that there was no way in hell that I was running this race. I was so much in denial that I didn't book my hotel room until the night before I was supposed to head down to South Beach. After that I went to put my race gear together.  My sports bra, my "Black Girls Run" tshirt, my capris, socks, sneakers, and my ankle brace. I had my energy gels and water bottle ready to go....

What do you mean eating clean Miriam? I don't eat off the floor or dig threw the dumpsters for dinner!   Well that's not what I mean by clean eating.  Eating clean is the new catchphrase that is used to describe a person who eats natural whole food.  It's sad that our society must categorize food into areas such as real food and fake food, or like some people like to call Frakenfood.  That's food that's put together in a lab somewhere.  Clean eating also scares people because they think it means eating plain boring food with no flavor. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Eating clean simply means getting your food source from it's most natural source.  So dinner every night doesn't have to be bland chicken breast with broccoli and brown rice.  You can still eat hamburgers and fries! No I'm not joking. Only thing is you'll have to get lean meat and eat it on whole wheat bread. And cut up some sweet potatoes to make into fries.  Pres...

Here's another recipe that I found online and tried for myself! This one comes from the Toneitup.com girls. Karena and Katerina.  I mentioned these girls and their site back in May .  I love this website and these trainers.Why? Because not only are they uplifting and motivating their website is the bomb. You can find all sorts of healthy and clean recipe, workout routines and beauty tips on their site. On Twitter and Facebook  they are always inspiring you to workout and giving out challenges to do throughout the day.  Well when they posted this recipe I just had to try it. I was having a sweet tooth craving and this came about right on time!   BLACKBERRY COBBLER Melt 1 stick Earth Balance 'butter' stick in a 9x12 baking pan as you bring your oven to 350 degrees. Add in dish:  8 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen and 1 cup honey In a separate bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups each:  all purpose flour, organic light brown sugar, almond milk...

I wanted to start posting more on my blog but couldn't figure out what more to talk about other than my workouts. I mean there's only so many ways you can say "I worked out today." Then I thought about it and it came to me while scrolling through the 600 pictures on my phone. I take a lot of pictures of my food.  I don't know why , maybe it's because I was never a cook. I was never that creative in the kitchen.  I don't like to experiment at all.  Unlike my husband who will throw anything within arm's reach into the pot to cook. I have to follow directions down the very teaspoon.  That's why I love recipes that are clear and concise!  Otherwise my meals would be complete disasters. Just ask my husband. LOL Anyway, like I was saying I like taking pictures of my creations.  Feel a sense of pride when it comes out good and my family eats it up!  The fact that it's healthy is an added bonus! So I will start featuring some healthy recipes that I...

It's been a while since I've added to my series of "Exercises I do so you don't have too....." I didn't think I tried anything that I haven't mentioned already until I started thinking about running. That's when it dawned on my that I haven't shared my new love! Running, what a great sport.  You don't need any expensive equipment. It can be done anywhere, at anytime with anyone or alone.   But let me tell you running with someone really pushes you to go faster and longer.  I run with a group of ladies from my running group Black Girls Run .  This is a phenomenal group. Met some wonderful ladies who want to stay active and fit. We meet up once or twice a week depending on our schedules. We support each other and push each other to run faster and longer than we probably would on our own.  I've really taken to running.  I never thought that I could more more than a mile. Now I'm up to 6 miles.  So if you've been thinking about go...

Wow summer is winding down and so is 2011.  If I would recap this past year as far as my fitness journey is concerned I would say it has been amazing.  I can't believe all that I accomplished in the last year. Since January I've lost over 37 pounds of fat and gained almost 10 pounds of muscle.  I started this year at 172 pounds and 9 months later I weigh 141 pounds and fit into a size 4 pants!!  Even I couldn't believe it when I put on those pants and they fit. I did a dance of joy in the fitting room at Ann Taylor!  Which by the way is my new favorite store for pants because they have a curvy line for women like me who have hips and big butt going on.  You just don't know how hard it is to find the perfect pair of pants for "curvy" women. Every store should have line of pants. But I digress..... Since I've reached my weight loss goals I've noticed that motivation to exercise has waned a little. The month of August I was really lax when it came to ex...

So I've been MIA this summer. Lots been going on but just couldn't get it all down to put on paper.  I went on  vacation this summer which was fun and I actually got some workouts in and managed to eat fairly healthy.  I actually did very well this summer with working out and losing weight. But I'll blog about that later.  Today what brought me out of my blogger hiding place was my birthday weekend. Last Friday was my birthday and apparently I lost my mind.  I ate like it was nobody's business.  The day before my birthday hubby and I and our son went for pizza. It was sooo good. I miss pizza.  It's my weakness. I had 3 small slices.     Friday I ate pretty well. I made my first ever guacamole dip. It was so good.  I ate a chicken and guacamole on whole wheat for lunch on Saturday but afterwards we went for cupcakes!  I got a red velvet cupcake from a shop called Allegria. I mean it was my birthday it was allowed!  LOL Th...

Been a while since I blogged so I figured I just type until I can finally come up with an actual topic to write about. LOL I'm still on my 5 day workout schedule but I did have a little hiccup. I got my hair done at the end of May. And anyone following this blog since the beginning know when that happens somehow working out takes a back seat. I wasn't too bad this time around. I did workout the day after but then I didn't do anything for two days after that. The weirdest thing happened. I missed working out! Can you believe that? LOL I actually missed and more than that I felt extremely guilty for not working out. So I got back on the saddle so to speak and got over my hair issue. Besides I've been doing a lot of reading on the internet on how to take care of our hair after working out. Actually I found a lot of "How-To" videos on you tube. So I've spent the last 2 weeks in the hair store buying all kinds of products to help restore my hair. A new...

I just wanted to check in with you guys. The weight loss is still going well. I'm still losing about a pound a week. Still working out 5 days a week. I even started a running group. It's apart of a bigger organization called Black Girls Run! I talked about them in my last blog post. We meet once a week at the park and walk. So far it's the three of us but I have people who have shared their interest to join. Right now we are mostly walking but we're up to walking three miles. We hope to make it four tomorrow. I've made a new goal for myself. I can't believe I'm putting it out there but it makes me accountable if I do. I decided that I want to run a marathon, alright a Half marathon. That's 13 miles for anyone who didn't know. Yes run for 13 miles. That's nuts right but it's my new goal for this year. Anyways.....One of the things about losing weight that no one really talks about is the fact that your underwear gets too big. This may ...

Yikes! I just realized that I haven’t posted this month yet and we’re half way done with the month of May. Where does the time go?  I spent earlier this morning reading through my blog entries from January. I can’t believe it’s been 5 months since I started writing this blog.  It reminded me of the goals I had set for myself. This morning I weighed myself and realized that I had reached some of them. I posted back in January that I wanted to l weigh 155 by July, which meant losing 17 pounds.  Well I am happy to report that as of May 17, 2011 I achieved my goal and have lost the 17 pounds and am currently weigh 155 pounds!   Woohoo!!  When I told my husband this morning he gave me a high five and told me to smile and be happy I accomplished this goal. Because truth was I wasn’t happy.  I am still not happy about my body. But after he prodded me and forced me to smile I did start to revel in the fact that I had accomplished my goal and it was far soo...

Alright so it's picture day today.  For the last four months I've been chronicling my journey in this blog. What you didn't know was that I was also taking photos of myself once a month, sort of like a visual blog to follow also.  The last four months have certainly been a journey.  As I look back on the photos I must say even I was surprised at the results.  When you lose weight I swear you're the first person and last person to see it.  In the beginning when you're losing 2, 3,and  7 pounds you notice it when your clothes start to get a little loose. But after a while you stop noticing the weight loss and then that's when everyone start noticing. I swear I lost 15 pounds before people really starting commenting on it.  Sometimes I have to take a step back and look at my self and say "dang what do they see" because their reactions are so  out there. Looking back on these photos I know see what they see and even I must say "Wow Miriam"  LOL...

That was what happened in South Florida this weekend. My sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., hosted it's regional conference which consists of sorority members from Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.  During the course of the conference which started on Thursday and concluded on Sunday we went to plenary sessions where they talked about the state of the sorority, did committee reports and talked about all the community service we've been doing in our local communities and how it made an impact globally.  This weekend alone we collected shoes for a organization called Soles4Souls. Soles4Souls is a Nashville-based charity that collects shoes from the warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you, according to their website.   This weekend alone between the hotel staff at the Westin Dipolmat and the members of the sorority in attendance ( over 3000 ladies) we collected over 6,000 pairs of shoes to go to people in need...

As I travel along on my fitness journey lots of things have been happening. As you all know, because I told you, I work out about 5 days a week some days I work out twice. I've been making much better food choices and doing the whole portion control thing, limiting processed foods. I'm not saying I've mastered this whole thing but I think I've finally gotten into my stride after about 3 months of really doing this. The weight is coming off and my muscle tone has increased along with my endurance and stamina. And people are really starting to notice now.  I can't tell you how many compliments I'm getting from friends, family and co-workers. I love that all my hard work is paying off and people are starting to notice. But of course with all this new found exposure people start asking me questions.  How much weight have I lost? What have I been doing? Are you on some kind of diet? This question sort of drives me crazy! I'll tell you why.   I know in our mi...

We missed Shamu :( So this weekend I went to Sea World. We received a free ticket in the mail a couple weeks ago. I must say this was a great marketing tactic by Sea World. It was a trip we probably would have never made if it wasn't for that ticket. And in addition to the free ticket up to 6 family members could have received $20 off the price of admission. Which is ridiculous now. $77!!! But I digress.... so after having  lively debate with my husband on when we should go. Like his first response to anything is always "NO!" I'm like dude really relax. So we talked about it and decided to go this past weekend because he starts class again next weekend. So we packed up the Venza and the baby and we were off on our 2.5 hour trip to Orlando. So first stop before we leave is to get something to eat for the road. Anyone who travels knows trying to find something healthy on the run is next too impossible.  I think it's something ingrained in us as humans to want ...