Great Running Bag! A Review of a Jane Marvel Tote

I was recently given the opportunity to try out and review a Jan Marvel bag.  I've always admired the pretty prints and happy colors they used.  However, I had no idea what the insides looked like, if the bag was durable or functional. 

I was sent the Bucket Tote in coated canvas.  The tote is made of durable canvas that has a light coating on it that protects it from dirt, stains, etc.   There are two ways to carry the bag, with the small handles or over the shoulder with the long strap.  It also goes "cross body" for when its packed full of stuff.

The bag can hold a LOT of stuff!  I've used it to carry things to yoga, to a meeting, to go run errands for the day, etc.  Its never let me down or not been big enough.  The shoulder strap is detachable.

The adorable pattern has gotten me a lot of compliments and since its so cute it doesn't look as if I'm carrying a duffel bag around on my shoulder.

The mag measures 14" long by 14" high by 6" deep.

The bag has two really neat open pockets on the outside of the bag.  I love them since I can throw in my cell phone, car keys, etc.  

The inside is bright and roomy and its easy to find what you're looking for. 

The tops zips so everything inside is secure.

The inside also have pockets so you can organize all of your things....both small and large. 

I love the fact that the bag comes with a matching eye glass holder and a clear plastic pouch to hold your messy items.

Its the all in one bag.  Perfect for anything you are doing.  This bag will make you happy and take you anywhere.

Take a peek at this bag on Jane Marvel's site here:

http://www.janemarvel.com/tote-bags?product_id=123

And they have lots of other shapes and patterns too!

Island Boost Review

There are a lot of energy drinks and "boosters" out there.  However, they are filled with chemicals and other unnatural products.  Island Boost is made with natural ingredients like glucose and fruit.  What I love about it is that it tastes good.  Unlike other pre performance drinks and gels, this one is one that you don't mind drinking! 

It comes in a handy pouch that can fit into your pocket, bag or waist belt.  They help you stay hydrated and one pouch is only 55 calories!

If you're an athlete Island Boost is a great addition to your daily workout routine.  Get your energy the natural way!

Take a look at Island Boost's website here:

http://www.islandboost.com/

Prayer Bead Necklace by Inspire Designs Shop

While the term "prayer bead" may make you think of something you'd wear the church, the Prayer Bead Necklace by Inspire Designs Shop is anything but boring.

The necklace is hand strung and can be made of natural stones, turquoise stones or onyx stones.  The one I received was natural stones.  While I love the other colors, the natural stones go with absolutely everything.

The necklace can be worn a variety of ways.  It can be worn as a long necklace, a short necklace, a bracelet, you name it.  There is a tutorial on ways to wear the necklace  here www.inspireddesignsgallery.net. .


Get your own Prayer Bead Necklace here:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/90973469/prayer-bead-necklace

The necklace is comfortable to wear.  You actually forget you have it on.  The beads and thread are smooth and never irritate your neck.

Of course you can use the necklace as part of your daily prayer or meditation practice.  I love wearing it as a part of any outfit, casual or dressy.

The necklace is what I call spiritual sophistication!  You can wear it as a reminder of your spirituality and still look great doing it!

Baggu Bag Review

I know that we've looked at a lot of bags over the years.  However, I feel the Baggu Duck Bag requires special mention.  It is a reusable shopping bag.  However, it goes above and beyond the traditional and popular "sack" bags that you're seen a lot of.  

The Baggu Duck bag is the perfect shape.  Its 16" high, 10" wide and 5.5" deep.  It stands up on its own so you can put it down and then add your things in an organized manner. 

Its made of durable recycled canvas and you have to love that.  

It has a small interior pocket which I love to hold those small items that normally get lost in a bag of this size.  The bag also has two small handles AND a long strap that adjusts up to 40".  I love the versatility of using it as a cross body or grabbing it by its handles as needed. 

The bag also has two snap closures so you can close the bag up tightly.  I found myself grabbing this bag over my other bags over and over again.  AND the best part is that Baggu bags are VERY reasonably priced.  

Check out their whole selection here:

http://baggubag.com/#Shop

Juil Sandal Review

If a pair of sandals could make you happy, these are them.  The Juil Hera sandals are adorable, comfortable and allow you to feel the earth below you in a way you never have before.

The Juil line of sandals have special copper pieces on your heel and on your toes.  They allow you to connect with the Earth below you and harness its inner energy.  While this may sound silly to you, I want you to stop and thing about all of the things you've been hearing about barefoot technology.  

Going barefoot is a way for your body to gain strength.  Walking in Juil sandals gives you that freedom but also allows you to harness the Earth's energy.  If you're rolling your eyes right now, just wear a pair for a day and you will know what I mean.

My pair of Hera sandals arrived in January and while it was COLD outside I insisted upon wearing them around to try them out.  They were so comfortable and made me feel so amazing I wore them all day, even out to dinner that night in the 30 degree weather.

Your Juil sandals will arrive in the most adorable shoe box you've ever seen.  Seriously, I'm anti clutter, but this box is worth keeping.  Oh and the shoes are tucked into a beautifully patterned yoga mat bag!  How cool is that?

Juil sandals come in all sorts of styles and colors.  You can check out the whole range here:

http://www.juil.com/index.php

My Hera sandals in Pewter seem to match just about everything and have taken me from casual to dressy to yoga class.  

Long Term

Lately I've been surrounded by people who have decided to run a new big race, or have completed one.  I have a lot of friends who really want to run, faster, farther, etc right away.  And I've been getting a lot of questions about why I'm not training for a marathon, tri, etc.  And so I started to give it some thought.

And I came up with this....I do train for races...they are just 5k to five miles races.  I am a runner for the rest of my life, not until the big race day.  I am focusing on a lot of things in my life right now and prepping for a big race won't fit in. However, I love supporting my friends and family who are training for something big.

I have also starting things about difference between training long term and training short term?  Do you think you train harder if you have an event coming up?  Do you strive to accomplish more if the carrot is in front of you?  I want to hear what you have to say?

I think deadlines do help us work harder.  I see a lot of people working under deadline in my line of work and I know that it also causes stress, and in the case of running, injuries.  So I am going to stick with my slow and steady mentality.  At least until I have a little more time in my life to dedicate to a big race.  And I'm looking forward to the challenge some day :)

Make Time For Fitness

I get asked a lot about what I do to make time for fitness.  I lost a lot of weight a few years ago and I did so while running my own business.  So it was always difficult to find the time.  However, I have a few tips that can help you carve out some time in your day to make time for your workout routine and more importantly, your health.

1.  Workout while you watch your shows.  Lots of people have shows they watch every since week and they record them.  Work out in a room where you can watch them at the same time.  Time will fly while you’re working out and you’re doing double duty!

2.  Bring your kids to the gym with you.  Lots of gyms offer day care services.  Ask about a monthly discount.  Despite the fact that it may be a little more expensive for you, often having no day care means you skip the gym, which in turn mean you waste your membership otherwise.

3.  Workout with the whole family.  Instead of working out inside or at a gym, take the whole family, dog included, for an outdoor walk.  Get everyone moving and the whole family will be more healthy!

4.  Buy a piece of workout equipment.  Although this may seem expensive, having your own piece of equipment allows you to workout whenever you get a chance.  This may be before everyone gets up in the morning, after everyone goes to bed at night or for a few minutes in the afternoon.

5.  Put it on your calendar.  If you simply say “sometime” during the day, its not going to happen.  However, if you have a specific plan and time your chances of success grow greatly.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Running Inspiration

Yoga Humor

TV Land

As some of you may know, I was recently asked to record some segments for TV Land's Best Night In.  On Monday nights TV Land airs reruns.  In between the episodes they have segments with how to information.  Past segments have included how to pick a dog, what to cook for Thanksgiving, what to buy for gifts, etc.  There are four segments, of one minute each.  I was asked to come in and create some organizing segments.

I received the phone call last Tuesday and I said YES after being asked.  I had a conference call two days later with the writer, the director and an assistant.  During the conference call we nailed down the topics for the four segments.  We chose closets, kids, totes, and junk drawers.

I gave them a list of props and when I arrived on Monday, the props were all there.  I spent some time with a wonderful props woman, Sally, getting everything camera ready.  We all know I love organizing so setting up the drawers and containers was a lot of fun.  Sally was able to make things look even prettier.

I then went to hair and makeup.  They were magicians.  I learned all about hair and makeup.  The whole process took a few hours and the result was amazing.  However, I still looked like myself.

Wardrobe was next and while I agonized over what to bring with me and had some new items in my selections, the stylist chose my trouser jeans, a loose fitting silk tank and earth colored cardigan.  She added some gold toned jewelry and I was ready to go.

We started recording quickly after that.  There is a lot of adjustments and prepping that go into each shot.  There are about 20 people behind the scenes including the director, assistant director, sound technicians, camera people, props people etc.

Each segment we were recording was 60 seconds and its shocking how quickly that goes by.  The director and producer are watching the whole thing on screen so they are constantly talking about what they want in the next take.

Looking happy on camera isn't easy.  You have to smile at the camera, look in the right place, smile at the host, think about what you're saying next, speak coherently, keep your wardrobe from crinkling and keep it under 60 seconds.  We did about four takes on each of the segments, plus "b roll" of the products, and intros and outros.

The entire crew were very understanding and super nice.  I was very lucky to have had the opportunity.

Filming took about six hours, plus hair and makeup.  It was a long, very tiring day and I loved every second of it. I can't wait to do more!  The spots will run on the 5th of March.  Here are a few pictures from the day...

Restorative Yoga

I've been talking about yoga for a while now and I'm sure you wondering why I am talking about it so much on a running blog.  However, its been teaching me a lot.  Mostly, I love the feeling from working out at hard as possible for an hour and a half and dripping with sweat when I'm done.  I love the feeling of pushing hard and finding release at the same time.  However, I've recently tried a new type of yoga.

Its offered at the same studio where I take power yoga and its even taught by some of the same teachers.  However, its completely different.  Its called restorative yoga.  Instead of focusing in strength and power movements, it focuses on stillness, release and relaxation.  There is a series of five poses.  Each pose is held for about ten minutes.

The teacher will come around and make adjustments during that time.  During the class you are on your mat.  However, you also use two yoga blocks, a bolster, a yoga strap, a sand bag and a blanket.

The teacher comes around during your relaxation and rubs balm on your temples and rubs your feet.

The first time I ended up in the class it was by accident.  Due to a scheduling error I ended up in the class.  I was upset at first because I wasn't going to get a "real" workout.  However, I soon realized the feeling was amazing.

Its a very deep relaxation that is difficult to explain.  Its not as if you are falling asleep, but floating and everything just floats away.  If you have a chance, I highly suggest taking a class like this.  I can't find time to go every week but I'm trying to treat myself as often as possible, at least one a month.