About once or twice a year I get an itch.  I never quite figure out how to scratch it and each time I feel defeated and bored.  This itch that I get wants me to be doing something....something creative.  I'm a creator, I always have been but I've never really found that thing that I love doing.

I will admit, I'm good at a lot of things but I get bored.  I use to scrapbook, loved it, did it for a while but got bored, knit, did it for a long time (the longest I've done anything, I think), was really good at it but got bored and just recently packed away all my knitting supplies.  I love sewing, and making my children clothes.  But again the same thing, I do it for a bit, but then just find I get bored or tired or something and end up putting it away.

The same things goes for this blog.  I get motivated, want to write, want to get my site up and going again but then start and get bored.  So, here I am.  I don't know how long I'll stick around this place but I do have plans.  I have it schedule in my planner and hope to add things like, monthly favourites, clothing/shopping and makeup posts.  Family things still of course, and anything else that may come about.  We'll see!  I'm not promising anything of course, we'll see how quickly I get bored again. Although I really hope not this time.

Well we did it!  We ran the color me rad 5k and we had a great time!  This year was in a different location and to be honest I loved it!  I thought the scenic route was beautiful to look at and the route itself had some great ups and downs!

As I mentioned in my previous post, we decided this year to run it with our girls (6 and 9).  They enjoyed the colors, the people and being together.

Great ready, set, go!  We're off!

There are so many people at these races, that I find it very difficult to get right to running at the start, so we took our time and had a little bit of fun with this road block and pretending we were hurdlers.  The photographers loved it and keep asking for more!

But we always have time for a little fun!

and giggles

 

About to head into the purple colour station.  A favourite colour of most!

I wish there was some way that the colours could be distributed a bit better.  It's hard to get totally coloured up when it's just a few people standing around and throwing it at people as they run by.  It's fun but I think cannons, or something would make it WAY more exciting!

Running hard to the finish!

We're finished!!

It was a great time, the kids were tired!  I was happy to have done it again and I can only image that next year Krystal and I will be able to do it again but this time running the entire thing.  We're going to train and I mean it this time!  We're going to practice and we can only go up from here!

Well we made it, we didn't run quite as much as we hoped too in order to prepare for our 5k but we're almost there and we're ready!  We've got our shoes (although Krystal's not sure which pair), we've got our energy and we're ready to run the Color Me Rad 5k race again this year!

Last year before our race we Zumba'd at the city hall

It's not an intense race but it's fun exactly what we need, because like I said our training schedule sort of went out the window this past few months.  With busy lives, crappy weather and just not feeling the motivation Krystal and I failed, BIG time!

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for hooking us up with some great swag though to help us prepare and save the little motivation we did have.  The socks, hair ties, water bottle, and journal were perfect!  And if you are looking for some more motivation to get out on the streets and prepare for a run, I'd reccomend looking up Alexandra Heminsley's Running Like a Girl, Notes on Learning to Run.  It's not a guide to teach you to run per say but more of the story behind how she got running marathons.  Her back story and the emotion she felt as she "learns to run" is so true and feelings that all new runners (at least Krystal and I) have felt.  The lack of motivation when you feel like you body is falling apart, the aches, pains and crappy weather.  She talks about it all, oh yeah and the worry about washroom breaks while you're out running too!  It's definitely worth a read.  It's a quick and easy book and won't take long to "run" through *see what I did there! :)

Last year after we finished the race

We're both running with our kids this year so I'm sure we'll have lots of laughs, lots of giggles and I'm sure they will be a big motivation to KEEP moving.  They are going to have a blast running through all the colour stations with us.  I can't wait for our photos.  I will definitely have an update when we're done to show everyone just how messy we got!

I'm very excited!

Our mommy group "Better Me Than Hue".  This year it's just Krystal and I running for #runninglikeagirl

See you on the other side!









Kandice

I know there is a lot of information already online regarding this exact thing, but I'm working through this one my own right now and trying to decide what I'd like to invest in.  So I'm putting it out there to the world, because I think I've made my decision based on my own research.

Fit Bit - $99.95 - different styles - flex, zip, one. It tracks steps, distance, and calories burned.  It also tracks your sleep quality and wakes you in the morning.  Multiple colours to choose from.  Wirelessly sync.  Free iPhone & Android app and online tools.  Food database is lacking, sleep tracking is inconsistent.

Nike+ fuelband - $149 - measures movement, measures your everyday activity and turns it into NikeFuel.  Tracks calories burned, steps taken and more.  Syncs wirelessly, social because of the fuel points.  You set goals to reach.  Has a USB plug
Not as accurate as other monitors.

Polar FT4 - $139 - heart rate monitor , calculates your target heart rate zone and shows when you're improving fitness based on your heart rate, shows calories burned.  It is said to be very accurate.  Keeps data for you,  chest strap

So I've read/watched a lot of reviews on the web, I'll leave a few of the ones that I thought were helpful below but I think I've narrowed it down to the Fit Bit and the Polar FT4.  I've read many people use them both because it's fun to keep yourself working toward the goal of walking "x-number" of steps per day (as you can do with the Fit Bit) but it's also really great to keep track of your exact calorie count with each workout session you do, which you can do very accurately with the Polar FT4.  So I think I'm going to get both (eventually).

I'm going to start with the FitBit (I'm ordering it as we speak) and I will write up a review for you as soon as I get it!  I'm looking forward to it.  My hubby is also getting one so I think it'll be fun to see an improvement together.

Some links to where I read up on the different products:
eating whole Fit Bit Flex vs Polar FT4
Polar FT4 Watch Heart Rate Monitor Review
Nike+ Fuel Band review
The Nears FitBit Flex and FitBit Aria
Polar FT4 amazon reviews
FitBit Flex amazon reviews
Nike+ FuelBand amazon reviews couldn't find much on amazon in terms of reviews for the FuelBand
engadget Nike FuelBand SE review

This is it, I'm going to try again and this time I'm not going to fail.  I'm going to beat this weight and I'm going to be happy with me and who I am as a person.

Lately I've had a VERY sore back, so sore that I actually had to crawl into the house on all fours after being out in the garage working on a project out there.  I just couldn't stand and I certainly couldn't walk and I thought about it for a long time.  How much of this pain is because I'm "overweight".  If I lost even just a little weight would I have less back pain?  Probably not a lot because even when I was younger and thinner I had a horrible back.  Genes (thanks Mom!) and being hit by a vehicle when I was younger have just given me bad luck when it comes to aches and pains in my back.

But I really thought about it and thought, does it make sense for me to just sit back and deal with the pain or try and do something about it.

So here I go again, yet another attempt to get healthy!

This time I'm serious.  My BIG goal is to loose 90lbs, but I know that having such a big goal for me isn't going to work.  I need to start smaller and have smaller goals that I know are attainable.  I am also going to reward myself with fun things after each goal is reached.  If I don't reach the goal, I don't get the reward, simple as that.

So my goals and my rewards.

First 10lbs - A new pair of running shoes (I hope to loose 10lbs (ish) a month, that's about 2 lbs a week, but the timing isn't really my goal, it's just about losing it.)

Probably something like these:
10lbs -  A new bike helmet and bike bag

10lbs - A new yoga outfit

10lbs - something form Henri Bendel for me!

10lbs -


Want to help me think of some new goals?  I'm going to update as I think of some new things but right now this is a start.  I know I'm working toward some new running shoes (and I really need them)!  It's starting today!

I'm looking forward to this journey and I really hope that anyone that might actually read this place can help encourage, and give me the motivation I'll need to keep going!  It'll be a long journey but I'm excited for the end destination (and I don't just mean the cruise at the end, although that definitely helps!)

In case you want to join me I've joined MyFitnessPal with the username kshiell.  If you'd like to join me in my journey other than just here on my blog feel free to pop over there and friend me or whatever you do over there.  I'd be happy to help you too if you're on a journey to a healthy you!