Sometimes Florida sucks.

So today I did a tour in pantyhose, heels, a wool skirt, a puff sleeve shirt, and a thick vest in this:

This physically hurt me.  I didn't realize how much of a pansy I am about heat, especially if I'm in that much clothing.  I felt so bad for everyone on my tour because I was dripping sweat.  I made the mistake of wearing my bangs down and I feel like they were super duper attractive the whole time.  To make it even better, I wanted to be extra impressive on this tour because Jamie and two of his best friends from home were on it - I'm sure they were very impressed by how much I could sweat.  Jamie assures me that they were also impressed with the tour and had a great time... but I have a feeling they were also impressed with the sweat.  Let's be real.

The real problem with the heat is that it knocks all the energy I ever had out of me.  Please notice that there is no "today's workout" or "today's run" at the top of this page.  I had a really great streak going - I exercised Monday through Friday this week, every day.  I had planned on doing a HIIT workout today, but there is no way that is happening.  My head hasn't stopped pounding for hours.  I am currently guzzling water in hopes that it will help, and I'm going to go to bed early, which will be delightful.  There's a part of me that wants to push myself to do a quick workout, but honestly, I am drained.  I think if I did exercise, it would do more damage than good - plus, I want to go to bed soon and I think it would be better if I just relaxed.  And I had a salad for lunch on the tour instead of getting chicken nuggets and I only stole one of Jamie's fries when he wasn't looking so... I think we're okay here.

... really, that's it.  It's 8:51 and I'm thinking about crawling into bed right now.  In my defense, my alarm will be going off at 4:30 tomorrow morning, so going to bed at 9:00 is justified.  It's either that or I go to Chick-fil-a for the millionth time this week.  We shall see what happens.

A four mile run and why I need new shoes.

Today's run: 4.01 miles in 57:00 or...

I am newly obsessed with this app called BeautifulMess that allows me to add heart borders and squiggly lines to photos.  Which helps with my other obsession, Instagram.  I don't even remember life before iPhones and apps.  I think it was a dark and sad time.

This was a tough run to get up for, and though I woke up before my alarm was supposed to go off, I did NOT want to get out of bed.  Bed was very cuddly, and I had plenty of time to sleep in before work today.  But instead of sleeping in for an extra hour and a half, I got up and went out for a four mile run. And though it was slow (still sore from Wednesday's HIIT workout... seriously rough workout) I am incredibly glad that I went.  The weather was lovely and it was nice to just go out and run.  I'm getting back into the groove of running - I know I run best and enjoy it the most when I'm running 3 days a week and focusing on cross training on the off days, rather than just sitting around.  Today marked my fifth day in a row of exercise (yeehaw!) so I know that if I keep at it, it will just keep getting better.

That being said, though I'm glad I went for the run, my feet are going to fall off.  After the run (and a delightful shower, courtesy of new Bath & Body Works products) I got into my pantyhose and heels and went to work, and then I got into my yoga pants and sandals and met Jamie and his friends in Epcot.  In the back of Epcot.  And then I walked around Epcot, walked out of Epcot, walked to my car... and then this happened.

This earned me at least one new pair of Toms, right?  Right?

100 by Summer

Check it out, kids... this makes two blog posts on two consecutive days.  I'm on fire here.

I would love to say that today was a wonderful day in the world of weight loss and fitness because after all, I was just here yesterday posting about how I'm trying to do check-ins with the Tone it Up team and how I'm trying to blog more and isn't that wonderful motivation to stay on track?  You would think.  And to my credit, today started off well - I had a healthy smoothie for breakfast and had plenty of water before I even got to work.  But I didn't have time to pack my lunch before I ran out the door, so I had to buy lunch at work.  I told myself that I would get a grilled chicken sandwich, and hey... I did!  It's not my fault that onion rings jumped into my hand too.

That being said, one of the things that I am working on along with my weight loss and fitness goals is not beating myself up over every little thing.  This is something that I have always struggled with, and I probably will always struggle with it, but I want to work on it.  I'm very hard on myself, and this applies to everything - not only am I hard on myself with weight loss, fitness, eating, healthy lifestyle and all that fun stuff, but I'm also hard on myself with friendships and relationships.  I was hard on myself in school and now I'm hard on myself at work.  I am easily my toughest critic, and while sometimes that works out well because it forces me to push myself, sometimes it backfires badly and I end up just feeling terrible about myself.  So I'm working on it.  And I'll start with lunch - yes, I grabbed onion rings.  But then I grabbed water instead of soda, and when I had a couple onion rings and realized I didn't like them, I stopped eating them.  Tiny successes, right?

Then I came home from work and napped.  Let's be honest, I don't even feel bad about it.  That nap was glorious.

But I did manage to get a little exercise in today!  I did a 2 mile Leslie Sansone workout.  I don't know if I've mentioned Leslie Sansone on the blog before, but I love her.  My mom started using her DVDs a few years ago, and I will admit that when she first told me that she had purchased indoor walking DVDs, I scoffed.  You can walk outside, I said.  Indoor walking sounds dumb, I said.  

I was wrong.  First of all, Leslie Sansone is a delight.  I think she and I would get along very well because we are both super bubbly and we both talk a lot.  Plus, she seems to like bright colors and sparkly things.  We'd probably be best friends.  Which means that honestly, her workouts are fun.  They are not crazy choreographed or super strenuous because yes... they are indoor walking DVDs.  But do I sweat?  Does it get my heart rate up?  Absolutely.  Love her for days when I cannot face jumping around like a crazy person with Chalene Johnson and TurboFire, or when I cannot face HIIT workouts.  Which is most days.

Those two miles that I did with Ms. Sansone got me two miles closer to completing the 100 miles by summer challenge that the Tone it Up girls started.  On Monday, they announced that they were challenging everyone to complete 100 miles by summer, whether it be walking, running, biking, swimming, hiking, on the elliptical... they even count dance!  So I've been tracking my miles!  I'm doing pretty well so far - on Monday, I went to Body Jam, which is an hour dance class.  That counts for 3 miles.  Then on Tuesday, I went for a 3.75 mile run, and yesterday I did a one mile Leslie Sansone workout after a brutal HIIT workout.  Which means that including today, I'm up to 9.75 miles - not bad for four days!  Tomorrow is another run for me, so that will get me a few more miles as well.  At least if I actually get up at 6 am to run.

Aaaaaaand... that's it.  Really.  I went to work, came home, took a nap, did a quick workout, and then went to P.F. Chang's with Jamie and ate too much.  But I drank plenty of water and had brown rice and brought home half of my entree, so... I'm saying we're good.  See?  I told you I was working on that whole beating myself up thing.  One day at a time, kids... one day at a time.

Trying to get my head on straight.

This is a quick little blog post because it's almost time for bed for me.  As always, I am having trouble committing to regular blogging.  But there is something that I have committed to more successfully - regular Instagramming (is that a verb?) for the Tone it Up girls. 
I've mentioned the Tone it Up girls before, when I was just starting to like them and follow them.  Now I pretty much adore them.  I want to buy their Beach Babe DVD and I'm trying to talk myself into their nutrition plan.  There's some sticker shock involved with that one ($150?!) but people say it is worth it. And truly, I think they are just sweethearts.  And not just because their videos are cute and they are very sweet to one another, but because of my experience with the Tone it Up girls, the Tone it Up community, and Instagram.
I love Instagram.  I think it makes pretty cool pictures into super cool pictures, and it entertains me.  Well, the Tone it Up girls love Instagram too, but they use it for what they call "check-ins" - meaning that their followers, or the Tone it Up community, post pictures and details about their workouts, their daily meals, etc.  I started doing exercise focused Instagram posts when the Tone it Up girls started their Bikini Series (check it out here) and encouraged everyone to check in on Instagram.  I made a new account just for exercise related posts (if you want to follow me, I'm tiurunnerjess) and started checking in.  I try to post a picture a day, if not more.  I have skipped some days, and some days have been kind of pathetic posts, but I try.  And it got me thinking - if I can manage to commit to doing check-ins on Instagram, can't I try a bit harder with my blogging?
So here goes.  Once again I commit to blogging regularly, and I really hope I can stick with it.  But since I know my track record, I'm going to cut myself some slack - sometimes my blog post might just be a repeat of what I've put on Instagram.  Possibly not the most original thing in the world, but it gets the job done, right?
And since I've already said I'm going to do it... let's go ahead and do it.  Here's my most recent check in on Instagram, also known as the look of horror that was etched onto my face after I tried the 30-minute lower body HIIT routine from this DVD.  Dear heavens.  My poor legs.

Can you see the drop of sweat about to fall from the tip of my nose?  Seriously.  I am so pretty.

Now it's definitely bedtime.  See you again tomorrow!

Jessica vs. the ActiveLink

This is my ActiveLink.

The ActiveLink is one of my many beloved gadgets.  It is a Weight Watchers gizmo, and it was designed to track your movement throughout the day and convert that movement into Activity Points.  Sounds cool, right?  On a good day, it makes life super easy and it either motivates you to work harder, or makes you realize how hard you're already working - for example, if you plug it into your computer in the afternoon (it has a nice USB plug on the end, making that super easy) and see that you've earned 6 points already, it's a good day!  But if you plug it into your computer in the afternoon and see that you've earned 1 point for the day, it might motivate you to work a bit harder and get in some more movement.

Please note my use of the word "might."

On a good day, the ActiveLink is motivating and inspiring.  But on a day like today, where my appetite and desire to sit on my couch and watch TV greatly outweighed my desire to go to the gym or eat carrots, the ActiveLink can be discouraging.  Frustrating.  Infuriating.

Because when I finished my workout for the day and plugged that sucker in, this is what I saw.

Can't tell what offended me?  Here, let me zoom in for you...

I beg your pardon, ActiveLink?!  One activity point?!  This is after my workout, kids.  Now yes, this is also after me sitting on the couch and then me falling asleep on the couch, but still?!  I thought I was going to punch something.

So, the rest of the day can be seen as one long battle of me vs. the ActiveLink.  I went to Target and walked around (and then bought everything in Target, but that is unimportant).  Jamie and I went to Hollywood Studios and I kept walking.  And finally, I got home and saw this.

A vast improvement.

Three things.

1.  I am not succeeding at my "blog every day in April" goal, I know.  But I am trying!  Already I have blogged more in April than I did in February or March, and I'm getting close to beating January.  So... yay for that!

2.  I just bought myself a new app for my iPad and had to recommend it to anyone still reading this (so... myself) - it's called Sworkit, and it creates a random circuit workout for you.  You input what kind of workout you want to do (cardio, strength, yoga, etc.) and how long you want to do it (I tried 15 minutes to start) and it starts you on a workout!  I was impressed at the variety of moves, and I really enjoyed the format.  You do each move for only 30 seconds, which was especially nice for hateful things like burpees.  It also gives you random 30 second breaks, which is especially nice after hateful things like burpees.  I found that I worked hard because I knew it was only 30 seconds, and I wanted to keep going because I didn't know what was coming up next!  I don't think I would have the patience to do a long workout with it, but for a 15 minute burst of cardio when I felt like I hadn't done enough, it was nice.  Recommended!
3.  I have finally gotten used to my haircut... so here goes.  Photographic evidence.

Completely down.

Half up.

TINY PONYTAIL!

I'm still getting used to it, especially now in Florida humidity where it kind of puffs out.  It is shorter than I expected, but it has grown on me.  And several people have told me that it looks great, so... I'll take it :)
Until tomorrow!

I did something kind of crazy today...

I got my hair cut.  Actually cut.  Not my usual haircut which is essentially just trimming off the last inch of hair and making my bangs into bangs again.  I looked in the mirror, completely frustrated by how long my hair had gotten, and called the salon that I normally go to in Colorado.  The stylist I really like is almost always swamped, so I was assuming that they would tell me to book an appointment for the next time I was in town.  But she had an opening at 12:15, so I took it.  I assumed it was a sign and I was meant to get my hair cut today!
... I'm still deciding if this is true.
I knew what I wanted going into the appointment.  I was a little nervous, of course, because I've had my hair pretty darn long for a while now.  

See example: a picture from pretty early on in this blog's life.  Long-ish hair.

But I'll be honest - for the past couple months, I have not been thrilled with my hair,  It had just gotten way too long, to the point that it didn't have any actual style.  I would blow it dry and straighten it and it would look great for a little while, but it soon fell very flat and looked limp.  Plus, it was hard to do anything with it.  My standard side ponytail was absurdly long, to the point that it interfered with my nametag if I wore it that way for work.  The sock bun, one of my favorite things now, was even getting difficult because between my layers and the length, it was almost impossible to get all the pieces into the bun.  The point is - I was ready for a change.  I was ready to have her chop off a few inches.

I was not ready for what happened.

I love my stylist still, and by no means would I say I got a bad haircut.  It's a great haircut, it's just not what I thought I had described.  It seems she and I had a different vision of the kind of change I wanted.  Hers was a bit more extreme.  As in... my standard side ponytail?  Not possible right now.  The sock bun?  I haven't tried it yet, but considering the size of my wee little ponytail, I'm not thinking it will work.  I said goodbye to a lot of hair today, and while I was ready to say goodbye to some, I'm not sure I was ready for everything that was chopped.

As my mom gently reminded me throughout the day - it's just a haircut.  The hair will grow back.  And my hair tends to grow very quickly, so I know it will grow back.  And it is a cute haircut... but I keep going back and forth between liking it and then wanting to cry and go back and get extensions.  If I had to decide right this second, I would go with a slight panic attack, especially since I made the poor choice of Googling "how fast does hair grow" and learned that it could take a year for me to get back all that was cut off.  So right now I am feeling a little overwhelmed.  Let's see how I feel tomorrow.