Low Impact Working Out + Meet Nina

You know what the best thing in the world is for a runner? Getting a clear from the Ortho that you can start low impact walking and low impact working out.

I saw the ortho yesterday, y'all. MRI's were done, and a small bit of physical therapy to see how things were healing.
I swear I almost hugged him, y'all! Obviously it will still be a few more weeks before things are back to 100%. And they may not even be back to 100%, so I can't push things.But I was told that I can start working out with legs again. I can't run, and I can't do jumping jacks. I CAN do squats and lunges though! So GREAT NEWS!

Additionally,

I no longer have to wear my brace unless I feel like I need it. So, not a whole lot going on in the workout world this week. (That makes three weeks in a row! Ouch!) But, now that I've got the clear to do some low impact stuff, I feel better about actually doing something. Here's to a new week!

How have y'all been doing with Bloggers Give it 100? Link up with Kendra, Lora, and I to share!

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And now for a real treat!

Describe yourself in four words. 
creative
faithful
passionate
resilient 

I really love your blogging style. What made you start blogging?
I've always been a writer. It's the one thing that has been clear to me but I don't know what it will look like. In the meantime, I want to be a good steward of the passion God gave me. Meanwhile, at the time, I'd moved away from my entire Italian family (no one leaves the Midwest) to San Francisco without knowing a soul and I wanted to chronicle the adventure, the hard parts and the amazing parts!

You're a new addition to the crayon box. Which color would you be, and why?
Anything bright. Just not purple. I have nothing against purple but every time I wear it, something truly awful happens. I am not even superstitious so I have even tested it out! But when you have to put a beloved dog down wearing purple and you're broken up wearing purple...Seriously! My friends love purple and I love that purple is kind to them but purple just messes with my mojo.

What's the best advice you've ever gotten about blogging?
I've gotten plenty of technical help. How do I start a newsletter? How do I optimize my posts?

But I guess the actual writing and blogging part, the content and so on...I don't really follow advice. I am sure I could write more pinnable posts more often but I want to stay true to my mission statement and why I started the blog in the beginning.

Better than advice, the encouragement and support has been amazing. Maybe that's the best advice I've gotten: keep telling your story. 

What's your favorite movie quote?
This is so easy. Cary Grant says it to Katherine Hepburn in A Philadelphia Story: "You'll never be a first class human being or a first class woman until you've learned to have some regard for human frailty."

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Anything my nonna makes.

Why would I choose it? Come over to Nonna's and you'll know why.

I love how genuine Nina is. If you want to see more about her, follow along! 

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Bloggers Give it 100 || Life Happens

Y'all... life happened this past week. I was on a roll. I ran Wednesday last week and I got  my 3 mile time under 40 minutes. My best time EVER. I was stoked to see what I could get my time to be last Friday. And then.... accidents happened. Life happened.

I did some at home workouts on Friday. I make it a point to do abs, core, and some sort of hand weights at home if I'm not doing a workout video. Everything seemed pretty normal to me, and I didn't feel like I had pushed myself too far.

Until...

Life is #imperfect... There's messy living rooms & unexplained injuries after working out. You just have to roll with the punches. #morethanaframe

A photo posted by Melissa Louise (@ramblingllama) on Jul 24, 2015 at 7:58am PDT

I'm still not entirely sure what happened. I do know the knee twisted, then popped, then I collapsed.

Zander helped me get the brace on and helped me get dressed. I had to go the rest of the day with 4 kids in the house though. I should've probably gone to the doctor sooner, but because I had all the kids I just couldn't. By the time the other 2 kids went home, I was in tears from the pain. I could barely hobble around by then. Thank goodness for mother in laws. She came over around 7 PM that night so I could go to the E.R. to get things looked at. Not the best way to spend my Friday night.

Long story short, I have a partially torn patellar tendon.
Which means, no surgery needed. Plenty of rest, elevate as much as possible, and keep my brace on.

This also means NO RUNNING for another 4 weeks or so.

UGH.

That news killed me. I mean, I knew it wasn't a great idea. But I think I've been in a depression since then. I know there's other workouts I can do that don't require standing. (Core, upper body, back, etc). I just haven't done anything since then.

So, like Lora I'll be added a few weeks to the end of my Bloggers Give it 100. I want the full experience, and with me not doing anything since Friday I felt like I was cheating myself. So, today we're just hitting the reset button and starting over.

How did you do this week? Link up with Kendra, Lora and I and share!

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And We Were Running || Bloggers Give it 100

Did anyone else read the title in their best Forest Gump voice? No? Just me. Ok... moving on...
Y'all...
This past week I learned something very important about myself. I'm officially a runner. I found this quote and it spoke volumes to me.

I never thought of myself as a runner. In fact, I avoided those teams in high school (track and cross country). Even running for P.E. or swim practice really turned me off. I seriously hated everything about running. I was the "what is the point" person. I was the person that when I saw a running update on social media for anyone, I'd scroll past faster.

And then something changed.

A little over a year ago I was able to afford a gym membership. I was able to meet with a personal trainer for about 3 months (twice a week for three months) It was a LOT, y'all. I really have her to thank to change my mind about running. She made me see the fun in it.

It's still not something I can totally explain. It's absolutely one of those things where, when you're a runner you know it. I know I have several blogging and IRL friends that get this. I really don't want to explain it. Instead, I want to share my amazing #bloggersgiveit100 moment from this past week.

I was able to run a full three miles without stopping in 47 minutes. Y'all. This is a big deal for me. I have never before now been able to run even a full mile without stopping. The day I did this, you better believe I posted it all over social media. I'm proud of myself.

Yes, the time isn't the best in the world. But that doesn't matter to me. What matters is what I pushed myself to do. I didn't feel any pain after awhile. I felt a high. Endorphins are a real thing. ("Happy people don't kill their husbands", right Hope?) I also apologize to anyone on my snapchat friends that are sick of workout snap feed stories, cause they won't be stopping anytime soon.

So now I'm excited to see how I can push myself further. What else can I do? Where else can I run in my town to explore? I also am dying to get something to hold my phone on my arm while I run so I don't have to just carry it. Any suggestions on that are welcome.

I'm truly grateful for my entire blogging community. Y'alls encouragement on my fitness journey have been nothing but incredible. I love each and everyone of y'all, and I truly appreciate the comments.

What have you done to keep moving this week? Are you participating in #BloggersGiveIt100? Grab a button and link up with Kendra, Lora, and I. And don't forget. It doesn't matter how fast you are going. You're still going faster than everyone on the couch!

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And now for something completely fun!! Hope and I are hosting a giveaway! Day Designer Blue Sky Planner Giveaway

Working Out as a SAHM

So, I realize this is not the case for all SAHM's. I'll start with that. Because this is my unique case.
My husband and I cannot afford for me to have a gym membership. As much as I'd love one (because, hello! indoor pool for laps!!) I don't want to put us in a poor financial situation just cause I want to stay healthy. So! I have to improvise. Y'all are pretty familiar that I do workout videos and things like that. But sometimes that doesn't cut it. You gotta switch things up!

Granted, some weeks (some DAYS) are better than others. I will say, I can always count on my kids to be my workout buddies.

My at home gym is not as big as other people's but it works for me. On days I don't do a workout video I count on my hand weights and remembering things an old personal trainer taught me. Christine had blogged about using playground equipment to workout. Which is great, when we actually go to the park (but in this heat... yikes!)

I use my coffee table. At least twice a week, if not three times a week I focus on upper body and back. (My back and core is my huge problem areas!) The coffee table is sturdy enough to do inverted push ups. This works my triceps and upper back.
If I push the coffee table against the wall I can also use it for step ups and jumps. Don't worry, I clean it after my feet have been all over it!

I have 5 lb hand weights. I'd love to get bigger ones, since I've gotten to the point where I really need to do a LOT of reps to really feel anything. I'm not complaining too much though, because at least I have them!

Finally, a workout isn't complete with some sort of cardio. I have found a really amazing running partner in Zander.
Earlier this week, we tried to go on a run while he rode his bike. A mile into the run, the chain broke on his bike. We were forced to cut the run short and head back home. Sadly, I had to carry the bike the whole way back because the back tire wouldn't spin. He stayed positive the whole way back. Yesterday he was begging to go on a run again. It didn't workout because Daddy didn't get home until almost 9 last night. That was just too late for a little boy to be running with me! On days we don't run we always do jumping jacks, jump ropes (without the ropes), and other forms of cardio in the house to get our heart rates up.

Of course pictures or it didn't happen

I love that my kids will do all the workout moves with me. Their version of hand weights are some form of dog toys. It works though, right?! At least they're getting the moves down and proper form!

So this week for #BloggersGiveIt100 was a good one. I'm thrilled that I'm constantly teaching my kids better habits. Lets keep this good vibe going into next week!
Are you participating in the Bloggers Give it 100 challenge? Tell us how you did this week! Link up with Lora, Kendra, and I so we can encourage you!

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Bloggers Give it 100 : 93 Days Left

Well, here I am a co-host to this amazing new linkup and I'm late to the party. True llama fashion, right? Oh well, I'm here! That's what counts right?

So last week was our first week of #bloggersgiveit100. I did not do as well as anticipated. Sometimes life just happens, and you have to roll with what you're thrown with.

Last Week:
I worked out one day. ONE. Y'all. It's pitiful. I would count swimming with Christine as a workout, but after all I ate I'm fairly sure it doesn't count.
I admit it was bad, but I can't beat myself up about it. Everyone has those days. Or weeks. It happens. Just try to start over.

I ate all the food. Josh bought popsicles. TOOTSIE ROLL POPSICLES! This is not a drill. I ate at least two every single day since he brought them home.

This Week:
My goals are going to be simple....

Work out at least 4 days a week. I have to just stay moving. Every day I plan to mix it up with different workout to not get my body used to the same thing.
Yesterday I did zumba sculpt and tone. Y'ALL! I FEEL THE BURN today. This was zumba on CRACK. I don't have the toning bars from Zumba, but I do have hand weights so I used those. My entire body feels it. This is a good thing!

Don't eat all the food. I really need to be better about eating healthier. This is my biggest problem. All the crunches in the world aren't going to help the fact that brownies and pizza are going in my belly.

I wish I had more to contribute this week, but last week was hard. It was the first of the month. A holiday weekend. I know, all the excuses. This week is a new week though. We're going to rock this week! I'M going to rock this week.

What are your goals for the next week?
What are you trying to do for the next 93 days?

Grab a button and link up!

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Bloggers Give it 100 // #BloggerBooty Challenge: Recap

Happy Wednesday, Y'all! Who's ready to officially spend the next 100 days staying active and motivating each other? For the kick off of Bloggers Give it 100, I wanted to take a moment and reflect on my past 30 days. If y'all are new around here Christine and Jaelan hosted a Blogger Booty Challenge for June. 3,000 squats for the whole month. I ACCEPTED. And y'all... I did it!

In true Llama fashion though, I couldn't JUST do the squats. I mean how boring would that be? So in addition to the squats, I decided to incorporate this workout.

I had to do the math for this particular workout because it seemed like a lot. (it was). Each day I did this, I ended up doing the following.
275 Jumping Jacks
110 Crunches
95 Squats (If I stuck to this) but I did 100 squats a day for #BloggerBooty.
80 Pushups


The Good?
This particular challenge helped keep me moving most every single day for June. I can absolutely tell a difference in my butt and upper leg muscles. Sorry, y'all I don't have a before and after picture. The really good part was I did something for a full 30 days. Hey, I've done it once before in March, so why not now? So basically, this was all good. Especially now that I'm finally starting to see muscle definition. Something I have not seen since high school! Yikes!

The Bad?
There were some days when I totally slacked in the squats. Like to the point where some days I'd have to do 200 or 300 squats to just catch up. In all fairness though, some days I did more just to get ahead to where I didn't have to do any some weekends. Who seriously wants to do squats on weekends? Not me. I did though if I had to. But in all seriousness, there really wasn't much bad. I did something good for me. Something good for my body. Where's the bad in that? I think none!

The Ugly?
Sweaty snapchats. Sorry not even sorry though, y'all. The sweat was real. Mostly the fact that I incorporated jumping jacks and push ups into all of June was ugly, too. Let me in on a secret to ladies that are not moms yet... After you have kids, you lose the ability to control your bladder if it's shaken too much. So 275 jumping jacks a DAY will definitely make you pee on yourself. Not pretty. At all. But, hey, real life.

So, what did I actually do?

Well, obviously I did the 3,000 squats. Let me tell y'all. The first three days of that was the hardest. Going to the bathroom and stairs were my worst enemy.

The rest, I didn't do all 30 days for June. However, I did do 21 days. After doing a bit more simple math, here are my totals:
5,775 jumping jacks.
3,000 squats.
2,310 crunches.
1,680 push ups.

Ouch. Ouch. and, yep... Ouch. BUT SO WORTH IT. Y'all, there's a good chance if I keep up daily pushups I can actually do a real one before the year is over and not have to do a "girlie" push up!

So on that note. Here's to the start of doing something for a full 100 days!! Are you going to try and eat better? Walk? Let us know! link up and share your highs or lows every Wednesday!

You can have results or excuses... not both. Get up and MOVE!

Don't forget to grab our button & link up with me, Lora, & Kenji to motive other bloggers

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Bloggers Give it 100 + Meet Kristin

Well, it's no secret around these parts that I'm taking my health (and my family's health) pretty seriously. If you are following me on snapchat, you've probably seen running and dance central videos. #SorryNotSorry... it's not going to stop anytime soon. Especially here on the blog. Leave now if you're sick of workout posts. You won't hurt my feelings. 

Recently, Lora approached Kendra and I about a fun new project. I personally love both of these ladies, so I'm always more than willing to work with them. Lora and Kendra both share a love for getting fit the healthy way. Staying active, and eating better. So it gives me so much happiness to announce our new collaboration / project / link up. More of a link up than anything else. 

If y'all are familiar with Kendra, (and if you're not... you should be) then you'll know she does a workouts with Kenji each Wednesday. This is kind of going to go hand in hand with that. Y'all! We're happy to announce Bloggers Give it 100! 

The idea came from #GiveIt100. A motivational tool to stay active for 100 days, and track your results. Most people update videos and monitor their progress. It's all up to you. 

The link up will occur every Wednesday and will serve as a check in, a motivational, a rant session if you're not doing so well. Whatever works for you. We just want to see our blogger friends to get active and stay active with us for 100 days. We're very excited about this to help keep everyone on the path of motivation and getting fit. 

So, I hope you'll join us on our journey. I hope you link up. Or at least support us on our journey. This will go live NEXT WEDNESDAY July 1. Grab a button, and use hashtag #bloggersgiveit100 on social media so we can spread the love! 

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AND NOW... for something really special. (I know, excitement overload on this Wednesday today!)

Y'all, I have a real treat for you today! I'm happy to introduce you to a blogger that I've become very close with over the last few weeks. She is also all about getting fit the healthy way, so this was a happy accident that our announcement came on the same day that I'm introducing Kristin! 

Kristin is very real, down to earth, focused on getting fit, and a lover of cats! I love our daily snapchat conversations. She's seriously an inspiration to me working out at bootcamps and in the crazy South Carolina heat! phew! Take it away, Kristin! 

Describe yourself in four words. 
Loud.
Bubbly.
Odd.
Cats. 

I really love your blogging style. What made you start blogging?
Oh man, I've been doing the blogging thing off and on since the LiveJournal days. I've always loved writing and having a diary-of-sorts online has been a part of my life ever since I learned to type. I had a Fitness blog on tumblr years ago that I really enjoyed but eventually just got too busy to post. Back in September I decided to create this blog when I got bit by the crafting bug (hence the name My Year in the Making) and wanted to document it, but soon the crafting bug went away and I decided to start blogging about health and wellness again. 

You're a new addition to the crayon box. Which color would you be, and why?
Yellow. Because it's bright and happy. Even if it doesn't show up on white paper very well. (That's not a metaphor, it's just a fact.) 

What's the best advice you've ever gotten about blogging?
Don't force yourself to post if you don't want to. No one wants to read forced content. 

What's your favorite movie quote?
"It is better to help people than Garden Gnomes"-Amelie

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? 
Pizza :D Because life is not worth living without pizza.
Llama's note: TRUE STORY! I completely agree with you on this one, Kristin!! 

Want to get to know Kristin better?

Follow along!! 

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