A tough decision

So far, 2011 has been a great year! But this week has been a tough one. We haven't had one glimpse of sunshine since I can remember. It's been non-stop rain and overcast. I am a firm believer that weather really does come into play with people's emotions.

This week has prompted a lot of soul searching. Where am I going? What are my goals? What do I believe? Who do I want to spend my time with? Can I please everyone and still be happy? What do the next few years of my life look like? It's sort of a feeling inside that I can't quite pinpoint. At times, I think we enter times of personal reflection and we begin to draw back and become quiet. That's been this week for me.

I also had to make one of the toughest decisions I've had to make in a while. I expect to receive many opinionated comments, as I already have via twitter and facebook. Some saying I did the right thing and others disagreeing.

...I found a family for Tyke this week.

Excuse me while I grab a tissue, quite literally. I have been a crying mess this week just seeing his little bowl and Kong toys around the house. It's been brutal.

Let me back this up to December. Tyke was found by a family on the side of the road in the pouring rain. He had no collar, tag or microchip. No form of ID. They posted a rather desperate ad needing to find an immediate home for him because the father of that family had a disability and they could not take care of him. They were going to have to take him to a shelter if no one would step up and take him. So, I did.

Tyke was such a blessing in my life. My little puppy-man was my running buddy, my cuddle buddy and my general protector. He was the best dog I have ever had. However, he was crated for 12+ hours a day. Being a almost 90 lb lab that he is, I just began to feel really bad about that. I also began to travel quite frequently, both for work and personal, where Tyke would be boarded for days on end. I felt that he was not in the most positive situation and I felt horrible.

A few weeks ago, I began to put some feelers out to close co-workers and friends in Atlanta. Turns out, a co-worker's neighbor emailed me about Tyke. They not only have a fenced yard for Tyke to run and play all day, but the mom works from home all day where Tyke wouldn't have to be in a crate for hours. The family has two little girls who showed him so much love and play. After several trips to their home to meet Tyke, and me getting to know them too, Tyke was adopted by this family yesterday.

Gosh, I am bawling while writing this post....

Though it was and still is so sad and so hard, I know I did the right thing for him. I took Tyke in when he had nowhere to go and no way to know where he came from. I provided a loving home for him. I cleaned him up, got him healthy, fed him good and helped him learn to socialize with other dogs at daycare. I can rest assured at the end of the day that I was a good temporary mommy to Tyke.

Tyke is a lucky boy to be with this new family. They absolutely love him and told me I can stop by if I ever need a Tyke-fix. The girls even drew me pictures of Tyke saying how excited they were and how much they already love him.

So, ya, it's been a tough week. Lots of thoughts going on, decisions to make, internal evaluations being made, and then parting ways with my little man. He will always hold a special place in my heart.

Results

March Madness kicked off for me and quite a few of us! I am happy to report that so far, so good for me! My cleanse went great and I have started back on Metabolic Nutrition System.

So far, I have seen over 60 clients utilize Advocare, along with good eating habits and steady exercise to begin their route to results! I had to share with you all that a high school friend of mine, Jenna , lost 16 pounds in the first month on Advocare products. She is doing such an amazing job and I am so proud of her!

With over 800 blog followers, you can imagine how many emails I get a day from people asking about Advocare. I would say about 80% of them all have the same story: "I want to lose weight and have more energy."

I wanted to take some space on my blog to lay out the perfect product plan for those of you looking to lose weight, tone up and have more energy.

Trim Product Path

MNS Max 3: MNS Max 3 is the CORE of the trim line. Standing for Metabolic Nutrition System, it contains over 50 vitamins and minerals that our bodies need on a daily basis. Bodies respond accordingly to good nutrition, and if there is weight to lose, it will be lost. I get concerned when people overlook MNS and go right towards other products. MNS is the Core of the Core and results will be maximized if the products are taken properly and in order! 

Thermoplus and Catalyst are a fantastic duo! They are a great addition to MNS. While Thermoplus makes your metabolism soar, Catalyst works to burn the fat from your muscles to provide a more lean look. 

LeptiLean is our newest Trim product! LeptiLean works to provide amazing appetite control and provide the feeling of fullness. I absolutely love LeptiLean! 

All of these products are great to take together! I take them all. You've got core nutrition, appetite control, muscle toner and metabolism booster! With those, you are well on your way to a leaner you!

As always, I welcome any emails or questions about products! Runninginhiheels@gmail.com

Video

This little girl learned the wise way early! Hilarious! Definitely wanted to share.

Tyke-man

Just some recent photos... granted, I have zero makeup on and my bed isn't made in any of these! And yes, I am wearing a XXL tee shirt from a ex ex ex boyfriend from years ago. They are the most comfy.

Guess What!!

I'm moving again!!

Yes, I fully realize I am a crazy nut. I realize I have moved 5 times in the last 2 years, but why not one more, right? Next Friday, April 1, I am moving into a 2 bedroom/2 bath condo in the Buckhead area of Atlanta with this gal.... Lauren @ Life with a Lab!

This is how it went down: 

I know I posted a few weeks ago about the crazy nonsense mentality of Atlantans with people who live inside the perimeter (ITP) and people who live outside the perimeter (OTP). I wanted to buy a home and knew I couldn't afford one at my ripe age downtown, so I opted to purchase my townhouse OTP. I am 20 min. from work, which has been great. 

Lauren saw my blog post and wrote me an email. She and I have been friends via meeting through blogging/twitter (ex: yesterday's post), and she expressed her interest in wanting to move ITP as well. I came up with the bright idea of moving in together. 

24 hours later, and 10 families later, I settled on a family to rent out my townhome and collected deposit, lease, pay stubs, etc. Yes, I have my ducks in a row. This is not my first rodeo. 

So, Lauren and I met at Chipotle and got down to business. We had two weeks to find a place within our budget, with covered parking, a pool and a place that took larger dogs. 

So we went searching. It was quite the adventure...We ran across a Craigslist overseas scam, a crazy apartment locating consultant who is STILL calling us who happens to be stoned, the rudest apartment leasing agent ever...but the good news is that we found a condo we both ADORE in the heart of Buckhead. Like, Phipps is our backyard. Dangerous. 

The condo is a high-rise, pool, tanning deck, tennis courts, sauna, private yoga & pilates classes offered, concierge, storage are all there on site. The condo itself went through a massive renovation and we have hard wood floors, granite, SS appliances, walk-in closets, inside entry, etc. 

We are so excited! 

Now, before you go writing me some off-wall comment about how crazy I am, let me first say that I absolutely love my townhouse. In fact, if I could scoop if up off the ground and move it into the city, I would. Secondly, I am so glad to still have my mortgage. It looks good on my credit. Third, I hated living alone. Hated it. I was so so so lonely. Lastly, I missed the city. I felt like I lived in minivan-land. 

We are moving next Friday so here's to a fun time! 

Spring Floral on the Cheap

I was in Target the other day and was pleasantly surprised at their adorable floral dresses on the cheap! I live in dresses all summer and throw my jeans in storage. I am a huge fan of girlie prints!

With all my moving expenses, taxes (I owed this year via 1099s!), furniture purchases, and recent car purchase, etc., I won't be hitting up the mall too much this season. However, how much do you really need to spend on a knit dress? It's cotton. Not silk. I am a huge Target fan for these spring and summer basics!

Atlanta Blog Community

I have to say that I have met the majority of my friends here in Atlanta from blogging. How fun is that? Unless you grow up somewhere, it's hard meeting new girlfriends in a place once you move. It's not like you can go up to girls at the gym or in a restaurant and go, "Hey, can we be friends?" They would probably look at you like you're crazy.

I met V back in August and since then we have together met so many other bloggers in Atlanta! I actually have an announcement that I am making tomorrow regarding a fellow Atlanta blogger, as well! It's just so cool how an online community can bring people together in real life too!

Monthly, we have girls night out, we Gchat constantly, BBM, etc. It's just so fun!

Winners!

Congratulations to E, Myself and I

Congratulations to The Girl in Pink

Please send me your addresses! 

MomAgenda & MyAgenda Giveaway

800. Thank you everyone! To celebrate 800, I am excited to be giving away two agendas from my favorite agenda line, MomAgenda!

momAgenda Desktop 

myAgenda Original 

Three Ways to Enter: 

*Leave a comment telling me what your favorite agenda color is of the momAgenda collection 

*Tweet about it and include twitter link in comment

*Blog about it

Winner will be pulled Sunday night! 

Eating Changes

You are what you eat...

This weekend I took a fridge and pantry assessment of my own routine. I have hit a plateau. When someone hits a plateau, but work out religiously and have been taking good nutritional supplements for 7 months, there is only one thing that may need to be tweaked. What I eat.

I have always been one to 'watch' what I eat, but I will admit that I have been a little more free-will as of late. When I dropped 20 lbs last spring due to severe depression, I barely ate anything at all. Though skinny minnie, not eating is not the way to go. When I began to heal, I began to eat. I still watched what I ate, but I treated myself a bit too much. Or, I would succumb to my ultimate challenge -- late night eating.

With our March Madness initiative, I wanted to start fresh with my Advocare cleanse again. Though you are supposed to eat very healthy on the cleanse, obviously avoiding fried foods and junk period, I thought there was no better time to also purge my pantry and fridge and incorporate a new eating structure.

In mix with my regular exercise routine and Advocare nutrition supplements, I began the South Beach eating routine Sunday. I do not like calling it a diet, for after much research of this plan, it really is a lifestyle change that helps rid your body of the wrong carbs, sugars, fats, etc. So, I am calling it my South Beach eating plan. I have been on this for 3 days now and if you have any idea how South Beach works, the first two weeks are brutal. No carbs. Zilch.

Here is what is stocked in my fridge and pantry the next few weeks.

Celery Sticks, Lima Beans, Black Beans, Green Beans, Light Yoplait, Turkey, Chicken, Shrimp, Peanut Butter, EVOO, Cheese and Nuts.

It's that Time!

I can hardly believe it is mid-March. I also cannot believe it's been 3 months since I did my Advocare cleanse! What's so great about the Advocare cleanse, is that it is gentle and safe enough to do it every 3 months! If you are new to Advocare or aren't quite sure about the product line, but want to lose weight and feel better, the cleanse is always the beginning point to begin. It is the first step I always recommend. The Herbal cleanse works to help regulate your digestive system, which plays a HUGE role in weight maintenance and loss. It also helps rid your body of excess waste and toxins. Since January, I have had over 40 bloggers complete the 10 Day cleanse and have not heard one negative result.

Why not start your cleanse with me today?! Order by clicking here or on the below photo! The cleanse is Step 1 of the 24 Day Challenge (featured below the cleanse). It is comprised of Day 1-10.

Also! Place a $75 order between now and March 31, and you won't pay Shipping!

Weekend Spent with Kleenex

While at the gym on Wednesday, I noticed my chest was a bit heavy when I would breathe. It actually sort of hurt. I ran a few miles and headed home too tuckered out to lift weights, which for me, is odd. Thursday I felt awful but headed to work anyway. Friday was another story. I woke up with a terrible sore throat, chest congestion, headache... it was awful. I slept almost the entire day. Same thing Saturday. Except by Saturday night, the virus moved upward to my nose and I was sneezing left and right. Yep, I got caught with a good ol' fashioned cold. I have not had a cold since ... forever ago. 

If you remember, I had strep back in July which put me down for about 3 days. This is coming from the girl that never gets sick. I don't know if it is all my traveling lately (which much more to come - 3 trips in the next month), my ontake of work, Advocare growing or what, but maybe it's all catching up to me and I am zoinked. 

This weekend I did nothing. I am starting to feel like a hermit. We were supposed to have a big ATL tweet-up, but two other friends are sick too! Maybe it's the rain? We were all 'blah' and decided to reschedule for next weekend (PinkLouLou is coming to town!)

What a way to bring in March Madness with no gym for 4 days. Ha! However, I did eat very good and have every intention of gearing back to the gym on Monday afternoon. 

Let's just say I got real cozy with Redbox, Theraflu & Dayquil.

L-burg Weekend

Last weekend, I took a little mini trip to Lynchburg, VA, where I lived for about 5 years. A lot of friends were coming in town, some of which I had not seen in 3 years or so. I packed a little duffel and flew on up. Didn't have any plans, didn't have any schedules.... hence, packing only a duffel. It was great to just do nothing.

David picked me up and we grabbed lunch and headed to the 'burg. It was so beautiful riding through the mountains and we just laughed and laughed at memories and stories we have gone over aloud many many times.

I stayed with Nicole (Nikki). We had the best time and lots of laughs. Because it was a low-key weekend, I didn't take many pictures, but here are some...

March Madness Fitness Forum

I really am alive. I know I keep promising you that. If I had the chance to blog about how busy my schedule has been so far in 2011, it'd be too long of a blog post. Today is March 1. Someone please pinch me and tell me so. 

As you are well aware, summer is not too far off the horizon. In January, many readers emailed me to begin cleanses and good fitness routines to begin shedding some weight. Of course January is always a great month to start. I have a question... how many of you have kept up with your New Years goals for a New You? Ask yourself that question. 

In flying home from Virginia Monday afternoon, I began racking my brain for some type of idea to re-boost the morale amongst you all (myself included) to keep treading along in our personal health and fitness goals. What better way to do so than with the help, tips and encouragement of our blogging community here? 

I invite you to join me on our March Madness journey this month. 31 days to refresh and regroup. Re-prioritize our goals and get back on track. Won't you come on board?

I have created a link system below for anyone interested in teaming up with us all here. Updates will occur every week. This week's topic: Introduce yourself and your goals for March Madness. What do you want to see yourself accomplish in 4 weeks? How can we go about helping you accomplish those goals? 

Happy March to you all -- let's get fit together this month! 

**Feel free to use the above logo to promote on your blog!