At the exact moment I stepped foot outside for my run yesterday, the clouds decided it would be an appropriate time to dump all their rain stores. I grabbed my baseball cap and ran outside anyways—take THAT, Mother Nature!

It was surprisingly warm out and I just couldn’t pass up what may have been my last opportunity to run in shorts this season. Cold, snow and Santa are all coming to town!

My legs felt heavy, so I took it easy for 5 miles. Well, I thought I did at least. I guess the rain pushed me along because 9:04 min/mi is a relatively fast pace for me!

Alrighty, let’s talk about those Zensah Compression Leg Sleeves I’m wearing, shall we? I’ve gotten quite a few requests for a review and I have quite a bit to say about them too.

I bought the compression sleeves exactly 2 months ago and have worn them on every single run ever since.

[I purchased them myself through Running Warehouse---they had the cheapest price AND I found a 10% off coupon via Google search. I am writing about these because they're awesome. The people at Zensah and Running Warehouse have no idea I exist.]

As you already know, I’ve been running farther than I ever have this fall. I really can’t believe I’m saying this (I mean, really), but I’ve had almost ZERO shin pain thus far. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be able to say that. It’s truly a miracle.

Now, before I continue, please take a moment to find some wood and knock on it for me. Like, right now. Please!

If you’re a veteran reader, you know I’ve dealt with serious shin pain for years. I had a stress fracture in my left shin 4 years ago (due to my own stupidity) and I’ve had piercing + dull pain in both shins ever since. I couldn’t escape my shin splints no matter what. New shoes…custom orthotics…yadda yadda. Nothing did the trick.

Though the New Balance shin sleeves I bought ~2 years ago helped a bit, they didn’t help enough. Whenever I started running more than 4 miles or so, I’d start to feel pain it in my shins and eventually I would have to take a few weeks/months off from running.

So do I think the Zensah sleeves have helped me avoid injury thus far? YES, but not without the help of these other factors…

• Not running on back-to-back days <–key!
• Eating well <–so important!!
• Taking it SLOW <–I increased my mileage very very very sloooowly
• Focusing on running form <–avoiding heel-strike
• Stretching <–though not more than in the past
• Strength training <–also, not more than in the past
• I can’t say ICE because other than taking occasional ice baths, I’m terrible at icing my legs!

I prefer the Zensah sleeves over the New Balance ones for a few reasons:

1) They’re thinner and they don’t trap in heat/sweat. I used to end each run with super soaked shins + shin sleeves. Hot, not hott! Though it was great for moisturizing my lower legs, it was gross. The Zensah sleeves, however, stay cool and dry.

2) They’re not as constricting. Sounds counterintuitive, right? I was skeptical at first because they felt like socks! I thought they wouldn’t work as well because they didn’t suffocate my shins like the New Balance ones. I remember being scared to run in them the first week because my shins felt vulnerable. However, I read that the Zensah sleeves weren’t supposed to be super tight, so I put my trust in them and hoped for the best.

3) They work!

Two months later, I can’t imagine running without them. I wear them to bed on the days I run to help with recovery. I don’t know if doing so actually helps that much, but I figure it can’t hurt. It also keeps my legs warm.

I wore them on my flights to and from Turkey and I can say for certain they helped with circulation. My feet always get super swollen when I fly (even on short 3 hour flights!), but that was not the case this time around.

Now I am thinking about getting the Zensah High Compression Tights (or maybe another brand?) since I experience tightness in my quads and hips. They’re pricey, so I’m going to shop around first. I’ll let you know what I find.

***

If you have shin splints, I would highly recommend getting a pair of compression sleeves. It doesn’t have to be Zensah—there are many brands out there to choose from. Of course, I advise consulting a physical therapist first. I have no background in physical therapy and I have no way of knowing what’s going on with your legs specifically.

Wait, have you knocked on wood for me yet?!

Tell me: Do you suffer/have you suffered from running injuries? What do you do/use to prevent them?

I woke up this morning and did a quick 15 min. Countdown Workout in the comfort of my basement. Notice the number pattern? It’s a countdown. I’ve found that I’m more likely to keep going when the numbers get smaller. Who wants to do 60 burpees at the end of a workout? No way.

15 min. Countdown Workout

• 4 min. warm up: jogging in place, jumping jacks, dancing (use this song at your own risk! )
• 50 jumping jacks
• 40 mountain climbers
• 30 squat jumps
• 20 V-ups (or situps)
• 10 burpees
• 9 pushups
• 8 lunges (each leg)
• 7 candlestick jump ups*
• 6 star jumps*
• 5 squats
• 4 cartwheels
• 3 bridges
• 2 down dogs
• 1 deep breath!

*For candlestick jump ups, you roll onto your back with your legs straight up in the air. Then roll up so your body is upright and then jump up in the air without using your hands. Star jumps are like jumping jacks in mid-air. Jump up and spread your limbs to make like a star.

[I'm not a personal trainer nor am I a certified fitness professional, this is simply a workout I made up this morning. Be smart. Don't try this if you are injured or experience any pain.]

***

Last night I bought a shirt on clearance for $8.98. It matches my blog. It also matches the inside of my DIY camera purse/bag. Matchy matchy.

I also fell victim to 2 sunflower seed products. There should be a TV show called Obsessed: Sunflower Seeds. Kinda like a mix between True Life, Hoarders, and The Best Thing I Ever Ate.

I found this sunflower seed MILK at Wegman’s called Sunsational. Although it was 4x more expensive than my on-sale-plus-a-doubled-coupon almond milk, I just had to try it…

The verdict? It was simply SUNsational! Super creamy with just a hint of sunflower flavor. I love it! It’s my new favorite non-dairy milk by far.

I also got my first jar of Sunbutter. I usually opt for the TJ’s Sunflower Seed Butter because it’s cheaper ($3.99 vs. $5-6), but this jar was on sale for $4.59 at Target so I gave it a whirl.

For those of you who have tried one but not the other…they taste pretty much the same. I think Sunbutter is just a SMIDGE less salty and sweet. It’s also less runny than TJ’s SSB, so I can’t…you know…drink it.

***

I was going make something elaborate for breakfast with these above ingredients but the rest of the fam was going to Costco and I couldn’t miss out on the samples (they had some good ones today!). I also had to check out the PC laptops there…and help the parents shop for a big a** umbrella.

I’m thinking about repeating the above workout one more time and then I’ve gotta buckle down and get some packing done. I’m getting nervous about my busy week ahead. Eeps!

But first, I need a glass of Sunsational milk aaaand a spoonful of Sunbutter. I’m already addicted…

Ho ho ho…happy Friday! How has your Friday the 13th been? Lucky, I hope.

I woke up this morning with high hopes of running. It was cloudy and cool outside. I ate a small pre-run snack of Peter’s Pineapple Crowns and two Chickpea Brownies.

We filmed Peter cutting pineapple crowns last night but I think we need to buy another pineapple and try again. A) I didn’t realize it was out of focus until half way through (painful to watch) B) I ran out of memory so it had to be filmed in 2 parts and C) I’m feeling uber self conscious about my voice (ha!).

By the way, these Chickpea Brownies are best warm–either straight out of the oven or microwaved. I’d say they taste more like beany pancakes than brownies.

Then…

My luck turned around when the light rain turned into a drizzle shortly after. I went out and ran 4 miles and walked 1.5 miles. Then I walked over to the gym for about 10 min. of lower body strength training. Squats, lunges, leg extensions, leg curls, and dead lifts. Yee haw!

I came back and found a package of Somersaults Sunflower Seed Snacks in my mail box. Lucky!

I had several handfuls while stretching. Believe it or not, I got this bag through Twitter. The company randomly tweeted me last week (after I made the Sunflower Seed Butter Oat Bites/Cookies) to see if I wanted to try a bag.

Um, yes.

Goooooood stuff! The nutty flavor of the sunflower and sesame seeds was fab. Nice ‘n’ salty too! I guess I was a lot hungrier than I thought because I ate about 90% of the bag!

***

After stretching and showering, it was time for a real meal.

Pan-fried cod on a bed of steamed kale.

Topped with avocado and salsa

Cloudy days make for the best food photos…

Orange for dessert

I may or may not have finished the entire bag of Somersaults. What can I say? I can’t resist when it comes to sunflower seeds.

Off to run some errands! Have a great night.

Tell me: Anything unlucky (or lucky!) happen to you today?

I have procrastinated this review + giveaway like it’s my job. Oh wait, I don’t have a job (ba-dum CHING!). I’m really not sure why it has taken me so long considering I use my Glass Dharma straws every single day without fail.

I drink everything under the sun with these Glass Dharma straws…smoothies, juice, iced coffee and water. A lot of water. I’m pretty sure I drink twice as much water as I did before simply because drinking with straws is both enjoyable and effortless.

I’ve always loved drinking with straws. I mean, is there anything more exciting for a 7 year old than blowing bubbles in milk?

After using countless plastic straws, I started to wonder if there was an environmentally friendly and bodily friendly alternative. Along came Glass Dharma (sent to me to review for free). Drinking out of Glass Dharma straws means no plastic straws filling up landfills and no plastic toxins leaching into my drinks (and consequently, my body)!

They’re gorgeous and they help keep our Earth gorgeous!

Now let’s get to the giveaway! The lovely folks at Glass Dharma are allowing me to give one lucky reader a $25 gift certificate to use on Glass Dharma Straws!

Up to 3 ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me one green thing you have incorporated into your lifestyle

2. Tweet ” Allie @livelaughtweet is giving away @glassdharma straws! http://tinyurl.com/3nnczpa “

3. Like Live Laugh Eat on Facebook

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry! Giveaway ends on Thursday, April 21st at Midnight EST. Winner will be randomly chosen and announced on EARTH DAY (Friday). Best of luck!

I hit up the gym this afternoon for 25 min. elliptical and 10 min. stationary bike. I just could NOT focus today…or unfocus for that matter. Obama was talking on TV…my music was boring…the font of the magazine article was too small…blah blah blah. March Madnesss, please come BACK! I’m glad Spring is here and I can run outside 2-3x per week because my gym attention span is suffering!

Post workout, I put together a salad but not a salad. An unsalad? Allow me to explain.

The kale started out this high! I washed it and then popped it in the microwave to “steam” for 90 seconds.

Then I added avocado, crumbled tempeh, the last of the mini peppers, and TJ’s Champagne Vinaigrette.

The avocado made the dish, as per usual.

Before and after this meal, I noshed on handfuls of Love Grown Foods Granola. This [free] package arrived on my doorstep this morning and it took me about 3.8 seconds to rip it open.

1 handful led to another and another…

…and another. I was instantly smitten. The texture, the flavor, and the level of sweetness were spot on.

I also opened the Raisin Almond Crunch flavor and I have to say I liked it even better than the Sweet Cranberry Pecan.

***

I’m going back to the gym tonight to train my Momma! I’m helping her build muscle. She gets her cardio in a few times a week by playing tennis but she hasn’t been strength training at all and she has definitely seen and felt changes in her body over the last several years.

I’m not a personal trainer so she is pretty much the only person I can train. Ha! She used to run and lift weights regularly so I’m just getting her back into it (don’t worry).

Building muscle is important for everyone…but it’s especially important for women…and even more especially important for women in their 50s!

By the way, this is what our community gym looks like. Take note of the mirror…there are 4 treadmills not 8! It’s no state-of-the-art facility but it’s good enough for me and more importantly, it’s free.

There’s also a pool but swimming and I have an awkward relationship. That’s a story for another day.

After we get back it’ll be time to eat dinner, eat Chocolate Any Butter Cups and watch American Idol!

***

Tell me: Do you strength train regularly? What do you do (machines, videos, classes, bodyweight, etc.)?

An INCREDIBLE day for Mother Nature

I’ll gladly fork over an hour for Daylight Savings Time if it means warmer mornings and a later sunset.

Warmer mornings means a higher probability I’ll go running outside.

A later sunset means good lighting for dinner photos…which also means I can put away my lightbox!

The only reason I went to THE GYM on this wonderfully gorgeous day? To watch the Duke vs. UNC basketball game. The ACC Championship game.

And it was…

An INCREDIBLE day for Duke Basketball!

source

WE WON!!! ACC CHAMPS!!! AGAINST CAROLINA!!! What a comeback win for Duke, after that embarrassing loss to UNC just over a week ago.

(My post from last year’s win)

My marathon gym sesh consisted of 80 min. incline walking on the treadmill, 15 min. elliptical, and leg weights + abs during halftime.

I was totally spent by the end. I couldn’t leave the gym during the game though…I just couldn’t bare to miss a single second of the action!

***

Post workout, I guzzled a Berry Spinach Smoothie, just like yesterday. I needed nutrients stat.

Soon after, I assembled a berry Greek yogurt, strawbs and granola parfait.

I used Ancient Grains, a granola purchased from Costco. I remember loving the sample I tried over a year ago so I was excited to dig in.

I’m a big fan of ALL Nature’s Path granolas but this one takes the cake in both taste and nutrition!

Wholesome ingredients and huge clusters, what more could you ask for?

I am loving the close-up capabilities of this macro lens!!

Enjoyed with Mother Nature on the deck.

I went back for another bowl of granola for some extra post-workout starch.

…and I just couldn’t get enough of it!

***

On the menu for dinner? BBQ Tofu. Prepared just like the last time.

On a bed of spring mix with more BBQ sauce as the dressing.

Another macro shot.

Don’t forget my daily orange.

All together now…

Gosh, I’m already hungry again. What’s for dessert? Where’s the granola? I can only imagine how crazy my appetite would be if I ever trained for a marathon.

I’ve got so much energy right now thanks to the sunshine and the Duke win. Off to put all this positive energy towards writing a cover letter!

Note: I was going to title this post “YES YES YES!!” but I wanted to save that for the day I get engaged…or the day I find a job, whichever comes first!

Tell me: It was an incredible day for ______________.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again.

Woah. My. Goodness.

We ended up watching both movies last night. We made the mistake of watching Black Swan second (read: right before bedtime).

Um my hang nails hurt. I won’t say anymore since I’m sure 0.009% of you all haven’t seen it yet.

On an unrelated-related note, I saw Swan Lake at the Royal Opera House when I studied abroad in London.

I also played the Swan Lake oboe solo in my youth orchestra back in the day. The director always got on my case for not playing it with enough emotion.

WELL, had Black Swan been released back then I would’ve been emo to the max!

Needless to say I had to watch a few hilarious Youtube videos before I went to bed so I didn’t have crazy nightmares.

As for The King’s Speech…loved it! As did The Academy.

Better late than never, right? I’m glad I saw them both in theaters. Definitely worth the hype in my opinion.

***

This morning, I contemplated going to the gym first thing but I decided eating would be more fun. It is awfully warm outside though so I’ll be sure to get in a walk at the very least.

I went with pan seared eggy oatmeal (formerly known as No-Bake Baked Oatmeal) with mango Chobani and banana slices.

Side note: Another box of Chobani arrived at my doorstep yesterday, unexpectedly. The first one arrived while I was traveling back from Hong Kong so the yogurt got spoiled. The [free] shipment was put on hold because I was out of town but I guess they forgot to cancel the first one.

I gladly accepted the package. What a pleasant surprise!

The mango flavor tasted more like peach to me. But the fact that it was 2% makes it automatically delicious. 2% Greek yogurt is fab.

I’m not sure what’s on the agenda for the day. Probably some more job searching. How boring does that sound?! Please do something fun for me.

Tell me: What are you up to this weekend?

I only have a few [distinct] memories from my preschool days.

I remember signing out when my dad came to pick me up and spelling my name A-l-l-e-y, because I thought it looked cool.

I remember accompanying my friend to the restroom (during after school care) and sneaking into our classroom afterwards to draw on the chalkboard. We SO got caught.

I remember wanting seconds of something served at lunch but getting rejected because I didn’t finish my peas. The teacher said I could have seconds if I just finished my peas. I said “mmm no thanks” and dumped my plate in the trash.

Yuck. Those peas were tasteless, mashy and fuzzy inside. You couldn’t pay me in Barbie dolls to finish my peas.

…and now I am a pea fanatic!

Nothing fancy. Just frozen sweet peas microwaved for 30 seconds. So good!

I’m not sure if my tastes have changed or if those peas served in preschool were just foul. Probably a little of both.

Today, I cleaned, peeled and pan fried shrimp to go on my salad.

I also topped it with mashed sweet peas and avocado (a quick version of Green Pea Guacamole).

Served atop mixed greens along with cherry tomatoes.

Don’t forget my daily orange!

Dessert was Chocolate Chunks of Energy and Unsulphured Organic Turkish Dried Apricots

These Turkish apricots taste so much better than the orange sulphured kind. They are super tough and chewy! I had this plate x2.

This afternoon I had a bowl of Millet Rice cereal with yogurt and 1/2 banana. A few chocolate chips might have jumped in there too.

Plus the other half of my sesame seed bagel with cranberry cinnamon goat cheese while watching Oprah. See that lady in the background? She’s Oprah’s long lost half sister. Crazy story!

Time to go watch the Australian Open! The upcoming matches are going to be pretty exciting.

***

Tell Me: Something you hated to eat as a child but not anymore.

Along with peas, I avoided eggplant and green peppers.

Today…

I didn’t feel like going out and spending money I didn’t have.

I didn’t feel like putting the finishing touches on my next bread post, which is coming soon!!

I didn’t feel like learning anymore lines of Ice Ice Baby. I was getting tongue-tied and dizzy.

I didn’t feel like going outside and freezing my tush off.

I didn’t feel like going to the gym and ellipticalling…again.

BUT apparently I had energy to burn because…

Not only did I vacuum the basement AND clear off a few piles on my desk…

I cleaned my bathroom! Say whaaat?!

And that’s after doing 2 loads of laundry yesterday.

IIIIIII know!!

I don’t even recognize myself anymore.

I blatantly chose cleaning (my most hated task) over working out…?! I thought I’d never see the day.

(Note: I DO clean semi-regularly, just not all at once and for fun)

***

Mid-afternoon I had a snack of plain yogurt with IKEA crackers.

For dinner, I helped my dad finish some leftover Indian food.

Along with a bowl of kabocha squash soup from Peter’s Kitchen. The photo turned out u-g-l-y so you’ll have to use your imagination.

There’s more…

A made a big salad with mixed greens, avocado, tomatoes, TJ’s harvest grains and pasta sauce.

I’ve had this bag of Harvest Grains Blend in my possession for months and I finally opened it today.

I noticed it was heavy on the cous cous, so I added some of my own red quinoa and millet to the mix.

It took about 15 min. in total to wash and cook. I loved the assortment of grains—definitely more interesting than eating all one grain.

Soft: orzo and Israeli cous cous. Nutty: baby garbanzo beans, quinoa, millet.

It was even better in my salad with pasta sauce dressing.

My daily orange and ~4 squares of Lindt 70% dark chocolate for dessert.

The gym is closed now but I think I’m going to get in a short at-home workout later after dinner digests. Besides cleaning, I haven’t moved much at all today!

Blog updates:

1. I uploaded ~10 more of my favorite photos to the rotator at the top right of the site.

2. I created a favicon using the image from my new header. You can find it to the left of the URL at the top of your browser. It’s super small but it’ll do for now.

***

Tell me: I like/don’t mind cleaning _________ but I hate cleaning _________.

I don’t mind cleaning my favorite kitchen appliance but I hate cleaning the bathroom (minor b-room phobia!).

As of this weekend, I can rap the first eight lines of Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice.

By HEART.

All right stop, collaborate and listen

Ice is back with my brand new invention

Something grabs a hold of me tightly

Flow like a harpoon daily and nightly

Will it ever stop yo? I don’t know

Turn off the lights and I’ll glow

To the extreme I rock a mic like a vandal

Light up a stage and watch me jump like a candle.

I’ve been practicing…a lot.

I may never finish the whole thing but I’m gonna try!

…and then I’m gonna learn the dance. Bahaha

***

You can listen to the the Glee version (with the lyrics!!!) while reading the rest of the post. You’re welcome.

***

Last night for dinner I heated up some tomatoes, tofu and shrimp (leftover from Peter’s miso soup) to use as a salad topper.

Pasta sauce as the dressing. I got this huge jar from Wegman’s for 99 cents. Cha ching!

I love pasta sauce and I can’t believe it took me this long to dump it on my salad!

Especially since I put salsa on my salads all. the. time.

I also had an open faced egg, goat cheese, bagel sandwich for some extra protein and carbs.

…and then I went to town on this bar. To TOWN! I think it’s safe to say I surpassed the recommended sodium intake for the week.

So worth it.

***

This morning, I tried a new [to me] cereal paired with crispy brown rice cereal.

Millet Rice! I figured if I love millet bread, I should give millet cereal a try too.

The ingredients are decent.

I also added almond milk, banana slices, dried cranberries and sunflower seeds to the mix.

The cereal tastes pretty good! It’s no Cookie Crisp or Corn Pops but I like that it’s not overly sweet so I can add my own sweet toppings.

Then my dad cut open a beautiful papaya…

…and laid it out sushi-style

Papaya is one of my favorite fruits. It’s too bad I don’t live in a tropical area…then I could eat papaya every single day!

I had a small bowl with the rest of my banana.

A fabulous pairing I had time and time again in Mexico.

I’m not sure what’s on the agenda for today. Well, besides rehearsing a few more lines of Ice Ice Baby…duh.

***

Tell me: Are you a fan of rap music? Better yet, can you rap?!

I’m actually not a huge fan (it gives me a headache sometimes), but I LOVE Ice Ice Baby . No, I can’t rap but I’m learning!