Summer Work Clothes

[Love this dress from Loft with white wedges]

There is no argument or question that is has been hot, hot, hot lately. Most of us having been spending our days in an office meaning we still need to get dressed in the morning. As a commuter, I have witnessed the most ridiculous outfits over the past few weeks.  

Ladies (and gentlemen) please remember you are still going to WORK! Of course I wish I could head out each day in my workout clothes however I know how inappropriate that would be. So I'm going offer my own advice for those heading to the office during the summer.

Negative on the jean shorts. Save them for the beach or a day out with friends. If you have to wear shorts consider dressier and longer versions. The Limited has a nice collection of different colors and lengths. 

Do wear a spaghetti strap dress with a cardigan. The dress with keep you cool and the cover up will make it office appropriate. 

[I wore this last week with a white cardigan and white wedges. Simple B&W outfit]

Make sure your dress is long enough. If you are unsure, it's probably too short. 

Consider wearing light blouses. Most of them are light enough to walk to the office yet heavy enough so you don't freeze in the air conditioning. 

[Messy room but dress pants, a light blouse and flats. Comfy and cool]

Dress pants are more comfortable than jeans. I wore jean capris the other day which was a big mistake. I was hot, sticky and uncomfortable. Dress bottoms are easier to move in.

Flip flops are never appropriate. When I worked in retail our rule was if it didn't have a strap around the back of your foot you could not wear them. Consider sandals or wedges.

[Toms wedges]

What do you wear to work in the heat? Any other tips?

Xo,
Lynette

Summer Deliciousness

One of my favorite summer activities is barbecuing. If it can somehow be made on the grill I will do it. Last year my mom even bought me a basket for vegetables. When the brand Saas reached out and offered me some of their hot sauces I couldn't resist.

Although they are kind of meant for dipping, I used them on chicken. They are definitely hot but so so good. I was sent a small, medium and large jar of the original flavor and onion & garlic. I was cooking with my friend and we tasted the sauces right out of the jar and had to chug some water!

Each flavor is unique and made with fresh ingredients including red jalapeños, orange habanero, onions, garlic, honey and additional spices. Their website also offers several recipes- great for parties!

Our meal consisted of chicken, grilled vegetables (baby corn, mushrooms, peppers, onions) and a sweet potato. We used a brush to apply the Saas to the chicken- we made 2 of each flavor. Then tossed the veggies into the basket. To but down on cook time we nuked the sweet potatoes before wrapping them in foil and placing them on the grill.

We braced ourselves to test the chicken because we forgot which ones had the hotter sauce on them! A pleasant surprise was after cooked, the sauces were not as spicy as they were right out of the jar. 

I highly recommend checking out Saas. The prices are reasonable ($1.49-$5.49) and you can purchase online or in store.

Have you ever tried Saas? Thoughts? Favorite hot sauce?

Xo,
Lynette

Thursday More Than Three

I've been meaning to post this for a while but just go around to doing it this past Sunday. For today's Thursday Three I'm giving you more than three things but I thought this would be fun! This was sent to me from Sara Stone who is one of my Sweat Pink sisters. 

1.  What did you eat for breakfast?

Since I wrote this Sunday I can assume I ate some sort of eggs for breakfast as usual.

2.  How much water do you drink a day?

Almost 3 or 4 water bottles

3.  What is your current favorite workout?

Obviously running but yoga and spin are not far behind

4.  How many calories do you eat a day?

Not a clue and I don't particularly want to know. That is not how I live. 

5.  What are your favorite healthy snacks?

Hummus, bananas, grapes, anything Kashi, watermelon.

6.  What do you usually eat for lunch?

Normally I bring a sandwich and chips to the office with me.

7.  What is your favorite body part to strength train?

Legs of course. 

8.  What is your least favorite body part to strength train?

I hate doing arms!

9. What are your “bad” food cravings?

Skip. I eat what I want! I love crunchy things and chips are a staple for me.

10. Do you take vitamins or supplements?

I take a multivitamin each day. 

11. How often do you eat out?

Very very rarely due to my strict budget. 

12. Do you eat fast food?

On occasion. 

13. Who is your biggest supporter?

My friends and sister.

14. Do you have a gym membership?

Nope. I haven't had one in 3 years.

15. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?

Less than 6.5. Wish I could get more!

16. Do you have a “cheat” day? 

Once again, I eat what I want!!!

17. Do you drink alcohol?

Of course. And I haven't lost my beer pong skills :p

18. Do you have a workout buddy?

Nope. I make plans but no set buddy each day. 

19. What is the best thing that has changed about your life since committing to a healthy lifestyle?

I feel great and have had a boost in confidence. 

20. What was the last healthy thing you did?

Welp my guess is yoga but who know since I wrote this 4 days ago!

21.  What are your favorite shoes to work out in?

Right now I only have a pair of Asics

22.  Photo of your favorite workout outfit?

Not my favorite but I love this shirt!

Feel free to re-post on your own blog!

Xo,
Lynette

Half Marathon Training Round 2

[Love me some beer! Photo credit]

As of the Clipper Classic this cycle of half marathon training has begun! Since I still have not moved my butt into the city I am still dealing with time restrictions and being constantly tired, my plan will change each week. However, long runs are obviously reserved for the weekends.

Here's my recap for the past week:

Sunday: Bellport Clipper Classic 5K. Fast and hard 3.1 in about 28 minutes. My legs were really tight afterwards so I jumped into bed right after. 

Monday: Yoga Flow at SLT. This class felt amazing after the 5K. It stretched my whole body out and my legs felt amazing afterwards. It also worked my arms a lot which is something I want would like to focus on more.

Tuesday:  REST! I needed to rest my poor sore body. And I do believe I got home from work late this night. In case anyone is wondering, my career comes first beyond training. 

Wednesday: Treadmill workout. I had planned for an easy 3 outdoors but ended up on a late train and modified it to 15 minutes at speed 6 on the treadmill. I didn't have to stop or slow down so I felt pretty accomplished. I also did a nice abs series with my sister. 

Thursday: Today's workout was speed work: See how fast I could inhale the fro-yo I waited a whole entire week for. 

Friday: Rest. My college friend from upstate came to visit so we had a few beers and made a healthy dinner on the grill before hitting the beach on Saturday. However, it was moving day at the office and let me tell you- what an arm workout!! So I think that can count as half. 

Saturday: 4 sweaty miles. My plan was run miles 1 and 3 at half marathon pace and 2 and 4 at 5K pace. Due to a late start (I thought I would be OK with a 5 AM wake up time and 6 leave time) the heat was becoming unbearable and it was just a nice slow "long" run. I did buy a handheld water bottle this past weekend to hopefully it will prove useful on future long runs. 

[View from our dinner]

Sunday: Rest hehe. I know lots of rest days but I'd rather rest up and be ready for work. 

Plans for this week:
Yoga, 2 runs during the week, home yoga and a 5 mile weekend long run. 

Are you training for anything? How's it going?

Xo,
Lynette

Clipper Classic Race Recap

[Photo Credit]

Last weekend my sister and I ran a race in our hometown. My plan: kick-off half marathon training with an easy 5K at a 9:30 pace. What really happened was not that. 

We got there early to get our bibs and warm-up. It was necessary since they close all of the major roads to get into town. After running into some of my sisters friends we went on a light jog to the starting line to meet up with more people.

[Pre-race hydration]

At about 5:15 the kids 1 mile fun run started. The kids always look so cute sprinting down the street!

The rest of us lined up after and I ended up starting with my sister and her fast friends. What a mistake! I asked her to at least go in front of me and she did not so when the gun went off I had to start out in a full on sprint! 

[Photo credit]

I had my watch pace on 9:15 but for the first mile I did not look down and come to find out when it beeped for the 1 mile mark I was running an 8 min pace. Now I am proud that I was able to do that but I was really trying to pace myself for this race.

One of the things I love about the Clipper Classic is how everyone gets involved. There were so many sprinklers and hoses to run through thanks to the families. That is definitely what got me through the race. At mile 1.5 I took a few sips of water and kept going. 

[Done!]

Once we got back to the main road it was the final stretch. The fire truck had their big sprinkler thing going and I sprinted down the road. Unfortunately the finish line was super small and there was a slower woman in front of me not sprinting to the finish line so I had to slow down a bit. My official time was 28:03 which I think is pretty damn good for the heat and humidity we had. 

Xo,

Lynette

Run 10 Feed 10 2013

Last year, my first 10K was the Feed Foundation's Run 10 Feed 10 down the West Side Highway in NYC. This year I'm going back- on a mission.

I have plans to PR in the 10K distance although I'll be happy with anything under 59 minutes. Goal time is 58:00. 

I also plan on exceeding my fundraising total from last year! Last year I raised $135 through the support of my family and friends. This year I want to raise $150. That would provide 15 meals. 

[Getting ready to run]

In order to participate in this particular race, you are required to raise a minimum of $100. That will provide 10 local families a meal. The money stays right here in the US and goes to what I personally believe is a good cause (I have a soft spot for helping those, especially children, in need). 

Each day we take our lunch and snack breaks yet there are some working 9 hour days without being able to have a meal. The Feed Foundation was started by Lauren Bush Lauren in 2005 for those in need in other countries. Since founding the organization she had expanded her reach to the US. Today there are over 50 million American's who are unsure of where their next meal is coming from. 

[Lauren Bush Lauren and crew]

The Run 10 Feed 10 race is seeking to raise another million meals this year. And you can help!

Click here to see my Crowdrise profile and make a donation. 

*Side note: Crowdrise only allows you to donate a minimum of $10 but offline donations are welcome. If you are interested in helping me out, please let me know and I will let you know where to send your check or cash to. LifesBetterInYogaPants@gmail.com or tweet me @LynetteNicole07.

This is one of the best races I have ever been to. The course is great, the festival lasts all morning, there are giveaways, yoga classes and more. AND I get to help children. Can it get any better than that?!

Thanks in advance for your support!

[Friends from run club]

Have you ran this race? What did you think?

Xo,
Lynette

Late Race Recap: Mud Man X

Recently I realized I never posted about my first ever mud run! Better late than never right? About a month ago me and my friend Jaclyn went up to New Windsor, NY, for the Mud Man X race. 

We stayed at her place the night before and headed out around 8 and got to the event at 9:30. That left us plenty of time to check in, put our bags in the secluded area, use the bathroom and just hang out before our heat at 11.

The course wasted no time making sure we got wet! The first thing we did was jump into a slimy lake. The first major obstacle was the barbed wire crawl where you were SUPPOSED to run through water with hanging wires. Obviously I chose to crawl through the water. 

They kept us occupied until the next big obstacle with tons of water, slides and crawling activities. We crossed a gross lake by jumping on moving boards placed in a line that sunk when you jumped on them. I'm sure I provided bystanders with quite a hilarious show. 

So after I crossed that pond, it was time for the walls the have no ledges to climb- you jump up, grab and go over. But not me. This very nice guy asked if I needed help and I said yes. So he put my left foot in his hand and on 3-2-1 I jumped...and did not catch the top which left me on my ass. This super cute nice guy dropped me on my ass! And we weren't even close to the end.

After that we did a few more minuscule obstacles. The big ones included a rope climb and a monkey bar thing that I skipped. I think I would have been more comfortable if we had guys on our team or if someone was there to catch me.

[I tried!]

The last obstacle before the finish line was the ice bath crawl! Not sure why but as painful as this was I seemed to be smiling throughout the WHOLE thing. 

This was Jaclyn's first 5K and I'm so proud of her for finishing. We took our time and I went at her pace but it was really about the fun not time. 

I definitely want to do another and will hopefully convince some of my guy friends to team up for a Tough Mudder or Spartan Race. 

What mud runs have you done? Did you like them? Favorite obstacle?

Xo,
Lynette

Pizza Pizza!

Being Italian, loving pizza is kind of in my genes. However my jeans won't fit if I'm constantly eating such foods. I had some whole wheat pizza crust in my house and needed a quick yet satisfying dinner last week so I decided to toss a small pie in the oven. I'm really happy we were able to find personal sized pizza crusts!

Here's what I did:

First I placed the crust on a plate to prepare the pizza. You could also probably do that on the baking sheet. 

Next I brushed the crust with oil along with some garlic. 

Add your sauce preference. I may or may not have used pasta sauce due to fact I had no pizza sauce!

Add toppings! I used broccoli (obviously), green peppers and chicken.

Top with your cheese preference. I mixed cheddar and mozzarella. 

Move to a baking sheet or pizza stone. 

Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes or until you feel it is cooked through. Remember to lower the heat from 450 to 425.

Slice and serve!

What are your go-to pizza toppings? Do you make homemade pizza often?

Xo,

Lynette

Love the Life You Live

I'm sure you've noticed I disappeared again! While I would love to share posts with you every day for the whole month it's hard for me to keep up with commuting, workouts,  a social life and blogging. Unfortunately, and I don't pride myself on this, when a social situation comes up my baby (blog) tends to get neglected.  

So what have I been doing instead of writing?

I participated in my first mud run! I completed the Mud Man X with one of my college friends. 

I went to the Wanderlust Yoga Festival.

I explored Astoria, which is not in the running for my big move in February (fingers crossed)!

I did yoga in the middle of Times Square.

I attended runners boot camp.

[Photo courtesy of Amanda Rose Wellness]

I have also been getting some casual runs in to prepare for half marathon training which starts in 2 weeks. I've kept my mileage low and pace varied since I'm making sure my body is ready for the heat and humidity. Oh and working! It's Christmas in July in the PR world!

Who else is training this summer? What are your tricks and tips?

Xo,

Lynette