How To Pick the Right Sports Bra

Ladies! This post is for you! Or fellas, maybe this would be a great gift for your female fitness friend...they fit right in a stocking! Haha!

If there is one problem that all females can relate to, it is the "boob issues" during working out. For some of my friends, I know that is one of the reasons why they do not ENJOY working out! I mean think about, it is SO uncomfortable to have things moving during a workout. Not only is it uncomfortable,but distracting! I am not even "blessed" in that area, and ANY movement just takes my workout from being enjoyable to "I want to quit".

Choosing the right support for you "friends" is important, not only for your own comfort and sanity, but for your workout! Think of how much focus is potentially pulled from your workout, to focus on the discomfort of a sports bra. The stress on your breasts is also an added weight for your body to work with as they "do their own thing", which in turn means harder work for your lungs and heart, believe it or not. So as you can see, securing "the girls" properly, has many, many benefits.

Now, not all sports bras are created equal! Just like your standard bras, there are options for every size and type.  Typically, three options are available to choose. Here is the rundown:

Compression Bras: These are the ones that smoosh you in and flatten you out. If you have over a B cup, these might not be for you. The comfort level of your "pride" is going to be very low, which may distract you from your workout. While the compression bra will definitely hold you in place, there are better options.

Now, if you are like me and a member of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee, a compression bra might be just what you need. Unfortunately, it does not enhance the assets for us, but makes us even flatter; however, I have personally found these bras to work best for me with my workouts. There is no "movement".

Encapsulation Bras: These are great for those of you who are larger in the boob-area. Encapsulation bras adds in the compression of the compression bras, but separates it into two separate cups that will comfortably hold the girls in place.An added benefit of these is it is also less sweaty, if ya catch my drift.

"Little ladies" listen up! These are also becoming more popular in our size, as well and gives you SOMETHING instead of looking flat as a board :)  I do have a few of these, because I am very self-conscious in this area, but I still prefer compression bras if I am really going hard at something (like my Insanity workouts)

Underwire Bras: These offer additional support to suppress the jiggling, but honestly, I hate bras with underwire in them regularly so I do not know how comfortable these would be. If you have ever utilized one, I encourage you to comment so that we can have an idea of what they feel like while working out

So to sum it up, picking the right sports bra is important for your sanity, your focus, your comfort, AND your endurance. There are three kinds out there, and each is great for a particular kind of "pair". What I have listed are just guidelines based on my own experience, and I encourage you to see for yourself; however, if you are consistently feeling a bit "loose" in that area while you workout, it might be time to try something new. Also remember that sports bras don't last forever. Most last about 30-40 washes....so we will call that 6 months-ish.

Ladies, comment below: What's your favorite type/brand of sports bra and why?

For more articles about fitness fashion, assistance, tips tricks, and ideas visit this link! New articles are posted throughout the week that are extremely applicable to your every day life.

Sports Beans Review

I had heard of people talking about "beans".   "What do you use to sustain energy while you run?" "Typically Gu, blocks, or beans" I never really thought much of it until I needed to switch things up due to my stomach becoming upset from my old method of doing things.

If I would have known that these "beans" were jelly beans, hot damn! I would have tried them a long time ago! Who doesn't love jelly beans?! Well, no, that's a bad thing to ask, because I know a lot of people who hate jelly beans; however, I am not one of them!

I decided to try Jelly Belly's brand of Sports Beans before an 8 mile run a few weeks back and wanted to report my personal findings. Please know that this is just my personal experience.

The packaging promises quick energy for sports performance through Carbs, E

lecetrolytes, and Vitamins B & C. Sounds good to me off the bat, and they looked like jelly beans. But surely they wouldn't taste like them, right?

Wrong!

These little gems tasted like they popped right out of an Easter basket. That is the only downside to them. They are SO good! I fear that if there was a pack with multiple servings inside that I would eat the entire pack, and then have TOO much energy. Luckly, they come in single serving packs so that won't happen.

As far as the energy factor goes, I was surprised. Anything I have ever tried that said "Quick Energy!" on the label really meant "You're going to know what it feels like to be on Speed!"  This was not the case with these beans. There was no energy surge, no jitters, no feeling like my heart was going to beat out of its chest. it was just sort of a feeling that you could do what you needed to do. I wouldn't say that they gave me the energy to go above and beyond, but they gave me enough to get through the run - which that day was a blessing because it was a 10 hour work day and I was exhausted to begin with.

The price is very reasonable. I want to say I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 per pack. They also fit very nicely in my little running pouch, which is helpful because I get so irritated if that thing is weighed down and then starts to bounce around.

I'm also Hypoglycemic and during my runs my sugar has been known to drop and for anyone who is Hypoglycemic, you know how that feels. It's like a body crash from out of left field. Heavy eyes, tired, jittery but sort of nauseated at the same time...so what I like about these beans is I can keep them in my running pouch and if I feel that happen I can munch on a few to get my levels up and feel better.

All in all, if you are looking for a light boost of energy that is extremely tastey and easily transportable I'd say the beans are for you. If you are looking for that feeling of being able to workout forever, and go full steam ahead, I would try something else.

Hope you enjoyed! Check back often for regular review of supplements, gear, etc.

Pep Talks with Myself

Nothing like a lovely 12-miler to end your day. I was contemplating doing this run BEFORE work and then came to my senses that a long run mixed with a boring day would surely equal sleeping on my desk and possibly being fired. SO! After work, it is!

But let's back up a little bit here. Why on earth am I running 12 miles? For fun? Heeelll no. A while ago I decided to sign up for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon (my second year doing it), and though the road has been rough, I must honor my commitment.

I mapped out a new course for my 12 today, since my 10 last week just bored me to tears. This one includes some hills, so hopefully the use of different muscle groups helps out my knees a bit. I think the regular pounding on the pavement mixed with the constant use of the SAME muscles doesn't do me much good...and the Half will include some hills anyway so I might as well make this run as realistic as I can.

You would think today WAS race day the way my nerves are. I think I am just nervous to see my end time. I need to keep an 11:23 mile pace in order to meet my goal time of dropping 10 minutes from last year (it's on my dream board...I HAVE to accomplish it lol) and sometimes I find myself going too fast out of the gate, but at times it's so hard to slow down! Finding a good pace is difficult for me...I'm much more of a "get it over with" kind of girl and that's probably where most of my problems lie.


I could have quit a while ago, especially when I was sick with a chest cold for three weeks. I could have said that my knees were hurting and for the sake of them, I should backoff running, or I could give in to my sometimes negative attitude during my runs and just throw in the towel. But I've gotta honor my commitment.

The route does look like it will be challenging, though. Challenging - but something different...so we will see how it goes. I will just be happy when this run is over (mainly because pizza awaits!) but also because then I start into my taper and my body really needs it. This training season has been difficult from getting sick multiple times to having this chest cold thing that likes to keep showing back up; the stress of work, school and moving; along with many other things. Now is especially difficult because with the move, because there is so much that I SHOULD be doing other than running, but what can ya do!

You don't give up. That's what you do. If you commit to a goal, you see it through. It doesn't matter how many times that goal tries to knock you down, you keep standing up until it is in your reach, and then you lunge until it is in your grasp..then you celebrate.
.I do think this might be my last Half for a bit. I say that now and I'm sure on race day I'll be looking for my next one to sign up for..that's how I found myself in this one, haha. I do have some fun runs to look forward to coming up between Color Me Rad and Ruckus, so that should keep me actively training throughout summer.


Once you get a goal in your mind, the only one stopping you from achieving it is yourself. If you work at it hard enough, you just might trick yourself into liking exactly what you say you hate doing (like running!) Would I sit here and confess my love for running? No! "I hate running!", yet I find myself continuously signing up for these darn races. Have I tricked myself into loving what I once hated?

Time to mentally prepare. Wish me luck!!

Fall Down Seven, Stand Up Eight

It's a bit un-settling that the first entry that I am posting is dealing with something so negative; however, my hope is that this post will breed positivity, motivation, determination, and new found strength into those that read it. April 15th, much like September 11th, is going to be a day in history that leaves you feeling a little bit heavier in the heart. As racers from all over got in the right frame of mind to finish strong and focused on the finish line at the Boston Marathon, tragedy struck as two bombs detonated just seconds of each other. This isn't a blog post to explain what happened, we all know what happened, but it's to look at it from the eyes of a runner. The whole country was shocked, and still is, due to this tragedy. How? Why? WHO? The same questions that are running through my mind, are mostly likely running through the rest of the country's.

Everyone mourned on April 15th, but for a runner, the feeling is much different. I'm not trying to say that anyone feels worse or better, but I know for me personally this definitely affected me, and still is. The running community really IS a community. It's an odd bond, really. I know me, personally, if I am out running and pass someone multiple times during a distance run I always make sure to comment on their run. I don't know these people, but we are like a small family. Someone commenting on a run you just did is not weird to a runner, it is pretty normal. We can be at a race, not know the person to the left or our right, and end up sticking together the whole time, crossing the finish line together, and creating a lasting friendship. The runner's community is a huge family - when something like this happens, it takes a toll on all of us. We may not have known those injured personally, but we still all grieve on a different level for them. It hits very close to home when "one of your own" is hit with such a tragedy.

As runners, running is our escape. It's what we do to get away from the crap that is going on in the world today. All it takes is two headphones, a trail or a roadway, some running shoes and maybe even some Gu, and we are on our way to a mental escape. Each footstep for us is a footstep of mental freedom. The day's worries, stresses, and wonders melt away with every pound of the pavement. Every bead of sweat, is one less thing that we have on our mind. Race days are especially fun as we get to meet other runners, motivate one another to the finish line, congratulate each other when all is said and done...and of course enjoy the free food.

Put very well by a blogger on Runner's World, "This is the closest that I will ever feel to being an Olympian". The Olympic dream is out of reach for most of us, but for those few moments as a medal is placed around your neck as you are breathing hard, feeling like you might collapse, but somehow still smiling ear-to-ear...that feeling makes it all worth it. It makes every shin splint, every time your IT band kills you, every cramp worth it. Running is an escape that makes us feel like we really, truly, honestly are something special and unique in the sports world. On April 15th, I'm sure I'm not the only runner who was angry inside that my little slice of serenity was now being tampered with. This year, as runners make their way towards the finish line at their races, I am sure many of them will be wondering "what if" as they cross. I know I will be...

But that's the point that I am trying to make. I'm still running, as are thousands of others in Pittsburgh. We are still running our race, and we will be running it harder, faster, and stronger than we ever have before. For ourselves? No. But for those who can't run. For those who couldn't finish Boston, and for all of those who were affected by this horrible event. Feelings continue swell within us of extreme sadness, anger, frustration, and confusion, but we are going to use those emotions to fuel us to reach personal records, and to encourage each other just a little bit more to reach that finish.

You see, the running community is very resilient. We live in a resilient nation that always seems to get stronger when we get pushed down, and the running community is the same way. You push us down seven times, we will stand up eight....and if we can't physically stand there will be two strangers on either arm helping us to stand. We don't give up. We don't abandon what we do due to fear. We use it as fuel to keep going to new levels, new heights, and overcome new boundaries. If you are running an upcoming race, run it hard. Dig deep, give it every ounce of energy until you absolutely positively can't give it any more...and then give it just a little bit more for those who no longer can. Do not allow this event to keep you down, allow it to be a force that lifts you up. After all, those involved would never want us to hang back in fear, but to proceed with courage and strength.

Imagine where we would all be, runner or not, if we never tried. You would not be walking if you never tried as a toddler. You fell seven times but stood up 8 then, why not now? You wouldn't be driving if you never tried as a teenager, you couldn't read, you couldn't write, you couldn't do anything if you never had the courage to try. So my question to you is: what is it that you want to do NOW that are afraid of trying? What is it that is holding you back?

Let's Pound Some Pavement!

Well, it's that time again. Time to start training for the Half coming up in May. Now, I know some reading this might think that sounds funny, or that a Half is a bunch of "weak sauce", but I have never been a runner. I enjoyed sprints but only at 100m, anything else I considered "distance" and just wasn't into it.

The beginning of my running journey started with the Couch to 5K (C25K) running program. It got me going gradually and switched up the workouts enough so that I never got too bored or too winded. Once I graduated that program I was able to finally tackle a 4 mile run, a goal of mine since about the 8th grade. I have tried this running thing, I swear, every year since I was about 14 years old and failed - until last year.

Last year I dedicated myself to the idea of running. Damn it, I WAS going to become a runner if it killed me (and some days I thought it had). I signed up for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon, paid my $85 and said, "Well..that's it! You're running 13.1 regardless, because you sure as hell didn't just blow $85 for nothing!" So I started my training in November utilizing this training workout: Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training Program

Sometimes it was hard to keep up with, but I told myself I had to keep going. Closer to the half I upped my "distance" and veered away from the training schedule. One week I did 6 miles...the next week my distance run was 8, then I had three 10 mile weeks, and then went right to 12 1/2. After the 12 1/2 mile run without ANY stopping, I realized this was happening.

The day of the race came and I was excited and confident that I would finish. People joked about getting "picked up" because they wouldn't make the maximum time frame, but I knew I was going to cross that finish line. Not only was I going to cross it, but I was going to do it with a smile.

I took in everything that day. All the sites, sounds, feelings, etc. Around mile 11 my knee started to REALLY bother me to the point where there were some tears shed, but at that point there's no stopping!! I trucked on and crossed the finish line, arms in the air, smiling, at 2:37:36.  When my medal was placed around my neck and I had my picture taken, I knew I had officially become a runner.


....about 10 minutes later when I collapsed near an ambulance I also knew that running COULD kill a person haha. But all I needed was some sugar, and then I was good to go :)

That day taught me that I could do anything I put my mind to. That was a goal I had for over a decade and consistently gave up on, but that time I dedicated myself to achievement and just went for it, and I did it.

I have already signed up for the Half again this year which falls on May 5th, I believe. It's time to start training. This year I want to focus on some speed work, and more diversity into my workouts. If I did it once, I know I can do it again...and hopefully in less time!