Mom Works It Out by Angela Gillis

Angela December 20, 2013

A Christmas light bike ride

Last night, Willie and I went on a Christmas light bike ride. We wanted to do it last year but we didn’t. I don’t remember why but it probably had something to do with the social aspect of ride. We just didn’t know anyone and it never occurred to us to just go out there to meet people. This year we were all game for it though. So yesterday I taught my 4:30 cycle class and then we headed out after for the 9 mile bike ride to see the Christmas lights. You know what I loved about it? 1.…

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Angela December 19, 2013

More than just about weight loss

We wanted to lose the weight to improve our quality of life and we did it! I’m here to tell losing weight was only the FIRST step in improving our quality of life. I learned in hindsight that the weight was holding us back from not just being physically active but also socially active. Don’t get me wrong, we both have a GREAT set of BEST friends in our life but all but one set live out of state. The in state people don’t even live in our city. Willie and I spent a LOT of time sitting at home,…

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Angela December 17, 2013

Dealing with maintenance mode

People are very curious to see if I’m still trying to lose weight. I am here to answer that question: no! I’m in maintenance mode and I’ve been that way for almost two years now, I think. Two years seems like a really long time. It took me 13 months to hit my first goal weight and I continued to shed the pounds after that, not intentionally but I did still have more to lose. At some point my body just stopped and that is how I knew it was time to maintain. It was a hard switch to make…

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Angela December 15, 2013

Sunday Run down

It’s been an eventful weekend but not in the way I planned. Willie has been sick since Thursday night around midnight. He never complains and he hates missing work but I knew something was up with him when he passed on two of his favorite meals. Burger and pizza night were definitely a no go this week. He’s been sleeping it off and I haven’t been able to spend much time with him because he’s been sleep. On Friday night, he slept, I was bored so I watched Christmas movies on Lifetime. It wasn’t so bad. I actually liked the…

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Angela December 13, 2013

Eggless Eggnog for the holidays

I don’t know about you, but I love(d) eggnog. I never really paid attention to the calories or fat in this delicious holiday drink though. When I became a little bit more health conscious I had to step away from my favorite holiday drink because it just didn’t fit into my “I can make that work” factor. (FYI: I am a person who doesn’t really like to drink their calories, but I know everyone is different.) Christmas cookies and eggnog were always something I enjoyed on Christmas Eve but it’s just something I couldn’t do anymore. I may not feel…

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Angela December 12, 2013

After the marathon…

You know what? It’s super hard for me not to run. I know I needed to take the days off but I really just wanted to run and I had already built up this serious running thing. I had to take a few days off which is fine because I still had to teach my cycle classes. I need to take it easy and not hurt myself. I think people always forget about recovery! After the marathon I thought I would be hurting but I’m not. I’m having a little ache in my knees but that’s due to not stretching…

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Angela December 12, 2013

Save $20 on Rock n Roll Races TODAY ONLY

It’s a big day for all who want to run Rock n Roll races next year. TODAY only you can save up to $20 on races for next year! As you all know, I love these races for many reasons. These races have great sponsors, great organized races, great staff and volunteers and many great opportunities to run a great race. I also love these races because it gives me a chance to see the country. I set my PR at RnR Dallas, ran the hardest race of my life at RnR Denver, Willie ran his first half at RnR…

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Angela December 11, 2013

The deal with our body image

Excuse me as I give myself a pep talk about body image. Some of you may have the same problem as me and others may not, but I do have a problem. In the car on the way back from Memphis, I was reading the news and I found this clip of Jennifer Lawrence telling us to “screw those people” who want to make us into someone else. It was actually a refreshing moment to watch and made me love this woman so much more. How can you not love the psychotic girl from Silver Linings Playbook or Katniss Everdeen?…

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Angela December 10, 2013

I Can Be Active Check-in #2

It’s time for the second check-in for the I Can Be Active Challenge. Please share with me how you’ve been active over the second time period. You can gain extra entries by doing the things below. I guess you want to know what the first prize is, right? This rounds prize will be a gift card to Target! Why Target? Because I love the workout clothes from there and it was the place where I got my new running vest that I love so much! a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Angela December 9, 2013

Not the marathon post I planned. St. Jude …

This was supposed to be an exciting weekend for us because we had been in training for Willie’s “knock it out of the park” half marathon and my first marathon. But then a little winter storm came into our lives. We probably should have taken the hint when our flight was canceled but we didn’t. We just got in the car to drive to Memphis. Race officials said things were still ago and we didn’t want to miss out on the race. We arrived in Memphis at 1:30 am before the ice storm hit. Friday morning we woke up to…

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Angela December 4, 2013

The importance of being you

I guess today is a little inspirational post. Over the course of my marathon training, I’ve struggled with doing things for myself. I’m sure a lot of you struggle with this too, especially when others who are dependent on you. I don’t have any children but I’ve been left to task of caring for my mother as she battled cancer along with many other responsibilities. I declared this time in my life as a time to do something for myself…and I got flack for it. The most important thing to realize is that NO ONE is going to be 100%…

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