23 and a Half Hours: You'll Be Glad You're a Runner!

Runner's World tweeted a link to this video earlier today. Watch it! It's really interesting!

As someone who was formerly unhealthy, watching this video makes me really glad I've changed my habits!

Why I'm glad I'm a runner:

-I get to enjoy the weather all year round (yes, even the cold days!)

-I get to travel and visit new places for races

-I can fit into my "skinny jeans" (actually, they're too big now! I had to buy smaller jeans!)

-Exercise gives me endorphins. Endorphins make me happy. (Happy people just don't shoot their husbands...they just don't!)

-QT with Zoe and Zach

-I get to chat and catch up with my mom while we burn off Christmas cookies

-It makes me feel good about my accomplishments

-Awesome runner-blogger community

-Running changed my life for the SO MUCH better!

Are you a runner? If you are, why are you glad you're a runner? What did you think of the video?

How was your weekend? Zach, Zoe and I had a great weekend visiting his family for Mississippi Christmas. I got some great gifts! I can't wait to try them out! :) For running, I was given an armband for my iPhone so I don't have to carry it (YAY!) as well as a new long sleeved running shirt! I also got the movie The Help, which Zach and I watched last night. LOVED IT!! WHY did I wait so long to see it?! Now I will definitely be reading that book over break.

Happy Monday!

Christmas Baking Crazy!

This weekend, Zach and I are headed south to see his family for Christmas, since we will be with mine on actual Christmas. We decided to bake his family several Christmas desserts to bring with us!

First we made Chocolate Cake Reeses Peanut Butter Chunk cookies.

SO GOOD. Chocolate and Reese's? You can't go wrong! Recipe here

We also made Chocolate Candy Cane Blossom cookies. I love how festive these look!

I almost wish I put some red and green sprinkles on them! Recipe here

And lastly, we made Eggnog pound cake. I can't wait to try some of this because I love eggnog!

The recipe called for cranberries but I didn't use those...just made the cake part. Recipe here

We tied up the desserts in pretty cellophane and ribbon.

We are also including some Mississippi State homemade jelly. MSU has a huge agriculture, animal science and vet department so we are able to buy homemade ice cream, cheese, jelly, juices, meats and so many other things.

Our favorite flavors are muscadine, mayhaw, and scuppernog.

We wrapped up these and placed them with the cookies!

I can't wait to share them with everyone and enjoy them!

What are you baking this holiday? What's your favorite recipe?

Zoe the Christmas Dog and Other Things That Make Me Happy Today

This is our first Christmas with Zoe and she is so excited to be part of the festivities.

She loves our mini Christmas tree. She sniffs it frequently. She was sad it doesn't have lights so she made her eyes shine like lights when I took her picture.

You all know she is into accessories. Zoe is currently rockin' her Christmas collar for the month of December. It's white with red and green holiday words like "Merry Christmas", "Joy", "Happy Holidays" and "Family".

She also picked out these two bandanas for her holiday activities. She loves Charlie Brown so she got a Charlie Brown Christmas bandana!

We also found this cute gingerbread man bandana. It's SPARKLY! All Zoe's accessories are less than $10 and we find them on Etsy!

I got this cute dog bone ornament at Cracker Barrel in Tennessee for $1! I painted Zoe's name on it and we hung it on our palm tree.

Walmart had the cutest stocking that we found for Zoe. I painted her name in gold sparkles and outlined the paws as well. Homegirl is really into bling and shiny stuff.

Zoe has asked Santa Paws for her own jar of peanut butter, bones, and some doggie sunglasses. She's such a diva.

This morning me and miss diva ran 10 miles! For my last half marathon, the longest training run I ran was 8 miles due to my knee setback.

We were taking it easy and just trying to hit the mileage so we were happy with ourselves today.

I have a really bad habit of not drinking enough water post-long run so today I've been drinking water like crazy out of my Tervis.

So far no headache so I think I'm good!

I also enjoy wearing compression sleeves to work. Best part about them? No one knew I had them on!

What compression sleeves?

IT'S ALMOST FRIDAY YAY!!

How was your Thursday? What does your fur child ask Santa Paws for?

Peanut Butter Granola! Guest Post on Little Miss Runshine!

Happy Wednesday everyone! We are only two days away from the weekend and that much closer to Christmas!

I guest posted today for Jessica over at Little Miss Runshine!

(Doesn't she have the greatest blog name?!)

I am featuring a favorite recipe of mine for Peanut Butter Granola. I saw this recipe awhile back at Julie's blog, Peanut Butter Fingers.

(image via PB Fingers)

Its a delicious and easy snack! Go over to Jessica's blog and check it out!

Cookies and Christmas Movies!

Yesterday I made these amazing cookies! Peanut Butter Lovers Toll House cookies!

Zach and I found these in Kroger on Sunday and we were all over that. I added some chocolate chips to the top to make them even more amazing.

I put them on my new MSU plate! I got this as an early Christmas gift from Zach.

These cookies were so good! Sometimes I just want a cookie and don't feel like baking from scratch. Amazing!

I ate my cookie while watching The Polar Express. It was on TV last night as part of the ABC Family 25 Days of Christmas!

The Polar Express is definitely one of my must-watch Christmas movies. I have to watch it at least twice every season.

Here are my other must-watch Christmas favorites:

ELF!! I LOVE ELF! Definitely my favorite Christmas movie ever! I watch this more than twice a season. More like twice a week. Ok twice a day you got me.

The Santa Clause! This movie is so cute. And doesn't it make you want hot chocolate? We watched this once so far this season!

Home Alone! This fabulousness was brought out Sunday night. I love little Kevin McCallister he's so crafty.

And last but not least, a Charlie Brown Christmas! I have a miniature Christmas tree in our apartment (along with my Floridian Christmas tree-my light up palm tree). It reminds me of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. And Woodstock just kills me. His little bird feet and hair crack me up.

What are you favorite, must-see Christmas movies? Have you tried the magnificence of peanut butter lovers cookies?

Today we had a chemical engineering grad student association Christmas lunch. It was really fun. We got to go out to eat to a nice restaurant in Starkville (and the department paid-even better!). I got grilled mahi mahi, mashed sweet potatoes, and broccoli. Then I came home and Zoe and I ran 5 miles! It was cold but we had a great run!

Give Yourself the Best Gift of All This Holiday Season: Health and Wellness

The end of the year is quickly approaching, which means Christmas and holiday parties, visiting family, and celebrating New Years! So many of us, myself included, have made New Year's Resolutions to lead healthier lives and/or lose weight. This time last year I was 30 pounds heavier. Now I'm a half marathoner! I put my health first this year and I am so grateful I did. And if I can do it-you can!

Why wait until New Years to start the journey of healthy living? Start now!

There is about 4 weeks left until New Years. In four weeks you could lose 5-10 pounds, or run a mile, or eat at home 5 nights a week. Regardless of what your health and fitness goals are, four weeks is a lot of time to get a jump start on your resolutions!

Here are some of my tips to getting started on your healthy lifestyle journey:

1. Make sure you're starting your healthy life journey for the right reasons. Why do you want to live a healthier lifestyle? Don't begin this journey for anyone else but yourself. Do this for YOU!

2. Begin realistically. It's not realistic to go from eating out every night and never hitting the gym to cooking 7 nights a week and running every day. Start small, and build up to your ultimate goal. I started with running half a mile three days a week. Now I run 4-5 times per week and rarely eat out (unless I'm on vaca).

3. Find an activity that you like. As you all know, running is my activity. I love it. But not everybody likes running. Maybe you enjoy swimming or Zumba. Or playing tennis is your thing. Regardless of how you get moving, make sure you enjoy it! That way you're more likely to stick with it and you'll have fun at the same time.

4. Find accountability somewhere. Get your coworkers involved or make plans to walk with your sister. If you have someone counting on you, you're much more likely to adhere to your workout schedule. No one wants to be let down!

5. Don't beat yourself up when you fall off the wagon. So you had a huge burger and a plate of fries the size of your face for lunch-oh well. Was that the best choice? Probably not, but it's life. Sometimes I eat Popeyes chicken for dinner. But the next meal I have I'm right back on the healthy meals wagon. IT'S OK to splurge every once in awhile-just do it in moderation. You all see me make cookies and tailgate all the time. But that's once a week and I ran before the tailgate. Indulge in moderation and pick and choose what treats you have. You'll enjoy them a lot more and be able to bounce right back into healthy eating.

6. Drink WATER! Ditch those Cokes! Trust me-drinking water makes me feel so much better. If I give one health tip, it's ditch the soda and drink water! Water will be blah at first, I know. But stick with it and use Crystal Light to make water more flavorful. I started out drinking tons of Crystal Light and now I typically just drink plain water.

7. Remember, this journey takes time. You deserve a healthy lifestyle and a healthy body. It does take work and time. Some days are harder than others. But DON'T GIVE UP! You CAN do it! Be patient with yourself and reward yourself with new running shoes or a new tennis racket. And think about how awesome you'll feel when you're finished with your workout or you prepared a good meal. Stick with it!

If anyone has any questions for me, don't hesitate to ask! Tweet me @ashleyrunning or e-mail me at ashleyruns@gmail.com. I'd be happy to answer any questions or hear any of your suggestions too!

December Goals and My Advice for Staying Fit Over the Holidays

This morning I set out on the first run I've had since Saturday. No lie, I was not feeling like running at all this week. Cold set in hardcore in MS, and while I can run in the cold no problem, the rain and 30 degree weather Monday and Tuesday was certainly not motivating.

Also, my advisor returned to work from maternity leave this week so I've been editing my thesis like crazy.

Off we go 5 miles or bust!

It was cold so I bundled up!

Zoe wanted to pose for a pre-run picture. Umm look at my forehead? Holy five-head. Good thing I don't walk around with this hairdo normally.

The first 4 miles was great. The last mile was awful. I'm not sure what happened but I struggled hard during the last mile. Bad run and barely any miles this week? GET IT TOGETHER ASHLEY!! You have a race to run in January!

Speaking of January...I have a list of goals I've made for myself to stay fit and committed over the holidays, even with traveling and holiday goodies (see yesterday's post on everything I want to stuff my face with).

Here are my goals:

1. Run 100 miles in December

2. Not gain an ounce. I'd like to keep on truckin with losing weight in December, but I also don't want to lead myself to disappointment, so my goal is to not gain a single ounce.

Here are some of my suggestions for staying fit and not gaining any weight during December:

1. Pick and choose your indulgences. For example, if you know you have your friend's holiday party on Saturday, make sure you eat healthy and at home all week so come Saturday, you can enjoy the party without beating yourself up because you've eaten out all week.

2. Check out the party food table, decide what looks most appealing, and eat that. I always do the once-over scan before serving myself. That way I can choose the things I want the most, enjoy them, and be done. Doing this allows me to indulge on a couple of treats, be satisfied, and not stuffed to the brim.

3. Go right to the gym after work, or before work, or whatever your normal routine. Keep yourself on auto-pilot to stick to your routine. Once you're up and dressed, you'll be more likely to go in the morning. If you work out after work or class, bring clothes with you so you don't have to go home to change and risk not wanting to go out again.

4. Sign up for a blog fitness challenge! You can win great prizes while having lots of people to hold you accountable. Check out Run with Jess's 12 Days of a Fit Christmas Challenge or Run to the Finish's Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge!

5. If you run or walk, sign up for a holiday 5k! Fun and keeps you fit!

I'm all about the holidays and enjoying my mom's Tollhouse Cookie Pie and gingerbread cookies. I'm also going to Boston and NYC in a couple of weeks and I definitely want to enjoy something new while I'm there. But you best believe I'll be running all December! I'm staying fit this holiday season!

What are some of your tips to stick to your fitness routine in the winter? Are any of you participating in a blog challenge? Anyone have a healthy Christmas recipe?