Tag: work

‘Chic and Fit 2014 – Day 4’ and ‘Girls on the Run’

2 Comments

Just checkin’ in to see how all my peeps are doing?!  As you might recall, earlier this week, I proposed to engage in 30 minutes of physical activity a day.  I actually didn’t think much of it, until I got some feedback from people.  It made me think, “Hmm, am I REALLY going to be able to put in 30 minutes of physical activity a day?!!”

Well, so far so good!!  Here’s a recap:

Day 1:  Jog on Treadmill, 35:14 min:sec, 2.271 miles.

0506142138

Day 2: Elliptical Workout, Level 5, 30:53 min:sec.  I BARELY got through these 30 minutes!! I forgot my socks and headphone at home, so I worked out in silence and sockless!!

0507141718a

Day 3: Another jog on the treadmill, while watching the last two episodes of Scandal.  Note to self, watching Scandal while running can be hazardous to your health.  I nearly went tachycardic!!  Shonda Rimes…please include a disclosure stating that content from your show, combined with physical activity, may cause one’s heart to react abnormally!! 😛  Treadmill workout, 45:41 min:sec (some jogging, some walking), 2.989 miles.

0508142203 So, not too bad so far!!  I have a run planned for tonight, so that will get day 4 in the books for me!  How are y’all doing with your workouts??!  Remember, you can follow along on Instagram or Twitter, as well as on Facebook here on the blog!

If you are in the Birmingham, AL, area, tomorrow, May 11th, Black Girls Run, Birmingham (the group that helped me get my running groove back after the birth of my first son) will be supporting little-er Girls on the Run tomorrow morning!  Feel free to go out, join them,  and show your support!! Or, if you have daughters, nieces, little girl friends, etc., encourage them to participate in Girls on the Run!  Getting healthy and fit should be a community-wide effort, so let’s do our part and support each other and help others get involved!!

Stay chic and fit, friends!!

A ‘Chic and Fit 2014’

14 Comments

I had a relatively stressful day today.  All self-imposed, so no one to blame but me. 🙂  That said, I turned to a couple of things today that usually help me ‘de-stress’, so to speak.  Among those things, chats with friends!!  Many thanks to my amazing friends (you know who you are) who listened to me vent. 😀  The other thing I tried was…a run.  Yup, a good ‘ol run on the treadmill.

I haven’t worked out regularly in a while, mostly because I was breastfeeding my son for the past 10 months (have you ever tried running with breasts full of milk?!  PAINFUL.  Or at least it was for me!!).  But also because I didn’t HAVE to!  He’s turning 11 months this week and this past month, I’ve watched the scale climb faster that I ever knew it could!  I knew I was burning lots of calories while breastfeeding, but didn’t realize how many until I stopped (though we do have frozen stock to get us through the year, fortunately!)!

Anyhow, I forgot how good it feels to get some physical activity in my day.  The stress is not completely gone, but the endorphins appear to help me manage the stress better, I think (this, by the way is not a scientific opinion, haha!  Just my opinion. 😉 ).  So, I thought, why not engage my friends and see if we can all get a little healthier and de-stress together?!

So, I am starting ‘Chic and Fit 2014’!  The goal here is not to:

  • Get skinny
  • Try new diets
  • Workout like crazy

The goal is simply to incorporate at least 30 minutes of physical activity into my day.  If by chance I happen to lose some weight along the way, become less stressed, eat healthier, or decide that I love working out (this has never happened before, so I doubt it will happen now, but I’ll never say never, haha!), then so be it!

Want to join me?!  I will post updates here on my blog, also on Instagram, and on Twitter using hashtag #chicandfit2014.  You can post as well and use the hashtag, so we can all keep up with each other.  Sure, we may be halfway through 2014, but the year is not over yet!  So, follow along as I incorporate fitness into my attempt to stay ‘Chic in Academia’.  No gimmicks, nothing difficult, just me, a workout, and social media. 🙂

Stay Chic!

Workout Treadmill Day 1 edited

Me, my treadmill, and my phone (camera) 😉

Workout Day 1

Day 1 – A slow jog on the treadmill.

Happy New Year!!

10 Comments

Happy new year dear readers!!!  May this year be filled with happiness, love, and success for you all!  I am excited for what 2014 has in store, both professionally as well as personally.  I am also excited for some upcoming collaborations that are in the process of being established for my blog!  😀  More details to come soon!

It’s been 30 whole days since my last blog post!  Can you believe that?!  In my defense, I have been busy with work-related activities; specifically, writing (manuscripts and a grant)…you know, my bread and butter.  Well, let’s just say my bread, because I don’t really care for butter. 😉  In academia, you must publish or perish, so I have been actively trying not to perish!

Anyhow, being that it is the first day of the year, I wanted to make sure I posted today and also remind you that I had some unfinished business pending with some of you!!  You may or may not remember that I was to announce the winner of the book ‘Lean In‘ giveaway the first week of December.  For those of you who missed out, read up on the giveaway here!

Well, what had happened was…  Haha, just kidding!  Seriously, though.  I had planned to give away my personal copy of the book.  Then, I decided, why not try to get books for ALL the readers who commented on my blog post??  How Oprah of me would THAT be??!

So…guess what??  If you commented on that post (I also have a list, if you need to make sure), THEN:

Screen Shot 2014-01-01 at 9.46.35 PMExciting, right??!!  I was able to negotiate getting books donated for all those that commented, so it is no expense to me OR you!!

Anyhow, I wanted to make sure to get this news out on the first of the year…you know, to help get your year started off right. 🙂  Email me at chicinacademia@gmail.com to claim your book!  Books will be mailed before the end of the month.

Finally, I want to take a moment to thank you all again for your continued support and readership!  2013 was an amazing year for my blog, so I can only imagine how much better it will get in 2014!

Cheers to you all and Happy New Year!!!!