gluten-free

Sunday Lately for this 30-Something:: Week 78

- Mel 7 Comments

Blogger Tribe_Sunday Lately Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY! Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). And the rest of us in the Blogger Tribe are sharing our posts today, too. The prompts for June 26 (Week 78):: Creating, Finding, Switching, Forgetting, Craving.

Catch up and read all of my past Sunday Lately posts and camp out with the Tribe on Facebook!

Creating:: an action plan (and riding map) for today’s bike-riding adventures (see: Forgetting).

Finding:: We had a pretty bad thunderstorm roll through last night (at around 2am). I got out of bed because it was so loud and so bright (and we were expected to get 50mph wind gusts), and and I could not find my 17-lb. cat. Like, anywhere. His storm spot is usually on the landings in between floors but he was nowhere (I even checked behind shower curtains in the bathtubs lol). I don’t know how cats can hide in plain sight sometimes.

Switching:: I went to the driving range yesterday to work on some of what I’ve learned in my lessons, and switching between clubs (specifically the 9 and 7 irons) really derailed and frustrated me. It took me a while to “fix” my driver stance and swing, too, but I ended up with three great shots (and then put my clubs away because let’s end on a high). I have my third lesson this week, so I can give her a little more feedback about how things go when I’m on my own. I feel as though my studies in applied psychology will be put to the test in this endeavor.

Forgetting:: Keep forgetting that my car is still downtown. I guess that’s one way to provoke a bike ride on a Sunday afternoon when you’d rather be lazy drinking grapefruit mimosas and wearing pajamas all day.

Craving:: BURGERS. We went out for dinner last week and sadly found Exile was closed on Monday nights. They are my favorite place to get burgers because they have gluten-free buns AND everything they fry is gluten-free friendly. Alas, we ended up at a place that cooks their burgers to a medium-well and just… NO THANK YOU. So, I’ve been craving burgers for a week, and we’re grilling out tonight. I don’t know why we didn’t just add burger night to our downtown adventures for today. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Weekly Therapy: Totally allergic to the outdoors

- Mel

the week:
The long weekend and a face punch of allergies really did a number on me this week. I’m trying to reserve all the energy I can harness for my race this weekend. And deal with all these patchy dry spots on my face from the excess rubbing, dripping, and tissue chafing (WTF?!)

weekend:
Saturday morning, I’ll be running my first race in Iowa — and my fifth half marathon — Dam to Dam. Tonight after work I had to drive downtown to pick up my bib and free swag. I’m still not downtown a lot, and I have zero clue which streets are one ways (let alone having any idea how to enter the parking ramps), but I did it all by myself.

And then, chocolate milk. And then and then, Jethro’s BBQ for brunch.

seven things, seven days:
1. I made my first microwave mug cake — it was gluten-free and it was delicious!
2. Oh hey, my job role changed again this week. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
3. Making a goal of wearing my hair down more often and IDGAF if it’s perfect anymore. It won’t ever be, so I’ve just kind of embraced the mess. #growingup
4. Signed up for my first golf lesson!
5. So, hard soda is a thing here. But I haven’t found a brand that’s gluten-free. WHOMP.
6. As I’m making sure that I’m properly hydrated for race weekend: How much water do you REALLY need?
7. Holy cow, I need to wake up at 4am tomorrow. -_-

Weekly Therapy: 49 weeks left in my 30s

- Mel

the week:
Friday’s Weekly Therapy was disrupted by OUR FIRST IOWA VISITORS!

weekend:
The boyfriend’s parents spent the holiday weekend with us, and we explored some fun things in Des Moines — the Downtown Farmers Market on Saturday and Iowa Cubs game on Sunday were big highlights. We definitely crossed a few items off of our Iowa Bucket List!

Mel with Iowa Cubby Bear Des Moines

I get an extra (unpaid, unfortunately) day off today, and we’ll be spending our free afternoon on the golf course with some friends. I’M DRIVING! 😉

It looks like the rain is holding off until tomorrow, too — yay!

seven things, seven days:
1. This article spoke right to my soul: Why some people find crowded cities relaxing — and others don’t. I’m definitely in that latter category! Constant horn honking is decidedly UN-relaxing to me. {via City Lab}
2. I ordered fried chicken tenders in a restaurant this weekend AND THEY WERE GLUTEN FREE. Imagine that, a food place that uses gluten-free breading for all its fry stuff. OMG, going here forever.
3. 7 ways to re-motivate yourself at work {via Entrepreneur}
4. UGH. The foul reign of the biological clock {via The Guardian}
5. I know that I’ve always hated the reference to derby “girls” but this goes much deeper by way of books What does it mean when we call women “girls” {via LitHub}
6. I don’t consider myself a Millennial, but if you’re in your early 30s, you may: The anxiety of the Millennials {via Huffington Post}
7. A good run is always amazing: Neurologists explain the mind-clearing magic of running {via Science of Us}

Weekly Therapy: Let go of anything that no longer serves you (or just yell at it until it goes away).

- Mel 1 Comment

the week:
Guys, I spent a decent portion of the week fuming about something. I needed to just let it go (after uncovering WHY it made me so angry). And then something else made me really mad. And, well, I guess I’m just having that kind of week.

weekend:
Welp, I was supposed to run a marathon this weekend (those plans obviously went under a few weeks ago). And then I was supposed to go to my first derby practice here on Sunday (but it got canceled). So, now the boyfriend and I are going to hit up the Junk Jubilee though at the Fairgrounds though! Something there is sure to piss me off.

seven things, seven days:
1. Our department at work celebrated National Pretzel Day. It was awesome. (I brought gf ranch pretzels to share, and everyone seemed to like them!)
2. I also made a new friend at work. She and I started on the same day, with the same placement firm (though we’re on different teams), and we made plans to have lunch together. And she’s trying to talk me into going salsa dancing. (YAY, FRIENDS!)
3. I was seriously surprised at how cute some of the Victoria’s Secret sport clothing line was! Now, I just wish they’d bring back my favorite IPEX wireless bra.
4. I spent an evening trying to relax in my bathtub (because I now have a beautiful jetted tub in which to relax), and it was basically a big fail. A very, very bubbly fail… but FAIL, nonetheless. #cantrelax
5. Want to get in the best of health? YOU GOT ONE MINUTE? {via Science Daily}
6. YASSSSS!!! At 100, she’s still running for her life {via NYT}
7. MORE YASSSSSS on all the badass women: Weightlifter Mattie Rogers Poised to Become USA’s Badass Olympic Sweetheart {via Bleacher Report}

Sunday Lately for this 30-Something: Week 65

- Mel

Blogger Tribe_Sunday Lately It’s Sunday morning and the Blogger Tribe is sharing their Sunday Lately posts. The prompts for March 27 (Week 65) are: Completing, Visiting, Repeating, Writing, Scheduling. Read my past Sunday Lately posts and join the Tribe!

Completing: We are finally seeing the end of boxes and packing paper! Most of the interior of the house has been unboxed, if you can believe it. Around our Easter eating plans, we’ll be focusing on the unpacking what’s left in the garage. And then, all those dang boxes will need to be broken down.

Visiting: GUYS. Remember that gluten-free bakery that I was talking about that’s just a few miles from my house? Well, we visited Sweet Rewards Bakery in Waukee this weekend and I got my maple-glazed doughnuts. We also bought a loaf of French bread and a piece of angel food cake. SO GOOD.

Repeating: “I’m new to the area…” — this phrase has been used ad nauseam.

Writing: To-do lists after to-do lists. One for house needs. Another for little things that need repaired or cleaned in the new place. Still another for personal priorities, like registering the cats, and getting a new ID and car plates, and finding a place to get a massage (woof!). Now that my forwarded mail is starting to come to the new house, I realized how lax I was in changing the address on all of my accounts. WHOOPS.

Scheduling: This week, I’ve got the piano tuner scheduled to come back — he says the piano needs more work and he needs to find a replacement string — and our house cleaners will be visiting for a meet-and-greet. I have quite a bit of actual work to catch up on, too. And then I have an appointment with a recruiting firm. Another full schedule!

Weekly Therapy: So long. Farewell. Auf Wiedersehn. Goodbye, Pittsburgh.

- Mel 1 Comment

the week:
Lots of “lasts” in Pittsburgh this week — last spin class at the Y with my girl Kylee, last run//yoga//run//club at Urban Elements with my tribe, last drink at the Pub (and my favorite salad in this city), last run through the Point (but definitely not the last cry), last massage (I’ve been seeing the same massotherapist for over 3 years!), last walk into downtown. People keep asking if I’m nervous (I’m not); I’m positively excited and anxious to get to my new home. That doesn’t take away at all from my amazing experience living in Pittsburgh for the last 5.5 years — I’ll miss the hell out of this place. And the reality of moving away from some wonderful friends struck me kinda hard this week.

Also, if you need to know the best (read: my favorite) place to cry in Pittsburgh, it’s at the Point, near the fountain at the top of the stairs… looking back out at the city. I don’t know how or why I always end up there when I’m feeling really freaking sad, but it’s become a special place for me.

30something_point state park Pittsburgh
Bye, ‘Burgh!

weekend:
Tonight is the last night in our Pittsburgh house, and we leave first thing in the morning. *waves*

By Sunday Lately, I’ll be publishing from Iowa!

seven things, seven days:
1. I’m a huge fan of overnight fridge oats, and this week I made a couple with the flavor packs that I received from Devotion Nutrition — swapping out my usual maple syrup for coconut biscotti and banana fosters Flex Flavors. SO GOOD.
2. I continue to get regular massages because my left IT band is almost always tight – and my shoulders and my glutes. But at this week’s appointment, my hip flexors are really messed up. Read: need to find a way to stretch my psoas? WHOOF.
3. Um, I intentionally and willingly ate gluten for the first time in over two years. (And the carrot cake cupcake was DELICIOUS.) So… I’ll be watching for any symptoms for a few days. I definitely got a headache that night, but it didn’t linger.
4. Speaking of all things gluten and not: I found a gluten-free bakery (donuts!!!) within walking (running?) distance of my new house.
5. I’m on the job hunt, so this article was incredibly eye-opening!: A top recruiter on what anyone can see after 30 seconds with your resume {via Quartz}
6. “Here’s the awesome thing about making choices and decisions – we get to make them. we get to decide and then change our mind when circumstance change. ” YES YES YES, ALL OF THIS, YES! Procreation Choices {via The New Wifestyle}
7. Good reference for any age group: 30-somethings should be doing a mix of interval training and lifting heavy weights — The best exercise for your age {via Huffington Post}

Weekly Therapy: This is why I’ve been procrastinating on making resolutions.

- Mel

the week:
The big news of the week was our announcement of our move to Iowa! Yes, Iowa! Today, we close on our new house in the Des Moines area (which, I unfortunately couldn’t travel back for, and we had to rush to get a power of attorney for the signing). And we also already accepted an offer on our Pittsburgh house (inspection happened this morning!). Things are moving super fast, you guys. More gushing about my new city to come!

iowa t-shirt

weekend:
Using my remaining weekends to meet up and celebrate with local friends, since I only have a couple weeks left in Pittsburgh. Tonight, a dessert crawl to celebrate a friend’s birthday; tomorrow, Mexican for brunch; Sunday, hanging out at our new neighborhood coffee shop (and eating all the gluten-free goat baked goods!) with some neighbor-friends.

seven things, seven days:
1. Found a gluten-free bakery down in Sarasota, and they made OMG incredible cranberry walnut muffins. Wish I could have brought back 18 of them.
2. I am sincerely smoothie inept. Every recipe that I try tastes nothing like a smoothie. Any tips?
3. Because we were showing the house, we’ve, err… stored some things in unusual places to tidy up quickly. Tonight, I found a dead cat grass plant in the kitchen linen basket underneath the sink. Can’t. Stop. Laughing.
4. Did I mention that I don’t have to pack for this move? There is a God!
5. I do, however, need to drive 12 hours with 3 cats in the car, so the universe is in balance.
6. These tips are good to save a few thousand a year (with some healthy side effects). But I wish it was stuff I wasn’t already doing, so that I could find a way to squeeze more savings from my already-stretched (and soon-to-be gone) income. {via Prevention}
7. This list, on the other hand… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ {via Huffington Post}

Weekly Therapy: DONUT YOU LOVE ME?!

- Mel

Donuts, man. #gimme
GF DONUTS_valentine, 30-something

the week:
I’m seriously breaking out ALL over my face and scalp this week. WHAT IN THE WORLD. A couple weeks ago made sense when I was PMS’ing, but this is simply ridiculous. I haven’t changed my cleansing routine nor am I using any new products. Hormones? Maybe stress-induced? Frustrating!

weekend:
THREE DAY WEEKEND, EVERYONE!

Our evenings and routine this week have been shaken up a bit due to house showings (and the boyfriend has come down with a nasty cold), so we’re canceling on the ballet tonight. However, I’ll be celebrating Galentine’s with my ladies on Saturday. And then, the boyfriend and I will be celebrating the day of love with him making me brunch in bed on Sunday. 😉

Since we have a long weekend and Monday off from work, my sister and niece are coming out for a night, too.

seven things, seven days:
1. Because it’s Valentine’s Day this weekend – and I love the ballet – I thought this PBT Love Story was a cute post.
2. DO NOT LIKE the astronaut cheese. *puke*
3. RTYI: Updated gluten-free Valentine’s Day candy list.
4. I’m… not a Super Bowl Baby. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
5. Do any of you have a Helix Sleep mattress? I’m very interested in this type of product.
6. I feel as though I could have written this article – and I’m still searching for a job that fits all my needs: 4 Crucial Questions I Wish I Asked Myself Before Changing Careers {via The Financial Diet}
7. Sports sharpen the presidential image {via NY Times}

Have a wonderful Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day weekend, my lovelies! <3

Gasparilla Challenge: Training Week #3

- Mel

This is week three of training for the Gasparilla — a two-day running event with four different distances. Part of this race is a half marathon (on Day Two), which will be my fourth half and the focus of my training plan (an adapted Higdon’s Novice 2), but this is my first challenge event. I don’t currently have any plans to PR these races. But I do intend to do a LOT of workouts on tired legs, since I think that’s really the only way to train for one of these things. Running the morning after derby practices and back-to-back training days will probably help me the most, and how I ultimately plan to be “ready” for this challenge.

MONDAY Spinning Skipped spinning. I was just plain exhausted (and did not sleep well at all on Sunday night). [Walked to/from work.]

TUESDAY REST… and bake cookies. I haven’t baked in so long! Made some gluten-free dark chocolate-butterscotch chip cookies for my office cookie swap on Friday. I also tried out this King Arthur Gluten-Free Cookie Mix for the first time too — they came out pretty good (only lost a couple to cracking). [Walked to/from work.]

WEDNESDAY run//yoga//run club, holiday edition, which started with a plate full of cookies and peppermint bark — and lululemon gifting us a run top (Our ambassador brought a few different pieces and colors to select from; I picked a Runderful 1/2 Zip in a beautiful green color). Both lululemon and Urban Elements been absolutely amazing already in sponsoring these weekly run and yoga sessions, and this was above-and-beyond thoughtful. So I got to test out the top immediately, which was nice — I love the cuffins and small zip pocket in the front. The Runderful is WARM and super cozy. And Pittsburgh, as you know, hasn’t been cooperating with winter weather. But I will get plenty of use out of this top.

So, our group did 3 miles again (3.22) at an average 9:20 pace. We were speedy! Splits: 9:12/9:01/9:41

After the run, we were welcomed with another hot and sweaty 75 minutes of yoga flow, which really felt great for my hips and we did a good amount of plank/core work. Our instructor even put a series of Utkatasana poses to the 12 Days of Christmas (Muppets version, natch) and it was a leg burner! While we laid in Savasana, the lulu angel came around and left gift cards underneath our mats, so I will definitely be treating myself to a little something this holiday.

THURSDAY Two-hour roller derby scrimmage practice that started with some ladder-drill endurance work (woof!). We basically only had six players per team, which meant MORE endurance — so I played most jams (and even jammed a few times). First jam of the game: a direction of gameplay penalty. 😐

Alas, this was our last practice of the year, and it was SO FUN.

FRIDAY As much as I wanted to run before work, I was up super late from practice (past midnight) and I was out for after work (had to leave for a 5pm dinner reservation and holiday party). Sooooo, I took another rest day. [Walked to work]

CrossFit 12 Days Xmas WOD

SATURDAY I returned to my CrossFit box, Industrial Athletics for anyone looking for a gym on the north side, for a 12 Days of Christmas WOD and Cookie Swap. The workout was insane at first glance and felt a little chaotic when it started, but I found my rhythm with each progression. I scaled back to part bronze/part brass and finished in 32:15.

Check out my Overhead Squat! (and, naturally, an awesome lifting face). Since I haven't been to CF in a few months, I only used an empty bar.
Check out my Overhead Squat! (and, naturally, an awesome lifting face)

SUNDAY I waited late in the day to get this run, and to be honest… I struggled with leaving the house. I knew that I would be running into drunken Steelers fans again on the north shore and just didn’t feel like dealing with it. But, I bundled up (chilly run even at 4pm!) and did my long run in 59:16 (6.02 miles, average 9:51 pace). Splits: 9:50 / 9:25 / 10:17 / 10:08 / 9:26 / 9:53

Naturally, I felt better once I was out there (and thankfully, no incidents with drunken tailgaters aside from overhearing a guy call me crazy that I was “out running in this” — I’m assuming he meant weather, but… seriously?). And I’m definitely crashing early.

TOTAL RUNS: 2
TOTAL WEEKLY MILES: 9.24 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 24.30 miles

Beauty Therapy: derma e skin care products for the gluten-free lifestyle

- Mel

As I’ve written about here several times, I have adopted a gluten-free lifestyle because of some health issues (still, a couple years later, without a lot of answers but at least staying gluten-free keeps my symptoms in check). I am also conscious about gluten in my beauty products — it’s incredible that I haven’t had a single eczema outbreak since I gave up gluten (and remember when I used to get patches on my eyelids???).

IMG_1661

And this is where skin care lines like derma e® wonderfully come into my life. derma e® is an entirely gluten-free, vegan, and cruelty-free natural skincare company. After taking an online evaluation, their site suggested products especially for my skin concerns — and are ideal for those of us with skin sensitivities, allergies or the need to use gluten-free products. derma e® also sent me four full-size products to try out based on my evaluation (I mostly have oily skin but concerns about aging — similar to many late 30-something women): a glycolic facial cleanser, dark eye circle creme, purifying youth serum, and a brightening day creme.

IMG_1660

While I haven’t had much time yet to use, after a couple days I am already impressed by the quality of these products. Sincerely, I can already tell you how much I love the glycolic cleanser!

To bring some additional awareness to the gluten-free lifestyle, derma e® Natural Skincare is celebrating (an unofficial) Gluten-Free Month this September — AND they’re hosting a pretty sweet giveaway! Between September 16-30, 2015, derma e® will host the #ICANTWHEAT Giveaway. One winner will get a $150 gift certificate to shop at www.dermae.com and 1,000 runners-up will win a derma e® Gluten-Free sampler kit!

Participants can enter to win here: http://bit.ly/1ESe4Oe. derma e will also be offering a 25% discount with the promo code ICANTWHEAT through November 15, 2015.

I encourage you to take the derma e evaluation and learn which products are best for your skin concerns.

Disclosure: I received four full-size products from derma e in exchange for review and promotion of the #ICANTWHEAT campaign. All opinions herein are my own.