Lost: Wellness, Energy and Stamina.

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For the past four days, I've been quite sick. I'm on the mend today but cue lethargy, shakiness and an all round flop-on-the-floor-feel-like-passing-out-state.

Ugh. 

I've spent the majority of my Monday and Tuesday curled up on the couch with the hot water bottle on high rotation trying to drink litres of water while fretting over what foods won't make me worse (ooh... scary times there! Yikes!) I tell you what, thank God for all those episodes of Smash Season 2 I had stored on my laptop and having a wonderful sister in law who imparted much of her fabulous natural remedy advice onto me and bought me back to the land of a pain free back and stomach.

Oh hallelujah. 

Summer is actually going to write a guest post for me as girl is good and totally knows her stuff and I want anyone else out there who was as desperate as I was (read: about to head into hospital) to have her advice at their fingertips too. 

I have a full week in Melbs starting on Monday for a school camp which normally I adore, but today I feel exhausted just thinking about it. Lost: Energy and Stamina. Missing since last Saturday. Massive reward to anyone who can find those suckers and bring them back home to me where they belong! 

Yep, I'm in a pity party for one today. 

I miss running and working out. Please please please let me feel at least normalish tomorrow and ready to take a big bite out of the world again. Melbourne is going to be full on and I need all systems at 100% capacity. 

Over and out guys. Hope your week is travelling better than mine! 

Recap- The Color Run Adelaide!

Five awesome girls- Mish, Caroline, Gillian, Loz and yours truly , a road trip and the Swisse Color Run. What could be better than that? 

Sunday saw us start the day bright and early to get our butts into gear and make our way to Victoria Park Racecourse in Adelaide for The Swisse Colour Run. Although this gal wasn't feeling 100%, I can tell you know that I'd been hanging out for this day since January, and nothing was going to stop me from doing it!

Neon pink tights? Check. White tee and headband? Check? Blue knee high socks? Check. Pigtails and a Colour Run tattoo? Check and check. Give me an excuse to dress up and I'm all in baby. 

As soon as we glimpsed the sea of white heading into Victoria Park Racecourse, rows of little goosepbumps arose on my arms. Holy Smackeroni, this race was huge! I completely underestimated how many people would be participating, and it gave me a massive shot of adrenaline. Sickness? What sickness? I was feeling fiiiine!.

Although the race started at 8am, we didn't arrive until later which meant we were towards the end of the chute. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the line progressed though considering there were over 15,000 people. Waves of 1,000 people let through every 3-5 minutes, can you imagine? The music was pumping and the atmosphere was charged, and you seriously couldn't help but get your dance on. 

And then we were off! Every kilometer ends with a colour zone- Orange, Blue, Pink, Yellow and the Colour Festival where you are pelted with powder of that particular colour! They also have songs referencing those particular colours at each zone, such as Yellow by Coldplay and Blue by Eiffle 65.

Gillian and I went slightly crazy in blue, and we ended up army rolling and making blue powder angels.. yup, chuck your dignity out the door here in let your inner kid come alive! Warning- if you stay in for an extended period of time you will end up with blue teeth and a blue tongue. So not attractive and less than palatable but hey, the fun of it overrides that for sure! 

Mariachi band just before the pink station! Random much? 

Just workin' our thang at the Yellow Zone.... 

...where I then promptly got colour bombed for once again army rolling on the ground. Hellooooo yellow butt!

After finishing the five kms we danced and jogged our way into the Colour Festival where we were handed packets of coloured powder. If we weren't already covered in colour, this would definitely have taken care of it! Such an exhilarating time, and so visually stunning as every fifteen minutes there would be an explosion of colour. Breathtaking. I've never seen anything like it before. 

The theme of the day was Pure Happiness. Everywhere I looked people were smiling, laughing, dancing, throwing colour in the breeze and to feel that positive energy in the air was just incredible. Happiest 5km on earth? They got that right. 

The other wonderful thing about the Swisse Colour Run is that for each race in every city, a charity is chosen and proceeds from the race go towards that particular charity. For Adelaide it was the Celebrate Life Foundation and the Make a Wish Foundation. 

I am so incredibly happy to have been able get my colour on and experience this amazing event with four fabulous girlfriends. I know for sure that I'll be doing this again someday, how can you not want to go back after experiencing one of the most happy-bubbly days of your life? I may still have slightly pink hair and I don't think my sunglasses will ever be purely black again, but it was so damn worth it. Trust me, get your butts to a Colour Run near your home town, or travel if you have to like we did. You'll absolutely love it too! 

A big thank you to Misha and Lauren for letting my use some of their photos! 

A Quick Check In.

Hello my darlings! Apologies for the lack of a post today, but I'm slightly under the weather so I'll leave you guys with a pic from the weekend- The Color Run in Adelaide. Amazing. Awesome. Fantabulous. Hopefully I'll have a full recap for you over the next few days.

And now.. I'm off for a nap. Enjoy your Monday, hopefully it's not too painful! 

Good Things: The Cabin Fever Edition.

♥ The theme of this week has been bought to you by the colour grey and adjective damp. Due to lack of a car (don't ask) and quite restrictive weather Carter and I spent three solid days inside. Towards the end cabin fever began to creep in.. but it was lovely to have so much time together. He made puzzles, we went on epic journeys with his dinosaurs and busted out the 'Fix it Felix' dance to Wreck-It Ralph. Numerous times.

♥ Running in Pink for the Mother's Day Classic.

♥ I mightn't have had the chance to run since last Sunday, but my abs have had a damn good workout thanks to Jillian Michaels. 

♥ Heading off on a girl's road trip tomorrow (woop woop!) for the Colour Run on Sunday. Imma gonna get my colour on big time! 

♥ Back into the regular routine of Indian, Game of Thrones and fabulous friends on a Saturday night. Bliss. 

♥ New flannelette sheets. The only downside is that I never want to leave my bed. 

♥ Discovering The Oatmeal Artist thanks to an awesome reader yesterday. Thank you so much Lisa! I see Baked Blueberry Muffin Oatmeal in my near future...

Winter Running Essentials!

Helloooo lovelies! 

Well, I don't know about all you other running rabbits out there, but when it comes to cold weather I need just a liiitle extra incentive get outside and pound the pavement. And that, my friends, can take the shape of a brand new running outfit. In pretty colours and oh-so-flattering shapes of course. I've scoured the collections of five of my favourite brands- Lorna Jane, 2xu, Lululemon, Brooks and Running Bare- to bring you my fave jackets, long sleeve tops, full length tights and accessories. Oh, if only I had an unlimited bank account....

Running Jackets

From left to right:

♥  Lorna Jane Fleur Run Jacket
♥  2xu Power X Jacket
♥  Lululemon Turn Around Jacket
♥  Brooks Utopia Thermal Hoodie II
♥  Running Bare Cardio Zip Jacket

Long Sleeved Tops

From left to right:

♥  Lorna Jane Maxum Long Sleeve Top
♥  Running Bare Long Sleeve NYC Marathon Tee
♥  2xu Power X Hoodie
♥  Brooks Essential Sleeve L/S 1/2 Zip
♥  Lululemon Run: Swiftly Tech Long Sleeve Scoop

Tights

From left to right:

♥  2xu Compression Tights
♥  Running Bare Fold Down Full length Tight
♥  Lululemon Run: Get up and Glow Tight
♥  Brooks Infiniti Tight II
♥  Lorna Jane Kat Core Compression F/L Tight

Accessories

From left to right:

♥  Lululemon What The Fluff Earwarmer
♥  2xu All Season Run Gloves
♥  Running Bare Wild Thing Triple Pack Sports Socks
♥  Lorna Jane LJ Thermal Headband
♥  Brooks Breakout Beanie

Ok. It's official. I have to have that awesome What The Fluff Earwarmer. For someone who has a real thing about her ears going numb from the cold, this is the answer to all my chilly-ear prayers. What's your number one must-have item when it comes to Winter Running? 

My 7 Favourite Healthy Foods!

I've realised that I've become a creature of habit when it comes to certain things. The incessant need to use a cleanser before bed every night (I can't go to bed with makeup on- I just have this thing about it) checking emails first thing in the morning (definitely need to break this) and.. err... matching my socks to my outfit. 

Yup. 

But anyway, I've discovered that I'm also very much a creature of habit when it comes to certain foods. Don't get me wrong, I love to play around with recipes and my excitement level is slightly above normal when it's my turn to organise morning tea at work, but there are a couple of foods I have every.single.day. 'Cause I can't get enough of the following seven baby!

1. Twinings Green Tea with Lemon

As my work mornings begin at at 5:45am (insert collective groan here) it tends to look like this: Alarms goes off. Stumble out of bed, stand blearily in the shower for five minutes then attempt to look presentable with a selection of beauty products which all seem to contain the word 'cover'. Feel insanely happy my outfit was chosen the night before as to not have to make any decisions then flop onto the couch with a cup of green tea and gluten free toast. That hit of lemon is the perfect way to freshen up this tired little rabbit!

2. Wallaby Superbars

This is my 10:30am superbar supertreat. I love them with the fire of a thousand suns. Not just any flavour though- my pantry is chock-a-block full of Yoghurt, Fruit and Nut. I sit there and nibble them just to savour the taste. I can hear them calling me now...

3. Coconut Oil

I've only just jumped on the coconut oil bandwagon this year, but this stuff is the shiz. I normally stir a teaspoon into my yoghurt, but it's easy to blend into smoothies or simply cook with. An immune system and metabolism booster? Yes please! (Plus, it's a freaking awesome mask for your hair. Simply shampoo your hair, rinse, then apply coconut oil through it. Leave 5 mins then rise thoroughly again. You're welcome.)

4. Chobani Greek Yoghurt

After having Activa yoghurt for so long, I wanted to make the switch to Greek Yoghurt but couldn't handle the lack of sweetness. Yeah I know, soft. Chobani is unlike any other Greek yoghurt I've had before- it is insanely delicious. Unfortunately Coles haven't got with the program yet and only offer three flavours and I am dying to try apple and cinnamon. Chobani, if you read this, you have my full permission to send me a crateload. It won't go to waste, I promise.   

5. Blueberries

Another strike against Winter- blueberries aren't in season. That means having to stock up on boxes of frozen ones, or buy the imported ones that are pretty damn tart. But, they are just perfect to throw in yoghurt, in smoothies or to have as little snacks on their own.. but my ultimate fave way to eat them is with banana pancakes and honey. So.Good.

6. Chia Seeds

Sprinkled over yoghurt. In a smoothie. In pancakes. In bread, in muffins, on a salad (in a plane, on a train... isn't that a Dr Suess reference?) whatever really, this superfood is superfreakingamazing and incredibly easy to incorporate into any meal of the day. Omega 3, fatty acids for your skin, dietary fibre and antioxidants. If I continue to have this every day I'm positive in the near future I'll wake up as a 21 year old again. 

7. Dark Chocolate

There's something that's just so relaxing and comforting to know that at the end of the day when Carter is finally in bed, I can grab my cup of tea, my laptop and a row of dark chocolate and catch up on all my favourite blogs. Simplicity, that's me. 


So, spill!  What's one food habit you indulge in every day? 

Slow Cooker Chicken and Quinoa Soup

I had the glamour turned up on high here yesterday. Bed socks, faded trackies and a messy top knot bun. Oh yeah, I was workin' in big time! In my defense, the rain was drizzling and it was an oh-so-miserable kinda day, so I knew that Carter and I would be hibernating indoors. Which meant movies. And puzzles. And blogging. 

And my slow cooker calling me from the depths of my cupboard.

Oh yes, it was time for my favourite Winter appliance to make an appearance. I had leftover roast chicken from tea on Sunday night, and I had a sudden flash of inspiration and energy and I knew I wanted to make a soup of some sort for lunch when I head back to work later this week.

Winter soup.. so cliched, so but so scrumptious and perfect. Yeah- I'm bringing scrumptious back. 

You Will Need:

• I cup shredded BBQ or roast chicken breast
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 lt salt reduced chicken stock
• Cajun Spice to season

The most delicious and delightful thing about a slow cooker is that all you have to do is simply chuck everything in and leave it. When you come home from work, it's like some little food fairy has been in your house and whipped you up a ready made meal. Seriously, it's the best. 

Whack that sucker on: 4 hours on the high setting or 8 hours on the low. Boom-shaka-laka- you're done! 

This my new favourite soup bowl- a $3 oversized mug from Coles. Nothing fancy people, but it's just the right size. Finish it off with a sprinkle of Cajun seasoning to add some spiciness and a slice of hot buttered chia and quinoa toast. Enjoy!