Ren Man frequently mocks me I often laugh at myself that Im a creature of habit in some ways and entirely NOT in others.

I love to shake up my daily/workout routine yet have a handful of products/on-the-run snacks which I find I use day in day out.

Week in. Week out.

Today I wanted to share some of those with you simply because I adore them and spend my hard earned cash on them.

Now, that said (and before the FTC comes and arrests my arse), here is my DIZCLAIMER.

My first experience with the first item below was completely for free.  Sent my way to examine, wear, & see if I discovered any of the aforementioned LOVELOVE.

While today’s post DOES include a few giveaways I *asked* the companies if they would donate because of my adoration.  They did not approach me.

Freakin eyeroll that I have to even say this shit on a blog where I make no income.

Onward.

Because Im finally figuring out wordpress (go me! only almost 2 years later!) if you want to learn more about the items you need only click on the photos.

If you dont care—just keep on skimming.

My first fave thing are the yoga pants pictured below.  I adore how comfy they are. I *adore* the forgiving waistband (I have a few pairs of pull-on pants where the elastic band is always digging into me. hate that.).  That said, they are 100% yoga or ‘around town’ pants for me.

Im a sweater and would melt into a puddle were I to attempt to lift in these.

Just a heads up.

Next, a pair of matching tees which are entirely self-explanatory & are for the feminist princess in all of us.

This next item has become a staple in my Texas wardrobe & I freakin adore it.  I wear it to run, lift, grab coffee in, hit the playground with the Tornado in (Im in the skirt. Not the Tornado. That’s some bad sentence structure).  I wear it all the time.  I own it in black, blue, pink and red.

I should be embarrassed but I am not.

Ahhhh. The shoes pictured below (mine. The Tornados were courtesy of Target should you care) were procured via Ebay.  That said, I happily admit I own no dress shoes but possess the Nike Air Rifts in myriad colors.  The sparkles are my dressy pair while the pink (seen here) are more my around town kicks.

The snack below has been a fave of mine for longer than I can remember (four years?). I initially began buying them because I LOVED the individual packs as I have zero portion control around  trail mix.

Im still buying them because I love their trail mix.  A lot.  As in I was living in a different country for a while away from Ren Man and wouldnt let him visit me without hauling some Crum Creek along as well.

Im addicted to this stuff. ’nuff said. If you are at all curious for more—click the photo below.

And last, but not least, another item Ive been a fan of since it first came out.  The GLUTEN FREE highER protein cereal in individual packages (you can yell at me in the comment about my wrapper waste.  I know…).

Along with my trail mix & my jerky you can *always* find a few bags of these in my car trunk & purse.

And there you go.

A random mishmash of things I love and a post which was initially so so long that NONE of you would ever have made it to the end without skimming.

(Translation: coming soon: my fave books, mags, & quirky fitness equipment)

I do have (cue confetti) a mishmash of treats to go along with my mishmash of a post.

For the lowlow price of a comment below you can be entered to win:

*One six pack of Chipper jerky.

*One 12 pack of Kay’s Naturals cereal (in a flavor of your choosing)

*A pair of the iambeyond yoga pants (these are only available in a black size small but would make a fab gift as well).

To be entered please hit us all up in the comments with one of your FAVE things in any realm.

All  three winners announced 12.14 USA and Canada only.

It surprised me that I found this post to be a challenge to write.

The more I pondered the more I realized if I were grateful for only a few small things it would be an easy blog entry to whip out.

Im grateful for blahblah A.  Im thankful for yadayada B. MizFit OUT!

I think it’s because I work (which doesnt meant that Im always successful!) to operate from a place of gratitude on a daily basis that I didnt even know where to begin.

But here it goes:

Im grateful for BIG FREEDOMS.

Im thankful for my health, my family, my friends, & all the myriad gifts in my life I strive never to take for granted.

Im grateful to be me & thankful I was selfish enough to take the time to work on myself so I could grow to where I am today.

(translation: MizFit in her late 20s? Not so much the grateful sort.)

Im grateful to all of you who take time out of your busy, busy lives to swing by here and read my musings.

Im thankful for all of your kind words when Im feeling frustrated and for the fact you share in my joys as if they were your own.

I know it sounds cheesy and would roll my eyes I think were I to read this on someone else’s blog but I really do greet most mornings with the thought of:

Seriously? This is my life?! Im pretty damn fortunate.

I am grateful.

This year even more so than years past.

And you?

Are you feeling as I do this year (is it the economy? the general sense of life-uncertainty that filled 2009?) & thankful thankful for things which other Thanksgivings you may have taken for granted?

Please to hit us all up in the comments.

Im so glad it is finally FRIDAY.

I cant even say my week was busier than usual as,  if anything , it was *easier*  and s-l-o-w-e-r than last week.

We threw the Tornado an early Im 4, People! Check me out! birthday party last Saturday and it was PINKtastic but the planning was also PINKhectic.

(My apologies if you follow me on Twitter.  I should be shedding followers for the amount Ive lamented as of late.  Our heat broke. Our a/c broke. My phone completely died. Yada yada yada Ive been a tremendous Tweetwhiner.)

As a result today’s post is short and sweet.

It all boiled down to a choice between you and me and, to no one’s surprise, I chose me.

I borrowed the time I might have spent mulling, writing, thinking, rewriting, and editing this entry & used it in the manner pictured above.

Repeatedly.

A few moments in the morning & a few moments at night.

Eyes closed.

Mind cleared.

Battery recharging.

Silent.

In fact, Im off to do that again this morning so I leave you with a generous freebie & some tips for those of us just starting a yoga/meditation practice.

Ive met some cool Tweeple recently and LotusPad is one of them.

She owns Lotus Pad Yoga Mats a very hip, very ECOFRIENDLY site which sells everything from mats & carriers to yoga themed jewelry (I really want that lotus necklace, Ren Man).

Not only did she provide a treat—she took the time to share her top three tips for those of us just launching our collective yoga practices.

1. Remember: yoga is a practice not a perfect.
2. Flexibility has nothing to do with yoga. Breath has everything to do with it.
3. Over time, if you devote your time to even a modest yoga practice, you will find that your body needs it as much as your lungs need air.

And that, People, is where I leave you today.

Three tips for starting what I am heading off to do & a chance to win the 72 inch eco-friendly yoga mat pictured below.

You may be entered to be matted for the lowlow price of a comment about anything yoga or meditation.

Share a tip.

Share a reason why you havent started yet.

Share a silly story about a yoga/meditation session run a’muck.

Simply share.

Winner announced 11.23.09 USA only

Yes the photo is blurry but that’s precisely the moment-captured-in-time which sparked me to realize I could possibly learn more from the Tornado than she from me.

Please to click on the Princess’ hands to read my musings on Life Lessons Learned from the Little Ones.

Comments closed here…Ill join you there.

To follow me on Twitter

could be a bad call.

My tweets as of late?

Not motivating at all!

My marathon training

is plodding along.

Im following my schedule

Im still going strong.

Enjoying the run?

This me not so much.

I struggle with boredom

motivation and such.

Ive yet to discover

the love of the run.

The endorphinRUSH

which makes the sport *fun.*

The kind of empowerment

that lifting does bring.

Feeling capable, strong

Like I could do ANYTHING.

Word on the street

is some TUNES I do need.

An ipod (or iphone?)

would help me INDEED.

Is that what Im missing?

Is that what I lack?

Will that cure my malaise?

Get my mojo back?

Or is all that I feel

of the process a part

as I journey to here

& the line that’s marked START!!

Here’s where you jump in

Oh readers I trust

Have even ONE tip

then SHARE IT you must.

Alas, Im being 100% authentic in my First Person Friday rhyme.

Im still training (and may have a little somethin’somethin’ up my lack of sleeves with regards to a national shout out so Im DEFINITELY not quitting)— but it’s more work than pleasure.

Was I crazy to think an iron-addict could find love in the run?

Is it music the piece Im missing in order to discover my running passion?

Whether you run or walk is it yer playlist which sets the pace & gets you through the rough patches?

PLEASE to hit this MizFit up in the comments.

OH.

Yes that’s right.

I promised you a treat.

Something I mightcould use once I get my gift of an mp3 player (*cough* hint hint Ren Man *cough*).

I give you these:

In keeping with the color of October DEOS pink crystal accented aluminum earbud covers (please to click for a bigger pic).

You may be entered to win this splash of pink for the low low price of a tip-comment below.

THANK YOU.

USA only winner announced Monday.

Please to enjoy the podcast stylings of DietGirl & MizFit.

We talk NAME REVEAL, running & share some Blogger News we collected along the proverbial blog-reading way.

(translation: you never know—you mightcould be shouted out during our rambles quite tightly organized speaking.)

AND (waitforit) we are now officially on itunes!

So, should you want, once you hear the new!name! you can zip on over there, search, & download.

Click the green bar below to listen:

Ive met lottsa people in my forty years on this fabulous earth & feel very, very fortunate to have found so many kindred spirits.

People who inspire me.  People who make me laugh. People who love the lowbrow trashtastic popculture as do I. People who love to lift as I do.  People who love to run like I do run.

An example of one of these women is the amazingsupportivewisewittysnarktastic Janell.

I cant tell you the number of times she’s gently called me on my sh*t when Ive most needed the reality check.

I cant tell you the number of times shes made me laugh HARD with her words in an email.

I cant tell you the number of times she’s moved me to tears in a blog post.

I can tell you this:

TODAY is her cancerversary.

Janell was disgnosed *two years ago* today and is still around kicking life’s a** & taking names.

Today is also Lance Armstrong’s 10 year cancerversary.

In recognition of these two anniversaries, of cancer bloggers & of anyone who’s ever been touched by cancer (Hello, everyone!) Janell is doing a give-away of Lance Armstrong Foundation products.

In recognition of those two anniversaries, of cancer bloggers & of anyone whose life has been touched by the big C Im closing my comments & asking you to click through to Janell’s blog.

(Sure you can click the last 2 words in the sentence above—-but I recommend clicking through via her face. It’s so much more fun—-dontcha think?)

I’ll see you there.

Hi Miz. This is kind of a funny question but I’m curious. Do all of you big bloggers know each other? In real life I mean? I follow most of you on twitter and it seems as though you do.

I loved this question and mainly because it addressed something I find continually perplexing about Twitter.

But first—the answer & a thank you.

Im not sure whom these “big bloggers” are of which you speak but Im flattered to be thought among them.  Thank you.

And yes.

And no.

I know that the majority of people whom I tweet Ive never met in real life yet still count among my closest friends (is that weird? odd or not its how I roll. you?).

There are a few whom Ive been lucky enough to meet in real life (Im forgetting a bunch) but for the most part they are friendships forged online.

Now back to Twitter in general.

Is it just me or can it feel (some days for sure and 100% when I first ventured over there) as if everyone knows each other but you?

As if you’ve wandered into a cocktail party filled with BFFs! dont get me started on the fact GROWN WOMEN us that term over there repeatedly & are merely listening in on other people’s conversations?

Ive been tweeting about 11 months now and am *just* starting to feel as though I ‘get it.’

Im just now slowly beginning to see the community which can be created even while there are seemingly millions of different, random conversations happening simultaneously.

You?

Are you on Twitter? And if you are did you feel as I did initially: all kinds of overwhelmed whatwhat?! or were you immediately at home there?

And if you aren’t on Twitter—why not?  The potential for timesuckage or simply not your thing?

Are you one of the aforementioned BigBloggers?  Do we know each other?

Please to hit us all up in the comments.

This next “question” isnt really a viewer mail question.

It’s more an answer to a series of fun tweets Hanlie & Foodie & I had flying back & forth recently (see? Im now a TwitterAddict. Please to send help.)

Both women expressed an interest in setting up an beginner free weight at-home full body exercise routine.

While I dont have all the video answers here are enough to get you—the royal— started!

(edited to say for some reason the words dont “look” clickable on my screen—they are.)

BACK (precisely the same movement when done with free weights. Id recommend practicing initially with a soup can or *nothing* to become completely comfortable with form)

CHEST: basic push-up (pressing movement) dumbbell fly

BICEP: basic curl (precisely the same movement with dumbbells. focus on keeping core tight & weights controlled as you lift and lower.)

TRICEP: Overhead extension (soup cans? free weights? tomato soup. tomaaahhhto.)

SHOULDERS:  Front raise.  Side raise. (side raise with exercise band as demo).

LEGS:  Ive no videos of squats etc. with barbells.  I’d recommend at home to start lunges, split squats, body weight squats, and stiff legged deadlifts.

That’s all Ive got, People.

Lottsa TwitterChatter & an unfinished free-weight video listing.

(Have an exercise video special-request for me?  Please to leave that in the comments as well.)

After a few weeks in a row of serious stuff I decided it’s time fer some good old fashioned SILLINESS up in herre.

(If by silliness you mean too too tattooo related—which I always do.)

Short & sweet with with a  smattering of whining sprinkled in for good measure.

A few of you have emailed & asked if I plan to post a video of my finished tattoo.

(and yes. how much do I adore that anyone gives a rat’s ass chickenbus about this outside of, well, ME.)

I may—but Im nowhere near finished yet.

Here is what it looked like at BlogHer (or a part of it anyway):

The tattoo is completed image-wise but to my eye all the images appear to be floating/unanchored.

(Ive been surprised at the number of people, even tattoo artists, who like it as is.  Not me. I looks as though Mister Doesnt Like Green Eggs is hovering with Horton & Van Vleck (anyone know that one?) floating past every once in a while.)

The plan has always been to add in a background so that I could create a pant-leg (I still love the term leg-sleeve no matter how frequently Im told it’s incorrrect).

Last weekend I started the background:

Id say this is going to take EONS but the artist is moving in October. So it’s gonna have to be done soon or Ill be blogging at you live from LA.

The Tornado has had some work done recently as well.

Ren Man must have signed her parental release as she entirely surprised me the below one afternoon:

Totally cracked me up & yet I still anticipate she’ll be more peals & twin sets as an adult in protest to my being….decidedly not.

Or in reaction to being forced to to this.

Either way.

Speaking of my parents coming to visit today (because we were, right?) Im curious what their reaction will be to the Suess.

I’d actually initially written the previous sentence with the word dreading crossed out (I know. I so funny.) then realized Im really not.

Im a big believer in NOT getting a tattoo unless you feel entirely as though it were ALWAYS THERE & JUST RISEN TO THE SURFACE.

That’s how I feel about my leg.

Im curious what their reactions will be (yada yada yada they dont read the blog much) & know, regardless what it is, the art is 100% me.

We’ve now arrived at the awkward segue & whine portion of our post.

The GOOD GOSH I ADORE THESE THINGS AND WOULD BUY EM IN A HOT MINUTE IF I HAD SPARE CASH part.

I dont.

You can.

And it’s easy.

Hit me up in the comments with what YOU WOULD BUY were you to win a one hundred dollar gift card to Dicks Sporting Goods.

Sure they’d love for you to follow em on Twitter (I totally did so I might have a chance to win another drawing) but they have no way of tracking that so do what’s in yer heart.

That’s it, People.

Tattoo, parental visit, Tornado being forced to dressed as I do and potential for free stuff.

Now you.

Tat thoughts?

Weekend plans?

Visiting parents advice?

Wants or desires at Dicks?

Please to hit us all up in the comments.

Winner announced Monday.

USA only.

I had a fleeting thought that today could be an uber-serious post chock full of musings & mullings regarding the fact I turn forty tomorrow.

FLEETING.

EPHEMERAL.

The thing is Ive nary a musing or a mulling in my head.

Im thankful I feel better today than I did at thirty.

I’m more energetic, centered, and plain ole comfortable in my own skin.

The fact that the aforementioned skin is far more wrinkly than it was at thirty?  That doesnt bother me yet in the least.

Check in with me at 50—–will I have changed my tune?  Who can say.

Ive loved each piece of my life thus far.

Sure there are a few specific moments I adored not so much (please to see first heartbreak and cross-reference under being horribly embarrassed about the fact I was a band geek) and yet, even with enjoying all these moments, I wouldnt return to any and “live it all again” if given the opportunity.

I am content where I am right now.

I am curious where life will take me over the next (G-d willing) forty years.

I wake up each day at the ass-crack of dawn and think: SERIOUSLY? THIS IS MY LIFE?! How in earth did I get so lucky?

I am grateful.

I am grateful and I am scanner-less

There was a small chance of this being a complete Carla over the years movie-worthy montage were I not.

As a result here are just three pictures.

Three photos which are sort of indicative of my life journey.

Me at three. Yammering on the phone (which would, I guess, now be replaced my ever present Sidekick handheld).

Me at 20.  Tanned, in full-on beer & pizza diet-mode & obviously smitten with the Sun-In (thanks Dad for sending this one my way):

Me at 23.
This was taken soon after I discovered my love of the iron and, if memory serves, I’d just emerged from 9 days backcountry camping/climbing:

(This photo also ties back into my pondering the fact I am what I repeatedly do. I want to, again, repeatedly climb.)

This is me this morning.
On my second to last day of being thirty nine.
HappyTired & ever grateful.