Giving In
Posted: July 11, 2011 at 3:58 pmI’m a lover. I love helping others. But…I’m also a fighter. I will fight tooth and nail to not give in to particular things. I ended up giving in today on some of those particular things. I guess waking up at 1 am will shatter will power. Yes. You read that right. I woke up at 1 am. Not I woke up and fell back asleep an hour later. No. I tossed and turned for an hour and a half before finally giving in to chilling on the couch by myself in the wee hours of the morning.
I even decided to head to the gym for when it opened at 5 am because I figured a dose of endorphins couldn’t hurt. I ran three miles on the treadmill and almost instantly felt more energetic. Then, I came home and got going with my day…when I suddenly realized the fatigued body was now a fatigued, achy body. My inner thighs, around my knees, and my IT band seriously needed some rolling pin action.
After rolling pin rolling (is that what you would call it??) while reading to Makenzie, I determined we needed new library books . So, we packed up and headed to the library for the morning. I had another motive as well. A pit stop by the grocery store to use a $1 off Kashi coupon while Kashi cereal was on sale at Kroger lead to this…
I gave in to the $12 bag of xanthan gum. I told you. Diminished sleep = diminished willpower. I always want to buy the special powder others swear by to help make thicker, creamier smoothies but stop myself because of the price. Of course, I had to try it out to determine whether I should rejoice or glare you all down for lying to me all this time.
Shake consumed after giving in to a long, much needed nap. Thank heavens!
I added vanilla almond milk, a frozen banana, a spoonful of peanut butter, a pinch of xantahn gum, and 1/2 a serving of vanilla protein powder to the blender to whirl into creamy oblivion.
It works. Creamy, thick, shake-like consistency achieved. I tried to capture the better texture on camera but I’m not so talented.
And the shake’s taste? Ohmygoshsogood!!!! I have wanted to pick up some protein powder to add to my shakes for awhile since I usually enjoy my shakes post-workout. The extra protein makes a good option for post-workout fuel. Then, Power GY came to the rescue offering me to review some of their whey protein powder geared for workout recovery.
I like that the product has less ingredients than other powders I have seen, but still has similar statistics with 110 calories, 26 grams of protein and no sugar – just sweetened with stevia. I appreciate that it blends up smoothly with no grit and has a smooth vanilla taste most of all. Not kidding when I say ohmygoshsogood!
My will power would have succumbed to ordering myself a full container had I not ended up giving in to something else.
I now have an iPhone. I kept fighting the smartphone, but here we are. I knew I would give in eventually. Now…HELP ME!!!
- What are your favorite apps? Especially for things like social media (anything special for Twitter/Google Reader/etc?), practical stuff (like weather/music?), or other fun. Clue a girl in!
- What’s something you thought you would never give in to trying or using but eventually did? A food item? A workout? A big purchase? A popular trend?
The xantham gum will last forever because if you use too much of it, your smoothies will literally turn into inedible gum! I still haven’t figured out the proper portions and every once in a while, wind up ruining a shake!
Yay, for iphones! I still have a boring no data plan phone, but I feel like it won’t be long before I give in too!
My favorite apps:
Pandora
NY Times
Google
Urbanspoon
Open Table
PS Express (mini photoshop)
Just Light (a flashlight)
Angry Birds
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram (This one is new to me)
Ohhh….thank you , Mellissa!!!!
Our Kroger sells xanthan gum for $9.99, but like you-I never picked it up because of the price. Now that I’ve read your review, I’m anxious to try it.
We don’t have iPhones yet, but are looking at switching to Verizon soon and then we probably will!
Hoping you get a great night’s rest tonight!
I can’t speak for the xantham gum b/c I’ve yet to give in to that $12 bag, but the iPhone is LIFE CHANGING! haha
You’re going to love it 🙂
you will LOVE the iphone!! I am SO glad I got one after being a crackberry addict for far too long. I LOVE all the fitness apps…nike+, mapmyrun, loseit, fitday are some goodies, also LOVE the pandora app! a must for workouts and long road trips (check out the Tiffany station…love!). I also love it for apps like Groupon, LivingSocial and RueLaLa 😉
That’s it! I’m buying the xantham gum!
I have similar trouble with sleeping, but I usually torture myself and stay in bed. Either way, it typically leads to diminished productivity and extra snacks (see: my entire day today!).
A couple of years ago, I never thought I’d give in to texting. I texted occasionally, but not often. And I *hated* the idea that I could be dating someone who would rely on texts rather than picking up the phone. I still kind of hate that, but I’m over my no texting phase.
I too am giving in to the IPhone – ordered mine a week ago and get to pick it up when I get bk to the US at the end of the month.. Let me kow what apps u like… 🙂
Ugh – possibly the most frustrating thing in the world is not being able to sleep when you want to…but hey – at least it resulted in some pretty cool new items!
I’m so glad you reviewed a new protein powder. What I use now is sweetened with Splenda and I’d like to move over to a stevia sweetener. I’ll check them out!
It really is so good. The price is kind of high compared to what you would maybe find at a grocery store or a GNC brand or something but it really does taste so much better and isn’t filled with weird stuff.
That protein shake looks most excellent. As for iPhone apps…I have the bare minimum: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (awesome for blogging), Pandora, RunKeeper, and The Weather Channel. 🙂 Have fun playing with your new gadget! 🙂
I love the NIke Training Camp app…it has such great workouts, gives video and step by step demos of each exercise, times you and it’s free!
That sounds like a really good and fun one. Thanks!
No idea about the iphone, but I know Jessica at How Sweet It Is just got an iphone and she had a ton of comments with ideas for apps, etc. Maybe check it out!
I bought some xantham gum and I honestly didn’t like what it did to my smoothies. Maybe I used the wrong amount, but it seemed to alter the taste in a bad way.
Pandora is a MUST! (And if you have an auxillary cord and some place to plug it into your car, it make for great entertainment.) I’m a TweetDeck girl – although it’s much better on the computer than on the iPhone. And Words with Friends – hours of entertainment and I feel it boosts my mental capacity!
i still haven’t tried xanthan gum yet – but i’ve been tempted for a while!
i like echophon for twitter on my phone. i also love words with friends! 🙂
You’re going to love the iPhone! I actaully thought I lost mine yesterday, but luckily found it.
Two of my favorite apps are Pandora for music and Nike Training Club for workouts….enjoy!
Words with Friends and AroundMe are some of my favorites. And I love to add my favorite blogs to my Home Screen! 🙂
Funny, I just bought my first smart phone yesterday!!
Now get some rest girl! 😉
I love my iPhone. Fav apps: twitter, facebook, waze (directions), kindle, pandora, weatherbug, angry birds (game).
I also love Jog Log for working out (running, biking, cycling…). They gave me a couple of free codes to give away (normally) $2.99 in the app store. If you would like one, its yours – just email me back and I will send it to you.
I use My Fitness Pal for tracking calories. Works great! So easy!
I’ve heard a lot about the My Fitness Pal stuff. Need to look into that. Does it do workouts and other things too?
It’s just for tracking calories. But it’s great!
I have a blackberry, not an iphone, but the wordpress app is my favorite thing in the world. Iphone has it too, Im sure of it. I’ll randomly get a post idea, and I can put it in as a draft right away. Its been a total life saver.
Yay for the iphone! It is like no other addiction!
Xanthan gum can be tricky!
I have the Droid X which I absolutely love. I have a horoscope app (bc I’m a fan of astrology), CNN app, Bejeweled app, and good reads app.
Hope you get a better night’s sleep tonight 🙂
I too have refused to give in to the Xanthum Gum issue, but I decided last week I would get some with my next paycheck as an end of summer treat. I was that way with chia seeds, tried them, fell in love!
As for the phone…..can’t live without mine. I only have the basics facebook, weather, my bank app, etc. But I have several game apps for the kiddos. That thing is a life saver when we have to wait fo dr appts and such!
Love the rolling pin tip! A new one on me.
Another good thing about getting xanthan gum: if you have a gluten free friend, you’ll be able to bake for them! That’s what I get it for, hadn’t heard of it as a smoothie add-in: thanks for that tip too. It’s on sale sometimes too.
love
Ela
It’s my cheapo version of the “tiger tail” things that get the calves and smaller muscles better.
Cool on the gluten free baking!
oh man. I so feel for you. This last week with the peanut to be has=no sleep at all. I’m in zombie land. Teaching pump at 545 this morning was interesting to say the least! I so want to buy that gum! I’ve heard good things. And I recently got an iphone too! I like the groupon, living social, weatherbug instagram, wikipanion apps.
Yay welcome to the smart phone world! You will now wonder how you lived without it and I am pretty confident you are already addicted to it! I love smart phones they make life so much easier!
I don’t have an iPhone, but I have an iPad, and my personal crack is iBooks. Books that fit on the reading shelf of the treadmill! No matter now thick they are! And if I can’t read with my eyes, there is always iTunes, which has lovely audiobooks to download.
A note: sync your iPhone with your computer religiously or you can lose all sorts of stuff you love (like music files, random audiobooks, an entire season of Alton Brown’s “Good Eats”… not that this has happened to me).
Expensive lesson learned. Sigh.
That said, enjoy! 😀
I want to look into audio books. Thanks for reminding me! And for the syncing tip.
Congrats on the iphone! I love TweetDeck, NY Times, WordPress (yep, there’s an app for that!), pandora, rue la la, and yelp. There’s more where that came from, but those are a few faves. 🙂
Welcome to the iPhone club!! I highly recommend echofon for twitter, the weather channel app (because the weather that comes on the phone doesn’t tell you much) and Word With Friends! Enjoy your new toy! 🙂
I have yet to move over to the iPhone, waiting for my contract to be up! I have the iPad and with that I love apps such as Twitter, friends, iBook, urban spoon, cooking light, and my very trusty and pretty calculate (crystal calculator). Not being able to sleep is the worst!! Happy you were able to sneak in a nap though! That smoothies looks and sounds delish, now I feel the need to go get ca than gum, great more money to spend haha!!
Oh my heavens sweetie, why have you been up since 1am and why are you not sleeping this moment? Hope you have a much needed and soundless sleep tonight and feel refreshed tomorrow.
Woooo new toys!!! I love my foam roller, but this looks like way more fun.
I gave into satellite radio for my car. I NEVER thought I’d do it. But, I got 3 months free with my car purchase, and it was absolutely wonderful. No commercials! Plus the selection of channels is incredible. Well, Sirius offered me a very good discount rate after the 90 days, so I did it. I have never regretted it.
Enjoy your IPhone. I haven’t given into that yet. I still have an old fashion flip phone, pay as I go plan.
Love your blog.
I LOVE my iPhone! 🙂 I agree with everyone that has said Pandora…They actually have a Lullaby and Toddler station I have recently discovered. I play it all the time for my little one! 🙂 I also love the ESV Bible app. Redbox app, if you are like me and rent cheap movies a lot 🙂 Whole Foods actually has an app for recipes that is kinda cool. I like the Nike + app also. I also use the ShopShop app for my grocery lists. You can make different lists for different stores! Those are just a few of my favorite one’s! Hope you enjoy yours! 🙂
Thanks for the Bible app suggestion. I wanted to find one for that. 🙂
iPhone apps that I like:
The Weather Channel
Sportacular – great for getting real time sport score updates
Yoga Stretch and Yoga Relax
Shazam – lets you identify a song
Sally’s Spa – addictive game!
Words with Friends – Scrabble type game you can play with friends via wifi
Google Earth
I’m also starting to look into apps for my 6 month old (1/10/11) and he seems to enjoy an interactive app that plays Wheels on the Bus.
I got my iPhone in March and I love, love, love it! I will never go back! My favorite apps are TweetDeck (for Twitter), QRANK (a daily trivia game), and Words with Friends!
Welcome to the dark side:)
And I love that you’re soothing your muscles with a rolling pin!!
Yay for smartphones! I never thought I would get a Mac…and now I really do never want to go back to using a PC 🙂
I have a tendency to give into fashion trends, generally about 3 years after they started to be cool haha. Case in point: I bought my first pair of skinny jeans last summer. Right? Swore I would never do it, and then…alas. The fact that it takes me like 3 years to get used to a trend is probably why I have zero sense of style. Double alas. Haha.
I am the SAME way!!!
I love my iPhone! I love wordswithfriends (free) I play with my friends and family its lots of fun! I actually gave in to buying the iphone myself a few years ago and haven’t looked back since!
Yay for the iPhone!! Hope you don’t get too addicted like I did : ) I’m working on stepping away from the smartphone. Your protein shake sounds delicious…definitely giving that one a try!
I love my movie theater app (showtimes) and my yelp app!
I honestly never thought I’d try a touch screen phone, but now I love it! I also never thought I’d try running and now I love it 🙂
…guess you have to give things a shot sometimes!
Totally jealous of the iphone! I caved in on buying lululemon and now I can’t stop! I might just have a *problem.*…but it’s just so good! And I do the same after a rough night…push myself to workout, typically feel great after…then crash later on. AND…cool rolling pin trick!
The fear of becoming addicted is what keeps me from buying any lululemon. LOL
I still have a grandma phone, so I have no advice for you there. One day I will get a nicer phone!
I have been wanting to get some of that stuff too, but I have not been able to bring myself to buy it either! But it seems like it lasts for a long time, so the price could be worth it.
i’d tell you my fav apps, but they’re pretty much already all up here 🙂 enjoY!
I can’t believe Xanthum Gum was $12!!! I am buying and sending you a bag because I can buy it at Publix for half of that!!
Oh, I LOVE my iPhone. I’ve only had it for about a year and a half and I sometimes wonder how I lived without it! I use Electric Mile (the Daily Mile app), Twitter, and Facebook daily. My kids love games like Angry Birds, Cube Dog, and Etch-a-Sketch. It’s a family phone 🙂
I wrote a post on my favorite iPhone apps: http://pink-runner.com/2011/06/23/healthy-living-apps/
That Smoothie looks amazing!!! I love that flavor combo!
Apps I can’t live without: Shazam (can name any song that’s playing!), Yelp, Moviefone, Pandora, Urbanspoon (amazing!)
yay Iphone, I think you should try the instagram app. It is quite the buzz in the blog world 🙂
Is the instagram the one with the picture effects??
Yep, thats the one!
I use guar gum for the same effect an LOVE it!
Welcome to the iPhone addiction! My favorite apps: Sleep Cycle, FlickStacker, Hipstamatic, TweetDeck, Delta, Ego, FoodSpotting, ScoutMob, Pandora, and – of course – Facebook!
I gave in and purchased xantham gum a year ago, however I haven’t used much of it because it turned my shakes into gummy messes! Now I know the reason–I added a tad bit too much! However I’m still scared to use it…I don’t like good food go to waste! You may have just inspired me to give it another go though. 🙂
Horray for your first iPhone!I I’m glad you asked the app question because I’m a new user as well. This comment section is filled with great suggestions, so thank you!!
I hope you get a much better sleep tonight! <3