I didn’t go to bed until 2 am Monday night. Tuesday morning? Whatever it was, it was a time way too late for me. I had to pick up Peter from the airport and due to some inclement weather…

…his flight got in 3 hours late.Then, just as I was climbing into bed at 1 am, Braedon woke up to eat. Ain’t that just dandy? I should have been a very, very sleepy girl all day Tuesday. Yet, somehow, the day turned out better than expected. I got through quite the workout and a fun play date.

Yesterday morning I hit up the gym for some upper body weights and a run. I did the following upper body workout:

[how I create my strength training plans]

I felt okay but dragged butt the entire time. Soooo slooooow. I figured I wouldn’t have enough energy to do much with my run. Couch to 5K called for alternating 5 minutes of running with 3 minutes of walking. I started off slowly but then kept managing to increase my speed over the course of the workout. I still banged out 2.8 miles in 30 minutes, which makes this beginner runner very happy. I love when a workout turns out better than expected. Such a fabulous feeling!

After my workout and a short stopover at home, we visited a park with some friends for a walk and lunch. We walked for about 40 minutes, then settled in for a picnic. I love picnics. Fresh air. Fresh food. Totally works with my beliefs on making life better.

I had to make due with what we had for transportable food, so I went with a Morningstar Farms Garden Veggie Burger on a sandwich thing with some roasted pine nut hummus, spinach, and tomato.

It turned out better than expected! I coupled it with some snackage in the form of baby carrots, grape tomatoes, and sliced strawberries.

My friend & I had some cutesy dates.

Aren’t they adorable?! Perhaps even cuter…

Every time we come to this park and feed the ducks, I always get a flashback to doing the same with my mom at our local park when I was growing up. I love my mom! For those of you wondering, she is doing very well. The diagnosis seems better than expected as the doctors believe they diagnosed her very early. She feels great, remains positive, and continues to learn as much as she can to face her MS head-on. If I can be even half the woman and mother she is, I will have grown into someone better than I ever expected.

Question of the Day – What has turned out better than expected for you lately?

I mentioned last week that I participated in a special webcast for the 4all by jofit fitness apparel company that I’m working with this year as a brand ambassador. I also mentioned how much I love the company.

The chat proved that to me even more. All of the women behind the scenes are so passionate about what the brand stands for. They want women to look and feel confident in their clothing, just as they should have confidence in their fitness abilities. They want clothes that you can comfortably wear without worrying about so many nagging issues in standard wear – the skin around the armpits, not having a smooth look in pants, shirts rising too high, pants hugging too tight, clothes not wicking moisture like they claim, etc. 4all really means what they say!

They recently sent me some of their apparel to try out. Along with some other goodies to use during my fitness journey this year.

I already use the little gym bag for all my workouts because it is the perfect size to carry around the gym. And the flip video (!!!) helps me film all of my FFF Features videos. As for the clothes?

I. LOVE. THEM! I always comfortably worked out in standard deals and didn’t concern myself too much with details in my fitness gear. I’m changing my tune. There is SUCH a difference.

I received the following three pieces:

Thumbs Up Jacket

Victoria JoWind Shirt

Knit Capri

Here is why I love the clothes. They feel luxurious. The material is such high quality that I wore the above as an outfit while out and about running errands and felt more put together than in some of of my other regular wear. They look flattering. The scoop bottom and thicker panel waist band of the pants help made my tummy look flatter and kept me comfortable all at the same time. They also have pockets that give the butt a little perk. Not a bad thing if you ask me. They do their job. The material certainly wicks away moisture. I have worn the pants for two sweaty workouts already and don’t feel that gross lower back sweaty area like normal. You know what I’m talking about! In short, I wish I could own their entire line.

Stay tuned for promotions and other great info as the year goes on. And please note that while 4all did send me the above items free of charge for review, the opinions expressed are all my own. So, yes. I am in fact digging 4all this much. 😀

Question of the Evening – What do you find most important in your fitness clothing? Price, fit, look, certain materials?