My healthy happier life

I hope your Monday was as wonderful as mine!

I wore a fun new outfit to work today which while monochromatic, was very comfortable and received quite a few compliments.

Lunch was a salad from Toastie’s and I once experimented with dressing options again, today opting for fresh lemon juice and a dash of olive oil. It was delicious!

Today’s combo included chopped romaine, chopped tomatoes, red and green peppers, feta, cucumber, red onion, and salt & pepper. I also tried Lipton’s new Citrus Green Tea which was very refreshing!

My afternoon snack was a yogurt and a Nuun infused bottle of water.

After work I ran the 1.8 miles home in order to put my daily mileage at a total of 5 miles which was on my training plan. While I know it’s important to fit in mid mileage runs during the week, it was tough fitting in the mileage this morning due to work. I don’t plan on splitting the mileage on a weekly basis but once in a while it should be okay.

Upon walking through the door, I smelled spice!

Tonight’s dinner was Rub with Love salmon, grilled perfectly, served along side corn on the cob and mixed vegetables. If you’ve never tried Rub with Love you must order some immediately! We discovered it while we were out in Seattle a year ago and have been obsessed ever since! Last but not least, the folks over at Go Sport ID want to make sure you never exercise without identification again! It wasn’t until I saw giveaways for Road ID on other blogs that I thought about the fact that I never carry identification with me on runs. If I was to get hit by a cab, get run over by a biker, or suffer from heat exhaustion no one would know how to reach Bo or my family. Luckily, Go Sport ID can change that with their new Go Sport ID bracelet. The winner will receive a free Sport Band bracelet with their running mantras, name, and emergency contact information engraved.

How to Enter:

What is your life mantra?
Tweet about this giveaway: “@healthyhappier Is giving away a @gosportid http://wp.me/1mXUJ”
Follow the A Healthy, Happier Bear Facebook page.

I’ll pick a winner Wednesday night at 7pm! Leave a comment letting me know you follow and Tweet!

Follow:

Happy Monday! In case you are just catching up from the weekend, it was a busy one.

Friday we explored the Hudson River by sailboat!

Saturday I had a humbling Queens Half Marathon experience that doubled as a long training run.

Saturday night we celebrated Bo’s 27th birthday at Birreria

Yesterday was spent relaxing! After a 45 minute yoga session yesterday morning, I spent the rest of the day enjoying How I Met Your Mother and The Sopranos while perched on the sofa between Meg and Bo.

It was 100% bliss and exactly what I wanted.

Today, however, is a fresh week and month! It’s August which means there is a lot of fun adventures!

Business travel will take me to San Francisco, Chicago, and Cincinnati this month!
My teenage dream of seeing Brittney Spears in concert is finally coming true on Friday!
Theodora, Cynthia, and I are speaking at Healthy Living Summit!
Lauren & Casey are finally tying the knot and I get to be a part of their amazing day!
By the end of the month my long runs will be up to the 17 mile point! This is exciting and scary!

This morning I started my 3rd week of New York City Marathon training with a 5k run on the treadmill. My training plan called for 5 miles but my legs were still a bit tight and tired after Saturday’s half marathon. Therefore, I’m going to squeeze in the last two miles by running home this evening.

Breakfast was delicious, as usual, though I switched it up a bit by adding more cinnamon than normal and adding a cup of coffee on the side. Don’t worry, that huge cup of coffee is at least 1/3 milk, my favorite way to enjoy coffee.

Come back this evening for my 7 Links post and a great Road ID giveaway to help you stay safe while you’re out and about!

Have a great Monday! I’ll leave you with this awesome quote I received via email from Runner’s World!

When I run, my mind and body fuse together, creating an energy source that empowers me. Gail W. Kislevitz

Follow:

An afternoon nap and mani+pedi were exactly what I needed after the Queens half marathon to get a second wind for Bo’s birthday celebration! His friend Michael gave him a wonderful card with this hilarious pin, “Another Year Sexier” which Bo wore all night long! IMG_3513 (640x478)

Last night, 13 of our closest friends came together to celebrate Bo’s 27th birthday at Birreria. Birreria is the rooftop restaurant at Eataly. They have been trying to classify it as a beer garden but after three visits, I really don’t think you can call it that. While they have a wonderful and extensive beer selection the atmosphere and food is definitely a step above your typical beer garden.

Two weeks ago I called and made reservations, since they only accept them 2 weeks in advance for groups of 12 or less. Our friend Liz called and made reservation for a smaller table, requesting it to be near the group of 12. This allowed us the flexibility to have up to 18 people join for the celebration.

The best thing about bringing all our friends together is that by now most of them have met and spent time together during either our Marathon Party, Tacky Christmas Party, Ski Weekend, or Derby Party!

IMG_3519 (640x478)

Each table started with a round of drinks and appetizers as everyone caught up on life and the Summer adventures. Luckily, they had my favorite Blue point Summer Ale back on the menu last night which I enjoyed along with our table’s order of pretzel bread and cheese platter. You must order their pretzel bread if it’s on the menu; salty and doughy goodness. The rest of the table shared the salumi affettati misti platter which features a selection of all salumi.

I didn’t have the chance to take pictures of other people’s entrees but I ordered the Insalata Cotta Cruda which was once again a perfect summer meal. Filled with wax beans, potatoes, and other mixed vegetables it is light and filling.

Overall everyone was very pleased with their entrees including the pesce con verdure miste, pollo con pesto di olive verdii, bistecca con salsa verde, and sausage.

Birreria was the perfect location for a birthday dinner with a large group! Our waitress was very accommodating throughout the evening. Furthermore, our tables were adjacent to each other so we were able to play musical chairs all night, socializing with each table.

After dinner we headed over to Society Billiards for a few rounds of pool. We were looking for a relaxed atmosphere where we could have some fun, continue the laughs, and hang out. Their website describes it perfectly:

Society Billiards and Bar, in the shadow of the Flatiron, takes care to bring pool’s greatest traditions and welcomes a rich future for the game. Our friendly staff are all players as well and are dedicated to the reintroduction of a pool hall in the heart of this historic district of Manhattan.

It was a wonderful night celebrated with great friends. We missed those who couldn’t make it but were lucky to have both New York an Philadelphia friends up for the night.

A fun Saturday means that today is a relaxing recovery day. I’ve already enjoyed 30 minutes of gentle yoga and foam rolling followed by a homemade brunch.