Sorry to be reviewing so many Mizuno volleyball products these days! I am finally getting around to writing reviews on all of the great stuff I purchased from Hock Sports . Volleyball trends come and go, but one that I will probably not ever get past is the long socks. I love wearing long socks to play volleyball! I'm not talking about the ones that reveal your calf. I'm talking about long socks that unite your knee pads and your shoes so that your leg can be as one! There are so many great reasons why I wear long socks. They make your leg look skinnier (unless you're already skinny, in which case, I would totally go for the calf length. They're perfect for slim legs!); they give you a place to deposit extra dirt on your shoes when they start to get slippery (if not on your hands, which I often do, because I'm a setter and not ashamed to admit that my hands get clammy sometimes); and, perhaps most importantly, they hide your legs if you maybe, just maybe, you  ...

Volleyball players are often torn on whether or not to wear knee pads. When I was younger, there were phases where it was "cool" or "uncool" to wear them. Do you get the "turtle shells?" How about the singular, smooth pads? The short kind or the long kind? Now that I'm older, and my knees are blacker, I realize that there really should be no debate on whether or not you wear knee pads, first and foremost. They really do protect your knees, and absorb much of the shock that your body receives when you dive after a ball. I hear a lot of people say, "as long as I'm moving my feet, I shouldn't need knee pads!" Really, bro? The entire USA Women's Volleyball Team wears knee pads. You gonna tell me they aren't moving their feet enough? Of course they are! They wear them because they're smart, and care about protecting their bodies! It's not lame to want to be able to use your knees for the rest of your life. ...

This week, while reading Blogilates (seriously, it's so encouraging and adorable -- I highly recommend it), I learned that Cassey Ho, the blog's proprietor, will be conducting a DietBet for January. It's pretty straightforward: Pay $30, lose 4% of your body weight, and get your $30 back + your share of what's leftover in the pot from whoever didn't make their goal. It's a pretty sweet deal! As long as you lose the 4%, you don't lose any money. And if you don't make your goal? Well, then you've learned a valuable lesson. Want to get in on this DietBet? Here's the link to the one I'm competing in: http://diet.bt/1dNicC5 I like it because it holds me even more accountable than just simply blogging about various things. There is a financial motivation, a competition, and a goal -- all things that work great for me! I am so competitive, that even if it wasn't for money, I'd probably sign up anyway! Okay, that might not be entirely true....

Personally, I'm not a fan of sports bras that require too much fuss. The Ta Ta Tamer is super snug, which is great, but also super complicated. It has three hooks on the back, which seems to be a bit much. Honestly, two hooks can be too complicated at times, especially when you're rushing to a fitness class or running to get into the shower. This was my first purchase from lululemon. The store is right across from the store where I work on Sundays, so it's not that the store is difficult to get into. It's just rather intimidating. The first time I visited , I had quite an unpleasant experience. Nevertheless, I was willing to give it another shot. I'd heard so many great things, so I figured that the offensively rude and presumptuous sales associate was just a bad apple. Fortunately, she wasn't there when I returned. ...

Sometimes I wonder if anybody is reading my blog. I mean, really  reading my blog. I can see all of the visitor counts (and the stats are starting to look awesome), but I can never truly tell if anyone is reading it. Today is the day after Christmas (also known as Boxing Day  in many other parts of the world), and I can say that my family members read my blog! I received several amazing health/fitness-related gifts. I am so excited to try all the things and wear all the clothes! I've had friends ask if it would be rude to receive health-related gifts. No! Of course not! I know some people would be offended by it, but not me. To me, it means that, at a minimum, the people around me love and care about me enough to want me to be healthy. Why should I be insulted? Plus, these are things that are practical, and things I want and/or need! So, here is a rundown of the health and fitness gifts I received yesterday: Under Armour Gotta Have It Headband I have been ...

I needed new volleyball shoes BADLY. The shoes I previously wore for volleyball were so funky, and the traction on the bottom was getting harder and harder to locate. They were some sad Asics that I received as part of my coach apparel from the season when I coached a juniors club team. They're not bad shoes, but they're sad because they smell so bad, and are probably ashamed of hearing me tell everyone, "hold your breath" when I'd remove them after games. Fun fact: If you only wear your volleyball shoes indoors, you will extend the life of the shoe's traction!  I've played in Asics, Adidas, and Mizuno volleyball shoes more than any other brand. I'd say that my favorite volleyball shoe brand (until proven otherwise) is Mizuno. I have skinnier feet, and their shoes are cut narrowly enough for me that I feel like they're actually holding my feet in place. They're also incredibly lightweight and come in great styles. You can tell they've ...

This is the first in my new series, Interview with an Athlete. Enjoy! Fernando "HuggyBear" Escobar                                     Age :29 Weight:  365 Current City: College Park MD Favorite Strongman Event:  Yolk Least Strongman Favorite: Circus Dumbell Current Profession: Fire Alarm Inspector  Where do you even lift, bro? Colosseum Gym , Columbia, MD Instagram: @strongesco Website:   gladiator-strength-training. com I first met Fernando "Huggy Bear" Escobar a few years ago through friends. When I first met him, I thought "this is the biggest guy I've ever met!" It's been truly amazing to watch him melt over the years. He has lost over 100 lbs, and all without surgical intervention!  He admits that he was not always into health and fitness. "I consider myself to be lucky. As I have grown up, I have always been a big man. I have been up to 500 lbs, but was still able to walk and enjoy l...

Judy, my teammate, nearly annihilated my other teammate (Jackie) and me a couple weeks ago. She gave us this jump training workout , and encouraged us to do it "in good health." Note: I have linked to my google site. You can print the workout directly from the page if you would like your own copy. Equipped with a guest pass for Jackie, we headed over to the Washington Sports Club in Downtown Silver Spring. Our original intention was to take a Zumba class (Jackie's first), but we ended up missing it due to traffic and an overly enthusiastic salesperson. It all worked out, though, because we definitely wouldn't have survived the workout! I warned Jackie about the aggressive sell they make at WSC, so she was prepared for the never-ending sell that took place while the time left in the Zumba class dwindled away. This was extremely annoying, but it comes with the territory... By the time the salesperson finally stopped touring and selling (seriously, why woul...

As I stated in a previous post ,  my body has been ACHING from day after day of competitive volleyball. My lower back and hamstrings have been especially sore after each match, and even worse after each tournament. I have to admit that I haven't been very good about stretching both before and after playing. I am definitely going to make sure that I start stretching more, because my current routine is not working. For me, having tight muscles makes me more susceptible for injury, and I am unable to be as flexible and quick on the court, which also makes me less consistent and more timid. Last week, I freaked out because I temporarily lost my fitbit , I scoured my house, and eventually found it right next to where I'd turned into a blob on my couch after a tough game. In the process of destroying my bedroom looking for the tiny, pink fitbit, I discovered that I already owned a foam roller! Of course, it was unwrapped, dusty, and completely foreign to me. I vaguely remembered ...

Oh, yeah. I love it so much that I used to coach it! (Photo by  Christopher Anderson⁄The Gazette) About two months ago, I hosted a potluck for my USAV (USA Volleyball) women's team, Spiked Punch . (What can I say? Volleyball players love puns!) As an icebreaker, I asked everyone why they like volleyball. There were some really great answers on how everyone got started, and why everyone continues to play as an adult. For some, it was peer pressure. For others, it was parental pressure. Some started playing out of curiosity. ...

You see, there was this thing I heard about called CrossFit. I'd heard it was performed in a box or a cage, or something else intimidating-sounding. I saw great results from many of my friends, but I was also turned off by some of the cult-ish behavior I'd seen from regular CrossFitters. So what did I do? I ventured over to my gym, Washington Sports Club , and tried a free intro class. There was only one other woman who was taking the intro class with me, so I had the opportunity to ask tons of questions (which, of course, I did). First, we were given a quick pep talk and a primer on how some CrossFit workouts actually, well, work. I asked questions pertaining to whether the CrossFit instructors at my gym actually focus on form, or whether they just emphasizes maxing out. Contrary to what I'd heard about CrossFit, the instructors at my gym actually focus on form, and demonstrated this focus by going over the proper form of each exercise -- including variations on each e...

I love, love, love pesto sauce! The only problem is that they often contain too many calories! I found this great pesto recipe on myrecipes.com , which was taken from Cooking Light  magazine -- a great magazine with great, tasty, healthy recipes. The recipe has great flavor, though I would suggest using half the salt, if not slightly less. The other modification I made to the recipe was that I put the salmon and pesto on a bed of arugula, which turned out AWESOMELY! I would put this pesto on sandwiches, salads, and plenty of different fish. Give it a try, and tell me how you liked it! Did you make any changes? ...

There's been quite a bit of buzz lately about the collision of the worlds of technology and fitness. For example, this week, Under Armour purchased MapMyFitness (an awesome app I started drafting a review of  weeks  ago). This opens up the door for other fitness brands to begin merging and/or collaborating with tech companies that manage the apps people like me use on a daily basis. But I digress... The real news is that I BOUGHT A FITBIT! Not only did I buy a fitbit ZIP , but I got an awesome deal on it! There is an amazing Living Social coupon that expires in 2 days where you spend $25 to get $50 to spend at Brookstone . The ZIP normally costs $59.99 before taxes, so you can see that I got a pretty sweet deal after all was said and done! I was already using the fitbit app  for my phone, so I was quickly able to sync my new device with my existing account. I'd conducted a fair amount of research on the fitbit before I purchased it. The three main things I look ...

I've always found it to be helpful for me to put my goals down in writing. I realized that I should treat my fitness goals the same as any other goals I'm currently working on. November is an easy month to lose track of fitness goals. Thanksgiving is one of the main reasons, but there are so many other opportunities to cheat on your health during this month. People at work start bringing in baked goods, spiced pumpkin is an intoxicating aroma that comes in so many sugared, breaded, creamy forms, and the days start getting colder and darker. A few years ago, the Cleveland Clinic posted these great tips  on how to avoid gaining crazy weight during the holidays. They're great, and motivated me to come up with my own list of ways I'm going to avoid weight gain this month. Not only will this help me avoid the weight gain, but it should  keep me on track with all of my other fitness goals. Eat more breakfast!  This has been the worst thing for me my entire life. I'...

I've started doing yoga on Saturdays at my gym, and it's been great for my muscles, my morning, and my mind. Last Saturday, I took a Vinyasa yoga class at my gym, and I really enjoyed it. Vinyasa is so great because you really get a good stretch in, and so many of the poses can be challenging. You end up totally relaxed by the end of the class, but sweating like a hog. It's great! For me, waking up is the hardest part of the day. Getting my eyes to cooperative with the sunlight is the first in a series of poorly executed wake-up actions. This is typically followed by a smash of the snooze button, a grumble, a burrow under the blanket, and eventually the roll/fall/climb out of the bed. While waking up on any given day is a challenge, I always find it especially difficult when I'm starting a new class at the gym, and the class starts at an ungodly hour (typically before 6 p.m.). On this particular day last week, I found myself in this predicament once again. Do I...

One of my favorite things to do after a long week of brutal workouts, rush hour traffic, and work is to pamper myself. A little TLC does the mind and body good! In this newest segment on Flecks of Lex, I will recommend various products I use/have used. One of my favorite "got stopped by an aggressive salesperson, but I ended up liking the product after all" items is the Buffy Body Butter by LUSH  ( affilliate link ). The concept is pretty interesting: You take a shower, rub yourself down with the body butter, rinse the body butter off your body, then pat yourself dry. The body butter is actually moisturizing lotion! ...

I'd never been before this past spring, but I'm glad I tried it! It's extremely challenging, fun, and a fantastic workout! The first time I stepped into the Rockville Earth Treks Climbing Center, I have to admit that I was intimidated. There were these really high walls with colored marks all over them, and weird stone-type things. The people in the gym didn't look like me, which had me taken aback at first. Of all the couple hundred people in the gym, I was the only person who was not white or Asian. There were barefoot people, little kids, and really intense-looking people wearing what I could only describe as yoga gear. While the composition of the gym was initially striking, I was able to shrug it off pretty quickly. My sport of choice is volleyball, and I can say that I had similar impressions when I originally started playing. It never stopped me from enjoying it and succeeding! The demographics of different athletic activities have always interested me, but I&...

I'd never even heard of Marika before purchasing this bra, but  ended up buying several items they had available at Marshalls. After conducting some research on sports bras, and realizing that there are so many different types, I decided to purchase another high impact sports bra, and write a review to help other ladies out there looking for a sports bra that does more than just create uniboob and store sweat like a bowl holds soup. One of my favorite places to shop for fitness gear is Marshalls. I can find great brands at great prices; those obnoxious commercials are actually legit! This time around, I spent significantly less. I purchased a Marika sports bra. I was originally attracted to the color and style of the bra, but after I tried it on, I was sold. (The $15 price tag didn't hurt either...) Let's get down to the nitty gritty, shall we? Comfort:  This sports bra is extremely comfortable. I don't have to mess with the sides or back during my wo...

A sports bra designed for high impact? Made for busty athletes? Sign me up! I cannot stop raving about this sports bra!** The design is amazing. It's extremely comfortable, and is perfect for volleyball players like me.  With individual cups, it definitely offers enough protection and support. It's not always necessary, but after wearing the Vixen by Moving Comfort, I completely understand why some of my fellow athletes require them. Here's a little review I typed up on this sports bra, followed by a video I found online by the folks at Moving Comfort. Comfort: The band grips just the right amount so that you're not fiddling with your bra in between points, training intensity levels, or rounds. With some sports bras, I  feel like I'm constantly having to unfold the band in the back, or, more embarrassingly, the front. With the Vixen, I have never had to adjust it during physical activity. The majority of the racer back portion of the sports bra i...

Sometimes you need to mix up your workout routine with something fun and different - which is exactly what I did yesterday. The Boyfriend and I headed to Burke Lake Park in Fairfax Station, Virginia. It's more expensive to visit this park ($10/car), and it's definitely further than the state park near his place, but the disc golf course is definitely superior. While I love being outdoors, I really don't like having to climb through prickly plants to look for my frisbee (especially when I'm usually looking in the wrong spot). What is disc golf? Imagine golf. Now, imagine using a frisbee instead of a ball and club. Then, instead of playing on fields, imagine playing on a wooded path. Obviously I'm simplifying it just a tad, but that's pretty much what it is. If you become a more advanced player (which I'm not), you can use different types of frisbees as putters and drivers (as with golf), but for beginners like me, you play with one frisbee the entir...