Any of my friends who has ever heard me go on a rant about why I love My Fitness Pal so much knows that my main use is to track my water intake. I've had issues in the past with not drinking much, if any, water, and then playing intense volleyball while on the verge of fainting. To avoid this, I've made a conscious effort over the last two years to drink more water throughout the day -- especially on game/practice days. Drinking water throughout the day makes me feel less tired, it keeps my skin clear, and I don't feel like I'm running around with a massive wad of cotton in my mouth. I love water! Could it be because I'm an Aquarius? So, you'd better believe that my interest was peaked when I saw the title of this post from Nerd Fitness. It's a really good read, if you have the time. If you don't have the time, Steve summarizes the post by highlighting the following points: "Chill out about water, don’t over think it. Drink when you feel t...

Now that I'm starting to slim down again, I've started getting into leggings. Unfortunately, leggings just seem absurdly overpriced with most brands. I don't get it! Nevertheless, just because I'm not ballin' doesn't mean I can't dream, right? Earlier this week, I was scrolling through my bloglovin' feed, and came across this killer upper body workout from Nicole over at Pumps and Iron . Now, I acknowledge that I should've just paid attention to the workout (and probably should've actually attempted the workout), but I can't deny that I didn't. Instead, I became fascinated by the leggings she was wearing, and thus, down the rabbit hole I went... ...

( Source ) Maybe I should be, but I'm not shy about admitting that my volleyball shoes are stank nasty. The more I play, the more rank they get. It's just the truth! Over the years, I have tried a billion* different methods to fix this problem. Baby powder, throwing them in the washer, spraying them with different combinations of chemicals, stuffing them with dryer sheets... the list goes on. Recently, I conducted a Google search for smelly gym shoes. One thing that kept coming up was a product called Gran's Remedy . It's manufactured in New Zealand, and is supposed to cure the stank on even the stank nastiest of shoes. I immediately went over to Amazon to search for it, because I knew I wasn't spending all that money on it PLUS shipping fees, despite the necessity of it. On Amazon, it sells for $16.95 , plus I got free shipping on it with a trial Amazon Prime account. ...

This week was super wacky. I don't know if any of my readers out there live in the Baltimore-Washington Corridor, but if so, you know what I'm talking about. We have had some brutal weather (yes, I acknowledge that we're punks about the whole thing), and with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and a snow day back-to-back, I barely even know what today is! Because of the nature of my job, I worked all day Monday, and was so exhausted by the end of it all. I also realized early on that I'd forgotten my FitBit for an early morning event where I walked a ton. Blergh! That evening, I drove out to Baltimore for a volleyball game. My team won, qualifying for the quarterfinals next week. Woohoo! This Monday season has been a bit of a bummer, despite winning all but one match. I love volleyball, but I also love playing against good competition. In fact, as much as I hate losing, I'd much rather lose a hard-fought battle to a good team than crush some crummy team. Are any of y...

So, you may have noticed that I gave my blog a minor facelift over the past week. You can thank a perfectly-timed snow day for that one! What do you think? One of my goals is to post more, and give a little bit more TLC to my blog. I'm really starting to get into it, and I love getting feedback and comments from all of you! Now that I have a few months under my belt, I'd like to know: What would you like to see on the blog? What are some things that you like reading about on Flecks of Lex? I have a few exciting things coming down the pipeline that I can't wait to share with all of you, but I thought now might be a good time to get some feedback. Please share your thoughts in the comments section! For now, I'll leave you with this throwback jam: ...

The last month has been a bit of a beast, weather-wise, in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. Granted, it's not as bad as the year we endured Snowmaggedon, but it's still pretty yucky. This freezing cold weather not only makes me want to wear my onesie pajamas (ashamed I am not), and blob out in front of my television. Every freezing night, this is what I fantasize about, and then I'm forced to remember this lovely blog I write, which is supposed to be holding me accountable for being a lazy lima bean. This evening, before I left work, I checked to see which group classes were being offered by my gym tonight. A weight training class and Vinyasa yoga, back to back? Why, don't mind if I do! At least, that's what I thought before I bundled up and stepped out into the below-freezing weather. Hmmm , I thought, this won't do. I began my commute and started to contemplate which excuse I was going to use tonight. Then, it dawned on me. Here I am, with my own...

Sunday  - On Sunday, I nearly  made 10,000 steps. I worked all day, starting out in the wee hours of the morning. I was so tired by the end of the week, and was glad Downton Abbey came on for me to just plop on the couch and veg with my mom. Speaking of veg, I was over at my mom's place, and she made some delicious kale. To be totally honest, I haven't eaten kale since before it became the trendy thing to do. I forgot how much I love how my mom cooks it! We always ate more kale than collard greens when my mom made soul food back in the day. I've always preferred it over collard greens because I think it holds the flavor better. I also like the texture a lot more. I would've taken a picture, but I destroyed it in about 5 seconds :-( Monday  - Back to Monday night volleyball! We played a decent team, but we still won (I mean, duh!). I got a pretty good workout, and my abs got an amazing workout because we always laugh a ton on Monday nights. We hadn't played since t...

I read a great post from Health Magazine   about weight loss "super foods." The list isn't too shocking, but there are some interesting little tidbits in there. My favorites, plus some surprises: Garbanzo beans  (a.k.a. chickpeas) -  Garbanzo always makes me think of Gonzo, dancing in a vat of hummus. Speaking of hummus, I had some DELICIOUS hummus as a snack. It's a struggle to stick to the 2 Tbsp serving size, so I had to savor every dip. The hummus is made by Eat Well Enjoy Life, and it was their  Sweet & Spicy Black Bean Hummus . So much yummmmm, especially for an accidental find. I need to learn how to make this hummus, because it is so good! Black beans  - I freaking LOVE black beans! Throw in some salt, pepper, cilantro, and chopped red onion, maybe even a little   Sazón , and I am good to go! Sometimes, if I'm being especially lazy, I will just heat a can of Goya black beans (the only brand I ever use for black beans), and eat it as is. If you do...

Friday night, I grudgingly trudged over to Old Navy for some leggings. I'd never actually tried their leggings before. In fact, the only Old Navy active wear I had ever owned is an orange fleece that is buried among my fitness gear, and I bought it years ago for $7. (It's still super warm and comfy, though.) During high school, I got over Old Navy pretty quickly, and Old Navy was the  store. My jeans always tore, there weren't any stores close to home, and everyone seemed to have everything from there each season -- and I was always a couple of seasons behind. Nevertheless, on Friday night, I ventured over to the store closest to the rock climbing gym, as I'd seen ads earlier in the week about their sale on active wear. Normally, needing something in a pinch would have justified a trip to Target, but I knew already that Target's leggings weren't usually on sale, and they are much more expensive than they should be. Sure enough, when I walked up to the stor...

I've done a little bit of reading on Piri Piri (or peri-peri -- depends on who you're talking to) peppers. I like spice in my food, but not enough that the food loses its flavor. Sometimes a dash of cayenne pepper can enhance the flavor of a dish, without making it spicy. Some people believe that it can even help you burn calories more quickly . "While hot red pepper has been studied before as an appetite suppressant, this study was notable in that it compared people who liked spicy food with those who did not. At various times, diners were given a bowl of tomato soup laced with a half teaspoon of pepper, plain tomato soup, or plain tomato soup with a supplement of red pepper in pill form. The effect was greater among diners who didn’t regularly consume spicy meals. Among that group, adding red pepper to the soup was associated with eating an average of 60 fewer calories at the next meal compared with when they ate plain soup. For both groups who ate red pepper in foo...

Well, this was the first full week of the new year. How did I do? ...

Before I really start writing this post, I cannot emphasize enough how much I love kickboxing. It is so fun, and I have had the same instructor for years, despite having switched gym. IT IS AMAZING! ...

I finally did it! I completed a Tabata workout routine AND I used the treadmill to its full potential for the first time ever! Many thanks to the Grooveshark  Electronica station for getting me through it. I used the Tabata Treadmill Workout that I found over on Carrots 'N' Cake , and it kicked my butt! I modified the speed on the treadmill, because, honestly, I'd never actually sprinted on the treadmill before. Treadmills have always scared me. They always felt really hard on my knees, and I always get schooled by whoever is running next to me. BUT! I conquered that fear today, and am proud of myself. The Boyfriend kept looking over at me as I dripped sweat, hopping on and off, and sprinting like a demon. I know I looked crazy, but I felt the burn! And it was glorious! ...

I sort of hate all of the compilations that come out at the end of the year (except that news bloopers of 2013 video. It's awesome. Check it out if you haven't already. If you have, watch it again!) But, ya know, I started thinking about it, and I realized that it would be kind of cool to post some of the major events I experienced this year. I Found Love I Dislocated my Shoulder Quite frankly, one of the dumbest things I've done in recent memory. If I hadn't been the recipient of pain, and was just an observer, I probably would've laughed until I had tears in my eyes. It was so dumb and so clumsy... and so painful! Just look at this poor bathroom. The aftermath.  The shoulder injury really set me back. I ended up gaining back all of the weight I had worked so hard to lose over the previous year. I was so disappointed with myself, which later led to one of my most ambitious events for the year: I Started This Fitness Blog I'm not sur...