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December 23, 2011 ·

I think I can, I think I can…I KNOW I can

Health & Fitness

2011 Van Metre 5-miler (left to right): Ashley, Seunghye, Jen, Andrea and Angela

I ran my first ever 5-miler race this past weekend and I think I still have that “runner’s high” everyone keeps telling me about. I’m ready to go do another one! But I didn’t always feel this way. Let me give you a little background on my running history.

(crickets chirpping)

Yeah, that about sums it up. I don’t run. I’ve never considered myself a runner. My dad went to college on a track scholarship, so I thought I must have it in me somewhere. I was not an athlete growing up. I danced and cheered, but I didn’t play any sports. Wait, I take that back…I played softball in 9th grade and I joke with people that I played left bench. I was horrible. And when I wasn’t on the bench, I was WAY out in the outfield. (Carolyn, if you’re reading this, Red Hot outfield sistas for life!). So I wasn’t a girly-girl, but I was FAR from any sort of athletic tomboy.

2000 Season Washington Redskins Cheerleader

I really learned about exercising when I met my husband. He was a total meathead when we first met. He loved going to the gym and schooling me on everything about weight-training. So I worked out here and there. I never put a lot of effort in it. The minute something would get difficult to lift, I’d stop. I continued to dance into my 20s and even spent 3 years dancing as a Washington Redskins cheerleader, which helped keep me in shape, but I still didn’t do much extra when it came to fitness. Then my life changed. I had two kids, I went through a major health scare with breast cancer, and I finally crossed over into the mid-30s. I can no longer eat whatever I want and I can’t maintain my figure as easily as I could in my 20s.

So after my chemo treatment was over and I was given a clean bill of health, I started working out…this time for real. It definitely helped that my kids were older and were in school or old enough to be put in the gym day care. So, I lift weights at least 3 times a week, do my 20-30 minutes of cardio most days, and/or take a dance class or BodyPump. And last year I started dabbling in this whole running thing. I needed something to change up my workout, and running seemed like a great form of exercise for many reasons. It’s a great stress reliever/escape, it can be done pretty much anywhere and it’s cheap!

Angela and Andrea before the brutal 2010 Twilight 4-Miler

But my training was spotty. Last year I ran my first 5K and then was crazy enough to run a twilight 4-miler on a 90+ degree June evening. Both races I had to stop and walk. I couldn’t even run the whole 3.1 miles for the 5K! And the 4-miler kicked my butt because I didn’t train properly and it was HOT! I was pretty discouraged to say the least. So I went into this 5-miler this weekend with hardly any confidence that I would be able to run the whole thing. Everyone around me had so much faith in me, but I just wasn’t sure.

To gear up for this race and the future ½ marathon Deena and I will be running in June, I have been following the Hal Higdon ½ marathon novice training schedule. So I definitely went into this race with a lot more training and a lot more miles under my belt. And it helped that I was running with a group of friends who helped encourage me to keep putting one foot in front of the other. My goal for myself was to make it to the end without walking. And I did!!! When I crossed that finish line after running the WHOLE time, I finally felt that runner’s high everyone has told me about. I was so proud and excited for myself. It did wonders for my confidence. And now I know I can do this ½ marathon. It won’t be easy, but I finally have the confidence to push myself further and further each week until I can run 13 miles.

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everydayroadtohealthy

Good morning! My morning is fueled by: ☀️sunl Good morning! My morning is fueled by:

☀️sunlight
🌳fresh air
☕️coffee

#everydayroadtohealthy #healthylifestyle #goodmorning #pushing50 #healthandwellness #selfcare
Cheers! It’s my first pumpkin spice latte of the Cheers! It’s my first pumpkin spice latte of the season! 🧡 Here’s how I cut down on calories when ordering:

✴️ order a tall instead of a grande (-80 cal)
✴️ hold the whipped cream (-70 cal)
✴️ swap out regular milk for non-fat milk (-50 cal)
✴️ reduce the pumps of syrup…I’m not a sugar-free syrup girl and I don’t think 1 less pump changes the flavor (-30 cal per pump)

I only indulge once, maybe twice a week, but these customizations keep me on track! My tall pumpkin spice latte comes in at 150 calories vs. 300 calories! 🧡

#everydayroadtohealthy #psl #starbucks #healthyish #butfirstcoffee #lowercalorie
I don’t have time to spend on my makeup in the m I don’t have time to spend on my makeup in the morning so here’s my 5 minute clean makeup routine explained in under a minute! 🤗 Featuring:

•Beautycounter Skin Twin Foundation
•Beautycounter Lid Glow Cream Shadow
•Beautycounter Cheeky Clean Cream Blush
•Thrive Causemetics Infinity Waterproof Eyeliner
•Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara

Beautycounter.com/angelafuentes 

#cleanbeauty #beautycounter #thrivecausemetics #grwm #pushing50 #cleanmakeup #easymakeup
Laundry is a perpetual chore in my house. 🧺 Jus Laundry is a perpetual chore in my house. 🧺 Just when I think I'm finished with all the loads, more dirty clothes appear and it's time to start another load. Unfortunately my swap for today doesn't fix that 😆, but it does fix the need for a non-toxic, natural and affordable fabric softener. I'm no where near being 100% chemical-free in our house, but I've made swaps here and there that make me feel pretty good about the everyday changes I'm making to a healthier lifestyle. ⁠
⁠
Go to the link in our bio @everydayroadtohealthy to read more.⁠
⁠
#everydayroadtohealthy #healthylifestyle #cleanliving #nontoxicliving
Still don’t love my wrinkles ☺️, but when I Still don’t love my wrinkles ☺️, but when I saw this quote, I thought it was fitting to share on so many levels. It’s definitely optimistic and happy like how a lot of his music made us feel! 🏝️😄

#jimmybuffett #everydayroadtohealthy
For the month of September, I will be donating pro For the month of September, I will be donating proceeds from all my Beautycounter sales (plus a match by my company Ashburn Accounting) to MIB Agents, a pediatric osteosarcoma nonprofit, in memory of Deena’s son, Owen, who lost his cancer battle in 2012 at the age of 16. 

From 9/5-9/14, I will host a virtual pop-up on our ✨Clean Beauty by Erth✨ Facebook group page where I will do some concentrated posts about Beautycounter, as well as hold a raffle for free products. If you or someone you know has wanted to try clean skincare or learn more about Beautycounter, please join the page before Sep 5th by going to the link in our profile @everydayroadtohealthy or message me about joining. You can also just order directly from me through my personal link from 9/1/23-9/30/23 and any proceeds I make during the whole month of September will be donated.

Thanks for helping me give to something that means a lot to me!

#everydayroadtohealthy #cleanliving #cleanbeauty #cleanskincare #goldforseptember #childhoodcancer @mib.agents #mibagents #osteosarcoma
Hi 👋 I’m Angela. Welcome to my everyday road Hi 👋 I’m Angela. Welcome to my everyday road to a healthy-ish lifestyle! 😆 

I will be the big 5-0 next year 🎉 and I really want to be in better shape by the time I get there. Most days I *think* about exercising, but I’m constantly sabotaging my own efforts. My biggest problem is I don’t prioritize my exercise time. I tried adding it as a meeting on my calendar, but I know it’s a “flexible” meeting so I’m always cutting into that time, to the point where I tell myself I no longer have the time. 🤷🏻‍♀️ And if I sit down at my desk in the morning and start checking work emails, the probability that I’ll fit in a workout goes down exponentially.

Today I chose not to sit down at my desk right away. Instead, I saw my kid off to school then went straight to the gym. Everything else waited until I got home, and the rest of the day I was able to focus without feeling guilty that I had not worked out. 

Today was just one day. I don’t know if it will stick, but I hope it does. I feel better about this plan than any other I have tried. It feels sustainable. 💪🏼

How about you? How do you make sure you fit in time for your health? How do you motivate yourself?

#everydayroadtohealthy #healthyish #pushing50 #healthylifestyle #workingout #selfmotivation #healthandwellness #healthandfitness
I’m not getting any younger, and neither is my s I’m not getting any younger, and neither is my skin. The dry and spotty mature skin struggle is real. But I am convinced this PM routine that I do every other night, along with my daily AM vitamin C serum,  helped me with my melasma. 

Every other night I use:

✅Counter+ Lotus Glow Cleansing Balm
✅Reflect Effect Overnight Resurfacing Peel (the piece de resistance)
✅All Bright Brightening Facial Oil 

And don’t forget daily C Serum and sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. 

Beautycounter.com/angelafuentes

#everydayroadtohealthy #cleanbeauty #cleanskincare #beautycounter #raiseupbeauty #matureskin #pushing50 #grwm #skincareroutine
It’s Veggie Bag delivery day from South Mountain It’s Veggie Bag delivery day from South Mountain Creamery! I don’t usually go online to see what’s coming so it’s almost always a surprise. But I love it because once I see what I have, it really helps with planning for the next week.
@smcdairy #southmountaincreamery #veggiebagdeliveryday #homedelivery #smcreamery #everydayroadtohealthy #healthyfood #eatlocal #farmtotable #healthylifestyle #mealplanning
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