i'm a beachbody coach!

After my 60-day challenge (my 30-day turned into 60 days), I had such a great experience I decided that I wanted to become a Beachbody coach.

I mentioned in a previous post that I had lost 19.5 inches and as of yesterday I am 3 lbs away from my wedding weight. So that is 10lbs down since October. I just feel so good, so fit, so healthy, and so much better than I did 60+ days ago. It just takes hard work and determination.

I'm helping lead a 60 (or you can extend to 90 day) challenge starting on January 27th. It is 60/90 days of 1 fitness program of your choice (there are a bunch to choose from- for all fitness levels), shakeology as a meal replacement, clean eating, and a private Facebook accountability group. The accountability really makes this program what it is. And then I would be your coach and I am competitive and want YOU to succeed to reach your goals.

We've ALL tried to diet, lose weight, and go on this journey ALONE. Truth is, you need someone to push you and to keep you accountable. I post my food log everyday in the Facebook group and have made my health and nutrition a priority. Yes, I will have a piece of pizza, a scoop or two of ice cream, or whatever your guilty pleasure may be a few times a week, BUT at the end of the day, I have put in the time and effort to get results.

I'm not ready to post my before/after pic on social media yet, BUT I will gladly email it to you or text it to you if you have my number. Pictures motivate me because they are proof that success is possible.

If you want to learn more, please leave a comment (make sure your email address is attached), email me at perrowck @ gmail (not putting my full email to avoid spam but you get it), or find me on Facebook and send me a message. I'd love to help you achieve your goals. You are not alone. You CAN succeed and it is worth every penny and ounce of effort.

Let me help you!  I am not perfect. I am still learning. Why not make your fitness and health a priority TODAY?

Or visit my Beachbody site HERE! 

christmas eve health updates

Merry Christmas Eve!

I'll be working today until 2pm (bummer) but at least it's not all day. Then I'll grab Sarge and head to my parents house where Tyler has been since Monday.

Just wanted to share some of my workout updates since I've been SUPER MIA lately (working out, duh).

I'm almost done with my 60 day challenge. The 30 days turned into 60 days.

After 30 days, I lost 13 inches. THIRTEEN!!!! 

After 60 days, I lost 6.5 more inches.

Grand total of 19.5 inches!!!! in 60 days!!!! (holy $h!t!!)

I'm so pumped. And proud!!

Yes, all of the !!!!!!!!!!! are super necessary.

60 days of T-25, clean eating, and shakeology. I've also been taking classes at the Y and running.....

BECAUSE I'M RUNNING A HALF MARATHON!

Who am I!?

On March 9 I'm running the Palmetto Bluff half marathon in Bluffton, SC. I'm so excited, but nervous. I'm on week 2 of training and so far, so good. I'm just going to need a lot of motivation. Anyone want to run it with me??

I'm so proud of myself and have truly put in so much work, Y'all anyone can do a challenge like this, it just takes a ton of motivation and will power. AND I still have a long ways to go!

So that's all I have for today, so go enjoy your families and celebrate Christmas. I'll probably overindulge and gain back all 19.5 inches, but I have been so good and deserve a few cheat treats, right?

But come January 6 another 60 day challenge starts and I've recruited my work bff do it with me. And I'll be running over the holidays, don't worry.

Thanks for being my friends and following along. So thankful for all of you who read my blog and who still read after I've disappeared.

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS friends.

xoxoxoxo

last night strangers saved my dog's life.

On Friday Sarge decided he likes yoga.

I've typed this out a few times, but it is easiest to copy and paste the email that I wrote to the editor of the Beaufort paper. If it ever gets published is a mystery, but at least I have tried!

If you follow me on Facebook, you may have seen that Sarge collapsed while we were running last night. It was the scariest afternoon of my life.

-----

My 6.5 year old black lab and I were running on the Spanish Moss Trail this afternoon. We ran about 4.25 miles when my dog, Sarge, basically collapsed on the trail by Allison Road. His front legs gave out and he became very disoriented and fell over, almost like he was drunk. I started yelling for help when two ladies and a man in front of me heard me screaming and ran over to me as I was yelling for water. They did not have any, but the man ran to Allison Road and stopped a truck to ask for water. Miraculously, the man came running back with an unopened gallon of water. I was in too much of a panic to really comprehend what was happening. I immediately poured the water on the dog and got him to drink some of it until we could slow his heart rate and cool him down.

Side note: Who has a gallon of water in their car? He looked like a contractor (because of his truck) so maybe that is why, but if this wasn't a God-thing, I DO NOT know what is. This man was my angel- the water saved Sarge!

I thanked the group over and over and told them I thought he was OK and we started walking slowly back to my car parked on Depot Road (about a mile away). After about ten yards, Sarge collapsed again. This time, his jaw was locked shut and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. It was like watching him seize but having no idea what to do and no one to call! I screamed for help again and another group of three came running over to me. At this point I was in a panic, but the two men were able to calm me down while the lady ran to her car so we could drive Sarge back to my parked car. In the meantime, we laid Sarge down, cooled him down, and continued to try to give him water.

One of the men, a local photographer in Beaufort called a friend of mine who lives in Mossy Oaks, so she could bring a bowl of water and help calm me down since she knows me well. By the time my friend and her husband arrived, the men had taken care of Sarge and gotten to him to his feet and walking again. We let him walk around a little to make sure that he wasn't going to fall again. They had helped me breathe and stop panicking, something I could have never done on my own.

I only got three of the six stranger's names (Paul, Liv, and Doug I believe) and I never spoke to the man who generously gave another stranger a gallon of water. I kept saying thank you over and over and over, hoping that these people truly understood my gratitude, as this was one of the scariest things that I have ever had happen to me in my 25 years of life! I did find Paul on Facebook and sent him a thank you message, hoping he will send me his friends' emails to I can thank them, too.

So as we hear terrible events and bad news everyday, I can't help but be thankful for our wonderful community in Beaufort and for those people who took time out of their Sunday stroll to help me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and would love to be able to hung your necks, especially the man with the water who almost appeared like an angel. If you aren't a believer in God, I don't know how because coincidences like this just don't happen.

----

(Tyler was out fishing with a buddy so I couldn't even get him when I was in panic-mode. He doesn't quite seem to grasp how serious the situation really was and how truly scarred I am from it). 

I pray that this was an isolated incident and not the beginning of epilepsy. After posting on Facebook, a friend told me the same thing happened to her dog and now he is on medication for seizures. This poor pup has been through a lot this year!

Love you poochie!

birthday wish list

With my birthday coming up in exactly a month, I thought it would be fun to share my birthday wishlist! Some years I have long list (like this year), and other years I can't think of a thing. Maybe it is because I am actually on a budget being married, but I have a lot of things on my list!

And I'll be 25- so a reason to celebrate!

I just missed buying this dress from Anthropologie for my cousin's wedding, but sadly it was completely sold out to when I hit "buy"! I was so so sad. I'm keeping it on my list juuuuust in case someone happens to see it in a size 8 or 10 :-)

I'm also asking for a new  monogrammed sweatshirt. A sweatshirt is a staple for me to throw on after work and I am really in need of a new one!

At first I was 100% opposed to Lululemon. I thought anyone who paid an obscene amount of money on workout clothes was CRAZY until I discovered the pace setter skirt. I can't wear Nike shorts or other types of running shorts because of my thighs and in the summer it gets too hot to wear long black running pants. I tried the pace setter skirt on over the summer and was hooked. I need a few other pairs. If I cant find a pair of shorts that doesn't chafe (sorry TMI) my legs, I honestly don't care what the cost is!

 I feel like Tory Burch Revas are on my list every year. I've worn out my pair I bought in 2011 and keep saying I'm going to get a new pair but a) they are overpriced and b) super uncomfortable. I just think they go with everything and I don't walk around much at my job now so sitting down wearing them would be OK. I don't need them by any means... If I could find a knock-off pair or something comparable, I'd ditch Tory in a minute!

I've had my grandmother's monogrammed gold necklace since she passed away in 2001, WAY before monogrammed jewelry was in style. My mom has a pair of earrings  with her maiden monogram and I've always loved them. I don't have too much with my new monogram, so I think this could be a great gift!

A Garmin watch/GPS is honestly THE thing that I want for my birthday. I love my Nike+ app, but I don't love that I can't see it when I run and it doesn't count calories when I am doing other exercises. I think a running GPS would really motivate me to add more miles to my routine. Would you recommend a Garmin or a Polar watch? I'll take either, and whichever "does it all" for less!

Now that we live on the water I wear a hat a lot on the boat. A monogrammed baseball hat would be such an easy gift (and inexpensive!).

I've been contemplating getting a juicer with our leftover wedding gift cards. I think my magic bullet bit the dust lately (SAD FACE), so I wouldn't mind something to up my fruit and veggie intake! Again, something I don't need by any means but fun to have!

 Last but not least, I dorkingly (is that a word? maybe not....)  want a pair of garden shears! I usually have fresh flowers in the house and cutting them with scissors is not cool. Maybe it will make me start trimming the vines going up our front steps, too? #wishfulthinking

Is there anything else that a 25 year old needs? Ok I don't really need any of this. But birthdays come once a year and then six weeks later it is Christmas... so I think my family has it pretty easy with my list this year! :-)

And happy 22nd birthday to my cousin Anna today!

time for new kicks!

After my 10k this past weekend, I realized that it is time for some new running shoes. My Nike+ app says I've run about 224 miles in my current shoes... whether that is accurate or not, I'm not sure. But I've also done workout classes and walked around in them leisurely.

I went to my local running store, Palmetto Running Company and tried on 3 pairs of shoes...

Asics GT- 2000

Saucony Glide 6

Brooks Ravena 4

I had been to a running store before, but I really had a great experience here. They took pictures of my feet to see what type of shoe I really needed. All along I've been wearing a neutral shoe... Turns out I need stability! I overpronate and need that support. Plus I don't have the prettiest feet and have bones sticking out of every which-way!

I think the Saucony. I didn't pull the trigger yet because I wanted to do some research online and get a few more opinions first, but I think that is what I am going to go with, plus I've found them on sale! They also have a dark silver color with pink and green accents... A little more fun than the white and blue.

So I want to hear what type of running shoes you have and especially what you wear if you overpronate!

friday 5

Linking up with April, Darci, Natasha, and Christina....

{one} 

I'm really proud of myself  and my workouts lately.

I'm running a 10k on October 4 and am determined to do well, hence my goal of running 50 miles in September. Follow and join me on twitter (@charlotteplaw) and hashtag #50milesseptember. I realize 50 miles was a HUGE goals and maybe even too steep, but I'm doing my best to hit my goal!

I'll go back to 9/1/13 when I started my goal and throw in my other workouts... So I guess this isn't really a weekly workout, more like my "September so far" workout.

Sunday, Sept 1: 2.10 miles on treadmill 8'34 pace

Tuesday, Sept 3: 3.11 miles {with 2 coworkers} 9'34 pace

Wednesday, Sept 4: 2.34 miles

Thursday, Sept 5: 3.18 miles on treadmill, walk/run

Friday, Sept 6: 1 hour of spin class

Saturday, Sept 7: 1 hour of barre class

Monday, Sept 9, 1.05 miles on elliptical + abs

Tuesday, Sept 10, 3.38 miles outside and over the Beaufort bridge / 9'15 pace

Wednesday, Sept 11: 1 hour of weights + cardio class {I am h-u-r-t-i-n-g}

Thursday, Sept 12: 4.60 miles outside / 8'34 pace

Tonight I'm hoping to go to spin class again and get another run in tomorrow morning.

{via Tumbler}

Whew.

Total for September: 19.7 miles /  30.3 to go!

{two}

I've seen so many interesting articles floating around Facebook that I had to share!

 - Though I am married... I thought this article titled "26, unmarried, and childless" was super interesting. I think we can all relate to a lot of the points in the article.

- Another friend also passed on this article about marriage. It's called "15 ways to stay married for 15 years" and is definitely worth the read! There are some really good key points about marriage including  doing your own thing (hello Charlotte running and Tyler hunting) and going to bed mad and making up in the morning (I don't hate this one).

 - And I know we all LOVE Buzzfeed, so in honor of Halloween quickly approaching, I thought this one, "10 Questions Hocus Pocus Let Unanswered" was too funny not to share. 

{three}

You have all got to make this cookie dough dip. My friend tried it a few weeks ago and told me about it, but I was super skeptical until she made it again last night and I asked her to bring some to work.... Ladies and gentleman, I bring you "healthy cookie dough" and the main ingredient is chickpeas! I'm serious. It sounds so gross but it is delicious and I am making some tonight!

{four}

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BROTHER!

I don't know about you, but he's feeling 22. Cannot wait to embarrass his Facebook wall with some T.Swift.

{five}

No real update on my night sweats. Blood work came back "perfect" which is great butttttttttt we still aren't sure what is going on. I think I'll just wait it out and see. Thanks for those of you who have been concerned!!

Happy Weekend!

runner's knee

Do any of my followers know anything about runner's knee? I have pretty much self-diagnosed myself with this!

After the Cooper River Bridge Run I started feeling a weird pain in my knee. I had jumper's knee in high school, so I started wrapping my knees like I did for basketball for my next few runs. In my last 5k, I really noticed my knee hurt during and after my run.

After doing a little online research and asking a few running friends, I think it is runner's knee. I don't think there is a need to go to the doctor, but I have been taking Advil, icing, and heating.

I also bought some of this KT tape which was all the rage at the Olympics last summer. My cousin Adam told me about this stuff, but I haven't had the guts to go out for a run yet and use it. 

I mean the colors are pretty cool, right? 

I have a 12k which is my longest race yet a WEEK from this Saturday and I am absolutely freaking out because I haven't run in almost a week. I was hoping lots of rest would help. Ehh, not feeling too much relief quite yet.

Have you ever used KT tape? Did it work? 

Do you have runners knee?? What did you do to help!?!?

i need a weekend to recover from my weekend.

First off, I want to send my heart and prayers to Boston. I cannot imagine another community hurting and grieving. I pray for our nation and that we are able to find the one responsible for this tragedy.

On to happier news. We had the busiest weekend possible this weekend and I think after sleeping all day yesterday I have recovered!

Friday night I met my aunt to watch her daughter and my cousin play soccer. I can honestly say it was the first time I've pulled for my high school rival, Orangeburg Prep. Though I cheered for them, I couldn't bring myself to wear Indian red!

Saturday I woke up bright and early and drove to Bluffton for a 5k that I signed up for last minute. This runner's high is a serious thing! It was not quite a full 5k, so my time is a little deceiving. The profits from the race benefitted oral cancer awareness. Did you know April is Oral Cancer Awareness month? I love running small town 5k's, but I also love running them when they benefit a philanthropy! I won 1st place in my age group, 7th overall, and my "time" was 23:27. I'm going to pat myself on the back on that one!

After the race we finally got in some boat time! We packed our things and Sarge for four hours out in the sunshine! It was a beautiful day.

Saturday night we went to the Junior Service League BBQ here in Beaufort. I'm trying to get involved, so I wanted to go ahead and meet some of the girls. It was so much fun and they had a great band! Here's a picture with my sweet Beaufort friend Anna. She immediately took me under her wing and has helped me make friends and shown me the ropes here! Our husbands work together so that makes it even more fun!

hey don't we love these arrangements!?

Sunday morning we headed to Charleston bright and early to meet with Tyler's brother and his wife. So weird to say my brother and sister-in-law! Crazy! We had a great lunch at Poogan's Porch then walked down King Street for Second Sunday. Tyler and I were almost cross eyed from such a late night! 

On our way out of town, we met up with my blog BFF Shannon for a drink at Triangle in West Ashley. It was so fun to catch up with her and compare wedding stories! It is funny we both planned and planned and talked about weddings for the past few months together and now they are both over! I am so thankful for her and our friendship!

Whew, told y'all it was crazy! But so so fun! 

How was your weekend?

Cooper River Bridge Run

Oh my gosh what has happened to my blogging abilities? Sorry, guys. We are still getting settled to newlywed life and I haven't been at a computer in days!

This past Saturday I ran my second 10k ever. It was an absolute blast. I was a little nervous about it because I took 10 days off from running during the wedding and honeymoon. Last week I got a little bit of running in, but I was still nervous about running 6.2 miles OVER the Cooper River Bridge in Charleston. I'm not used to running on an incline which usually hurts my calves, but I think my adrenaline kicked in and I kicked booty!

I stayed with my sweet friend from Wofford, Elizabeth Friday night and ate lots of carbs before the race. I then got up at 5 am and got dressed and ready to hop on the bus to take us to the other side of the bridge at 6 am. I'm not one to run with others which is fine because I am very independent, so I just planned all of this alone and did it!

Pre-race selfie

We got to the starting area at about 6:15. It was freezing. So stinking cold. I stretched and just people watched and even ran into two friends from when we lived in Illinois! I met my cousin Adam (who has become a crazy good runner- props!) and we caught up while we waited until start time. He went up to his fast corral and I stayed back in corral F and was ready when the gun went off.

Except I didn't have any music..... Lately I've been running with Pandora and with 40,000 people running this race, any extra internet wasn't working. I also got a new phone and hadn't added itunes yet. I wanted to freak out but remembered there were bands at every 3/4 mile so I wasn't too nervous.

I just kept running and running, staying impressed with my Nike+ app telling me my time and pace.

It was really fun running over the bridge. By the time I got over it, the weather was perfect! There was a great breeze!

At this point (about 2 miles in) I was getting a little shaky so I grabbed some chocolate GU (never had this stuff before but it was legit) and just kept running!

We finished the race downtown and it was so weird finishing the last mile or so down King Street by the bars. I would have love to run into Midtown for a beer!

The finish was weird, though. There was no excitement at the end, they just kept yelling to keep walking up towards Marion Square where the festival was.

I was so pumped after the race! I read my time and went CRAZY. I finished at 54:49. This time last year I ran a 10k in 104 minutes. Link to that blog post HERE.

That is TEN entire minutes off of my time!! And Monday I ran 6.2 miles in 58. So can you see why I was so excited!?!

After the race, I met up with my cousins and Elizabeth and we walked around... Even checked out the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile.

Ahhhhh what an awesome day!

Now I'm running a 5k on Saturday and a 12k on May 4!

200 + Race for the Cure

Wow, I cannot believe this is my 200th post! I never really thought I would keep up with this little 'ol blog of mine!

What better way to celebrate than to tell you about my race yesterday (yeah, sorry no giveaway, I'm sure that was on your mind, haha. Still don't know how to do those).

Yesterday I ran the Bloomington/Normal Komen Race for the Cure with a bunch of other ZTA alumnae. ZTA's national philanthropy is Breast Cancer Education and Awareness.

Anyways, yesterday at 4:15 I got up to be in Champaign by 5:30 then Bloomington at 6:30 to volunteer for the race then run at 9.

It was AMAZING.

Breast cancer is such a terrible disease, but such a curable one if caught early. I worked in the Survivor Tent and it was incredible to see all of the women who had survived this nasty cancer. Everyone there was decked out in their pink!

"Traveling" ZTA table cloths- they go to all of the Illinois Race for the Cures

The survivor tent had a complimentary nail station where you could get pink sparkly polish, lots of food, and other goodies.

I got to lead the "processional" of all of the survivors in the ferocious wind, but it was so fun. Everyone was clapping and cheering for them.

Survivors in pink!

During the 5k, I teared up a lot. I kept running (past) other runners that had "I run in Celebration of my mom" or "for Grandma" or "Mary Lou." Every single person at the event had someone in their life who had been affected by breast cancer. I loved every minute of it. So many strong women (and men) have overcome this and was there to tell their story.

Those in my life who have survived breast cancer-- family friends, the organist for our wedding, my roommates' moms, friend's moms (and dads!)

His wife has been cancer free for a year. They were DECKED out!

1 in every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her life. That is terrifying. 

The race was So fun and I am waiting to get my final time back. My ipod said 27:56 but I am pretty sure it was shorter than that!

Do you run for a cause?

Ta ta,

Life Lately

Hi there! Just checking in on whats been going on in my life that past few days!

Saturday I ran another 5k, this one benefiting Cystic Fibrosis. One of my friends here in town lost her friend at age 22 from CF. My roommates and friends ran/walked and it was fun!

I really thought I was going to walk this one... but that's not how it happened!

The race was a little chillier than the last race I did.

 

I still managed to finish in 28:32 (pretty much). This is incredible because a) I had a sinus infection and b) I had not run in  2 weeks. My roommates said it looked like I was sprinting. I am super competitive so you better bet I was pumped that I had such a good time!

After the race, Tyler and I went into Champaign and I just HAD to have froyo. It was super delicious!

taken via instagram

Do you follow me on instagram??? @charlotteperrow!! please do!

Sunday was just spent by our friends pool. I desperately neeeeeed sun.

Last night when I got home from work, I had a package from my mom. A few weeks ago at work, I overcame a huge obstacle and accomplished a very big goal (I am thrilled!!) and my mom sent me these goodies and this card! If you have followed along my adventure, you know I don't love work 100% but this made it much better!! Thanks, Mom!

I adore Hand Picked and Just the Thing! They have stores in Columbia and a few other places around SC. They are my go-to stores for jewelry!

THEN, I got to Tyler's last night and he had brought home flowers.... just because.

Why is he so sweet? Definitely a keeper!

So, there you have the past few days. Nothing crazy, just normal life in Illinois.

How was your weekend?

Ta ta,