Double Portion Inspiration

~ Guest post by Hope Reid, D.C. ~ Hope Reid, D.C. This morning, in an effort to run faster and longer, my running buddy Janille and I decided to do interval training. The plan was to sprint as fast as we can for a quarter mile, then cool down for a quarter mile, then sprint again and so on. Janille happens to be a more seasoned runner than I am. For the first interval, my goal was to try to keep up with her. I started out as fast as I could. Halfway into the sprint, I became extremely exhausted and had to slow down in order to finish. It was difficult trying to catch my breath and recover. During the second interval, I was even more determined to keep up with her. To my dismay, I burned out faster than the previous interval. After another quarter mile recovery, I said to Janille, "How to you manage to run so fast and look so calm?" She said that she increase her speed gradually and basically do what she feels. Then she said something that totally put things into p...

Double Portion Inspiration is excited about the opening of the Summer 2012 Olympics in London.   Our entire family will be gathered around the television watching the historic event.  Opening ceremonies are so thrilling as teams parade around representing  their home countries from all over the globe.  You come into the stadium as an Olympian.  The best in your sport. Olympic Park Opening ceremony-Friday, July 27th at 7:30pm on NBC Go USA! For this Fun Friday, leave us a comment and let us know about your favorite event.  (Posted by Roslyn)

As many of you know, I spend many hot days and nights on baseball fields.  My son plays travel baseball and it is a year round sport.  The absolute worst time to play outside is in the middle of July.  The weather is hot, stale and humid.  But as a parent, you sacrifice your comfort to cheer them on and be their biggest fan. This week we played a tournament in West Palm Beach.  I went to this park many times before but this time held a special memory.  When I decided to run my half marathon last November, the first placed I started to train was at Okeeheelee Park. I hadn't been back to the park since last year.   It is a beautiful park that has hiking trails, hills, boat dock, tennis, baseball and soccer fields.  This free park is wonderful entertainment for the whole family, including your pets (they also have a dog park). Walking through the trails again this past week helped me remember the exhilarating  feeling of training ...

Having a young child is fun and challenging.  I'm the mother of a 3 year old and it doesn't take long to find out that they have an innate ability to make their desires known and won't stop until they get their way.  My son has shown us his determination to get his way numerous times especially when it comes to his sippy cup.  Even though my son is almost 4, he continued to find comfort in his sippy cup when drinking milk.  Each time we tried to convince him to consider another way to take down his milk, he wasn't having it.  I could have forced the issue but the need for peace overruled the moment.  It somewhat boggled my mind why there was such a connection to his cup.  Especially since he transitioned from the bottle to a sippy cup and from the sippy cup to a regular one with very little opposition.  Diapers to pull ups. Pull ups to underwear. Pacifier to none at all. Every other transition in his life was quick and...

 Steak 954-W Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale  Renee and I share a passion for food.  Most nights you will find the both us at home cooking dinner or on the phone talking about the most recent yummy recipe we prepared.  She often shares her cooking recipes with our readers. For a fun Friday twist I decided to review a restaurant.  A surprise trip from my husband to the W Hotel in Fort Lauderdale landed us at Steak 954.  We had previously dined at the restaurant before for lunch.  The dinner was a completely different experience. You walk in Steak 954 and you are instantly mesmerized by the 2000 gallon jellyfish tank.  It is the centerpiece of the restaurant.  The atmosphere was lively and surprisingly full of customers, for what is normally called the "off season".  Nakisha, our waitress, was knowledgeable and helped guide every decision of our 4 course meal.  From the selection of our wine to the dessert at the end of the meal, her e...

My nephews are staying with us for the week and we are having a blast!  Last night they talked me into letting them have the kitchen along with my daughter to prepare dinner.  They gave me a list of ingredients to purchase and told me they would take care of the rest.  For about an hour, they were busy cutting, stirring, and setting the table.  I normally eat dinner around 8:00 but last night, I didn't care that we didn't eat until 10:45 (that's how long it took them to pull everything together).  It was awesome to see them so excited to serve us dinner!  They even used the formal dining room table instead of our normal four seater breakfast table.  I wanted to share the recipe because it was easy, flavorful, and kid-friendly.  Here are the ingredients: 8 ounces cream cheese 1/2 cup finely chopped celery 1/2 cup hot sauce (recommended: Frank's) 1 rotisserie chicken , shredded 1 cup crumbled blue cheese Crackers, bread,...

African Elephant A recent trip to Zoo Miami with my boys left me hot and curious.  The 3.5 mile trek through the zoo really leaves you believing you have escaped to another country.  My oldest rode a camel and my youngest son attempted to feed a rhino.  These beautiful and massive animals are nature at it's finest.  It  appeared like it was "mating" day at the zoo.  I had to explain certain poses formed between two animals that just kept me laughing on the inside. What keeps these animals "held" in their surroundings? The great feature of Zoo Miami is that you get up close and personal with the animals.  It almost feels that you can reach in and become a part of their habitat.  The bears, lion, tigers, and elephants are huge.   I wonder why they never try to live free .  The snakes are caged and have to deal with constant visitors banging and clinking on their glass homes.  The monkeys swing from tree to tree but never swin...