This is not a sponsored post, I sourced and paid for all items out of pocket - but if you like what you see and use one of my links, I may receive some financial compensation.
I'd like to take a moment for a shameless plug to try to increase my Amazon Affiliate sales.
When I decided we would start doing our morning walks, I made a few purchases. Mostly workout gear for me because I knew I wouldn't walk very far if I had to do it in my jorts that ride up every three steps.
So my first purchase was exercise shorts. I got super lucky on my first try too! I found this affordable four pack of bike/yoga shorts. They come in a variety of colors but I've started with just black. They are comfortable and do not ride up at all (nor do they fall down) - and no camel toe either. I'm not sure about the "tummy control" claim but that wasn't really a concern I had (not that I don't need it, I just didn't put it on my top ten list of things I needed in my exercise clothes.). They have two pockets - one for my phone in case I need to take a picture or call 911 because I've fallen and can't get up. The other is perfect for carrying a couple of poop bags for the inevitable (for Mister Manfred of course). I think they fit pretty true to size - I'm a XXL (generally I wear an 18 right now for perspective).
For what it's worth, I went back later and bought a second set of four because I like them so much and I hated needing to do laundry every four days.
Next up was sports bras. The first ones I ordered were an immediate no. There was no support - at all. I'm glad Amazon returns are so easy - took me less than 5 minutes to walk in and return at Kohl's.
In this case, second time was the charm with these. They are reasonably easy on and off (I've only gotten stuck putting it on once - IYKYK), come in a three pack, and do what they are supposed to do. Little to no movement once everything is in place. I did remove the pads as I find them unnecessary. I ordered XXL and they are a great fit (for what it's worth, I'm a 36DDD). Available in an assortment of colors. And yes, I went back and bought a second set of these too because doing laundry still sucks.
And because I wanted to feel extra sporty, I bought some tank tops specifically for exercising (because walking is exercising!). I found this three pack and ordered them. They are lightweight and flowy (but not overly so). Perfect for early morning summertime walks. Great variety of colors and fit is true to size. I bought these in XXL as well.
And yes, I went back and bought a second set. Because I still hate doing laundry.
I am currently wearing New Balance walking shoes. Pretty sure I bought them at DSW, but it's been awhile. They are still practically new as I hardly wore them until now.
If you are interested in men's workout gear, I can vouch for these shorts and these moisture wicking shirts. Rob loves them and they both fit true to size.
You may also remember we've had some challenges with walking Mister Manfred. Through no fault of his own, he's never been properly leash trained.
We started these walks using his harness but he would still pull too much. Rob always had to be the one to walk him because Mister Manfred is just too strong for me - especially if one of our neighborhood bunnies catches his eye.
We even tried bribing him with his favorite treats - celery! Praising him for doing a good job or responding appropriately to our commands though it isn't really working because he's just excited to get celery - he has no clue as to why he gets it. He just knows we say Good Boy and celery appears.
For the record, that usually works pretty quickly on him. He is highly treat motivated (me too Manfred, me too). In fact, if you take too long trying to decide which of his tricks you want him to perform, he will do all of them.
But celery just wasn't cutting it. I feared our walks would soon come to an end if I didn't think of something. Because even though Manfred gets to come and go as he pleases in the backyard, and he runs around a lot, I know the walks are good for him too. And I can't bring myself to go for a walk without him - that just feels wrong.
So I finally bought him a prong collar. I really like this one because of the rubber tips but even without them I don't think it would bother me. Manfred doesn't seem to mind it too much but he definitely isn't pulling anymore.
Seriously, this has been a game changer.
I was able to hold his leash on our walk yesterday morning and I just held it loosely around my wrist. It's still a little like walking a drunk toddler because he appears to be incapable of walking a straight line, but he isn't pulling anymore. Even when he runs into new doggie friends - we now know two different Daisys and a Chase. We also clocked in our best pace to date and I'm sure that's at least a little to do with not having to fight him the entire time.
Oh! One more quick plug.
You know I am also working on a healthier diet, right? Mere introduced me to Kodiak Protein Cups and I love them! I'm all about convenience foods especially since any kind of motivation is hard to find for me right now. These have 12 grams of protein (plus 2 more if you add milk) and cook in 60 seconds. It's a bit pricey if you get them at Kroger - $2.99 each. Or you can buy them in bulk on Amazon and save a little which is what I'm about to do. I like the chocolate chip and the blueberry ones but Mere is a fan of the elusive s'mores (elusive because I haven’t found it yet).
That's the end of today's commercial post. Remember you don't have to buy the items in the post but if you are making any purchase on Amazon and you start from one of my links, I still get some sort of credit. And it would really help me out.
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