My tips for training on the treadmill during the winter and our Saturday!

My day started nice and early with 12 miles on the good old treadmill.  The temperature was in the single digits this morning and it was about 67 degrees in the treadmill room so I bet you can guess which I chose.  Plus the treadmill had This Is Us to offer so that really pulled me in for the 1 hour and 32 minute run.  After about an hour of running, I added 100 seconds at 5k pace (6:15 for me right now) and then back to my normal pace for 4 minutes and repeated that interval 5 times total.  Twelve miles total at a 7:45 average.  In about a month I’m really hoping for 13.1 miles at 55 seconds faster per mile.

After my run, Brooke and I went over to my parent’s house to hang out with my dad.  My mom was going to be gone and we aren’t leaving him alone so Brooke and I joined him for a bit.

He gets REALLY bored not being able to work or go anywhere (and the treadmill makes him feel unsteady) so he does laps around the house each morning.  He usually goes walking each morning with his friend but he is still getting in a ton of steps at home too.  He amazes me.

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Zoodles for the win.  We topped the spiralized zucchini noodles that we cooked in a bit of olive oil with ground turkey, marinera and parmesan.

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Still jumping over every crack we ever see (and Andrew is still wearing shorts in this crazy weather).

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And still using him as a jungle gym every opportunity that she has… even if it is when he is stretching after his 7 mile run.

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We are saying goodbye to our beautiful pink walls…

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And now it is looking a whole lot better for us.  New mirror, paint and light… someday we will do the counter tops and floor but for now we are happy.

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I’m going to bet money that we are going crazy again on home renovations and then will get burned out again and take a break for another half of a year.   It sure is fun having projects to do together (***until it’s not, and then we take a break from the projects***)

Brooke and I were out doing errands most of the day while Andrew painted the bathroom.

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Important… I just noticed that Target carries this chocolate bar.  Please try as soon as possible and report back to me.

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Andrew asked us to pick up some Jamba Juice for him while we were out because it turns out it is never too cold for a smoothie (or maybe we are trying to pretend we are in Hawaii again eating acai bowls).

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Bath time snuggles (or an attempt for some snuggles).

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My brother called me yesterday while I was in Target to show me his HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT!! His longest run EVER!  13.1 miles.  I’m so happy about this and I am taking this as a sign that he will want to run a marathon with me someday.

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For dinner I made a Blue Apron meal.  Then we finally hung out and watched Lost.

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As you know, I am a HUGE fan of using the treadmill during the winter months.  While I love a beautiful outdoor run during the winter too, when it is just too cold, too slippery or too dark for me—>  I am all about using the treadmill to help me to continue to train all year round!  I get questions often about my tips for the treadmill (especially for those ten milers etc) so I thought I would share a few of my favorite tips for running on the treadmill!

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**ALL OF THE DISTRACTIONS.  For my 12 miles yesterday I started off by reading for a little while and then I watched This Is Us (I’m still a little bit behind. I watched the episode about the pregnancy and when they had the babies and I cried my eyes out while running but hopefully it just looked like sweat)!  I love the treadmill for many reasons but one of them is the fact that I get the chance to just zone out.  I’m not worried about cars or where the nearest drinking fountain is or if I am slowing down.  I get the chance to watch my favorite shows and catch up on some reading.

I have the NordicTrack X11i Incline Trainer and using iFit helps to keep me motivated and distracted from feeling tired:)  iFit makes it possible to use a new workout every day if you want. I especially love that it can replicate real-life runs with GoogleMaps!  You can run anywhere from New Zealand to Norway (what I was doing below) and the incline adjusts to match the terrain on your run.  During these cold winter months it is perfect to use iFit to take your run to a new place and maybe run along the beach or something ha! PS I love the tablet holder because it puts my iPad at the perfect angle for me!

I was provided product and compensation in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion for NordicTrack!

**Intervals.  Switch things up.  Play around with different speeds and inclines.  The other day when Andrew did his first ever interval treadmill workout, he told me that the time flew by compared to his normal runs on a treadmill when he runs a consistent pace the entire time.  My runs on the treadmill cruise by when I am doing speed or intervals.  I am too busy thinking about what next or changing speeds etc to get too bored.  Now the tempo runs are a little bit harder because I am going at a fast pace for a long period of time but as soon as I start feeling like quitting, I repeat ‘I am comfortable’ or ‘I can’ over and over again until I get in the groove of things again.  You can find a bunch of awesome workouts to try HERE!

 

**Don’t get down on yourself if it takes you time to get used to the treadmill.  Just like different weather, altitudes etc, it takes time and consistency to build up your treadmill endurance.

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What are YOUR tips for treadmill running?

Who else is watching This Is Us?  What are your thoughts (ps I didn’t watch last week’s episode so don’t give away anything for me)??!

Out of all of the TV show series there have ever been… what show have you been the most addicted to?

-Final answer—> Parenthood.

What was your dinner last night?

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55 comments

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Those are great treadmill tips……….I am working on liking it more ;)
My shows that I am addicted to are NCIS, Psych, Friends, The Following, and Full House. Can’t choose just one!
Last night we had tacos with ground turkey…………..so good!

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Love NCIS! It’s my favorite show!

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Sooooooo good!

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The Following was such a good show!

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Okay, I have heard The Following is great, now I need to watch it!

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Season 1=AMAZING.
Season 2= Different, but stick with it.
Season 3=AMAZING.

Love me some Kevin Bacon!! ;)

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It is sort of intense, just a heads up.

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Ahh! How do you read while running? I wish I could do that without falling on my butt. I do a lot of treadmill running (in winter because of cold and summer because of heat = I am a wimp). I cover up the stats so that I can’t see them, because watching them makes time go so sloooowly. Instead I count songs. I consider 10 songs = 3 miles. But it’s always more than that, so I’m also tricking myself to run farther. (Of course, since I keep falling for the same trick every time, I might not be that smart.)

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Dexter was my all time favorite addicted show, I’d probably watch it again. SO GOOD. I didn’t watch last weeks This Is Us but I can’t wait to get caught up :) obsessedddd.

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At my old gym I would get one of the treadmills right in front of the mirror. If I wanted to quit early I had to look myself square in the eyes and acknowledge why I was stopping. Tough love from the chick in the mirror.

So many shows I’ve been hooked on over the years! I think Lost was a biggie. We watched it on Netflix and that was back when I started work at 5:30am. I remember regularly agreeing to “one more episode” that would keep me up later than my bedtime. I am VERY protective of my sleep.

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It’s pouring rain outside and according to the weather forecast, it won’t stop for today. So I guess I’ll have to run in the treadmill.

My number one tip is to make a playlist or select a podcast that will keep you entertained. Sometimes I count songs. Three songs are one mile for me, so I try to completely forget about looking at the watch within those three songs.

My number two tip is to play around with speed. That will make it more interesting/challenging.

I had pizza from my favorite Italian place for dinner last night:)

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I work full time so my weekday runs are 100% done on the treadmill right now since it is dark any chance I would have to run outside. I’ve tried to get in some long runs outside on the weekends but it has been frigid, windy, raining, etc. lately so I’ve done a lot of those inside too. My pace has improved a lot since I started working on the treadmill! Do you think I’ll be underprepared for other aspects of my race in April though?

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love the color you picked for the bathroom! I do pretty well on the treadmill because I know if it’s my only running option, I must make the best of it. switching things up on there with speed and incline works wonders! I’m really into the tv land show, younger. I can’t wait for the new season!

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Currid pork and sweet potatoes for the win last night. It was a new crock pot recipe and a keeper. Treadmill Is a must for speed work in the winter around here. Gilmore girls and parenthood for me!

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Great treadmill tips. I actually enjoy running on the mill — esp for intervals!

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Right… intervals make the treadmill fun for me. The time goes by so fast and it is such a great tool to increase our speed! I hope you are having an amazing day Dynise!

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For me treadmill running is all about good, fast music, usually rap. I can watch a show/TV on the treadmill, but only when walking.

I’ve never watched This Is Us, but it’s on my list! I’ve never watched Parenthood either. Can we still be friends? ;-)

Most addicted to? Probably Friends. Had to watch is every single week!

Dinner last night was a boring cheese pizza. Nothing sounded good and I kept putting dinner off. I was the only one home. Finally when I went to pick up my youngest from work, we picked up pizza on the way home. And it was the most unevenly cut pizza ever! One piece was 1/4 of the pizza with several other very tiny pieces.

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I don’t hate the treadmill. I think it’s important to just relax and focus on the mile you’re in. I always ask myself…what would I be doing anyways…the answer is usually not much. I like Americas Next Top Model…that’s my current TV show…but then again it has been every season.

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We just got a treadmill it’s been about 3 weeks now and I’m still trying to decide. I know I’ve gotten in many more runs than I would have otherwise but it’s so hard. I like the reader who posted about covering up the stats I’m going to try that. I feel like I just stare at it and it never moves. But I did 6 miles (my long run for this week) outside on Friday and it felt great. So it must be translating ok.

I was faithful to Lost when it was on. Watched parenthood on Netflix, and now This is Us has my ?

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I’ve been addicted to How To Get Away with Murder. I’m done 2 seasons and I’m waiting for the 3rd to go on Netflix! This is terrible–I dont have time to invest in a TV SHOW BUT IT’S TOO LATE AHHHH I’VE CAUGHT THE VIRUS!

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I definitely have to mix things up on the treadmill! Sometimes I’ll add .1mph at each minute and then work back down. Or just through in some crazy intervals like 9mph @ a 9 incline for 30 sec and then a 30 sec break.

I LOVE This is Us! My kiddos have church Wed night so the hubs and I usually make it a date night and watch Tuesday’s episode.

All time favorite TV show is Gilmore Girls followed by Don’t Lie to Me and Alias.

Dinner last night was smoked chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli, and asparagus.

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That treadmill sounds so amazing!

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I could not do that many miles on the treadmill! Of course, that many miles takes a lot longer for me than for you. When I do run on the treadmill, I always make up some kind of interval workout. If I keep changing the speed, it distracts me and doesn’t drag on forever like treadmill runs usually do.
TV show addictions (Netflix is such an enabler): Pretty Little Liars, How I Met Your Mother, Parks and Rec, Charmed, and One Tree Hill

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I ready need to catch up on This is Us. maybe I’ll do that now! I also love the treadmill so I can zone out and not worry about traffic. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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My mom got me so hooked on Lost a couple summers ago. I would spend every Friday night with her during marathon training season because she was closer to where our training runs started AND she’d walk my dog for me in the morning so I wouldn’t have to. We’d have a nice dinner and then watch Lost for an hour or so and I got so into it. This past year was all about Hawaii 5-0!

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I actually don’t mind treadmill running most of the time. I like doing interval runs because it goes by very quickly, and if I can watch a tv show or movie during easy runs, it takes my mind off the monotony. I really want to watch This is Us, but I want to start at the beginning, and I can’t figure out where I can watch it to catch up! Dinner last night was homemade pasta and a slow bake (~6 hours) sauce–pretty good! :)

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I just blogged about the oreo bar! THEY ARE SO DELICIOUS!!!! Please try them, you won’t regret it! ;D

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Seriously, they are too good:)

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My tip for treadmill running = live in California/Hawaii and you never have to! Although Mother Nature is having major mood swings here – 36 degrees and calm on Wednesday, 60 degrees with 20 mph winds today!

Happy Sunday! Off to teach our Youth Class.

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I like the treadmill most of the time. I’m jonesin for an outdoor run, though. My week day runs are on the treadmill because they are at 5 a.m. we have no sidewalks, shoulders, or street lights so outdoor runs in the dark aren’t safe. I watch movies that I’ve always wanted to see while running. Lately, I’ve been watching amazon’s original shows. I watched Sneaky Pete, which I loved, and am watching The Man in High Castle. It’s good, too. I think I’ll try Goliath next.
Dinner last night was grilled steak, egg plant, and grilled peppers and mushrooms. My husband is a master griller!

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Shows I’ve been addicted to: Lost, Parenthood, Gilmore Girls, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead

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I watched the whole series of The Crown, and David Attenborough’s Planet Earth. Also love NCIS.

The oreo milka is as good as it sounds (or better) especially after a day out in the snow!!

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I love your treadmill tips. Sometimes that’s the only option for me when it’s cold and snowy/icy outside.

My most favorite show is definitely ER. So many great storylines, characters, etc. It’s the one show I watched through junior high, high school, and university.

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The Oreo Milka bar is delicious. Highly recommend!! :)

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I try to mix things up on my treadmill runs, I jam on my fav songs and my mind goes into memory lane.

Tv Shows: I have enjoyed This is Us a lot think we all can relate at some point. Recently my all time fav tv show is Chicago Fire, I’ve benched watched season 1-2 like crazy! (Anyone watched it?)
I’m at the tail end of my maternity leave and I need entertainment other than my 2 month daughter.

We had Panda Express for dinner!

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Well now I need to watch Chicago Fire…thanks Rosie! Oh and Panda Orange Chicken is the best!

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Definitely agree with the best playlist thing! I also have found audio books work great for longer treadmill runs!

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Good call April on the audio books.. I want to do that. Thanks for the tip!

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The only way I can run on the treadmill is doing run-walk workouts. I aim to be at the gym longer than I would go for a run to account for this, and do maybe 2-3 minutes running (at random paces) followed by 1-2 minutes walking with incline. I just can’t keep myself going without having a change or something to look forward to every 2 minutes.. haha!

Haven’t seen any of This is Us but it is officially on my list! I can’t download netflix where I live, but maybe next week when I’m traveling

I was suuper into Scandal for a while. Like watch four episodes in a row and be pacing back and forth in front of the TV and screaming/talking to it .. lol what an absolutely insane show

We had a special thai friends dinner last night! two of my friends prepped a bunch of their thai specialities for us and it was the best thing i’ve eaten in a while!

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That sounds DELICIOUS!! I bet your dinner last night was so fun. I love your tip on doing run-walk workouts and including inclines with the walking too… such a great tip! I hope your day is beautiful and good luck with the traveling next week!

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I need all the help I can get on the treadmill. Running is 10x harder for me on the ‘mill. Running 2 miles outside feels easy, but on the treadmill it’s a major feat of mental stamina. Thank you for these tips! I’m definitely going to try them out. I’m hoping to increase my treadmill endurance. Your treadmill sounds AWESOME!

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Oh thank you Amanda! Keep me updated with how you are doing and let me know if you need any help with your treadmill game:) Thanks!

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I really have always loved the treadmill for speed work and hill repeats. It’s so much easier for me – for a looooong time I never had a Garmin so I never really knew how fast I was going outside other than general mile splits/estimates. This winter I’ve been super consistent on pushing it on the treadmill and lifting weights. Just yesterday I went for my first run outside in a few months (!!) and shaved :30/mile off of my average without even thinking about. Granted I’m not a speedster but to go from 9:00/min miles to 8:30/min miles for 6 miles blew me away!

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Kristin, that is a HUGE accomplishment… way to go on improving your average mile by so much. You are doing something right with all of your treadmill running and lifting!

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During the school year most of my runs are done on the treadmill (I’m a teacher!) My school starts early, and I live an hour away, so it’s dark when I leave and usually dark when I come home. Love my early morning runs :)

This Is Us is one of my favorite shows! I got everyone at school hooked, and even my husband will watch it with me! We also enjoyed watching The Crown on Netflix. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!!!

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Thank you for the tips, Janae!
I’m still getting used to treadmilling. We bought a Nordictrack model for Christmas, and I an super out of shape at this point, so I’m pretty much doing my own couch to 5k on it, mixing walking/jogging. I do need to experiment with the programs, but I love the Hawaii videos for a workout and beautiful scenery. I do feel it getting easier, and I enjoy being able to workout in the comfort of home so much.

I LOVE This is Us SOOOO much! I haven’t been this into a drama in a long time, and I’m excited I got my mom to start watching (she’s still catching up on-demand), so we can discuss the stories. I’ve watched a few on the treadmill and noticed the belt started to have some sprinkles, for some reason. That show definitely turns on the waterworks!

My past favs were Gilmore Girls- always watched with my college roommates and now I also love the sitcom the Middle!

Last night I ate a chef salad at a restaurant with my parents and husband.

I’m glad you guys are back to Depot for home projects. Your bathroom looks great! We finished ours (for now), but we gave my parents a painting certificate for Christmas, valid to paint some of their rooms, so hopefully they’ll let us paint for them soon!

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Hey Janae!!! I am a full fledge treadmill runner!! I have done all my race training on that thing! Its hard because my runs either have to be early in the morning or after work at night and my hubby does not want me to run alone. So I now have recently gotten into podcast and my oh my I can run miles without being bored!!
I love that you can go and just hang with your dad while your mom runs out. These are the moments I miss. I live 12 hours from my family and my dad underwent a hip replacement about 8 weeks ago. He can’t sit still so as soon as he got the clearance to go back to work he went!! And my mom rushed him to the ER yesterday with a large blood clot in his leg. Within 24 hours he went in for surgery to break the clot up. I am here 12 hours away thinking all I wanted to do is hug his neck! Thank God they caught it when they did! Those are extremely life threatening. God is good!

Oh my husband and I were obsessed with Lost. Now we are on to Black List!!!!!! And yes I watch This is Us. Its such a wholesome and clean show!!! I think we need to have a weekly discussion about the episode from that week!!!! HAHA!!!

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Oh Jarrelle, I am SO SO SORRY about what your dad has been going through. The large blood clot sounds so so so scary! How is he doing after his surgery? Please keep me updated with how he is doing and how you are doing!

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Thank you so much for your tips – I always watch a TV programme to! I haven’t watched this is us but I’ve heard good things about it so I might have to put that on the list! I’m really into The Big Bang Theory at the moment – I love that Netflix have added all the episodes, I’m slowly working through all the series again!

After seeing your post, I really want to get on the treadmill now and watch some TV – I also love that you don’t have to plan your route to find a toilet! That is the worst and I haven’t quite found a solution to this yet – any tips would be amazing please :)

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You might just have to come to New Zealand and run with me in person!!
I have been most addicted to Gilmore Girls, Parenthood, Greys Anatomg, Gossip Girl.

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I am with you on the house renovations! I get so excited to do back to back projects and then I get overwhelmed. Your new bathroom color and light fixture looks great. So much lighter, brighter and fresh looking!!

Parenthood is my favorite as well and I recommend it to anyone currently loving This Is Us.

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I love how you wove the advertisement in this post. I literally did not know this was a sponsored post until I went back and saw your disclaimer. Also, I really needed this bc I have the hardest time staying on the treadmill. I’ll definitely start switching in between my Netflix and book reading!

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That oreo bar looks pretty amazing…. I need to find it asap!!! I’m watching This Is Us but I’m a few weeks behind, all I know is there are a lot of tears happening!

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Milka has the BEST chocolate I’ve ever tasted in my life. My husband and I lived in Germany for about a year in total. When we came back this last time I packed an entire suitcase full of it.

My favorite is a toss up between the triple caramel and the toffee hazelnut and his is the peanut caramel. I just wish it was all available in the US!

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