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Welcome to the Run Like A Mother 12K's of the Holidays, where, in addition to sitting through bad poetry recited under low lighting, you can win 78 products that will improve, compliment or otherwise enhance your running. Emphasis on your: We're hoping that if you win something, you go against the December grain and keep it for yourself. (We know you definitely deserve it.)
Here's how the 12K's works:
1. Each day from today until December 19, we are giving away some running-related items. Today is 12 of the same thing; tomorrow is 11 of something else (oooh, the suspense!); Friday is 10 similar goodies (can you even contain the excitement?). Until we hit the 19th, when we give away one whopper of a prize. (Not even kidding: It's a doozy.)
2. The winners for each day will be announced the following day. So tomorrow, I'll post the names and comments of today's 12 winners. If you win, you need to e-mail us at runmother at gmail dot com with your address and other pertinent info with 48 hours. (I'll remind you of this with every list of winners.) If we don't hear from you within two days, we'll pick somebody else for the slot.
3. I'll pick the winners using random.org. And you can only win once.
4. As always, you'll have to answer a running-ish question to enter.
So to kick it off, we're giving away Flex-Power Active Woman, a pain relief cream both SBS and I slather on our muscles regularly; we love the warming sensation and the fact it's made with arnica, green tea, aloe, MSM, & glucosamine--all good stuff that can only benefit overtired, tight muscles. I usually treat my hamstrings and lower back to it after a run before I park myself at my desk for too long.
Twelve winners will pop open a four-ounce tube of Flex-Power Active Woman, a $22 value, plus a handful of travel-sized packets, which are a godsend on long plane flights, I can easily testify. (And the light smell, decidedly not Ben Gay, doesn't overwhelm your seatmates.)
In order to win, we want to know this: what's your preferred way to relax? A run, a bath, a date with "What Not To Wear"?
p.s. One more winner for today: Lois, who takes home the sweet and coveted Sierra Designs Gnar jacket. We received a record 442 entries: woo for motivated women! Lois' December goal is this: I’m just coming off a hip and foot injury, so I’m using the new month to ease back into things. My goal is to walk or run twice a week for the month and to do exercises/stretches for my injuries every day.
I relax by catching up on my favorite blogs. Some running, some professional, some foodie… Melts all my stress away
A very tall vodka grapefruit or 2 and either brain dead tv such as sit-coms or a good book.
when i saw this post, i have to admit i had a good chuckle. i got a free sample at the Aflac 10 K in seattle this september. my feet really hurt after that run so when i went to the gym for a cycle class the very next tuesday, i rubbed some on both my feet. they felt fine during cycle but once i was done and went to the weightlifting class…MY FEET WERE ON FIRE! of course i COULD NOT for the life of me figure out what was going on with my feet. until, of course, i remembered i had put that cream on in the morning. apparently, all the sweat activated the cream into overdrive. moral of the story, i don’t recommend using it on your feet right before a work out! classic.
I can’t seem to relax if I haven’t gotten a work out in, so that’s first on the list–but after that my favorite thing to do is go sit in the coffe shop and chat it up with friends. If I’m running solo, I come home, take a hot shower and snuggle up with my hubs on the couch.
A run in the rain followed by a hot tub in the rain then a cozy evening by the fire. Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!
A glass of buttery chardonnay!
Walking my dogs in the park for “energetic” relaxing and reading in the tub for mellow relaxing!
A vinyasa yoga class first thing in the morning and then a hot soy latte with my mom right after!
A hot, hot shower!
Relax? What’s that?:) watch a favorite t.v. Show such as Dexter. It keeps me interested enough that I don’t fall asleep while watching it!
After a Sunday long run I love to come home and relax with a cup of coffee and the Sunday paper – even if I have to put the kids in front of the TV to get through the whole thing!
I am a little late for the prize, but thought it would be fun to post. If I had an hour during the day to have time for myself it would definitely would include a good cup of coffee, motivational reading, and running…or any type of exercise! If I had an hour in the evening I would love to enjoy a glass of red wine & cooking in the kitchen while the kids are outside playing with their daddy. : )
To relax, after a morning run with my “girls”, sitting and drinking some coffee and knitting helps me relax…My body is at ease and I feel like I am still doing something productive.
A long run on the trail with my dog, and then a long shower and snuggling in my bed with a magazine! (usually Runner’s World) 🙂
Running a LONG, SLOW run is my favorite way to relax with my best running buddy, Alissa! Then, a nice LONG, HOT shower afterwards and a cup of coffee (depending on the weather)…smoothie when it’s hot!
Sitting on the couch watching a favorite movie with a hot cup of coffee and a good/new running book/magazine.
A nice trail run, or Glee – I know – cheesy, totally unbelievable, but FUN 🙂 Also love a family movie day, everyone piled in one bed, staying in jammies all day!
My FAVORITE way? Lying on a white sand beach, feeling the sun’s rays, and enjoying an adult beverage–just me and my hubby! 🙂 (not that I get to enjoy that very often, however- ha!)
Definitely a run. Without it there is no relaxation.
Amen sista!!
depends on the run, sometimes a bath is the prefect thing. other times it’s an ice bath….guess it depends on the run!
sitting down to delightful drivel on hulu…at least in the Winter. Come summertime, sitting outside with a great beer and conversation.
a bath! and an optional glass of wine and a magazine. 😉
Depends on the day, but my top choices are going to a movie with my hubby, watching a chick flick at home with a big ole bowl of popcorn, or getting in any kind of exercise without rushing to get back for anything at any time. So many ways to relax, so little time!
With book on couch under blanket. This sounds most like I should be reading… but most likely it means I’m sleeping… I can’t seem to stay awake for anything lately!
A glass of wine and one of my favorite tv shows!
i love to relax with a big glass of wine & a good book…under the covers!
By drinking at least 3 coronas!
Curl up on the couch in my sweats and watch a trashy tv show.
I can’t believe I am saying this…BUT shopping for outdoor/running/athletic clothes ON-LINE…top picks…Athleta, Title Nine, Lucy….I am so not a shopper…but an Athleta coupon gets me every time and makes me feel at ease and at one with the world 🙂
Favorite ways to relax:
A run
A good book on the couch
A trail ride on horseback
A massage
At dinner we go often go around the family and each say the “high point” of our day. Although I usually don’t say it, I often think to myself that the real high point of my day is the time after the kids are in bed when I really get a chance to “get something done”, and especially the moment when I settle into bed to read (the NYTimes usually, but I love the health & movie sections etc) before lights out.
Kids in bed, nibbling a bar of dark chocolate, in my jammies watching Oprah on the couch.
Tuesday nights…one hour of Glee. Ahhh. Sweet relaxation.
Relaxing at the end of the day after the kids are in bed definitely means a magazine or Words With Friends on my iPhone and a little television watching!!
I like a good run with friends to relax or shopping with my mom.
A nice long run, a hot shower and then quality coach potato time under a warm blanket with a nice glass of red wine and bad sitcoms or high end kitchen re designs on HGTV….. Any 1 of the above will do but relaxing just to write it out!!
My answer is the obvious, oft cited and, oh yeah, duh! I relax with a good run, preferably in low humidity and very cool temps where I can still sweat like a bear (a girl bear, of course), and leave my stress behind me. P.S. Could really use one now. My Mum passed away today and I am really sad.
Well, actually the run does not relax me exactly, but after I am done I am so relaxed and no longer stressed at all because I feel great and my exercise block is checked for the day!
a glass of good wine, whatever music i’m in the mood for on the stereo, a fresh book, a cozy blanket, and a foot rub from the (usually, mostly) willing husband. with a sleeping toddler safely tucked away upstairs in his bedroom.
ahhhhhh.
Curled up in bed in a quiet house with a good book.
I like to relax with a marathon of cheesy reality television…bring on ANTP, Amazing Race, Survivor, Big Brother…and many, many others! 🙂
the house all to myself for the whole day…quiet! There is nothing more relaxing to me than silence.
bubble bath and wine
Cozied up under the afghan my grandma made me, and sipping a glass of wine.
A non-fat vanilla latte, silence, and a good book!!
Reading or watching tv.
A glass of wine, fire in the fireplace, and a non-kid movie on the tv (preferably an old black and white movie or a foreign film)!!
Silence. Whether on a long solo run, a nice massage, or just an empty house–not having to use or listen to words is my favorite way to relax.
I either cosy up next to hubs or roam around on the internet with a Diet Coke!
My current preferred way to relax is to do the People magazine crossword puzzler books. I’m totally addicted to them!! 🙂
Om…sweat it all out at yoga class then follow it up with an antioxidant packed fruit smoothie…ahhhh!
Love to run for r&r but if that doesn’t work, reality TV (especially shows on Bravo) are a guilty pleasure!
Ooh, definitely a long, uninterrupted bath! Doesn’t happen very often around here, though. 🙂
A chick flick and a glass of red wine. Preferably with my 3 sisters.
If I just want to take a little time to myself to just relax, I like to read or take a hot bath. If I need to work out a problem, I run.
an awesome run followed by sauna and hot tub. and ideally a nap! but that is my favorite ultimate combination!
Hot Tea, a good book, a mindless romantic movie.
It depends on what I want to relax from. If it’s work and being stressed then a run always makes me feel better. If it’s just a lazy day then a bath is what I crave!
I like to relax with a warm beverage (coffee, chai, etc.), my laptop, and a good book all in my bed. 🙂
My favorite way to relax is either a class at my gym or a trail run with my running buddy. Exercise might not sound relaxing, but it is one of the only times of the day that I am kid-free, not working, not at my house reminded of the million + things I have to get done (especially during the holidays). It is totally me time, with people I truly enjoy. It clears my mind and I return home refereshed and ready to dive back into being a mom. P.S. Baths with a great book are always nice too, but only if I am home alone.
Since I run 1st thing in the am, it’s not really a relaxer for me, more of a wake up and get going activity! And I feel so great the rest of the day, knowing I’ve gotten my run in. My relaxation comes at the end of the day after all 3 kids are in bed and I’m sacked out on the couch watching tv (my current guilty favorite is the Biggest Loser).
oooh- that stuff sounds awesome! my favorite way to relax would be a fire and a good book, but a bath comes close second.
My current way to relax would be tuning out the world with Pandora on my iPhone, while reading inspiring weight loss/running blogs.
A hot bath with lavender epsom salt, a glass of wine and a book (Run Like a Mother, of course!).
Wow, what a great contest! My preferred method of relaxing is curling up on the couch with some knitting, but if I’m really going crazy, only a run will calm me down.
My favorite way to relax is going to a vineyard with my husband (and sometimes kids). I have some of the best memories from visiting the vineyards with my friends and family. When I can’t get to a winery- i recreate with a bottle of wine at home! 🙂 will run for wine!!!! :_)
I love a warm soak in my jacuzzi tub. I plug into my i pod playing the music from “Moulin Rouge”, pour myself a glass of white wine, & light a couple candles. Heaven!
Take a long, hot shower, get in pajamas, fix a cup of tea, get some chocolate and read a good book.
Reading Runner’s World in the bathtub, followed by hot cocoa and painting toenails.
This site is the best….. I choose running!
I just like to relax with a glass of red wine and a good book- preferably sitting on the couch next to my husband, with my 5 year old son tucked in bed asleep for the night.
I can’t sit still. I would have to get a run in. I could be a multi-tasker and run on the treadmill while watching tv.
A good quiet run, hot shower, then a good glass of wine while browsing the internet.
Quiet house,pjs,roaring fire,and a good book!
to de-stress during the day exercise (preferably a run) but for really relaxing at night after the kids are in bed. Long hot shower, pj pants, watch tv and browse for crazy, yummy, fattening desserts( that I’ll probably never make) on my favorite cooking websites.
a massage. please. now.
A week ago, I might have answered running or playing with my kids, but yesterday, I escaped work and family for an hour of holiday browsing. Not shopping. No agenda. I was just browsing – looking at items that I would never buy and enjoying some holiday musak. Followed by lunch reading the newspaper. I need to do that more often!
Running is my Mommy Therapy for sure! But, I have the say hubby and I’s last date was hilarious! We went bowling…very bad bowling and I managed to get my thumb stuck in a ball AND hit myself in the back of the knee with a bowling ball. But, it was the most fun we’ve had in a looooong time and we soooo needed to get away. 🙂
Easy peasy….BATH!!
I love to read magazines when I go to bed. It instantly relaxes me.
A long soak in our hot tub w/ a glass of wine (after the toddler is in bed)…ahhh.
My favorite way to relax is not real original, but calming music after a long shower always makes me feel better, and bonus points if my 2 year old is already asleep for the night 🙂
My favorite relaxation is to snuggle on the couch with my honey and watch Modern family with a glass of wine and laugh hysterically!!!
A book and a bubble bath are totally relaxing to me!
Peppermint tea, a square of dark chocolate and a good book…..
My favorite way to relax is on the beach, but a close second would be in front of the TV with a bowl of ice cream.
My favorite way to relax is curling up on the couch with my dog by my side and my husband rubbing my feet!
wine, couch, blankie, and a non brainy TV show…don’t want to have to think too much!
My favorite way to relax is to lay on the couch with a good book.
I love to snuggle up with a good book and when that isn’t available, my laptop and Netflix!
Relax? Oh, umm….blankets on the couch and the guilty pleasure of Glee or Modern Family.
Reading a good book, or if I am really feeling lazy, watching questionable reality tv!
Either a good book or a yoga class are my favorite ways to relax.
i am a person that has a hard time relaxing (….I am thinking this is probably true for a lot of us!) but…my favorite way is a long run with my two best running buddies followed by making dinner with my kids!
Without a good run to start the day I rank much higher on the stressed out scale but to really relax there is nothing better than a great book (and some peace and quiet)!
I love to read a good book in a room away from my husband and kids.
My favorite way to relax has always been a hot bath and a good book, usually accompanied by a glass of wine. Lately though, running is squeezing itself into my number one way to relax!
I’m embarrassed to admit that, often, my way to relax is being on FB! Yikes! But, when the kiddos are sleeping and I’ve already run for the day FB lets me veg completely!!
Curling up on the sofa w/ a glass of wine, a dog as a blanket, and either a book, or DVR’d Jon Stewart or Steven Colbert.
I <3 WNTW! Can I choose go for a run and then watch WNTW after my bath?
Most favored way – bedroom door shut, ice cream in a bowl, a GOOD adult beverage in a frothy Guinness mug at my side, snuggled against my husband as we delve into a shoot em, kill em, race em, high octane action flick. While he rubs my feet, calves, hams helping me recover from the crazy thing I do to myself. Heaven!
A nice long run, preferably with other RLAM’ers, followed by a long shower, then dinner with family, friends and red wine.
I like to paint to relax! Reading in the bathtub with a glass of champagne is also at the top of my list.
Mentally relax: a run. Physically relax: a movie at home with my hubby.
I enjoy sitting by a window of a coffee shop or restaurant and people-watching. It doesn’t sound like much but it’s a lot of fun for me and it does relax me because I’m not doing anything strenuous and I’m not thinking of anything at the time…
My favorite thing to relax me after running is to stretch for an extra long period of time, then drink my chocolate milk, then take a HOT shower until there is no more hot water left! My favorite relaxing thing that’s not running related is to scrapbook. I love it and could spend all day treating myself to a day of nothing else. If only someone were here to do the laundry I wouldn’t be able to get done!
A massage is my ideal way to relax, but a nice long shower after a good run takes a close second!
Once my exercise bucket is filled and I feel like I can relax, it is definitely on the couch with husband rubbing my feet while I enjoy my dessert or a cup of tea or my knitting… Sadly husband travels for work then the word relax isn’t part of my vocab.. I have been working hard to bring it back by picking up my knitting (at least when I get a project that just needs to be knit in the round, NO THINKING) or getting my tush in the tub with a good book and some bubbles… 🙂
Relax….my favorite way to relax is under a cozy quilt, on the couch, in front of a nice fire, in the middle of a good book, and the key ingredient is quiet.
couch, wine and a good movie (with the kids healthy and peacefully sleeping in bed)
A glass of red and anything from my “to be read” pile. With absolutely no interruptions from the children who are snuggled in bed with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads.
Definitely reading/unwinding while enjoying a cup of hot tea (candy cane lately)!
I go to BodyFlow every Tuesday at my local YMCA. Nothing gets in the way of that “ME” time! I especially love the relaxation time at the end.
Relaxing, what’s that? Hmm… I watch those crazy housewives and any crime drama I can set the DVR for. I also like to color with the kiddo and play Bejeweled.
I love my Saturday morning run, long by myself then I pick up a friend for 3 extra miles. I get in a relaxing run, get some facetime with my favorite friend and then come home to stretch, or as my kids see it, become the jungle gym they climb on!
Currently my favorite relaxation is sitting in a comfy chair, knitting project in my lap with some old Christmas movie on the T.V…….
My favorite way to relax is a Sunday morning run w/ my friend followed by a hearty breakfast with the family and then watching football…we put a small tv in the garage so we could do yard work and peak in on a game or too! The run allows me to relax for the day!!!
On the couch watching a mindless comedy.
My favorite way to relax is to send the hubby to the movies with the kids, while I get left at home to do as I wish, which may include a walk and/or run.
Gonna have to vote wine on this one! Long run, comfy clothes, kids in bed, all wonderful things… add wine and you’ve got one happy momma!!!
My #1 favorite way to relax is running. I’m crabby until it happens. #2? a nap.
a hard trail run in a rugged area, in the crisp winter air, followed by a fancy coffee, always relaxes me.
My favorite way to relax is a good book and a cup of tea! Can’t beat it 🙂
A long run is my way of relaxing and getting rid of all of the tension I’ve been carrying around with me. If I snuggled on the couch with a book or to watch tv I would just get more tense thinking of everything I have to get done (laundry, dishes, sweeping the floors, etc). Running allows me to not think of those.
if I had an hour to relax– a nice 60 minute run! me time! 😉
video games and pez or some time with the Roku – I am a simple, if weird, creature
I relax with a hot, hot bath, a glass of beer, and a good book. But with two little ones, it rarely happens!
Feet up on the couch, watching a favorite show!
A catnap…even if it’s only 10 minutes!
my preferred way to relax… to take a long (preferably guilt free) “easy” swim, followed by a “so hot your skin turns pink for hours” shower. Of course, we’re mothers, so the guilt free swim is a little harder to find during the holiday season.
My preferred way to relax is with a cup of coffee (with hazelnut soy creamer, please!) my knitting and a good book and my iPod.
Disclaimer: I (usually) don’t knit and read at the same time, so I alternate.
My favorite way to relax is a nice long run, followed by a cool shower and then soak in the hot tub. The cherry on top…..a nap!
Best relaxation – a glass of red wine, small square of chocolate and a good book! All are even better after having had a great run earlier that day!
I LOVE to run….it helps me relax when I have a lot on my mind. But at the end of the day, when I’m worn out from my 4 kids and their activities, a BATH is the only way to relax.
My best relaxation is in my bed, on clean sheet night, reading a good book!
My favorite way to relax is a hot bath and an audiobook through my iPhone!
Mental relaxation- a run on my tried and true neighborhood route. I’m able to shut my brain off and just go.
Physical relaxation- a date with my bed, my wine, my knitting and some mindless TV.
My favorite way to relax is with some good (ie, guilt inducing) food while watching HGTV. As a bonus, it also gives me more incentive to run so that I can enjoy that relaxation with less guilt!
Curling up on the couch with a good book or girly movie.
I like to relax by laying in bed with covers on reading a book.
Last night I went to a “yoga fusion” class (sculpting with weights using yoga moves). It was the best possible way to unwind.
A glass of red wine with a 100 calorie dark chocolate bar from trader joes!
preferred way to relax? pj’s on, calm lighting, quiet and a book. Sign me up!
Quality reading in the bathtub: People, US Weekly, Life & Style,etc. (occasionally the New Yorker if I’m feeling like my brain needs some stimulation)…with a glass of wine of course.
I like to relax at home watching a movie with the husband and kids. Throw in a dog or two and I am the happiest woman around.
If it’s not an early morning run with a good audiobook on my IPod, definitely an issue of “US Weekly” magazine and a bag on peanut M & M’s! Yes it’s a tabloid magazine, but you can finish it in about an hour. Can’t say the same for the M&M’s, they’re usually gone before the table of contents 🙂
I wish I had something funny & original to add- but I am definitely in the glass of wine, hot bath, &a good book club.
Alternate reading a book or playing scrabble on my cell phone – relax the body, keep the mind engaged.
Long hot shower, sans children of course…then curled up in bed with my heated mattress pad watching tv or reading….alone!
you girls are better than santa, we actually get something good we can use!
i love to relax with a hot bath, glass of wine and book. or camped in front of the tv with a cat on my lap and a cheesy chick flick.
ps, my christmas gift to my self this year were the RLAM recomended yurbuds and I LOVE THEM!!!
If it is daytime..exercise
If it is nighttime…. glass of wine and a good book
Sandi D
A glass of wine!!
My preferred way to relax? If I’m feeling particularly restless and need to mentally unwind, then a run. But if I want to be a lazy bum, then its definitely an evening on the couch with the hubs, pizza/mexican/chinese and a movie, and preferably something that is sweet and/or chocolatey. 🙂
With the colder weather here it’s sitting by the fire with my book The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo after putting the little one down for the night!
Sleepytime tea in front of TV watching some mindless show.
When the weather is nice out nothing beats a run around the lake.
Now that is is cold, would have to be doing some sort of craft and watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
I still run on the treadmill at the gym, but just not the same as outside.
My new favorite: Taking a quick, hot shower to get clean and then filling the tub and soaking in it. Ahhhh….
My favorite way to relax is to sit in the hot tub and look at the stars! We just got the heater replaced, so after a year and a half of no hot tub, I’m back in the relaxation business!!!
Fav way to relax is reality tv! Housewives of beverly hills and celebrity rehab
I relax with a glass of wine
GLEE! Or any other mindless TV for the hour between the kids’ bedtime and my bedtime. Dinners out with my husband (alone) are also great….and doesn’t running go without saying???
My favorite way to relax is with a great glass of wine, my pj’s and facebook! However, Starbucks happy hour with the girls, after our weekend long runs, in downtown Fort Worth is a pretty close second!
Grey’s Anatomy. No, it’s not productive, or particularly good for me, but it works every time!
My favorite way to relax is having the house to myself, sitting in front of the TV watching mindless shows … or maybe even a good chick-flick.
I relax after running with a big glass of water, and my knitting. Usually socks to keep my battered feet (black toenails and all) cosy when I’m not running!
To relax? It’s not running. Running destresses me. But to relax is to curl up with a good book in a warm, cozy blanket sipping hot cocoa (with or without Bailey’s depending on the day).
I love to sit down with a good book (or my kindle) to relax. Preferably my dogeared copy of RLAM of course!
I love taking baths to relax. And when I’m all dry and in pjs, watching Friends and laughing.
Most favorite-red wine, outside, chilly weather, and a fire pit with my husband. Watching a movie in my oversized chair with my feet propped up. Reading a good book in bed in silence. And of coarse, running … especially on vacation when you have no schedule to adhere to.
My ME time is about QUIET! I have 4 kids so that is hard to come by. A glass of wine and a good book are my go to’s.
Curling up with a good book, taking a screaming hot epsom salt bath, or — even better — reading while in the tub.
bath. wine. bad television. in that order.
A lazy night at home…catching up on Netflix or reading a book with a glass of wine!
For perfect relaxation, the day would have had to started with a run. My favorite evening wind down after that would have to be a long phone call with my son (lives in NYC) followed by shared gin & tonics and a sudoku with hubby. I am smiling just thinking of it all! 😀
These days its cuddling up on the couch sitting by the Christmas tree! Usually a massage will do the trick though! 🙂
Yoga, a warm bath, and a good chick movie, right after completing a project that has taken me years to get done. Nothing quite as relaxing as the feeling of accomplishment.
Upon waking-coffee and the paper. After getting daughter to school-a run (outdoors if Montana weather is cooperating). Before bed-with a book and absolute silence.
After the dreaded ice bath and my hot shower, I wrap up in my bathrobe and snuggle up to my sleeping hubby. That is the best nap ever and something I look forward to while I’m running!
PJs + couch & blanket + hubbie/movie OR alone/book. Especially this time of year with the X-mas tree lights on and candles lit.
A warm bath, then my jammies and trashy tv.
Hot shower and a good book following a really tough workout. Ahhhhh!
Great Run, Dishes/Laundry Done, Kids in Bed – Hot Shower, Comfy Clothes, Catching Up on Latest Book/Magazine Feet Up, Relaxing on the Couch – Ahh…Relax/Release!
Relax…relax from life’s busyness is a run.
Relaxing for me typically consists of laying in bed w/my heated mattress pad on, pillows stacked up high, cup of decaf and a magazine and/or crossword puzzle.
While I do love a good massage or spa treatment, relaxing at the end of a long day ideally involves the couch, a blanket and mindless TV (often, reality TV!)
While I wish running was my activity of choice when I want to relax, it is not. The answer is quite easy, knitting while watching something cheesy on television. Kids must be asleep!
For me, it’s a glass of wine, preferably while making dinner with my husband while the kids are occupied elsewhere (even if it’s in front of the tv–I admit it!).
I think there is a theme here – my favorite way to relax is also a glass of red wine, a comfy blanket, on the couch in front of the fireplace with my sweet husband. (And of course for true relaxation, the kids are already asleep!!) Ahhhhhh!!!!
My favorite relaxation time is on my couch with a glass of wine, blanket, and watching a great tv show like Madmen, Dexter, or Boardwalk Empire.
I love to relax with a glass of wine or a candlelight yoga class at a local yoga studio. It really does a body good after a long run!
I like to watch a good old movie, John Wayne and Maureen O’hara are my favorites.
Wine, sweats, TV and if I’m lucky….really good chocolate!
It used to be curling up with a good book but since having kids trying to do that has become more stressful than relaxing. Now, I lock myself in my room for 2 hours to watch a movie by myself. That’s all it takes. 2 hours with a good movie and I’m supermom again 🙂
My PREFERRED way to relax is sharing wine with my sisters and laughing my head off…. But since I am so very far away from all 3 of them my more common way to relax is a slow, thoughtful, long run followed by a leisurely shower and a delicious cup of chai.
My guilty pleasure is reading mindless magazines in bed. If I’m agitated or under a lot of stress, a good run takes the edge off though.
Here lately, I’ve found that adding a little Starbucks liqueur to a cup of hot chocolate does the trick 🙂
I love to put on some music, pour a big glass of wine and throw myself into non-required cooking. It is especially relaxing to experiment with new recipes. On my time, solely for my enjoyment.
Comfy clothes, hot tea or coffee, a good book or movie. Perfect!
My favorite way to relax is a hot bath and a glass of wine. Once I am all warmed up and about to fall asleep in the bath I put on cozy pajamas and go veg out watching some movie I have seem 500 times like when Harry met Sally.
Fleece socks, hot chocolate and some sort of mindless tv (really, anything desides DORA and I am happy).
My preferred way to relax would be a movie and a glass of wine with my husband, although I only find this relaxing if I’ve already got my run in that day!
Every day during nap time, I try to watch something that no one else in my family would watch with me (i.e. chick flicks or Buffy the Vampire Slayer). That way, I get my tv time and my boys don’t have to suffer watching it with me. 😀
My favorite way to relax is to snuggle up in bed and read a book while my 4-yr old naps beside me 🙂
I like to drink beer to relax. Blue moon, fat tire, SHINER!, yuengling, or Miller if I’m on a budget.
Lately, a hot shower after a run becuase it is so darn cold! That, a good book, a cup of coffee and a fire. Of I wish I was there right now!!!
At this time of year, wearing old school sweat pants is relaxing!
A Bikram Hot Yoga Class after a long run, or Zumba Class which is fun and I laugh all the time while workout melts the stress away!
A book, a blanket, and the couch.
I run in the evening after the kids go to bed, so my favorite way to relax is to get in a good hard run, shower, put on my pjs and cuddle up under a big blanket on the couch with my husband to watch TV. If I have a glass of wine [after I’ve chugged a bottle of water] it’s even better!
I’m a tv-aholic, so any chance I get to sit and watch senseless comedies (especially those with singing-hello Glee) than I jump on it. In fact, I do it a little too much.
However, if I’m so lucky to get a few hours to myself to relax, I take selfish pleasure in hitting a large bookstore and taking the time to flip through books and magazines without the pressure of having to make a stop at the kids section. Aaahhhh.
My favorite way to unwind is to sew! I don’t get much time for it, running is always my first choice whenever I get a few seconds to myslef, but when I do get a little time, I love to sit at my machines or cut fabric or even just clean up and organize whatever got left out from the last time I had 15min to myself!
My favorite way to relax is a bath with a glass of wine, followed by cuddling up in my bed with a good book. I WISH a run was the perfect way to relax for me!
A nice candle lit HOT bath, wine, soft music then curl into bed to watch Real Housewives that has been sitting on my DVR. My guilty pleasure 🙂
A long hot bubble bath with a good (e)book!
Lately, my favorite way to relax is knitting while watching TV. I’ve been knitting up a storm what with the holidays coming up, plus there are about to be some new babies in my family/circle of friends!
A nice glass of wine, a pair of comfy p.j’s, a warm blankie and “What not to Wear” (i heart clinton). Whatever happened to “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”….loved that show too!
I’m right there with ya. Loved Queer eye!!
bath for sure!
I love date night with my husband (which includes ANYTHING with no kids – sometimes it’s Home Depot, but it still counts), a run, or that blissful hour of peace right after the kids are in bed and I can curl up on the couch under a blanket…
My form of relaxing is cross stitching. Maybe a little grandmother-like, but I love to it and it takes my mind off everything else. Of course going for a run or doing yoga relax me too, but I never seem to remember that when I ‘m in need of some decompression. 😉
When I finally decide to “chill” and be still for a while — I love to take a warm shower, put on some snuggly sweats, and then cuddle up on the couch with a fleece blanket and a good book! I am a huge reader in my “spare” time (aka when I’m not running or on kid patrol). I could spend an entire afternoon this way!
Books! I have to read, even for 5 minutes, to really relax.
One of my favorite ways to relax is to get into my sweatpants on my big, comfy couch and watch a movie. It doesn’t relly matter which one because I’ll most likely fall asleep before it is 1/2 hour into it.
Relaxing for me means a total body massage – there is nothing else like it!
I love to sit and watch all my shows I record on my dvr all week and never usually have time to watch.
I relax with a good book
After a run, I relax either at home with my husband or grabbing a meal with my running group buddies!
It kind of depends on the situation. If I am given a day or even a couple of hours to relax – I always choose a run over a mani/pedi or massage. But if you whisk me away for a little getaway (let’s just dream a little here), I love a good massage or facial. But if we’re talking about relaxing at the end of a long day with work and the kids and dog…I love slipping into bed with a good read. That bed is my little oasis and whatever I am reading carries me off to some other world where bickering kids, runny noses, dogs that chew up everything in sight, and awful work colleagues do not exist.
My preferred way to relax is to curl up in my recliner in sweatpants with an afghan and watch tv (possibly What not to wear)!
A good run is so energizing for me! I have to admit though that lately relaxing to me is curled up in my stretchy pants feeding my guilty pleasure…Real Housewives of Beverly Hills or something equally mindless!
One of my favorite ways to relax is to put on a comfy sweat shirt and watch a girly movie. Drinking hot chocolate with mini marshmallows just makes it even better.
The way to relax for me is a hot shower after a long run and settle in comfy clothes under a blanket and just do nothing!
My favorite ways to relax are:
a massage
a yoga class
a glass of really good wine!
walking my dogs
reading a book
This is a time of the year when I try really hard to slow down, control my breathing (and lower my shoulders!), and focus on the good things in my life, instead of working on fixing everything.
A nice easy run on a trail with my dog is my favorite way to relax. I also enjoy an episode of “What Not to Wear” and “Project Runway”! 🙂
My favorite way to relax is to curl up with a good book late at night, once the kids are all tucked into bed. Some night, I don’t move for a few hours until it is my bed time!
Definitely getting kids settled and curling up in bed with a good book or my laptop to catch on all my favorite blogs (like RLAM)!
Getting the kids to bed, getting snuggled up under a blanket and watching a movie.
I like to lie in bed and read the paper….at the end of the day! Great way to unwind!
Light a fire, cuddle up on the couch with a great movie and a foot rub by my hubby!
A run with my bf Jen is my favorite way to relax. I’d rather spend a free hour running than in a bathtub.