JORD wood watches are both watches and accessories. The handcrafted bands and intricate watch faces are unique and fashionable. It’s a statement piece you can actually use!
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#NOWGetFit: A NOW Foods Immersion and GIVEAWAY!
Have you guys been on Instagram lately?
That’s a rhetorical question.
Last week my feed was filled with peeks inside my trip to the NOW Foods headquarters in a Chicago suburb. I was one of 7 lucky FitFluential bloggers that spend 2 days immersed in NOW, getting an insider look at the company and their passion for providing high-quality, affordable products.
But first, schwag:
At the end of this post, there is an opportunity for YOU to win ALL of these goodies too. It’s filled with supplements, gluten free-pasta, sugar-free sweetener, and even an oil diffuser!…
Playing in the Softball World Series + Green Tea Energy Giveaway
Vegas and I are giant kids.
Giant wine-drinking kids.
We first met 7 years ago playing softball and reunited last year when I flew to Vegas to play ball in a tournament. This year we played in that same tournament again, this time on our old Atlanta team.
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Homemade Sugar-Free Lemonade Recipe + NuNaturals #Giveaway
Some things are embarrassingly easy.
And some are embarrassingly hard.
Today I have an easy recipe for you. Making lemonade in the blender.
Here’s the recipe: put a bunch of lemons in a high-speed blender (I’m biased towards my Vitamix) with some water and sweetener. Blend. Strain. Drink. Boom.
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A Morning Cocktail + Fitmark Giveaway
Atlantarctica.
No, that’s not a Ben & Jerry’s flavor.
My city is shut down over the winter weather. After the disaster 2 weeks ago, government leaders and business are taking no chances. We shut down yesterday… when nothing happened but rain.
Today promises to be more entertaining, but with nothing to report as of the time of this post… we’ll get right to the food and the giveaway.
This WIAW was unexpected work from home day. I love these days because it means I have time to put together meals and eat off of real plates! It’s the small things…
Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!…
Touring Atlanta + Sizzlefish Holiday Giveaway
Staying in town can feel like a vacation.
Not quiiiiite like going to Tahiti… but you know.
This weekend Sarah graced me with her presence. She drove in Monday night from Birmingham and we spent the next 2.5 days touring rainy Atlanta. It’s fun to entertain out-of-towners because you get to see your city in a whole new way!
Sarah arrived Friday afternoon with cookies in hand. She shared the Vegan Carob Peach Fudge Cookies from her #strangebutgood post Friday. They were the perfect appetizer before we headed to dinner. We did so much I have to break it up into 2 posts. Today is the “doing,” and the Atlanta food tour will happen Wednesday.
Saturday morning we hit my gym for a glute workout. Check out this IG video for a taste of what we did. Sarah hung like a champ! She’s a natural.
After a solid hour of hard work, I told Sarah she was ready to compete… so we practiced a pose (this is why I don’t do bikini):
Naturally this had to be followed with a trip to Buford Highway to shop the massive international farmer’s market, where we met up with Sarena. We were there for 2 hours… only a food-friend can understand how grocery shopping is an entertaining sightseeing activity.
I had told Sarah how cheap it is, but she was still shocked at how little her market finds were! The new-to-me treats this time were a Ponkan orange and some sort of Korean puffed rice crackers. I also found a giant bag of my favorite Chimes peanut butter ginger chews!
That market is massive – it’s like the size of Wal-Mart. You can browse an entire aisle of Mexican hot sauces, or sample baklava at the Easter European bakery or peruse greens you’ve never heard of before. Watching my friend wander around filled with wonder at all the international delights was the best part of my weekend.
Sarah left yesterday. After trying to convince her to stay, I sent her on her way in true blogger fashion – with a to-go container of protein oatmeal. More to come later in the week… I need to leave room to tell you about an amazing giveaway!
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I have been obsessed with Sizzlefish ever since I had the opportunity to try a box via Fitfluential. The fish is delicious – it surprised me how fresh it tastes despite being frozen.
Last week I pulled out a piece of the salmon to cook when I was short on groceries. It thawed while I was at work, so all I had to do when I got home was squeeze some lemon juice, dill, and pepper on top before broiling it for 7 mins. Easy dinner!
So what’s in it for you?
The awesome people at Sizzlefish agreed to do a special holiday giveaway! Not only will you win a box of this Holiday Sampler (worth $59!), but they will also send a box as a gift to a person of your choosing! Feel free to pick me. 😉
I’m a little sad it rained all weekend – I wanted to take Sarah on a walking tour! From the looks of it, everyone else had rain or snow too. Bring on the sunshine!
What is your favorite fish?
Do you consider grocery shopping a form of entertainment/tourism?
Junk-Free January + Polar FT4
This is not a resolution post.
Ok, maybe it sort of is…
Happy New Year’s Eve!!!
2013 is going to be the year of going BIG. To start it off, I’m implementing Junk-Free January. For me, this means being diligent about following my nutrition plan, eliminating the processed foods, and staying off the sauce. (I’ll miss you, red wine.)
I’ll also be placing more emphasis on being present during my workouts. I want to maximize my time in the gym by giving my all and making sure my form is on point.
My second figure competition will take place at the end of March, and I hope to do a few more throughout the year. Focus and discipline will be the name of the game.
As luck would have it, I received an opportunity through the FitFluential Ambassador program to review the FT4 Heart Rate Monitor by Polar USA.
I’ve never worn a heart monitor (HRM) before. All I really knew of them was my dad used to wear this plastic thing around his chest while on the treadmill. (He was drinking protein shakes and preaching about “bad” carbs before it was “cool”… in fact, we called him “weird.” LOL!)
Honestly, I didn’t think HRMs were relevant to me because I lift weights. HRMs are for runners… aren’t they? Wrong.
The FT4 consists of 2 pieces – the watch and a strap (a WearLink transmitter). I wondered if the strap would bother me while working out, but I honestly forgot the soft band was there. The five buttons on the wrist watch are easy to navigate.. Being the man stubborn person I am, I set the watch up without consulting the directions.
As someone who obsessively tracks what goes in my body in effort to gain muscle weight efficiently, the Smart Calorie feature is my favorite. It tells you how many calories you are burning in real-time throughout your workout. Seeing that against my heart rate “zone” was extremely helpful. I geeked out.
We all know that knowing your heart rate during exercise is the only truly accurate way of measuring effort exerted. Logically I know that weight training burns calories, but as a former runner I still have a problem getting out of the “cardio is the only way to burn a lot” mentality. I burned 369 calories during a back and tricep workout! I reset the watch to checked out the afterburn. Again, I was shocked. In the hour following my weight session, I burned another 150 calories.
My FT4 is going to be invaluable this competition season! The information I’ve gain has shown me I was not eating enough calories in my post-workout refuel. Now that I know how much I am burning of, I’ve added another 100 calories to my post-workout snack.
I made my traditional non-traditional smoothie, but amped up the toppings. This is a chocolate version (use chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla) of my zucchini bread smoothie. I added oats and edamame to the top to bulk it up. Strange… but good.
We all know life isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. There are a couple of things I don’t like about the FT4:
- If you want to record your data online, you have to buy the data transmitter separately
- The app only works with the iPhone 4S and 5 (I have the 4)
- Mine is pink… but there are other colors available… I’m not complaining or ungrateful. This tool rocks… I just don’t like pink. 😉
Want one of your own?
The Polar FT40 retails for $89.99., and h.h. gregg has given me a $100 gift card to pass along to one of you! you may use the $100 toward anything (though I do recommend the Polar FT4).
Receive up to 4 entries by:
- Follow h.h. gregg on Twitter
- Tweet: You could say something like: I entered to win a $100 @hhgregg gift certificate in the @sprint2thetable #giveaway http://wp.me/p16jDn-1T6
- Be Social: Facebook Follow Me, Pinterest Follow Me and/or Pin Something of Mine, Twitter Follow Me
- Comment: Have you ever used a HRM? What did you think?
Please leave a *separate comment* for each entry!
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, January 3rd. The winner will be announced on Friday, January 4th.
Another way to win…
Check out h.h. gregg’s Facebook page or click here for their website get more info on their “Get Healthy and Win Big” promotion. It runs from 12/31 until 1/7. Every day there are giveaways for items such as Polar HRMs, ellipticals, and treadmills!
They also made a cute little turkey on a treadmill promo video. It’s actually pretty cute! #BeTheTurkey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
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I was provided with the Polar FT40 through my FitFluential Ambassadorship. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are honest and my own; I’m happy to answer any specific questions about my experience!
What are your resolutions/goals this year?
Does anyone want to join me in a Junk-Free January? I need all the support I can get!
Nuttzo Over Nut Butter + Giveaway
Lame jokes are my favorite.
Q: What did the fish say when he hit a wall?
A: Damn.
I’ll spare you more jokes and get right to the point. Remember my post competition treat of choice?
NuttZo was a big treat for me because I hadn’t been “allowed” nut butter on my training plan for a while, and because at ~$15 it’s a pricey jar of creamy, nutty deliciousness (worth every penny, btw).
That’s not a problem for one of you… The lovely people at Nuttzo have offered to give away a jar of the good stuff! this is a jar of the Original flavor (my favorite). It contains peanuts, cashews, almonds, Brazilian nuts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, hazelnuts, sea salt. All organic. No added sugar or oil.
Other reason NuttZo rocks:
- Legumes + nuts and seeds = a complete protein (all your amino acids)
- Provides 50% of your DV of ALA Omega 3 per serving (650 mg)
- A 16-ounce jar of NuttZo Original provides 14 servings – less than $1 per serving of organic nut-nutrition
Receive up to 4 entries by:
- Follow me on Twitter or Subscribe to the Sprint 2 the Table RSS feed or email
- Tweet: You could say something like: I’ve entered to win a jar of nut butter in the @NuttZoCEO giveaway at @sprint2thetable http://wp.me/p16jDn-1hN #giveaway
- Be Social: Facebook Like NuttZo, Pinterest Follow Me and/or Pin Something of Mine, Instagram Follow Me
- Comment: What is your favorite way to eat nut butter?
Please leave a *separate comment* for each entry!
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Tuesday, November 13th. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, November 14th.
Just in case you need some ideas for using nut butter, here are my top 5:
(Note: many of these call for peanut butter or peanut flour, but you can sub in NuttZ or your favorite nut butter.)
1. Nut Butter & Aggs
All-time favorite breakfast invention.
2. Nut Butter-Baked Oatmeal
Perfect on a cold morning. Like now.
3. Chili Nutty Tofu
Lauren can vouch for me – baked tofu is fantastic fluffy goodness.
4. Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
These are only 100 cals and have just 2g of sugar. And you’d never know it.
5. Sweet Potato Nut Butter Ice Cream
To my fellow addicts: this is also amazing with pumpkin.
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I get my new nutrition plan today… I’m at once relieved (this has been a junk food bender) and sad.
What’s the most #strangebutgood way you eat nut butter?
What is your favorite lame joke?
