Mamavation Monday

It's been a pretty great week. I started off the week running 2.1 miles for the Special Olympics Torch Run, and finished up the week with a date weekend with hubby (dinner on Friday, and full day on the motorcycle on Saturday) and I got some sort of exercise in almost everyday :) Here's the wrap up:

Monday - 2.1 mile Torch Run, Hip Hop Abs Ab sculpt
Tuesday - 30 min walk, bootcamp, bowling
Wednesday - 30 min walk, Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio, bowling
Thursday - 30 min walk, boot camp
Friday - 30 min walk, Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio
Saturday - 2 hr walk
Sunday - 2 mile run, bowling

Last week was the end of my 4 week Hip Hop Abs Challenge, and I don't start my Turbo Fire challenge doesn't start until next Monday.... so I'm kind of up in the air with what I want to do. I do know that I will be doing boot camp on Tuesday and Thursday. Maybe I'll throw some runs in this week on Mon, Wed and Friday.... we'll see :)

How about you? What are your exercise plans this week?

Inspiration Wednesday

Hawaiian Gold Kona Coffee Review

For all my coffee drinkers out there, if you have never tried this coffee, you NEED to!! This was one of the best coffees I have ever had the pleasure of drinking. While the flavor was robust, it wasn't overbearing, more of what I would consider a medium roast. And talk about a smooth cup of coffee.... normally, I have maybe a cup and 1/2 at the most, I drank over 2 cups that morning. Definitely delicious. 

I was also impressed with the company's values and commitment to ensuring the safety and longevity of environment. Check out what they say about their heritage and commitment, and if you want to learn more about them, check our their website. 

OUR LAND, OUR HERITAGE, OUR COMMITMENT

Centuries ago on sun drenched volcanic mountain slopes King Kamehameha constructed his personal royal fields on land that is today Kona Gold Coffee Plantation. Company archaeologists are carefully protecting the great king's legacy on historical sites throughout our property. Exotic wildlife and lush rain forest vegetation flourish in our carefully planned natural habitats. We have set aside hundreds of acres to conserve the ecological and historical heritage of this extraordinary paradise. Be assured that everyone involved in the plantation is passionately committed to the principles of preserving the fertile soils and crystalline waters for future generations through sustainable agriculture practices.

Kona Gold Coffee Plantation has a mission to grow quality coffee under an agro-forestry system, with a high level of biodiversity while ensuring the conservation of natural resources through good agricultural practices. We are dedicated to providing a professional and safe working environment that is focused on the welfare of all our employees.

We believe sustainable coffee can help create a more sustainable world. That’s why we have teamed up with the Rainforest Alliance, the most comprehensive certification program. Not only, do we want to ensure our planet is well cared for, but we make sure our farm workers, their families, and our communities are well cared for too.

Want even better news.... the price is extremely reasonable. Vitacost sells this awesome coffee for only $16.99 for 2 bags. Hawaiian Gold and Vitacost get an A+++++ from me!!!!

This review was made possible by Vitacost. The thoughts expressed are my own. I received a bag of Hawaiian Gold Kona Blend for my time investment and work on this campaign. 

Mamavation Monday

Well last week was a bit rough for me after the tragedy at the Boston Marathon. I was very saddened by the events and really didn't feel like doing much of anything but I forced myself to and I'm glad I did. We also started our city employee boot camp, and I'm very impressed at how well the first week went. I did much better on water intake, and a little better on portion control.  Here's my wrap up.

Monday - Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio
Tuesday - 2.54 mile run (4.09km), 30 min walk, boot camp fit test, bowling
Wednesday - Hip Hop Abs Hips, Buns, Thighs, 30 min walk, bowling
Thursday - 30 min walk, 1 hr boot camp
Friday - Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio, 30 min walk
Saturday - bowling
Sunday - 4.09 mile run, bowling

My plan for this week -

Monday - 2.1 mile run - Torch Run for Special Olympics
Tuesday -  run, possibly, 30 min walk, 1 hr boot camp, bowling
Wednesday - Hip Hop Abs Total Body Burn, 30 min walk, bowling
Thursday - run possibly, 30 min walk, 1 hr boot camp
Friday - Hip Hop Abs Hips Buns Thighs, 30 min walk
Sat/Sun - 4 -5 mile run/rest

What's on your training plan for the week?

This post is sponsored by Doctor G and hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway

Gaiam TV Review

When I was asked to review Gaiam TV, I was thinking, awesome, a month to review yoga videos. I've been wanting to be more consistent anyways. Well, then I actually looked at the website and was amazed to see how much more it actually offers. Not only does it have different fitness videos, it offers health & wellness, personal development, spirituality and a multitude of other videos. Even in the month that I had access, I couldn't even make a dent in watching all of them.

My initial goal was achieved, I did do some of the yoga videos. They have different levels from beginner, all the way up through advanced, and ones for different purposes. Of course, with my limited knowledge and flexibility I stuck with the beginner videos and was able to complete the exercises. Being a runner, I knew I had to check out the yoga for runners and loved it. I have to say, I didn't really check out the fitness videos too much, as I was already following a different workout program, but they do have quite a variety of very popular videos and trainers.

I do have to say my favorite portion of the website was the personal development videos. I strive to read or listen to at least 10 minutes a day of personal development, so this gave me much more to choose from. I really enjoyed Passion for the Possible by Jean Houston.

There is just so much good videos and information on this website, that I couldn't even begin to scratch the surface in this review. I highly recommend you go check it out yourself. You can watch the trailers and clips for free, but it's such a reasonable monthly fee of only $9.95/mth, to gain access to their entire library of videos.




This review was made possible by Gaiam TV. The thoughts expressed are my own. I received a month's subscription for my time investment and work on this campaign. 

Fabulous Friday

As we all grieve for the victims of the bombings at the Boston Marathon, I still wanted to post a fabulous Friday. I've watched the running community come together, and it never ceases to amaze me the closeness of the running community. I've seen many start running events in remembrance and to raise money, while others have posted motivational pictures. I am so proud to consider myself a member of this great community.

Today, we wait in anticipation, hoping that the second suspect will be caught and that no other innocent people will suffer in the wake of this tragedy. Once that occurs, it truly will be a fabulous Friday!!!!

Inspiration Wednesday

Runners are strong people!!!

Mamavation Monday

Today is an exciting day in the Mamavation community. We are going to pick the next Mamavation moms that will be participating in Campaign 16. How exciting for them!!! I would love for all of them to be picked, because they all deserve it, but alas only a few can be. That said, the ones that don't get picked should not get discouraged, and should apply for the next one!!!! The winners will be announce tonight at a twitter party.... please sign up and join us here.

Ok, now for my wrap up of last week -

Monday - Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio, 30 min walk
Tuesday - Hip Hop Abs Ab Sculpt, 30 min walk, 3 mile run
Wednesday - Hip Hop Abs Hips, Buns, and Thighs, 30 min walk, bowling
Thursday - 30 min walk, 3 mile run
Friday - Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio
Saturday - 3.75 mile run, bowling
Sunday - shooting at the range, bowling

I was very proud of my consistency last week, and I even ramped up my water intake. I did fall short of my goal of portion control, so I will work harder on that this week. Here's my schedule for the week -

Monday - Hip Hop Abs Total Body Burn
Tuesday - 30 min walk, 3 mile run, boot camp
Wednesday - Hip hop Abs Hips Buns and Thighs, 30 min walk
Thursday - 30 min walk, 3 mile run, boot camp
Friday - 30 min walk, Hip Hop Abs Total Body Burn
Sat/Sun - 4 mile run/rest

How did your week go?

Fabulous Friday

Yay!!! It's Friday, so that means time for the weekend. It's going to be a normal weekend for me... only thing on the calendar is the boys' bowling league. Hopefully that will give me time to clean, shop and relax a bit. This week has been pretty good, I was able to get all my workouts in, and I started to work on portion control.... I still need some work on that, but I've been more conscious of it, and that's the first step. I also was contacted by Conscious Box to do a giveaway, so that's really awesome.... make sure you check it out. 

Hope you all have a fabulous Friday and spectacular weekend!!!

Conscious Box Giveaway

It seems that these monthly box subscriptions are all the new rave, but Conscious Box has something more to offer. I, myself, have been leaning towards more natural, eco-friendly products, and Conscious Box encourages that. Every month, it helps you discover the purest, healthiest natural products in the world from the most ethical companies! From natural beauty to health food and non-toxic home goods, you'll find better alternatives for all areas of your life. 

So, how does Conscious Box work? 

Conscious Box is the best way to discover the most ethical and sustainable products on the planet! Focusing on strict tenets of organic, fair trade, and pure and natural products, each month Conscious Box will introduce you to healthy and honest alternatives for every aspect of your life and for every member of your family. Discover the best natural products, earn points for leaving feedback and reviews, and buy your favorites at incredible discounts!

• 
  
• Get a variety of unique pure & natural products every month!
• From organic food to vegan beauty products, you’re sure to find new favorites!
• Discover ethical and purpose-driven businesses of all sizes!
• Get content on daily living tips, exciting monthly themes, and creative ways to use your box!
• Easily earn points you can apply to full size products for unbeatable discounts!

And they have some awesome boxes coming up within the next couple of months!! Now to the good part.... the giveaway. Conscious Box is allowing me to giveaway a 3-month subscription to their service, valued at $59. That's just amazing!!! Just follow the entries below for a chance to win!!! 

Want to order a box now?? Conscious Box has allowed me to offer a 50% OFF discount for any Conscious Box subscription. Use code: LOVELIFE. 

Conscious Box Giveaway

Inspiration Wednesday

This is one that I need to remind myself when the workout starts getting rough. My body wants to quit, my mind wants to quit, but my heart doesn't. I need to make sure my heart talks my mind into keeping going... then my body isn't given permission to quit.

Mamavation Monday

Happy Monday all. I was excited to wake up and see the finalists for Mamavation's next campaign. It's a very exciting opportunity and I wish them all the best of luck in their journey. It was a typical busy weekend for me, cleaning house, grocery shopping and bowling league, and unfortunately let myself sleep in and not get my run in :( I need to make sure life doesn't get in the way of my exercise. That said, here's the wrap up of my week.

Monday - Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio
Tuesday - Hip Hop Abs Ab Sculpt, 30 min walk, 3.64 mile run
Wednesday - Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio, 30 min walk, bowling
Thursday - Hip Hop Abs Ab Sculpt, 30 min walk
Friday - Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio, 30 min walk
Saturday - 30 min walk, bowling
Sunday - rest

And here's my schedule for next week:

Monday - Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio, 30 min walk
Tuesday - Hip Hop Abs Ab Sculpt, 30 min walk, 2-3 mile run
Wednesday - Hip Hop Abs Hips, Buns, Thighs, 30 min walk, bowling
Thursday - Hip Hop Abs Ab Sculpt, 30 min walk, 2-3 mile run
Friday - Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio, 30 min walk
Sat/Sun - 4 mile run/rest

Goals for the week:
- drink more water
- exercise consistently
- portion control

Do you have any new goals for the week?

This post is sponsored by Color Maker & Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women. I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway

Fabulous Friday

Yay for Fridays!!! It's been an uneventful week for me, but I've been pretty consistent with my workouts,and I got a good run in on Tuesday, part of it with one of my BFF's. :) Hoping for an uneventful weekend. The boys' bowling league is holding a bake sale.... good thing hubby can bake ;), R is going to a refreshing class for his Human Geography EOC, and they have bowling on Sunday. Oh, and we're watching my BFF's dog for the weekend which H will love. Other than that, hopefully it will be quiet. :)

What are your plans for the weekend? Did anything fabulous happen to you this week?

Promax bar review

The wonderful folks at Vitacost sent me 2 different Promax bars to try and review. The first was a Promax Pro Peanut Butter Crisp, and the second was a cinnamon crunch Promax Fit 'n Crisp. I definitely have to say that they both tasted really good.

The Promax pro is a whey protein bar that I decided to eat as my afternoon snack. It tasted great, one of the better protein bars that I have tried. It's loaded with protein, weighing in at 28 g of protein. The one thing that really surprised me was how filling it was. I actually could only eat half of it, and I finished the other half the next day. I would think you could even use this as a quick lunch.  It's pretty reasonable price wise, too. You can buy a box of 12 from Vitacost for only $25.99, which makes it just over $2 per bar. Not too bad for an afternoon snack that can last 2 days. Here's all the supplement information: 

Supplement Facts

Serving Size: 1 Bar (90 g)

Servings per Container: 0

	Amount Per Serving	% Daily Value
Calories	350
Calories from Fat	120
Total Fat	13 g	20%
Saturated Fat	5 g	25%
Trans Fat	0 g
Cholesterol	25 mg	8%
Sodium	550 mg	23%
Potassium	210 mg	6%
Total Carbohydrate	37 g	12%
Dietary Fiber	8 g	32%
Sugars	14 g
Protein	28 g	56%
Vitamin A		0%
Vitamin C		0%
Calcium		15%
Iron		15%

Other Ingredients: Protein Blend [whey crisps (whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, tapioca starch, calcium carbonate, soy lecithin), whey protein concentrate, casein, sodium caseinate, whey protein isolate, hydrolyzed whey protein isolate, clacium caseinate, whey), brown rice syrup, soluble corn fiber, soy crisps (soy isolate, tapioca starch, salt), glycerin, peanut butter (peanuts), partially defatted peanut flour, sugar, soy protein isolate, fractionated palm and palm kernel oil, invert evaporated cane syrup, peanuts, natural flavor, salt, canola oil, butter (cream, salt), molasses, soy lecithin, guar gum, water, tocopherols (to protect flavor), soybean oil, stevia leaf extract (reb A).

Contains: Soy, Milk, Peanuts

The second bar, the cinnamon crunch Promax fit 'n crisp was another protein bar, but definitely more geared for a snack, having only 13g of protein in it. I tried mine as a morning snack, and found it to be almost like a a rice krispie bar. It was sweet, and held me over until lunch time. This is even more reasonably priced for a snack, at only $14.39 for 12 bars from Vitacost. Definitely would be a go to snack for me. 

Serving Size: 1 Bar (38 g)

Servings per Container: 12

	Amount Per Serving	% Daily Value
Calories	140
Calories from Fat	25
Total Fat	3 g	5%
Saturated Fat	1.5 g
Trans Fat	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0%
Sodium	170 mg	7%
Potassium	125 mg	4%
Total Carbohydrate	17 g	6%
Dietary Fiber	0 g	0%
Sugars	10 g
Protein	13 g	26%
Vitamin A		0%
Vitamin C		0%
Calcium		2%
Iron		8%

Other Ingredients: Protein blend (soy protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate), glucose, syrup, rice crisps (brown rice, rice syrup, salt), sugar, tapioca starch, fructose, palm and palm kernel oil, glycerin, water, vegetable oil (canola, soybean), natural flavors, dried egg albumen (dried egg-white, yeast, citric acid), citric acid, calcium carbonate, yogurt powder (cultured non-fat milk solids), agar-agar, salt, soy lecithin, tocopherols.

Contains: milk and egg.

One thing that impressed me about both of these bars is that they are gluten-free, and with so many people having issues with gluten now, it's nice to have some more items that they can eat.  

Kenya Moore's Booty Boot Camp Review

The Real Housewives of Atlanta's newest star Kenya Moore has proven that she is multi-talented with her new workout DVD, Booty Boot Camp. Kenya's bubbly personality helps you push through the workouts, and you feel like you are just having fun with your girlfriends. I found her trainer, Nikki Veal, to be knowledgeable and motivating. There are 3 levels of fat-blasting workouts lasting approximately 20 mins each and a bonus 12 minute Ab-Flattening workout. Just enough time to get your body going, but not too long for those busy moms who don't have hours to spare.

Since I am already a pretty active person, working out 5-6 times a week, I chose to start out with level 3. While I didn't find it extremely challenging, I did feel the effects of it for days afterwards. I think this would be a great workout program for those who are just starting out, spending a few weeks on each level, and I'm going to definitely use it in my DVD rotation.

You can find this DVD at online retailers starting March 5, 2013 and in retail stores beginning in May for a very reasonable price of $16.99. Definitely give this one a try!!!

Inspiration Wednesday

Mamavation Monday

I am so off on my days this week. Vacation last week really through me for a loop, so here's my wrap up a day late. It was a pretty lazy week since we took the kids to Busch Gardens for a couple of days, but I still got some sort of exercise in.

Monday - swimming, walking, horse back riding
Tuesday - swimming, walking
Wednesday - bowling, walking
Thursday - walking, Turbo Fire Low HIIT 20
Friday - walking, Turbo Fire Sculpt 20

This week starts my Hip Hop Abs Challenge, so I will be doing Shaun T's program along with running 3 days a week.

Monday - Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio
Tuesday - Hip Hop Abs Ab Sculpt, run
Wednesday - Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio
Thursday - Hip Hop Abs Ab Sculpt, run
Friday - Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio
Saturday/Sunday - run/rest

What does your week entail?