A little CrossFit in my life...

I posted this picture of my arms on Monday. I had a few people email me asking what I was doing to tone them. The answer:

CrossFit 

The definition of CrossFit is "Constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement."



I have always been a "weights" person. Y'all know the girl over with the boys grunting over some iron weights. Staring at the mirror, not for beauty, but for form. I have never been "scared" or "intimidated" by the weight room. So it was only natural that as the CrossFit world came along, I would be all about it. Whats funny is most of the things we do in CrossFit are things I did in the gym, pullups, pushups, lunges, squats, but tweeked just a bit to make it so much more effective.

So when my best friend Jennifer, who is also my trainer, calls and tells me she is going to start a CrossFit style OnRamp class at CrossFit Coastline, I jumped at that. I had done a couple classes at another box in town, but the times were not good for me. So I started right before Christmas and I have not looked back. 

I love the TRX system in the gym. I used to do these on the Smith Machine. I get a much better workout on the TRX.

Sometimes we do things that my mind cant wrap around, like turkish gettups! whatever they are called. Yeah its not fun, but Ill tell you what I feel awesome after I'm done...



Christa and I after a great OnRamp class with Trainer Jenn. Hot, sweaty, and dead. But it felt so good. And I look like I have 5 chins, GRRRRR!

I am a big stickler on the right shoe for the right sport. So when I got the chance to talk to Reebok in the FitFluential Twitter chat, I knew that I wanted a pair of the Reebok RealFlex shoes. A couple weeks later my husband and I received these beauties in the mail...

We have been training in the Real Flex for about 2 weeks and we love them. They really help my balance when squatting. Its great

This morning my Reebok RealFLex and my Klean Athletics water bottle are my best friends at the box.



My son is a future CrossFit champ, see #proof

I started a new protein regimen last week. I have been using the Klean Isolate by Klean Athlete. Its a flavorless whey protein. I love the fact that you can mix it with anything and it takes the taste of it. After OnRamp today, I made banana protein pancakes.

1 scoop (KleanAthlete Protein)

1 banana

1 egg white

cinnamon to taste

(I use a lot)

(206calories, 28carbs, 26protein)

Mash in a bowl and cook like pancakes on the stove top. These are so easy to prepare and my kids and husband love them. SCORE!

 

 You guys should check out all of the Klean Athlete products. They all seem amazing and I want them all. (Hint Hint husband of mine, LOL)

 

QOTD: Do you use a certain protein powder? If so, what kind?

Huma Gel winners, 8 miles, and Klean Athlete protein...

I am so excited, I am FINALLY not hurting in my hips. BAMMM!

I took my crippled self back to Dr.Bose last week, and he basically told me that the pain/butt annoying pain was due to some sciatic nerve pain from my lack of cartilage in my lower vertebrae. So before doing an MRI, we decided to try the steroid pack route. 4 days in and I am starting to feel so much better. I was even able to run 8 miles yesterday with Melanie. They may have been slow miles, but mileage is mileage. Right?

This morning I headed over to Coastline Crossfit with my coach Jennifer. I have been doing her ONRAMP class for a couple of weeks now and I LOVE it. However my back and hips have really bothered me. Today I was able to do Thrusters with a deep squat. I have been hurting for so long that now its like a whole new experience. It was awesome. I also did a couple TRX moves. I love that thing.

After Crossfit, I came home and made a shake with Klean Athlete pure whey protein. I mixed it with 1/2cup of Silk Pure Almond unsweetened vanilla almond milk and 1/2 cup of the Dark Chocolate Silk Almond milk. (160 calories, 13 carb, 22 protein) It is soo good.

 

 

I also took some pics of my shoulders and arms, I am very happy how my arms are looking.  I think it is the pushups and pullups in Crossfit that are really helping with definition. 

 

So here are the winners of my Huma gel giveaway...

 

1. Melanie Stevenson

2. Jennifer Boudreau

3. Julie Thompson

4. runinboise

5. Danielle Louise

Congrats to my winners. You guys have 24 hours to contact me at [email protected].

 

I have a race this weekend in Pensacola Beach. The Double Bridge 15k. This race is one of my favorite races of the year. I am so excited to run it.

QOTD: What is your favorite race you are running this year?

 

Tetley Tea "Turn Over A New Leaf" Campaign and Giveaway

Hey guys I wanted to tell you about a great promotion that Tetley Tea has going on now through Feb 15th, 2013. You can head over to Tetley Tea's Facebook page and sign up for Free Life Coaching by experts such as Tracy Carreon.

Tetley Tea Helps Fans “Turn Over A New Leaf” for the New Year

 (Source)
(January 2013 – Montvale, NJ): While many New Year’s resolutions focus on getting into better physical shape, a new year is also a good time to improve mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. To that end, Tetley USA announced today the launch of its “Turn Over a New Leaf” campaign to provide inspiration and support for physical and emotional health in 2013.

The Tetley “Turn Over a New Leaf” campaign, which will live on the brand’s Facebook page, will feature free exclusive live chats with expert life coaches. Fans can submit their questions for experts such as Gabrielle Bernstein, author of May Cause Miracles: A 40-day Guidebook of Subtle Shifts for Radical Change & Unlimited Happiness. The campaign will also include daily “Tetley Time” (8am and 3pm) refreshing thoughts on wellness, and chances to win Amazon gift cards.

“At Tetley, we believe a good cup of tea revives the body, wakes up the mind and refreshes the spirit, and that is what we hope to bring to our fans with this program,” said Marc Birnbaum, Marketing Executive at Tetley USA. “We want to help our consumers be the best they can be, not only with our teas, but also by providing guidance and inspiration from experts.”

  The Tetley “Turn Over a New Leaf” campaign launched December 17, and will run through February 2013.

For information and to participate in the “Turn Over a New Leaf” campaign, visit Facebook.com/TetleyUSA or follow Tetley Tea on Twitter at @TetleyUSA. For more information about Tetley Tea, please visit http://www.tetleyusa.com/.

At Tetley, we believe that a good cup of tea revives the body, wakes up the mind and refreshes the spirit, so who better than Tetley to bring you the inspiration to be your best in 2013?

Join Tetley for a series of exclusive chats with noted life coach experts (and pick up some rewarding tidbits every day along the way!). So brew up a cup of the tea that empowers, Tetley, and join us!

Sign up now to hear what experts such as Tracey Carreon have to share – you can submit your own questions, too, at this free live event on February 15th at noon EST.

Stop in daily at Tetley Time (8 am & 3 pm) for refreshing thoughts on wellness.

Registration Begins:December 17, 2012 03:01

Registration Ends:February 15, 2013 11:59

Register here for this great event

The great people over at Tetley Tea have offered one of my great readers a great prize pack featuring a gorgeous Tetley Tea Set and sample packs of Decaf Green Tea, Black Tea, and British Blend Tea.

 

The giveaway will run from 1/26/13- 1/31/13 at midnight. I will announce the winner on 2/1/13. Good Luck!

       

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The opinions of this sponsored post are of mine, 0to26point2, and no one elses. I was provided the prize pack by Tetley Tea and no other compensation was given. Facebook is in no way affiliated with this giveaway or any part of this post.

Rock-n-Roll New Orleans, whos coming?

Its almost that time of year.

Rock-n-Roll New Orleans Marathon and 1/2. 

Ahhhh, I am so excited! I had such a great time on this racecation last year...

I love the Rock-n-Roll series of races. I have done Arizona, San Diego, and New Orleans. Loved every part of it. It is one of those races where if you really enjoy running, you can have a blast. So of course when it was time to sign up for this years race, of course I jumped on it. And not to mention I decided to take the plunge and do the FULL marathon, WHAT! I guess the flat course for the most part and the fact that its a total blast, I said "screw it" and went for it. One of the things I look forward to with the Rock-n-Roll series are the medals, they always have the best designed medals. Here is the great medal reveal of this year...

The one on the left is for the 1/2 finishers and the one on the right is for the full marathon finishers. I think they are both gorgeous and will be well deserved by all the finishers. 

There is still time to sign up. Online registration is opened until Feb 17th. After that if it is not sold you can register at the expo. 

Register Now

And for all you guys that may not want to run either race, you can always volunteer. I have volunteered for a few races and it is a ton of fun. 

Click here for more information.

I will have more info for you tomorrow. stay tuned for great information regarding the expo and race.

QOTD: Have you ran a Rock-n-Roll race? If so, which one?

Don't forget to enter my Huma Energy Gel Giveaway CLICK HERE

Huma Energy Gel Review and Giveaway. An all natural energy fuel, finally!

I know that a lot of you guys use energy gels as fuel for running, cycling, swimming, or any other endurance sport. I have always been a Shot BLOK fuel user because the gels make me want to throw up mid run. I am not sure if they just don't agree with my stomach or what, but I cannot use them at all. Not to mention the aftertaste you get. It just doesn't work for me. I have always hated it because they are so portable and easy to take for quick carbs while running. I have always wanted them to taste good and trust me I have tried just about every flavor. No luck!

Until Now...

My great friend Ray called me up and said OMG I have this wonderful energy gel to try. I was like hmmm, ok Ill try anything once. He told he had picked up an all natural gel at Cycle Therapy in Mobile called Huma, and that I needed to try it. I checked it out out on the Internet and contacted them for information on the gels.

 So the awesome guys over at Huma sent me some samples to try. 

Apple Cinnamon

Strawberry

The first thing I noticed is that I could pronounce all the ingredients in both gels. And that all of the ingredients were all natural. Oh and of course they had my beloved cha-cha-cha-CHIA in them. SCORE

Who is Huma?

Hüma is a brand new Nashville-based company that makes all-natural, great-tasting energy gels people enjoy eating. It was started in January 2012 by Ian McCollum and Kevin Sherbourne, two young Vanderbilt students who were tired of awful energy gels. Hüma gels were officially launched in November 2012 and have since seen their popularity expand like crazy! (From the website)

Where did Huma come from?

The idea for Hüma was born in the sands of Iraq. In the summer of 2009 a US Army soldier named 1st Lieutenant McCollum was charged with leading grueling missions throughout Iraq. At the time he was reading a book about the Tarahumara, a tribe of Mexican Indians who regularly compete in epic 100+ mile races as part of their culture. To fuel themselves on these ultramarathons, they use a special chia seed blend. He figured if it worked for them in Mexico, maybe it would work for him in Iraq.

It did. In fact, the stuff was amazing at keeping him going, and that discovery eventually led to the creation of Hüma. Today, Hüma brings together Tarahumara tradition, sports nutrition research, healthy ingredients and great taste as our best shot at helping you enjoy your gel. (From the website)

So on my 8 miles on Sunday, I tried the strawberry and it was delicious. It had no aftertaste and gave me the energy I needed at mile 5 to finish my run. I was so excited to have FINALLY found a  portable squeeze energy gel that I could stomach and not throw up mid run. YAY

The best part is that the great guys over at Huma want to give you guys a chance to try Huma Energy Gel. They are giving (5) 6 packs of gels to give to 5 winners.

Enter below...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway will run from 1/22/13 to 1/27/13. I will announce the 5 winners on Monday January 28th, 2013

I was given the product by Huma to review and test. All thoughts and opinions are of my own, 0to26point2, and no one elses. Facebook is in no way affiliated with this giveaway. 

Peace at Bellingrath recap! And a great new energy gel!

Sometimes it's nice to just hang out with a bunch of your running friends.

What makes it even better is when you do it at an amazing race put on by one of your close friends and your favorite running store.

Run- n- Tri and The Man About Town put on the first annual Peace at Bellingrath 5k and fun run on Saturday. This race was put on flawlessly. I will definitely be running this race next year when it comes around. All of you local guys need to add it to your race schedule.

It's a beautiful run at Bellingrath Gardens in Theodore AL. 

My great friend Ray, The Man About Town partnered with Run- n- Tri to raise money for Penelope House. 

Lisa, with Run- n- Tri headed up the cheer squad at the finish line.

Had to show you guys the gorgeous handmade medals for the winners made by Rays dear friend Jenny. Oh and the little gem of crazy accomplishment underneath it is Rays marathon medal from the Disney marathon last weekend. Freaking amazing!

This sweet 7yr old won first in his age group.he ran the 5k in under 30 minutes. his little legs had to be going fast. I love it when parents get their kids out and active.

Congrats!

I wanted to show you guys the gorgeous medals made by Jenny. I love homemade medals,I feel like they mean so much more than the manufactured medals. Don't get me wrong I love all my race medals, but something about someone putting the time in to make them by hand just adds that special touch.

Even some of my Swiftwick Color Run ladies won in their age group. 

Congrats ladies!

After the race I came home and ran my 8 miles I had on the books for today. The great people over at Huma energy gels sent me some samples to try and I was so excited that I finally found a portable natural feel that I could stomach during a run. AND it didn't leave a nasty aftertaste. HOLLA!

Stay tuned tomorrow, I have a little giveaway for you guys from the fabulous guys over at Huma,Yay! 

Also all my local peeps, I went over to Run- n- Tri later on Saturday and guess what I found? Yep, my beloved Swiftwick socks.  They have a lot to choose from. Go by there and tell them I sent ya. You will love them.

QOTD: Did you race this weekend?

Clean recipes I have been making this week.

A couple of recipes I have been making at home, ENJOY!

Half of an avocado with an egg, baked at 350 for about 20 minutes

Clean broccoli soup!

Orangesicle Ice Cream

Black bean hummus, Put all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth.

Your turn, Do you have a favorite clean recipe? Please share.

Cheer Squad weekend and I finally ran. YAY

Sometimes its fun just to spectate! When my friend Jillian said she was coming down from Tennessee to run the Pensacola beach half marathon, I knew I had to go hang out. So Melanie and I drove down early Saturday morning to be Jillian and Sarah's cheer squad. Signs in hands, we were ready.

Yes, we run for margaritas, doesn't everyone? 

The weather was perfect for spectating, not so much for running. The humidity was high and the sun was beaming, There is absolutely no shade on the course. However you are at the beach. shade at the beach? No thank you!

Some of you may recognize Regina from Life's Run. She is a fellow FitFluential and Sweatpink Ambassador. As well as an Oiselle and Handana Ambassador. She is also a running coach at Running Wild in Pensacola, if you live over there you should contact her. She is amazing.

After Jillian and Sarah finished running, we headed over to the Pensacola Beach Hilton and chilled out at the amazing pool. If you go to Pensacola beach, you must stay there. It is awesome.

Sarah, Jillian, me, and Melanie. I am not a good photog, sorry!

Sunday I met Mandy for a 3 mile run in the park. It was my first 3 miler in about 6 weeks. I have been nursing this stupid IT band problem. I was happy I had no pain while I was running. YAY! I have a 6 miler planned this week. Call me crazy, but I am running the Rock n Roll New Orleans MARATHON in about 6 weeks. So I need all the prayers I can get!

I also got some new shoes to run in. The Mizuno Wave Prophecy 2. They are gorgeous and they felt awesome on my feet. When I get a few more miles on them, Ill give you and update.

After running we went over to cheer on Melanie's husband Ali, who was running the First Light Marathon Relay with all of his speedy friends. Yes they came in first. I don't like running long races in  my town. Its a mental thing, but I love cheering on the course. 

I also tried to get a new pet, but he wouldn't let me catch him:(

YOUR TURN: What did you do this weekend? Did you race? Did you cheer? Tell me!