ENERGYbits Winner

Carie A...
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Are you racing this weekend? 

Michelle Bridges 12 week Body Transformation

****I have been given access to a 5 week preview of Michelle Bridge's 12 Week Body Transformation in exchange for posts about my experiences, whatever they may be. As always, all opinions are my own.****

It's not a secret that I struggle with my diet and with cross training. I have no problem lacing up 3-4 times a week and logging in whatever miles I need to do, depending on my current training schedule.
I love to run.
I love to race.
Especially in a Sparkly Skirt or a Tutu.
I do love all forms of cross training, but I lack the motivation. I don't know why, I always feel *amazing* afterwards, whether it be a bike ride, weight training, Zumba, whatever! I have a TON of DVDs. Yoga, pilates, Kickboxing, weight training. You name it, I probably have it. And the gear? Yeah, I have that, too! All of it!

I like the gym, but I tend to get annoyed by the people. The gym is supposed to be your happy place, but there always seems to be someone all up in your grill, whether it be sweaty guy, or that chick who knows *nothing* about personal space. She usually shows up late, too. UGH!
When I was offered the opportunity to try out this amazing program through Girls Gone Sporty, I was thrilled. I filled out the interest form, and waited, with baited breath, for the email to come saying that I got in. Luckily I had the Runner's World Hat Trick to distract me!
When I got the email, I jumped for joy. OK, I wiggled with joy, because I was in the car. Jumping would have been dangerous, possibly deathly!
How can I not be excited? Michelle is one of the trainers from Biggest Loser Australia! Who wouldn't want a peek into her training world?

So far, I am loving the program. I am in "pre-season", which is the prepping phase! I literally just received my first week's plans in an email about 15 minutes ago, but I am waiting to check it out until after I write this post!
So far, I have been doing my pre-season homework: Setting goals, prepping my kitchen, and taking the fitness test.
Let's start with my goals. I set goals for the next 12 months, broken into smaller sections of one month, six months, and twelve months.
My one year goal is:
I am making a Commitment to Me. In the next year, I will lose 18 pounds and maintain that weight, I will progress up to holding a 7 minute plank (my best is 4), I will learn 8 new yoga poses, I will finish my 13th Half in 2013, complete the Dopey Challenge during WDW Marathon Weekend, train and complete back to back Halfs in the Spring, and begin training for my first non-Disney marathon (Atlantic City, NJ October 2014). I will master the pull-up and do more than one at a time. I will follow the meal plan, complete my workouts, and put me first.
Not too shabby, right?
I can totally do this, and I will feel so amazing when I am done.
Prepping my kitchen is another story! My hubs and kids *freaked* when I said I was tossing processed foods out. Don't get me wrong, they are my biggest fans and great supporters, so long as I don't mess with their bag of Oreos or their cereal boxes. We always have plenty of fruits and veggies, yogurt, etc but they like to know that if they want a cookie, they can have one.
Hmmmmmm, so I decided I would have a cabinet. My own cabinet. They are welcome to shop there, but i will not shop anywhere else. It is still a work in progress, so there are no pics yet, but when it is done, I will be sure to share!
So, I set my goals, I started prepping my kitchen, I made a list of excuses and how to beat them, and I set and posted my goals. Everywhere. For real, they are even on Facebook for the whole world to see.
Today I did my fitness test and took some measurements. The measurements took a little while because I had to convert them to kilos and centimeters. I really like my weight in kilos. Do the math, though, I weight 166 pounds right now (yesterday was 168, go me!) . My goal is 150.

 Next was my fitness test. The time trial was 1K, or .62 miles. I ran full out at first, then got winded (darn brisk Fall air, lol) and finished 23 seconds slower than I wanted to, so I could be considered Advanced. Intermediate, here I come, but I will not stay. Mark.my.words.
The push ups I did were 10 on my toes, 17 on my knees, in one minute.
Ab strength was a plank. Far from my best. Far from my worst. All good here. She asked us to use our knees and arms, I was on my toes and hands. Ooops. Oh well, it is how I do them, so any improvement will be accurate for me.
Wall sits suck. Just sayin'.
The sit and reach was for flexibility. I am not that flexible. I should work on that!

 I submitted my results and will soon check out my first week of workouts, and my food plan. I am a somewhat picky eater, so this is always a challenge, but I will make it work. I know that there are lots of choices, so I am not worried!
The workout plan is tailored to fit you. She has choices for people who want to run, lose weight, gain strength, and more. Because I already run, and am following a training plan, I chose a plan for weight loss. It will include 6 days of workouts and a day off. I chose the Advanced plan, since I work out fairly often, and look forward to some new workouts!
I am so excited to get started, and to let you know how it is going! Off  go, to check out next week's plan! I am dying to see it!

Bring it on, Michelle! Bring it on!

Are you a fan of the Biggest Loser?

Almost Wordless Wednesday

So, this just happened! I a so excited to be participating in the 5 week Sneak Preview of Michelle Bridges' 12 week Body Transformation

Runner's World Hat Trick, Half Marathon

I would love to start with a plea to all well meaning volunteers: PLEASE never tell a runner, especially in those last few miles, that "it is all down hill from here". It's just mean. Especially when you turn the next corner to see yet another hill. And then another. And then another. AND then another. For real.

Anyway....
Our morning started off, once again, with a 5:00 wake up alarm. We were out of the house by 5:20 and on the road back to Bethlehem. We cruised right in, with very little traffic, and scored another free parking spot. Same area, but this time on the street next to the Skate Park, which was the meet up spot for the Half Fanatic pic. It.was.freezing.
I went over to the porta potties, which had NO lines, did my thing and headed back to the car to finish getting ready. I taped my knee, put on my throw away gloves (thanks, again Deer Park Water for providing them at the expo!) , and then waited for the meet up to start. My friend Lisa organized it, but she ran late, and missed the meet. This has happened to me before, when I got stuck in traffic at Long Branch Half and started the race 16 minutes late! I feel her pain!
Some other Half Fanatics started showing up, and decided to hit the potties before the race, so we waited a bit. Some of the gals wanted to get to the corrals, so not everyone made it back for the picture.

I am wearing my shirt, but it is hiding underneath my Swirlgear jacket! My good friends, Gigi and Danielle, arrived after everyone left so we took our own picture!

These gals are the reason for my race being SO much fun, instead of dreadful! We had a blast, from start top finish! I met Gigi briefly in April at the April Fool's Half, but we have been Blogger Friends and Facebook friends for awhile! Gigi blogs at Running on Candy.  I know Danielle through Gigi and Half Fanatics. We met for the first time on Saturday morning and ran the 10K together as well. Shortly after we snapped this pic, we headed over to the corrals. We had decided right off that we would walk the hills and run the rest, and just enjoy the day. Danielle is running MCM and the NYC Marathon, and didn't want to overdo it, and none of us are really prepared for the hills, so it was a great strategy!
The race began, Danielle slapped Bart Yasso five, and we were off!
Of course, we turned the first corner and saw our first hill. This was not going to be good. Danielle and I were hoping the course would be similar to yesterday's course. We passed a very pretty cemetery with a very interesting...statue? marker? obelisk?....and we wanted to show Gigi. The course was very different, though. We did pass most of the things we passed during the 5K and 10K, but spaced very differently.
The hills were insane. Gigi took a lot of pictures, but I forgot all about my iPhone for the first 5 miles or so. What made me take it out? This crazy hill! I wanted proof that these hills existed! Right after we hit the mile 4 marker, it seemed like we did a whole mile uphill! A local who was running had warned us about it, but holy heck! It was vicious. You would turn a corner, and it would still be going uphill! Yikes!

 Part of that hill led us to these signs, put up by Running Skirts. They were at the expo, and a lot of the runners were wearing their skirts that day. We were laughing the whole way up the hill.

Danielle was already wearing a Running Skirt!

my favorite!

pretty house among the signs

 One sign said you could twerk for a skirt. Hmmm.... intriguing. When we topped the hill, Running Skirts had a tent and water station. They had great music, and a Twerk Camera. We asked if it was true, and they said yes, we just had to shake our booty. So I did. For real. And they gave me a skirt. No lie. A volunteer actually put it right on me, while I held on to her shoulders. These were triathlon skirts, and mine is light blue with tiny white polka dots. I am wearing it in one of the pics below. I was so excited, it kept me going for quite awhile!
This lady also kept me going:

 She was playing that thing like crazy. I have never seen anything like it! The kids were playing on pots and pans, too. It was so fun! It made that hill they lived on almost bearable! We kept running, mostly uphill (at least, that's how it felt!) and we were starting to worry that we might never pass the cemetery. We also started getting helpful hints from locals at this point.
You're almost done! ( at mile 10? Not so much.)
It's all downhill from here. (ummmmmm no. We hit at least 5 more, possible more than that, after the first person made that remark.) "Bob" even swore to us that it was the last hill. Bob lied.
There was a very lovely Aussie on a bike who was cheering on his cousin, and he sort of adopted us as well. I just liked listening to him talk, which I told him, and he cheered us on for most of the last 3 miles.
Right around mile 11, amidst hatred and complaining for Bob and the cop (who also lied!) we found it. The cemetery. I'm not gonna lie, we were whooping it up something fierce about this cemetery. The volunteers must have thought we were completely insane. But look at it. Now, imagine you are delirious after running almost 20 miles in the last 2 days, through hilly Bethlehem. Why do you think we were so amused? Appropriate? Not so much. Amusing? I think so. After all, we are all grown ups, right?

 

the hubs does not agree with our silliness. He thinks I'm nuts.

Shortly after we passed the cemetery, we hit very familiar territory. This bridge was on all 3 courses,  and on all 3 courses you crossed it twice. Going out it is just a bridge, but coming back it is just beautiful! Danielle says it makes her feel very small, with such large mountains behind her. Views like this are why I love Pennsylvania so much!

 There was only about a mile to go at this point. We knew it well and were telling Gigi how close we were! We just needed to loop around the Steel Stacks at this point, which felt like forever, especially with one last hill. But we made it. In just under 3 hours, and with Danielle cartwheeling across the finish line. It was amazing! I cannot wait for the official photos because we really hammed it up for the camera! We posed like it was our job! We posed for one last finish line photo, hugged, and went our separate ways. I miss them already! Once the official photos come out, I will share them!

posing with all 3 medals, wearing my new Running Skirt.

the medal, a larger version of the first 2, and with a bottle opener

fitbit stats for the day!

Race #12 0f 2013 in the books! (well, half marathons, anyway) and I couldn't have asked for a better race! I hear that the twerk camera was live, and if I ever find the video of myself, I will share. The teenie says I was twerking like a mom, whatever that means. I don't care, I won a skirt, and that's all that matters!

Today, I am a little achey, especially my calves, but if I ever get motivated I will do some yoga and stretch some of the ache away. I am still amazed that I pulled off 22.4 miles in 2 days. It definitely makes me feel better prepared for Dopey. It actually makes Dopey feel less intimidating for some reason! I may not say the same thing when I start doing back to back longer runs during my training, but for now I am pleased about the experience!

Only one Half Marathon to go, and I will hit my goal of 13 in 2013! I wonder what my big goals will be for next year?

What is your goal for 2013? Have you reached it yet?

Runner's World 5K and 10K

Friday evening, the hubs and I climbed into the Jeep to make the trek to Bethlehem, PA for the Runner's World Magazine's Hat Trick.
What is a Hat Trick? You run a 5K and a 10K on Saturday, and a Half Marathon on Sunday! It's like Dopey, without the marathon! Friday night was the expo, but it only ran until 7 and I worked until just after 4. Yikes! It was an almost 2 hour drive, so we were cutting it close. We plugged the address into the gps and I was thrilled to see a projected arrival of 6:05 pm! Woohoo!
Cue the traffic!

We arrived at almost 6:40! The line to park was immense, so the hubs dropped me off and waited for me to pick up my bib and swag. I got 2 tech tees and a hat, and Deer Park gave out light blue gloves made from recycled water bottles! SO cool. I also snagged a frisbee from a local restaurant filled with tortilla chips. Other than that, the expo was kinda small. I rarely shop at expos, and most of the tables were for race-cations or companies that didn't interest me. LOTS of people there! It was a little crowded, but not too nuts. You did have to walk up 3 flights of stairs to get there. Perhaps a sign of things to come?

We rolled out of bed Saturday morning at the butt crack of dawn, to take the ride back to Bethlehem. We are staying at my parents' house, but we are still about 90 minutes away. We were in the car by 5:20 and on the road. There was practically no traffic, and we cruised right in. The hubs dropped me off again and parked the car, so he could meet me at the finish. He tried for a nap, but I guess it wasn't happening!
I met up with a fellow Swirlgear Sister for a photo op, and then headed for the corrals to find my friend Danielle. We have only met via Facebook, and I was wearing my jacket instead of the shirt I told her about, so it took us a few minutes and a Facebook status to hook up.
Danielle is faster than me, so she took off right away and we met up again at the finish. The course was very hilly, and very beautiful. The historic portion of the town is just amazing, and the trees are all decked out in their Fall leaves. It looks like a magazine shoot everywhere you turn! Amazing!
I finished in a pretty respectable time...33:04 with an average pace of 10:37. Not bad for a gimp who hates hills!

Not too shabby. AND you get bling! Woot! I met up with Danielle for a photo op, and then we hit the porta potties before round 2.

We lined up for the 10K, and this time Danielle stayed with me. She is training for MCM and needed to slow down a bit. I didn't want to push hard because I want to do well in the Half tomorrow. It worked out well for both of us. The hills were just as bad worse for the 10K, or maybe just more hills. We walked one of them but I tried to run them all. The scenery was just as amazing, and we saw a few crazy things, and had an amazing time. I really enjoyed running with Danielle, and cannot wait to run with Danielle and Gigi tomorrow!

We hammed it up for lots of cameramen and crossed the finish line holding hands. What a fun race! we collected our medal (identical the the 5K, except it said 10K) and grabbed some food and went looking for the hubs so he could take our pic.

We bumped into Jen, who was wearing the same sparkly skirt that I was! I love that I never see her in Jersey, but have had much better luck in other states! One of the course photographers took our pic, so be on the lookout!

I collected the hubs and we started the walk to the car. It happened to lead us straight through the Sand's Casino! I love me some slot machines. The hubs was telling me how he won $30 playing Willy Wonka slots, and kept me distracted from the real surprise. CREPES!!! They had a Crepery, and I had a delectable Nutella and fresh strawberry crepe! OMG it was so good! I also got myself a chocolate milk, since I can only enjoy them after long races due to my lactose intolerance. (I am not a fan of meds, so I will not take a Lactaid just to drink chocolate milk. Sad, but true!)

Funny story, the girl who made my crepe saw my medal and asked me if I won. Ha! I wish! SO not a runner! Of course, I had to take pics of the entire crepe making process.
I am a little achey right now, as I type this up. I am chilling with my Mom while the hubs goes buggy riding with my Dad. And by buggy I mean a Polaris UTV. Very manly lol.

stock photo, not the exact UTV but close enough

After they are done being manly, we will go out to combine carb loading with my parents' Anniversary at the Olive Garden. Woot!
What did you do this weekend to get your body moving?

Fitness Friday

I am getting ready to leave for the Runner's World Half and Festival, where I will be participating in the Hat Trick! I will run the 5k and 10k tomorrow and the Half Marathon on Sunday and I an so excited! Below are some of the things I packed for Sunday!

More later!

 

ENERGYbits Review and Giveaway.... and a Butteiful Girls Headband Winner

I could go on and on about how much I love ENERGYbits. And I will. Believe me. But first, let me tell you about the winner of the Butteiful Girls Headband!

Meredith M, you are the winner! I have emailed Meredith, and will mail out her headband as soon as I hear back from her!

Now let's move on to ENERGYbits!

****I was provided with a sample of ENERGYbits in exchange for this review. I was under no obligation to post a positive review! All opinions, as always, are my own.****

I am sure that if you follow runners on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, you have heard of them! I know that I had been hearing about them for quite some time, before I was put in touch with them via Girls Gone Sporty. I knew that they were great for energy before a race. I also knew that they are made from algae. I don't do algae. Seriously. I don't do seafood. Not because of any kind of love for the fishies. Fish are food. I'm good with that. It's the smell. I have a very strong sense of smell. Seafood smells bother me. Sad, but true. 

But I was determined! I was going to try them. They arrived with all kinds of awesome information about the benefits:

ENERGYbits® algae tabs are 64% protein. Algae has the highest concentration of protein of any food on the planet. Nothing is higher. And why do you need protein? To build your organs, your strength, your lean muscle and also to satisfy your hunger for long periods of time.This is critical for athletes who need energy but can’t burden their body with heavy animal protein (which typically takes hours or days to digest) or artificial chemicals which are toxic to the body and often banned in competitions. Protein is critical for everyone but particularly for athletes since it repairs and builds damaged muscles.

Our algae tabs are over 60% protein (three times that of steak) and since our travel tins easily slip into your hand, pocket or gym shorts so you can be refreshed and renewed any time of day, whether you’re on the gym floor, jamming down the slopes or in the middle of a marathon. Can’t do that with a piece of steak!   Even better, our ENERGYbits®  algae tabs are 100% spirulina which naturally release nitric oxide into your body along with all that protein and forty other nutrients vitamins.

ENERGYbits®  algae tabs have virtually no calories. With no sugar or any artificial ingredients, your body can continue burning fat even after your workout. Each tab is loaded with 40 vitamins and minerals but just ONE calorie so there are no unnecessary calories – just pure nutrition and protein. Since they are so tiny (about the size of a tic tac®), they make you feel satisfied and full, not bloated and fat. Great for performers, fitness buffs as well as pro athletes or weekend warriors.

Amazing, right? So, I opened the cute little tin that they came in.

Yeah, they smell like algae.

Would I be able to swallow them? The suggested serving is 30. You should take them 10-15 minutes before you workout or run. Okay, I can do that.

They go down so easily! They really are very small, and they were no problem to swallow. I did my run, and I definitely felt energized.

Was it all in my head, though? Was I energized because I expected to be energized? 

So, I tried them again. WOW! I really did like the way I felt! Not jumpy or crazy, just.... energized. The runs were a breeze, and I was not tired out when I finished! Even better, I wasn't all jumpy afterwards either. It's not *that kind* of energy. I was actually bummed that I wasted them on short runs, but as runners, we know not to try out anything on a long run, because you never know how your body might react! I look forward to using energybits on a long run, and then a Half Marathon!
And the calorie thing? I am loving that! Admit it, when you eat your waffles, gummies, etc during a long run, the calories add up. For those of us that are trying to lose weight while running, that is a real pain in the fat! Having a super low calorie option is definitely a Win Win situation!

A little more info for you from their website, about why algae helps:

Amino Acid Protein for Instant Absorption and Instant Energy

The protein in ENERGYbits® algae tabs is a plant protein – all in its natural amino acid state (unlike animal protein which needs to be broken down into amino acids before your body can use it). This means you automatically and easily absorb all the protein and get instant energy from it (within one minute if you chew it and within five to ten minutes if you swallow it). So, to supercharge your workout or performance, take at least 20-50 ENERGYbits® and then watch in amazement as your stamina kicks in. Since they are 60% protein, also take them after a workout if you want to build more lean muscle. Our ENERGYbits® are sold in large bags of 1,000 tabs that you can put into small travel tins each day and can slip into your pocket or gym bag, ready to use whenever you need that burst of energy.

Nitric Oxide for Endurance and Stamina

ENERGYbits® are 100% spirulina - a nitrogen based algae which helps your body to release nitric oxide when consumed. Nitric oxide is the fuel that all athletes, trainers and Olympic teams use to achieve top performance. Nitric oxide opens up blood vessels so more blood, oxygen and nutrients can reach the brain and muscles, making it the “holy grail” of stamina, endurance and strength. Simply put, it delivers a killer performance. Why take chemical or artificial nitric oxide when you can get it naturally with our ENERGYbits®? So follow the lead of Olympic trainers. Go natural. It’s the healthier choice.

Not convinced? Don't just take my word for it!

If you are on twitter, ENERGYbits Ambassadors host a Health and Fitness Twitter Chat every Tuesday night at 8 pm EST. Just follow the hashtag #poweredbybits to join in. They chat about nutrition, wellness, health and fitness! What a great way to connect with other athletes!

You can also check ENERGYbits out in other social media:

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest there are pics as well as other blog reviews posted here!

To order:  Use the code BLOG to get 10% off, as a gift from ENERGYbits to you!

For future orders please remember, ENERGYbits are only available at ENERGYbits.com, and Jonathan (their Brand Manager) has shared with me that he'd be happy to connect anyone with a current ambassador to share a discount on a bag of bits - you can email him at jlevitt@energybits.com

And now for the giveaway! If you would like to try ENERGYbits, then this is for you! To win a sample of ENERGYbits, check out the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway