Run Buns off with Me at Schlotsky’s #BunRun – Austin Sept 24

Are you ready to run (or walk) your buns off?! Just wanted to let y’all know (especially my Texas friends) about the 34th Annual Bun Run hosted by Schlotzsky’s. It’s going down on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016 beginning at The Domain (11401 Century Oakes Terrace).

Jen

I’ve run this race so many times, I love it! In fact, last year I came in 3rd overall woman among some young, fast ladies – whoot, whoot!

schlotskys bun run 2015 start line

But, whether you race, run, job, walk, push a stroller or whatever, it’s a win-win for everyone! You get a chance to get out and get a little exercise with your friends or family in beautiful ATX – and maybe do a little post-race shopping at the Domain. Plus, by participating, you also support the race beneficiary, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Millions of people around the world live with Type 1 Diabetes – it’s a life-threatening, autoimmune disease that affects children and adults alike – there is no known cure! However, maybe there will be one day soon, thanks to research initiated by JDRF and funded by your generous donations and participation in events like the Bun Run. More on how Schlotsky’s Supports JDRF.

schlotsky-step-up Another way Schlotzsky’s has been helping to put an end to diabetes is by partnering in the   month-long Step Up! Campaign.This “Give $1, Get $1” in-store promotion offers guests a coupon for $1 off their next Schlotzsky’s purchase for every $1 they donate. It’s a no-brainer decision to make at the cash register.

Schlotsky's Bun Run 2016

More info on the Sept. 24th 2016 Bun Run:

It’s the perfect race for casual runners and serious racers! In addition to a flat and fast certified 5K course for adults through Austin, there is a Kid’s K, which is an easy 1K race for kids 12 and under. Additional activities during Bun Run events include:

  • Team Challenge – Challenge your friends, family and coworkers to a friendly competition
  • Fastest Dog in Austin – Register your dog to run alongside yo for the 5K, complete with a chip timer to track their time
  • Kid’s Korral at the Expo – Fun activities including inflatable soccer, face painting, special treats and more

You can REGISTER HERE! See you on the start line!

schlotsky's pizza

Oh, and I won’t lie, PIZZA is my favorite thing to get at this sandwich shop!

What is your favorite menu item? Have you ever run the Bun Run? Please share in the comments – XOXO, Jennifer 

 

Eating, Exercising, Enjoying #RewardingLife – Fit Foodie Race

This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links.

The Fit Foodie 5k Austin Tx

It was so fun to spend Saturday at my favorite 5k – the Fit Foodie Race Weekend. This amazing event is where food meets fitness meets reconnecting with old friends (and making new friends) interested in living a healthy lifestyle. I haven’t missed a single race day since this event debuted in Austin, Texas a few years back and this year’s John Hancock Hosts the Cooking Light & Health Fit Foodie Race Weekend was definitely the best yet – thank you John Hancock! Someday I hope to get to one of the other venues in Fairfax, San Diego and Tampa.

John Hancock Hosts the Cooking Light & Health Fit Foodie Race Weekend

Of course the race was so much fun before, during and after the running. I was goofing off too much with Ryan Hall and Bill Rodgers (John Hancock elite athletes and marathon legends) at the start and didn’t hear the air horn blast! When I finally had my feet moving in the right direction,

John Hancock Hosts the Cooking Light & Health Fit Foodie Race Weekend

I blazed (in my mind at least!) through the brutal humidity straight to the finish line – oh except that part where I ran off the well-marked course about 200 yards (seriously, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this in races)! In the end, I found the finish line (it was obvious) and was able to defend my Master’s title for another year! Pretty sure I was running so fast to get to the food quicker, haha!

John Hancock Hosts the Cooking Light & Health Fit Foodie Race Weekend - thefitfork.com jennifer fisher handstand

There were so many informative culinary demonstrations and delicious food and beverage samples in the John Hancock Vitality Village – the Strawberry Watermelon Punch was probably my favorite (it’s currently in the July 2016 issue of Cooking Light magazine). That’s because (and y’all know it) I’m a huge watermelon fan and love to get on my soapbox (preferably in a handstand) about how watermelon is a great way to hydrate, fuel up with healthy carbs and possibly gain more endurance and recover more quickly thanks to specific nutrients (like l-citrulline).

Strawberry Watermelon Punch from Cooking Light

I really appreciate how John Hancock Hosts the Cooking Light & Health Fit Foodie Race Weekend shows that healthy eating and staying active not only helps with maintaining steady progress toward a healthier lifestyle – but can also be fun, flavorful and a reason for celebration! My mom just walk-ran her first 5k and started making green protein smoothies for breakfast recently. I think she’s hooked on her new health and fitness journey and knows that small steps can turn into big changes! That’s worth celebrating!

John Hancock Hosts the Cooking Light & Health Fit Foodie Race Weekend

You Can't Out Run a Bad Diet

Some people seem to focus on diet and forget about fitness or vice-versa. I’m more the “vice-versa” type and often have to remind myself that “You can’t out run a bad diet.”

Both daily activity combined with mindful, whole-food nutrition is the key to optimizing your health for life. That’s why John Hancock has introduced Vitality, a life insurance program that rewards people for the healthy choice they make – such as exercising, visiting the doctor and now even purchasing healthy foods at the grocery store! Participants in the HealthyFood program earn points that lead to significant savings on their life insurance premiums and can also be rewarded with up to $600 in real time discounts and/or cash back on nutritious food purchases. Visit JHRewardsLife.com for more information!

What small steps are you taking to improve your health? I’d love to chat, please share in the comments below – XOXO, Jennifer  

I received compensation in exchange for writing this review. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own

 

Winter Workouts – 40 Fitness Hacks for the Holidays

40 Fitness Hacks for the HolidaysRaise your hand if you love the holiday season as much as me!  Now, raise the other hand and jump up and then down to the ground in a burpee – yay, now we’re exercising! Between parties, shopping, baking and volunteering, I sometimes find my self fa-la-la-ing too much and forgetting about my normally-scheduled sweat sessions. Well, I never really “forget” to run or workout, rather I just just can’t figure out how to fit a fitness session into the whirlwind of winter celebrations. Even sneaking in a quick run can be unpredictable when the weather won’t cooperate, traveling is on the agenda, or you’re hosting overnight holiday company.

But, I’ve found that just doing ANYTHING is SOMETHING – fit in a holiday fitness hack wherever you can!  As a firm believer that “all the little things” add up, I’ve made a list (and checked it twice) of exercises you can sneak in when life gets busy. Don’t worry about getting side-glances doing some of the crazy-sounding moves in public — soon you’ll be get getting ALL the attention with your super fit New Year’s body. By the way, I originally came up with these 40 Holiday Fitness Hacks for Core Power High Protein Shakes — an excellent way to power up with 20 – 26g of protein and keep your belly from shaking like jelly!

At home:

  • Wrapping Paper Roll High Knee: Lay out a series wrapping paper rolls on the ground about 2 feet apart. Quickly move laterally, pulling knees up to waist while moving between rolls with each step.
  • Rake Yard: Work up a sweat rounding up all those fallen fall leaves – offer to do the neighbor’s yard, too!
  • Shovel Snow: No leaves left, but have snow? Clear a path for company with this heart-pumping chore!
  • Front Box Carry: Take that heavy box of holiday decorations and hold it at your chest. Walk down the longest hall in your house and back.
  • Ladder Side Plank Dips: After putting up holiday lights, use lower rungs of ladder for a challenging side plank. Rest feet on a rung that is even with your hips and dip down and back up to a side plank.
  • Kitchen Squat Jumps: Take a break from slicing and dicing with a few sets of squat jumps. Put your knife down, lower into a squat and jump upward explosively; repeat.
  • Bar Stool Pistols: Stand side-by-side to bar stool and lower down into a pistol using bar stool for balance; repeat on opposite leg.
  • Yoga Tree Pose: Stop and admire your holiday tree with a classic yoga pose that will challenge and improve your balance. Stand with feet together; bend one leg up at the knee, resting foot anywhere between knee and crotch. Extend arms upward or to sides for balance. Hold until failure and repeat on opposite side.
  • Ab Rolling Pin Roll Outs: While on knees, use rolling pin to extend forward while keeping core engaged; roll back up and repeat. This is proof abs ARE made in the kitchen!
  • Commercial Break Cardio: When watching holiday classics with the kids, get everyone moving with jumping jacks, burpees, mountain climbers or other heart-pumping exercises until the show comes back on. No fast-forwarding with the DVR!

 

In a hotel:

  • Ice Bucket Goblet Squats: Fill ice bucket up to give more weight and hold at chest while dropping down into squats; repeat.
  • Towel Hop: Lay out a series of hand towels 5 or 6 feet apart in a line and use them as your target for standing long jumps.
  • Bed Decline Push-ups: Put feet up on bed and lower down into push-ups; repeat.’
  • Wall Sit: Find an uncluttered wall and slide back down wall until thighs parallel with ground and knees bent at 90 degree angle. Hold as long as you can.
  • Burpees: Knock out as many traditional burpees as you can before hotel room guests below start complaining.
  • Water Bottle Tricep Extension: Grab that one-liter water bottle by the mini bar and get after one-arm tricep extensions. Hold bottle overhead and bending backward at the elbow. A liter only weighs about 2.25 lbs. so ramp up your reps.
  • Bed Bridge: In a room with two beds, see how long you can hold a plank with feet on one bed, arms on the other.
  • Hallway Handstands: Practice handstands in the small hallway inside the hotel room. Kick up to a handstand and balance against the door, or place a folded towel on the ground for headstand modification.
  • Luggage Sumo High Pull: Grab a duffel or small carry-on at the handle with both hands and pull to chin moving elbows upward; lower and repeat.
  • Polar Bear Swim: Head to the hotel pool and knock out a few laps! If not heated, you’ll be motivated to swim fast!

At the mall:

  • Mall Walk: Not just for seniors, you can rack up extra daily steps by taking a couple bonus laps around the stores.
  • Stair Climb: Always choose the stairs over the escalator or elevator – it’s less crowded too!
  • Fitting Room Stretch: Loosen up before sliding into those new skinny jeans with toe touches, windmills and arms-behind-back stretching.
  • Food Court Booty Squeezes: No one will be the wiser if you are flexing and relaxing your glutes repeatedly with this isometric exercise.
  • Park in the Boonies: Leave your car in the furthest away spot from the mall entrance.
  • Shopping Sherpa: Volunteer to carry the entire family’s load of purchases. Distribute weight in bags evenly between both arms for a farmer’s carry type workout.
  • Bench Hops: Find and empty, backless bench and grab sides firmly with both hands. Starting with feet together on one side, jump legs and torso to clear bench and land on the opposing side, with hands staying in place; repeat to other side.
  • Santa Line Lunges: While waiting in the long line to see St. Nick, take every step forward with a lunge. Repeat as the line permits.
  • Ice Skate: Most malls put up rinks during the holiday season, take advantage of the fun and burn around 362 calories per hour.
  • Grand Total Jumping Jacks: When back in the parking lot, tally up your receipts and bust out the same number of jumping jacks. For example, $250 spent means 250 jumping jacks – you’ll warm up as a bonus!

At the market:

  • Top Shelf Calf Raises: Extend up onto your tip-toes for 10 to 20 reps as if reaching to grab a can from the top shelf.  
  • Lower Shelf Squats: Rather than bending over to get an item squat and hold for 15 seconds; repeat.
  • Cart Rows: Hold handle bar of shopping cart with both arms extended and legs shoulder. Pull cart toward you and then push away, without letting go of handle. Fill cart with big bags of dog food for an extra challenge!
  • Milk Jug Side Bends: With legs shoulder-width apart, hold milk jug by handle, hanging arm downward at side. Bend torso at side; return upright and repeat on opposing side.
  • Freezer Aisle Agility: Park cart at one end and run high knees to last freezer door. Stop, do a tuck jump, get anything you need from the freezer and side skip back to cart.
  • Shopper Wood Choppers: Grab heavier items for your holiday recipes (like 5lb. bag of sugar) and set on ground near feet. Pick up with both hands and rotate upward with arms overhead; repeat 10 to 20 times before putting in your cart.
  • Line-Wait Leg Circles: While waiting in line to check out, lift one leg about 8-inches off ground. Keep leg straight, point toe and rotate around in small, imaginary circles.
  • Chest Opener Stretch: Also good while waiting in line, stand with back straight and shoulders pulled back. Reach behind and clasp both hands together while bringing hands up towards head as far as possible. Hold for 15 seconds.
  • Bag It Bicep Curls: Bag your groceries and then hold by handles and knock out a few bicep curls on each side.
  • Homeward-Bound Quad Pulses: While driving home in car, pulse your quads alternating left and right for the duration of each stop light.

Jingle Bell 5k AUstin 2015

I woke up early this weekend to run in the Jingle Bell Dash 5k with a friend. Done by 9 am and still out and about, I was able to tackle last minute holiday shopping!

How are you sneaking in fitness this holiday season? Please share in the comments below – XOXO, Jennifer 

Delicious Fun – Fit Foodie Race Weekend – Austin 5k

For the second year, I’m excited to be an ambassador for Cooking Light & Health’s The Fit Foodie 5K Race Weekend (look for me about 25 seconds into the video)! This three-day event (Mueller Lake Park in Austin, Texas on June 12-14, 2015) is filled with delicious bites and sips, cooking and fitness demonstrations from acclaimed talent, a Sunday Morning Sweat Session featuring Yoga and Pure Barre, and a delicious brunch – not to mention the 5k race! Seriously, it’s an event that speaks to all of my passions and I think you’ll love it too!

Join me for Cooking Light and Health's Fit Foodie 5k Weekend in Austin June 12 -14.

Another thing I love about the event is that it supports a great cause. A percentage of ticket and merchandise sales benefit the American Diabetes Association, whose mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

I ran this race in 2014 and it was so fun! Oh, and did I mention that I WON?! Fist Bump!

I ran this race in 2014 and it was so fun! Oh, and did I mention that I WON?! Fist Bump!

Weekend Schedule (attend one or all):

Friday, June 12: VIP Cocktail Party: Kick off the 5K Race Weekend, and indulge in delicious sips and bites while mixing and mingling with editors of Cooking Light and Health, and your fellow Fit Foodies at the VIP Cocktail Party.

Saturday, June 13: Fit Foodie 5K and Finisher’s Village:  Will you run for food? I know I will! Lace up your sneakers and hit the scenic 5K race before crossing the most delicious finish line ever! Enjoy food and beverage samples (there is tons of food last year), as well as fitness and culinary demonstrations straight from the pages of Cooking Light and Health.

Sunday, June 14: Sunday Sweat Session and Brunch: Yoga and Pure Barre Presented by Fabletics. This one-hour workout is designed to offer an exciting fitness challenge that builds both outer and inner strength. After the morning workout, attendees are invited to toast their weekend successes and enjoy a brunch by a celebrity chef.

Calories Burned, Calories Earned!

Calories Burned, Calories Earned!

Tickets are priced at $55 per event, or $155 for the whole weekend.  But if you use the discount code FITFORK you can get a 10% off advance online ticket sales! To purchase tickets, go to: www.fitfoodierun.com

Be sure to follow The Fit Foodie Race Weekend on Facebook at  or on Twitter and Instagram at @FitFoodieRun for the latest news, contests, and promotions! 

If you’ve ever run The Fit Foodie 5k (whether Austin, Fairfax, Chicago or San Diego) let me know what you loved most in the comments below!

Colorful Protein Smoothie & Run or Dye 5k

Layered strawberry and blueberry smoothie

With the family vacation to Washington, DC and the recent celebration of Independence Day, I’ve been feeling pretty patriotic.  That’s why I’m still blending up delicious and nutritious Red, White & Blue Smoothies and declaring my independence from sugary soft drinks. This healthy frozen beverage is perfect for a breakfast that won’t have you crashing in an hour or also as a muscle-making post-workout treat.

That time we went to the White House.

That time we went to the White House.

Red, White & Blue Protein Smoothie

  • (11.5 oz.) bottle Vanilla Core Power or milk of choice(divided)
  • ½ cup frozen blueberries
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup of frozen red fruit (cherries, strawberries, raspberries, or mix)
  • Ice, as needed
  • Whipped cream, sprinkles and fresh fruit (optional garnish)
  1. Blend blue layer first. Add 1/3 bottle of Core Power high protein milkshake into the blender along with blueberries. Blend until smooth, adding ice if needed to thicken up. Divide among two 16-ounce glasses.
  2. Rinse out blender before making the white layer. Add 1/3 bottle of Core Power Greek yogurt and small handful of ice. Blend until smooth and pour over blue layers.
  3. Make red layer by adding the remaining 1/3 bottle of Core Power to blender along with red fruit and ice, if needed. Blend until smooth and pour over white layers.
  4. Top with whipped cream, sprinkles and fresh fruit to garnish. Serves 2.

Tip: Place glasses in freezer during the preparation of each layer to prevent melting. However, if the smoothie does melt together (which happens in the hot summer), it still has an awesome tie-died look. 

This yummy layered smoothie isn’t the only colorful thing I have to share today — I’m also pumped for the upcoming Run or Dye 5k race.

Blog_Austin_3

I’ve run a lot of races in my day, but not one that sounds nearly as fun as the Run or Dye –it’s billed as the world’s most colorful 5k. Run with your friends or kids to make vivid memories, everyone will long be swapping stories about the color-blasting on the course!  The Austin, Texas Run or Dye 5k is headed to the Travis County Expo Center on the morning of August 30, 2014 and I have a special discount code for you to use – get $10 off admission with the code BLOGAUSTIN .

If you’re on the fence, don’t be. I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and looking forward to getting messy – and I’m inviting my BRF (best running friend) to join me.  In my opinion, finishing a race resembling a rainbow is so much better than having mud in every body crevice –plus, how much fun to be laughing with friends along the way. So, the deal with Run or Dye is that you wear white running gear  (for the best effect, but you can wear whatever you want) and get sprayed with safe, eco-friendly dye every kilometer on the course – the dye is made with cornstarch and washes off in the shower and allegedly out of clothes (but I wouldn’t wear anything new)!

So, doesn’t this look like a big, beautiful blast – a riotous rainbow of fun?  After the run, hang out at the Dye Festival and “tie-dye” the sky in an overhead, over-the-top showering of color.  Join the Run or Dye Facebook page so you don’t miss out on any of the action. And, don’t forget to register for  Austin, Tx Run or Dye race with the code BLOGAUSTIN for $10 off!

So, have you run a Run or Dye or similar race before – what tips do I need to know?! Please share in the comments.