Friends Don’t Let Friends Drink Coffee Alone + FlexBrew #Giveaway

This post and giveaway are sponsored by Hamilton Beach. However, all opinions are completely my own.

Friends don't let friends drink coffee alone! - TheFitFork.com

Friends don’t let friends drink coffee alone. I’m supportive like that. If I see a friend drinking her daily cuppa Joe by herself, you bet your slow-roasted fancy beans that I’m taking time out to join that java break and catch up on all our news, plans and gossip. And after a reconnection with each other and recharge with coffee, my friend and I just have to cut loose with all the newfound energy.

Drink Coffee Do Stupid Things Faster and With More Energy!The do say that coffee makes you do stupid things (in our case, just silly) stuff faster and with more energy!

We might have had some coffee before these hula-hooping presses – just sayin’!

 

2-Way FlexBrew® Coffee Maker Speaking of doing stuff faster and better, getting better coffee faster is good.  The 2-Way FlexBrew® Coffee Maker from Hamilton Beach is just double the awesome. This countertop companion (aka, your new best friend) makes sure you get your coffee ASAP in the morning – you don’t even have to open your eyes and drive to the Starbucks. That little outing just takes too much time and energy if you haven’t already been perked up by coffee.

If in a rush and don’t want a whole pot to go to waste, no worries. The 2-Way FlexBrew® Coffee Maker offers options – use the single-serve side to make coffee right into a 14-ounce travel mug (use your favorite ground beans or for even more convenience, a single-serve K-Cup® pack)!  On the weekends, when you know you could kill the whole carafe, this versatile coffee maker brews up a full 12-cup pot.

2-Way FlexBrew® Coffee Maker  Giveaway - TheFitFork.com

Other stuff to love about the The 2-Way FlexBrew® Coffee Maker – you can choose regular or “bold brew” strength, there is a pause button that lets you stop the brewing to nab a cub before the cycle is through, and a programmable timer with 2-hour automatic shut off. Everything is detailed in stainless steel, so it’s going to look really snazzy sitting on your kitchen countertop! Available at Walmart and other home goods retailers.

So, I’m giving one away, hurray!Just enter through the Rafflecopter App below:
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One-Pot Balsamic Chicken and Couscous + #Giveaway LitehouseFoods

One Pot Creamy Balsamic Chicken with Couscous - TheFitFork.com

Do you ever look around after preparing a meal and feel like you’ve dirtied up EVERY pot, pan and bowl in your collection? No one ever seems to honor the “I cooked so you clean” rule on those nights when I create a bit too much chaos in the kitchen!  But, wait until you see this delicious recipe I created for the Litehouse Foods blog —  One-Pot Cream Balsamic Chicken and Couscous!  It’s truly a busy-night blessing, only ONE dish and a couple utensils to clean up . . . and did I mention tasty?

This one-pot recipe is a well-balanced, nutritious meal inspired by Mediterranean cuisine, so pour yourself a glass of red wine if you must!  Featuring colorful red tomatoes (I love the little Cherubs) and yellow peppers, everyone’s favorite chicken breasts, whole wheat couscous, creamy balsamic sauce and a finishing crunch or garlicky croutons, I seriously doubt you’ll have any leftovers to scrape out of that one single pot!!

One Pot Balsamic Chicken and Couscous - TheFitFork.com

Please head over to Living Lighthouse to grab this recipe for One-Pot Creamy Balsamic Chicken and Couscous!

So, what’s for dessert? I love having “dressed up” fruit for dessert like my Salted Honey and Ginger Broiled Grapefruit or Watermelon with Fruit Salsa. But if you’re looking for a quick and healthy dessert that won’t dirty up any dishes in the making, how about just sticking some dark chocolate chips into raspberries and eating right out of the carton!

Chocolate Chip Stuffed Raspberries - TheFitFork.com

Win Litehouse Foods Coupons - TheFitFork.comTo encourage you to make some of these yummy recipes, I’m giving away five (5) coupons for Litehouse Food’s Products (they expire on 12/31/15).  Litehouse Foods makes all sorts of fresh products like traditional salad dressings and vinaigrettes; Greek yogurt based dressings and dips; caramels and sweet dips, freeze-dried herbs; artisanal cheeses and more. You can find most of these products in the refrigerated section of your market’s fresh produce section and gourmet cheese area. Two of the coupons are specifically designated for the Artisan Reserve Cheeses including gorgonzola, blue cheese and feta.
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Compression Gear Saved My Butt on CrossFit WOD 15.1 and #TommieCopper Giveaway

Tommie Copper for CrossFit - thefitfork.com

Celebrating the finish of CrossFit Games Open WOD 15.1

Trampoline Straddle Jump - TheFitFork.comLast year I discovered Tommie Copper, a fabulous fitness wear brand for all my active endeavors like running, CrossFit, yoga and jumping around on the trampoline like a fool. Tommie Copper was founded in 2010 as a natural solution for reaching peak performance by speeding along muscle and joint recovery through compression. Whoohoo, I love me some compression! The unique hook of Tommie Cooper is that their compression and active fit (not so tight) lines of performance apparel are fashioned from fabric infused with high density activated copper. Not only does the proprietary copper fabric serve as an anti-bacterial agent, it also releases ions which may help reduce harmful oxidants in the body. Tommie Copper Women's Workout Outfit - TheFitFork.com

CrossFit Games Open WOD 15.1

Recently they sent me an outfit to wear for one of my WODs in the CrossFit Games Open. It was so cute that I naturally had to wear it on the first workout, WOD 15.1.  This workout was a 9-minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) of 15 toes-to-bar, 10 deadlifts and 5 snatches. I won’t get into the nitty-gritty details of strategy, but the quick story is I decided to do the “scaled” workout because this skinny chick could not handle the prescribed 75lb snatches. If I couldn’t even do one, it meant I’d have to stand there and watch the clock run – it happened to me in one of the workouts last year. So, instead I strategically decided to do the scaled version with slightly lighter weight and go for max reps – and I did get a lot!

tommie copper outfit catalog

I was so happy to have the Performance Compression Fold-Over Shorts on to give me some extra support around my core and keep the lactic acid rushing in as a knocked out 74 deadlifts and 35 clean and jerks in that 9 minutes (not to mention the bar work). They were so comfortable, no rubbing on the ergonomic seams at all and the super wide waist band folds over as low or as high as needed for extra compression. I stayed in them for a couple hours afterward for recovery! The Performance Active Fit Racer Back Tank is also a winner, I’ve worn this top before in white and it’s one of those light, quick-drying tops you don’t even notice you have on (that’s a good thing) and the pomegranate heather color is so pretty!

GIVEAWAY!!!!!! 

I’d love for one of you to try one of the products from the Tommie Copper line (they also have men’s stuff for the guys) and I’m giving away a $50 gift code. Please enter through the Rafflecopter app below.

This post and giveaway is sponsored by TommieCopper.com. However, they did not tell me what to say or how to say it; all opinions and comments are my own.

 

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Benefits of Running & Music | Get 1 Free Month RockMyRun Rockstar + Giveaway

WANT ONE FREE MONTH OF ROCKMYRUN PREMIUM ROCKSTAR, NO STRINGS ATTATCHED? KEEP READING . . . (btw, this post and giveaway sponsored by RockMyRun.com

Jennifer Fisher at Zooma Texas Half Marathon

Crushing a challenging Texas Hill Country race (Zooma Texas Half Marathon) with the help of music. Music for the win!

Should you run and workout listening to music, or not? I’ve blogged on the topic before (here), so no need to rehash every little detail. In my opinion, if music provides some motivation to get up off the couch and is used safely (be aware of traffic, stranger danger, and hearing loss if too loud), then by all means hit the play button and boogie on. I wear headphones on the treadmill and in many longer races, perhaps half of the time while running my neighborhood – but rarely in a shorter races or speed workouts on the track. In these cases, I like to focus all my senses on the feedback I’m getting from my body – it just seems like music gets in the way.  Oh, and never with a friend – there is just too much catching up to do!

One Free Month RockMyRun.com Premium Rockstar Membership

I do love music, but must have a short attention span. One thing I’ve noticed is that I get bored with my music library very quickly — ugh, and then it’s just the same old songs wearing me down. So needless to say, I was excited to try out Rock My Run, a free, top rated fitness music smartphone app available for iOS and Android. RockMyRun creates high energy, motivational mixes that are designed by DJ’s specifically for exercise – right now, I’m listening to the Super Twerk Mix (don’t laugh) that has a two hour play list of hip-hop specifically mixed to keep 200 beats per minute (bpm). I like the faster mixes that are 180 to 200 bpm because that’s the same number I like to keep per minute for foot strikes during tempo runs, speed work and races.

Rock My Run Giveaway - TheFitFork.com

If you use the RockMyRun app on your iPhone or Android, check out the myBeat™ Body Driven Music feature. Proprietary algorithms read your steps per minute, heart rate and soon pace to adjust and deliver content (music tempo – BPM) in real time to match, motivate or calm you at just the right moment. MIND BLOWN! You can also able to manually change the BPM of the mixes on RockMyRun to help them achieve a personal goal.

RockMyRun creates lots of other high energy, motivational mixes that are designed by DJ’s specifically for exercise. Use of the app has recently been proven to increase the enjoyment of the running experience by up to 35 percent compared to static playlists or no music.  Other studies have shown that running with music can increase your performance by 15 percent —  the USTFA lifted their strict sanctions against headphone use in 2008 and left the decision in the hands of individual race directors. However, headphones remain banned for any athlete competing in a USA Championship — no music doping, you must suffer in silence!

Music and Exercise Infographic - TheFitFork.com

Click infographic to find out other interesting info about music and exercise.

It’s superfast and easy to download the Rock My Run app on your iPhone or android, create an account and start downloading mixes through WiFi. If you don’t want to hear ads while streaming music, you can sign up for RockMyRun Rockstar (premium) memberships for as little as $35.99 per year or $4.99 going month to month – you are even allowed to download a limited amount of mixes to a personal music player – that’s how I’ve been listening on the Wifi-less trails. I also really appreciate how clean lyric mixes are available, because who really wants to explain Truffle Butter to their kids?! To get you started, Rock My Run is offering ALL MY READERS a code that will get you ONE FREE MONTH OF ROCKMYRUN PREMIUM ROCKSTAR – just enter RMRBJ at RockMyRun.com, download the app onto your phone and get rockin’!

fit 2.0 jlabI am also giving away one GRAND PRIZE —  an entire YEAR of RockMyRun Rockstar plus a pair of JLab Audio’s Fit 2.0 Sport Earbuds.  Whoohoo, take advantage of the one free month and enter to win the full year and headphones in the Rafflecopter app below:

 

rock my run logo

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Cute Run and Fitness Accessories #Giveaway + Sit-Up Handstand Exercise

Runner Girl Accessories Giveaway - TheFitFork.comThe holidays are a month behind us now and I’m getting a little nostalgic for giving gifts!  That’s why I’ve put together a collection of fitness-inspired accessories that any girl would enjoy for her run or workout. Several of these companies I met at The Running Event trade show in Austin this past December and they were kind enough to give me products to sample and then extra to give away to one of you!  There are five fun little treats in this giveaway (entry at bottom of post):

Vim and vigr logo Vim & Vigr Compression Socks I didn’t know about this company that makes stylish and effective compression socks until just a couple months ago. So happy to have found them! Vim & Vigr socks are cute and perfect to wear during a run or workout as well as to keep your legs alive if you’re stuck all day travelling or behind a desk. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably noticed I count on compression socks for performance and muscle recovery – they help to increase oxygen delivery, decrease lactic acid, prevent cramps, and minimize muscle fatigue – especially after a hard work out (oh, and I have a fun exercise for you to add to your workouts at the bottom of this post).  Vim & Vigr is my new favorite with so many fun styles for women and men, including the Women’s Navy & Cobalt (size M) that I am giving away.

vim vigr socks

Great for the gym or CrossFit, too!

momentum designs that move youMomentum Designs That Move You – I love how this 20+ year old jewelry company was inspired to create their Momentum fitness line – while looking at a bare wrist during an extremely long and torturous plank. Words of motivation were needed (I can relate) and the Motivate Wrap was born.

live joyfully bracelet I’m giving away the “Live Joyfully” rectangle motivate wrap, but there are lots of other inspiring choices as well as other products including Foot Notes (inspirational jewelry for your exercise shoes), suede cuffs, necklaces and more.

bondi band logo

 

 

 

Bondi Band Headband this company makes a lot of fun and functional fitness accessories and I am a fan of the moisture-wicking headbands.  Why do I like them, lots of reasons!  First, these fitness headbands keep sweat from dripping down into my eyes and the thin fabric dries quickly. Second, they are wide enough to keep all the bangs, fringes and wild hairs I have from falling into my face while working out (being tickled by my own hair during times of exercise stress is one of my biggest pet peeves). Third, the come in nearly every color and fun phrase combination and you can even place custom orders.

Motivational Magnet – This “I’ll be Thelma, You be Louise’ vintage-inspired magnet makes me laugh. I thought it would be a fun little accessory to stick on your fridge or front to remind you to hit the road and make a run for it. Also, did you know that there is actually a Thelma & Louise Half Marathon? It’s June 5th in Moab, Utah . . . . I may have to do this one!

Swankies Heart Tissues – You never know when you’ll need to blow your know and please don’t do it on the sleeve of your running jacket.  This small little pack of tissues easily fits in a pocket so you can wipe up (anything) on a long run – I pick hearts because I “heart” running and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.

Looking for a way to mix up your workout — try these “Stand Up” Sit Up to Hand Stands I’m demo-ing with my friend Valerie.

“Stand Up” Sit Up to Hand Stand –  This has been a favorite exercise of mine now for quite a while, it’s just fun once you get the hang of it. It’s a moderately advanced compound move that uses core power and explosive strength for the stand-up sit-up and shoulders, core and balance for the handstand. A huge test of fitness is if you can get out of a seated position without using your arms to push off the floor, and this exercise works best with the momentum of rolling backward into the sit up– but it may take a while to get there.  Watch the video, if you are having trouble, break the exercise down into 2 parts – 1) lay on back with feet about two feet from a wall. Roll back and then sit up explosively into standing position in one fluid motion. If this is too hard, sit up and use hands as needed to push off the floor. 2) From standing position, kick or straddle jump into handstand position. Hold for 1 to 2 seconds and then kick down, sitting down immediately to begin another sit up. Try for 3 sets of 10 reps, but stop if you start feeling dizzy.
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