A Great Read & Fitness Giveaway

I promised you a double giveaway this month, so today's your chance to win some remarkably cool and very useful prizes from several different sponsors celebrating the release of DEAD RUNNING from Cami Checketts. 

(For those of you who received this post a day early, I apologize. Blogger has changed post formatting much to my surprise!) 

Good luck to everyone! And F.Y.I., this week I will be running my first official one mile fun run at Atlanta's Race for Riley. Yes, I know it's only a mile, but it's a huge accomplishment for me. Baby steps! Wish me luck as well...

Giveaway Time

(Yay for free stuff!)

We’re celebrating the release of Cami Checketts’ novel Dead Running with a huge fitness giveaway.

Prizes Include:

Experienced and beginner yoga packages from Hugger Mugger

Two MIO Global Active Watches

Three months online personal training from Fitcore Fitness

Three Lebert Stretch Straps

Fitness Apparel from Running Chics

One pair of running shoes from Altra Zero Drop

iFrogz Earbuds and Armbands

Six month adult membership: Smithfield Recreation Center

One month membership: Crossfit UAC

**Autographed copy of Dead Running by Cami Checketts**

How to Enter

Win one of these amazing prizes simply by (1) following this blog and (2) leaving a comment below. 

Please visit each of our sponsors’ websites to learn more about their products and decide which one you’d like to win. While you’re at their site, like their page or follow their blog to show our gratitude for their donation to this fun blogfest. You can enter on as many different blogs as you like, a list of the participating blogs is featured at the end of this post. 

Thanks to our sponsors:

Hugger Mugger Yoga Experienced

and Beginner Yoga Packages.

Value: $325.00

Hugger Mugger Website

Hugger Mugger on Facebook

Two MIO Global Active Watches

Value: $239.98

MIO’s Website

Sign up for My MIO

Like MIO on Facebook

MIO is the number one brand in strapless Heart Rate monitoring

with features like calorie management systems, all day steps counting,

distance tracking, and fitness assessment tools.

Three months online fitness training

Value: $150

Fitcore Website -- Fitcore on Facebook

Three Lebert Stretch Straps

Value: $48.49 each

Lebert Fitness Website

Like Lebert Fitness on Facebook

Flexibility and mobility are two vital components of fitness.

The Lebert Stretch Strap™ is a simple, innovative tool that will

allow you to stretch more comfortably and hold that stretch longer!

Two $50 Gift Certificates to spend on Running Chics fitness apparel.

Running Chics Website

Running Chics on Facebook

Whether you're running a race or just running around town, you should feel comfortable.

And there's no reason you shouldn't look good, too!

We're Running Chics...just like you,

and we know that fashion and performance can go hand-in-hand.

Altra Running Shoes - Value: $109.99

Altra Zero Drop Website - Altra Running on Facebook

Altra Zero Drop Footwear features the world's first ever line of

fully cushioned Zero Drop™ running shoes

designed to improve form and reduce initial impact.

iFrogz Armbands and Earbuds - Value: $175.00

iFrogz Website - iFrogz on Facebook

iFrogz is native to Cache Valley and offers awesome

accessories for your iPods, iPhones, and iPads.

Six month adult membership - Value: $157

Smithfield Recreation Website - Smithfield Rec. on Facebook

One Month Membership - Value: $90.00

Crossfit’s Website - Crossfit on Facebook

*Available in Cache Valley only

Thank you to Cami Checketts for this great giveaway. Make sure to check out her new release for a great read today!

















Other Participating Blogs
Amber Argyle

Hungry Runner Girl

Make it Simple Sister

A Journey in the Shoes of a Foodie, Athlete & Wife

Doritos and Fitness?

Happy Feet Update

If you follow my posts, then you remember that last February I started a walking program that would gradually progress into running. I'm happy to report that I have now reached the two mile mark. It's slow and ugly, but since I haven't actually made my body move like this since junior high, I'm proud and to be honest, amazed, at my progress. I have to thank good old Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser television program for the motivation. I've been watching that series for years, but this is the first time I've gotten serious about getting off the couch. More about my two day a week spin class another time. 

Watch out for next week's Fitness giveaway sponsored by author Cami Checketts, featuring gym bags, watches and much more.  It should be very exciting. I'm entering myself!

Not So Fancy Foodie

The people around the house I live with call me "Mom," and lately it's almost a curse word with all of the changes they've seen in the pantry. I've tried to focus on healthy eating the past few years, but after introducing spinach into the family diet last year I've lost some of my popularity. The fitness routine I've adapted this year includes lots of nuts, fruit and popcorn in the snack basket, so the restless natives are murmuring over the loss of Oreos and snack cakes. They'll adapt. If I can do it, they can, too.

In order to make up for some lost calories, this weekend I made a Doritos casserole recipe recommended to me by a friend whose mother has been making it for their family for years. I can't say it's the healthiest dish in the world, but it was super fast and easy, and who isn't going to drool over a pan full of Doritos? This recipe comes from Charles Gibson on Good Morning America. Give it a try if you're in the mood for something on the naughty side. You can always walk it off after dinner!

Charles Gibson's Enchilada Casserole (Adapted):

1 large bag of Doritos

2 tablespoons of chopped onion

1 10-ounce can of chili with beans (Try a low-fat turkey chili!)

10- to 15-ounce enchilada sauce

8-ounce can tomato sauce

1 and 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (Low-fat cheese never hurts!)

Topping Ingredients:

2 cups of Doritos

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1¼ cups sour cream (Make it fat free!)

Directions:

Crumble about 6 cups Doritos into a large mixing bowl. Add the onion, chili, enchilada sauce, tomato sauce and 1½ cups of cheddar cheese to the crumbled Doritos. Stir to combine. Place mixture into a 9X13 oven proof casserole dish sprayed with Pam. Bake for 20 minutes on 375 degrees. Remove from the oven. Spread the sour cream over the top of the casserole with a large spoon or rubber spatula. Top with remaining 2 cups Doritos. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese. Bake for another five minutes and serve.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to the winner of last week's ebook giveaway. Entry #4, "Andrea," wins a copy of B.J. Robinson's SOUTHERN SUPERSTITIONS. She'll be in touch soon. Enjoy!

Favs Post & Book Giveaway

This week's Fav post is about my favorite sleep tool: Mid Nite melatonin tablets. I know, I know, I used to say melatonin didn't work for me either. I pretty much haven't had a regular sleep schedule since before puberty. The majority of early morning hours in my lifetime have been spent staring at the ceiling while I worried about everyone else's problems, redecorated the house, landscaped the garden or decorated for the next Halloween--all in my head. I've been known to outline entire novels in six hours of darkness while everyone else around me lay sleeping. Such is the curse of an insomniac.

Probably all of my sleep problems could be solved by a visit to the doctor's office and a strong prescription, but I always hesitate to cross that line as over-the-counter sleep meds have never worked, and I already see my doctor often enough due to back issues. Living with a lack of sleep is something my family has learned to work around. Mom stays up late and doesn't get up early. Since trying Mid Nite last fall though, things have definitely improved. 

The difference between these melatonin tables and others seems to be that they are also laced with chamomile, lemon balm and lavender. I do have to take two to get to sleep within two hours, and some nights are better than others, but on a whole they work pretty well. I once had to take an antihistamine before bed and still took the melatonin. I don't recommend that. I did fall asleep pretty fast but didn't feel quite right. It's common sense not to mix medications, so be careful if you take anything else before bed. You do want to wake up after all.

If you have problems sleeping or waking up in the middle of the night, I highly recommend giving Mid Nite a try. They melt in your mouth and can be kept right at your bedside. The best part is, you won't feel sluggish in the morning.

Giveaway Time!

This month there will be two giveaways, and today's freebie is an e-book Inspirational romance with mystery and superstition--B.J. Robinson's SOUTHERN SUPERSTITIONS. 

I read and enjoyed Ms. Robinson's last novel, LAST RESORT, set in Florida and the strawberry farming community. This new novel promises to be as entertaining and reflective as her first.

To win a copy of SOUTHERN SUPERSTITIONS, simply comment on this post and leave an email address where you can be contacted. 

THIS CONTEST ENDS 4/15/12 AT MIDNIGHT.

More about BJ Robinson:

BJ Robinson, a former newspaper columnist and an award-wining author, has numerous poems, articles, short stories, essay and devotionals published. Her article "Honoring God's Calling" was published in the Fall 2010 edition of Together. Published devotionals include two with MustardSeed Ministries, seven with Standard Publishing in the Spring of 2010, and one in words to Write By: Author Devotionals compiled by Robin Bayne. Another will be published in 2011 in Hurray God! In college, her short story won first prize and was published in the university's literary magazine, and her first college essay was published. In the third grade, her pet story was published in a local newspaper. "Mother's Glimpse of Heaven" was published in FATE Magazine in 2002. "POD Publishing: What's to Gain?" was published in Christian Fiction Online Magazine in March 2009. A short story was published in Pebble Lake Review in the Summer of 2004. She won a trophy for First Runner Up in a Florida Writer's Association contest in 2002. When she's not writing, she's reading and reviewing books on her blog. Barbara lives in Florida with her husband, cocker spaniel, golden retriever, and cat, blessed with sons, daughters, grandchildren and faith.