Review: Hemp Hearts

I recently received a complimentary bag of Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts to try out.

Being a Sweat Pink Ambassador has its perks. ;-)

These tiny little hemp hearts are delicious and add a little nutty flavor/texture to whatever you wish to sprinkle them on. They're perfect for after a tough workout or just whenever you need a little energy boost.

I used some to make a delicious blueberry, kiwi smoothie.

I sprinkled some onto a tasty wrap sandwich.

And onto a bowl of potato soup.

I even tried out one of the recipes on their site - Hemp Hearts & Coconut Bar

And O.M.G. These were GOOD!! Seriously, so DELICIOUS!! I only had about 1/4 cup left in my sample bag, so, regrettably, I had to make a pretty small batch. :-(

Sadly, all it made was these 4 little bars. I tried my best to savor them, but it was REALLY difficult to not scarf them all down in one sitting.

My sample might be all gone, but the awesome folks at Manitoba Harvest offered to send a free bag of Hemp Hearts to one lucky reader, so you can try this recipe yourself!

Or use them any other way you'd like.

Just enter using the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Have you ever tried Hemp Hearts?
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Birthday Party Prizes

Good morning!

We're now over halfway through my birthday streak party! Only 18 more days until my birthday!! It's going to be a fun weekend, and I can barely wait. Guess I'll just keep running until then. LOL.

It's a pretty small party right now, and I'd love to still have YOU JOIN THE FUN! Just fill out this form to gain access to the spreadsheet where you can log all your runs and yoga sessions. You can start today OR you can retroactively enter any runs/yoga you've done since 7/5.

YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE TO STREAK! You can earn points for each run or yoga session that you do, even if you miss a day here or there.

Here are the prizes you could win!

A box of Cocogo!

I love this stuff! Such a delicious way to re-hydrate after a run. I just became an ambassador for them as well. So exciting! I'm running low on my stash, though. Time to put in an order. :)

If you want to try it NOW instead of waiting to see if you've won, you can get 40% off by using ENJOYINGTHECOURSE during checkout. Shop here.

You can follow Cocogo on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

A gift pack from Proud Runner!

This includes TWO pairs of socks, some stickers, and some temporary tattoos. I received the very same pack, and let me just say that I LOVE THESE SOCKS! Especially the cute ladybug socks. Both pairs are soft and comfy. The ladybuy socks are a low-rise sock, which is why I like them better.

You can follow Proud Runner on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Detour Smart Bars!

I recently received one box of each flavor to review. They were so delicious, I stashed 3 bars of each flavor to send to YOU as a birthday gift. I don't tend to be a huge fan of protein bars, but could honestly eat these all. day. long. The blueberry and apple cinnamon are definitely my faves. The texture is good and the flavor is delicious! I LOVE the yogurt drizzle on top. Yum!

You can follow Detour on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

A Bondi Band!

These headbands are perfect! They keep the sweat out of my eyes and they're super fun! Plus they can double as an ear warmer in the winter. :)

You can follow Bondi Band on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

And last, but not least, a multi-grip stretch strap!

We ordered one of these online a few months ago. We were accidentally shipped two. We tried to return it, but were told to just keep it. Something about not being able to find anything to return.

Works out for you because now I have an extra one to giveaway!










I'd love to have YOU PARTY WITH ME! In addition to running and yoga, you can earn extra points by sharing pictures, tweeting, and/or following any of the sponsors on Twitter (or your favorite social media platform).

JOIN THE PARTY TODAY!
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Fitness Friday 1/10

It's finally FRIDAY!! It's been one LOOOONG week, and I am definitely ready for the weekend.

We're now 10 days into the New Year! I hope your year is off to a fabulous start. :)

I've got some pretty exciting news to share with you!!

You know that #SunMoonChallenge I started on Jan 1st? Well, I've got a giveaway lined up now!

Barefoot Yoga offers all kinds of great yoga supplies, clothing, and mats, and they've generously offered to give one of YOU a Hybrid Eco Mat.

I love anything that's eco-friendly, so I'm really excited about this mat. It doesn't contain phthalates or heavy metals, plus the method of production is completely non-toxic and latex free.

How awesome is that? I never really thought about a yoga mat containing toxins before, but I love that there's a mat out there that's non-toxic. Healthier for me AND better for the environment. Win-Win!

The Hybrid Eco Mat that's up for grabs

Even if you haven't been able to join the challenge yet, you can start today for your chance to win this mat. :)

Originally, the challenge was to start with one sun salutation in the morning and one moon salutation before bed and then add one of each every day.

If you're unfamiliar with the Sun Salutation A or the Moon Salutation, you can read this post for more info and helpful tips on doing these salutations.

Since I created the challenge without ever having done a moon salutation, by day 7, I decided that adding a salutation every day was too much for me for the moons.

Post by Enjoying the Course.

The intent behind the challenge was really to get us to the mat everyday, so I'm re-inviting all of you to join me! You can do just one sun and one moon every day OR you can do however many you want. Just be sure an do at least one sun and one moon each day from 1/10 through 1/31.

To enter the giveaway, use the Rafflecopter below to let me know when you've done your salutations.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
You may want to bookmark this Rafflecopter to easily enter every day. I'm also adding a tab to my Facebook page for your convenience. :)

NOTE: To be eligible to win, you need to be a US resident and enter at least 10x from 1/10-1/31. I've made the "Tweet about the Giveaway" a mandatory daily option, but if you're not on Twitter, just enter the number of salutations you did that day in the URL field. Ex. "Not on Twitter, but did 10 salutations."

Update: I've removed the at least 10x stipulation as a requirement to win.

And now for my weekly recap.

Saturday, 1/4

• #sunmoonchallenge (4 each)
• Weight-Free Arms and 8-min Abs

Sunday, 1/5

• #sunmoonchallenge (5 each)
• 3 mile run

Monday, 1/6

• #sunmoonchallenge (6 each)
• Arms and Abs

Tuesday, 1/7

• #sunmoonchallenge (7 sun; 3 moon)

Wednesday, 1/8

• #sunmoonchallenge (8 sun; 1 moon)
• Arms and Abs

Thursday, 1/9

• #sunmoonchallenge (9 sun; 3 moon)
• 2.65 mile run

Highlights
I'm really enjoying this yoga challenge. Even though I've changed my expectations for the moon salutations, I love the stretching I'm doing every day with these sequences. I'm trying to really focus on deepening my poses. A couple of days ago, I even made the switch from Cobra to Updog! :-D

My energy has been completely zapped in the evenings after work. I missed my run on Tuesday because I was so busy before work and then so tired after work. :( I more than made up for it with yesterday's treadmill run, though. It was a short distance, but I really pushed it - doing intervals in the 8.0+ and resting at 6.0. I'm not used to that kind of speed, but I figure that's one step to getting used to it again.

That's about it for this week's Fitness Friday. After you've finished your morning sun salutations, hop on over to Jill's to see what everyone else is talking about fitness today.
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Start the New Year with Diet-to-Go

Does one of your New Year's Resolutions include eating healthier or losing weight? Is this a recurring resolution year-after-year? This year make an anti-resolution and instead make lasting, lifelong changes for weight loss and total health.

Diet-to-go can help!

They're hosting a Twitter chat on January 7 – focusing on a discussion about changing our mindsets from “I want to be skinny!” to “I want to be healthy and love life!”

I’ve spent years with the “I want to be skinny!” mantra, but it was more of a dream for me. Or nightmare? That mantra would make me feel bad about myself. And deny me the happiness I deserve.

Instead, I try now to focus more on living my life the way I want. If I don’t look perfect in my bikini, that’s OK. What’s more important is being able to DO the things I love to do! By living an active life, I’m much happier, but there are still days when that “I want to be skinny!” voice starts yelling at me again. Booo!

So, I’m excited for this twitter chat. I love chatting with others who are trying to focus on shifting from skinny to healthy.

And, of course, there are some great prizes! ONE tweeter will win their choice of a Fitbit Force Wristband or Fitbit Scale and THREE tweeters will win one week of free Diet-to-Go meals.

Oh yeah! Diet-to-Go is also having an amazing giveaway in January.

They’re giving away 1,000 meals this month, and tons of other great prizes!

• 5 lucky winners will receive one month of free meals! 
• 20 winners will receive a free week of meals! 
• 25 winners will receive a $50 Diet-to-Go gift card!

Wow! So exciting!!

If you haven't tried Diet-to-Go meals, now's your chance! You can read my reviews of their meals here and here.

Entering is super easy, too. All you need to do is enter your email address in the widget below. You can earn additional entries for liking and sharing on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Plus, get unlimited bonus entries for each friend you refer!




For more information on the giveaway, you can read the announcement on the Diet-to-Go Blog.

Oh, and if you missed my 2014 goals, you can read about my exciting plans for the year here.
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Disclosure: As a Diet-to-Go Ambassador, I will receive compensation for this post promoting their Twitter chat on 1/7/2014 as well as their 1,000 meal giveaway.

Factors of 36 Winners!!

Thanks again to everyone who joined me in my Factors of 36 virtual race!!

I had a blast knowing I was running with such awesome company.

I loved hearing how you all pushed yourself to go just a bit further or how this virtual race helped motivate you to keep up with your training or start running again.

You're all winners to me!! Together we ran a total of 991 miles. Sah-weet!!

I wish I had a prize for each of you, but alas, I had to choose only seven. Each run logged on the spreadsheet counted for one point + sharing points + early registrations equaled a total of 391 entries.

I drew 7 random numbers using Randomizer.org.

And the winners are...

• Adrienne from Runner Mom * Not Fast but Not Last
• Chris from Inspiral Coaching
• egb from Running on E
• Matt from Muddy Calves
• Nicolasa from Shoe Laces & Bibs
• Rhonda from Kids Running Wild
• Teresa

Prizes will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis, so email me at enjoyingthecourse@gmail.com ASAP with your top two choices.

If you didn't win (or even if you did!), I threw the Factors of 36 logo onto a few items at CafePress - in case anyone was interested in buying a little memento. :) This is my first time using CafePress, so let me know if you run into any issues.

Make Custom Gifts at CafePress

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How about a little Sustained Energy?

I did a pretty fun stairs workout this morning.

It was AWESOME! But it wiped me out. Time to recover and restore some of that energy.

Designer Whey has come out with a new addition to their line of protein powders - Sustained Energy. You may have seen an ad for it in the June issue of Shape magazine.

As a FitFluential ambassador, I was given the opportunity to take this protein powder for a test drive. Perfect timing for me as I received a canister of both the Vanilla Bean and the Chocolate Velvet right at the beginning of marathon training.

Delicious for recovery. On mornings like today.

Or just to wake up in the morning. For those days, when the snooze button wins.

For whatever reason, it's the perfect addition to my random morning smoothie. I say random because, I rarely follow a recipe. I generally start with some almond milk, orange juice, and then add whatever fruit I might have on hand. Sometimes spinach, if I have any.

Adding a scoop of Designer Whey Sustained Energy powder adds just a little more oomph.

What makes it so good?

From their website...

Designer Whey® Sustained Energy™ is specifically formulated with our proprietary Endurance Blend™. Designed to give you balanced, stimulant-free, sustained energy through fast absorbing whey protein and slower absorbing soy and casein proteins, giving you a steady supply of essential amino acids while helping you control hunger with fiber. Packed with 16 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber and 19 Essential Vitamins & Minerals and naturally flavored and sweetened – all for only 100-good-for-you calories!

Sounds pretty perfect to me!

New to using protein powder or looking to mix it up with some new recipes? Just check out the Designer Whey recipes tab for lots of great ideas.

This morning, I tried this Tropical Tone-Up smoothie, as featured in Shape. Of course, I'm not sure how it's possible to make a smoothie with only 1/2 cup of milk, so I doubled it for mine.



I mostly stick to smoothies (boring, I know), but I also experimented a bit by adding some protein powder to my favorite banana cookie bars and even a batch a brownies. The extra protein helped to satisfy that sweet tooth without getting carried away feeling too guilty.

Designer Whey sure is excited about the launch of Sustained Energy! So excited, in fact, that they're offering to give 6 of you a canister to try for yourself. Yes, SIX of you will get to try either the Vanilla Bean or Chocolate Velvet.

Check out the Rafflecopter for your chances to win.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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FRS - Review + Giveaway

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of FRS.

Does the afternoon ever come around, and you feel yourself drained of energy? FRS to the rescue! I'm not usually a huge fan of energy drinks. They just seem so unnatural, so I was very excited to give FRS a try.

Originally developed as an effective way for chemotherapy patients to have more energy (love this!), it is now used by athletes, nutritionists and anyone wanting the energy for a healthy, active lifestyle.

Don't we all? :-)

FRS is chock full of antioxidants, vitamins, and green tea extracts. One of its main ingredients is quercetin, which can be found in the skins of blueberries, apples, and grapes. Three of my favorite fruits. :) Quercetin has been found to provide sustained energy, increased endurance, and immune system support in multiple clinical trials.

By avoiding lots of caffeine and sugar, FRS helps kick start your body's own energy-producing mechanisms. I'm all for that.

You can find out lots of other great info on their website, but I know what you really want to know... HOW DOES IT TASTE?!

FRS offers a variety of products. I was sent a sample of ready-to-drink beverages, chews, and powdered drink mixes.

I LOVED the powdered drink mix.

I tried the Orange flavor, and it was SO GOOD! Reminded me of Tang®. Drink of Astronauts! Made me feel all powerful and stuff. Bonus that it mixed really well, too. Oh, and it only adds 10 cal to your 8-oz bottle of water. Yum.

Speaking of YUM, the chews were excellent, too.

I tried the Pomegranate Blueberry. Very flavorful and great texture. Think Starburst®. But with lots of healthy vitamins. Whoo hoo!!

Lastly, the ready-to-drink beverages. Honestly, the first couple flavors I tried weren't my cup o' tea. The flavor was ok, but I didn't care for the aftertaste. AND THEN I TRIED the Apricot-Nectarine.

LOVED IT! So tasty. :)

Next time you're feeling that afternoon slump it happens. even to us active, healthy folks. why not give FRS a try? It's available at GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, Kroeger, Whole Foods, Rite Aid, Meijer, Walgreens, Harris Teeter, and, of course, FRS.com.

Click here for a downloadable coupon. Whoo hoo!!

FRS has also been so generous as to offer YOU a chance to try out FRS for free. :) Can't beat that, right?

Just enter below for your chance at an FRS trial pack.

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StrongStride Winner

I know, I know. I said I would announce the winner yesterday, but the evening ran away from me, and before I knew it, it was way past my bedtime.

I want to shout out a huge THANK YOU to everyone who entered my first giveaway.

The winner was ...

Suzanne @ Cows and Lasers and Everything In Between

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks, Suzanne, for tweeting about this giveaway. :-)

StrongStride Review and Giveaway

I'm excited for my first ever review ... and giveaway! I hope you are, too. Please give me any feedback on this review (length, comprehensiveness, type of product, etc) and/or the giveaway (entry options, etc). I'm a newbie at this, so I welcome all feedback. Thanks!

When I saw this video on Collage Video's facebook page, I immediately knew it was something I wanted to try out. An exercise video specifically designed for runners? Sign me up!

Here is a little preview of the video.




My first thoughts? Wow! This is NOT for beginners. This was a very challenging workout. I think I probably only did about half of it the first time. I couldn't keep up and my legs were so tired. Even when I was doing it, I don't think I had very good form.

The first time I tried it out, I tried to do all of Workout 1 in one session. It runs about 46mins and is broken into 6 segments. I had to skip the 5th segment altogether because it's all plank exercises resting on your elbows and forearms. My forearm was bruised at the time from a fall a few days prior, so it hurt too much to put all my weight on it.

As I’ve tried it a few more times, I have gotten stronger and able to make it through more of the workout, but I still end up taking small breaks and not doing complete sets. I also tend to do the exercises at a little slower tempo, which also prevents me from completing full sets.

A little more about the video.

StrongStride is a pilates and strength training regimen that will strengthen your core and improve your stride. – From the video intro.

The breakdown.

Program 1 (~46 minutes) and Program 2 (~51 minutes)

• Each of these workouts are broken into 6 segments - Glutes/Hamstrings, Hips, Hip Flexors/Quads, Core, Core (Planks) and Back.
• You can easily do the whole workout or choose to focus on one or more of the segments.

Strength Training

• Broken into Warmup (~5min), Running Muscles (~32min), and Non Running Muscles (~26min). The Running Muscles and Non Running sections are further broken into Weights and no Weights.
• The menu for this section of the DVD is a little cumbersome. You can’t select to do the all three segments without returning to the menu. Also, if you wanted to just do the weights portion or the no weights portion, be sure to select those words. If you select Running Muscles, for example, it will automatically start playing and go through the strength training with both weights and no weights.

• The Weights and No Weights workouts are very different. I thought that the No Weights would be the same exercises as the Weights segment, but just not using any weights. I was wrong. Pleasantly so. This greatly added even more to the variety of exercises done throughout this video.

Dynamic Warmup (~3min)

• This is just a simple warm-up to do before you head out the door on a run.

A few of my random thoughts

• Like I mentioned before, This. Was. Tough, but the good news is that after only a few sessions, I do feel like my strength increased. I haven’t been able to run as much this month because of a sore knee, so I can’t testify to it actually improving my stride and running ability. That said, I think if I continue to work out using this video which I definitely plan to do, I really believe it will have long-term, positive effects.
  
• I am not really familiar with pilates, which possibly made this workout seem more challenging for me. There are a lot of similar exercises with just flexing or pointing your toes. Is that common in pilates? It definitely seemed to make it trickier for this girl. Even though there are a lot of similar exercises, there is also a lot of variety, which I definitely enjoyed.
• There are times in the video when I wish she would alternate sides more rather than doing everything on the right and then having to switch to the left. This seemed to really tire me out more and then I wouldn’t be able to complete the second side without a little breather.
• The models in the video are shown wearing shoes, but after reading some reviews on Collage Video’s website, I generally did Program 1 and Program 2 barefoot. It seems this is more common for pilates. I felt like it was more difficult to point and flex my toes when I had shoes on.
• While there were modifications shown in by the models, these modifications were never vocalized, so I wasn't exactly sure what the options were for modifying the exercises.
• I would suggest probably going for a short run or walk as a warm-up because she just gets right into it for Programs 1 & 2. Obviously, there is a warm-up you can choose for the Strength Training. Well, I’m sure you could do the strength training warm-up before the programs, too. :-)

Overall, while there were a few minor things I didn’t like about this video, I would definitely recommend it to any runner how there wanting to improve their stride or simply anyone looking for a good at-home strength training program.

Pros	Cons
*TOUGH	*Modifications are not really explained
*Easily customizable to fit your fitness needs/goals	*Tempo is kind of fast (for me at least)
*Menus are easily navigable	*No Warm-ups before Programs 1 & 2
*Lots of variety within each segment

You can purchase this DVD from Collage Video for $19.99.

Or you can enter below to win a copy.

Before I get to the giveaway, here are just a few notes about Collage Video.

They are an exercise video distributor. While they don’t have a lot of selection specifically for runners, they have an excellent selection of a variety of other fitness videos.

You can browse by Goals (e.g. Weight Loss, Endurance, Stress Relief) or Workout Types (e.g. Aerobics/Cardio, Stretch/Yoga/Tai Chi). You can also browse by specific instructors, brands, and equipment.

Every video has a description that includes a nice breakdown of the different segments of the video.

Also, all the videos also have customer reviews, which I find very helpful when choosing a new video.

You can also create a Video Wish List. I love websites that allow that, so I don’t have to remember all the videos I want to try.

If you want to read a few more reviews on StrongStride, be sure to visit its page over at Collage Video.

And now for the giveaway.

Collage Video has agreed to let one of my readers try out this video for free. How cool is that?!

To enter, simply follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter below. If you have any questions about how to enter, please feel free to email me at enjoyingthecourse AT gmail DOT com.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
**I received this video free-of-charge from Collage Video, but all thoughts/opinions are my own.