Street Strider Summit 8r: final thoughts.

DiZclosure: The Street Strider was sent to me for review. The fact I ADORE it and have harnessed its magical powers to make friends in my new ‘hood are both my own.

When last we met Id JUST learned to Street Stride on my Summit 8r.

For me it was a *shockingly* swift process.

About a ten minute “wait do I get this?!” a sudden OOOH I GET THIS!!! and Ive been happily striding and gear shifting on my Summit 8r ever since.

Like always ever since.

I used to walk to school pick up—- now I Stride to the school to procure the child:

I enjoy the creative cardio and she LOVES I come STRIDE to get her that way.

(Shouts of OK YOU GOTTA SEE MY MOM DO THE HILLS. GO MAMA GO!!!! may or may not ensue. daily. to the the delight of her classmates and their big people)

This has been my view the majority of the past few months—and I adore it.

Strider Smitten.

That said, since my response of IT. BE. AWESOME. when asked how I like the Street Strider has *always* been met with more questions (shocking. I know.) I decided to break it down into specifics.

The bullet-pointed reasons I think the Strider ROCKS.

It’s unique. I love the look and feel of the Street Strider. I love not everyone on the streets has one. I love the unique way it works my bod. which leads me to…I adore the body benefits. The Street Strider is no impact and works my whole body simultaneously. I needed the glute work. I NEEDED the core work. My quads had been kinda lacking. I LOVE how this elliptical on wheels is fun while concurrently increasing my fitness level. Im ANTI-WORKOUT and the Strider is the ultimate PLAYout. Ohhh which leads me next to…It’s cardio I *want* to do. So much so I never refer to it as cardio. Simply getting on the Strider brightens my mood. The sweet, sweet feeling of freedom striding brings does NOT feel like exercising. It’s fun—-with body benefits. And it’s OUTDOORS. Stride away from the screens, People! Stride away from the screens!!! But just in case you love your screens:Theres an option for indoor use. Im fortunate to live where there’s no real winter. If youre not it’s as easy as snagging an indoor trainer to Stride inside until warmer weather arrives.Monthly payment options. Im super cheap—UNTIL IT COMES TO HEALTHY LIVING. Food. Shoes. Cardio stuff. Im good to me. The only item I ever bought I couldnt afford at the time was my last cardio piece. I charged it and paid it off. The Street Strider monthly payment options are so so so worth it. It’s like a gym membership–but less limiting and you OWN SOMETHING at the end!

What I’d change about the Strider if I could:

Initially Id have said quick collapse—but usage changed my mind. I used the Strider. Up hills. Down hills. In traffic. Weaving around parked cars. I was grateful the Strider didnt compress as I couldnt imagine they’d be able to maintain the same solid structure. I feel *safe* on the Strider. Cycling friends repeatedly remark on its QUALITY of manufacturing. I cant help but think collapsible would equal less quality.You could ALL come to my house & try it. But now you can. Kind of. Street Strider offers everyone a testSTRIDE at stores which carry them (check here for details). The Tornado is begging to test out the kids version. Ive resisted for now as I know there’s no way we’d leave without owning one… this is how I look 90% of the time!

Heres where I give my TREMENDOUS thank you thank you to Street Strider for helping me put the FUN back in carFUNdio.

I love.

I love.

Tags: carFUNdio?, creative cardio, street strider summit 8r

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Final Results of my Shakeology Experiment (fashion photo included)

Greenberry Shakeology fashion photo shoot.

I started the 90-day experiment with the basic idea that I would just lose some weight and report back to you on how I did it. I had no idea that I would end up feeling differently, thinking differently, and loving myself more than ever. This is what happened….(err, besides the fashion photo, of course).

Weight Loss and Body Composition

I lost 7.4 pounds during the experiment. That may not seem like impressive poundage until you consider that I barely did any cardio. My workouts consisted of about 25% pure cardio. For the remaining 75% of my workouts, I stuck to what I love most: Yoga, Pilates and weight training (including body weight exercises).

Although I didn’t purposely avoid cardio for the sake of the experiment, a 7.4 pound weight loss in the virtual absence of cardio is beyond not too shabby. I started at 172.8 pounds and have been holding steady at 165.4 for the past two weeks. This non-movement in the scale does NOT bother me, because in these past two weeks my body composition continues to take shape. The lean-slimming of my body has not stalled at all. Sure, there are those notable areas in my arms and stomach, but what really sticks out is my thighs and knees.

First off, I didn’t even know my knee-area put on weight until I noticed the fatty parts disappearing in these last 90-days. I freaking LOVE my knees! As for my thighs, the slimming and definition is almost scary. I feel like my body is morphing into what it was before I had children – but only better, because now there is a true focus on fitness like there was NOT in my early twenties.

The final seal of sexy-body approval came from Health-hater husband. He gave me a “you’re looking good, honey!” body compliment while I was getting dressed in the morning (chicka-bow-wow!).

Eating Habits: I love, love, love not being hungry all the damn time. My days no longer center around how to manage hunger with mastermind plots of 5-6 small meal a day or lack of concentration because I’m hungry like the wolf. Sure, I still get hungry (that’s my cue that it’s time to eat), but it’s a controlled, non-ravenous kind of hunger. I recently chatted with a reader about what a typical eating day looks like for me. This is what I shared with her based on what I was eating that particular weekday:

8:45am Breakfast: Greenberry Shakeology (made with almond milk and frozen strawberries)Optional mid-morning snacktime: Clementine. I’m not necessarily hungry mid-morning, but fruit is still important.1:30 pm Lunch: Grilled Veggie sammich with pesto, plus side of sweet potato fries.4:00 pm Snack: Green tea or half of a P90X protein bar (But not everyday. Some days I’m still full from lunch, so I pass on the snack. I only eat midday snack if I’m truly hungry.)6:30pm Dinner: Whatever hubby makes – tonight it’s roasted chicken with broccoli.10:00pm Night snack: Chobani Greek Yogurt or bowl of healthy cereal.

On most weekdays I do skip the morning snack, so I go from 8:45am to 1:30pm without the dire need to chew. This obviously limits my calorie intake for the day. I typically use Shakeology 5 days per week, not 7 days, so my monthly supply actually lasts longer than 30-days.

Gung-ho, Postive Attitude: My Shakeology Experiment page details key info on two Shakeology ingredients for boosting mood and combating depression: Camu Camu and Sacha Inchi. Although information on these natural Peruvian ingredients is interesting, I didn’t feel it pertained to me too much, because I’m already a happy person. But then something happened. I felt compelled to start lifting up others. It was like a motivational fire lit inside that I had to share with the world – and it’s still burning right now. This is evidenced by the non-typical Yum Yucky stuff I started posting about, like It’s Time to Crawl Out of Your Cocoon Now and Do You Have the Balls to Take Action.

Feedback From Peeps About Shakeology

Throughout these 90 days I shared my enthusiasm for Shakeology with a ton of fantastic people via Email, Facebook and Twitter. I also gave out samples. It’s been a fabulous time that will no doubt continue. There are a handful of people (about 15%) who sampled Shakeology and did not like it. But that is totally okay! Is there any food in this world that 100% of all people enjoy? Nope – not one, so I do not that that personally. Some gave feedback of a colon cleansing affect. Many loved the taste, but most prefer Chocolate over Greenberry flavor. Some are now Beachbody coaches on Team Yum Yucky, enjoying their own monthly supplies.

Product pricing is a thorny area with some folks. A 30-day supply is $119.95 for non-coaches and $89.96 for coaches. When I became a Beachbody Coach the pricing felt thorny, indeed. It took me five long weeks to embrace the cost and actually make my first purchase. Yet now, considering the price breakdown, it’s really not all that expensive. Non-coach pricing breaks down to $4/shake. Coach pricing breaks down to $3/shake. It’s so easy to spend that kind of money (or even more) on a crappy meal or Starbucks slurping-fest.

The overall feedback suggests that Shakeology is NOT for everyone, and I do agree. It’s all about deciding what’s right for you, what your needs are and the actions you’re willing to take. Based on the results of my experiment, if you primarily need to lose weight or take control of your eating habits, you need to be doing your own Shakeology experiment. Other areas Shakeology will help with is mood, menopause, sexual dysfunction and cholesterol, to name a few. What’s wonderful about Beachbody is that you can use Shakeology for a full 30 days (use up the ENTIRE bag!) and then request a refund if you aren’t happy with the results. How’s THAT for a money back guarantee?

But as for me? Shakeology is no longer an experiment. It is a lifestyle.

Links to Explore:

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Final Commit to Fit Giveway: Up to $100 for fitness challenge of your choice

I really meant for there to be a few more entries posted between this one and the last giveaway so my blog wouldn’t start to resemble The Price is Right. But, uh, my head hurts and I had a lot of work to do, so I didn’t make it happen. If I start making y’all wear name tags and start saying “Come on down!” I give you permission to smack me.

This is the final Commit to Fit giveaway sponsored by Subway, and the one I kept putting off because it meant I’d have to make an actual commitment to fitness. Here’s the official blurb-age:

Have you decided what fitness commitment you’re going to make? Think about what your Commit to Fit Challenge is. It can be anything from running your first 5K to trying out a new class like tai chi or zumba. Let us know what it is and we’ll provide you with the funds (up to $100) to help you meet your challenge!

After reading all your suggestions on this post, I decided to just go with the obvious and try zumba. I enjoyed the TurboKick class I took a few years ago, so hopefully zumba will have the same fun atmosphere. I searched for a class on the official zumba page and found one locally. So, I’ll commit to doing that for 8 weeks and see how it goes. At the least, it’s an opportunity for me to get out of my apartment and be around other human beings, and not hibernate in front of my computer doing freelance work. Particularly now that it’s getting cooler, signing up for an indoor exercise class will hopefully keep me exercising through the winter.

If you’d like to enter for a chance to win up to $100 to put toward your own fitness goal, leave a comment on this entry with your favorite word that contains the letter “z.” (I already made you state your fitness challenges on this post, so I didn’t want to repeat.) You must be a US resident to enter. The contest ends at 11:59pm on Sunday, November 28, 2010. Winner will be drawn randomly.

BTW, the winner of the Laila Ali giveaway was Madeline from Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. Congrats, Madeline! Please don’t punch me with your prize.

Disclosure: All prizes listed in this post were provided for free.

Oh no, too slow! Comments are now closed.

PastaQueen.com is a fascist regime ruled with a benevolent fist by PastaQueen and the macaroni military. Lively discussion is encouraged, but any comment may be deleted or edited according to the whims of your monarch. Please read the official rules of commenting etiquette for more details. Spammers are publicly beheaded and their blood is mixed into our spaghetti sauce. Comments are occasionally disabled some time after an entry has been posted to keep the blog on a spam-free diet.

View the original article here

Final Commit to Fit Giveway: Up to $100 for fitness challenge of your choice

I really meant for there to be a few more entries posted between this one and the last giveaway so my blog wouldn’t start to resemble The Price is Right. But, uh, my head hurts and I had a lot of work to do, so I didn’t make it happen. If I start making y’all wear name tags and start saying “Come on down!” I give you permission to smack me.

This is the final Commit to Fit giveaway sponsored by Subway, and the one I kept putting off because it meant I’d have to make an actual commitment to fitness. Here’s the official blurb-age:

Have you decided what fitness commitment you’re going to make? Think about what your Commit to Fit Challenge is. It can be anything from running your first 5K to trying out a new class like tai chi or zumba. Let us know what it is and we’ll provide you with the funds (up to $100) to help you meet your challenge!

After reading all your suggestions on this post, I decided to just go with the obvious and try zumba. I enjoyed the TurboKick class I took a few years ago, so hopefully zumba will have the same fun atmosphere. I searched for a class on the official zumba page and found one locally. So, I’ll commit to doing that for 8 weeks and see how it goes. At the least, it’s an opportunity for me to get out of my apartment and be around other human beings, and not hibernate in front of my computer doing freelance work. Particularly now that it’s getting cooler, signing up for an indoor exercise class will hopefully keep me exercising through the winter.

If you’d like to enter for a chance to win up to $100 to put toward your own fitness goal, leave a comment on this entry with your favorite word that contains the letter “z.” (I already made you state your fitness challenges on this post, so I didn’t want to repeat.) You must be a US resident to enter. The contest ends at 11:59pm on Sunday, November 28, 2010. Winner will be drawn randomly.

BTW, the winner of the Laila Ali giveaway was Madeline from Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. Congrats, Madeline! Please don’t punch me with your prize.

Disclosure: All prizes listed in this post were provided for free.

Oh no, too slow! Comments are now closed.

PastaQueen.com is a fascist regime ruled with a benevolent fist by PastaQueen and the macaroni military. Lively discussion is encouraged, but any comment may be deleted or edited according to the whims of your monarch. Please read the official rules of commenting etiquette for more details. Spammers are publicly beheaded and their blood is mixed into our spaghetti sauce. Comments are occasionally disabled some time after an entry has been posted to keep the blog on a spam-free diet.

View the original article here

Final Commit to Fit Giveway: Up to $100 for fitness challenge of your choice

I really meant for there to be a few more entries posted between this one and the last giveaway so my blog wouldn’t start to resemble The Price is Right. But, uh, my head hurts and I had a lot of work to do, so I didn’t make it happen. If I start making y’all wear name tags and start saying “Come on down!” I give you permission to smack me.

This is the final Commit to Fit giveaway sponsored by Subway, and the one I kept putting off because it meant I’d have to make an actual commitment to fitness. Here’s the official blurb-age:

Have you decided what fitness commitment you’re going to make? Think about what your Commit to Fit Challenge is. It can be anything from running your first 5K to trying out a new class like tai chi or zumba. Let us know what it is and we’ll provide you with the funds (up to $100) to help you meet your challenge!

After reading all your suggestions on this post, I decided to just go with the obvious and try zumba. I enjoyed the TurboKick class I took a few years ago, so hopefully zumba will have the same fun atmosphere. I searched for a class on the official zumba page and found one locally. So, I’ll commit to doing that for 8 weeks and see how it goes. At the least, it’s an opportunity for me to get out of my apartment and be around other human beings, and not hibernate in front of my computer doing freelance work. Particularly now that it’s getting cooler, signing up for an indoor exercise class will hopefully keep me exercising through the winter.

If you’d like to enter for a chance to win up to $100 to put toward your own fitness goal, leave a comment on this entry with your favorite word that contains the letter “z.” (I already made you state your fitness challenges on this post, so I didn’t want to repeat.) You must be a US resident to enter. The contest ends at 11:59pm on Sunday, November 28, 2010. Winner will be drawn randomly.

BTW, the winner of the Laila Ali giveaway was Madeline from Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. Congrats, Madeline! Please don’t punch me with your prize.

Disclosure: All prizes listed in this post were provided for free.

PastaQueen.com is a fascist regime ruled with a benevolent fist by PastaQueen and the macaroni military. Lively discussion is encouraged, but any comment may be deleted or edited according to the whims of your monarch. Please read the official rules of commenting etiquette for more details. Spammers are publicly beheaded and their blood is mixed into our spaghetti sauce. Comments are occasionally disabled some time after an entry has been posted to keep the blog on a spam-free diet.

View the original article here