I have found a new kettlebell home. 

If you are not training with kettlebells, you are missing out.   They offer a FANTASTIC strength and cardio workout that can be done anywhere.

I’m lucky to have found a new kettlebell class, with an awesome instructor,  and a supportive group of training friends.  

If you are in my area, be sure to check out Rogue Kettlebell Fitness and Matt Kull.

Tell me–do you go to  kettlebell classes?  Where?  How is it?

Never underestimate the power of a workout gang!

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Kettlebell love

My sandbag arrived and was quickly put to use!

It was super easy to fill and I absolutely LOVE how compact and portable it is.   This will definitely be coming on vacation with me this summer!  As you can see from the video below, this is such a great piece of workout equipment because you can use it anywhere and with anyone.  Notice how my baby pays no attention to me?  

The Ultimate Sandbag was created by Josh Henkin and it is considered the most durable sandbag on the market today.   Not only is it waterproof but it will not tear, stretch, crack, rot or mildew.   In my case, it also needs to be “BOY” proof and so far, so good!  (although truthfully,  I’m not sharing it with my boys. It’s MINE. ALL MINE!!)

In addition to creating the sandbag itself,  Josh created Henkin Fitness Systems, which produces videos and books about sandbag training.    Check out Ultimate Sandbag Training on Facebook for daily updates and be sure to sign up for the weekly newsletter  on the latest trends in functional fitness, health and nutrition.

I seriously LOVE this product because:

1. Portability: I throw it in the back of the van and I can bring it anywhere.  (park, soccer practice, beach, etc.)  No excuses on this one, it is super easy to carry wherever you go!
2. Cost: considering all you get with it,  it’s very reasonably priced!  You can use it in so many different ways and work your entire body!
3. Fun: Maybe I’m a little weird, but it was really fun to throw it over my shoulder and run up and down the  hill in my backyard.     This is not something you can bored with….the possibilities for fitness FUN are endless!

Here is a video clip of me working out with the sandbag in my backyard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfFY9NmbBgM

Go ahead and order yours now—you won’t be disappointed with this one!  

Use coupon code ‘MOMMY’ to get 10% off!  Good through the 4/30/12!  (cannot be combined with any other offers and not available on sale items)

Never underestimate the power of a workout gang!

Disclosure: The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing.  I was not paid for this post, this is my honest opinion.

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Love for my Ultimate Sandbag

I’ve hired a few personal trainers,  some good….some pretty awful.

The one I have right now?
ROCKS.

Here are 5 reasons why I love to hate her::)

1. She LISTENS to my goals. I cannot tell you how many times I have told a trainer that I had no real interest in doing cardio and then found myself doing just that for most of the hour.   Yes, it’s super easy (as a trainer) to drop someone at the treadmill and come back in 30 minutes.   That however is not what I am paying for!
2. She won’t let me slack. Even though I am a trainer myself and know all the tricks  (shoe tying, extra drinks of water, etc.)  —she is right there encouraging me to keep on whining going.
3. She has a PLAN in place. This is KEY.  Too many trainers just “dial it in” and come up with something on the fly.  If you have a specific goal, make sure your trainer is helping you get there with a solid training program.
4. Feeling successful. There are exercise that I just plain SUCK at  (ahem….these) so my self esteem takes a huge hit each time I attempt them.   It’s nice to have an exercise or 2 built in that makes me feel like a rock star.
5. She is flexible. As a mom herself, she gets that I get very little sleep or that I might have an “off” morning.   She can empathize with my situation.

and yet why do I say I hate her at the same time?
Because two times a week,  I get my butt handed to me in the form of a challenging (yet awesome!) workout!
As I have said before,  even though I am still a personal trainer,  I have found that hiring one for myself is worth every penny.  There are mornings where I have a zillion things to get done and I would very easily skip my workout if I didn’t have my training time scheduled.

We set appointments for hair, dentist, nails,  etc.   —so why not set an appointment for your health and fitness!?

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Why I love (and hate!) my personal trainer

Have you ever run a race and found yourself with some lovely chafing afterwards?

Guess what works great on that?   Aquaphor!

Is your skin so completely dried out from the winter?
Guess what works great on that? Aquaphor!

Have terrible chapped lips like me and my kids?
Guess what works great on that?  Aquaphor Lip Repair!

Does your baby have diaper rash?
Guess what works great on that?   Aquaphor!

Honestly, I have tubs of this stuff in every room in my house.   It is AWESOME!!  It really heals all of your skin issues and doesn’t smell weird!

Would you like to win some great Aquaphor products AND a $50 Visa gift card?
OF COURSE YOU DO!!!

Enter below by telling me which Aquaphor product you need and why.
Contest is open to US residents,  18+ years and older.   Winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday, March 28th at 9pm EST.
You can also enter to win $3,000 worth of new winter sports equipment in the Aquaphor Winter Sports Gear Sweepstakes.  Head over to the Aquaphor Facebook page and follow the instructions.

Disclosure: The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. They have also provided additional product for me to offer as a giveaway. I was not paid for this post, this is my honest opinion.

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Aquaphor for chafing…..and everything else! Giveaway!

I find COMFORT in cardio—it’s my go-to exercise.  I can run for hours.

Lately, however, I’ve been pushing outside of that comfort zone and doing exercises I would never choose on my own.   (thanks to my fantastic trainer!)

My goal right now is STRONG.
I’ve put my running shoes away for now and have my eye set on this prize:

picture source

How are YOU going to meet your goal this year?

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My goal is STRONG. What’s yours?

Let’s face it….laundry is one big pain in the neck. Just when I think I have it under control, it multiplies faster than a bunch of bunnies.

As a family of 6, we have A LOT of laundry. We also have a lot of dirt and grime.  I think my boys are natural dirt magnets…..no matter what the activity, they manage to get covered in it.  Mix that with my sweaty workout clothes and there is a definite need for some serious and powerful detergent.

I agreed to try out Vapor Fresh Sports Laundry Detergent and I’m happy to report that it got our clothes clean!   And just in case you wondered, I don’t separate anything out. I don’t have time to worry about different types of materials or whether one thing is caked in mud or food.    Everything gets dumped together and I hope for the best, so I was a little impressed that this detergent did the trick.

Pros:

• it works!
• it’s less harmful to the environment.  It doesn’t have any harmful phosphates, chlorine, or artificial fragrances.
• I can get it on on Amazon. (Seriously, I’m all about online shopping and convenience!

Cons:

• it’s a powder, whereas I’m more of a liquid type of person. That’s just my preference, I don’t think it makes any actual real difference.
• it’s a little bit pricey.  ($19.99)  But I have a coupon code for you!  Get 40% off with promo code: VFWOM255
  Hurry though because it expires April 6, 2012.

Be sure to follow Raw Athletics over on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with latest info on all their products!

Now that my laundry is clean, I need to go and fold it.   Fun, right?  Yes, it is with my “Folding Laundry Workout”!

I do 10 of each exercise for the various pieces of clothing.   It takes awhile, but it entertains the little people!

shirts:  jumping jacks
pants:  push ups
underwear: lunges
towels:  burpies
sheets:  kettlebell swings

(So 2 shirts= 20 jumping jacks, 2 towels=20 burpies, etc. Trust me, this is one killer workout if you have a large family!)

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post by Raw Athletics.  All opinions, dirty laundry, and workouts are my own!

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Vapor Fresh Sports Laundry Detergent review and a folding laundry workout!

Anyone out there a “barefoot” runner?   I’d love for you to chime in with your experiences (good or bad)!

If you are not sure what barefoot running entails or if you are already a barefoot runner and looking for a supportive online community,  please check out Pretty Strong , the new running and fitness site from Merrell dedicated to women’s barefoot running.   It’s got a bunch of fantastic information including a great explanation on barefoot running and the theory behind it.    There is also a free training program that you can download to get you started.

Unfortunately, due to my previous foot injury I can’t actually run in my zero drop shoes but they are PERFECT for my kettlebell workouts!   While training with kettlebells it is essential to wear minimalist shoes so as to engage more of your core and to keep your alignment in place.     I love the Merrell Dash Gloves almost as much as I love training with kettlebells!     Not only are they comfortable but they are super cute,  which is not something that I normally say about shoes!

So gang,  have you ever tried barefoot running?    Be sure to watch this video for inspiration from other runners!

Disclosure:  I received a pair of Merrell Dash Glove shoes for review purposes.  I was not paid for this post and my opinion and love for these shoes is my honest opinion.

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Barefoot running

I got caught up in a moment of “YES, please include me!” and ended up signing up for a Warrior Dash!

What the heck was I thinking?!  I’m used to running race “courses”,  not  “battlegrounds”!  The website describes it as “3.11 hellish miles”.
ACK!!!!!

This is what the course includes:

• petrifying plunge
• cargo climb
• chaotic crossover
• lumber jacked
• tunnels of terror
• road rage
• great warrior wall
• rubber ricochet
• cliffhanger
• muddy mayhem
• warrior roast

Now my friends, how on EARTH am I supposed to train for this?!
(ps: it’s in 2 months!)

Have you ever done something like this?
Tell me this is going to be FUN, right? 

(right?)

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Ummm…what the heck was I thinking?

Meet my Door Gym.   It hangs in the entry way to my house so I CANNOT ignore it.   My goal this spring is to do at least ONE unassisted pullup.

How am I going to get there?   By attempting to do one (or more)  every single day.   (and some specific strength training)

It’s really hard to ignore a goal when it stares you in the face all day long.

It also makes for great fun for my kids!  (and yes, I’m a little jealous of their six packs and strength!)

How about you gang?
What goal do you have and how are you going to get there?

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I want to be able to do pullups!

I’ve run three marathons and would love to do a few more but right now with my kids being so little (and sleepless!) and my foot issue, I’m not sure another one is in my future.

Here are the ones I have run:

1. Marine Corps: my first and no one forgets their first, right?

Pros: crowd support is awesome and you get to run with a bunch of attractive marines.
Cons: I can’t really think of any!

2. New York City: everyone should run this one, it was amazing!  (and I passed P. Diddy!)

Pros: crowd support again is awesome. You get to see most of NYC by foot, which I thought was pretty awesome.
Cons: getting bussed to the starting line and waiting around forever. It is also very crowded, do NOT expect to PR in this one!

3. Richmond, VA: a very small town race

Pros: flat and fast course. Good potential for a BQ.
Cons: very boring! Not much for crowd support at all.

My marathon wish list includes Boston (of course!), Big Sur, and DisneyWorld.

How about you?
Which marathons have you run or do you hope to run someday?

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Have you run marathons?