A few of my favorite things.... Raysbaseball and Fitness... Fitness Night at the Trop

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.... 

Yes, those are nice but do you want to know what my FAVORITE things really are... 

Fitness and the Tampa Bay Rays!!!

Can you imagine my excitement when I heard that both of these things are going to be combined into one fabulous night!!!!

Check out Rays Fitness Night at the Trop!

     Thursday, September 19th, 7:10pm  Texas vs. Rays

         For $30 per person package includes: Lower Level Reserved Ticket

 Rays Dri-Fit T-shirt

      Deadline to purchase tickets Tuesday, September 17

        Visit www.raysbaseball.com/fitness and use to the code FIT2 to purchase

He is such a goof! 

We LOVE our Rays and can't wait to be there! We hope to see you there!!!!

I went Over the Edge! #otestpete

Yes, you read that right! I went over the edge of a 28 floor building, and I rappelled down it!

This opportunity was presented to me on my facebook page. I honestly didn't even know what this was. I immediately looked into it. It benefits St. Anthony's Hospital Foundation. It took place on Saturday, August 17th at One Progress Plaza in St. Petersburg, Florida.

This was taken directly from their website.

The St. Anthony's Hospital's Foundation wants to know: 

"HOW HIGH WILL YOU GO FOR YOUR COMMUNITY?

Dare to go Over the Edge in a fundraising event for St. Anthony’s Hospital Foundation benefitting the Sports Medicine Services among other programs. Participants who raise a minimum of $1,000 will have the opportunity to rappel twenty stories down One Progress Plaza, the tallest building in St. Petersburg! Join us for this event on AUGUST 17, 2013 by visitinghttp://stanthonysfoundation.org/ote/."

So so tall!!!!

When I was first asked, I immediately answered YES! I shared with my mom, and she was shocked that I would do this. Then I told Bryce (my son.) He was excited, but then he started to have second thoughts. A few days before, he begged me not to do it. He said he was really scared that something bad would happen.  I ALMOST backed out. But I decided to take a different approach with him. I talked about how excited I was and how I knew that I would be safe. I wanted him to see that this would be something that I could do to prove to myself that I am capable of anything. He ended up telling me that he wanted me to do it.

I actually didn't truly believe that I would actually follow through with it. I tried not to think about it. When we got to the building and I looked up, I laughed out loud. Seriously? Did I really think I would do this?  I figured that I would get up there and chicken out. And then my sweet little boy turned and looked at me and told me that he was so proud of me for doing this. We saw a man coming down, and he let go with one hand and waved... WOW! I was impressed, but even more than that, I knew when I came down, I HAD to wave at Bryce so he would know that I was okay, even if I wasn't really.

We went up the elevator to get suited up.  Bryce wouldn't be able to wait at the top with me, but he was able to see me get suited up. It was good for him to see all of the equipment they used to keep me safe. I could see that he was really relieved too. He look at all the gear and took photos while I suited up.
He was really excited to know that it was his job to take all of these photos.

Tropicana Field

I am not sure you can tell by these photos, but I was FREAKING out right about now. I knew that I had to keep it together for Bryce, but EHHH!!!

We headed up to the roof, and Bryce did get to ride up there with me. He took a great picture of our favorite place in downtown St. Pete, Tropicana Field, and then he gave me a BIG hug and said he would meet me at the bottom. My dad was downstairs ready to watch with Bryce.

I got a quick tutorial on how to rappel down the building. Oh my gosh! I was really doing this??? I still didn't believe it.  My biggest fear was that I would get part of the way down and freak out... freeze... I didn't know what they would do if I did that. It turns out, they had a plan for that... not to worry!

It was my turn... Time to go! I closed my eyes as  I went "OVER THE EDGE!" I couldn't look down. My heart was racing... The man in charge talked me over the edge. I was feeling pretty good once I was over. I learned how to let go with one hand, so I was thinking that maybe I could actually wave to Bryce. The man told me to stop and look down to see the little boy waving and cheering. It brings tears to my eyes writing this right now even remembering it. There was my son and my dad waving to me. I went down a few floors and decided to do it.

I let go with one hand, and I looked down at them and waved! HOLY COW! I really did this. I was doing it! I looked around! It was beautiful! I faced my fears and succeeded! It was truly mind over matter. I did it!

The best part of this adventure was not just believing in myself, but it was showing my son that anything is possible! Here is a quick look at how it looked seeing me go down the building...

This is an event Bryce and I are planning to do next year. He can do it if he weighs 100 lbs. next year. I told him that he has to start pumping up! :) We can't wait!

Head over and "like" their foundation's facebook page so you can keep up with the latest info. https://www.facebook.com/stanthonysfoundation

My #C9atTarget shopping spree! And giveaway!

So summer is here! That means I don't have to wear work clothes til August. And you know what that means!!! Chances are if you see me out, I will look like I am about to workout or I have just worked out. Yep... I will be wearing Activewear all summer long. Well, you know I love Target, I mean who doesn't? I have written two sponsored posts for them. We have been lucky enough to have a giveaway and guess what? We have another one! So when Target asked me to head out to try on some of their C9 activewear by Champion and buy some, I, naturally jumped up and down... I really did!!! This post is sponsored by Target!

What do you think?

He was pulling outfits out like crazy

Today, Bryce and I headed out to Target. We walked straight over to the hats first because I needed to know if my new haircut would look good in a visor... I am thinking yes... hope you agree!

Then, I grabbed a whole bunch of stuff to try on. I am not sure Bryce was too thrilled, but I did tell him if he would come in and take pictures when I was done that I would buy him some C9 activewear too! That pepped him up because, let me tell you, there is some awesome stuff for kids in the C9 line. Bryce could bankrupt me too. That kid loves clothes!!!

Isn't this just beautiful! Look at these colors. I have to be honest... I have been overweight so long that I have not really looked for clothes other than black pants and black shirts. I really had fun digging in to these beautiful colors and realizing that I can wear these clothes! That was fun!

I found that I was drawn to the pinks and the blues the most. I am still partial to the black pants and shorts, but at least I am changing things up with my tops! That is progress, my friends!

I tried on some really cute activewear shorts. Bryce said that I looked like a golfer. So I had to practice my swing... I think I've still got it! :) I really loved this sleeveless shirt with the shorts. Too cute! I had to buy it! I feel like my sister in law. She dresses like this because she is an athletic trainer, and I like that look a lot! Plus, I thought it was slimming... definitely a plus! There were so many shirts that had adorable cuts on the back! I am only a month into crossfit, but I already see a difference and liked the way these looked! I loved these! I bought the ruffled black one, but I really am thinking that I need to go back for the others too!

I cannot wait to wear my new clothes on my runs, to crossfit, or just around the house. As I said before, I will be found in activewear for the next 2 months! And with my new C9 clothes from Target, I am going to be stylin'!  Would you like to be stylin' too? All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter below. Enter for a $25 Gift Card to Target to buy some C9 gear for yourself! They have men's gear too!

I bought this too... won't wear it til it's cold, but it was too cute to pass up!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am also giving away Headbandsofhope: http://mindysfitnessjourney.blogspot.com/2013/06/headbands-of-hope-and-giveaway.html

Lose Weight and Win Money!!! And 2 Giveaways!!!

Reminder: I have 2 giveaways going on: 
Target Gift card: 
http://mindysfitnessjourney.blogspot.com/2013/06/keeping-family-involved-in-fitness.html
Flavor Run 5K entry:
http://mindysfitnessjourney.blogspot.com/2013/06/flavor-run-5k-giveaway.html

DietBet! Lose Weight and Win!

Who doesn't want to lose weight and win money at the same time! Seriously! This is a win-win! We are getting ready to begin another DietBet. If you haven't joined us yet, this is the time. Why not drop some pounds during this summer season. 

I know that I have a hard time eating in my bathing suit. Maybe this is the trick! I would love for you to join my DietBet for June! It is a great way to lose weight and have some fun!

How does the DietBet work?

 

I have done a handful of DietBets now, and I always almost doubled my money when I won. It has been a great way to keep me focused. DietBet does a really great job of ensuring honesty, and they make it very difficult to cheat. We also have a facebook group that will help keep you motivated. You can request to join HERE!  You can also follow me on facebook for extra motivation.

We would love for you to join this bet! It's going to be a lot of fun! Join here: http://www.dietbet.com/games/17432

If you have more questions you can check out these posts about the DietBet: 

http://mindysfitnessjourney.blogspot.com/2013/05/time-to-jump-on-weight-loss-train.html

http://mindysfitnessjourney.blogspot.com/2013/04/you-have-to-join-this-dietbet-13000-and.html

Have you done a DietBet before? Would you recommend this to friends? Comment below!

Keeping Family involved in Fitness: Target Giveaway #c9attarget

C9 at Target

How lucky are we? Target has offered to give us a $25 gift card. You can use it to purchase some of their awesome C9 by Champion clothing... They want to know how you are keeping your entire family fit. 

This year I decided that my goal would be that I would participate in fitness events with my son. I started this fitness journey last year and I did a lot of races. I talked my son into running the mile race at two of them, and he loved it. 

I was fortunate that a very special person surprised me and paid my way into the Rock n Roll mini marathon (5K) in Feb. As I was driving to the expo to pick up my packet, I asked Bryce (my 9 year old son) if he wanted to run the race with me. You have to love his honesty...He said, "Do I have to stay with you the whole time or can I run at my own speed?"  He's faster than I am. I told him he could GO! I was blessed with a gift from a friend, so I used the money I would have spent on me for him. It was the beginning of a really great new lifestyle for us. 

When I first began this journey, my most favorite thing to do was flip a big tire... it still is btw... If you haven't seen my logo, I am a tire flipper. I love flipping tires. When I would tell Bryce about it, he wasn't impressed until I had him try to flip the tire. He was hooked. He couldn't do it but he thought I was a tough chick. Well, we loved it so much that we (my son and I) headed over to our local tire store and got our own tires to have at home. We haven't used them a lot, but we have had some fun with them. Not only do we flip them, but we also jump on them like they are plyo boxes. I am still looking for a BIG tractor tire, but for now we have 3 different sizes.

Since then we have run quite a few races and have some others headed our way too. I have run some races without him, but I certainly don't like it as much. He makes fitness fun! 

We ran a Mother's Day run! He beat me by almost 10 minutes!!!

He loves to go on walks with me and sometimes we have to stop and enjoy the nature around us! 

We ran for Boston... It actually turned out to be a walk, but we talked and bonded like we hadn't before. It was really special and nice because I had been glued to the TV and Twitter all day....

Then there is the fun of Color Me Rad. We had a blast getting colorful and laughing together! 

Adding Fitness into your family life is the best. Get your kids outdoors and away from the video games for a bit! It's good for all of us. Bryce often asks me if we can go for a walk or a run. And usually it's when I am being lazy, so it's a good motivator! 

I am usually wearing my C9 by Champion Clothes from Target while I am exercising with my family! 

What does your family do together to stay fit? Check out #C9atTarget on Twitter and Instagram.

Enter my giveaway for a $25 gift card below! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Target.

At Target Influencer Network, we support ethical blogging and strict adherence to the FTC guidelines pertaining to free samples and gifts. Participants in our programs are expected to do the same. For more information, visit: http://www.ftc.gov/os/2013/03/130312dotcomdisclosures.pdf

Family Fitness Fun at Manatee Paddle

SUP at Manatee Paddle: A Great Way to Enjoy Nature and Get a workout! 

Do you want something amazing to do this summer with your family? Head out to Crystal River's brand new place to experience one of a kind nature and fun! Manatee Paddle is all of that and so much more! My son and I got a group of bloggers together and headed out for a day on the water. It was the most fun! Manatee Paddle is located right off of Crystal River and if you have never been to Crystal River, you have to check it out. 

As we launched, Bryce, my 9 year old, went first. He was a pro! He made me realize that I could do it. I have never been paddle boarding before so I was a bit nervous. There was no need to be. I did fall twice, but I quickly learned to center myself and engage my core. It was easy! We also had a chance to stop and swim and enjoy the beautiful water. My son saw a manatee and was very excited.

How about this for a calorie burn??? And I had a blast the whole time!

Manatee Paddle opens June 1st. We were fortunate to be a part of the trial run. Wes, who runs the tours was amazing. He had so much patience and knowledge, it was a blast. I cannot wait to go back once they open. We are addicted! Please hop over and "like" their facebook page. You have to see this great new business in action! 

The water was so clear and so beautiful in the Springs.  We started out on the river and paddled over to The Three Sisters Springs. It was so beautiful! I hope you will check it out. Have you ever been paddle boarding before? I definitely want to buy one, soon!

*disclosure: Manatee Paddle provided this tour free of charge. All opinions are my own.

Moving on and moving forward!

Time to Get Back to Normal...and Refocus!

This picture was from Crazy Motivational $h*t

The tragedy in Boston really did a number on me. I did not run the race nor was I anywhere near Boston when it happened, but I do think I over-did it on the news coverage (this is something I tend to do.) I also found out that same day that someone who used to be a good friend ended her life. Truthfully, even writing that makes me feel guilty because I don't really know the details, but that is what I heard. Then the Texas explosion happened, and all of that put together really made me stop!

I have not felt like blogging in the last week. I have used my time to take care of my son, my house and myself. I think seeing that they caught suspect #2 (I will never use his name btw) was good closure for the news for me. I stopped watching and letting it consume my world. That helped. I went for walks and talked with my son instead of just going about our normal routine of homework, him playing outside, dinner and bed. That was huge in making life better.

This weekend, I lived a normal life. I went to a baseball game Sat. and I hung out with someone I really enjoy on Sunday, and then I got to spend a great day at Busch Gardens with my son on Monday. I guess what I am saying is I lived my life. I think sometimes I forget to do that. I hate that it takes tragedies to open my eyes sometimes, but I am glad that I got the chance to refocus.

My refocus also consisted of getting back to running often. I have struggled with committing to a distance because since I run alone, I end up stopping. I have thought a lot about it. I am going to run where I used to run and not in the neighborhood. Then I know that I will get at least 3 miles in since that is my route. I feel good about that. I want to run at least 12-15 miles a week. I am not trying to be a marathon runner, I just want to be healthy and fit. So, there you have it... my refocus plan!

What are you doing to keep your mind off all of the bad in the world? I would love your ideas! Please feel free to comment and share! Thanks.

Praying for Boston and runners everywhere... and God Bless Americans!

We were going to run but Bryce suggested we walk and talk!

Praying for Boston... That's all I seem to be able to do!

This year is the first time I have felt connected to the running community, and it's the first time that I have had people I know running in Boston on Marathon Monday. Every time I had a break at school on Monday, I peeked at facebook to see pictures or hear updates on how people were doing. I was so excited to read tweets and posts about the excitement. Little did I know that later in the day I would searching for tweets that they were safe. I am a runner, but I am not a Boston runner. I probably never will be. I am slow, and I don't know that I will ever run a marathon, but I do know that Boston is the Super Bowl of running. It's the race runners dream of. They train and train and train to get there! And now many won't finish and many are dealing with injuries and death. 

I was in the car on the way home from school when I got a text from my mom to put it on Fox News because a bomb went off at the finish line in Boston. God, just typing that brings tears to my eyes again. I ran through the front door and turned the TV on. I immediately opened my laptop to read my Fitfluential, SweatPink, Polar and GirlsGoneSporty group pages. I needed to know that my friends were safe. Once I saw the news, I realized that it was the crowd that would be more affected than the runners with injuries. I thought of my son standing at the finish line of my 10K holding a "Go Mom" sign. I couldn't breathe. Since then, I have done everything I can to be with my son. I have closed the computer and walked and talked and played. I think of the man whose son died, daughter lost her leg, and wife is in serious condition, and I can't help but to hug and kiss my son and tell him I love him.

Thank you to Mindy at Road Runner Girl for this

The one thing I know is that this community of runners, and if you run/jog/walk fast, you are in it, this community is strong! They are kind and friendly and helpful. But let me tell you something, YOU don't mess with this group. We have each others' backs. You will NOT stop us, rather we will run more, harder and faster! My heart is heavy, and this hurts badly! But I will run every race I planned to and maybe even some more now. Being a runner comes with a similar pride to being an american. I am so proud to be an American and so proud to see how everyone helped yesterday. Seeing people rip off their shirts to help people was tragic yet inspiring. I would hope I would be the kind of person that would do that without thinking. God Bless Boston, Runners and Americans!

To my friends who are affected personally by this, I am praying for you. I am thinking of you! I love being a part of this community and feel so blessed that I was welcomed in with open arms!  God Bless!



On a lighter note, I have giveaway winners!!!  I didn't announce them last night bc I didn't want to celebrate anything. But tonight, we do have something to celebrate! All of the winners have been notified via email and have 48 to claim their winnings. I am announcing 3 new winners for the StickitStrong giveaway bc no one claimed them. Congrats to Shannon W. Cassie C. and Laurel C. The Dumbell necklace winner is Amy N. and the Foundation Nutrition winner is Melissa M.

Last chance for the Allied Medal Display! 2 Hours left... ends tonight at midnight!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Time to show off! Giveaways Galore Continued!

And the giveaways keep coming!

Allied Medal Displays Giveaway!


Do you have a bunch of medals hanging around your house haphazardly? I have only been racing for a little over a year, but now that I have one half marathon under my belt and one to come this weekend, I decided that I needed a medal display. I really wanted it to be personal for me and my journey. I contacted Allied Medal Displays and asked them if they would be interested in being a part of this Giveaway Extravaganza that I am having celebrating all of you following my journey. Joe Exe immediately contacted me back and said he would love to give me one and allow me to give one away to you! Wow! I was so excited!!! 

The best part about Allied Medal Displays is that they allowed me to do a custom order. So of course, I asked for Mindy's Fitness Journey. I couldn't decide which running picture to put on it.
Joe said that if I had a logo he could put it on there. Whoa! How cool is that! Do you see me flipping a tire? He made it seem really easy too! Wouldn't you love to create your own medal display! If you notice, I have room for a ton of medals! I know that I will be running lots of races and I will fill this up soon enough. 

Allied Medal Displays are really a fantastic idea, before I discovered them I had my medals hanging on a random door knobs throughout the house. I wanted something more sophisticated to display my medals on and I wanted something that would really represent me! What do you think? Don't you love it! 

You don't have to be a runner to order one of these. They make them for runners, triathletes, baseball, volleyball, dancers etc... one of the other great features about these displays is that they are super easy to hang up on your wall. They come with very easy to follow instructions as well as all of the necessary items (ie. screws, nails etc) needed to hang them.

Remember that the Polar Heart Rate Monitor Giveaway ends tonight at Midnight!!

Enter below in the rafflecopter to get your very own Allied Medal Display!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

There are still Foundation Nutrition and Just Jump It Fitness Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fit Miss giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

StickitStrong giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Polar Heart Rate Monitor Giveaway
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winners of the Shubeez have been chosen and notified. If the prizes aren't claimed in 48 hours, new winners will be chosen!  The winners of the 26.2 are Laurel Cedarblade and Maureen.
And the 13.1 goes to Dawn Rushing.

Disclosure: All of the giveaways are donations. All opinions are my own.

DietBet Pot Crushes $13,000 and Giveaways Galore Continued!

DietBet Crushes $9,000 $10,000 $11,000 $12,000 $13,000 and Giveaways Galore Continued! 
The DietBet is UNREAL!

I have had more fun this weekend checking the amount in the DietBet. Every time I look at it, it goes up! We all know that we are all going to lose weight, right? Well, why not make MONEY while we do!!! Join my DietBet for $25, and let's lose at least 4% of our weight and win! The winners will be entered in for a drawing to win a Polar Heart Rate Monitor too! BONUS :) So what are you waiting for!!! Join the DietBet tonight! It starts tomorrow. If you are unable to join right now, you can join late. Don't fret! Join DIETBET Here!!!

Giveaways Galore, continued!

I have had more fun with these giveaways! I hope you all are enjoying the fun! Before I give you the details about my next giveaway, I want to congratulate Holly Rhoades Johnson! She is the winner of the Diet-to-Go meals! Yay!

As you know, I am not someone who is constantly talking about which protein powders I use. One night at a twitter chat with Foundation Nutrition and the Mom Power Team, I asked a simple question. I felt like it was a really dumb question, but I wanted to know. I wanted to know if someone like me, someone who isn't training for competitions or anything like that needs protein. Trevor from Foundation Nutrition was quick to answer that YES, I do. He told me that my body needs protein to recover from my workouts. I am sure it was a lot more detailed than that, but then he offered to send me some samples to try. When I finish my runs or workouts, I don't typically eat anything right away. I tried MyoFusion probiotic series, vanilla flavored. I was really impressed with the taste! It was really good. I just mixed it with water too. Nothing fancy because I don't do fancy. It was easy to drink and I did feel better. I even felt like I had more energy.

Foundation Nutrition and Just Jump It Fitness Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fit Miss giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shubeez giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

StickitStrong giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Polar Heart Rate Monitor Giveaway
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: All of the giveaways are donations. All opinions are my own.

Giveaways Galore Continued... To Look Fit, you've gotta feel Fit!

Giveaways Galore! Continued.... (there are now 5)

It's day 7 of my 5,000 facebook likes celebration! I am so excited to be sharing some of my favorite fitness items with you.  Today is the last day to enter the week of healthy foods from Diet-to-Go. Make sure you enter below before Midnight tonight (Saturday.) The Polar Heart Rate Monitor has another week left, so make sure you are tweeting every day! The Shubeez and Stickitstrong are still going too!

Before we get into the giveaways, I want to remind you of the DietBet that I am running. Our pot is over $6000. It begins Monday, so there is still time to join. All you have to do is lose 4% of your body weight in 28 days. That is usually no more than 8-10 lbs. depending on your weight. Once you win, you will split the pot with the other winners. The winners are eligible to win a Polar Heart Rate monitor from me as well. I will do the drawing after the winners are announced.  Click on the DietBet link here and check it out!

Today, I want to tell you about something I have just received.
Fit Miss... and her homemade jewelry!

I was contacted by Tiffany from Fit Miss. She wanted to share with me her love of fitness and her beautiful homemade fitness jewelry. She aspires to inspire others.
Well, she inspired me. Tiffany is a stay at home mother of 3 boys. She loves fitness and was inspired to make fitness jewelry. I am so excited to be sharing it with you. She has an etsy store called Fit Miss Fitness.  You have to go check it out.

I was lucky enough to try out the dumbell necklace on a black cord. It's precious!!! I love it! I know you will too.  Tiffany has agreed to share another one with you all.  All you have to do is enter below! If you don't win, don't worry. These necklaces and bracelets are very reasonably priced at $12 for the dumbell necklace.

Fit Miss giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Last day for the Diet-to-Go giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shubeez giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

StickitStrong giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Polar Heart Rate Monitor Giveaway
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: All of the giveaways are donations. All opinions are my own.

Giveaways Galore, StickitStrong, and the DietBet!!!

StickitStrong!


We have all driven behind the "yuppie" family that has their stick figures on the back window, and I will be honest with you, it's cute. But now there is something that takes that to a whole new level! I found the company StickitStrong who created stick figures for your windows that are WAY cooler!!! When I found these, I went crazy!!! I asked Bryce which one he wanted, and he choose the weight lifter. He has been flipping tires with me and really wants to try crossfit. I knew that I wanted the jump rope because I have been the queen of the jump rope lately.

I have struggled with the idea of putting the cute yuppie family on my car because I didn't want to advertise that I am a single mom. With StickitStrong, I knew I could put them on and it would be great since I chose the kid stickers. I love them.

How could I not! They are precious! There are a bunch to choose from! They have offered 3 (YES THREE!!!) decals for three of my readers!  So awesome! Enter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you signed up for the DietBet yet?
Read about it here! You can win money and lose weight! And one of the winners will win a Polar Heart Rate Monitor!
The pot is growing fast! The pot is over $2200!!!

Other giveaways going on:
Polar Heart Rate Monitor
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Diet-to-Go Meals
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shubeez
a Rafflecopter giveaway