Motivational Monday! And Giveaways!

Whether you are lifting or running, I hope you can find something that motivates you! This is what pushed me this week! Scroll down to enter my two giveaways! 

There is just something special abou CrossFit Blackbeard

Love Indy!

Can't wait for a progress pic next month!

Just run!

How I felt today with my chalk!

Target Gift Card giveaway: http://mindysfitnessjourney.blogspot.com/2013/06/my-c9attarget-shopping-spree-and.html

Headbands of Hope giveaway: http://mindysfitnessjourney.blogspot.com/2013/06/headbands-of-hope-and-giveaway.html

What's Beautiful? A letter to myself at 21... and some Diet-to-Go news

I have been working on this What's Beautiful campaign for Under Armour with Fitfluential. It got me thinking that sometimes I forget where I have come from. What's Beautiful is that I am not living the life that I had planned, but I am living a really happy life.

A fellow blogger, Nichole from Casa de Crews wrote her 21 year old self a letter the other day... It really go me thinking. I have made a whole lot of mistakes in my life... some I would change and some I wouldn't.... what would I say? As I sit here and ponder the things that are beautiful about me, I realize that it really has nothing to do with outside appearances. I need to give that 21 year old a talking to.... Well, here goes!

Dear 21 year old Mindy,

Hey there girl! Gosh, there is so much to say. You are so clueless on what life is all about, but I know that you are sitting there thinking about how smart you are. You really aren't.  Do me a favor and listen to your parents. They are really looking out for your best interest, and they know what is right.

First of all, you, my friend, are worth way more than you give yourself credit for. When you look in the mirror, embrace what you see. My God, you are a size 5... not a "wide load." If someone makes you feel bad about yourself, walk away from them. You are worth it!

Once you graduate college, travel! Travel around the country~ Live!!! You don't need a man to define you! You will later find that you are pretty darn great on your own! Learn it now...

This man that you are wrapping your world around is going to cause you a lot of hurt and pain. In the end, you will win because you will have the most beautiful son, but maybe you should just get pregnant right now so you can move on... lol... just kidding.

My biggest advice is keep exercising! When you first hear of this new workout called CrossFit, join! Join the first day you hear of it!!! It is so up your alley!! And who knows where you will be when you are my age if you do.

Use exercise as your stress reliever. Don't turn to food. Believe me when I tell you that the best revenge is not to eat poorly in front of him. The best revenge is to be the fittest you can be. And Mindy, when you decide it's time to leave him, DO IT! Don't wait for it to get worse!

Mindy, you can do great things. Believe in yourself and surround yourself with people who build you up rather than tear you down! You have an incredible life. It's not the life you picture yourself in, but it is really great. You are going to love being a mom! And you are pretty darn good at it too!

Keep your chin up! Life gets better every single day!
Love,
The 39 year old Mindy

PS Start a blog! I know you have no idea what that is right now, but do it.  Oh and invest in a little company called Apple! :)

Diet-to-Go
Make sure you head over to Diet-to-Go on Facebook and like their page. From there, you can enter their Facebook Sweepstakes. 
We are excited to announce our June summer sweepstakes, which will give you a chance to win up to one month of free meals! There will be 5 runners up and one grand prize winner. 
Enter Here: diettogo.com/enter
Mark your calendars! There will be a twitter chat with Diet-to-Go on June 18 focusing on applying common-sense principles to get fit for the summer.


Enter my Target gift card giveaway HERE! http://mindysfitnessjourney.blogspot.com/2013/06/my-c9attarget-shopping-spree-and.html
Enter my Headbands of Hope HERE!
http://mindysfitnessjourney.blogspot.com/2013/06/headbands-of-hope-and-giveaway.html

Headbands of Hope and giveaway!

I would love to introduce you all to Jessica Ekstrom. She is doing something amazing, and I want to help her. She is a senior at North Carolina State University studying communications. She launched Headbands of Hope in April 2012 during her junior year. Since then, her company has been featured on the TODAY Show and TOMS Shoes Blog. Jessica is providing us 3 headbands for a giveaway. 

Please enjoy this guest post by Jessica.

Almost everyone can think of a moment where they knew their life was about to change. For me, my moment was right before my 20th birthday in the summer of 2011. I began my internship at the Make-a-Wish Foundation that I can confidently say, changed my life forever.

Everyday, I got to wake up and grant the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. I took day trips to visit the wish kids at their houses and bring them their favorite toys. We received hundreds of letters from wish children that said we changed their lives; little did they know, they were changing mine.

I thought about the thousands of girls around the world losing their hair to chemotherapy. Being a young girl presents many struggles with self-esteem already and losing their hair as a result of a life-threatening illness is traumatic.

For girls and women everywhere, their hair is a part of their feminine identity. Wigs can be uncomfortable and unappealing, especially to younger girls.

I realized that headbands are the perfect way for these girls to keep their feminine identity and have a constant reminder that they're not alone. Therefore, I started HeadbandsOfHope.org.

For every headband purchased, one headband will go to a girl with cancer and $1 will be donated to the St. Baldrick's Foundation to fund life-saving childhood cancer research.

Since I launched in May of this year, I've sold thousands of headbands online and in stores around the nation. I created a company where I didn't have to choose between making a living and making a difference. I can wake up and do both at the same time.

I’ve had the opportunity to distribute headbands to girls in the hospitals across the nation. The best part of my job is opening the door to their room and seeing their faces light up when I bring dozens of colorful headbands to their beds to choose from.

Even though it’s fun and fulfilling to bring the girls headbands in the hospitals, I’m constantly reminded that there still isn’t a cure.

Childhood cancer takes the lives of more children in the U.S. than any other disease - in fact, more than many other childhood diseases combined. 

Children with cancer cannot be treated simply as "smaller adults." The cancers strike kids differently and they are in a crucial stage of development, which complicates the effects of treatments and can result in life-long complications.

Progress is also especially slow in curing adolescents and young adults, because federal funding for childhood cancers is a fraction compared to adult cancers. 

Therefore, attention needs to be brought to childhood cancer. Progress can't be made without research. Research can't be done without funding. And funding can't be done without awareness.


Headbands of Hope aims to start with awareness and end with a cure. Together, we can spread hope in all girls…one headband at a time.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: Headbands of Hope provided me with a headband and a tshirt. All opinions are my own.