Ellie Goulding is a hugely successful English pop singing artist with a passion to run.  The video below was filmed, in collaboration with Nike Running, while Goulding was training for a half marathon with Nike+ that took place in London in September 2011. This marathon training/video also took place while on a busy tour schedule in the U.S. and in London.  Check out the video for a jolt of inspiration.

Inspired by her love for running, Ellie has also released a 30-minute mix that syncs perfectly to the rhythm of running which is titled “Run Into The Light“, now available at Amazon.

You can see the singer-songwriter-runner’s marathon race results at http://runtothebeat.nikerunning.com/race/211.

Recently, I received two free bottles of Torani flavored syrup to try in exchange for a product review post on my blog. 

Being the coffee and tea lover that I am, I was looking forward to getting these products so as to liven up my drinks a bit and try some new recipes.  However, when my package arrived from Torani, to my disappointment it contained a large bottle of Classic Hazelnut syrup and a large bottle of Sugar-Free Pumpkin Pie made with Splenda. 

Torani … Are you kidding me! 

First of all, hazelnut is a very common coffee flavor.  I already have great hazelnut flavored coffees in my home and was not the least bit impressed to receive another.  And as for the sugar-free pumpkin pie … while I love pumpkin pie, I could never write a positive review on my health blog about a product made with artificial sweeteners.  Sorry Torani, but I will definitely be looking for a new home for this sucralose laden liquid. 

All that being said, Torani is a successful company that has been in existence for 80 plus years.  It produces flavored syrups (made with natural flavors and pure cane sugar) for coffees, teas, and sodas.  And Torani sells these products in over 40 countries.   I knew, despite my lack of excitement for the flavors I received from Torani, that I needed to follow through with my review.  So off to Cost Plus World Market I headed to find some Torani flavors of my choosing.  Luckily, Torani also provided me with generous coupons so I could do just that.  I ended up with a bottle of blue raspberry syrup, a bottle of peppermint syrup, and a bottle of bacon syrup … yes bacon!  Now, it was time for a little Torani sampling party at home.

Using my family as my taste testers, I proceeded to whip up a few different drinks using recipes I found on Torani’s website.  I made teas, coffees, lemonades, and shakes using hazelnut, blue raspberry, and peppermint flavors.  And to my delight, I enjoyed them all.  The flavors I used were made with pure cane sugar and had a very good flavor.  The recipes were simple and provided a nice alternative to my usual drinks.  And with the many flavors Torani offers (over 122 of them), there are numerous drinks and desserts that could be made for the holidays.  The recipes I used mostly called for a 1-oz. serving of Torani syrup, which equaled 80-90 calories per ounce.  While I wouldn’t suggest making these drinks on a daily basis, they certainly are good for an occasional treat.

Here are some oh-so-easy recipes for you:

Blue Raspberry Lemonade:  (pictured above)
- 1 oz. Torani Blue Raspberry syrup
- 8 oz. lemonade
- ice
Combine lemonade and Torani in a tall glass with ice.  Stir well. 

Blue Raspberry Milkshake:
- 3/4 oz. Torani Blue Raspberry syrup
- 3 oz. milk
- 10 oz. vanilla ice cream
Combine milk, ice cream, and Torani in blender.  Blend until smooth.

Candy Cane Steamer:
- 1 oz. Torani Peppermint syrup
- 8 oz. milk
Steam together milk and Torani.  Pour steamed flavored milk into tall glass and stir gently.  You can replace the peppermint syrup with hazelnut syrup for a Hazelnut Steamer. 

Peppermint Brewed Coffee:
- 1 oz. Torani Peppermint syrup
- 8 oz. dark brewed coffee
In a glass or mug, add Torani to strong brewed coffee and stir gently.

Hazelnut Latte:
- 1 oz. Torani Hazelnut syrup
- 8 oz. milk
- 2 shots espresso or 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
Stir milk and Torani together.  Pour heated flavored milk into a tall glass and add espresso.  Spoon a thin layer of foamed milk over beverage. 

If you would like to purchase Torani online, you can receive a 10% discount by ordering through the ad on the left.  (Note, this is not an affiliate link and I do not make any money from your purchase.  This review came to me through SheSpeaks.)  To receive a 10% discount when purchasing online at Torani.com, use the promo code “shespeaks”. 

The sugar-free product did not get sampled during my taste test as artificial sugars always leave me with a migraine the following day.  Plus, I am just not a fan of artificial sweeteners as I believe long term use of them to be dangerous, and I believe pure cane sugar to be the best option.  However, I am also not blind to the fact that many people have a health issue, such as diabetes, which does not allow them to consume pure cane sugar, and their options are more limited than are mine.  Sugar-free recipes can be found at Torani.com. 

I also did not yet sample the bacon flavored syrup.  The recipe I planned to use calls for bourbon.  After an afternoon of drinks containing different flavored syrups, coffee, tea, lemonade and ice cream, I did not feel it a good idea to top it all off with bourbon and bacon.  Perhaps on New Year’s Eve.  To be continued ….

Country singing star Martina McBride stopped in her home state of Kansas this week (and, luckily for me, in my home town) during her cross-country tour to promote her newest album, “Eleven” , and to raise awareness for breast cancer. 

McBride arrived by Amtrak train, dressed in sweet (not too flashy) casual-style clothing, almost as if to say to her fellow Kansans … “I’m just one of you.”  And when she spoke to the crowd of fans who gathered to get a glimpse of her, she said: 

“Wow!  Look at all of you.  This is awesome!”  . . . “It’s so appropriate and so cool that I get to come home on the day of my album release.” 

But as I watched her manuever around the crowd before re-boarding the train heading to its next destination of Kansas City, I saw how much she seemed to love and appreciate her fans and I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Martina, you yourself are awesome!”  

In August of this year, Martina McBride released a new video, titled “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,”  through which she provides inspiration to people who are currently battling cancer.  This is a beautiful video which features celebrities and others who have either struggled with cancer themselves or have provided support to loved ones who have struggled with cancer.  And it was quite noticeable that that inspiration was received by many who were in the crowd.  I personally found it very heart warming to see Ms. McBride signing autographs for women who were wearing pink scarves on their head, indicating that they were in fact cancer survivors.  In an effort to not leave anyone out, as security personnel kept trying to lead the talented singer back to the train, she just kept signing as many autographs as possible before she finally had no choice but to board.   

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Check out Martina McBride’s inspiration video below.

Having only surfaced in the last 10 years, Astaxanthin was the unknown health supplement.  It seemed almost no one knew about the many benefits of taking this powerful antioxidant and, therefore, its supply was plentiful on shelves of most health food stores. But that changed recently when Dr. Mercola appeared on Dr. Oz’s show touting it as a “#1 supplement” we should all be taking. 

See video:  The Surprising Supplement You Need.

Suddenly, store shelves were emply of Astaxanthin and it was a product difficult to find.  And once stores finally restocked their shelves, some of them chose to raise their price on this sudden best-seller product.

So what’s the big deal with Astaxanthin?  Well, for starters, Astaxanthin has 10 times more the antioxidant powers of beta-carotene.  In addition …

1. Astaxanthin is way more potent than Vitamins C and E, making it a great product for your skin.  You may have heard that the best vitamins for your skin are Vitamins A, C, and E (”ACE your skin”).  Since Astaxanthin is more powerful than Vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene, it is going to be a great choice to add to your skin care regimen.  Simply put, it helps reduce wrinkles and age spots and you will most likely age better if taking Astaxanthin regularly. 
2. Astaxanthin helps protect our bodies against heart disease and cancer.
3. It assists in keeping the brain healthy.
4. It relaxes the eye muscles and helps prevent cataracts. 
5. Astaxanthin is also believed to protect our skin against harmful rays from the sun. 
6. It increases strength and endurance, making it a great supplement for athletes.
7. It boosts our immune system.
8. And recent studies show that Astaxanthin may even assist in preventing obesity. 

But before buying Astaxanthin, there are some important things you shouId know.  Such as …

1. Astaxanthin is a natural antioxidant that comes from marine algae.  It is also found in many types of seafood; however, the richest source for Astaxanthin is found in Haematococcus pluvialis algae (look for this on the label when purchasing Astaxanthin supplements). 
2. Astaxanthin is fat soluable, which means it needs to be taken with a good fat supplement, such as fish oil, in order to provide good absorption.  Some companies add a fat supplement to their Astaxanthin capsules for this reason.  (Again, check the label.)  However, it is best to take Astaxanthin with food. 
3. Because Astaxanthin is fat soluable, it should not be taken if you are using obesity products such as Orlistat or Ally.  These products block the absorption of fat in your body and, as a result, will prevent the Astaxanthin supplement from being absorbed as well.

 To buy Astaxanthin, click here: 
Solgar Astaxanthin Complex 5 MG - 60 Softgels - Other Supplements

It was in 1968 that Peggy Fleming first won our hearts, as a gold medalist in the Olympics, with her beauty, gracefulness, and athleticism on the ice.

Now, over 40 years later, she aims to protect our hearts with her inspiration and her continual hard work and dedication to encourage women to take responsibility for their health.

Peggy Fleming … figure skater, author, and cancer survivor …  is also a health care advocate raising awareness of the benefits of CoQ10 in its most advanced form, Ubiquinol.

CoQ10 (Co-enzyme Q10) is a compound naturally produced by our body.   We need it in order to convert energy from fats and sugars into cellular energy.  In addition to providing our body with energy, it is known to:

• act as a powerful antioxidant
• be effective in slowing aging
• aid in heart attack prevention and recovery, and
• aid in weight loss

Before we can reap the benefits of CoQ10, our body must first convert it to another form so that our body can absorb it. As we age, though, our body makes less CoQ10 and the ability to convert it declines dramatically. Therefore, in order to receive any benefits from CoQ10, it may become necessary to take supplements.

However, there are some drugs, such as statins which are used to lower cholesterol, which block CoQ10 from converting to the proper form necessary for our body to absorb it.  Thereby the CoQ10 levels in the blood may become depleted.  People who take statins and CoQ10 supplements may not be receiving the benefits of CoQ10 which they are expecting.  However, Ubiquinol has a positive interaction with statin drugs.

Ubiquinol is a preconverted form of CoQ10 so that your body does not need to do the converting for you.  And this makes it easier for your body to absorb.

Listen to Peggy Fleming’s thoughts on the subject and please share your thoughts on CoQ10 as well.

Click here to buy Ubiquinol CoQ10 from The Vitamin Shoppe.

Photo by Paul Denton Cocker
If you are looking for pick-me-up recipes which will give you more energy throughout the day, the best ones contain fresh fruits and veggies, meats, whole grains, and protein.  Here is a good, yet simple, mood-changing recipe to try. 

Grilled asparagus and ham wraps:

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch large asparagus
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced smoked ham

Preparation:

While preheating grill to medium, trim asparagus stalks 1 1/2 inches from the bottom.  Slightly peel the asparagus from just below the tip to the end.  Put into a large bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and toss. 

Wrap a slice of ham around each asparagus stalk.  Put on the grill and, turning frequently, cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly charred.  Enjoy!

Do you exercise fast and furious to lose weight but are getting slow results?

There have been times for me, while doing some killer workouts, that it seemed my results were going in the wrong direction.  Sometimes it was because I hit a plateau, but other times it was because of other things I was doing throughout the day that was making me sluggish and keeping me from putting in the full effort of which I knew I was capable.

If you are in such a situation and would like to step things up a bit, here are five simple things you can add to, or take from, your daily routine so that you can get the body you want even faster.

1. Drink coffee before your early morning workout. Drinking a cup of coffee (preferably with little to no cream and sugar) just one hour before your workout will help you burn more calories.  The caffeine will awaken and energize you so that you can exercise harder and faster.  It just may be the momentum you need to squeeze in an extra set of reps resulting in more calories burned.
2. Give up energy drinks, soda, and, yes, even Gatorade. With the exception of perhaps a couple brands of energy drinks, these drinks are loaded with empty calories.  Meaning, they have no health benefits whatsoever.  They may give you energy at first, but then you crash because of the high levels of sugar and are left feeling drained.  As for Gatorade, I cringe when I see my children’s coaches telling them to drink this so-called thirst quencher that is loaded with wasted calories.  Unfortunately Gatorade is also loaded with sodium which makes your body retain water and which makes you even more thirsty.  Therefore you want to drink what?  - More Gatorade!  Green tea or water with a lemon wedge, sugar free, would be a better choice as a thirst quencher.
3. Do interval training, such as Tabatas. Interval training consists of bursts of high intensity exercises with a short rest period in between.  While the words “high intensity” may scare away some people, the good news is that you get your workout done in a shorter amount of time (15 to 20 minutes).  For some reason, not quite understood, this type of workout burns more calories then would be burned in 40 minutes of cardio.
4. Do body weight strength training exercises. Not daily, but 2 or 3 times a week.  If you are limited on time and can only do one, push ups are an excellent choice.  Aim for three sets of 15 reps.  Though some may disagree as you can read here, I still believe weight training increases the amount of calories you burn.
5. Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep nightly. We hear this quite often these days, but we do burn lots of calories when we get an adequate amount of sleep.  This is by far the most important on this list, as lack of sleep results in stress, lack of motivation, and it ages us faster.  All of which hinder our weight loss progress.

I’m always on the lookout for more effective whole body workouts that can be done in shorter amounts of time. And with sandbags, I’ve found exactly that!

Sandbags are probably the most odd object you could add to your fitness routine.  They are awkward to lift because of shifting sand which alters its form as you lift.  They are difficult to grip and even more difficult to keep in control.  And since the bag has movement, the lifter is forced to constantly adjust her/his body to accommodate the awkward weight of the bag. But because of all of this, sandbags will work your body differently, and more effectively, than any barbell.  Sandbags will cause your body to use more muscles, expend more energy, and burn more calories.  Sandbags will challenge the entire body.

There are so many exercises you can do with a sandbag too. You could do … squats, lunges, jumps, situps, and clean and jerks. You could hoist the bag over your head or give it a bear hug and run up a hill. Try jogging, climbing, dragging, and throwing. Or just try getting off the floor with the sandbag in your arms. Use it with your Gymboss Interval Timer (it’s an affiliate link) by setting your timer for several rounds of two intervals.  For instance, do 15 rounds of two intervals. The first interval could be 50 seconds of pushing as hard as you can, and the second interval could be a 10-second rest.

How To Make A Fitness Sandbag for $20

So now you are probably wondering where you can buy such a wonderful bag. You can purchase sandbags over the Internet, such as the Ultimate Sandbag. You will spend anywhere from $100 to $200, and you will have a pretty darn nice bag.  Or you can make your own, to suit your own needs, for as little as $20.

Pictured here is a sandbag I made using nothing more than a durable duffel bag, play sand, quart-sized Ziploc bags, and duct tape.  (The sand in the pictures is blue only because that is all my local Wal-mart had in stock.  Regular play sand will be cheaper.)

Make sure to use a good quality duffel bag which can hold the weight of the sand.  The Army Surplus Store is a good place to look for one.  Also, if the bag has straps or buckles that could hit you in the face as you lift, you should cut them off.  Some people prefer not to have any handles on the bag at all.  This will make gripping the bag even more difficult, resulting in greater grip strength for your hands.  Certainly something to keep in mind when making your sandbag.

Doubling the Ziploc bags, I filled the bags each with 3 cups of the play sand.  Removing most of the air from the bags, I sealed the inner bag and folded it inside the outer bag.  I then sealed the outer bag and reinforced the seal with duct tape.  Finally, I placed all bags inside the duffel bag.  (Be sure to use the strongest Ziploc bags you can find and reinforce them well with duct tape.  These bags will be thrown, dropped, and turned upside down.  They may break if not put together well.

Some people prefer to fill a single Contractor trash bag with sand and place it inside the duffel bag, which is another good option.  I prefer to use Ziploc bags so I can easily, without mess, increase or lighten the weight whenever I want.  Be sure, though, not to pack your duffel bag too tight.  You want it to be loose to allow movement while you lift.

The end result … a sturdy 25-pound sandbag for under $20 that works just as well as any $100 bag.

You can make the bag how heavy you want.  It is recommended that women use a 15-45 pound bag.  Most men, however,  would prefer to have a  much heavier bag.

Tabata is a high-intensity interval workout which is said to dramatically burn fat, build muscle, and increase aerobic as well as anaerobic capacity (as much as 14% and 28%) in as little as four minutes a day.

Sounds too good to be true?  Well, it is not as simple as it sounds.  While Tabata can be done in a short amount of time and it does produce amazing results, it was originally created with Olympic athletes in mind and it is not easy … not even for the best athletes.  Tabata workouts may be brief, but they are also intense.  In fact Dr. Izumi Tabata (one of the creators of this burning workout) himself gave this important warning:

“High-intensity exercise cannot be prescribed for individuals at risk for health problems or for obese people who are not used to exercise.”

A Tabata workout consists of 8 rounds of short 20-second bursts of intense exercise followed by a brief 10-second period of rest.  The exercise itself can be anything such as jumping rope, squats, burpees, sprints, pushups, situps, etc.  The key is to go all out for 20 seconds and then take a 10-second rest period (which only allows a partial recovery), and then repeat 7 more rounds.  In the video above by BodyRock.TV, Host Zuzana is demonstrating jumping rope using the Tabata protocol.  To keep track of your timing, you may want to invest in a Gymboss Interval Timer (using my affiliate link) such as the one Zuzana is using.

Studies have shown that this particular pattern of short, intense intervals can increase metabolic rate significantly for hours after you finish the workout.   Which means Tabata, when done correctly, is very effective for burning fat due to the effects on the metabolism.

Here’s how to perform a Tabata workout using a Gymboss interval timer:

1. Pick an exercise of your choice.
2. Set your Gymboss to 00:20 and 00:10 on auto mode for 8 rounds for any body weight exercise.
3. Do as many reps as possible in 20 seconds.
4. Repeat seven times.

If you would like to increase your workout even more, pick another exercise and do another 8 rounds.

Here are some simple core exercises from Chalene Johnson that will make you stronger in just a few minutes a day. No, you don’t have to get on the floor and do those boring crunches that so many of us hate. These are fun exercises you can do right in front of your TV that will give you amazing abs! And these exercises will burn calories too.

A strong core will help your body age well, so it is crucial to start working on it now. So, give these a try and let me know what you think. Have you already been doing these or similar exercises, or are you still doing sit ups?