Friday, November 23, 2012

Aspaeris Giveaway Winner





Lauren (Sweat Junkie) is our winner with the lucky number one!  Thanks to all who participated.  Lauren, please let me know your preferred size and color, plus your mailing address. 

If you didn't win, don't forget to use the code Ragnar20 for $20 off these amazing shorts!!  Have a great long weekend and run on!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Thanksgiving Week Giveaway!

Thanksgiving week is upon us!  Don't forget to get out there and get your bodies moving this week!!     2012 has been an epic year in terms of fitness around here, and 2013 is going to be even better.  As I'm sure you *might* have heard, we're kicking off 2013 with a bang with Ragnar Relay Florida Keys in January.  We're grateful to have Aspaeris Pivot Shorts (APS) on board as one of our amazing sponsors for the race. 
These compression shorts are amazing--here is the official description from the Aspaeris website:

Aspaeris Pivot Short™
Aspaeris Pivot Shorts™ are actually two pairs of shorts bonded together. The Outer Short is a high performance compression short designed to support your muscles. The Inner Short features our breakthrough, Dual Sensory Compression Bands™.
These cross-knit bands guide your muscles into the proper position, thereby improving your pivot performance, which helps prevent ACL and hip injuries.
The Aspaeris Pivot Short™ is not an ordinary compression short. Athletes who try the APS™ report feeling more confident in their ‘pivot moves’ and almost all feel more in control without being restricted.
Here is a picture of these shorts in action on Amanda, AKA TooTallFritz (Ragnar teammate and motivator extraordinaire).  Amanda (who runs all distances) says that these shorts help ease the soreness in her legs and really DO aid in recovery.   I personally can't wait for mine to arrive so I can try them out :-)
I'm excited to announce that this week I get to say a big THANK YOU to you guys, my wonderful readers, by giving away a pair of these great shorts in your size and color of your choice--a $60 value--so that you can try them out too!
How to enter (you can earn up to 10 entries):
  • Become a follower by email or subscribe (links on the right side) – 1 entry
  • Become a Facebook fan of Life Beyond The Chaos– 1 entry
  • Become a Facebook fan of Aspaeris Pivot Shorts – 1 entry
  • Share this post on your Facebook page – 3 entries
  • Share this post on your blog and announce the giveaway to your followers – 4 entries
Leave a comment and let me know what you've done and how many entries to assign to you.   The winner will be chosen on FRIDAY NOVEMBER 23rd using Random Number Generator.

If you don't win, or just can't wait to get your hands on a pair of these beauties, hop on over to the Aspaeris website and save $20 using the coupon code RAGNAR20. 


Good luck and have an excellent Thanksgiving week!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Back to Basics

Halloween has come and gone.  And the season of gluttony in the food department has begun.  First was Halloween with too much sugar.  Next up:  Thanksgiving, when we all stuff ourselves beyond all reason.  Then begins the onslaught of holiday parties.  Cookies. Sweets.  So many delightful bits of things to eat.  Eek!  Whether you are training for a marathon or just trying to get on the healthy train, you know what I mean . . .


And the next thing you know you are feeling like this, even as you do things that are good for you . . . like running or working out or yoga.

Fortunately, staying on track (or lets be real, getting back on track because most of us are going to fall off the wagon at least a little this holiday season!) .  When you find yourself overindulging or just feeling yucky, follow these simple steps to get back on track:

HYDRATE - drink you water, folks!  Often times our body mistakes thirst for hunger.
EAT WELL - Make sure the stuff you are putting in your body is REAL food.   With actual nutrition.   If you need to, track your calories or do a food log for a few days, so that you can keep track of what you are consuming.
DON'T GET DISCOURAGED - You are not starting from scratch.  You did not fail by eating poorly.  You do not need to eat crap to compensate for your short comings.  You are fueling your body.  If you feed it crap you will feel like crap.  If you need to, set a few short term goals for yourself to help stay on track.

Its really not as easy as 1-2-3.  Nothing about this is easy, but its important.  Living well means living a longer, more fulfilling life.  Remember that bad days are going to happen.  Three bad days do not make for a bad month. But you have to get right back on track and not forget your goals.  Whatever they may be.    So if in the next few months, you feel yourself adrift, come back to these three basic principals.  Happy Wednesday!