…… Jamie of Food Junkie! :) Congrats to her, and thank you for everyone who entered! It was a great contest and I really do love these books. I would recommend them to anyone who needs a little bit of help in the food section.

Out of 306 entries, she took spots one AND two… go get yourself some lottery tickets girl!!

I went straight from home, where my meals were prepared for me, to cooking on my “own” in college, which included a lot of soups, macaroni and cheese, sandwiches and quesadillas. Now, being a complete ‘grown up’ I have come to realize how important food is and how many great meals there are out there that was super easy to make. It’s a process but I am learning.

As for the Eat this Not that Books, I would buy the fast food one if you are constantly out and trying to find healthier choices for yourself. I would buy the supermarket survival guide if you eat in a lot and are buying a majority of your food at the market. I found both really helpful, because a lot of the time in the market if it says, “fat-free,” or “low calorie” I automatically assume it’s better for me, which is a lot of false advertising.

Tonight I’ll be running seven miles at the park and then watching the biggest loser! I was going to run this morning but figured a little more rest for my sore knee couldn’t hurt. Hope everyone has a great day! Don’t forget to email me if you want to sign up for the Freakishly Flexible 5k Virtual Race!!! Earn yourself an extra cupcake this Valentines Day!

xoxo

Thanks to everyone who commented on my Surf Shitty Race Report. I am feeling a lot better today and I was actually going through some older posts this morning and found this one a post about another run that I had while I was sick back in September. “It’s only when you realize how hard running can be is when you appreciate the talent it takes, to even go out and have the determination and will to complete mile after mile. I appreciate my body being able to take mile after mile of my pounding sidewalk after sidewalk, and it’s when I can barely do that anymore I realize what a feat I continue to do by just running alone.” I know that running is incredibly mental, and on Sunday for some reason, my mind just wasn’t there. I didn’t believe in myself and that’s why I felt like a failure the entire run.

I’m glad that it’s over now and I know I just have to get out there (once I can move again) and get back after it. I am doing a small four mile trail run this weekend and I know it will be a nice change of scenery and I’m really looking forward to it. Tomorrow night I think I’m going to try to go out and run again, but I know I have to give my body a rest and just relax. I’m still incredibly sore from the race and I oddly enough got really chafed as well, which has not been fun to deal with.

I’m so thankful for everyone and their kind words. You all reminded me that running is hard, it’s not easy and I know I should be grateful for finishing another race and even having the ability to run. Thanks for putting up with my rant and now… onto the giveaway!

So as promised today I will be sharing my GIVEAWAY in honor of my 100 posts!! It’s going to be going on from February 3rd to the 10th, and I will announce a winner on the 11th! I’ve talked about this great book before, and now there is a new one in the series. Of course, I’m talking about the Eat this, Not That! books.

I started reading the one that is about fast food and it really opened my eyes to a lot of things that I thought I knew but didn’t really understand when it came to eating fast food. I always though eating chicken would be better for you, but as this book has told me sometimes it’s not worth it at all. There are so many options and nutrition is important to all of us. The latest book is the Supermarket Survival Guide and it’s the one I’ll also be giving away to one lucky person!

I am in dire need of some nutritional help and this book really allowed me to analyze the labels of some of my favorite foods and also made me realize that just because it says 100 Calories! or Healthy, doesn’t mean that it is truly healthy or even good for you. There are many features of the Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide including the 20 Worst Foods in the Supermarket, the Ultimate Supermarket Label Decoder, 17 Secrets the Food Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know, Shop Once, Eat for a Week, and my personal favorite, How to Stock the Perfect Pantry. This book can help you navigate your shopping carts through the thousands of nutritional pitfalls in every grocery store to help you lose weight, save cash, and bring home the tastiest, healthiest choices every time.

Here’s Amazon’s review of the book: With tens of thousands of products crammed into the walls of the neighborhood supermarket, trying to find a reliable snack, pantry product, or frozen dinner can be a serious challenge. The Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide changes all of that, offering discerning shoppers everywhere a simple plan for finding the healthiest foods for them and their families. Beyond homing in on the best and worst in the world of packaged foods, the Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide scours the aisles to help you pick the most nutrient-packed produce, the leanest, tastiest cuts of meat, exotic cheeses that double as healthy snacks, and the best contaminant-free fish the ocean has to offer.

Hope you guys enter and I can’t wait to pick a winner! :)

xoxo

So a while ago I purchased a book titled “Eat this, Not That” by David Zinczenko. If you haven’t heard of this book, you must be living under a rock!

Many of you may not be fast food junkies like myself, but I do love to indulge in making a run for the border at Taco Bell, and having it my way at Burger King quite often. I’m also loving it at McDonalds, and feeding the beast at Del Taco frequently. Alas, I have a love for the grease, the cheese, and all those calories. I used to think that just getting a chicken sandwich was a better option, or not getting fries at certain places, but this book has honestly helped so much in deciding what to order. Eating at fast food is obviously not the healthiest choice, but by reading this book it helps you realized that maybe ordering the chicken sandwich over the cheeseburger isn’t always the best idea.

It also has many other ‘events’ that you may encounter and do not know what to eat like Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter. Also it has a Supermarket section, comparing things you would buy in the grocery store that claim to be ‘nutritional’ or ‘healthy’.

One of my favorite parts of the book is the “Weapons of Mass Destruction” that are included at specific restaurants. They are the worst choice you could possibly make at a given restaurant, and include the calorie count and grams from fat next to a picture of a small bomb.

I keep this book in my car and whenever I am out and about, having to eat on the go, I can flip through it and find a healthier solution, instead of packing on the calories. I would have never guessed wraps were so bad for you. There is also an application like the book available for the iPhone called Restaurant Nutrition. It’s user friendly, free, and is also helpful. If you don’t have the book, I would recommend you getting it. It’s available on http://www.amazon.com/

Another great find that is on sale right now at http://www.footlocker.com/ is this Nike Women’s Long Sleeve Top. It’s perfect for those upcoming fall training runs and has breathable mesh inserts. Very light weight and fashionable it’s on my to-buy list for sure. It’s V-neck also helps for ventilation, and makes it more versatile. Normally 39.99, it’s only 19.99 and comes in black and white, purple and white, and baby blue and white in sizes XS,S,M, and L.

More to come. xoxo