Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle: A Book Giveaway!

Disclosure: I was provided two copies of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle free of charge for the purpose of a blog review and a giveaway. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own, and I am not obligated to give it a positive review. If I hated it, I'd tell you.

Remember the first cassette tape you ever bought? How about your first CD? Do you remember your first eBook? I do. It was Midnight Oil, Depeche Mode and Tom Venuto, respectively.

Quite a few years after purchasing my first cassette tape and my first CD, back in 2005 or 2006, I purchased an eBook called "Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle." I was originally drawn to the book because it promised to provide the secrets of fitness models and professionals. I had been running for a few years and this was the book that I bought to get me to the next level with resistance training. I shelled out my $39.99 (or whatever it was at the time, my memory is not that great) and I downloaded the 313 page e-book to my computer. All was dandy until I decided it would be much easier to read this book if I could print it out. I loaded up my printer with fresh paper and proceeded to print all 313 pages + the bonus materials. I blew through several reams of paper and a lot of time on that trusty old ink jet. The last dozen pages of the book show signs that my ink cartridge couldn't handle Burn the Fat. He should have called the eBook Burn the Ink, Feed the Paper.

Old School, Circa 2006 - Burn the Ink, Feed the Paper

I bought a fat black three ring binder, began a considerable relationship with a three-hole-punch, and started reading. I realized quickly that this was a wealth of information, probably all I would ever need to read again about health and fitness. I immediately cancelled my health magazine subscriptions that spent month after month promising the secret to flat abs, because this book made me realize that magazines just rehash the quick fixes that sell magazines. Health and fitness is not about quick fixes. After finishing the book I felt like I just took the quick course in fitness 101.

This eBook single handily provided me with the solid base of health and fitness knowledge. I went from knowing basically nothing (except fitness magazine rhetoric which changed from month to month) to having a very solid understanding of fitness and nutrition basics.

I was thrilled all these years later to have the opportunity, through my connection with Fitfluential, to review a paperback version of the book. What? I get to hold a reasonably sized book in my hands? There's going to be a hardback version of this book, so future generations don't have the hardships of three-ring binders, hole punchers, and ink jet printers like I did? Nothing could make me happier. I needed to get my hands on this epic book; an actual book. I was so excited.

The overwhelming themes of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle in my own words:

• EAT! Don't starve yourself. Your body doesn't know the difference between dieting and starving. Eat properly to fuel your body for the activity that you are doing (or need to be doing). Starving and skinny is not the goal.
• Every single person is different, so you can not base your fitness and nutrition plan based on what works for someone else. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to fitness and nutrition. Build your own  ever-evolving plan using the basics outlined in this book.
• Tracking progress (and non-progress) is probably the most important thing you can do, so that you can continually make changes as needed based on your own personal progress. You can't fix what you don't know.

This book gives you the basics to get started, the knowledge and power to progress, and the motivation to keep going, no matter what. This book for is suitable for beginners, as well as the experienced. If you hit a plateau, and don't know what to do next, this book provides the guidance and resources you need to keep moving forward towards your goals.

Is it full of secrets? I'd say not. It is full of simple, honest, common sense advice.  It is not about gimmicks, it is about science. (Insert Jessie Pinkman catch phrase here.)

Someday I'll tell my grandkids about cassette tapes, my first eBook, ink jet printers, and three ring binders, and they won't believe we ever lived in such backward times.

I know you'll want to get your hands on this book (It's an actual book!). It is available to purchase on December 10th, but who has the patience to wait that long? I have a paperback copy of this book that Tom Venuto himself sent me to giveaway to you! Want to win it way before you can buy it? All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me why you want to win, and then enter on the the Rafflecopter form. I'd love for you to read this book and love it the way I did.

win me!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

No purchase necessary.
Contest runs from 10/31/13 until 10/07/13.
1 winner will be randomly selected via Rafflecopter.
Winner will receive a paperback copy of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle book.
Open to US residents 18 years of age or older.
Winner will notified via email (if available) and blog post, and will have 48 business hours to claim prize.
If original winner does not claim prize within 48 business hours an alternate winner will be selected.
Contestants must enter on the Rafflecopter form to win.
Prize was provided by Tom Venuto and will ship from Running with Ollie in Fort Worth Texas.

Can't wait?
You can pre-order Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle on Amazon here.

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Lea

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BlogVember: Don't Call it a Comeback

I recently wrote about my short blogging hiatus and how I am back from the blogging dead. You see, I went nearly the whole month of October without a blog post. Gasp! For the first time in years I just didn't feel motivated to write. I got busy with other things and didn't make it a priority.

Just like anything (like healthy eating and exercise, for example), if you let something that is important to you fall to the wayside, the harder it is to make a comeback. But don't call it a comeback (says LL Cool J) I never really left.  It is about reexamining priorities and making time for the things that are important to me.

I was re-motivated to blog and got excited so I wrote four blogs to post the last five days of October. I am happy to be on the roll again and I want to keep the momentum going.

I came across a Blogvember Challenge from a Happy Girl to blog everyday in November, complete with writing prompts. What a better way to stay motivated than to have someone tell you what to write about? It kind of feels like English composition class all over again, (that's a good thing). But please, no one go over my blog posts with a red editing pen. Thanks.

So on November 1st I will begin my blog everyday challenge. I hope you will join me (either by reading along or joining the challenge yourself). I will try to write on the assigned topics but leaning towards health and fitness as to stay true to my blog's theme, but from the looks of these prompts, I'll probably end up going off the beaten path a bit.

Blog Everyday November Challenge from A Happy Girl

November 1: One of the best lessons life has shown you
November 2: Favorite inspiring quote
November 3: 5 favorite blogs
November 4: Write for 5 minutes on the prompt: Freedom
November 5: Share a favorite recipe (can be yours or someone else's just make sure to give credit)
November 6: 5 favorite apps
November 7: A day in your life
November 8: 5 minutes on the prompt: Time
November 9: 5 favorite places to shop online
November 10: A time when you felt unstoppable
November 11: 3 albums you would take in a deserted island
November 12: Your first pet
November 13: An epiphany you had this summer
November 14: 10 photos on 10 past the hour
November 15: Favorite Halloween costume of yours
November 16: 6 word memoir
November 17: Favorite year in elementary school and why
November 18: Happiest moment of your life
November 19: First job
November 20: Your first concert
November 21: 5 unique facts about you
November 22: 10 places you would love to visit (or have visited)
November 23: Reverse bucket list
November 24: 20 things you are grateful for
November 25: A love letter to yourself
November 26: Favorite teacher in your life
November 27: A book that honestly changed your life
November 28: Your life's soundtrack
November 29: Your take on the prompt Be Ridiculous
November 30: If you wrote your memoir, what would the title be and why?

I'm excited. If you missed me in October (big hugs to those of you who said you did), you may be sick of me by the end of November. Can I do this? Stay tuned to see!
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Lea

Ways to (legally) stalk me:

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Runners Love to Eat: How to Eat Like a Runner

Disclosure: I was provided the Runner's World Cookbook free of charge for the purpose of a blog review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own, and I am not obligated to give it a positive review. If I hated it, I'd tell you.

It is so easy to do. While trying to eating healthy, you can get caught in a rut and end up eating the same exact things every single day. Chicken salad. Chicken and vegetables. Turkey and vegetables. Salmon and vegetables. Chicken and sweet potatoes. While healthy, it is so freakin' boring I almost put myself to sleep just typing it.

This is why I was so excited when I learned about the Runner's World Cookbook. Some of us run to slim down, some of us eat to fuel up, and most of us do a combination of the two to maintain a healthy active lifestyle. The kicker is that healthy food doesn't have to be boring. Healthy food is delicious.

So whether you are training for a marathon and need tons of calories and lots of carbs, or if you are running to lose weight and need filling, lower calorie meals, the Runner's World Cookbook has recipes for every meal of the day (including dessert, of course) so that you can eat healthy, manage your goals, and most importantly, actually enjoy the food you eat.

The recipes are categorized as Prerun, Recovery, Fast (as in prep time, not your PR), Low-Calorie, Vegetarian, Vegan, and Gluten-Free, so no matter your dietary needs or restrictions, you can quickly determine which recipes are the best for you.

And before you dive into the delicious recipes, there is an introduction called, "How to Eat like a Runner" which is packed full of helpful tips: A Guide to Using Healthy Oils, Bread and Pasta Buying Guide, Best Protein Sources for Runner, among other great resources.

I've accepted a few truths in my life. I am just not very domestic. I'm not crafty, I don't sew, I can barely keep my house clean, and I am not a great cook. I managed to figure out how to make a few staple recipes in our house to keep us fed, but cooking is definitely not my strength. (My husband, on the other hand, refers to himself as Chef-Boy-Russ-G.) I often look at recipes online or in cookbooks and I either don't understand the techniques they describe or I don't have a clue as to what some of the ingredients are (this happens more than I care to admit). The Runner's World cookbook is really easy to follow with simple instructions and recognizable ingredients.

I think the thing I love most about the Runner's World Cookbook is that it is not overly restrictive like some other "healthy" cookbooks can be. Some of the recipes even use ingredients like white flour and sugar (Gasp! Just Kidding). This is what I like most. You can live a healthy lifestyle, eat great delicious foods that are good for your body, without restricting anything completely.

So instead of plain chicken and steamed vegetables everyday, how about "Southern UnFried Chicken" with "Butternut Squash with Pecan and Cranberries" as your side dish?

You can click on the link to purchase the Runner's World Cookbook (This is not an affiliate link, which means I don't gain anything if you click or purchase, I am just providing for your convenience!)

This week I am going to make "Crab and Lentil Stuffed Tomatoes with Yogurt Sauce" and I am also excited about the "Mini Salmon Cakes with Salsa." I'll blog about them as I make them. Have you tried any of the recipes in the Runner's World Cookbook yet? I'd love to hear what you think!

 Quick Bites: Soup's On, Weight's Off

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Lea

Ways to (legally) stalk me:

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Back From the Blogging Dead #onesmallchange

I got a knock on my Facebook door the other day. Usually, I am out on my Facebook front porch, shouting my status updates and waving to you as you pass by, but lately, I guess I've been hiding out in the garage.

It's nice to be missed. Thanks to my friend at FitPsychology for checking in on me.  Where have I been?

I haven't been blogging much, in fact, for the first time since I started this blog I went nearly a whole month without a blog post. What's up with that?

This I not like me. I love my blog; maybe as much as you love your child. I don't have a child, so I love my blog and my dog (and oh yeah, my husband, I meant to put him first on this list). 

We've been so busy. We have been remodeling the only bathroom in our house. This means pooping in a bucket, which throws your whole life off balance. Just kidding though, my best friend lives across the street, so she let us poop and shower in her bucket, plus we runners are used to going to the bathroom outdoors anyways.

Worth it!

Then I started a new job. I finally got out of that toxic environment. I never talked about it here, but things went from bad, to really bad, to worse in a heartbeat. I was offered a new job with a great new company and instantly I felt like this giant weight was lifted off my shoulders. But a new job brings on a whole new set of challenges; trying to learn a new job combined with a new routine threw me off again.

Then there was the whole marathon thing. No, not that kind of marathon, a Walking Dead marathon! We had to get caught up before the new season started, which involved some Netflix binge watching. I have my priorities straight people!

But I am not making excuses. I guess part of the reason I haven't been blogging is that I have this all-or-nothing mentality about most things in my life. I know it is not right, it is just the way my brain works. If I didn't have something epic to write about, I didn't write at all. Then the more time that passed, it felt like the blog had to be even more meaningful. The more time that passed, the easier it was not to write.

Then I came across a blog from my friend Elle at Eat Run Sail. She was writing about an end of year challenge she is participating in called One Small Change #onesmallchange. You should read her post because her one small change is such an important one that all of us women should strive to do. You can check out the details from the host of the challenge, Marcias Healthy Slice. This was just the kick in the butt that I needed. The idea is each week over a series of 12 weeks (I am late to the party, so 9 weeks for me) you commit to one small change each week and build on the changes from the previous week. If you are coming from a place where you need to make some major changes, you don't have to change everything all at once (that never works anyway). One thing at a time, one week at a time. Everyone has room to improve, so even if you are rocking and rolling in your life, there is always one small change you can make to better yourself. I love this idea.

This realization pulled me out of a rut. I didn't have to write an epic blog post. I don't have to be perfect. I just need to make one small change. Thanks Elle and Marcia!

My one small change this week (week 3 of the challenge)?

Write at least one blog post!

So what do you think? Is there one small change you want to make next week? More importantly, do you think Rick Grimes and Darryl will survive another season?


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Keep Running,

Lea

Ways to (legally) stalk me:

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Let's track each other's workouts on Dailymile
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