Giveaway and Challenge Update!

Just an FYI if you're having trouble commenting on the giveaway post, please feel to email me at climbrunliftmom at gmail . com with your entries and I'll include you! Giveaway ends tomorrow night at midnight so get your entries in!! Also if you are committing to the Sugar Free Challenge give yourself an extra entry :)

Speaking of the challenge... Alex from Spoonful of Sugar Free is going to do a guest post for us during the challenge. I figured since everyone always has a gazillion questions about being sugar free a Q&A post would be helpful. So feel free to ask any questions you have for Alex and she'll respond in a separate post :)

And as for a start date for the challenge. I know its last minute, but I'm starting the 1st of September. There's nothing better than starting off the month on a positive note!
So go enter the giveaway and start asking questions for Alex regarding being Sugar Free!

Sugar Free Challenge - Are you ready??

Many of you remember a couple months back when Amanda at Run To The Finish had a 10 day Sugar Free Challenge?? That was a life changing challenge for me. I truly struggled with it at first, but by the end of the 10 days I felt amazing and decided it was a lifestyle change I wanted to keep.  I would like to share that amazing feeling with you all as well.

I'm going to have a 10 day Sugar Free Challenge for myself again and whoever would like to join.  Why 10 days? Simply because that was a perfect amount of time for me. The 10 days gave my body time to go through withdrawals, detox and feel great by the end! I know most of you probably aren't looking to make a permanent sugar free change, but instead maybe just cut out your daily soda habit or kick your sweet tooth to the curb? This is a perfect way to make that change. (FYI - Before the challenge I was a 60+ oz per day Diet Coke addict, haven't touched it since!)

The rules of the challenge are simple:

• No Processed Sugars - Read labels - Sugar is in practically every processed food!
• No Artificial Sweetners - Yes this includes diet soda :)
• No Fruit Juice - Super high in sugar :(

The Good News:

• Fruit is OK :)
• Your going to feel great because you will consuming a clean, processed food free diet!

Here are some links from Alex at Spoonful of Sugar Free - Feel free to utilize her blog for information and amazing sugar free recipes :)

• Beware of Hidden Sugars - List of alternative sugar names and strange foods sugar is in.
• Are you a Sugar Addict? - Problems that sugar causes and how to tell if your addicted. Also has the video, Sugar - The Bitter Truth, long video but very informative if you can make the time!
• 10 ways to Kick Sugars Butt - How to take those first steps to rid yourself of SUGAR!

Now that you've got all that reading done.... Are you ready to commit??

If you're ready to try 10 days without sugar let me know in a comment!

Also let me know what your main reason is for wanting to go sugar free :)

Also if you can commit to 10 days Sugar Free you get an extra entry into my

ViewSPORT giveaway going on now!

Also feel free to post any questions regarding the challenge you may have!

My 1st Mountain Biking Adventure!

First off - thank to you to all my readers for sticking around while I took a blogging hiatus! And welcome new followers! Hope you all enjoy the ViewSPORT GIVEAWAY going on right now:) I really missed all my friends in bloggyland while I was away. I'm sure there is so much for me to catch up on! But for now... Onto the adventure!

My Bike - Specialized Myka HT Sport Disk

Soooo.... I thought I was a kinda bad ass, tough chick... Well mountain biking is making me think otherwise thus far. I got the bike and I had already looked at trails months before that I wanted to ride "one day".  I thought I'd be fine.  I did a couple short, easy rides on dirt roads to get used to the bike (it had been probably at least 6 yrs since I've even ridden a real bike) and it went great!  So why not hit the trails, they don't call it a "mountain" bike for nothing right?

Beautiful scenery... Scary trails.

I had read that there was a trail from Inspiration Point near Willard Peak in Willard, UT to Ben Lomond Peak in Ogden, UT and decided that would be a fun ride.  After driving over an hour to Inspiration Point (elevation 9,422' by the way...), I got the bike out and hit the trail. I made it 1/2 mile to where above photo was taken.  Of that half mile I had to carry my bike probably 1/4 of that because the terrain was too scary to ride.  After turning around I was completely out of breath and had to stop half a dozen on the 1/2 mile back to the car, I blame the elevation... Let's look at more beautiful pictures of the view and forget the horrendous ride :)

Can you see the fear on my face??

After having my behind thoroughly handed to me, I got back in the car and headed down to another trail. I had walked this trail last summer with the kiddos, super easy and at around only 8,500' elevation.  It was super easy and super fun until I got past where we had turned around on our previous hike.  Holy slippery, gravelly, hills.... The first hill looks absolutely impossible but after that it looked easy again so I figured I'd give it a try.  After about 1 rotation of tires I thought I was going to flip over my handlebars so I walked it down the hill (or slid down may be more appropriate). Well my eyes had deceived me, it didn't get any easier after that hill! I made it about 1 mile this time before turning around.  Note to self: In the future, if a hill looks too scary to ride down... It's going to be even less fun pushing your bike back up!  Here's a picture from that mini-adventure :)

I decided enough was enough and headed down to Mantua to ride the 4.16 miles around the lake. It wasn't exciting or adventurous, but it was fun! I actually had such a nice ride I didn't stop to take any pictures for you though. It was a perfect way to end my day.  Lesson learned though, practice makes perfect and don't go hopping on crazy trails 3 days after getting a bike with no previous experience.

What's the craziest thing you've jumped into headfirst with no experience?

How'd it work out? Did you sink or swim?

All You Need Is You - ViewSport Giveaway :)

So this is the giveaway I have been stoked about! As soon as I seen these shirts I knew I needed to have one and share them with you all. And lucky for you all this is a giveaway for both the guys and the gals! I really want to suggest you follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook (links posted below).  They are always posting motivational quotes, questions and challenges so that when your online you can't help but be thinking about working out! Anyways, onto the goodies! View Sport makes their awesome shirts with sweat activated technology. According to their website:

When you work out, the ViewSport sweat activated technology

(patent pending) reveals a design which is only apparent when your

sweat comes in contact with the fabric. The idea is to show your

work. The harder you work, the more apparent the image. To make it

work, ALL YOU NEED IS YOU!

Image from ViewSport's website

 

I mean seriously, how motivating is that?!?! I was lucky enough to test out the Army Tank Top. It looks so bad ass before you even start sweating! It is a seamless, racerback tank and is super comfy. I tested it out spinning, lifting weights and during a bikram yoga class. I didn't sweat enough lifting weights for it to show me the image, but spinning and bikram yoga sure did the trick! The only downside I noticed is that I sweated so much in yoga that the image started to blend back in with the shirt. But halfway through it was so motivating to keep pushing along when I seen the image on my stomach! On top of being super cute and inspiring, the shirt also holds it's shape great through multiple washings. I noticed the sizing seems to run a little on the small side, I'm normally a Medium but a Large fit me perfectly (just something to keep in mind if you can't wait to win a shirt and want to buy one right away!).

 

Pre-workout "I AM"

Post Bikram Yoga "I AM - THE COMPETITION"

The only part still dry is the "I AM" logo :)

View Sport was kind enough to offer a t-shirt to one of my lucky readers!!! You'll get your choice of whichever design suits your fancy.  All you have to do for a chance to win is....

Mandatory:

1) Follow my blog (Via Google Friend Connect or Feedburner)

2) Like ViewSport on Facebook - HERE (Tell them Haley @ Climb Run Lift Mom sent you and which shirt is your favorite!)

Optional:

3) Follow ViewSport on Twitter - HERE

4) Like Climb Run Lift Mom on Facebook - HERE

5) Follow Climb Run Lift Mom on Twitter - HERE

6) Tweet "Check out @climbrunliftmom 's SWEATY @ViewSPORT giveaway http://tinyurl.com/ViewSPORT!!!"

7) Share this giveaway on your Facebook page

9) Share this giveaway on your Blog

So there you go... That's 9 chances to win a super cool ViewSport t-shirt of your choice!! Giveaway will end Wednesday, August 31 at midnight. Winner will be chosen via Random.org on September 1. Good luck!!!