Frog Fuel Winner, Friday Faves (Coconut Edition) & July Squat Challenge

Happy Friday everyone! I hope everyone had a great week :) 

A winner has been chosen for the Frog Fuel giveaway!  I used Google's random.org List Randomizer to generate a winner from the commenters on that post and CheapRunnerMichelle has won the 3 sample pack - Congratulations!  If you would send an email to me at run379@yahoo.com with your mailing address, I will get that information over to Mike at Hubpages and he will send out your package.  I contacted Mike earlier this week because I had not yet received my samples and he advised there was a delay because of the July 4th holiday last week.  So, perhaps you and I will be sampling them together and we can share our reviews :)

List Randomizer

There were 2 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. CheapRunnerMichelle
2. Deborah Kelleman

Timestamp: 2013-07-12 17:40:45 UTC

Ok now for a few Friday Faves.  I don't know if it's because of the extremely steamy weather we're having lately that's perhaps putting my mind in a tropical mood, but I am obsessed with all things COCONUT right now!  I feel like coconut is kind of a love/hate type food.  You either really like it, or you really don't.  For those that do love it like I do, I'm going to highlight a few of my favorite coconut infused food items for you: 


1.  LUNA Bar - Chocolate Dipped Coconut flavor

Luna Bar Chocolate Dipped Coconut, 1.69-Ounce, 15-Bars  

So good!!  I like to stash LUNA Bars in my bag because I am the kind of person who always like to have snacks on hand.  I can only go a couple hours without food before I get really cranky or get a terrible headache.  I had been wanting to try this flavor since I saw it came out a few months ago, and I finally got my hands on it at Target the last time I was there.  It is not too sweet but it's super satisfying.  I also picked up OliveToRun's favorite flavor (Carrot Cake) while I was there, so that's next on my list to try. 

 

 

2.  ZICO Chocolate Coconut Water

 





ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water, Chocolate, 14 Ounce Bottles (Pack of 12)

 

I have been a fan of coconut water for some time now and I've tried a bunch of different flavors and brands.  I really love the refreshing taste of plain coconut water, but this chocolate flavor is such a treat!  It's non dairy which is awesome for me and it's just sweet and chocolately enough not to be overbearing.  It's not thick like chocolate milk so that might throw some people off, but if you are feeling adventurous I would definitely recommend at least trying a bottle - let me know what you think!

 

 

3.  So Delicious Coconut Almond "Ice Cream" Bars

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I mentioned these in the Fitness Survey Linkup a few posts back, but these are my latest evening treat!  The combination of coconut ice cream and nuts is soooo good! Even if you are normally a dairy ice cream lover, I would recommend giving these a try if you love coconut flavored anything.  My sister eats dairy and just recently told me she eats these as well!


So, now that I'm sufficiently starving let's talk workouts!! 

Last month I got hooked on the Plank A Day challenge and actually saw excellent results from it!  I varied my planks from day to day so that I could work different muscles and I wouldn't get bored.  (If you follow me on Instagram, you saw my daily postings!)  I took a baseline plank June 1st in straight plank position and recorded a 3:08 plank that first day.  My goal was to double my time from the beginning of the month and on June 30th I performed a straight arm plank and held it for 7:11!!  I think the idea of competing against myself is what really pushed me.  It's the same principal as running.  A lot of running and fitness in general is mental.  You are always try to push yourself to do just a little bit more, go a little bit further, a little bit faster than you did before.  Not all my planks during the month were epic but when I was really in the zone, it's amazing how long I held that thing!  Just another life lesson learned from achieving a fitness goal - You are Stronger than You Think.  Never forget that :)

So for July I wanted to move away from the arms a bit and focus on legs.  I chose the 30 Day Squat Challenge and got a few Facebook friends to join in as well.  This is what I'm doing:

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I love doing squats so I'm definitely enjoying this one! I think I may start adding weights to some of the reps too.  I also really like the wall sit challenge that Jacqueline at SkinnyChickBlog is doing so I may start to add some of those in on the 'rest' days prescribed above. 

Well there you have it.  A little of this, a little of that!  I hope everyone has a great weekend.


Questions for today:

Do you like coconut as much as I do?  Or are you on the other side of the fence?

Are you into Fitness challenges? Are you doing any for the month of July?