#BeFitAllYear

Fitness is a big thing right now. It's like the IT thing. You can do workouts in gyms, at home, in hotels, anywhere really. You can access free workouts online -- one in particular is BeFit. Heard of them? Check out their BeFit 30 Day Burn Calendar and watch their introductory video:



Their workout series are short, but intense (and challenging)! If you're limited on time, this is a great way to quickly work up a sweat. They are roughly about 10 minutes long. What's intimidating about 10 minutes?! EXACTLY! Give yourself no excuses and just give it a go! I enjoyed them and I'm sure you will, too!

Speaking of BeFit, they have their own BeFit Nutrition Supplements. Pretty cool since so many of us are on a fitness journey. I was chosen to try 3 of their products out for a month. When my wonderful box arrived, I opened it to find these three products...

• BeFit Pre (pre-workout Energy and Endurance Booster (flavor: fruit punch))
• BeFit Whey Protein (Whey Isolate and Casein Combination (flavor: vanilla))
• BeFit Burn (fat burner without the jitters)

Needless to say, I was pretty excited for a 30 day supply from BeFit!

Now that BeFit nutrition is here, let me explain what each is.

BeFit Pre: This is a fruit punch flavored pre-workout energy drink. My favorite of the three. There are three key elements required for a good workout: energy, endurance and focus, and that's what you get with this supplement. It's delicious and when you workout super early, a tasty pre-workout drink is a HUGE help!

BeFit Whey Protein: This product helps to support muscle recovery by combining two types of protein, whey and casein. It comes in two flavors: chocolate and vanilla which are also GMO, sugar and gluten free. Mix this with almond milk, a banana, peanut butter and ice cubes and you've got yourself a delicious shake! That's how I enjoyed mine!

BeFit Burn: This product helps your body create thermogenesis (heat), which helps metabolize, or burn fat. It helps to manage cravings and curbs your appetite. You don't get jitters with this one, but to be honest, I've never taken a fat burner before, so to be able to compare it with another product -- well, I can't. It says you don't get jitters because it doesn't over-stimulate your nervous system. I can confirm that I never did get jitters while using it. I'm not sure this product was a good fit for me.

If you'd like to purchase any of their products or if you simply want to check out what they are all about, head on over to www.befitfitnessnutrition.com 

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Instagram is my jam

Do you have an instagram account? I do and it's BY FAR my favorite form of social media. I don't really know what it is that I like. Sharing your lives with photo boxes. I'm drawn to a particular type of crowd. Maybe that's my thing -- fitness. I find instagram to be my place for fitness inspiration. I follow a few others like, awesome moms, friends, fashion, but mostly I follow fitness. (if you're into fitness, feel free to follow me: www.instagram.com/afitfox)

Lately, I've realized that instagram is my jam. I'm like a lean, mean, instagram contest winning machine. haha. No really... I don't know why I'm lucky with contests, but it's kind of cool. I participate in quite a few, but let's be honest, I lose A LOT. It's cool, I don't mind. I'm very happy for the people who do win because there are some amazing prizes floating around the instagram world waiting to be won.

In December, there was a contest because this particular person reached 10 THOUSAND followers! What does that even look like?! 10k -- that's what it looks like. haha Anyway, the contest had rules (like most do) and I took a chance. To my surprise, I won and it was a pretty cool prize. A fitness gear prize. Clothes. I won fitness clothes! (I was beyond stoked)

So, after I found out, I was anxiously stalking the mailman, but nothing. Nothing arrived. Wah... were the holidays really that delayed? Even after the holidays nothing arrived. I tried to come up with a gazillion reasons. I contacted the person who was holding the contest. She had no idea what was going on either. I couldn't be upset with her, she was extremely helpful. After two months of nothing, I started to give up hope. I started to assume that maybe the prize was just too big for the company and they didn't want to give away free merchandise and they changed their mind. This thought seemed to put my mind at ease, UNTIL I got a package in the mail the other day. I thought the package that arrived was going to be my new leggings that I ordered from The Online Legging Store (go check them out -- awesome prices!) but it was my December winnings.

I'm pretty sure I did a happy dance right then and there. Not everything that was orginally shown in the post was in the bag, but that's okay, the majority of it was there.

Now I'm happy and parading around in my new clothes. It's the little things and instagram is totally my jam!

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Hemp Heart Bar? Yay or Nay?

Manitoba Harvest... the first time I had heard about their name was when I tried their Hemp Hearts and honestly, I fell in love. It was so delicious and I could use their product on so many different kinds of food. When I was selected to be a part of trying a new product of theirs, I was totally on board.

A couple of weeks ago, I was sent two Hemp Heart Bars in two different flavors: Chocolate and Apple Cinnamon. Off the bat, I wasn't thrilled with having to sample anything apple. It's just not a flavor that I'm typically drawn too, so I opted to try out the chocolate first. Sadly, I was disappointed in it. (wah! Not the reaction I was hoping to have after taking my first bite.) It's a chewy bar which is nice and simple to eat. Nothing crunchy at all about it, but the taste just wasn't anything to brag about. Ugh... I felt that giving my honest opinion was, in a way, letting the company down. Needless to say, I procrastinated on sampling the other flavor.

Well, the day had arrived and I was in need of a snack and this apple cinnamon Hemp Heart bar was just staring at me (I can just imagine little beady eyes looking at me -- or perhaps I was just THAT hungry I was envisioning my food having eyes.) Anyway, Apple Cinnamon was quite delicious. I was pleasantly surprised. I'd definitely have another if I had one. And this... this is coming from someone who is not an apple flavor lover at all. I hate apple pies, apple cobbler, apple anything unless it's an actual apple, so me liking this bar was definitely something to brag about!

Now that you have my review of Hemp Heart Bars, you might want to know just exactly what they are, right?! Well, first, they come in THREE flavors: Chocolate, Apple Cinnamon & Vanilla and they are crafted with simple, minimal ingredients and of course the goodness of hemp!

Each Hemp Hear bar has 10 grams of protein and 10 grams of omegas. They are the perfect pre-workout snack, mid-afternoon snack or on the go snack. They'll be sure to help fuel your day!

If this is a bar for you, head on over to www.manitobaharvest.com and fill your cart. When you're ready to check out use this PROMO CODE: hhbarlaunch1015 to save yourself 15%. This code will expire on March 31, 2016. Enjoy!!

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Mom Brain Sucks

I just got back from a 2 mile walk with my toddler. She loves going for a ride and I love the exercise. (the fresh air was an added bonus, too)

2 miles was the longest walk that we've done in a while and we got it done in 35 minutes! Go us!

So, towards the end of our walk, I see a couple moms standing on the sidewalk chatting. I eventually make my way, say hi, we introduce each other (even though we've seen each other and waved in passing on multiple occasions) and like 2 seconds later, I've already forgotten her name, her husband's name and one of their two children. (I remembered the baby's name) Seriously, what is wrong with my brain? I was listening to her & paying attention, but it obviously went in one ear and out the other. Ugh. Now, I'm going to have to go through that embarrassing moment(s) of "hey... you!" "How are things with you and the kids?" You know, purposely skating around the fact that I've forgotten their names. OR maybe I'll just laugh it off, tell her I'm an idiot and that I've forgotten her name. Gah.

My brain sometimes... lol

*ALISSA

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Mixed Martial Arts • Sounds intimidating, doesn't it?

About a week or so ago, I was asked to review a fitness class... an MMA fitness class. What's MMA, you ask? It's Mixed Martial Arts. At first, I felt intimated by the letters MMA. I haven't done a class like this before, but I pushed my fears aside and bit the bullet and agreed to test it out. Getting out of your comfort zone is a good thing from time to time.

So, last Tuesday I went out to Level 10 MMA in Flemington, NJ, still unsure of what I was about to get myself into. Upon arrival, my GPS directed me to Walmart... gah... yes, the GPS got me lost. Thanks trusty GPS for getting me to my destination in a timely manner! haha. A quick phone call to Level 10 and they told me that I was right around the corner. Whew!

Once inside the doors, I was greeted by one of the owners, Lisa who was nicer than nice. Such a sweet woman who was very informative and gave me the whole story of how Level 10 MMA came about. The place is small and minimal with a "caged in" workout area and five standing punching bags. There is a set of lockers and benches to the right where you are able to store your belongings. You are required to remove your shoes (socks, too) prior to stepping on the mats. (Ladies, make sure your tootsies are looking pretty & painted... had I known I totally would have painted mine a pretty color, but I was there to workout not get compliments on my pretty manicured toes. I'm such a girly girl, I know!)

Anyway, the gentleman running the class was Master Michael. He has been in the martial arts business for over 20 years. He has a very likable personality and was very easy to talk to. (I'm telling you, these two who run this place are far from intimidating... so far so good!!!) We started the class with a few warm ups... jumping jacks, laps, ab work, etc. Then the fun began when they gave me boxing gloves! Oh boy!! We got to punch and kick the punching bags -- of course, I needed a little assistance as it was my first time and Master Michael demonstrated how I was to punch and kick effectively. I didn't feel embarrassed at all. He truly is there to help and teach you. There was no judgement at all. Never once did I feel like I was out of place.

Now, let me remind you, I'm a pretty fit girl. I exercise 6 out of 7 days with a mixture of cardio and weights. This class that I took was pretty intense, even for me. (FYI, this fitness class is for any fitness level.) I loved that it was different from my normal workout and it made me SWEAT! The punching, the crunches, the kicks, the rope things (I cannot think of what those are called.. sorry) where you stand on a bosu, holding ropes and move your arms up and down... yeah, those things are awesome! We teamed up with a buddy and did workouts together (punches, crunches (where you interlock your ankles and exchange a medicine ball back and forth), etc) The exercises were challenging and fun.

Level 10 MMA is all about empowerment. At the end of class, they teach you a self defense move. We were taught how to break free from a choke hold and got to practice it with our partner a few times. Learning something like this was a nice 'bonus' to the class. I truly enjoyed learning a new technique.

There are a couple requirements...

• They ask that you wear their shirt (kind of like a uniform where everyone matches and the shirts are kind of cool (I wish I would have gotten one!)
• They also ask that you purchase their boxing gloves. It's a safety thing.

All in all, a great place to get your fitness on! I was definitely feeling sore in my arms, shoulders and abs the next day. I LOVE that feeling!

For more information and their class schedule, please check out their website: www.level10mma.com
You can also find them on Facebook at www.fb.com/Level10MMA

Level 10 is a place for the entire family, as they offer classes for children, teens & adults.

Don't be intimated by something new. You may enjoy it -- I know I did!!

Thank you to Lisa & Michael for allowing me to come to your class! 

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