Do you like it sweet?

I love sweets but know too much sugar is not healthy and certainly not on my Revolt diet.  My problem is, I don't like the taste of artificial sweeteners...none of them, not even "natural" stevia.  I think they all have a bad aftertaste and I am pretty good at picking up on the artificial sweetener taste after just one bite.  Do you know how many food and drink items have some form of artificial sweeteners in them?  A LOT!

So when I had the chance to try two new sweeteners, I jumped on the opportunity.  They are both made by Equal.

For more than 30 years, Equal has offered their trusted "blue" packets using the ingredient of aspartame.  Equal also offers yellow (sucralose) and pink (saccharin) packets that bear the brand name and deliver the quality and taste patrons expect. 

Naturals is a 100% all-natural zero-calorie blend of monk fruit and stevia.

I really wanted to like this one but unfortunately it still had the bad artificial sweetener aftertaste.

The second one is Equal Next.  It's a new zero-calorie sweetener that's a blend of aspartame and saccharin, sweeteners that are used in the Equal “blue” and Equal “pink” packets.

 

 

Although not as bad as aspartame or saccharin on their own, it still had the bad aftertaste.

 

0 for 2

I'm glad I got to try these new sweeteners but I'll stay with good ole sugar for now.

Do you like artificial sweeteners?

Music Monday [Sci-Fi]

School's out for summer.  School's out forever. No more pencils. No more books. No more kids' dirty looks.

Now that school's out and I'm not working full time, hopefully I'll be back to blogging more again.

I'm kicking off this week with Music Monday.  The theme is sci-fi music not to be confused with Sy-Fy (I didn't even know the channel changed its name until I heard about it on a Big Bang Theory episode).  Anyway, I love sci-fi movies and books so a sci-fi music theme is fun for me!

The first song that came to mind is Weird Science.  I still remember seeing Weird Science in the theater with my dad while my sister and mom saw Follow That Bird (Big Bird)...a fact I still like to remind her of.  ;-)

I have a couple of sci-fi theme songs on my cell phone as ringtones including Harry Potter, Star Wars, Scooby-Doo Where Are You and this catchy theme song by Bowling For Soup.  Do you recognize it?

I love this next weird song!  It's on my running playlist and always brings a smile to my face when it comes on.  Lake Pontchartrain by Ludo.

I thought of many sci-fi songs especially those from They Might Be Giants but alas, I only put up three.  Do you have a favorite sci-fi type song?

For Music Mondays, I’m teaming up with my good friend and fellow Marathon Mama, Denise. Please stop by and check out Denise's Music Monday.



Visit Xmas Dolly for more Music Monday.

2013 Iron Girl Triathlon Clermont Discount!

Triathlon season is here!  I need to get in the pool and start training my weakest sport, swimming.

I'm participating in the 2013 Iron Girl Sprint Triathlon in Clermont, FL this September.  The swim in the Iron Girl Tri will be my longest race swim yet so I really need to work on my race swimming.

I have a 2013 Iron Girl Tri discount code for anyone who wants to sign up for the Clermont, FL race.  Use LOVINGLIFE as your Iron Girl Tri coupon code to receive $10 off your registration for the 2013 sprint distance tri in Clermont.  This Iron Girl Tri discount code is valid until September 1st.

The 2013 Iron Girl Tri sprint distance is a 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, and 3 mile run.

Who wants to join me for this fun girls' weekend?  Let's start training!


Disclaimer: I was given an Iron Girl Tri registration in exchange for event promotion and a review.  All opinions are my own.

Revolt 2.7, Every day's a Revolt day

Revolt's second Uprising is over but that doesn't stop us revolters!  Nichole created a special menu and videos for Memorial Day week to keep us active and on track with healthy eating with Revolt Fitness.

For most of the week I did really well with both food and exercise until Friday.  The weekend was not good for me because I had a stomach bug.  It wasn't pretty.

I did lose weight and inches for last week but not in a healthy way.  I didn't eat much for 4 days and what I did eat, didn't stay with me for long.  Now it's Wednesday and my appetite is still not back to normal.  Working out is hard when my body doesn't have the nutrition it needs.  Today is a rest day and I think I'll take the remainder of the week off until I feel 100% again.

Like I said...stomach bug, not a healthy 3.5 lb loss.  I am really trying to hydrate myself and get back to feeling 100%.

Revolt's June Uprising started June 3rd.  You get a month's worth of menus and workouts for $10!  I'm so glad I gave this program a try.  By sticking to the diet and exercise plans, I'm seeing results I love!  Who wants to join me?!  I'd love to have a team of revolters!


Disclaimer: I was given a free membership to Revolt Fitness in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Richard Petty Junior Driving Experience

Richard Petty Driving Experience now offers Junior Ride-Alongs at the Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, FL.  The Junior Ride-Alongs program allows children ages 6-13 years old and at least 48 inches tall the opportunity to experience real-life racing in a specially equipped two-seat NASCAR race car.  The children ride shotgun with a professional driving instructor for three thrilling laps on the Walt Disney World Speedway.

My boys had the opportunity to experience the Richard Petty Driving Experience Junior Ride-Alongs.  I was so excited for them!  We made the drive to Orlando and found our way to the Disney Speedway where parking is free.

Before the ride-along, we got to tour the garages and see some of the expensive, fancy cars.

My boys loved the expensive cars, which by the way you can pay to drive on the race track too!  Now on to the race cars!

 

Happy, happy boys!  They loved their three laps in the race car and wanted to go again.  My boys each received a souvenir photo and a ride-along experience video.  Check out their videos below!

Jared

 

Dylan

Wahoo!!  The Junior Ride-Alongs cost $59-$69 plus tax (price varies by track).  The Junior Ride-Along program generally is offered between 9am to 4pm on days they are on track, on a first come, first serve basis.

My boys had so much fun and can't wait until they are old enough to drive a race car on their own.  Fortunately, I have some years before that happens.

*Disclaimer:  We were given the Ride-Along Experience, souvenir photo and video in exchange for this review.  All opinions are my own.

Banana Crepes [Foodie Friday]

Hi, my name is Chrissy and I'm a picky eater.

This week for breakfast, I made Banana Crepes from my Revolt Fitness menu.  I really liked them which surprised me because....I'm particular about the foods I like.  These are healthy, flour-less, gluten free, banana crepes packed with protein.

Banana Crepes PRINT Ingredients: 1 egg 4 egg whites 1 banana ½ tsp vanilla extract cinnamon to taste coconut oil Directions: Add eggs, banana, vanilla, and cinnamon to a blender and mix until smooth. Melt coconut oil in a small pan on medium heat. Pour batter into hot pan and cook on both sides until golden.   Recipe by Chrissy @ Loving Life http://lovinglife27.blogspot.com/2013/05/banana-crepes-foodie-friday.html

Revolt 2.6, Supplements

I finished Uprising 2, Week 6 (my 4th week of the program) of Revolt Fitness.  I feel stronger in my upper body.  I'm able to do more real (manly) push-ups.  I've also increased the weights used in the upper body workouts.  To help with the soreness of working out 5 times a week, I take some supplements.

Here are the supplements I'm taking...

• Multi vitamin
• CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) - 1000mg 3x day. This is an omega-6 fatty acid primarily found in beef and dairy products that may help reduce body fat & increase lean muscle mass. 
• Fish oil  - 1290mg 2x day.  Fish oil is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. I buy one that minimizes burps because I can't stand to burp up fish all day.
• Glutamine - 5000mg 1x day (I add the plain powder to my protein shake).  A workout basically tears your muscle fibers.  Immediately after a workout, your body starts to repair itself.  Glutamine plays a key role in repairing damaged and sore muscles.

I do see what a big role food plays in transforming my body.  Last week, I was off the wagon.  Instead of one cheat day, I had four!  With parties all weekend, my will power was lost.

Here are my numbers for week 2.6

Revolt's 2nd Uprising is now over.  I'm very happy with my results over the last 4 weeks. I'm sure I'll see my weight number go back down as I continue to hydrate after a weekend of drinking and bad eating.  I still lost inches last week!

Do you want to try Revolt this week....FREE?! Find out if it's the program for you!Revolt Fitness launched a free 1 week Kickstart program on Monday, May 27. You have access to a 50 page guide, 1 week of videos, 1 week of workouts with 3 different fitness levels, and 1 week of meal plan with 6 calorie levels.

Sign up for your free week at Revolt Fitness.

The next Uprising starts June 3. Who wants to join me! More details coming soon (and maybe a discount for readers).

Disclaimer: I was given a free membership to Revolt Fitness in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.