Spartan Racing - More Fun than the Gym!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Spartan Race for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have been wondering what a Spartan Race is since my cousin's daughter mentioned on Facebook that she was going to be taking part in one out in California.  At the time I thought it was a special annual event that just took place in her part of the country, but in putting together this post, I'm discovering that Spartan Racing is a new intense and fun form of fitness that takes place throughout the US and the World.  I went to the site to see if she was on the list of participants in CA, and found her! I found participants in ages that ranged from 20's through 50's.  In my 60's, I'm not quite sure I'm up to the challenge, but it does sound like great fun and I know she loved it.

Spartan Racing takes you through obstacle courses and crazy challenges that will test your endurance and increase your physical abilities.  You train and prepare with daily workouts.  There are various levels of challenges, and this can be fun to do whether you go on your own, with a friend or with the whole family.

You do have to register for the races, so you'll have to visit the website through one of the links here to find out when one will be in your area or an area your willing to travel and sign up.  Answers to your questions can be found at a helpful faq at http://www.spartanrace.com/spartan-race-obstacle-course-faq.html and there is also a video to help you learn more about the races at the site.  So maybe we should all get up off the couch and get away from the computers for a bit and take on the challenge....after you've visited the Spartan Race site, of course.

Let Spring Put a Spring in Your Step

There are few, unless physical circumstances prohibit it, who aren't able to enjoy the benefits that come from walking. Much has been written about it because it is one of the easiest forms of exercise to accomplish. My husband and I both walk as our primary form of exercise. Here are the benefits that we appreciate the most:

1. It's free! No monthly or annual dues to a gym.
2. We enjoy the outdoors whether it's here in our rural neighborhood with it's lake and woodlands, or for my husband, along the sidewalks in the neighborhood where his office is located.
3. You don't need any equipment except a good pair of walking shoes and if you like, an inexpensive pedometer to keep track of your miles. There is more elaborate equipment to measure heart rate, etc., but a pedometer is all I use.
4. You can even walk inside without a treadmill on rainy days...I use a Walking DVD that has you "walk in place" with some forward back and side to side movement right in my living room with Leslie Sansone.
5. It works the larger muscles of the legs and is a great cardiovascular workout, strengthening the heart.
6. It's great for a "sluggish colon", and will help to keep you regular.

These are just a few of the many benefits of walking, and as I've been sharing, we've had such a mild winter this year, there is no excuse for us not to be out there walking regularly.

Omron Hj-113 Pocket Pedometer, Walking Style, Black

Leslie Sansone Walk At Home 5 Mile Deluxe Kit
DVD, Hand Weights, Belt & Band

Saving Recipes and Health Sites All in One Place

I've discovered a new place to store all of my favorite recipe, nutrition and health sites. The site is called clipix and as the name would indicate, it is a "visual" way of saving places that you want to revisit in an organized way.

I just joined clipix recently, and have set up several files on my favorite topics. What you do is open an account in a matter of a few minutes, then go to your "clipboard". On the clipboard you will find boxes with headings of some popular categories. You can change the titles to things the you like, and add more boxes for more categories. And if things get really busy on your clipboard, you can set up "multiboards" and put similar clipboards within them to further organize things.

Since I am new, I've set up some basic boards on some of my favorite things, including animals, books I'd like to read, health and nutrition, recipes, gift ideas...the possibilities are endless. When you go to your main page, you can click on the title of any one of your clipboards and it will open up to it's own page so that you can see all files within it. As I said, I've just started, but here is a picture of the folder I started on health and nutrition: 

How do you save files to a clipboard? When you join, you "drag" a little "clip" button up into your toolbar if you are using Firefox, or you save it to your toolbar as instructed if you are using Internet Explorer. Then when you are on a page that you like and want to save, you simply click on the clip button in the toolbar, a window will open, you choose a picture that will remind you of the site, label it if you like, and save it into a file that you choose from a drop-down menu.

So simple! I am "happynutritionist" on clipix, when you join, look for me, or tell us in a comment who you are so we can all find you...tell us how you are using Clipix.

Promoted Post

Write Your Recipe Online

Have you made a dish, or dramatically altered a recipe enough that it has become your own? Have you ever wanted to share your recipe so that others can enjoy it?

Of course you could put it into a blog post or website, but you also could bring attention to your recipe by writing about it on Squidoo using their special food template, and their printable recipe module. If your recipe is a vegetarian recipe, you have the option of having it featured in Squidoo's GoodVeg magazine depending upon the categories you choose for your page. Here is an example of a recipe that is in the GoodVeg magazine that uses the printable recipe module - ABC Fiesta Vegetarian Pasta Salad.

And here is an example of a very easy and quick recipe I posted using the "munch" template, one that I have not yet added the printable module to at this typing - Pork and Beans Plus Skillet Dinner Recipe.

It's so very easy to become a part of the Squidoo community, just click this link to join and start writing about your favorite things...I love it and at this point receive some income for what I write. I wasn't paid anything to share this, by the way, it's just too fun NOT to share.

Wellness from a Cactus

Traveling out west from where we live in the northeast US to Arizona and Colorado are among my favorite memories. My husband and I enjoy road trips, and seeing all the different types of beauty that can be found along the way. Being in the desert places has it's own special kind of beauty. While I love the lush green growth surrounding us in the northeast, it is also beautiful to see the sage brush, and various kinds of cactus growing in the west.



One year, we brought home a piece of a Prickly Pear cactus and planted it to see if it would adapt to our area. It actually did quite well, and during the time that we had it, we became aware of the nutrition and health benefits of the plant. The variety that contains these benefits is Opuntia Ficus Indica. The pads, prepared properly, are actually edible, and the fruit contains properties that neutralize toxins in the body and reduce inflammation. This is why many drink a juice called Nopalea which is made from the fruit of the plant. Now we can enjoy the health benefits of a plant that Native peoples used for centuries.  If you would like to try this drink for free and pay only shipping, call 1-800-203-7063.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons