Sweaty Laundry? Try The Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator (Giveaway)

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Coco

There’s no escaping the fact that I get sweaty when I workout

and even sweatier when I run.

That’s why I have lots of  athletic wear to wash in my weekly laundry.

One of the many great products in our Fitbloggin’ swag was the new Febreze® Laundry Odor Eliminator.

You pour it in during the wash cycle, so you can use it for items that you don’t put in the dryer–like all those technical shirts, compression shorts and sports bras.

I don’t like strong scents (some perfumes make me sneezey) but I do love the smell of fresh laundry, and this product gets the scent just right. My clothes smell good when I put them on, but the fragrance doesn’t cling.

It worked on the hamper-full of clothes my son brought home from college over fall break, and it finally got the last bit of “chemical” odor that was keeping me from wearing my GW Parkway Classic shirt.

The people behind the new Febreze® Laundry Odor Eliminator have offered to send a bottle to one of my lucky readers who lives in the continental United States. Here’s how you can enter this giveaway:

  1. Leave a comment and let me know if you’ve ever had a clothing item that you couldn’t get a stink  out of –like my race shirt!
  2. Follow @Got2Run4Me on Twitter and send this Tweet and leave a comment saying that you did:

I entered to win the Febreze giveaway from @Got2Run4Me http://wp.me/p131gw-1G5 #laundrochat 

One comment per entry, up to two entries per person.

I will select a winner from qualified entries received by midnight east coast time on Friday, November 8, 2012. Make sure your comment includes an email address where I can reach you and make sure you have a continental U.S. mailing address or you may be disqualified!

Don’t be the stanky gym offender in this Ask Amy column!

**FTC Notice** I was given a bottle of Febreze® Laundry Odor Eliminator as part of the Fitbloggin’ conference swag. This review reflects my own personal opinion of the product.

Posted in Fitness, Product Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 28 Comments

Five Ways To Discourage Blog Comments

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Coco

They don’t call it “comment love” for nothing. Bloggers love blog comments! Bloggers know that they have many more readers than commenters, and we all want to encourage more people to comment on our blogs. I certainly don’t have the answer, but I can tell you why I don’t comment on your blog.

1.  You use a captcha spam filter.

(source)

We all hate captcha. I may try it once. Too often, once is not enough for it to work.

2.  You already have 50 comments. Even if your post is brilliant, if you already have a lot of blog comments, I may feel like I don’t have anything more to add.

3.  I can’t figure out how to comment. I’m pretty blog-savvy, but it’s happened. If I have to click through to another screen to comment–especially if I have to click a link at the top of the post–I may get lost on my way to comment land.

4.  I’m reading your blog on my iPhone. Maybe it’s my fault for having a 10-character email address and an even longer blog address, but I hate having to tap all that out on my iPhone. Blame Apple for not giving us auto-fill for blog comments.

5. I don’t have anything to say.

(For some other great blogging tips, check out Carrie’s 5 Tips For New Bloggers, which got me thinking about this one.)

How about you? What makes you more or less likely to comment?

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , | 16 Comments

Book Review: The Unlikely Pilgrimmage Of Harold Fry By Rachel Joyce

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Coco

I first heard about The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry on The Diane Rehm Show, when Diane was interviewing the author, Rachel Joyce.

It sounded like an interesting premise–a retired man goes out to get the mail, and keeps walking. He doesn’t have Alzheimer’s, but rather decides to go visit an old friend who is dying of cancer, figuring that if he can walk across England to reach her, she can fight the cancer. Thus, his “unlikely pilgrimage” was born.

I did not really enjoy reading this book. At times, it seemed as plodding and endless as Harold’s journey. I know Harold is an older man, but how can it take anyone all day to walk less than 5 miles? I kept reading in the hope that an intriguing reason behind Harold’s mission would be revealed, or at least that something more exciting would happen than Harold getting another blister, but I mostly was disappointed. Yes, we get a better understanding of Harold  and his motivation as the book progresses, but it is never very satisfying.

This book got mixed reviews on Good Reads, so you may enjoy it more than I did!

What are you reading?

Posted in Book Reviews, Life | Tagged | 2 Comments

Unapologetically Myself At The Hotel Gym

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Coco

The last weekend of October brought my fourth and last business trip of the month–a conference in Chicago.

After my long week (running the Army Ten Miler, traveling to NYC to speak at a conference on Monday, speaking at conferences in D.C. on Wednesday and Friday), by the time I got to Chicago on Friday evening I was tired. I enjoyed the dinner and reception at the hotel, but skipped the late-night “networking” opportunities being held at various bars around the city.

That meant I was rested and ready for an early workout on Saturday morning.

I was planning on going for a run with my friend, but she had gone out Friday night, and sent me a text message at 2:30 am admitting that she would not be joining me for a run at 6:00. I wasn’t sure that I had brought enough layers to enjoy a run by the lake anyway, so I wasn’t too disappointed to be heading to the hotel gym instead.

I hopped on one of the fancy Lifefitness treadmills, did a long warmup, and then ran for 45 minutes–about half the time at 6.3 mph and half the time at 6.5 mph.

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After a bit of stretching and some Starbucks, I was ready to face the day of meetings.

On Saturday night, everyone was tired , so once again I got a decent night’s sleep and was ready for a morning workout on Sunday.

I warmed up for 15 minutes on the elliptical.

Then I did my full weights routine.

Love the selection of free weights!

I also powered through my plank routine.

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Yes, I wore my new MizFitOnLine skort both days–I promise you that I washed it in the hotel room sink after my sweaty treadmill run! 

I have come to like running skirts, and I really like this one, although it might not be the best for running. It is comfortable and I think it has a flattering fit and style. I was unsure about what size to buy and got a medium even though I usually wear a small because I wanted to be sure that I could wear it. The fit is comfortable on my waist, but the shorts are not snug so they did ride up a bit when I was running. (The fabric is light, though, so even then they were not uncomfortable.)  I generally plan to wear the skort when I am doing other workouts–the elliptical, weights, etc.–and the fit is perfect for that.

When I first wrote about the MizFitOnLine skort I told you that Carla is going to donate all of her profits–$5 per skirt–to a charity that is near and dear to her heart: mayan families. Since then, the manufacturer has agreed to match her donations. So, if you need new workout skort, or are considering trying one for the first time, there are lots of good reasons to buy this one. 🙂

Do you sacrifice late night socializing for early morning workouts?

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

(Foam) Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’ (Foam Roller App Review)

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Coco

This post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC. I was provided a free download of the Foam Roller App in order to review the product. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I’ve had a foam roller for years–ever since my first ITB flare-up.

I even got a mini one that I can fit in my duffel bag–it’s also perfect for Fit Stanley!

I’ve used my foam roller at home, with my chiropractor, and with my physical therapist, so I have a pretty good idea of its versatility. Still, I was interested in the new Foam Roller App, and excited when I had an opportunity to provide a Foam Roller App review as I was preparing for The Army Ten Miler.

The app is very easy to use. From the main screen, you choose the area that you want to work on:

(There’s a “menu” for frontal body parts too.)

The next screen has information on the target region, a summary of different foam roller exercises, and links to short video clips demonstrating each one.

I hadn’t thought to orient the foam roller this way when targeting my piriformis.

Even this app warns that rolling your ITB can be painful!

The app costs $2.99 in the iTunes store (I was provided with a free download in order to review the app). At first I wondered why anyone would want to pay for access to video clips that probably can be found for free on YouTube, but then I appreciated the convenience of having over 100 demonstration videos literallyin the palm of my hand as I am using my foam roller. I’ve enjoyed trying different exercises and using the foam roller on different regions–like my shins. Another benefit of the app is that it is motivating me to use my foam roller more frequently and more effectively.

Have you used a foam roller?

Do you have any exercise apps?

Posted in Fitness, Product Reviews | Tagged , , | 9 Comments