My Triathlon at sea .... and a winner!

I am back from my amazing vacation!

We were lucky to avoid Hurricane Irene, and have absolutely gorgeous weather for 95% of the trip, which resulted in some beautiful beach days, shopping, and relaxing days at sea. We made some new friends, and enjoyed the time relaxing together.

My plan to workout religiously did not go as planned. While days at sea are perfect for getting a workout in, the days at port, we wanted to get out & explore the islands, which left little time (or desire) for the gym. I did manage to getting a little triathlon & running work in....

I had a killer treadmill long run last Sunday in San Juan at our hotel

I did a little recumbent biking since the spin bikes were full. And lastly, I even practiced some open water swimming!

Ok, it may have involved a life vest & a snorkel, but I was out there in the open water. I even did a few good strokes for practice.

I attempted another run on the outdoor track our last day at sea, but the heat & heavy winds (practically blowing me over), had me head inside after 2 miles, then at 3 I was bored to death and stopped.

I was very disappointed in the fitness offerings on the ship.  All the equipment was very "old school." They didn't even have any foam rollers, bosu balls, resistance bands, or (my favorite) the TRX. The classes offered were few, and boring. They did offer a bootcamp for $30/class (ridiculous!), but the moves looked not very intense. I had to make up my own strength training circuits with some handweights and other things I found since I HATE using machines for my strength training.

As far as my nutrition goes, I tried to stay smart most of the time, but lost resolve toward the end of the trip.

I promise to do a whole vacation recap soon!

While I was away, did you check out my amazing guest bloggers??

In case you missed them...

Monday was Feeding a Meat Eater

Wednesday was Running with Aches, Pains & Injuries

Thursday was my post on Endurance Racing & Body Image

Friday was 13.1 reasons to Run a Half Marathon

Sunday was Do you Need a Coach?

A HUGE thank you to all my amazing guest bloggers!!

And my Multivites gummy Vitamin & b12 giveaway winner??

Jen @ Eat, Sleep, Run Disney!

How have I not found her blog before today? Its fabulous, make sure to check it out!

Jen email me at sgrigely at hotmail dot com to claim your prize!

>>>READ MORE

Gummy Multivites Review & Giveaway!

Recently I was given the opportunity to review some great products from

Northwest natural products is a company started over 25 years ago, starting with children's gummy vitamins after the founder wanted to find a better way for her kids to swallow supplements. They introduced the first adult gummy vitamin, and now carry a line of over 142 different products. They perform high tech lab tests for efficiency, and they're passionate about being green and taking care of the environment. Love it!

Lucky me, I got to try...

VitaFusion Multivites gummy vitamins

Berry, Peach & Orange flavors

Gluten, Soy, Peanut, & Dairy Free

Specially formulated for Adults

And Energy B12 gummy vitamins

Raspberry flavor

Gluten, Soy, Peanut, & Dairy Free

500mg of B12 per serving

B12 helps with normal growth and development of red blood cells, skin, and hair.

I've always had trouble sticking to taking a multivitamin. I hate swallowing pills. I know how important a multivitamin is to get in all the important vitamins and minerals. Especially since I'm not a big meat eater, I know I need to have some additions to my diet to round things out. Most of the time I would buy a bottle of multi vitamins, only to have them sit on the counter untouched. I came across the idea of gummy multivitamins and thought, "smart! Something that tastes like candy. I'll definitely eat that!"

My verdict. Loved it. And so did Kevin! They sit on the counter, and we pop them every morning before work. Super easy way to get my vitamins in. They're tasty, and have a good consistency like gummy bears. My only complaint? That they're made with glucose syrup and sucrose as the first 2 ingredients. I try to omit most sugars from my diet, but i figure the little that there is here, won't kill me.

Want to win some gummy vitamins & B12 gummies?

Northwest Natural Products has offered up a bottle of their gummy Multivites & B12 gummies to one lucky winner!

How To Win

1. Mandatory - Be or become a follower of my blog

2. Mandatory- Visit the Northwest Natural Products Page HERE and tell me which of their many products you like.

3. Follow Vitafusion on facebook HERE & let them know Running to Health sent you! They're giving away tons of products on their facebook page too!

 4. Follow Running to Health on facebook HERE

5. Follow Vitafusion on Twitter HERE

6. Share this on your blog, facebook or twitter (1 for each)

open to U.S. residents only

Enter until August 30 (when I'm back from Vacay!)

good luck!

>>>READ MORE

How Vitamins Supplements can Help You

Image via Wikipedia

There are so many benefits to getting a proper amount of nutrition that there is no way to list them all. For people who are working on building their muscles, there are certain things about vitamins and supplements that you should be aware of.

First of all, the best way to get your best nutrition is through eating the right diet. There are certain aspects of the vitamins and minerals that go along with food that just can’t be found in the supplements. It is always best to eat as well as you can. However, if for some reason you aren’t able to get all of the needed vitamins and minerals, it is better to have them via vitamin supplements than to have none at all.

For bodybuilders, it is important to remember that you are doing great work on your body, and this work is causing you to become stronger. However, as you increase in your ability to lift things and as you increase in the strength of your muscles, you are going to need more vitamins and minerals, as well as more energy, in order to use these enhanced muscles.

You should not start bodybuilding before you have talked to a doctor or a nutritionist about what you should do to make sure that your body can maintain the muscles that it has. If you are not able to consume enough of the foods that have the right vitamins, you are going to need to take supplements. This is because it is extremely important that you have enough of the right things if you are going to be bodybuilding. If you are building your muscles and not feeding your body properly, there is not going to be anything left over to keep you healthy as well as strong. Vitamins help to build you immune system, make hormones, and much more.

Many times it is a good idea to go on a general multivitamin if you are going to be working out and working hard on your body. This is a good idea because as you work out you are burning energy that your body would otherwise use to protect itself. Your immune system might be very compromised as you work out, so you should try to do whatever you can to make sure that you are getting the correct vitamins and minerals that your immune system needs to function correctly. Do not be afraid to talk to your doctor about what you can do to make sure you are putting the right things into your body at all times.

>>>READ MORE