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Showing posts with label gift ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gift ideas. Show all posts

Monday, December 9, 2013

Holiday Gift Ideas

This post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Koss.

I was crafting this post when I received an email from a co-worker who knew I was a runner.  She is shopping for a gift for a runner friend of hers and wanted some advice.  It was at that moment that I realized I needed to finish this post since the holidays are already upon us!  Here are a few fabulous ideas of things I'd like to find under my tree or in my stocking...

KOSS Fit Series Headphones.  This is a perfect gift for the active woman in your life.  Koss’ female designers teamed-up with Gold Medalist Dara Torres to create the world’s first headphones designed specifically for women, by women. They come in Fit Clips (as seen to the left) and Fit Buds (no over the ear piece).

I was lucky enough to receive these from KOSS as part of my Fitfluential Ambassadorship and I've been wearing these headphones all week while working out and am in LOVE with them.  They come in a bunch of different colors including coral, mint, blue, lime and purple.  In addition to the fun colors they are comfortable (they come with 3 different cushion sizes), sweat resistant, don't fall out and, best of all, the sound quality is AMAZING!  Find them at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Walgreens, Kmart or Sears.

For those who are looking to buy some clothes for that special runner girl in your life look no further. Swirlgear is an all-woman, local (to me, at least) company that I found via social media a few months ago.  I own the Pink Running Hoodie and the Pink Cap Sleeve T-shirt.  I wore the T-shirt during the hot summer months while training for a couple different half marathons and was amazed at how cool it kept me.  I wore the hoodie during the half marathon last month.  The temperature dropped pretty rapidly in the days before the race and I was worried about what I had planned on wearing.  Well, the hoodie kept me warm while we were waiting to start and kept me cool (and mostly dry) while I was running.  I sweat heavily so I was also worried that I'd get cold during the race as the hoodie wicked away my sweat.  It wasn't until the last 1-2 miles that I actually started feeling cold so I consider that a major victory.  You can purchase Swirlgear online and if you use code 936 during check out you'll get free ground shipping on your purchase!


Another product that I absolutely love and rarely (if ever) run without is a Bondi Band.  As I said, I sweat pretty heavily and I hate having sweat roll into my eyes so back when I started getting active I read a lot of blog posts about these bands.  I decided to try them out and found it to be the perfect solution to my sweaty problem.  I like them because the band is wide enough that I can use it to cover my ears/keep me warm on cool days or tuck it behind my ears on the hot days.  The bands have a backing that helps them stay put so it doesn't move around while I'm running.  You can buy these bands online or at some local running stores.  They now come in fleece headbands and I'm thinking I need to add that to my collection for these cold, midwestern winter runs!

I keep drooling over the Erica Sara Designs website but haven't added anything to my collection yet.  Maybe Santa will read this post and put some in my stocking!  I love the 13.1 necklace or the Say It Do It bracelet but I think all of the designs are gorgeous!

I think any or all of these items would inspire and encourage you to log a few miles or hit the gym.  What's on your wish list?




Friday, February 8, 2013

Valentine's Day Ideas

Dan and I have never been really big fans of the Valentine's holiday.  We usually prefer to stay in to avoid the crowds and we generally don't buy each other gifts however I like making lists and this seems like a good enough reason!  So, here's what would be on my Valentine's wish list... (in no particular order, of course)

I think this red Under Armour ColdGear long sleeve compression mock (shown at right) would be awesome.  I don't have any mock necks in my wardrobe right now and I wish I did to keep my neck a little warmer.  Plus it comes in red so it's very festive!


How about this little gem from SPIBelt?  I have the regular belt and love it when running or biking.  I've put my iPhone, a full size (or two mini) Clif bars, and a car or house key in it!  It fits snugly so it doesn't bounce.  This one (which I don't have but wouldn't mind!) also has a waterproof accessory pocket which would be really helpful for those rainy/snowy Chicago runs so that nothing gets wet!

Another thing on my wishlist is compression socks from Bondi Band.  I am a HUGE fan of their bands and hats so I'm dying to try their compression socks  As half marathon training continues it is really important to be able to recover quickly.  Plus these compression socks come in fabulous patterns, prints or solids.  I personally love the purple leopard or pink/gray argyle.

I'd heard about Nuun through a bunch of blogs that I read so I was curious.  When I was in Las Vegas at the half marathon expo Nuun was offering samples so I tried a few different flavors (including the Kona Cola -- holy amazing!) and fell in love with it.  I was worried about adding things into my water bottle because it a) might bother my stomach and b) contain a lot of sugar and thus cost a lot of PointsPlus value.  I was delighted to find Nuun because neither of these things are true - in fact each tablet has 0 PP value!  I can't honestly say I have a favorite flavor - because each one that I try is better than the last.

A couple of the blogs that I read regularly have featured jewelry by Erica Sara Designs.  I think the designs are unique and stunning.  I love the 13.1 necklace or the Say It Do It bracelet but I think any of the designs would make an awesome addition to my jewelry collection!


And because there are other things to my life than running/weight loss *gasp* (I'm as shocked as you are!) here are some other ideas...

I bought one of these iPhone cases from Shutterfly.com for Dan for his birthday a couple of weeks ago and personalized it with a photo of the two of us from our trip to Alaska.  I was excited when it arrived and couldn't wait to open it.  The case looks amazing and Dan loves it because it's not textured so it slips in/out of his pocket easily.  The cool thing about this case is that the photo wraps around the corners so the entire case is the photo.

For reasons that I am not sure of I love to read new cookbooks.  Last year around Christmas I bought a cookbook called One Pot Cookbook written by Weight Watchers.  We've made a bunch of the recipes and they have all been delicious.  When I saw that Weight Watchers published a New Complete Cookbook  (and that it comes with a bonus slow cooker section) I immediately added it to my wish list.  I have definitely been trying to be better about menu planning so I have a shopping list when I hit the supermarket rather than just buying whatever looks good and trying to figure out when/where to use the ingredients later.  So when I'm getting ready to menu plan I love looking through cookbooks for new recipes to try, especially if it has lots of pictures!!

One of my favorite authors has a new book out.  I have laughed (probably until I cried and/or peed my pants) at each of her books.  She has a new book called Here I Go Again that I cannot wait to read.  I love that Jen Lancaster weaves her scathing wit around stories that revolve around the Chicago-land area.  Her books say the things we all wish we could say to our friends, spouses, boss or trainer but it's that wit that I look forward to from the first page through the last.

Do you celebrate Valentine's Day by doing something special?  What's on your wish list?