Perhaps the first thing that pops into your head when I say chia is a chia pet not chia seeds!   Well time to think again.     

Now we know we should be popping these seeds into our mouths rather then putting them in a silly animal shaped pot and watching them grow.  Who knew, 30 years later that we would look at them a whole knew way.   Wow, I totally remember chia pets, do you?  Another reminder that I may not be so young anymore :)

Why should we add chia seeds to our diet?  Well, by now we all know how good omega-3's are for us.  By weight, chia contains more omega 3 than salmon.  Omega 3 oil is important in heart and cholesterol health.   Not only are they high in omega 3's but they also have omega 6's, antioxidants, protein, fiber (nearly 11 grams per oz) and calcium in them!

Chia seeds unique gelling action keeps you feeling full for hours.  Aren't we always looking for a way to feel full longer (well other then just constantly shoving food in our face)!  Both the gelling action of the seed, and it’s unique combination of soluble and insoluble fiber combine to slow down your body’s conversion of starches into sugars.

How can you incorporate them into your diet?  Whole and ground chia seeds can be added to fruit drinks, snack foods and cereals and you can even bake them into cookies and sprinkled them on yogurt.  Here is a recipe from Dr Oz for chia pomegranate pudding.  Try them out a number of different ways and see how you best enjoy adding them to your diet!

Congrat's to Jessica Jager, you are the winner of the Nutrion Snob Giveaway!   Let me know for sure what you want from her store and the size and I will make sure it gets sent out to you :)

I have another cute find for all of you!   I found Nutrition Snob over on Etsy the other day and Suzanne sent me over an awesome long sleeve shirt that says "Discipline" on the front to review.  I love this shirt.  I don't have very many long sleeve t-shirts and was really hoping to find a new one and this one is perfect.  So, so very comfi and it has thumb-holes, I love thumb holes!  I always have freezing hands and this helps them stay a little bit warmer.  If you prefer not use the thumb holes you can always role the sleeves up too for a 3/4 length look.   Here is a picture of the one I got.  Man, I just hate pictures of myself, I feel like such a goober and never know what to do.  You think I could at least pick up the garbage behind me but I guess that is an unreasonable request.  I am giving you jazz hands to show off the thumb holes.  I am sure the fashion magazines will be hitting me up soon after they see these fine modeling skills :)

The good news is that one of you lucky readers is going to be able to choose a top of your own from her Etsy shop.  All you have to do is like Nutrition Snob on FB  and like me if you don't already and post a comment on here or my blog telling me you did and telling me what your favorite thing is in her store. 
She has sweatshirts, hoodies, tanks, tshirts, you name it and they are all super cute!!  I love all the different options for sayings and just might have to get another one myself from her sometime.  Check out her Etsy shop and you can dream about what you will choose if you win.
Nutrition Snob is on twitter too so you can follow her there as well.
For an extra entry share this giveaway on your FB page and/or blog and tell me you did.  For another entry follow my blog, it is super easy :)
I will randomly select a winner on Monday the 28th.  Good luck!

I found such a fun shop on Etsy the other day, I know you will love it too so wanted to share it with you all.  I love workout attire with fun sayings on the front and this one has so many awesome ones.  Abby, the shop owner, is so sweet and she sent me a tank to show all of you.  unfortunately I cannot get my blog to let me post the picture I took today but I was able to copy one from her site you can see below.  I got this tank that says "this is my drug" on it and I love it.  So cute and comfi!   Here is a picture of it from her Etsy store, I got it in blue. 
  
The great news is she gave me a coupon code to offer to my readers that will give you 25% off of her stuff!  You need to check it out.  Her Etsy shop is Fittdbrandclothing.  When checking out enter the code AMYFIT and you will get 25% off!
Keep in mind that I feel the tops run just a bit big so you if you are between sizes you may want to go with the smaller one.   Hope you find something you like :)

Congrat's to Leah Spoelstra, you are the winner of the Fireweed Impressions bracelet!  I know you will love it :)

Ok, who has 2 thumbs and loves jewelry?  This girl!  Have I said that before?  Perhaps, I am a cheeseball for sure :)   I found a couple fun businesses and you have to check them out. 
Since a huge majority of the time I am in workout or at least casual clothes I think it is fun to have some casual jewelry I can wear with my typical daily attire.  I can't always find stuff like that and I just found a couple fun sites I wanted to share with you.   First up is 321 GoStuff .  Donny from 321 Go Stuff sent me this awesome necklace

it says "Stronger Every Day" and I love that.  Who doesn't want to feel stronger every day!  You should check out his stuff.  He also has an etsy store .   He has necklaces, Keychains, charms and more.  Lots of different options with some funny sayings and some very motivational ones too!  He also offers custom jewelry.
Another great place I found is Fireweed Impressions.  Check out their FB page and their Etsy store, they have some awesome stuff!  Beautiful and of course motivational!  Marjaana was nice enough to send me a fun bracelet and I am in love with it.   This is a wide cuff, they also make them in narrow.

It says "Never Give Up" it is a bit bendable so when you get it on your wrist you can squeeze it a little so it will stay put.  I have had a cuff bracelet before that I wasn't able to squeeze and I could never get it to stay on and that was not the case with this one.  It stays put just great and when you look down at it throughout the day you can't help but feel motivated, whether it be with your workout or whatever else is going on in your day!  Good news; Marjaana has sent me a 2nd bracelet just like the one above for me to give to one of you lovely lucky readers.  All you have to do to enter is like Firewood Impressions FB page  and mine and tell me what your favorite motivational saying is.  If you do not have FB just check out their Etsy store and tell me your favorite item.  I will randomly choose the winner of a bracelet like the one I am wearing above on Monday the 21st.   For an extra entry share this post on your FB or blog page and tell me you did.  Good luck!

Congrat's to Debsdailylife, you are the winner of the Gymboss!!  Email me your address and I will make sure it gets sent to you.  Have fun with it!   my email is ademeyer@comcast.net

I am sure many of you have heard of Gymboss before.  Well, you may be wondering how you could implement it in your workout.  Well I was excited that Mark from Gymboss sent me over one to try out and I have good news for you at the end of this post so make sure to read all the way through.

What did I think about the Gymboss?  Well, first of all I appreciate that the Gymboss is affordable at $19.95 and is small; it is the size of a pager, so it is easy to take with you wherever you go.  (for some reason today my blog is not allowing to put in the picture I took so here is the one from their website)

 

What I LOVE about this is not having to look at my watch every few seconds to see when my interval will be done.  I don’t have to look at all if I don’t want.  You just set your work time and your rest time, add the amount of intervals and you are set to concentrate on your workout rather then the clock.   

And for someone like me who really hates taking the time to follow long directions to set something up, this was simple.  Just a 3-button setup that allows you to quickly change interval times for different workouts.

I also like that the alarm is nice and loud (you can do a long or a short beep) so I can hear it over the loud music and my own loud voice during my classes.  It also has a vibration function that lets you know when to start and stop, even when using headphones or an ipod.  

If you are interval training or using a stopwatch for sprints, the Gymboss has you covered as it provides both functions.

You ready for the good news?  Gymboss will give one of my lucky readers your very own Gymboss to aid you in your training.  What do you have to do to enter?  It is simple.  "Like" my FB page and Gymboss FB page and then tag both of us in a post about how you would use the Gymboss timer. (Simply typing "@gymboss" will bring up their Facebook page for the post and @Designed To Be Fit will bring up mine....make sure to like it first).   For an extra entry follow my blog (look on the right hand side) and tell me that you did.  For one last entry share this giveaway on your FB page.  If you do not have FB, get with the program...hehe kidding, just check out their webpage and leave me a comment telling me how you would use the Gymboss timer.  Good luck everyone.

I will randomly select a winner on Tuesday January 15^th. 

Welcome to 2013.  Let's make this your healthiest year yet shall we!!  How many times have you made the same New Years Resolution year after year and failed to achieve it?  It happens to all of us.  This year, it is time to break the habit of breaking resolutions!  This year will finally be different!  You need to believe in yourself; if you don't, who will!?!?  Start with a positive outlook and don't just write down resolutions like "lose weight", write down what your plan is to follow through with those goals.  For example you might say "I would like to lose 10 lbs by exercising 4 times a week (and set the days and times) and eating as clean as possible" and then go on further to talk about how you are going to work on eating clean like "I plan to use Sunday as food prep day so I have healthy meals ready" and "I am going to focus on upping my veggie intake by having them chopped up and ready to go and having a salad every night with dinner and/or throwing greens in my smoothies".  The list can go on and on.
Point being, make a commitment to take care of yourself.  I know you have a million "to do's" on your list but you won't get to all of them if you are dragging behind b/c you are eating unhealthy (which makes you feel sluggish) and unfit.   Be active.  You are are in charge!  You can do this and I am here to help you!