You guys know I have extra love in my heart for my local companies. Whoot, Seattle!

So I was beyond thrilled when Sahale Snacks asked me if I wanted to host a holiday giveaway this season.

One lucky Carbzilla follower (Carbzillan? Carbzillite?) will win a sampler of Valdosta Pecans (5 oz.), Cashews with Pomegranate and Vanilla (4 oz.), Almonds with Honey + Sea Salt (4 oz.), Tuscan Almonds (4 oz), plus a Sahale Snacks apron!

Package size may vary. (TWSS)

Here are four ways to enter:

• Follow Sahale Snacks on Twitter and let me know you did
• Follow Me on Twitter
• Tweet this giveaway: “Carbzilla is nuts about @SahaleSnacks & giving them away here http://goo.gl/UFPDW” (Feel free to compose your own tweet with link)
• Leave a comment below telling me your favorite nut or dish you like to use nuts in!

Giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ and closes at NOON on 12/15/2010. There is no guaranteed Christmas delivery (though Sahale will try their darndest), but how great would these be to serve at New Year’s Eve?

Good luck!

Yes! I have TWO giveaways going on right now. Check out my other one HERE!

Yesterday I threw a new exercise DVD into the playah:

Yeah, uh hunh, I can bend like that.

Thankfully, at no time during the workout do you have to perform the above move.

Here’s my quick review of the workout: Owwweeeee.

It burns.

Don’t get me wrong, you can totally feel it working and that’s awesome. For me, with all my back issues, it was painful. Would I do it again? You know it.

I’m not super sore today but I can definitely feel it, and I don’t feel like it hurt me in a bad way. Just in a “Hey, we’re working here!” way. I even sweated a little.

Believe me, I have no desire to look like this:

Source

What can I say? My bones are shy, but I do love a good workout you can feel.

For those of you who got to read my last post before I took it down, I did get a second interview. Fancy that!

There will be no original photos in this post. I can’t even imagine the uproar if I dared to bring a camera into the pool area.

I used to think that all water workout classes looked like this:

Don't lose your noodle!

Source

So I was like “Phhht, yeah I’ll go to Hydrofit, whatevs” thinking it was more about spending time with my friends, but, boy howdy, was I mistaken. A noodle would be a blessing! Instead we use these to help us float:Source

and these to work our upper bodies:Source

all while moving quickly in the water for a full 30 minutes before concentrating on abs and core for another 20 mins. Yeah, we chat a little too, but we’re working! You can feel it when it’s time to haul your butt out of the pool.

I also love that there are all sorts of folks there, of all shapes and sizes. We’re in our bathing suits so there’s no hiding, but we’re all there to be healthier.

My favorite part is when we’re moving in a circle and then we have to turn around and go the other way. Suddenly you’re working against the resistance of the whirlpool we’ve all created, and it takes that extra effort.

It makes getting wet worth it.

Check your local pools. Through Seattle Parks and Rec, these classes are only $5. That’s the best bargain around!

blog.roodo.com

I’m so proud of my blog friend, Amber! Not only has she lost 48 lbs on Jorge Cruise’s Belly Fat Cure, but now she’s appearing on Jorge’s latest video (watch here)! Rumor has it she’ll also be showing up in an upcoming issue of a popular women’s magazine! Congrats Amber! All your hard work has paid off, and you look sensational!Amber rocks my world because she’s come up with the July Weight Loss Challenge to help get folks motivated again. I’ve admitted that I’ve been on a bit of Food Plan Vacation (FPV) for about two and a half weeks, and I’ve got an extra 5 lbs to show for it. Now it’s time to start tracking my food again and get back on plan! I’m so grateful that the BFC works for me even though my thyroid is wonky – now I just actually have to DO it! Time to unpack my bags from my FPV and take responsibility.

You can follow my progress here or on Twitter (@carbzilla) or through #BFCJuly. Anyone’s welcome to participate in the challenge – you don’t have to be following the BFC plan.

Everyone in Seattle is super excited to see the Fifth of July roll around because that’s usually when the sun finally shows up and summer unofficially begins. These dreary, rainy days have not made getting up and out any easier.

The pros and cons of this upcoming week are Pro: yoga on Weds and Zane Lamprey tickets for Friday, and Con: I’ve been cordially invited to the unemployment office for an audit (yes, I have been keeping my job log, but I have not had an interview since April). Good times!

The best news is that I will also get my final final benefits decision this week as my former employer made one last ditch effort to deny me benefits even after my hearing that she didn’t call in for. She’s hoping the “I’m so sorry I missed it, but I was in Hawaii” excuse is going to make some sort of difference (complete with copies of her plane tickets).

Seriously?

What are you looking forward to these days? How’s your motivation?