***Giveaway is closed! I’m very scientifically tallying the entries, and will post the winner soon!

In celebration of my first Fun Food & FITNESS Friday, a CONTEST!

But first, you must read.

Mountain Rose Herbs is the place you need to go if you’re in the market for bulk dried herbs. They have been in business since 1987, and all of their herbs are certified organic. They also offer essential oils, tea, and bulk ingredients for making your own body care products. I think that’s pretty cool, and very witch doctor-esque.

Solay Wellness has certified organic peanut butter granola . In my little centrifuge of food, jogging, and all-around histrionics, peanut butter granola is huge. Solay Wellness offers 5 pound bags of the stuff for $37.94 plus $4.95 FLAT RATE shipping. Peanut butter granola and FLAT RATE SHIPPING? That’s all good.

I remember the first time I ever tried white truffle oil. I am lucky to have crossed paths a few years ago with some very incredible foodie friends. As a result of this path-crossing, I was invited to a dinner party at the home of the owner/operator/head chef of a very successful and sought-after catering company in DC. Well geez…twist my arm…I guess I’ll go! Until that day, I had no idea what white truffle oil was. What a horrible life I had led up until that point!

As I was served my appetizer, I smelled white truffle oil for the first time. I was slightly taken aback by the odor, but I’m an open-minded eater, so I wasn’t intimidated.

And then, set before me, was the most lovely salad; crafted of baby spinach, with a shitake/garlic/bacon cream sauce, sprinkled with just enough bow tie pasta, speckled with pine nuts, and drizzled with my drug of choice, white truffle oil. When I took the first bite, I proceeded to fall into a comatose state. The following day, I went to the grocery store and purchased the necessary ingredients to recreate this masterpiece. Unfortunately, I didn’t have access to the same quality of ingredients that Mr. Chef did, and you just can’t skimp on mushrooms and truffles. My version was good, but it didn’t make me want to sing from the rooftops like the original version did.

The bottle of white truffle oil that I bought at Marshall’s 2 weeks ago on clearance for $4 is not the same as the oil that you MUST buy from Earthy Delights . I understand that a $45 bottle of white truffle oil is outside of the normal scope and budget, but I promise that you won’t be sorry. It’s time to splurge. Even if you don’t buy the $45 bottle, at least treat yourself to the $22 bottle of crack. It’s worth it.

Everybody’s doing it.

And now, let’s burn off some of those truffle oil calories…

If you’ve been hanging around the JL hood for a while, this is not the first time you’re hearing me mention the TRX Suspension Trainer. Last time I mentioned it, it was sweetened with some sweaty, muscle-rippling pictures of My Gazelle. Hopefully you enjoyed them. I know I did.

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Uhhh…

Right.

So, in my opinion, the TRX Suspension Trainer is a really great piece of equipment because it is a) portable, b) versatile, c) convenient, and d) challenging. You can travel anywhere with this piece of equipment, and you can basically use it anywhere. If you’re out of town and can’t count on the hotel’s fitness center, the TRX is all you need. The only downfall with the TRX is that your uncle Joe who hasn’t worked out in 10 years will probably feel too challenged with this apparatus without first possessing a basic level of fitness.

I’m not saying that you have to be a bodybuilder, but you should have the ability to do some general exercises comfortably. I am even able to do most of the exercises with little to no modification (with the exception of that crazy push-up to a hanging-crunch thingy).

The great thing about the TRX is that the more you use it, the stronger you get. The stronger you get, the better your form is, and you’re able to more effectively work your muscle groups. The TRX works your entire body, and is awesome for the core.

If you enter the coupon code “MILCOM30” at checkout, you can get $30 off the TRX Suspension System. That’s a hefty discount.

You will soon see a full Gazelle-style review of The Bodylastics Home Gym System. This system has been hanging around our little condo for about 2 weeks, and I don’t see it going anywhere for a very long time! The concept of Bodylastics is much like that of a standard resistance band system, but the Bodylastics system was designed so that you don’t have to go to the gym. You can duplicate 100+ exercises that you would normally do on machines at the gym, all in the comfort of your home. The components are very sturdy, and also extremely portable. My Gazelle reports that he is loving them so far!

And now, the contest!

Trust me, you want this.

Bodylastics Basic Tension Home Gym with DVD

The kit includes the following:

• Elastic Tubes
• Handles
• Ankle Straps
• Door Anchor
• User Manual
• Circuit Training DVD
• Travel Bag
• Free Online Video Instruction for 1 Year

To enter this contest please do the following:

1. Tell me why you want to try Bodylastics in a comment on this post *REQUIRED (1 Entry).
2. Link back to this post on your blog *OPTIONAL (+1 Entry).
3. Tweet about the giveaway and include @joggerslife in your tweet so that I will see the tweet *OPTIONAL (+1 Entry).
4. Click on my “Contact” tab, fill in the form, and in the “message” field tell me you’d like another entry in the contest *OPTIONAL (+1 Entry).
5. Do all 4 of these things, and I’ll give you FIVE entries!

The only required component is #1, the rest are ways to get additional entries.

This contest is open to all US and Canadian residents.

The contest closes at 5PM EST on Friday, June 26, 2009.

Good luck!

Have a FUN, FOOD-FILLED, FIT day!

* Have you joined my Facebook Group yet?

* See how my training is going over here!

* Wonder what I’m eating?

* Everyone loves a giveaway!