Welcome to our Friday Features series! Every Friday we feature interviews with all of our HLB members who want to participate. If you’re an HLB member and haven’t gotten your interview email yet, don’t worry, you will! We’re taking it slow simply for ease of management for TeamHLB. 

Welcome to Lauren of Oatmeal after Spinning!

1. What’s your name, blog name, and how did you create your blog title?

My name is Lauren Martin. My blog is Oatmeal after Spinning. I came up with the title because I am a Spinning instructor, and when I teach my morning classes- I like to enjoy a big bowl of oatmeal afterwards. It’s as simple as that.

2. What’s one goal you are working on right now?

I am actually taking a big leap of faith and leaving my career of 7 years as a school teacher and turning my part-time job as a fitness instructor into a full-time job as a trainer. I’d also like to make my blog grow a little larger, now that I won’t have a career that is so “public” and worry about students finding it!

3. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Hands down, it would be pizza

4. How would you describe your blogging style?

I blog about everything. If I make a recipe that I like, I share it. I talk about workouts. I write about my dogs, relationship with my husband, products I love, my frustrations with my body, and anything else that comes to mind.

5. What is your tagline and why?

“Finding the balance between food, fitness and recovery” This is VERY important to me. For years, I did not exercise or eat the “healthy” way. I worked out way too much and ate too little, which ruined my metabolism and made me gain weight back. I’m still trying to learn how to balance it all- the healthy way.

6. Do you have days when you just don’t feel like eating healthy, cooking, or exercising?

Not really. I genuinely enjoy all three!

7.  What is something about you that would shock us?

Although I think I’m a pretty good Bodypump and Spinning instructor, I have absolutely NO coordination. Taking a Step class scares me to death!

Welcome to Healthy Living Blogs’ Blog Tip Thursday! Every week, we will share one of our favorite ‘how-to’ posts about blogging. We welcome your questions, your suggestions for future topics, and your ‘how-to’ post recommendations at healthylivingblogs@gmail.com!

Today’s post is from Callie from The Wannabe Athlete, and she’s filling your eyes with words about Twitter! Take it away, Callie!

In my humble opinion, if you’re not on Twitter, you are missing OUT! If you have a blog, it is absolutely essential. But even if you don’t have a blog, you might be surprised at the ways you can use Twitter to build your professional network.

I hear comments from people all the time who aren’t sure why they should “set up a Twitter”. And let’s just get one thing out of the way – Twitter grammar. Here’s how you use the word – tweet, tweets, tweeted, tweeting. You never “twit”, “twat” or “twittered”. Got it?

1. Choosing Your Name

I may not be the best example for this one! My Twitter handle (aka name) is@AthleteWannabe. Why? Because @WannabeAthlete was already taken. (Darn it all!) You want something that is EASY for people to remember. Too many random numbers or spellings make it hard for someone to remember your handle.

Also, shorter is better. Sometimes it’s tough to include someone’s handle in a tweet since you’re limited to 140 characters. Keeping it short and simple increases your chances that someone will be mentioning you in their conversation!

2. Deciding Who to Follow

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make with Twitter is deciding who to follow. Admittedly, I did this at first. I signed up for Twitter and started following the people Twitter thought I should follow. I followed celebrities like Oprah and Ellen. I followed singers, actors and news personalities. And I got bored. I wasn’t sure why I should care about reading what they were doing. I also wasn’t getting any followers. So I quit Twitter for a while.

When I got back on Twitter, I unfollowed those people and started following people I “knew” through the blogging world. People whose blogs I’ve been reading for years. People like @CaitlinHTP, @dailygarnish and@MealsAndMiles. They all had pretty big followings, but reading their tweets felt much more personal. I looked to see who they were following and started following some people whose profiles sounded interesting. I found new blogs and great new people that way!

Another big mistake I see is people who immediately start following hundreds of people – and have no followers. I’m sorry, but that’s not a good ratio to have. Build up your list of people you follow slowly – and hopefully some of those people will reciprocate and follow you back too. There is no magic “ratio” of how many followers/following you should have, but I can tell you that it always looks better to have more people following you than you follow!

To read the remainder of Callie’s post, click here!

Today’s featured brunch recipe is Lynn’s Spinach, Brie and Chestnut Crustless Quiche!

Here’s an excerpt from the post:

The hosts’ request was “something interesting;” I threw in some chestnuts – which aren’t in any recipes online so I’m definitely being “unique.”

And now for this week’s recipe link-up:

Today we want to see your best smoothie recipes. Please limit yourself to 2 recipes per member, and make sure to include the name of your recipe. Thanks! And as a head’s up, next week’s theme will be your best citrus recipes.

We’re currently looking for your submissions for July’s Healthy Living Tuesdays series. Submit your posts on the subject “I LOVE this Community” for an opportunity to share your content with the HLB Community.  We’d love to hear what you LOVE about this great community of bloggers, readers, & the companies who support us.  Another idea: give us a how-to post on showing support to the community.  Feel free to come up with your own creative post fitting into the “I LOVE this Community!” subject, too!  Email an original post or a link to an existing one on your blog to healthylivingblogs@gmail.com. 

May 2012′s Healthy Living Tuesdays topic is “A Letter to My Future Self.”  [Don't forget: we challenged you to join us!] This letter comes from Susan Lacke.  Susan is a freelance writer, columnist for Competitor Magazine and the Resident Triathlete at No Meat Athlete. For updates on Susan, follow her on Twitter or “like” her on Facebook.

Dear Susan,

If you are reading this, you are now 60 years old.

Do me a favor, would you? Go look in the mirror. Tell me what you see. Wait for it… wait for it…ah, it just hit you, didn’t it?

You turned into your mother.

You’ve always looked exactly like her. From the time you were a child, people remarked that you were her “mini,” much to your mortification. In your adolescence, you rebelled, insisting you two weren’t even remotely similar AND OH MY GAWD MOM STOP EMBARRASSING ME I AM NOT LIKE YOU AT ALL I CAN’T WAIT TO BE AN ADULT SO I CAN GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE AND I AM NEVER GONNA BE LIKE YOU.

Little did you know, while you were out being ever-so-unique, you became even more like her. You foolish girl. Genetics are more than just eye color, don’tcha you know?

By now you’ve probably figured out that all those times you were about to do something really dumb (god knows there were many of those times) she let you continue. She knew the only way you’d learn from your mistakes would be if you actually made them in the first place.

You didn’t appreciate it before, but now you cherish the experience of letting go sometimes, of getting messy and making mistakes.

Somewhere along the way, you realized she allowed, even encouraged you, to take those risks. It wasn’t because she wanted you to learn from your failures – it was because she knew you were going to succeed.

Not everyone is so lucky to have someone like her in their corner, giving unconditional support. I hope you’re doing that for others – believing each friend, family member, or stranger when they tell you their big wild dreams. Remember, you never once heard your mom say the word “impossible.” Not. Even. Once.

Hopefully you’ve been using those skincare items she brought to your house every time she visited in your 20’s. There’s a reason she looked so hot when she was 60. And pluck your eyebrows, girl. You look like a Yeti.

Don’t half-ass your relationships. No one deserves to be multitasked. Remember, every time you were having a bad day, she stopped what she was doing and listened – really listened – and that singular act could make everything better. When was the last time you really listened to someone, fully, without distraction?

Drink a lot of water. Have a good, firm handshake. First impressions count. Every kitchen should have a good, heavy skillet. Volunteer. It’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know. Make friends with your neighbors. Don’t burn bridges. A little black dress works in every occasion. Hot rollers work better than a curling iron. Never charge something on your credit card you can’t pay off at the end of the month. Don’t use the “r” word. Tell people you love them, loudly and often. Lying is wrong. Buy new socks every year. Sit up straight.

And for crying out loud, be nice to people.

You don’t have children. You won’t have a daughter to share the same relationship you did with your mother. That’s okay, because of all the lessons you’ve learned from your mom, the most important is one she never verbalized. It’s one she taught every day, perhaps without even realizing it:

You don’t have to have children to leave a legacy behind. You do that by loving – loving life, loving laughter, and most importantly, loving others.

She was right, you know. About everything.

It’s okay, you can admit it.

XOXO,

Susan, Age 29

Introducing #HLBFitSpotlight -each week we're tweeting workouts, tips & more from a favorite fitness experts! This week: @fitchicknyc

May 20, 2012 8:24 pm via BufferReplyRetweetFavorite

@bloghealthy

Healthy Living Blogs

We have the cure for your BoringOldTuesdayItis

On May 22nd, we know just what you need: A boost of inspiration! A collection of lessons from within this stellar little rock blog star community! A chance to make get motivated, meet new friendly folks and share your awesomeness!  Grab a blend, open a g-chat, and and tune in to these two online events together!

At 8:00 PM Eastern check out the FREE!!!! online class, The Truth About Willpower and How to Harness It to Get Healthy!  Jenn from Fitbottomed Girls will be giving a 30-minute talk to help you understand what willpower really is and how it does—and doesn’t—work.  [did I mention it’s free?] She’s sharing her secrets of what works when it comes to changing for the healthier!  If you’d like to learn more, check out this post: Free Online Class: The Truth About Willpower and How to Harness It to Get Healthy!  And to register:  http://www.learnitlive.com/invite/class/2172/The-Truth-About-Willpower-%97-And-How-to-Harness-It-to-Get-Healthy

After the class, g-chat away with your blend.  Check out a few of last week’s posts on HLB.  Send us an email letting us know what you think about what we’re doing here. What parts do you love? What could you do without? What ideas do you want us to throw up on our creative planning board & simmer over for a while?  Reach out to us here: healthylivingblogs@gmail.com

Then, when 9:00 PM eastern rolls around, share your own thoughts with the community by joining in this week’s conversation on “The Perfect Diet” – Here’s what is going on for this week’s #Fitblog chat:

A reminder — everyone is welcome to join in the #Fitblog Chat. It begins at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday night, and you can sign in here: http://chats.fitblogchats.com/live or access previous chat transcripts here: http://chats.fitblogchats.com/.

Coco at Running With Perseverence is fundraising for the American Heart Association through the Lawyers Have Heart 10K race. To learn why this cause is so important to her, review the warning signs for heart attack and stroke, or make a donation, check out her post at http://got2run4me.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart/

Want to try something that will prove your own commitment to your health? Join in the Summer Kick-Off Sugar Free Challenge, a ten day program starting June 20th in which participants give up sugar.  The challenge is being hosted over at, where else?, A Spoonful of Sugarfree!! All those who join are entered to win prizes. Check it out here: Sugar Free Challenge: a great way to feel refreshed, clean, and ready for summer to begin.

We challenged you to join us on a challenge to blog BETTER. To try HARDER. To aim for growth and strengthening and not settling for “just enough.”  We want more than enough for ourselves and we have a pretty good idea that you guys do, too.  Read the original post about the challenge here: reaching above & beyond, striving to be someone who STANDS OUT in such an awesome community of bloggers tackling the same subject from various points of view.  Test your POV: is it unique? is it presented in a creative way? are you proving you are a blogstar?  PROVE IT.

Anyone out there have a green thumb? We're looking for guest posters to share their summer gardening tips on our blog. Let us know!

May 11, 2012 12:54 pm via Sprout SocialReplyRetweetFavorite

@naturebox

NatureBox

Hey MEN! @KellyOlexa wants to get to know you! Apply to be a DUDE-bassador at @FitFluential #FitFluential

May 19, 2012 8:26 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@blondeponytail

Blonde Ponytail

Hurry Hurry!  This evening [Monday, May 21st!] Sarah is picking a winner of her Trop50 Juice with Tea Giveaway.  You still have a few hours to enter.  Enter to win this ultra-refreshing giveaway at Sarah Learns!

Are working out a lot? You need to stay hydrated. Why not try Nuun? Moms Little Running Buddy (who is on the awesome Blogger Hood to Coast relay team After Nuun Delight!) is hosting a giveaway. Check out this post: Nuun Giveaway!

Alex from A Spoonful of Sugarfree is hosting a spices giveaway in celebration of a blog milestone. Winner will receive a 6 set spice set of their choice by answering a simple question and leaving a comment. Giveaway ends May 24! Check out this post to enter: 2 Years of Sharing

Make wilted greens a thing of the past! Cadry is having a giveaway on Cadry’s Kitchen for a salad spinner from OXO! The contest is open to people within the U.S. The giveaway ends on May 31st. While you’re there, check out her recipe for Roasted Asparagus & Chickpeas with Sautéed Spinach. It’s the quintessential taste of spring!

Enter to win two new flavors of liquid stevia by NuNuturals over at The Grass Skirt.  Four winners will be selected at random on Tuesday!  Check out the post for Erin’s Creamsicle Smoothie recipe of wonders, too! It’s quite refreshing!

The Quotable:

"There are only two options regarding commitment, You're either in or your out. There's no such thing as life in between." - Anonymous

May 13, 2012 10:30 am via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@healthyashley

Ashley Stephens

"Live in such a way that if anyone should speak badly of you, no one would believe it." Absolutely!

May 16, 2012 1:12 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@katylove

Katy

"Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most." -Buddha

May 16, 2012 9:16 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@grmindyjean

Mindy N.

"It's a big world; just go with it." - A.L. Palmer

May 19, 2012 5:12 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@michelleYpalmer

Michelle Y. Palmer

"If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have received."-Unknown

May 18, 2012 8:10 am via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@healthyashley

Ashley Stephens

"Even if you fall flat on your face at least you are moving forward" -Sue Luke #running #FitFluential

May 19, 2012 9:15 am via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@healthyashley

Ashley Stephens

A4: I was told I couldn't be a runner by the grade school track coach. 3 half marathons, 2 10Ks and a handful of 5Ks later... ;) #runchat

May 13, 2012 8:51 pm via TweetChatReplyRetweetFavorite

@phillynerdgirl

Krissie J

I'm so lucky to spend the weekend with amazing, inspirational runners. Loving the mantra, @CarrotsNCake "make that hill my bitch!"#rtbrelay

May 18, 2012 9:49 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@healthyhappier

Ashley

Scoping out the transition area... The tranny area, if you will. #rtbrelay #teamoffbalance

May 18, 2012 2:12 pm via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite

@ElizabethEv

Elizabeth

Made some hills my bitch a la @CarrotsNCake tonight. #fitblog

May 17, 2012 7:53 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@kellynigl

Kelly Nigl

why yes, I am planning to go to a 7:30am body pump class tomorrow. call me crazy #fitflential #fitness

May 14, 2012 3:19 pm via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

@EatLrnDiscovr

Rachel S

The Delicious:

I need more coconut butter in my life. Mmmmm.

May 14, 2012 7:08 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@Lilveggiepatch

Katie

My fridge contains: goat cheese, soyrizo, apple sauce, and about $70 worth of #craftbeer. Sounds about right...

May 17, 2012 9:15 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@foodsweatnbeers

Jordan P

i'm having a wild Saturday night of studying and eating vegan ice-cream from the tub #crazytimes #bejealous

May 19, 2012 4:49 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@SweetToothRunnr

Sweet Tooth Runner

I LOVE @simplypotatoes. Have them at dinner...use leftovers at breakfast...YUM.

May 18, 2012 7:55 am via Twitter for iPadReplyRetweetFavorite

@RachelGettingIt

Rachel Wilkerson

Making a pitcher of chilled green tea, fresh mint, cucumbers and limes for the weekend...so refreshingly sweet

May 17, 2012 9:48 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@TheHealthyApple

The Healthy Apple

The Bloggy:

Social media is reinventing how business is done http://t.co/syiCnsjN #in via @usatoday

May 17, 2012 3:20 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@KellyOlexa

Kelly Olexa

my blog is down I have a frown yada yada yada brown :)

May 18, 2012 2:50 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@MizFitOnline

carla birnberg

Highlight of my morning = running into Sherry, John + Clara (@younghouselove) at the #SOTJ Farmers Market! Great to see you all. :)

May 19, 2012 11:35 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@EatingBirdFood

Brittany Mullins

I really need to get back in the habit of cooking real meals again. To make my foods more interesting, and to have better blog content!

May 19, 2012 6:47 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@kellynigl

Kelly Nigl

The Smiles:

Id like to see a 4-hr friends reunion on nbc Thursday night one of these weeks...

May 17, 2012 8:58 pm via Twitter for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@sweettaterblog

Katie

Fact: my cat loves tortilla chips more than anything else in the entire world.

May 17, 2012 7:55 pm via Tweetbot for iOSReplyRetweetFavorite

@LeanGrnBeanBlog

Lindsay

I have a student who was named after a Star Wars character. Obviously, he is my favorite.

May 17, 2012 4:06 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@abbynormally

AJ

we live in a world of smart phones and dumb people

May 19, 2012 5:03 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@eatsleeplaugh

ellie

Better Oreo than DingDong. Or HoHo. RT @CalvinHarris: Sat on the plane in front of a woman with a kid called Oreo

May 18, 2012 3:32 pm via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite

@halfofjess

Jess Shen

Morning hugs from H are my favorite things in the world. I love them more than goat cheese.

May 14, 2012 7:25 am via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@AHealthySlice

BrittanyHealthySlice

I'm so jealous of morning people.

May 17, 2012 9:05 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@yuppieyogini

Nicole

Welcome to our Friday Features series! Every Friday we feature interviews with all of our HLB members who want to participate. If you’re an HLB member and haven’t gotten your interview email yet, don’t worry, you will! We’re taking it slow simply for ease of management for TeamHLB. 

Welcome to Kirsten of Confessions of a Jogaholic!

1. What’s your name, blog name, and how did you create your blog title?

My name is Kirsten & I’m from ‘Confessions of a Jogaholic’. The blog title came about due to my obsession with running…or, more accurately, jogging….because I’m no marathon star. I suppose it’s more of a recreational thing for me because I don’t do races, but I definitely do it for the fitness aspect as well. I also feel like running is something that is quite ‘addictive’- that runner’s high (‘jogger’s high’??) gets me every time…& when I don’t get to run regularly I’m just not as happy as I could, would or should be! The ‘confessions’ part comes from the idea that I aim to tell it how it is & ‘keep it real’….plus one of my favourite movies is ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’, so I put 2 & 2 together &…viola!

2. What’s one goal you are working on right now?

Negative body image is a HUGE hurdle in the way of me achieving my fitness goals, so my number one goal for 2012 is to learn to love my body! It’s not exactly a switch that you can just turn on & off (‘cus, trust me, I would’ve flicked that switch long ago if it were that easy!)…It’s going to take a lot of self-coaching, self-awareness & a continual determination on my part to re-structure my thoughts & self-talk. Bring it.

3. What are ten words that apply to you and your healthy living journey?

Workouts, food as fuel & learning to love my body!

4. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Crunchy Peanut Butter. Hands down.

5. What is your tagline and why?

‘Building positive body image through workouts, willpower & viewing food as FUEL!’ I actually just made that up. Not even joking. Well, since receiving this survey anyway…I can’t believe I didn’t have a tagline before now! Rookie mistake. I just feel like those are the main things at the moment that I need to strike a balance between to be healthy…

6. Do you have days when you just don’t feel like eating healthy, cooking, or exercising?

Oh, hell-to-the-YES! I find it’s usually days where I’ve also got poor body image going on & it’s kind of like a ‘why bother’ attitude. I also find that it is very much a chain reaction: if I eat poorly throughout the day, I get discouraged & think that no workout is going to fix it now (you know, the old ‘you can’t out-train a bad diet’ philosophy)….but on other days I am more motivated if I know I have eaten a bit more because it makes me think that ‘anything is better than nothing’. Yes, I am a complicated creature. Word to your mother.

7.  What is something about you that would shock us?

I am a serial-career-changer. I went to University straight out of high school, graduated as a Primary School Teacher….then worked as a building designer for 3 years…then changed to the fitness industry, working firstly at reception, then moving into the reception supervisor position….all the while working on completing (& still doing) my Personal Trainer certifications to one day (soon!) be a fully fledged PT! I’ve also had inklings to be an accountant, real estate agent, race car driver (ha…a girl can dream!), magazine columnist & a governess. Let’s just say I’ve got a lot of interests!

Welcome to Healthy Living Blogs’ Blog Tip Thursday! Every week, we will share one of our favorite ‘how-to’ posts about blogging. We welcome your questions, your suggestions for future topics, and your ‘how-to’ post recommendations at healthylivingblogs@gmail.com!

Today’s how-to post comes from Janice of The Fitness Cheerleader.

Here’s a great way to create a spreadsheet tool using Google Docs, that tracks your weight loss progress that also allows you to share your progress with your blog readers in a nifty little chart that looks like the image to the right ->

Things You’ll Need:

• A computer connected to the internet
• A free Google account

Instructions:

1. Go to the Google home page
   Before creating your weight loss tracking spreadsheet using Google Docs, you must Sign In to your Googe account. To do that go to Google.com using your internet browser. On the Google home page click on the “Sign In” in the upper right corner of the web page.
2. Sign into your free Google account
   On the Google Accounts sign in web page, log into your free Google account by entering your account email address and password.
3. Navigate to the Google Docs web page
   After signing into your Google account, click on the “more” link at the top of the page, and then click on “Documents”.
4. Create a blank spreadsheet
   To create a blank spreadsheet, on the navigation bar click on “New” and select “Spreadsheet”.

To follow along with the rest of the instructions, click here.

Today’s featured asparagus recipe is Jessica’s Asparagus and Pesto Pizza!

Here’s an excerpt from the post:

For our first pizza we chose fresh sliced asparagus spears and sliced red potatoes with carmelized onions and pesto. Lots of green and fresh spring vegetables. Ironic because it literally snowed all day yesterday. Regardless, a super fresh, green and veggie-filled pizza on a flatbread crust. This is our first time making a flatbread crust, so we gave the much-recommended Mario Batali Flatbread a try.

And now for this week’s recipe link-up:

Today we want to see your best brunch recipes. Please limit yourself to 2 recipes per member, and make sure to include the name of your recipe. Thanks! And as a head’s up, next week’s theme will be your best smoothie recipes.

Hey, Future HLB –

Today we’re adding to the community aspect of our little site.  We’ve loved featuring our members posts on a new subject we give you each month in our Healthy Living Tuesdays series.  It’s always fun to see how each blogger tackles the phrase we throw out like wonder bread to gold fish.   They gobble up the bread, ready to face the challenge of adding to the conversation creatively and in their own voice.

This isn’t always easy.  In our blogging community it’s easier than you might think to get sucked into a cycle of posting content that looks so similar to stuff that is already out there.  When you’re the kind of blogger who posts daily eats and/or workouts, it may be hard to keep things fresh constantly.  That’s a pressure I don’t want to put on anyone’s shoulders.

I myself have stated that I got tired of seeing the same reviews and pitches on hundreds of healthy living blogs I was reading in a two week time frame.  That repetitive reading experience helped me to form my own review posting guidelines for myself.  More importantly, it taught me a new level of appreciation for those bloggers who took their posts BEYOND the crowd – approaching the subjects with fresh perspective.  The posts which stood out in my mind after the entire experience as “gold star” were few and far between.  That’s what makes these talented bloggers superstars in our eyes.

The good news, of course, is that anyone of our talented members can be one of these blogging superstars.  Anyone can be the kind of blogger that takes a boring old subject and gives it life with their unique spin and voice.  It just takes time. And effort. And dedication not to do the same old every time.  Mostly, though, it takes willingness to improve and being up for a challenge.

We love each and every one of our HLB Members for the blogging adventures they’ve been on so far.  Their blogs are the key pieces which make this magnificent community.  Just as we want HLB to grow and blossom, we hope the same for each of these blogs.  We want to support efforts to become better bloggers. [This is why we love our Blog Tip Thursdays series and Blogging Tips and Tricks Pinterest board!]  We want to encourage bloggers to LEAP outside of their comfort zones and to try something new every so often.  It’s an exciting way to grow!

That’s why today we are making a move to encourage these steps to build better future bloggers within our Healthy Living Tuesdays series.  Here’s to all the growth you’ve seen thus far!

Happy blogging! xo – Current HLB

Each month there’s a new series topic.
Accept the challenge.
Take that topic and make it your own.
Add your own voice, creativity, and transformative magic.

Join the community in tackling the topic from a wide variety of perspectives and styles.
Post your unique and awesome content on your blog.

Each Tuesday, we will continue to feature one of our members’ posts on HLB.

The last Tuesday of each month join our 
“Healthy Living Tuesdays Monthly Wrap Up Link Up!” 
We will add a “link your post” button [much like our Recipe Round Ups] 
at the end of the post on the last Healthy Living Tuesday of each month. 
Add your link & check out how others spun the topic in their voice.

We’re already a couple of week’s into May, but feel free to join in right away.
If your in for May, challenge yourself to write a terrific post that falls under the topic
Letter to My Future Self
Remember, the link up will take place the last Tuesday of each month.
[In this case, that’s May 29th]

We can’t wait to see all the fresh ideas you guys come up with for tackling this subject!  Let’s see which posts stand out as “gold star” quality!

Eating healthy or staying fit does not have to be expensive. That’s why Health on a Budget Summit,* which is a free 7-day online event starting on May 19, 2012, brings several experts to discuss topics such as eating organic on a budget, getting fit on a budget, tips for growing your own food and 33 other topics. You can find the list of speaker and topics here.  However, if you cannot attend during this time frame, you can also download the audio to listen at your convenience. Please register here for free!.

Lynda from Hit the Road Jane has lots of exciting news to celebrate!  She was recently accepted to be on the Oiselle racing team as an athlete ambassador from May 2012-2013!! Lynda tells us Oiselle is an incredible, fun, and innovative running apparel company and that she is honored to be part of their talented team.  “As a Latina, every new opportunity gives me the chance to show that we are capable of anything we set our minds to, especially when it comes to fitness. We can keep our curves but still be strong!” she shares.

Lynda also recently was accepted as a FitFluential Ambassador and as a Honey Stinger sponsored athlete for the 2012 year.  Congrats, Lynda!!

We heard a rumor that our pal Ashley over at (never home) maker is giving away a copy of Frugally Delicious – which includes a recipe from (never home) maker!  Check out her post Odds, Ends & Cookbook Giveaway for an awesome recipe for Maple-Cinnamon Walnut Oat Bars and your chance to win a copy of Frugally Delicious for yourself.  The winner will be chosen on Friday, May 18th.

Sugarfree Alex is having a giveaway party over at Spoonful of Sugar Free! Four winners will receive 2 bottles of liquid stevia, courtesy of NuNaturals. Giveaway ends May 15th. Check out her post for your chance to win and to see Alex’s recipe for Grain Free Lemon Poppyseed Muffins.

Help motivate others by writing articles for www.GetMeThroughTheWeek.com . If you would like to help others by writing positive motivational articles, we are looking for motivated contributors. So, check out our site and the topics you might be interested in writing about and submit your work to us.  For more information write to submit@getmethroughtheweek.com and let’s have a Great Week!

We LOVE to share HLB Members’ posts which stand out to us as content which we think you would find valuable.  For the month of May, we’ve committed to sharing two “Featured Posts” of YOURS on the HLB Facebook page. Stop by and took a look at the goods!  We showcasing posts talking about fitness, nutritious recipes, mental health and wellness, blogging, social media and more!

It's not on the menu but applebees will make you a portabello burger if you have the misfortune of having to go there to eat.

May 12, 2012 8:21 pm via TweetCaster for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@SarahSnacks

Sarah Snacks

Now headed to Boston for #rbkfitblog and getting scared about this Crossfit workout thing tomorrow. Can't we just run a marathon instead?!

May 10, 2012 8:59 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@skinnyrunnerSR

SkinnyRunner

a2. my biggest change: i used to work out because i HAD to. now i’ve found things i love so i work out because i WANT to. #fitblog

May 7, 2012 1:51 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@sarahlearnsblog

sarah zinkel

Now that the marathon is over, I'm pumped to do the @fitnessista Summer Shape Up (from '11) to get ready for our anniversary!

May 11, 2012 11:25 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@kaylabee18

Kayla Heimerman

DRUNK HULK STOP WORLD! AND MELT WITH YOU! YOU SEE DIFFERENCE! AND IT GET BETTER ALL TIME!

May 10, 2012 3:27 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@DRUNKHULK

DRUNK HULK

i need to become a professional napper. Can i get paid for that?

May 10, 2012 2:21 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@abbynormally

AJ

This is very thought-provoking. Very. Is Technology Destroying Your Relationships? http://t.co/PwhQSjuY -Momo

May 10, 2012 8:12 am via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@BlogHer

BlogHer

I've officially got my morning routine down to 19 minutes. Including a shower. #ilovesleep

May 10, 2012 7:11 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@alyssaarminio

Alyssa Arminio

Amen --> RT @SoDamnTrue: I don't have time to hate people who hate me cause I'm too busy loving people who love me.

May 7, 2012 7:52 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@CaitlinHTP

Caitlin Boyle

Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other. Keep on going day after day!

May 7, 2012 8:06 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@tinareale

Tina Reale

Note to self: drunk tweeting now more dangerous. RT @bloghermoney: Buy a Plane Ticket with Twitter. Really! http://t.co/grmJQPTT

May 8, 2012 4:34 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@sassymonkey

sassymonkey

Have you seen this stellar line-up of #blogherfood speakers? http://t.co/KjBadRrI Kudos to @blogherevents for this amazing group! -Momo

May 8, 2012 10:25 am via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@BlogHer

BlogHer

Wendy's has sweet potatoes?…kudos Dave!

May 12, 2012 6:19 am via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@LaurenSWYNTS

Lauren Podolsky

You are all being way too quiet today. You're all grounded.

May 8, 2012 10:05 am via Plume for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@KelsNotChels

Kels Not Chels

"There must be more to life than having everything." -Maurice Sendak

May 8, 2012 9:22 am via The Huffington PostReplyRetweetFavorite

@HuffingtonPost

Huffington Post

I run with scissors in hopes that I can cut my time down. #fitblog

May 7, 2012 1:59 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@scottschablow

Scott Schablow

Lexi from Amelie's French Bakery: Numbers are great, but active participants really make our bread rise ;) #socialmakeover

May 8, 2012 9:05 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@UPS

UPS

Love when an easy run pace is much faster than expected. #running <3

May 10, 2012 8:10 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@runnerstrials

Jen

I love that half of everyone's Monday tweets seem to involve coffee :-)

May 7, 2012 7:17 am via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite

@healthyashley

Ashley Stephens

strong desire for pizza hut breadsticks and a hardees biscuit stuffed with burger king hashbrowns. you heard me. not pregnant.

May 6, 2012 12:01 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@sweettaterblog

Katie

Just shredded a bunch of leftover roast chicken. Think I might use it in stuffed shells later this week. Yum!

May 6, 2012 5:48 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@HealthyDelish

Lauren Keating

Quality not quantity. Find a goal number (followers) that's comfortable for you. #socialmakeover

May 8, 2012 9:05 am via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite

@katylove

Katy

@FauxRunner Love this, "My body will follow where my mind leads" New quote!! #fitblog

May 7, 2012 2:05 pm via #fitblogchatsReplyRetweetFavorite

@brittsblurbs

Brittany

*affiliate link.