The winner of the Progresso Light prize pack is Lily from Lily’s Health Pad! Congrats!

Progresso has really outdone themselves! Through March 15^th, you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYouto enter the Progresso “Souper You Debut” contest for the chance to win a full makeover in my favorite city - New York City!

Three grand prize winners will be awarded a trip for two to New York City from May 21st-23rd. The prize includes roundtrip airfare, a two-night stay in a NYC hotel, a full makeover, a $1,000 wardrobe shopping spree and personal consultation at a New York department store. 

To enter, you’ll need to do the following: 

• Go to www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to learn more and enter the contest
• Submit your essay (200 characters or less) telling Progresso why you love Progresso Light or 100 Calorie Soups and why you would like a makeover
• In addition, please submit a photo of yourself that visually reinforces the theme of your essay

Once you enter, you’ll have the chance for your photo and/or an excerpt from your essay to appear on www.Progresso.com/SouperYou, so be sure to check back frequently! Once the 10 finalists are announced, you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYou from March 29 through April 12 to vote for your favorite. 

In addition, throughout the duration of the contest you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYouto download a coupon for $1 off any three varieties of Progresso Soup! 

Progresso was cool enough to send me a giant box filled with soup, a soup mug, and a digital jump rope that tracks jumps and calories burned. I love Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups, because they are so hearty and filling, but are not high in calories or sodium! They also come in a bunch of different flavors so it’s not hard to find one you can enjoy, and in my opinion they all taste great! 

Here’s some background on Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups provided by Progresso: 

Managing your weight can be difficult, but finding foods that are satisfying doesn’t have to be. With Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups, you can enjoy a delicious cup of soup that provides great taste and variety, all at 100 calories or less. 

With surprisingly hearty ingredients like pasta, beans, corn and rice, and flavor-packed vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, and peppers, Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups offer varieties with a good source of fiber and a full serving of vegetables. Satisfying your taste buds, Progresso Light and 100 Calories Soups can help curb your hunger, making it easier for you to stick to your weight management plan. 

Guess what – Progresso is giving away a gift pack that contains a soup mug, a digital jump rope and two cans of Progresso Soup – all for one lucky reader! 
   

To enter:

1. Leave a comment with your favorite soup flavor
2. Link back to this page and leave a comment below letting me know
3. Subscribe to my RSS feed and leave a comment below telling me you’ve subscribed
4. Become a fan of Total Fit Girl on Facebook
5. Tweet“I want to win Progresso from @totalfitgirl http://bit.ly/953AK1“

I’m on vacay until next week (woohoo!), so I’ll randomly choose a winner when I get back on Wednesday, February 17! Good luck!

I am totally loving popchips! In fact, I might go so far as to say I’m a little obsessed . Ever since the company sent me samples of their convenient single serve bags, I’ve included a bag with lunch almost every day!

Popchips are an awesome alternative to regular, greasy, high-cal potato chips. A single serve bag (.8 oz) has only 100 calories, no trans or saturated fat, and less fat than regular potato chips. Also, popchips are light and fluffy so they are super filling!

How does the company make such delicious chips without all the fat and calories? According to their website:

We don’t fry it (unhealthy). We don’t bake it (undelicious). We take wholesome potatoes, add a little heat and pressure, and pop! It’s a chip. The only thing added is a flavorful blend of seasonings for a snack so delicious and crispy, you won’t even notice it’s (we hesitate to say) healthier.

We make potato popped chips in lots of taste bud-popping flavors. Hallelujah, snacking is fun again.

What’s out? More than half the fat of fried potato chips, trans fats, and cholesterol. All gone. For good. What’s popped in? Only what’s natural, tons of delicious, and plenty of crunch.

Not only are popchips healthier, but they come in a bunch of different flavors:

• original 
• barbeque 
• sour cream & onion
• cheddar
• sea salt & vinegar
• salt & pepper
• parmesan garlic

Each flavor is delish, trust me! I love pairing a salad, sandwich, or wrap with a bag of popchips – they are a guilt-free way to supplement any meal! Check back soon for a poppin’ giveaway!

I got my hands on some great fish oil products the other day when a rep for New Chapter (an organic vitamin/supplement company) was sampling Wholemega fish oil supplements at my local health food store! I already take fish oil for healthy skin, a healthy heart and other healthy-bod benefits, so I wondered, what could be any different about these products?

Here’s what the company has to say:

[Wholemega is] a whole-food approach to fish oil and an alternative to the fractionated, highly processed and “purified” oils on the market today. From the pristine, protected waters of Alaska directly to you, Wholemega is 100% wild-caught salmon oil; rigorously tested to ensure each capsule delivers Nature’s bioavailable, effective, and whole profile of beneficial fatty acids and nutrients.

Basically, Wholemega is a pure, chemical-free source of 16 omegas – 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9’s (I didn’t even know there were that many!), as well as Vitamin D and an antioxidant called Astaxanthin.

The suggested use is either two 500 mg softgels twice a day, or one 1000 mg softgel once a day. I was a little concerned about “fish burps,” but the company rep said I’d be fine if I took the softgels with large meals, and she was right – no fish burps here! Plus, the softgels were easy to swallow.

Wholemega is sold on Amazon.com, or you can search for a local store that carries it here.

It has been absolutely freezing in New York and across the country! Now that we’re in the middle of winter, it’s so cold that many of us replace outdoor runs and walks with indoor workouts, or are discouraged from working out altogether!

Does the cold weather change the way you work out? Tell me in the poll below!

The winner of Goji Gourmet cookies is:

Evan from Food Makes Fun Fuel, who said the flavor he wants to win is: “Ooo the chocolate cherry!”

Congrats Evan, your wish has been granted! A bag of Goji Cherry Cacao will be delivered to you soon :)

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Want to flatten your tummy?  These three exercises will target the upper abs, lower abs, and obliques!  Take a little time to work the core and get the results you have always wanted!  Ready?  Lets go!

1. Single Leg Abdominals

Lay down on the floor.  Place your hands behind your head and crunch up.  Remain in a crunch position throughout this exercise.  Raise the right leg 90 degrees.  As the right leg goes down, raise the left leg 90 degrees.  Feel the abs getting firmer and firmer with each leg lift!  Flatten the tummy with the single leg abdominals!

Now try it!  Get into position.  Crunch up.  Raise the legs one at a time.  Do this 20 times.  Complete at least 3 sets.  Challenge yourself by keeping each leg 2 inches of the ground!  Trim and tone that belly for killer abs!

2. Plank Core Pose

Get into push-up position but on your elbows.  Make the body long.  Straighten the back.  Relax the head and neck.  Keep the butt down.  Pull in and squeeze the abs.  Hold this pose.  Don’t let the belly sag!  Tighten and strengthen those abs!  Flatten the tummy with the plank core pose!

Now try it!  Get into the plank pose on your elbows.  Keep form in check.  Hold this pose for 30-40 seconds.  Complete at least 3 sets.  Challenge yourself by holding the pose longer each time!  Trim and tone that belly for killer abs!

3. Medicine Ball Crunch and Twist

Sit up straight on the floor with legs bent out in front and feet flat on the floor.  Grab your 5-10 pound medicine ball in both hands and crunch back to 45 degrees and back up.  Then, twist from side to side in the 45 degree position.  Squeeze those abs!  Flatten the tummy with the medicine ball crunch and twist!

Now try it!  Crunch down for 2 counts and back up for 2 counts.  Do this 20 times.  Twist from right to left 20 times.  Complete at least 3 sets.  Challenge yourself by lifting the legs off the ground.  Trim and tone that belly for killer abs!

Add these three abdominal exercises to your core workout each week!  Flatten the belly now!!

What are your 3 favorite abdominal exercises?!  Tell me about it!

Take care and get fit…Jen

Jen is the creator of a cool, fresh fitness blog, JensFitnessTips.com.  Jen’s blog is about helping people get fit one simple exercise at a time.  Be sure to check her blog out and follow her on Twitter!

Whole Foods employees who weigh less pay less.  Yup, that’s the plan under the chain’s new program to reward its healthiest peeps with higher store discounts.

In a letter to employees leaked by Gawker, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey said that the discount level would be based on criteria like blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI, and non-nicotine use.  To be eligible for a bigger discount, employees can opt in and receive voluntary health screening.  Otherwise, they would still get the standard 20% employee discount.  According to Mackey, the “new higher discounts are incentives to encourage our team members to be healthier and to lower our healthcare costs.”

I’m all for incentivizing health, especially non-smoking, but I wonder whether this is the best way to go about doing so, and whether the plan would really work. What do you think? Is the program a form of discrimination, as some are claiming? What about athletes with a high BMI due to muscle mass, or employees with medical conditions affecting blood pressure or cholesterol - wouldn’t they be ineligible for the higher discount?

Don’t these Goji Gourmet cookies look delish? You might want to check out my very positive review of these scrumptious cookies! Now one of you will win a bag of the flavor of your choice!

The cookies come in 5 flavors: Goji Almond Oat, Goji Cherry Cacao, Goji Ginger Walnut, Gogi Orange MintChip, and Goji Chocolate Chip.

To enter, leave a comment below telling me which flavor you want to win! For additional entries, you can do the following:

1. Link back to this page and leave a comment below letting me know
2. Subscribe to my RSS feed and leave a comment below telling me you’ve subscribed
3. Become a fan of Total Fit Girl on Facebook
4. Tweet “I want to win @gojigourmet from @totalfitgirl http://bit.ly/bHBRam“

Giveaway ends Friday, January 29 at 5:00 pm!

Thank you to everyone who entered! The winner of a package containing all 4 flavors of Crofter’s Superfruit Spreads is: Julie @ savvyeats, who said her favorite fruit is: “Fresh, ripe strawberries and raspberries. mmmmmm!”

Personally, my favorite fruit would have to be apples – sometimes I eat as many as 3 per day!

Congrats Julie!