Ready, set, REGISTER! The Run for Shelter is back and this time they have expanded the race and added a 5K race. Sign up today for the only race in the DC Metro area dedicated to ending homelessness. Each mile you run gets us one step closer to a permanent solution.

The race is a flat, fast out-and-back course which begins and ends just steps from the US PTO Madison Building on Eisenhower Ave in Alexandria,VA. With a 10K, 5K, and 1 mile fun run, its the perfect race for families and runners of all skill level. The race is November 17 and begins at 8am.

Whether you run for health or fun, make sure you Run for Shelter! For more information about the race and how to register, please visit www.runforshelter10k.com. Be the first to know about exciting race updates – follow the action on twitter @Run4Shelter10k or #MilesThatMatter and like them on Facebook!

The post Run for Shelter appeared first on Fitness on the Run.

While these store-bought bars have been popular with our clients as the best choice available, still, they contain over 20 ingredients (to maintain quality, texture and shelf life). Today, we know that our bodies want REAL food for fuel. Our bodies thrive and can better digest food that is consumed in the way that it was grown. This isn’t just about our physiques, its about our health and longevity.

Fast forward to this Fall at our FOR Open House, when a long-time client introduced us to her home-made bars which she sells as part of her small business. We loved them – they were exactly what we were looking for in a nutrition bar – good-tasting, nutritious, natural, all with a calorie count we can feel good about.

So today we present to you the “FOR bar,” It has FOUR and only FOUR ingredients: protein powder, almond butter, gluten free steel oats, and honey.

Our philosophy at FOR is to achieve maximum health and longevity, 80% is determined by what you eat, 10% is your fitness and 10% is stress and sleep management. The FOR bar is one way we can help you feed your body real, healthy and wholesome food. And we make it. It is a meal (full bar) or a snack (half bar). You should drink at least 16 oz. of water with the bar. It will make you thirsty because it is packed with protein – vegan organic protein!

The FOR Nutrition Bar:

20 grams of protein,
18 grams of fat (healthy fat from the almond butter),
38 carbs (mainly from the honey)
Chocolate protein powder.
The bars are vegan and gluten free. There are only 4 ingredients: protein powder, almond butter, gluten free steel oats, and honey. 350 calories per bar.
Single bar – $3
Box of bars – $33 ($2.75 per bar).

Contact us (or email us) and request a box to receive 10% off of your next box of bars. We recommend you refrigerate the bars because they contain natural oils. You may also freeze the bars.

Take it with you to work in the morning and it will be the perfect snack (half bar in the morning and half of the bar in the afternoon) or full bar for your lunch.

The post Introducing … Fitness on the Run’s “FOuR Nutrition Bars” appeared first on Fitness on the Run.

Produce

Fish

Meat/Poultry

Wine

Sweets

Olive Oil

Photo courtesy of by La Grande Farmers’ Market

The post The Perfect Meal, the Perfect Grocery List appeared first on Fitness on the Run.

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”

~Charles Dickens

Thanks to our hundreds of clients, Fitness on the Run has been in business for eight years. Walking through our doors have been many generous individuals. If a client moves away from the area, they leave FOR. However, over 90% of the first 100 clients are still with us training, watching what they eat and managing their stress as best as they can. That’s a statistic worth boasting!

Thanks too to the community in which we have chosen to maintain our business. Alexandria is a warm, loyal and generous community. Multiple drives take place practically weekly to generate support for a number of causes.

Three years ago, co-owners Denise and Adrien decided to give back. They looked within the community of Alexandria to find the greatest need. With the help of a client and friend, we chose The Carpenter’s Shelter. We are one of the first members of their Circle of Hope donors. We donate annually. FOR doesn’t just give money, we participate in their programs like the Thanksgiving food drive.

Closer to home is FOR’s desire to help one of our own. Last year, FOR lost a dear client, Katie Lake to a disease called spinocerebellar ataxia type 17, a rare disease that less than 100 are diagnosed annually. Katie was 26 years old. To the day she passed, she was full of life and a joy to be in her company.

Katie’s amazing parents established a foundation called “Mindlink” to raise money to combat this horrible disease. Their goal is to help find cures to the many degenerative diseases from which Americans suffer. Over six million people suffer from neurodegenerative diseases such as ataxia, Alzheimer’s, autism, depression and schizophrenia, epilepsy, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s. Mindlink houses all of the information to learn more about the research they are funding.

This year, these same loving parents helped organize a group of runners to participate in a competitive road race in Falmouth, Massachusetts. (In the video below you can meet them training for the race.)

Denise and Adrien have chosen to donate to Mindlink again. We want make a little difference to bring relief to others families who have been or who will be diagnosed with Ataxia.

Why does finding a cure for SCA diseases have such potential for unlocking cures for other diseases like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s), Autism, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s? A: New genetic analyses reveal that the spinocerebellar ataxias may provide clues to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy and Huntington’s diseases because they all have clinical similarities to certain ataxias.

So as you can see, so many people will benefit from the research Mindlink is doing. please consider Mindlink.

Donate here.

The post Giving Back appeared first on Fitness on the Run.

1. Get sleep. There are more than enough studies proving how very important sleep is for our health. A body lacking sleep believes it is “starving” of rest and packs on fat. At Fitness on the Run, lack of sleep has reached epidemic proportions. It is of grave concern for us. According to the National Sleep Foundation, Research by Dr. Van Cauter shows that people who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to have bigger appetites due to the fact that their leptin levels (leptin is an appetite regulating hormone) fall, promoting appetite increase. This link between appetite and sleep provides further evidence that sleep and obesity are linked. To top it off, the psychological manifestations of fatigue, sleep and hunger are similar. Thus, when you’re feeling sleepy you might feel like you need to head for the fridge instead of bed.

2. Eat clean. Eat foods the way in which they are grown. Your pantry should NOT feed you or your family. Your refrigerator should. If it has a shelf life, it shouldn’t be consumed.

3. Eat organic, hormone free. Research describing the effects of pesticides and hormones on our bodies has just scratched the surface. Be informed.

4. Feed your kids they way you feed yourself: clean, organic, hormone free, with a variety of color and textures.

5. Train hard. workout like an athlete. Give your workout everything you can.

6. Dedicate your life to your Faith, your Family and your health. Your ability to turn to Faith will bring you solace in times of trouble and seemingly uncontrollable stress. Your Family may bring the stress right back but they need you to survive. Your health is what you owe to the two above.

The post How Can I Be Fit? appeared first on Fitness on the Run.