Friday Favorites: My Birthday, the Amazon Echo, and the ActivMotion Bar.

TGIF and happy Friday Favorites! Alan and I are off to Malibu this weekend. He is the “voice of the Malibu Half Marathon,” and I get to go along for the ride. Every year I think I’m going to run this race, but then something happens. Last year it was my cracked patella. This year, well, I’ll be working too.

Friday Favorites

The race has a new owner, and I was asked to help out in a couple different areas on Sunday, so no run for me! If you happen to be running, look for me helping out at parking early (really early!) in the morning, and at the finish line doing something.

Still, working or not, it will be nice to get out of the desert, where it is still about 90 degrees in the afternoon. Plus, we have a couple restaurants we love that we will have a chance to visit this weekend (a little extended birthday celebration!).

Speaking of birthdays…

It was my birthday on Wednesday! Actually, I’d be pretty happy if I never had to have another one, but I sure enjoyed the day nonetheless. My son David was going to take us out to dinner, but his car basically blew up (not quite, but it’s not working), so we ate at home and deferred our dinner out until Saturday (at Hugo’s in Agoura Hills!).

My other son, Nathan, gave me the coolest present! It’s an Amazon Echo! Alan and I are both having fun figuring out all the things that Alexa can do. Yes, I’m a geek that way (as is Nathan, which is how he knew this would be a perfect gift).

Also, I don’t know if this is cool or really scary, but apparently Google knows when it is your birthday. This was my search page.

And Speaking of Amazon…

Okay, I know you don’t want to start thinking about Christmas yet. Not that you can help it. Now that Halloween is over it’s pretty much time for the Christmas decorations to go up.

But, for those who love to save money (and who doesn’t?), and for those who love to avoid crowds, getting online Black Friday deals is pretty awesome. It’s even more awesome when they start early, like now! Check out the early Black Friday deals at Amazon!

ActiveMotion Bar

Last summer, when I went to Blogfest and the IDEA Fitness Convention, one of the products that stood out to me was the ActivMotion Bar. After trying it out at their booth at the Expo (with Renee in the photo) and using it in one of my sessions, I brought the information back to my boss.

Fortunately, she loves new fitness toys as much as I do, so we now have ActivMotion Bars to use, both in classes and with clients. I haven’t yet made it to a class (I was out of town the day they held one locally), but their website has a lot of resources for fitness professionals, so I’ve been using it and practicing with it.

I love it! If you don’t know, the ActivMotion Bar is basically a steel tube that is filled with ball bearings, which create an active resistance. Whenever you move or shift your weight, the little steel balls move, thereby challenging both your balance and your core strength. The bars aren’t heavy, the challenge comes from trying to hold the bar steady, or from the reverberation when the balls do shift all the way to one side.

I’m studying and practicing different moves with the ActivMotion Bar, so you can expect a workout soon!

Legend Compression Wear-Save $15

So you guys know I love Legend Compression Wear, right? I love them so much that I’m an ambassador! Because their background is in medical compression, they know that your compression socks shouldn’t squeeze the heck out of your legs. One of their mantras is “Right, not Tight.”  I even wrote about the benefits of wearing compression sock or sleeves.

Well, now I have a deal for you! You can save $15 on the purchase of any item from the Legend Compression website! Simply use this link which will lead you to the code for your savings. That simple!

Last chance to run the strip!

Have you signed up for your opportunity to run the Las Vegas Strip at night? For one of the coolest experiences in running? For one of the best finishers’ medals ever?

If not, you need to know that Sunday is the last chance for online registration for Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas! Seriously, you don’t want to miss this! Use my code to save $15: COACHDEBBIERUNS.

The Best of Coach Debbie Runs

We’re talking about running safety this month, National Running Safety Month. Check out this post for my best 10 tips, plus enter to win a Visibility Pack from Nathan Sports! It includes a Neutron Fire Headlamp, LightSpur LED Foot lights, and more. Check it out!

After I posted this recipe for vegan lasagna with basil cashew ricotta I had to make it the next night for dinner! It is so good!

Do you have an Amazon Echo? Have you tried the ActivMotion Bar?

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase using one of my links I make a few dollars which helps support this site. Thank you.

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Weekly Linkups

My weekly linkups! Please stop by and check out all of the great recipes, workouts, and information that all these awesome bloggers share every week!

Meatless Monday with Sarah and Deborah
Meatless Monday with Annmarie  and Rachel
Inspire Me Monday with Janice
Anything Goes with Marilyn
Wild Workout Wednesday with Annmarie, Michelle, Jen, and Nicole
The Plant Based Potluck Party with Deborah
The Running Coaches’ Corner with Rachel, Suz, Lora Marie, and Me!
Giveaway Roundup and Try Out Thursdays with Smitha
The Blogger’s Pit Stop with Kathleen, Janice, Julie and Me!
Living a Life of Fitness, Health and Happiness with Jill
Friday Favorites with Heather