Charity

Sport Pink Proud with iRenew

October 13, 2011 at 9:09 am
By FITNESS Intern

Written by Alyssa Belanger, editorial intern

When it comes to supporting the cause this month, the number of ways to get involved are nearly unlimited. But here’s one more just in case you’ve missed out on the other opportunities—iRenew’s limited edition pink wellness bracelets.

In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness month and the company’s dedication to promoting healthy lifestyles, iRenew has launched its new line of  pink wellness bracelets to support breast cancer research. Show off your support for BCA and get your bracelet branded with the breast cancer ribbon at retailers like K-Mart, CVS, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond and many more for less than $19.99.

On top of making a fashionable statement for a good cause, the company will donate 15 percent of the proceeds from the limited edition wellness bracelets to The Donna Foundation’s 26.2 with Donna Finish Breast Cancer National Marathon.

To learn more about iRenew bracelets, which help promote balance, endurance, and strength visit irenew.com. For more information on The Donna Foundation, visit thedonnafoundation.org.

More from FITNESS:

• Chip in a Support Breast Cancer with Food Should Taste Good
• Help Yoplait Save Lids to Save Lives

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Chip in and Support Breast Cancer with Food Should Taste Good

October 4, 2011 at 9:37 am
By Colleen Moody

The next time you’re craving your usual midday snack, buy a bag of Food Should Taste Good chips to go do some good as you munch.

The brand is releasing its second annual limited-edition pink bags for Multigrain and Sweet Potato flavors, on shelves through the month of October. For each bag purchased, Food Should Taste Good will donate a portion of sales up to $100,000 to organizations like The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure Massachusetts, and The Ellie Fund.

You can also help out online! Visit the Food Should Taste Good Facebook page to purchase and gift an online free bag coupon to your friends. The brand will donate 100 percent of all the proceeds purchased through the online promotion, plus you’ll win major points with your friends by treating them to a free snack!

For more information, visit foodshouldtastegood.com.

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Cancer Survivors Look Good, Feel Better with Shannon Miller

October 3, 2011 at 5:05 pm
By Karla Walsh

We all remember Shannon Miller for her high-flying feats and beaming smile at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. So what has she been up to since then? Conquering cancer with style, and helping other women do the same.

Last December, Miller’s doctor discovered a cyst on her ovary during a regular exam that she almost skipped (reminder to get your check-ups!) and had surgery to remove it a few weeks later. It was cancerous, but caught at an early stage. Miller, a mom to a 15-month-old son at the time, completed nine weeks of chemotherapy filled with nausea, hair loss and low energy. That’s where the Look Good…Feel Better (LGFB) program comes in.

LGFB launched in 1988 and has been helping women with cancer improve their self-esteem and quality of life through makeovers that remind participants that they are beautiful inside and out. It’s the only free, worldwide service that teaches those in the midst of cancer treatment that they can have a bit of normalcy back in their lives.

“As a woman, Look Good…Feel Better pulled me out of the sadness of treatment. I was able to focus on being a person again, which when you lose all of your hair—eyebrows and eyelashes included—is hard to do,” Miller says.

Beauty professionals host makeover workshops and webinars focusing on cosmetics, skin and nail treatments and accessories that address specific side effects of cancer so the patients can direct their energy on healing.

“Not every person wants to be asked about their treatment all of the time, and I know that I wanted my son to still be able to recognize me,” Miller explains. “You have to deal with so much when you have cancer—financially, physically, mentally—is makeup and hair important? It is! Your body begins to feel like you’re own again since how you look is a symbol of how you feel.”

Today, besides promoting LGFB (she was honored at the organization’s DreamBall in September, see photo above), Miller is back to work with her wellness company Shannon Miller Lifestyle and just received a clean MRI scan!

Learn more about LGFB and find out if it’s available in your area here.

More from FITNESS: Sweat for a Cure: More Women Who are Making a Difference

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Help Yoplait Save Lids to Save Lives This Month

October 3, 2011 at 9:35 am
By Colleen Moody

Want to support Breast Cancer Awareness month but have no clue where to start? You can start by eating (seriously!). Yoplait has made it ridiculously easy to do a good deed with its 13th annual Save Lids to Save Lives campaign to help Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Whenever you buy a BCA Yoplait cup, just save the pink lid to mail it in or redeem it online. Yoplait will donate ten cents to a local Susan G. Komen for the Cure affiliate in your area for each lid redeemed by December 31, 2011 up to $2 million. Not only are you supporting a good cause, you have the chance to make a big impact to an organization in your area that is near and dear to your heart.

To redeem your lids online and get more information about the campaign, visit savelidstosavelives.com.

Now tell us: How are you supporting BCA month?

More from FITNESS:

• 10 Surprising Health Benefits of Yogurt
• Shop for a Cause: Breast Cancer Awareness Products

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NYC Readers—Run with Under Armour this Weekend!

September 27, 2011 at 8:01 pm
By Jenna Autuori

Do you really think that would be all? Head into the store and Under Armour will provide you with free fitness consultations with certified trainers, enjoy a relaxing sports massage and receive a complimentary gift with any Under Armour purchase.

Marathon training? Get up early and add this into your morning routine. Looking to turn over a new leaf next month? Make October 1st the day to do it! Plus, the first 50 people to register will be automatically entered to win a $1,000 donation to his/her choice of breast cancer charities that Under Armour supports. Two people will win. Find out more about registration here.

When: Saturday, October 1st

Where: 9 a.m. run begins at East 61st Street & 5th Avenue entrance to Central Park; in-store event from 10:30 am to 12 pm

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Freebie Yoga Alert! WIE Wellness Weekend

September 16, 2011 at 2:00 pm
By Colleen Moody

Looking for something to do this weekend in NYC? We’ve got an idea that won’t cost you a penny! To kick off the Women: Inspiration & Enterprise Symposium (otherwise known as WIE) Lululemon will be offering a complimentary open class to the public taught by instructor Stephanie Culen. Details for the class below:

Location: Yoga Vida, 99 University Place at 12th St. (6th floor)

Time: 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

WIE Wellness Weekend is also partnering up with the local NYC fitness industry to help women heighten their physical and mental wellbeing by participating in exercises that help build confidence, balance, and inner peace. If you take a class at any Yoga Vida or Physique 57 location this weekend you’ll be supporting WIE, which is donating all proceeds from the weekend to the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood charity.

For a list of participating studios, as well as to purchase tickets to one of the many events and speeches during the WIE Symposium (which includes Donna Karan and Arianna Huffington as key speakers), visit wiesymposium.org. Grab one of the discount codes below to knock $100 off your ticket!

Enterprise Day (Sept. 18): WIE2588

Inspiration Day (Sept. 19): WIE2587

Both days: WIE2589

Between this and the annual FITNESS Mind, Body, Sprit Games Saturday, Sept. 17, the girl power just doesn’t stop!

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Kristi Yamaguchi Is Unstoppable: The Olympic Gold Medalist’s Next Project

August 26, 2011 at 1:28 pm
By Marianne Magno

To say Olympic gold medalist, wife, mom, author, philanthropist, and Dancing with the Stars champion Kristi Yamaguchi has stayed busy even after her days of competing on the ice would be a big understatement. Since starting the Always Dream Foundation in 1996, the Olympic skater has remained active in helping kids think positive and aim high. We chatted with Kristi to learn more about her inspirational adventures and how she stays fit with a hectic schedule.

Your Always Dream Foundation has a simple but profound and important message. What made you decide to start it?
I worked with the Make a Wish Foundation and it opened my eyes to a different world. I was inspired to work with children and families in need—to help them feel more hopeful and embrace their dreams.

Your book, Dream Big, Little Pig has a similar message. Why did you decide to write a children’s book?
I’ve always wanted to write a children’s book! I also wanted to do something my daughters (Keara and Emma) could enjoy. They were 4 and 6 when I wrote it, so it was the perfect time for me to read it with them.

How does you work with the Smucker’s Uncrustables Unstoppable Family Photo Contest support these causes?
It’s all about families showing us just how unstoppable they really are—they’re busy juggling work, school and extracurricular activities, and having fun doing it all. Families can submit photos with a caption at uncrustables.com and they’ll be entered to win a trip to Yosemite National Park.

Speaking of active families, your daughters—not surprisingly—are both into skating. Did that come naturally to them?
I guess it was inevitable! They would see me and my husband (former NHL player Bret Hedican) on the ice and eventually they wanted to go, too. I like seeing them be comfortable skating. It’s not even about having them compete, as long as they’re having fun and enjoying it.

To learn more about Kristi’s favorite workouts and the music that keeps her motivated,  Read more

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Run, Dozer, Run! Dozer the Dog Completes a Half-Marathon

June 28, 2011 at 3:53 pm
By Marianne Magno

Well, this dog’s Sunday activity makes our weekends look lazy. Dozer, a 3-year-old goldendoodle from Maryland ran from his home on May 15 and decided to join the Maryland Half-Marathon. He is reported to have snuck in at mile five and was seen at various points of the race by several runners. Here’s a video of him crossing the finish line at 2 hours and 14 minutes:

When race organizers heard about this pooch’s feat, they awarded him a medal. Now he even has his own runner’s page at the Maryland Half Marathon website where fans can donate funding for the University of Maryland Greenbaum Cancer Center. He’s raised more than $17,000 to date. Good job, Dozer!

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Race To Erase MS “Rock & Royalty” Gala

April 28, 2011 at 2:50 pm
By Jenna Autuori

Tomorrow is a glorious day in the land of wannabe princesses all over the country (me included). Watching soon-to-be Princess Katherine Middleton walk down the aisle to her handsome Prince William will be such an awe-inspiring (as in awww they’re so cute together!) morning for myself and so many other millions, maybe billions, of people watching. We’re all suckers for a real love story as good as this. How many of you plan to wake up early to watch Will and Kate say their “I do’s”? I do!

Tomorrow also marks the 18th anniversary of the Race To Erase MS gala—appropriately named the “Rock & Royalty to Erase MS.” At this celeb-filled kickoff event, in which Joan Jett and country music star Clay Walker will perform, the Nancy Davis Foundation will launch a new crop of royal-themed items (like t-shirts and jewelry) which give proceeds to research and awareness for this disease and the people suffering from multiple sclerosis today (check out the touching story of Jennifer Schuble on our “That’s The Spirit” back page in our May issue).

During the entire month of May, the foundation celebrates Orange You Happy to Erase MS with these following brands and famous faces that will do their part to give back to this very deserving cause. Check out this long list of awesome orange stuff you can snag to support MS research.

• Proceeds of an exclusively designed shirt and a crown necklace, earring and ring collection from Peace and Love Jewelry by Nancy Davis.
• 30% of the proceeds from any item purchased from the Peace and Love Jewelry by Nancy Davis retail website will be donated to the charity.
• Beginning in April Harry & David will donate 20% of the proceeds from their Royal Oranges.

For the complete list of  give-back gear, read more.

Read more

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How Biggest Loser Season 10 Winner Patrick House Is Giving Back

April 27, 2011 at 2:01 pm
By Jenna Autuori

I recently got a chance at the Cybex Arc Trainer launch to spend some one-on-one time with Patrick House, last season’s winner of The Biggest Loser.  As one of The Biggest Loser‘s number one fans (yes, I really am, there is no denying that), this was definitely right up my alley.

After winning The Biggest Loser Patrick went home to South Carolina and founded a co-ed boarding school program for overweight teens. At MindStream Academy kids learn how to follow a healthy lifestyle, get fit, and build better self-confidence. The students are given a unique experience, unlike the schedule that regular junior high and high school students follow. They’re given nutrition lessons (with hands on experiences like harvesting their own fresh food!) and engage in outdoor fitness programs, like yoga, throughout the day. To think that some schools across America have cut P.E. classes seems crazy to me, so I love that Patrick is making health and fitness a top priority with the help of his program. This is something I love as I really hope to one day be able to help teens in the same way that Patrick is able to with his program at MindStream. I don’t think kids these days are as involved in sports and eating right as they were back when I was young (video games, junk food, and technology may be to blame), so we really need to pass on the right habits to them now.

My goal for this summer is to give a helping hand wherever I can pay it forward all that I’ve learned–visiting South Carolina to check out Patrick’s camp is definitely on my must-do list! I think we all need to take some time out of our busy lives and help our youth build a better future for themselves—they are the leaders of tomorrow!

[Another Biggest Loser fan favorite, Tara Costa, is also doing her part to pay it forward with her  Inspire Change Foundation. Check it out!]

What are you guys doing to give back this summer?

P.S. Patrick ran in the Boston Marathon last Monday with a few of his other Biggest Loser buddies. I love how the contestants are like one big happy family!

• Find a charity fitness event near you

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