Hard Workouts, ENERGYbits Review, and a Giveaway–Oh My!

ENERGYbits GiveawayYou can skip to the giveaway at the bottom if you want. I won’t judge…

Lately I’ve been focusing more on my overall health, which includes eating cleaner, working out more, and–finally–quitting my job. Now I work from home, have pretty much no stress, and am able to do whatever I want every day. Man, it sure is tempting to be lazy, and, honestly, some days I am. 🙂 It’s all good, though, because I finally feel like I’m gaining greater control of my life.

As part of this goal, I’ve been trying out some new classes at my local gym and increasing the amount of cross-training I’m doing in addition to my running. Yesterday I tried two classes (not really that smart): RIP and Boot Fit. Basically a choreographed circuit-training class and a plain ol’ circuit-training class (side note: I’m SO SORE today). The instructor of the first class was not my style. Less encouraging and more yelling. Didn’t enjoy the class at all. And the second instructor was quieter, but I liked him more. He took the time to correct form and encourage everyone. The stations in the class included medicine ball throws, kettlebell moves, TRX, crunches, jump rope, etc. Loved it! I think I’ll do Boot Fit at least once a week. I need me some muscle!

In addition to running, I’ve also been swimming and cycling. Basically I’m trying everything so I don’t get injured! Haha. Last weekend, though, I combined running and swimming into a brick workout: 5-mile run + 300-meter swim. It went really well, and I completed it feeling super accomplished. The tiredness didn’t set in until way later in the day–thanks, in part to ENERGYbits. A lot of professional athletes swear by them, so I was intrigued. Could they really help me? The company reached out to me sent me a sample (75 capsules/bits of spirulina algae) to try out. As always, all opinions are my own.

energybits
Cute tin of ENERGYbits!

About ENERGYbits:

Made from 100% organically grown, NON GMO spirulina algae and loaded with 40 nutrients, ENERGYbits® algae tabs have the highest concentration of protein in the world (64%) all for just one calorie per tab. Spirulina has been endorsed by the United Nations and Olympic gold medalists for decades. Now it’s your turn.

ENERGYbits® algae tabs are your answer for raw energy and health. All naturally too. With just one calorie per tab, ENERGYbits® will stop your cravings, slay your hunger and give you a steady stream of mental and physical energy all day or night. They may even make you want to leap over tall buildings in a single bound, but we think that’s best left to the guys in the red capes and blue tights.

Remarkably, ENERGYbits® have just one ingredient, spirulina algae which is a super hero in the world of super foods. Spirulina’s nutritional pedigree is so impressive that The World Bank, NASA and Olympic athletes have all declared spirulina to be the most nutritious food in the entire world. Why? Well for starters, it effortlessly and naturally boosts your energy like an energy drink, energy bar or coffee  but without the downside of chemicals, caffeine, calories, gluten or sugar. Gram per gram, there is no denser source of nutrition than spirulina algae.

 Nutritional Info:

Energybits Nutritional Facts Chart
Click image to zoom.

 

ENERGYbitsBefore that huge workout, I decided to try out my sample of ENERGYbits. An average serving size is 30 (!) bits, so I took all 30 before the workout. Man, if you have trouble with pills, you might be put off by the amount you have to take at once. I persevered and took all thirty in 10-capsule doses with plenty of water. They have a really “green” smell, kind of like fish food, but the company totally owns up to that and recommends that you take them with water–and not chew (also because of the flavor). I also had a banana and half a LUNA bar (my favorite, of course).

I started my workout about 20 minutes after I took the bits, and the workout went really well. I felt great throughout, but I don’t know whether that was the bits or fueling properly for once. Probably both. However, I did notice hours later that I was exhausted. Just hit me. Now, I felt like the bits worked keeping my energy and focus up, and this was them wearing off. Nice! I took a half serving on another day and  felt great. The Engineer also took a half serving and said they were good.

1 serving = 30 bitsBottom line: The number of capsules you have to take seems a bit much, but I think they work and would definitely recommend that you try some for yourself. They might not work for you, and that’s OK! They are a little expensive ($115 for 1,000 capsules)–but worth it if they work for you! 🙂

ENERGYbits would also like to offer a prize pack and bits to one of my readers! Enter using  Rafflecopter below!

You can also enter the coupon code BLOG at checkout for 10% on any bag of algae from the ENERGYbits store.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Must be 18 years or older and a US resident. Void where prohibited. Winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter. I will announce the winner on July 10.

Triathlete? Check. Woman of Steel Sprint Tri Recap

Things that went well at the Woman of Steel Sprint Tri: Bike, run

Things that need improvement: Swim, bike, run

Holy cow. Triathlons are hard. And I didn’t exactly train that well for this . . . well, I thought I had, but I was obviously mistaken. Live and learn, I suppose, but you can count on it that I’ll do another one. 🙂

Prerace: The day before, I went to packet pickup, scoped out the course and transition, and tried to be in good humor–all the while trying not to panic. Good times.

AF-WoSTri
Almost a triathlete!

At the race itself, I set up my transition with my huge borrowed mountain bike (rusty chain and all) squeezed between a legit triathlon bike and a pretty road bike. After that, I found a really nice lady to talk to, and we shot the breeze until the race started. Before I knew it, we were lining up and ready to jump (literally) into this thing.

The swim (300 meters): Well, it was horrible . . . Haha. I didn’t do too much swim training leading up to the race, which contributed to my totally panicking after the first lap (in a pool, thank goodness). This was annoying to me because I really thought I was improving. Oh well. Note to self: get in the pool. Swim time: 10:15

T1: Not much to say except that I was glad to be out of the pool, and my heart rate felt a little high from the terror I had just experienced. T1 time: 03:25

 

Woo! Love odd numbers.

The bike (12.9 miles): I was really slow . . . like, really. Can’t expect much when you’re riding on an extremely heavy mountain bike. I’m of course grateful I had people who were gracious enough to let me borrow it! 🙂 Not that the rider was phenomenal or anything, but I sure was jealous when girls on their teeny lightweight road or tri bikes zoomed past me. The bike was two ~6.5-mile loops, and the first half of each loop was uphill, and the second was downhill. I had to calm down after the swim, so I ended up walking a bit on the course. Fine by me. It’s not like I was going to win this thing. As I was starting the second lap, I felt stronger and was starting to have fun. Yes, it took me that long to actually like the race. Haha. Bike time: 1:04:21

T2: Before I knew it, I was back in transition (after an uphill portion to the transition area–seriously, who does that?), racking my bike, throwing back some Honey Stinger chews (pink lemonade is da bomb), and trying to feel my legs. Hello, Jell-O. T2 time: 01:45.5

The run (2.9 miles): I was slower than I’d like, but, really, the triathlon run is different than any other run I’ve ever done. I was already tired and had to haul my cookies another three miles. Fun times. Basically I ran/walked the huge uphill portion and then ran the rest of the way. I had gotten passed a lot on the bike because I was really going slow, but I passed quite a few ladies on the run–and I don’t think anyone actually passed me. Win. I ran to the finish line, got my medal, and BAM! I’m a triathlete. Run time: 34:23

Woman of Steel!

I’ll definitely be doing more tris–after I swim, bike, and run more. And this was a great kick in the pants to remind me that I do have lofty goals for fitness . . . and I can achieve them if I set my mind and heart to it.

General newbie tips:

  1. If at all possible, borrow a road bike or something–and ride it more than once before race day!
  2. Make sure you can swim the distance before race day. That was my main downfall.
  3. Be cheerful and don’t discourage yourself. I found that cheering on other triathletes was the best part of the day–and everyone else cheers you on too!
  4. Train on hills. Nuff said.
  5. Set achievable goals throughout the race. (“I’m going to bike up this whole hill. I’m going to catch blonde-ponytail-lady.”)
  6. Make sure you have plenty of fuel/liquids–and train with them before race day.
  7. Train in the same clothes you’ll be wearing on race day.
  8. Get a race belt. SO much easier to snap it on in transition.
  9. Calm the heck down. You’re going to be just fine.
  10. You’re most likely not going to win the thing, so just have fun!
Bam!

 Final time: 1:54:15.4

(Under 2 hours–woo!)

I’m Obsessed . . . with Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna Bars

from lunabar.com

I LOVE Chocolate Peppermint Stick LUNA Bars. They are the most delicious nutrition bars I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot). I discovered this flavor over the holidays, and I hope they stay around for a really long time.

I’m always a little apprehensive about nutrition bars. Sometimes they’re decent, and sometimes they’re not. I can’t eat a ton before races, so I normally grab a CLIF bar (which I think are pretty good) or some random thing I thought I’d try in my search for a good bar and choke it down. So when I saw this flavor on the shelf, I thought, “Okay, I love chocolate and peppermint together (hello, peppermint hot chocolate!), so I’ll give this a shot.” Fully expecting to be disappointed, as I often am with bars like these, I was surprised how good this little 180-calorie bar was. It’s no Snickers, but if I had to eat one of these every day, I wouldn’t mind. In fact, I stock up anytime I see them. They are 70% organic and have what LUNA (affiliate of CLIF) calls the “Core 4”: calcium, vitamin D, iron, and folic acid–4 important nutrients that every woman needs.

The texture is good, and the flavor is perfect–just enough chocolatey-peppermint goodness without tasting fake.

Bottom line: If you like LUNA bars, try this flavor. If you like chocolate and peppermint, try this flavor. If you’re looking for a nutrition bar that’s tasty, try this flavor . . .

Hopefully I’ve conveyed my love for these bars enough. If not, feel free to email me so I can try to convince you.

Cheers!