Favorite Gear #1

I feel quite remiss that it took me so long to mention one of my very favorite things and something I use everyday. My Nike+ Fuel Band.

I've had a Fuel Band for a year now and I wear it every day. It tracks your daily activity and converts it into Fuel Points which it keeps track of for you. It also tracks steps taken and calories burned.

It allows you to keep track through the Nike+ website or using the FuelBand app.

It allows you to set a person goal for points and the app has celebrations for you as you reach your goal everyday, milestones in total points and streaks of days you hit your goal.

Nike Fuel is a system that runs through a lot of their products (see the Nike Training Club App post) and I like to take full advantage. It is very motivating to see an actual number showing how hard you've worked, especially when the scale isn't showing that as much as you'd like.

Nike Fuel Band is available is black, white ice and black ice. It is $150 and is available from the Nike store and Apple.

My Nike love affair continues!

Stridebox - May

My May Stridebox came today!  Stridebox is a monthly subscription service that delivers a sampling of products and accessories geared toward runners.

  

This month's box has some pretty stellar offerings including a lot of things I haven't seen/tried before.

Bonk Breaker Bites - Peanut Butter & Jelly flavor. I haven't seen these before but it seems like a good size to carry with you on a race (1.1 oz). It is gluten and dairy free. 125 cal, 4.5g fat, 85mg sodium, 17g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 4g protein.

UPDATE: 06-06-2013 My sister ate this on one of our race days. She said it was quite tasty.

Betty Lou's Just Great Stuff Bar -  Cacao & Acai. This is gluten free AND vegan. Advertises lots of anti-oxidants. And says its great as a recovery bar. 170 cal, 9g fat, 30mg sodium, 23g carbs, 4g fiber, 5g protein.

Clean Ethics Bottle Bright. Is a tablet for cleaning water bottles.  Says to fill the bottle with water, drop the tablet in, wait 15 minutes and rinse.

UPDATE 06-06-2013 This worked AMAZING. Just as advertised and it left my bottle totally clean with no weird cleaner smell. Very happy with this.

Honey Stinger Energy Chews. I am a big fan of a lot of Honey Stinger products (including Energy Chews) but this is a new flavor - Cherry Cola, and I am looking forward to trying them. 160 cal, 0g fat, 80mg sodium, 39g carbs, 1g fiber, 1g protein.

UPDATE 06-06-2013 These were good. I love the product but the flavor was "eh".

ViFuel Endurance Gel - Peach Cobbler flavor. Haven't seen this brand before but I do like some other gels. This is 32g and it says to take one 15 minutes before exercise and one every 30-45 minutes during followed with water.  100 cal, 1g fat, 10mg sodium, 23g carbs, 0g protein.

Jelly Belly Sport Beans - assorted flavors (lemon lime, orange, fruit punch & berry). I have seen these before but haven't had a chance to try them (another score for Stridebox). These are quick energy with carbs, electrolytes and Vitamins B&C. It says to use the whole package 30 minutes before activity and to consume with water. 28g package, 100 cal, 0g fat, 80mg sodium, 25g carbs, 0g protein.

Pro-Tec Athletics Blister Bands - 1 large & 1 small. An excellent addition to the running bag.

Perfect Fit Protein by Tone it Up - vanilla flavor.  This is also gluten free and vegan. 100% natural. It is a powder that is designed to be blended or mixed into your favorite beverage or recipe. The box even included a card with some recipes on it. 70 cal, 0g fat, 30mg sodium, 3g carbs, 2g fiber, 15g protein.

The Klitch - Footwear Clip. I was SUPER impressed with this and as you can see I could not wait to try it out.

 It is a super great clip system for holding onto your shoes and clipping them to you bag. VERY handy.

This was quite a showing this month and I will update as I get a chance to try out the various products. 

Stridebox is $15 a month and I can fully tell you that it is worth the price and you get more than your moneys worth! Also as a side note - the box this all comes packed in is made from 100% recycled material, just one more thing to love.

Eat-ables #1

Quick update: Started Week 7 of the Running Chart today. Which is run 4 minutes - walk 1 minute. Movin' on up!

So I have been trying a few different energy and nutritional snacks/bars lately. There are a few that I have really liked. One of those is GU Chomps.

GU Chomps are like giant fruit-snacks but they have carbohydrates, amino acids, antioxidants and electrolytes.  Some of the flavors also have caffeine.

Chomps can be eaten before, during or after exercise. A serving size is 4 pieces and each bag has 2 servings. It advertises that each bag with fuel 1 1/2 - 2 hours of activity.  Depending on my run for the day I usually eat 2-4 about 15 minutes before.

 

One serving (4 pieces) is 90 calories, 0 fat, 50mg sodium, 40mg potassium, 23g carbs, 11g sugar, 0g protein, and is 100% of daily Vitamin C & Vitamin E.

My favorite flavors so far at Cranberry Apple and Strawberry. But they also come in Lemon, Blueberry Pomegranate, Orange, Watermelon & Peach Tea.

I have gotten bags from a few different sports stores. These bags came from Scheels and were $1.99 each. You can buy them from the GU Energy website for $35.20 for a box of 16. I've also found some of the flavors on Amazon for a few dollars less.

I feel like I do get a little bit of a boost when I eat these and extra vitamins are always in good order.

April Totals

Totals for April

Weight Loss: 5.3 lbs (I had a couple week plateau in there so I'm grateful for that)
Inches Lost: 4 1/2 (To be fair, I only decided to start measuring on the 17th so that is half a month)
Miles Ran: 23.67
Nike Fuel Points: 109,422

I also started a couple new exercises and ended the month on week 6 on the Running for Beginners chart.

 

 I feel like I am making good progress at a good rate.  Hoping that May is even better!

Allonsy!