FitSugar

Review: PowerBar Chocolate Gel

FitSugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:00:56 -0700

On long bike rides, when I pass the hour mark I need a little something to help to power up the next big hill and something I can quickly eat. There are a wide variety of sports gels out there, so I am in my experimental phase - trying them all out. Over the weekend, I placed a Chocolate PowerBar Gel in the back pocket of my biking jersey before I headed out the door. This particular flavor was labeled as having 1x caffeine and contained 25 milligrams caffeine, about one-third the amount found in a single shot of espresso. Since I was riding early in the morning, and hadn't finished my daily cup of joe, I was looking forward to putting a little more caffeine in my system. Just before the third serious climb of the day, I powered down my PowerBar gel.

To see how it tasted, and if it helped sustain my energy read more.

First off, the flavor was surprisingly palatable. It didn't taste metallic or yucky, more like brownie batter than sports gel. This might sound gross, but after 90 minutes of riding it was wonderful and really easy to eat. I think the bit of caffeine perked me up and improved my attitude so rather than being daunted by the hill ahead of me, I was ready to attack. The gel sustained me for at least an hour, and the carbs and electrolytes prevented me from bonking. Here's the nutritional information:

Serving size	41 grams (one packet)
Calories	120
Fat	1.5 g
Sodium	200 mg
Carb	28 g
Potassium	40 mg
Sugar	10 g
Chloride	70 mg
Protein	0 g

Ingredients: PowerBar C2 max carbohydrate blend (maltodextrin, fructose), filtered water, chocolate (contains milk), glycerin, PowerBar electrolyte blend (sodium chloride, sodium citrate, potassium chloride), phosphoric acid, natural flavor (contains soy lecithin), PowerBar booster blend (caffeine, ginseng, kola nut extract), sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (to retard spoilage). contains milk and soy.

Do you have a favorite sports gel? Share your flavor and brand in the comments section below.

Allergy Relief: Afrin Pure Sea vs. NeilMed

FitSugar — Thu, 07 May 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Using a neti pot is a simple, natural way to combat allergies and nasal congestion, but sometimes you need a little extra power in your nasal irrigation. I just tried two sinus rinse products, which can easily be found in a drugstore. Afrin Pure Sea ($12) and NeilMed Sinus Rinse ($11.50).

The Afrin saline solution is made from purified sea water, from St. Malo Bay off the coast of northern France. The water is isotonically treated, making the concentration of salt similar to that of your body; it is also preservative free. The four-ounce bottle comes with a detachable applicator to be cleaned between uses. To use, press down on the applicator once the tip is positioned inside your nostril, while leaning over a sink or in the shower. I tried the medium stream, but it is available in gentle stream as well.

To learn about the NeilMed product and to see how the two compare, read more.

The NeilMed is a little more do it yourself. You mix salt packets, 50 come with the nasal irrigator, which holds eight ounces of water. The salt packets are considered isotonic and are preservative free. You fill the irrigator with warm distilled water, mix in the salt, and then squeeze the bottle placed against a nostril, over a sink, to rinse your nasal passages.

I feel both these products work, but the NeilMed worked a bit better. Since you exert pressure on the bottle, you have more control over the force. The NeilMed is also more economical, because I believe you will get more applications per package. I found the press-with-cap of the Afrin a little awkward when using my left hand for my left nostril. On the plus side for the Afrin, you don't have to heat or distill your own water, which can be a pain. I used tap water with the NeilMed - who keeps distilled water on hand? While waiting for the water to heat up, I wasted a lot of water and live in a drought zone. The Afrin would also work well if you're traveling and are unsure of the availability or water quality in your destination.

The NeilMed is ultimately more eco friendly as well. You can buy extra packets of salt without purchasing another irrigating bottle. Plus, the water comes from your home or nearby instead of being shipped from France.

Have you tried either of the products? If so, share what you thoughts in the comments section below.

Product Review: Colgate Wisp Mini-Brushes

FitSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 03:30:00 -0700

Perhaps to encourage my after-meal tooth brushing, a friend of mine recently introduced me to Colgate Wisp Mini-Brushes ($8.50 for a pack of 16). Designed for dental hygiene on the go, these one-time-use toothbrushes come with toothpaste built right in - in the form of a "freshening bead" - and a toothpick opposite the brush end.

My initial reservation with these disposable toothbrushes is that they aren't exactly eco friendly. But then again, there are certain times when this gadget could come in handy: in airports after long flights, while camping, or anytime I'm caught without a toothbrush on the go. But the eco unfriendliness wasn't my only problem with these, so read more.

Since the bristles are somewhat stiff, I wanted to be especially careful to brush properly to protect my gums. But at about three inches long, the Wisp Mini-Brush was awkward to use, making it difficult to mimic a normal tooth brushing motion. However, the freshening bead worked well, even without water, adding a nice peppermint flavor without a lot of foam, and the flexible toothpick was great, doubling as a gum stimulator.

I still felt bad throwing all of this waste away, especially since the toothbrush wasn't terribly effective. Not only is the brush itself disposable, but it also comes in excessive packaging, with individual plastic packs per four brushes. I can see these being helpful in emergencies, but I don't think I'd buy them again.

Review: NUUN Hydration Tablets

FitSugar — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0800

Staying well hydrated no longer needs to be a tasteless chore. NUUN hydration tablets make your water more palatable while loading it with electrolytes - and all this with only six calories (read "no added sugar") per 16-ounce serving.

NUUN tablets dissolve in water, similar to Alka Seltzer, but NUUN tastes much better, and once the tablet has dissolved the bubbles disappear. The ratio is one tablet for 16 ounces of water, which just so happens to be the size of many cycling water bottles. The tablets come in five flavors: lemon-lime, tri-berry, orange ginger, kona cola, and citrus fruit, and all are made with no artificial colors. A sports drink doesn't need to be neon-colored to quench your thirst.

To see how I think NUUN tastes, read more.

In general, I am not a big fan of sports drinks; they either taste too sugary or taste too much like artificial sweeteners. I like NUUN because it doesn't taste like either. The NUUN flavors are mild, which I like - especially when I am working hard. My favorite flavor is tri-berry, with citrus fruit in a close second. Unless you like sipping on flat Coke, I wouldn't bother with the kona cola, although I hear it blends nicely with the orange ginger. You can halve the tablets and become your own NUUN mixologist. NUUN is sweetened with sorbitol, a sugar alcohol, and acesulfame potassium, an FDA-approved artificial sweetener. I like that the drink is made in my reusable water bottle, so I don't feel like I am adding too much to landfills since the tube (but not the stopper) is recyclable. I also appreciate that this is an electrolyte drink fortified with the sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium I need to not become dehydrated, and that it is not a recovery drink with carbs, sugar, and protein. I like to eat these after I workout, not drink them. All in all, I am a fan of NUUN.

A single tube, with 12 tablets (makes 12 16-ounce drinks), retails at REI for $6.50. You can also buy the tubes in bulk - four tubes for $22 from REI, or packs of nine from the online NUUN store for just under $50.

If you're already a fan of NUUN, tell me why below.

Review: Hall Naturals Cough Drops With Honey

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:00:00 -0800

I came down with a bad cold over the holidays, that targeted my throat and left me with out a voice for three days. I think my young daughters loved having a mom the could barely speak, but that is an issue to take up with my fellow sugar mamas over at lilsugar. Unfortunately, my sore throat coincided with my ski trip. When I was able to, I drank lots of tea with honey but needed cough drops to keep me going on the slopes.

Intrigued by the the "vapor action" of added menthol combined a soothing honey center found in Mountain Berry Naturals by Halls, I picked up a bag to try. Honey is a natural humectant, meaning it helps retain moisture, and it is also considered a natural cough suppressant.

To see what I thought of these drops read more.

The berry flavor and the menthol battle for dominance when the cough drop hits your tongue. Luckily the berry flavor wins, though tinged with mild herb flavoring. These cough drops did not taste like candy, which meant my daughters stopped pestering me for them. The honey center allowed the soothing effect to linger after the lozenge completely gone. They did help my cough and soothe my throat. They were not as tasty as a Ricola cough drop, but they didn't taste overly sweet or fruity like other kinds of throat lozenges by Halls. As for the word "natural" in the name. All the ingredients looks familiar except MCT oil, which stand for oil medium-chain triglycerides. I have no idea what that is doing in a cough drop.

Here is a list of ingredients: Active ingredient -Menthol 2.5 mg, inactive ingredients - citric acid, cottonseed oil, elderberry juice, flavors, ginger, glucose syrup, glycerin, honey, lemon grass, MCT oil, sage, soy lecithin, sucrose, water, white thyme.

Even with the mysterious MCT oil, I would buy Naturals cough drops again. A bag of 20 retails for $1.99.

South Beach Diet: Taste of Summer Cookbook

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 03:00:00 -0700

Most diet cookbooks don't really appeal to me. The recipes seem to gimmicky, difficult to make or look as if they would produce tasteless food. The new South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook is definitely different. Its pages are filled with inspiring recipes, 150 of them to be exact. When flipping through it there were so many recipes I wanted to make and that is a good sign.

There are recipes for breakfast, soups (yes, soup is a great summer food), salads, sides, sea food and more. Dr. Agatston, creator of the South Beach Diet, writes in the introduction that since we have such easy access to "garden- and market fresh ingredients" during the summer months it is a great time to cook and healthy foods. All the fresh produce means nutritious phytonutrients that will protect your health.

I think this cookbook would be great not only for someone following the South Beach diet, but it's also great for people looking to cook healthy, low fat meals. Although the recipes are labeled according to the South Beach Phases, the majority of the recipes seem worthy of making, some even for guests. The only bone I have to pick with the content is in the dessert section. Some recipes call for "fat free whipped topping," and this essentially means some version of Cool Whip Free which contains partially hydrogenated palm oil which I avoid even in small doses. Other desserts, however, rely on sugar substitutes to provide sweetness which is not nearly as unhealthy and can satisfy one's sweet tooth.

Buy the "Taste of Summer Cookbook" for $19.11 from Amazon.

Move It at Home: Rock Your Body with Jamie King

FitSugar — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Want to dance like Madonna, Britney and Rhiana? Want to get a workout while you do learn their cool moves? With the new DVD Rock Your Body with Jamie King you can learn hip hop in the comfort and safety of your own home. And you will have fun doing it! I certainly did.

The DVD runs about an hour and keeps you moving at a comfortable pace for the entire 60 minutes. The workout is broken down into six main sections: a warm-up, rehearsal 1, rehearsal 2, dress rehearsal (where you put the moves in from rehearsal 1 and rehearsal together slowly), the performance (where you put the two sections together more quickly in front of an "audience"), and a brief cool down.

Taught like a hip hop class, the moves are presented in 8 count segments and broken down step by step. You then have a chance to perfect the moves working at half tempo (half as quick as the bear of the music) before repeating the moves at tempo 4 times. Changing from half-time to tempo can be a bit challenging, but it keeps you thoroughly engaged in the workout and time flies.

I found that dancing without a mirror (who has a huge mirror in TV room?), it was easy to imagine that I looked as hot as Jamie and his back dancers while attempting the hip hop inspired moves. There is no need to prefect the steps on the first go around, since you can use the DVD over and over again without getting bored. Jamie King is also really encouraging, without being sappy, that you look forward to working out with him. Madonna is lucky she has such a cool choreographer to work with.

Now, if you do not like dance workouts, this DVD is not for you. It is all dance moves - no crunches or push-ups tacked on at the end. I did burn just over 300 calories (yes, I wore my heart rate monitor) and was able to dance the moves in my tiny living room. I had fun.

You can pick up a copy of "Rock Your Body" for $17.99 from Amazon.
Or add the DVD to your Netflix queue.

Kind Fruit + Nut Bars

FitSugar — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 13:30:00 -0700

Walking through the health food store, I am always looking for new snacks to try. I look for ones that have few ingredients, so when I came upon KIND Fruit + Nut Bars, and I could see the whole nuts and pieces of dried fruit, I had to pick some up.

There are tons of flavors to choose from like Macadamia & Apricot, Walnut & Date, and Banana & Oat Bran. They are gluten-free, dairy-free, have no trans fat, no GMO, are a good source of fiber, and have no added preservatives, colors, or flavors.

How do they taste? So delicious! They're got a great chewy and crunchy texture that was very satisfying. All the natural ingredients make this bar so flavorful, and a great afternoon snack before or after a workout. Plus, they're conveniently wrapped, so you can stash them in your desk, purse, or gym bag.

They're made in Australia with all natural ingredients, and 5% of the profits go to OneVoice, a PeaceWorks foundation that fosters co-existence in the Middle East, so they're good for your body and for the world.

Want to see the nutritional info? Then read more

These bars reminded me a little of LARABARS, so here's a chart comparing the two:

1 Bar	Calories	Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)	Ingredients
KIND Bar (Almond & Coconut)	190	14	25	14	4	11	4	almonds, honey, shredded coconut, coconut chips, glucose, puffed rice, chicory fiber, soy lecithin
KIND Bar (Almond & Apricot)	170	11	25	16	5	13	3	almonds, apricots, honey, shredded coconut, coconut chips, glucose, puffed rice, chicory fiber, soy lecithin
LARABAR (cashew cookie)	210	12	0	23	3	14	6	cashews, dates
LARABAR (Key Lime Pie)	200	10	0	28	4	20	4	dates, cashews, almonds, unsweetened coconut, lime juice concentrate

I know at first glance it looks like these have a lot of fat, but keep in mind that the fat comes from the nuts, so it's healthy fat your body needs.

Fit's Tips: If you want to see how these compare to other energy bars, then check out this Energy Bar Breakdown.

Gear Review: Clear2Go Water Bottle With Filter

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:00:56 -0800

I've been carrying a reusable water bottle with me for years now, filling up on tap water as needed. Well, portable water just got a little cleaner with the Clear2Go water bottle ($16). It's your standard water bottle with a squeeze top made for cycling, but it comes with its very own water filter. The filter adds a little weight to the bottle, but it filters out 99.9 percent of microbial cysts (cryptosporidium and giardia), reduces the chlorine taste of water, and reduces lead and mercury. Using trickle down technology developed originally by NASA, one filter lasts for 100 gallons, or 533 refills - keeping an estimated 757 plastic bottles out of landfills. Replacement filters are available in two packs and cost $13.

Lance Armstrong is a fan of these eco and health friendly reusable bottles, and if you become of fan of Clear2Go on Facebook you can enter to win a bike ride with the seven-time winner of the Tour de France. You can purchase your mobile filtration system directly from Clear2Go. They make great holiday gifts and would definitely get you well on your way to filling a loved one's stocking.

Gear Review: slotRadio by Sansa

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:20:25 -0800

I love my iPod, but there is a new music player vying for my heart: the slotRadio ($79) by Sansa.

The two-inch-by-two-inch clip-on music player comes with a data card with 1,000 songs from the Billboard music charts, with prearranged playlists by music genre. I tried the additional Health and Fitness mix, which includes the mixes for warmup, cardio, roadwork (cycling), power (lifting), yoga, cooldown, and the even more mellow spa mix.

To see what I thought of this music player, just read more.

I must admit I am a bit technically challenged - ironic since I am a blogger, I know. Even with my latent Luddite ways, I found the slotRadio super easy to use. The instruction manual was simply written with helpful graphics. Open the box, charge the radio, which took about an hour, put in your music card, and go. My inaugural run with the slotRadio was great. It clips onto your clothes and is so small and light you don't even notice it. The volume button is easy to find, as is the skip button. You can easily skip genres, too. I warmed up with Lady Gaga and Nelly and moved onto cardio with a few bands I have never heard of, like VHS or Beta. The slotRadio feels like a pop music education in a good way. This little player is a great way to introduce yourself to new music. However, I had to remove the foam covers from the earbuds to keep them from falling out of my ears.

The video screen features graphics of exercises and lets you know the next song up on the playlist so you can advance easily to find motivational music. The slotRadio is also a real radio. As an NPR junkie, I love that I can switch over to radio and catch up on news or Fresh Air while working out.

I enjoyed the Health and Fitness music card much more than the standard Billboard artist music card. Thankfully, the data cards are easy to change, and there are many options to choose from, including Christmas tunes, '80s and '90s music, Latin, and classical. The extra data cards cost $40. The slotRadio bundle comes with headphones, charger, and Billboard music card. These make a great gift for the musically impaired fitness fanatic in your life.

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