Hello May! With the first day of the month and the first day of the week coinciding, what a perfect moment to kick off a month long challenge!
Memorial Day is almost here and the official start of bathing suit season. Many of us have a little extra something from the winter we’d prefer not to, so we’re sharing something new everyday this month to help you do just that. A new exercise, piece of equipment, food, supplement, and much more… stay tuned for a month filled with great tips and products to get you ready to rock that summer body!
I would like to highlight that we are not paid to write about these products. They are all things we use, think are great, and would like to share!
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May 31: THRIVE MARKET. That’s it folks! Our 31 Days of fitness and nutrition tips have come to an end. Hopefully you are feeling and looking great as we kick off the summer season! To wrap up the month and keep your healthy eating going strong, we are featuring Thrive Market, your one-stop online shop for natural and organic food products. It’s membership-based, offering many of the most popular brands at reduced costs. From snacks to cooking ingredients to condiments and more, it’s got everything your gluten-free, paleo, raw and vegan heart desires!
May 30: SCHWINN AIRDYNE. I love dating myself with exercise gear: back in the day, long before spinning and SoulCycle, to go-to indoor cycle of choice was the Schwinn Airdyne. These large wheeled fan bikes engaged both the lower and upper body using air resistance technology. Well guess what… they’re back! Now a staple of CrossFit and HIIT workouts, Schwinn has reinvented its legendary Airdyne to deliver more powerful performance, upgrading it with a robust, 26-blade performance fan and multi-grip handles. Using air resistance, the Airdyne scales your workout automatically: the harder you pedal, the greater the resistance. It’s simple physics with big results for a total body cardio and strength workout.
May 30: SAMBAZON ACAI. Often called the King of Superfoods, the açai berry is packed with antioxidants and healthy omegas, along with iron, calcium, fiber, and vitamin A. One of the tastiest ways to enjoy acai is blended in a smoothie or bowl, and frozen Sambazon Acai Supefruit Packs make it easy. Available in Original, Unsweetened, Supergreens and Performance Protein, these frozen packs can be enjoyed like popsicles too. Be sure to check out Sambazon.com for lots of delicious recipes to keep you fueled and refreshed all summer long.
May 28: ANGIE’S BOOM CHICKA POP. Rated by Consumer Reports as the best tasting and most nutritious popcorn, Angie’s Boom Chicka Pop Seasalt popcorn takes a healthy snack and makes it even better. With just 35 calories per cup, it’s just popcorn, sea salt and a little bit of sunflower oil. Boom Chicka Pop also comes in such sweet and savory flavors as Salted Caramel and White Cheddar, as well as Light Kettle Corn, that one still just 35 calories per cup too!
May 27: OH YEAH ONE BARS. Go shorty, it’s your birthday. Eat a protein bar like it’s your birthday! In flavors like Maple Glaze Donut, Salted Caramel, Peanut Butter Pie, and yes, Birthday Cake, Oh Yeah One protein bars make you feel like it’s your birthday everyday. Each bar contains about 22g Protein, just 1g Sugar, 10g Fiber and are certified Gluten Free. Mouthwatering and delicious, these guilt-free treats will satisfy that sweet tooth and keep you on your summer shape-up plan as we head into the home stretch here!
May 26: PRIMAL KITCHEN MAYO. No need to feel guilty or grossed out eating slimy mayo anymore! Primal Kitchen Mayo is made with avocado oil and organic cage free eggs, with no dairy, soy, sugar or grains. A product of paleo guru Mark Sisson, the man behind the wildly popular, Mark’s Daily Apple, Primal Kitchen products are on a mission to make healthy eating easy with delicious nutrient-dense sauces and dressings. Primal Kitchen Mayo is made exclusively with avocado oil which has the highest monounsaturated oleic fatty acid profile. These are the “good fats” that make olive oil and avocado oil such nutrient-rich superstars, and this mayo so good for you!
May 25: MUSCLE MEDICINE. If you’ve been training hard this month, chances are you’re feeling some aches and pains. To help treat and keep those sport injuries at bay, here is your prevention and recovery guide: Muscle Medicine: The Revolutionary Approach to Maintaining, Strengthening, and Repairing Your Muscles and Joints. Written by leading orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Brian Kelly, and team chiropractor for the NY Football Giants, Dr. Rob DeStefano, this collaborative tomb breaks down the body from head to toe, and features more than 100 illustrations that show the basics of muscle mechanics, along with multiple stretching, strengthening, and self-treatment exercises. Muscle Medicine will help keep you on the playing field, no matter your age or activity level.
May 24: KYLEA TOTAL LIVING DRINK GREENS. The benefits of green vegetables and green juice are innumerable, particularly when it comes to working out, and one of the quickest and easiest ways to consume them all in one gulp is with Kylea Total Living Drink Greens. This nine-in-one super formula contains the nutritional equivalent of 7-10 servings of raw vegetables and fruit, along with almost 12 grams of protein, and supplies the body with all the enzymes, antioxidants, herbs, probiotics, herbs, vitamins, and minerals needed for optimal fitness. Mixed in a smoothie or on its own, go green with this powerful, energizing, hydrating blend!
May 23: MAPLE WATER. Fans of coconut water might want to give maple water a try. Like coconut water, it’s loaded with hydrating and energizing B vitamins, potassium, and electrolytes, but with half the calories and sugar. It also contains saponin, a natural ingredient linked with maintaining healthy blood cholesterol levels. Popular brand Happy Tree is sold at select Whole Foods locations, and comes in 3 different subtly sweet flavors, as well as a Cold Brew Coffee blend for an extra boost!
May 22: TRX SUSPENSION TRAINING. No need to go to the gym for one of the most effective and popular workouts. You easily can set up your own TRX Training System at home for a workout you can do anywhere and anytime. Invented by a former U.S. Navy SEAL, the TRX turns every exercise into a total body move that constantly engages the core by using suspension, gravity and your own bodyweight. With endless exercises to choose from, every workout is different, constantly challenging different muscles and guaranteeing results.
May 21: HIGH KNEE LEG STRIDES. To give your run an extra aerobic boost ,while working on your form as well, try doing some leg stride drills. Focusing on leg turnover and high knees, there are a number of variations to make you a more efficient runner. The 3 drills demonstrated in this video from Competitor.com, are ones I like to incorporate into my run at least once week: “A’s” focus is on firing your hip flexors in a rhythmic, dynamic manner; “B’s” help get your foot strike below your center of gravity; and “C’s” work on quick heel lift for a long, fast stride. Give ’em a try!
May 20: ZIPFIZZ. Zipfizz is healthy energy in a tube! Available is such refreshing and delicious flavors Orange Soda, Pink Lemonade, Lemon Iced Tea, and Pink Grapefruit, among many others, mixed with water Zipfizz delivers a powerful charge of micronutrients to the body’s fuel system. Loaded with Vitamin B-12 for energy and potassium for hydration, Zipfizz supplies the vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and key amino acids every athlete needs to keep charging!
May 19: VITAMIX. For homemade smoothies, soups, purees, nut butters, and other nutritious meals and snacks, the blender of choice is the Vitamix. The favorite top chefs, Vitamix has long offered a combination of durability, versatility and power, unmatched by any conventional blender. Yes, they are pricey, but Vitamix blenders come with 10-year full warranties, and for those of us who use it everyday, it’s worth it. Featuring variable speed control, automated program settings, and built-in timers create, you can create a full range of textures, from chunky salsas to smooth sorbets, to satisfy the most descerning blended palatte.
May 18: PURITAN’S PRIDE CINNAMON COMPLEX WITH CHROMIUM. Yes, cinnamon is delicious on toast or with gooey icing on a roll, but did you know it was also a natural weight loss aid too? An insiders secret among drug-free bodybuilders, cinnamon helps keep blood sugar levels stable sugar, and when combined with Chromium Picolinate, is a powerful fat burning supplement too. Puritan’s Pride Cinnamon Complex with High Potency Chromium, combines the ideal ratio of 1000mg of cinnamon with 200mg chromium in potent supplement aimed to provide that lean summer physique.
May 17: PHAT FUDGE. Get Phat! Get Phat Fudge… the ridiculously healthy chocolate fuel! Created by The Paleo Chef, Mary Shenouda, this delicious fudge can be enjoyed during workouts, in your morning coffee, or anytime you need a sweet treat, pick-me-up. It’s yummy out of the freezer too! Designed for a Paleo diet, the ingredients are all organic and include: Grass Fed Butter, Tahini, Cacao, Ground Coffee, Turmeric, Cinnamon, Sea Salt, Maca, Raw Honey, Vanilla, Cayenne. That’s it! Phat Fudge is made to provide instant and sustained energy and focus for the body and mind. It’s goo that’s goo-d for you!
May 16: ALEVE DIRECT THERAPY. Aleve Direct Therapy is a drug-free TENS device designed to deliver deep, penetrating relief from lower back pain. TENS stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. Anyone who has gone to physical therapy for a sport injury is quite familiar with the “stim” machine, which delivers an electrical current to the affected area. Now it’s available over the counter with Aleve Direct Therapy to relieve sore and aching muscles, and keep you out there crushing it all month long!
May 15: RUMBLE ROLLER. If you’ve been training hard this month, chances are you’re feeling the burn! The quickest way to work out that muscle soreness, and a must-have in the training arsenal is a foam roller. We really like this nubby number from RumbleRoller. The bumps continuously knead and stretch muscles and fascia in multiple directions to help erode trigger points, restore flexibility, and bring pain relief. We also love their little Beastie Ball. Throw iT in your bag for instant relief anywhere! Click HERE to both together!
May 14: SWEET MINI PEPPERS. In season and fresh in produce aisles now are these pre-packaged bags of sweet mini-peppers. Most everyone knows to eat a colorful array of vegetables for optimal nutrition, and these tasty little red, yellow, orange and green peppers get the job done all in one. Sliced in salads, grilled or snacked whole, they are loaded with vitamin C and A, potassium, fiber, and our go-to veggie this month! Click HERE for more healthy snacks.
May 12: 3FU3L PROTEIN POWDER. 3FU3L is not your typical protein powder. Designed for both pre-workout energy and post-workout recovery, it’s advanced level training fuel that turns your body into a fat burning machine. Made with hydrolyzed grass fed whey protein, it gets into the body fast but is easy on the digestive tract. What’s particularly unique is the carbohydrate, that actually tricks your metabolic system into burning fat by processing the carbs like dietary fiber — shuttling it through without storing it as fat. Only the carbohydrate you need is stored in the muscle as glycogen, or sugar, while it recruits from the body’s own fat stores first as a fuel source. With an equal amount of protein, fat, and carbs, 3FU3L puts your body in an optimal performance state, providing all the energy you need for your most grueling power or endurance workouts.
May 13: BLUEPRINT TEAS, KOMBUCHA & TONICS. Blueprint, the originator of the chic 6-bottle home delivery juice cleanse, is expanding its ever popular line of cold-pressed juices with the addition of refreshing Energy Teas, Kombucha drinks and Vinegar Tonics — in a variety of unique and tantalizing flavors. BluePrint’s Energy Teas combine organic cold-pressed juices with high performance and superfood ingredients like guayusa, matcha and yerba mate. The Kombucha drinks and Vinegar Tonics are blended with fermented teas and juices with for a naturally fizzy beverage that aids digestion, boosts energy and supports the immune system. All are light, refreshing and the perfect cooler for this shape-up month and all summer long!
MAY 11: ELEVATION MASK 2.0. There is no need to head to the mountains to train at altitude anymore. The Elevation Training Mask 2.0 simulates those same effects at sea level. By controlling the flow of air through a regulator, it trains your lungs to use oxygen more efficiently. If you’ve ever skied out West, you may have noticed how super human you feel when you return to sea level — a result of your aerobic threshold having increased by adjusting to the air up there. Oxygen deprivation increases the production of red blood cells, which aids oxygen delivery to the muscles, giving you that competitive edge. The Elevation Mask can be adjusted between 3,000 and 18,000 feet, and is a go-to training tool for pro athletes and those who want to train like one! For more info check out: ELEVATION MASK TRAINING.
GARCINIA CAMBOGIA. One of the most buzzed about weight loss supplements of late is Garcinia Cambogia, getting a boost in popularity by the endorsement of Dr.Oz. A small, sweet tropical tree fruit, shaped like a little green pumpkin, its rind contains hydroxycitric acid, or HCA, that has been shown to boost fat-burning and control appetite in studies. It blocks an enzyme called citrate lyase, which your body uses to turn sugars and starches into fat. It also raises levels of seratonin which makes you feel more satiated and less hungry. Word has it that Garcinia Cambogia is even more effective when taken in combination with Apple Cider Vinegar (day 6!). There are hundreds of brands to choose from, but look for one that contains 50 – 60% HCA; potassium to improve absorption; and no artificial ingredients or binders. Click here for a list of the 10 Best FDA Approved Garcinia Cambogia
May 9: LAIRD SUPERFOOD CREAMER. Good news all my coffee lovers out there… your morning brew just became a superfood with legendary big wave surfer Laird Hamilton’s line of “Superfood Creamer”! Now available in even more delicious flavors like Cacao, Turmeric, and Regular Unsweetened, these creamers are packed with such superfoods and nutrient rich ingredients as coconut milk and nectars, red palm oil, Aquamin, and Cordyceps mushrooms. As notorious for his health and fitness regimen, as his unrivaled wave riding skills, coffee is a critical component of Laird’s nutritional program, providing the focus, energy, and endurance he needs to handle the biggest of ocean swells. He has enhanced its potency with the power packed ingredients in these delicious blends. A coffee connoisseur as well, be sure to check out Laird’s line of premium coffee beans too! For more about coffee’s health benefits, read: ANOTHER CUP OF COFFEE? RESEARCH SAYS YES!
May 8: CHIA POD. The benefits of the superfood chia have been widely touted, in particular among endurance athletes. Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber, Chia Pods combine all that healthy goodness, with coconut and almond milk, mango, banana, and blueberries (pick your favorite flavor!) into a yummy pudding, with a unique flavor and texture. Extremely absorbent, chia seeds help prevent dehydration and provide sustained energy to fuel the body longer. They are great as a power breakfast, quick lunch, pre-workout snack or savory desert, and made to eat and run!
May 7: SPEEDO FIT PUSH PLATE. Switch up your workout with an all-in-one training tool that utilizes water resistance and 360° of multi-planar movement to build power and endurance in all key muscle groups. Speedo has recently introduced Speedo Fit, and line of underwater training gear, apparel and videos that turns your pool into a gym. Rotate, push, pull: the Push Plate utilizes surface area resistance in place of gravitational weight for a total body workout.
May 6: BRAGGS APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. Everybody is buzzing about the health and weight loss benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar. Braggs is the most recognized brand and maker of a variety of bottled apple cider vinegar drinks and flavors for those who can’t palate the intense sour flavor straight up. Studies have shown Apple Cider Vinegar to be effective weight loss tool, an appetite suppressant that produces a feeling of satiety sooner when consumed with meals. It also helps control blood sugar levels that lead to cravings in between meals. Apple Cider Vinegar contains organic acids and enzymes that help speed up metabolism and can increase the rate at which body fat is burned. It works to detoxify the body as well, helping our including digestive systems become more efficient. People who drink it swear by it, so we’re giving it a shot!
May 5: IT’S CLEMENTINE SEASON! One of our favorite little snacks around here, and I mean little, are these tiny oranges. Jam packed with juicy flavor and loaded with vitamin C, clementines are seedless and easy to peel (no gook in the fingernails!) with just 35 calories each. Buy them by the box or bag, grab ‘em and go, they come in their own little carrying case for healthy snacking on the run.
May 4: MISSION HYDROACTIVE COOLING TOWELS. Keeping cool means training longer, and the Mission Cooling Towel is made to do just that. Originally designed for athletes like Serena Williams to stay cool during high-intensity training or competition, the new HydroActive Max Large Cooling Towel now has 30% more cooling power. Just wet, wring and snap to activate the towel proprietary cooling technology. When activated, the soft, ultra-breathable fabric quickly chills fabric surface temperature by up to 30° and provides a cooling effect for up to 2 hours.
May 3: RXBAR. There are hundreds of protein and snack bars to choose from, and we have featured quite a few ourselves. Check out BEST OF THE BARS. In the sprit of trimming down this month, we’re highlighting the RXBAR. Available in an assortment of salty sweet flavors, the ingredients and quantities are only what is listed in bold face on the front of the package: 3 egg whites, 4 almonds, 2 dates, for example. With 210 calories, 12 grams of protein, 24 grams of carbs, 6 grams of fiber, and 8 grams of fat (the good kind!), this is one of my favorite go snacks to keep energized and satisfied in between meals!
May 2: NUT MILK: A quick way to cut out some calories from your diet is to eliminate a particular food group you don’t necessarily need. I love dairy, but it doesn’t love me back, so I’m giving it up for May. Cheese isn’t really an issue for me, but I’m a girl whose gotta have milk in her coffee. So as not to suffer too much, I’m replacing cow’s milk with nut milk this month. Califia Farms is my favorite, and their assortment of Almond and Coconut milks. It makes my coffee nice and creamy, has even more calcium than cow’s milk, and about half the fat and calories of the whole milk I regularly use!
May 1: AB-CARVER PRO. We’re starting off the month with the Ab-Carver Pro. Invented by a Navy Seal, this stomach flattening, ab carving tool tones, tightens and elongates core muscles. With a stable wide rubber wheel, ergonomic handles and kinetic assistance, its internal mechanism coils as you extend, and springs you back for a continuous ab workout. Roll out forward, right, and left for a workout that hits the obliques and upper body as well. I’m doing 3 sets of 15 everyday. Who’s with me?
Be sure to check out 31 DAYS OF FITNESS for 31 great workouts & classes!
