Sharing my Stay Lean Secrets + #BowflexBody Giveaway

This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Bowflex Body.

BowFlex Body Fitness Shakes after a run with Jennifer of TheFitFork.comI am totally in love with Bowflex Body, a collection of premium nutrition products that features a French Vanilla Fitness Shake powder with packets of “mix-ins” including fat-burning rich chocolate, protein-boosting peanut butter or antioxidant-packed mixed berry. Bowflex Body is one of my secrets to staying lean. The other tactics I used to keep my body weight and fat ratios where I want them include with eating adequate protein spaced through the day, monitoring my carb intake (but keeping some for quick energy) and continuity and variety in exercise — I like to mix it up with running, obstacle training, CrossFit, yoga, paddle boarding to keep my body and mind prepared and motivated. Anyway, I’ve shared about this great product earlier in the summer along with a Bodyweight Leg Workout – if you missed it, check it out!  Also, read to the bottom of the post, because I’m hosting a giveaway.

I really love the idea of the mix-ins to the base protein shake. It kind of reminds me of asking for a “booster” at that not-to-be-named smoothie chain I pass on the way home from the gym — but with hardly any of the sugar that those types of “healthy” blended beverages hold in disguise.  The raspberry smoothie in a 16-ounce small size packs 290 calories, just 2 grams of protein – and 54 grams of sugar! Compare that to 125 calories, 15 grams of high quality protein and only 5 grams of sugar for the Bowflex Body French Vanilla Protein Shake —  I’m sticking with the latter to stay lean!Abs are 30% gym and 70% diet You  can workout all you want, but you won’t get to that point of good muscle definition if you’re not lean. Yes, I stay at a low body fat through exercise, but also by making sure I’ve been eating enough protein spaced through the day.

TheFitFork.com Yoga Dancer Pose

Staying lean this summer with Bowflex Fitness Shakes

So, instead a smoothie shop stop, I’ve been sticking my blender bottle pre-filled with a scoop of the French Vanilla Fitness Shake and a couple of the boosters in my gym bag to refuel with after a hard workout or intense run – or often just to see me through a session, since I’m usually breaking sweat over the lunch hour. All I have to do is add cold water and shake, shake, shake!

Bowflex Body Fitness Shakes Giveaway at TheFitFork.com

One thing I’ll say about Bowflex Body products, they really do taste great straight from the blender bottle mixed with plain water. Other protein powders I’ve used have often had a chalky, hard to swallow texture if they weren’t combined with some sort of milk (alike almond or coconut) – or pureed up into a smoothie with banana for creaminess. But, really and truly, the French Vanilla Fitness Shake stands on its own merits for deliciousness. Plus, the exclusive blend of premium ingredients combined with powerful antioxidants, essential nutrients and immune enhancing ingredients help burn fat, build lean muscle, and protect my body.

I’ve been drinking these shakes all summer, and they’ve helped to curb my cravings and made me feel full longer – it’s been a great addition to my protein challenge when it’s not convenient to whip a steak or rotisserie chicken out of my purse. With only 125 calories per serving and 15 grams of the highest quality proteins, a shake makes a great meal replacement once a day to drop a few pounds quickly and safely (check out the success stories here). I suggest adding the Peanut Butter Protein booster (+10g) for sustained energy.

I’m happy where my weight is, and honestly I could stand to gain a little muscle in some places (uhhh, my booty), so at dinner time, I use the Vanilla Fitness Shake as my beverage of choice along with the light salads and grilled dishes I typically eat.  For the ladies who “wine,” you’ll find yourself in such a leaner place if you swap out your nightly “sip” with a protein shake – 5 ounces of wine has 123 calories and has no protein while 1 scoop of the French Vanilla Fitness Shake mixed with water has 125  calories and 15 grams protein!

 

Bowflex Body Fitness Shake Protein Powder and BoostersPremium French Vanilla Fitness Shake: Start with this powdered mix as your base and blend into water or your milk of choice. The instructions say use 8 ounces of liquid but I’ve used more and it still tastes great. Not only does it taste super creamy and delicious, but for just 125 calories, you get 15g high quality protein, 5 g prebiotic fiber, only 5g sugar and 16 potent antioxidants including acai, goji, pomegranate, mangosteen, spinach, kale and more.  It is also lactose free, soy free, low sodium and low fat.

Rich Chocolate Booster for Fat Burning: Toss in one of these 10-calorie packets to kick up your metabolism with Garcinia cambogia, green coffee bean, African mango and cocoa exacts.

 Peanut Butter Booster for Muscle Management: Add a packet of this booster to help grow, maintain and provide workout recovery benefits to your muscles. This advanced protein formula gives you an additional 10g on top of the 15g already in each serving of shake.

 Mixed Berry Booster for Extra Antioxidant Benefits: This refreshing mix-in gives the already vitamin and antioxidant-loaded vanilla shake an extra one-two punch of protection with blueberry, raspberry and strawberry extracts blended to help fight free radicals.

Use the discount code BOWFLEXSHAKE to get 20% off products along with free shipping and handling.  You can also enter the giveaway to win a Bowflex Body Sample Pack that includes the vanilla shake (3 packs) along one each of the boosters plus a pack of their Daily Energy and Pre-Workout Energy (Sample Pack is also available for sale at Bowflex with free shipping and handling). Enter for chance to win via the Rafflecopter app below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How ZMA Vitamin Supplement Can Help Female Athletes

Turning things around with ZMA!

Turning things around with ZMA!

Did you know I supplement with ZMA? I’m not outing myself with anything weird or wacky,  just want to share with y’all how this formula of zinc, magnesium aspartate and vitamin B6 has helped me tremendously the last several years.  Yes, being a runner and general fitness enthusiast is a great way to stay healthy, but it can also take a toll when you’re not taking care of yourself – I know this firsthand. Increased levels of physical exercise can deplete the minerals, vitamins and nutrients that are essential for protein synthesis, muscle maintenance / building, and testosterone production. This is when I had a light bulb moment – no wonder I was feeling so run down, worn out and stuck in a performance rut.

I was already taking magnesium and vitamin B6 at the suggestion of my physician, but with little discernible effect. However, when I found the specific formulation of ZMA, I started noticing some improvements – and now, I’m afraid NOT to take it! Here are the main reasons why I like ZMA, and why you may be interested too – but of course, please consult with a trusted medical professional first.

woman back muscles

Boost Testosterone: You may be surprised to find out that women produce testosterone too, although in much lower levels than men. A lack of adequate testosterone, regardless of gender, can make you feel tired and lethargic as you go about your daily schedule and (blush) not in the mood at night. Blood work at a doctor’s appointment a couple years ago showed I needed to boost up this hormone and, compared to some other options out there, I felt that ZMA supplementation would be an all-natural and gentle way to kick things up a bit without growing any hair on my chest!   One study has shown that testosterone in men increases as much as 30% when taking ZMA.

Deepen Sleep:  I have a troubled history with getting enough quality sleep. That’s bad on so many levels – not only do I feel grouchy in the morning, but I am often unable to execute my workouts as planned.  Falling into deep REM sleep is vital for muscle recovery and proper testosterone production – all of this action happens at a higher rate while we are snoozing soundly. ZMA is taken about an hour before bed on an empty stomach and encourages a deeper, more productive sleep.

Achieve Strength Gains and Improve Performance:  Studies have shown that ZMA supplementation has many benefits for athletes. As mentioned earlier, due to the taxing demands we put on our bodies, athletes lose more minerals and nutrients than the general population. These exercise stress caused deficiencies need to be continually replenished to stay healthy. When properly replenished and recovered, the body can continue to train and build strength at levels that yield performance improvements. A study on football players during 8 weeks of spring training revealed that those taking ZMA had 2.5 more gains in muscle strength than the placebo group.  While I don’t exactly have a football player physique, I do count on nightly ZMA to help mend my muscles so that I can tackle the next day of running and working out!

Lean Body Composition: A nice side benefit of taking ZMA is that the little boost in testosterone helps me stay lean with a much higher percentage of muscle mass compared to body fat. Now, you can’t just take ZMA and think you will drop weight like crazy – it doesn’t work that way AT ALL!  You definitely need to be mindful of your diet (I eat a higher protein, lower-carb diet) and genetic body type. I’m an ectomorph, which in terms of body building, has been described as someone with “thin limbs and stringy muscles” – lol, no worries about bulking up here!

bodybuilding.com zma

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