Endorphin Warrior Bracelet, A Feel-Good Giveaway!

UNBREAKABLE! Sixteen pull ups in a row, callouses to prove it!

As part of my recent boondoggle to run the Hood to Coast Relay, I was gifted with a bunch of fabulous swag by running and fitness related companies. One of the goodies that really made an impression on me was the warrior training bracelet by EndorphinWarrior.com.

I really appreciate the fact that this accessory isn’t too ‘girly’ (in fact, there’s no reason a guy wouldn’t dig one of his own) and is ready to withstand all the salty sweat I can dish up whether running, CrossFitting, paddle boarding, racing or just sitting on the porch reflecting over the day’s accomplishments. Made from natural leather, this snap-close bracelet is developing a nice patina and proving to get better and better with age. Plus, it’s so lightweight and comfy that even a girl as fussy about stuff on her wrists as me will hardly even feel that it’s there.

But the coolest thing about this bracelet is that I get to give one to you!

You could win an awesome bracelet like this!

One of you lucky readers gets to pick from a selection of positive and powerful keywords such as focus, persevere, breathe, strength, believe, courage, relentless and more for their bracelet. The selected word is engraved on a nickel-finished metal plate and serves as a reminder of what drives and defines you. I chose the word unbreakable to be a visual prompt to keep me from going to that dark, dark place in the last quarter of a race where I am filled with self-doubt and want to give up.

Need a little motivation of your own? Just enter the Endorphin Warrior Bracelet giveaway below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Helping You Stay Hydrated Giveaway – Nuun Electrolyte Drink Tabs & Swag

In honor of my recent participation in the Hood to Coast Relay on a team sponsored by Nuun Hydration, I’m giving away some sweet swag to keep one lucky winner hydrated for the remainder of the summer. If you’re not familiar with Nuun, you’ve been missing out on an awesome product that features essential electrolytes, no sugars and a light, refreshing taste! Nuun is used by some of the best athletes on the planet, armies of weekend warriors and the crowds of spectators cheering us all on.

Just plop one tablet into a 16 to 20-ounce bottle of water and in about one minute you have a refreshing beverage containing the proper balance of water and electrolytes like sodium and potassium.  Each tube of Nuun is portable and the quick-dissolving tablets make it simple to hydrate on the go. Use of Nuun reduces the needless use of toss-away water bottles and the Nuun container itself is recyclable to be mindful of our beautiful Mother Earth.  Make your water count!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Zipfizz Energy Drink Giveaway and Thoughts on Caffeine for Endurance Sport Performance

Baby, it’s hot out here! Another week of blazing hot temperatures is expected in Texas, so it was such a sweet surprise to open my mail box to find a sampler-pack of Zippfizz Energy Drink Mix waiting to quench my thirst. I’ve gulped my way through a variety of electrolyte replacement and energy drinks, so my interest was piqued by this product that touts itself as the ‘only healthy energy drink-mix powder in a tube.’

If I was an early-bird, I would have finished my workout in cooler conditions. But instead, I procrastinated and set off mid-day for a 6 mile round-trip run up the gym combined with a workout of 5 sets of 1k row, 10 wall ball, 10 ring toes-to-bar and 10 burpees. I mixed up some of the Orange Soda variety (they also offer berry, citrus, grape and pink lemonade) into the recommended 16 to 20 ounces of water and drank 8-ounces before I took off.

It did fizz, it did taste pretty darn good, although maybe a little too sweet-strong.  Since I prefer a lighter taste, I filled up the remainder of my bottle with water, effectively making it half-strength. Perfect, and now I can drink twice as much! My workout was awesome and I made it back home through the heat; don’t know if it was just an “on” day for me or the afternoon energy and caffeine pick-me-up courtesy of Zipfizz.

Those who know me are aware of my fondness for caffeine, it’s really my only vice.  Since I don’t drink coffee, I’m always looking for a way to get perked up in the morning. Plus, I’ve studied how caffeine can improve athletic performance in endurance events. Caffeine can aids the endurance athlete by convincing the body to decrease glycogen utilization by tapping into fat as a fuel source much earlier than it normally would. This means that glycogen, the human machine’s primary fuel source, spared in the beginning of a race becomes available for use during the later stages. In plain language, it means you can exercise longer until complete exhaustion.   Some studies also say that caffeine consumption can reduce ‘perceived effort,’ making the workload seem subjectively easier.

If you are really serious about using caffeine as an endurance performance aid, you really need to talk to your physician and research the methods carefully. There is much discussion as to how much and when to take in caffeine as well as other issues including developing a tolerance or suffering a negative side effect. And, the negative side effects are not without concern; some researchers suggest that too much caffeine can trigger a heart attack.  Basically, there’s a research study that supports every opinion. However, most middle-of-argument doctors today would advise endurance athletes to limit themselves to 200mg of caffeine on the morning of a race.  For comparative purposes, 200 mg of caffeine would be ingested in 2 regular-sized, regular-strength cups of coffee, or 1/4 of a tall Starbucks, or 4 cokes or 2 full servings of Zipfizz.

Now you may be wondering what else is in Zipfizz Energy Drink Mix besides 100mg of caffeine? The company reports that each little tube (1 serving) contains 9 vitamins (including C,E, all the Bs and folate), 8 minerals (potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, selenium, manganese, chromium, sodium) Amino Acids (arginine and taurine), antioxidents (green tea extract, vitamins C and E) and the ‘Four Gs’ (grape seed extract, ginger, green tea and ginseng). Additionally, Zipfizz contains no sugar and is sweetened with Xylitol and Sucralose. Xylitol is a naturally occurring, low-calorie sugar substitute found in berries, fruits and birch bark. The average person actually produces 6-10 grams a day of Xylitol, a by-product of sugar metabolism.

To wrap it up, I must admit that I do like the product; it tastes good and delivers the moderate amount of caffeine I prefer. However, my suggestion to Zipfizz would be to develop some new, exotic flavors to keep my taste buds interested. Also, even though it’s cute, I’m not totally loving the packaging, it seems a little eco-unaware. However, I am happy to repurpose my tubes and fill them with pain-reliever tablets, bobby pins, and other teeny-tiny things I keep in my gym bag.

I’m having a giveaway so that one lucky reader can try out every flavor of ZipFizz in a handy BPA-Free, refillable water bottle.  Just follow the rules below.

Zipfizz Energy Drink Giveaway:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One winner will receive five (5) single-serving tubes of Zipfizz Energy Drink Mix and branded, 22-ounce, BPA-Free water bottle. (ARV $14.99)

Entry Period: July 19, 2012 through July 31, 2012

Entry Methods (6 different ways):

  • Like ZipFizz on Facebook and post separately in ‘leave reply’ below that you ‘liked’.  (1x entry)
  • Like The Fit Fork on Facebook  and post separately in ‘leave reply’ below that you ‘liked’.  (1x entry)
  • Follow @zipfizzcorp on Twitter and post separately in ‘leave reply’ below that you ‘followed’. (1x entry)
  • Follow @thefitfork on Twitter and post separately in ‘leave reply’ below that you ‘followed’. (1x entry)
  • Subscribe to email list found on right sidebar of The Fit Fork where it says ‘enter your email address’ – don’t forget to confirm subscription email that comes via Feedburner. Post separately in ‘leave reply’ below that you ‘subscribed’. (1x entry)
  • Post to ‘replies’ below with a favorite Zipfizz flavor or a Zipfizz flavor suggestion. (1x entry)

 Open to U.S. and Canadian entrants, 18 years or older. Void where prohibited by law. This Giveaway is brought to you by The Fit Fork and is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. For complete giveaway rules please click HERE