Gear Review: Balance Bare Nutrition Energy Bar

Energy bars have come a long way since the days when eating an energy bar meant trying to rip apart a sticky, homogenous textured Powerbar (not that there's anything wrong with those bars, and I think they're pretty good, but they're kind of an acquired taste that you eventually learn to love). While early energy bars were meant as a high-sugar (for quick energy) sports supplement, today many people want delicious tasting energy bars as a convenient snack food that requires no preparation and can be easily brought anywhere. Companies have responded with options that are often lower in sugar, higher in protein and healthy fats, and have easier to read ingredient lists. One type of bar that falls into this category is the fruit and nut bar. Today, I'll be reviewing Balance Bar's entry into this nutty snack bar category: Balance Bare Nutrition Energy Bars.

Blog Forward Challenge 2014 by ZonePerfect #3 and GIVEAWAY!

It's September, and I have no idea where August went. Actually, that's not entirely true, since August was filled with finals, final papers, and studying for National Boards Part II. That's one way to make a month fly by in a chaotic mess of studying, stress, and not much else. Well, studying, stress, food, and working out, because there's always room for food and the gym. So, let's check up on those ZonePerfect Blog Forward New Year's Resolutions, shall we?

Blog Forward Challenge 2014 by ZonePerfect #2 and GIVEAWAY!

Well, that was a bit of a hiccup in blog updates. I am fairly sure that last trimester was the toughest one yet (my last blog post began with "next week begins finals," so we all knew these sparse updates were coming), and then this girl got engaged (congratulations Molly Pritz and Max Stein!), so when break finally came, I was a little preoccupied. So, you may remember earlier this year, I joined the ZonePerfect Blog Forward Challenge and posted up a few New Year's Resolutions for 2014. Well, now it's May, and it's time to do a self-assessment!

Blog Forward Challenge 2014 by ZonePerfect

I have a confession to make: I suck at New Year's resolutions. It's not that I'm against self-improvement, but pinning it all on one day is a lot of pressure. One of my friends and I have this motto that states: "New training plans start on Mondays." It's a lot less pressure if I screw up (and it's inevitable that at some point, I will screw up), but having a definitive start date prevents the whole "I'll start tomorrow" procrastination deal. Now, of course if I mess up on Tuesday, that doesn't mean I throw in the towel for the week, but you get the point. So I was going to go another year of no New Year's resolutions...until ZonePerfect emailed me and told me about their Blog Forward Challenge. Basically, I make some resolutions to better myself, while hopefully inspiring you guys to also better yourselves. And then every so often ZonePerfect sends me ZonePerfect bars (which I already buy whenever they're on sale, so it saves this poor grad student some money), and throughout the year, ZonePerfect says they're going to be hosting giveaways and have coupons for you guys. Sounds good to me! I think I can change my Monday resolutions to New Year's resolutions for that. Plus the extra accountability of having this all online won't hurt. So here we go:

Gear Review: PlantFusion protein powder

In a perfect world, we'd get all the protein we needed from real food. And for those of us whose mouths water at the thought of a thick, juicy, medium-rare steak, getting protein from real food probably isn't much of a problem (though I do supplement with whey protein shakes because steak right after workouts tends to not happen nearly as much as I'd like...plus protein shakes are just so convenient). Protein's a little trickier for my vegetarian and vegan friends though, since while animal sources of protein tend to be complete proteins (includes all essential amino acids), plant sources are usually incomplete, and you have to mix and match plant proteins in order to get all of your essential amino acids (for example, beans and rice combine to make a complete protein). There are exceptions, like quinoa, which is considered a complete protein, but even mighty quinoa has a lower Protein Digestability Corrected Amino Acid Score than say, whey and casein (from milk), eggs, and beef. Vegetarians and vegans may turn to soy for protein, but soy is such a controversial food right now that many people want to avoid taking in more than they already do. So what's a vegan to do? Well, if my several of my fellow chiropractic student friends are any indication, PlantFusion may be an option.

Gear Review: AEROBIE AeroPress

How many of you caffeinate before running? Be honest, I won't judge, because I certainly do. I've explained my schedule before...you don't really think I'd be able to run triple digit weeks while still passing my classes without a little help from my roasted rocket fuel? I'm sure there are some people in this world who can pull that off, but I'm a mere mortal, albeit a mortal who likes to partake of some of the gods' Italian roasted ambrosia (and I didn't judge any of you for caffeinating before running, so none of you hardcore coffee geeks who claim that dark roasts destroy the delicate flavor of the beans can judge me!). Anyway, I've tried a few different brewing methods, but one stands above the others as far as coffee quality, ease of use, and value for the money: the AEROBIE AeroPress.

Gear Review: FrogFuel Performance Protein Shot and GIVEAWAY!

 

After hard workouts, I generally like to get some protein in my body. Ideally, I'd have some eggs and toast or oatmeal with whey protein, but neither of those are very convenient things to take on-the-go. There are protein shakes, which are nice to bring to class, but if I don't have time to go back to my room and make one, I'm not about to let one of those sit in the sun while I do a track workout (I know some of you like chocolate milk, but that's no good to have out of the fridge either, plus chocolate milk really never appeals to me post-workout). Energy and/or protein bars are great for this, since they're convenient to throw in a bag and bring on-the-go...and now FrogFuel Performance has introduced another option for busy athletes: FrogFuel Performance Protein Shots.

Gear Review: The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition

Go to any bookstore and you're likely to find a bevy of books on nutrition for athletes. Weight loss this, diet that, paleo here, gluten-free there...it's a pretty confusing landscape for someone who wants to tailor their nutrition first and foremost for running performance. Not long ago, Matt Fitzgerald put out the Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance and Racing Weight Quick Start Guide, which were interesting in that they brought a more performance focus to nutrition books, but they were still primarily about "weight loss" rather than "fueling yourself for performance." That all changes with Fitzgerald's new book, The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition.

EXCLUSIVE: Pre-New York City Marathon Interview with elite runner Molly Pritz!

Molly Pritz and her crew. Photo courtesy of Brad Hudson

I recently had the opportunity to talk with ASICS America's Molly Pritz about well...not exclusively running, so let's just say I had a chance to interview her. As one of the nation's top runners, she's done quite a few interviews lately, but many of them don't truly capture the essence of Molly (full disclosure: this woman is my best friend, and she's absolutely hilarious, and I wanted to try to show you guys that side of her too. And to be honest, I talk to her multiple times per week, but no one wants to hear those conversations...seriously).

Gear Review: Perfectly Simple by ZonePerfect Nutrition Bars

One of my mom's favorite nutrition bars are ZonePerfect bars. Since this means she almost always has a box or two lying around the house, I've eaten quite a few of these bars (and let's face it, their Fudge Graham (previously reviewed), Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Peanut Butter Cookie Dough bars are like crack...and I do keep meaning to review the cookie dough ones, but I usually eat them before I remember I'm supposed to take pictures). One of the cool things about ZonePerfect bars is that they're all-natural. The new line of ZonePerfect bars, called Perfectly Simple by ZonePerfect, goes one step further, limiting the number of ingredients to between six and ten, all of which are recognizable and pronounceable.

Gear Review: PowerBar Performance Energy Bar

There are a ton of nutrition bars available today. There are energy bars, protein bars, low-carb bars, meal replacement bars, snack bars, et cetera. In fact, not that long ago, I reviewed a snack bar, the Zone Perfect All-Natural Nutrition Bars. And I really do enjoy Zone Bars (as well as several other kinds of nutrition bars) and eat them fairly frequently, but they're not my bar of choice when it comes to pre-race or pre-workout fueling. When it comes to eating before hard efforts, I've tried a lot of energy bars, and I keep coming back to one: the PowerBar Performance Energy.

Gear Review: ZonePerfect All-Natural Nutrition Bars

Energy bars have come a long way. I think we all remember when "energy bar" meant a Powerbar, which, at the time, was a gluey tasteless sticky brick. That humble Powerbar has evolved into the mighty (and now much better tasting) Powerbar Performance, Powerbar's flagship energy bar and one of a huge selection of athletically-oriented food from that company. The Powerbar Performance is, in my opinion, the gold standard of energy bars, to which I compare all other energy bars. Of course, if I'm visiting my family for the holidays, the chances of my mom having a supply of Powerbars is pretty slim. Luckily for me and my pre-run snacks, she does keep a few boxes of ZonePerfect All-Natural Nutrition Bars handy. So, how do they stand up to my usual Powerbars?

Departure from the Norm...Seven Random Facts

I do a lot of serious posts, and not nearly enough "fun" posts. So I decided it's time for a fun post. Leah at Chasing Atalanta just tagged me to write a Seven Random Facts about myself post. Thanks for the link, Leah! She herself was tagged with a Versatile Blogger Award (well deserved), but my blog is not very versatile, so I'm not sure that part was actually intended for me. Since all my readers actually know about me are my shoe preferences, here's a chance to get to know me a little better. Plus maybe it'll help me make this blog more versatile and/or get me more internet friends and readers.

Carbo-Loading

With marathon season underway, there are surely several nutrition questions running through people's minds. "What should I eat the day before the race?" "What should I eat the morning of the race?" "Should I alter my morning routine at all?" "Should I do a carbo-load?" "What is a carbo-load?" Et cetera. Nutrition is a big topic that's impossible to cover in one blog post (or even one blog!), but in this post, I'll attempt to explain carbohydrate loading.

Gear Review: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey

For some reason, a lot of runners (and other athletes) tend to overcomplicate nutrition. For something that should be really easy, we tend to make it really hard.

Calories (1 Calorie = 1kcal = 1000 calories) come from three major sources: carbohydrates (4kcal per 1g carbs), proteins (4kcal per 1g protein), and fats (9kcal per 1g fat). There's also alcohol, but for purposes of this review, I'm going to ignore that. Exactly how you're supposed to balance this seems to be up for debate, with recommendations ranging from the 40:30:30 Zone Diet to the 60:10:30 supposedly balanced diet to the 75:10:15 high carb diet to a million other carb:protein:fat ratios. I'm not going to even touch macronutrient ratios, seeing as I'm not a nutritionist, other than saying that I personally perform best off a high carb, low fat diet, but your mileage may vary. Just wanted to give a little background information for anyone who needed it.

Anyway, I find that when I'm training hard (which is often), my cravings are very carbohydrate focused. Considering carbs are your main source of energy, this is mostly good. However, I've found that a little bit of protein mixed with my carbs helps tremendously with my recovery, particularly immediately post-workout, in that 20 minute glycogen restoration window.

Enter Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey.

P90X = Hungry

I eat a lot of food. Probably because I run 90 miles per week normally, and even when I can't run (like now), I try to put in a good amount of time on the trainer or lifting or whatever. Two weeks ago apparently involved 27.5 hours of physical activity, between the bike trainer, lifting, and physical therapy. That's like professional triathlete style, right there. And wholly unnecessary...I won't be doing that again. Last week only consisted of 18 hours of working out, AND Monday was a totally off-day. And this week will probably be around 20. But anyway, that should serve as adequate explanation for my dietary habits. However, since starting P90X, my appetite has gone into overdrive. Normally, I eat like a normal, athletic person who works out but doesn't run 90 miles per week throughout the day, and then sometime around 9pm, I decide I want a loaf of bread and half a jar of peanut butter. Most nutritionists recommend against that, but that's just the way my appetite works. However, this last week, I've wanted a loaf of bread and half a jar of peanut butter for breakfast, again for lunch, and again for dinner, and then I still want a box of cereal at 9pm. Well no, that's not quite right, since I haven't gone through more than one jar of peanut butter in one day, so I guess it's not a half a jar every meal, but I digress. And there's a little bit of variety in my diet. Today I had several bowls of oatmeal, polenta, some cinnamon raisin bagels, and a sweet potato, along with the bread, cereal, and peanut butter. So as long as carbs count as variety, I'm golden! Anyway, I cut back on cycling since starting P90X, so I'm down to about an hour of cycling and an hour of P90X per day. And there's no way P90X is harder than 10x1600, so I have no idea what's going on. It's possible that I'm finally starting to build muscle on my skinny little Tyrannosaurus Rex arms. However, it's more likely that I'm just getting cycling quads and my arms are remaining T-Rex-like, since that's what the mirror is telling me. Of course, neither muscular arms nor cycling quads are useful for running.

Stress Eating and Bike Trainers

Ugh, stress eating. I hate it. It's all I've been doing lately. From 7pm on, all I do is stuff my face. It's usually cereal, but there's no more cereal left in my house, so today it was pretzels and cashews. I don't even like cashews very much (almonds > cashews), but I ate an entire container anyway. Started feeling sick, but that didn't stop me. So now I'm sitting here sipping tea and trying to keep everything down, because the only thing I can think of that would be less pleasant than stress eating itself would be puking pretzels and cashews onto my keyboard. Wonderful. I feel fat and soft and gross. In actuality, I've probably gained half a pound, if that (just a guess, since it's been a few since I've weighed myself), and no one is ever going to notice besides me. I just hate looking at myself in the mirror right now, and I especially hate the way I look in cycling shorts. I'd also love to know when my internal clock got messed up. Not that it was ever great, but it wasn't "Go to bed at 2am, wake up at noon, and end up screwed when you have to wake up to go to work" before.

Attack of the Munchies

You know you're running again when your appetite goes haywire. Or at least I do. Last night, my body felt the need to wake me up at 2:00am and demand food. I hope it didn't expect a gourmet meal, because it got cereal. That's about as much effort as I'm willing to put in at 2:00 in the morning anyway, especially when I have to wake up for work in the morning. Usually my body saves late night surprises like that for 100 mile weeks. I'll probably be just above 40 this week, so I don't know what its problem is. The obvious answer would be that I didn't eat enough during the day, but I ramped up how much food I'm eating now that I'm running again, and it's not really like I cut back much (or at all, really) when I stopped running. Plus I had an emotional eating Kashi version of Frosted Mini Wheats feast yesterday evening, so it wasn't like I went to bed hungry (I swear I do eat foods other than cereal...and if we're going to get technical, it was more a bored eating feast more than true emotional eating). Probably just a side effect of the gradual mileage increase (again, emphasis on gradual).

I read a lot of running blogs, and IANandJULIA.com has a really good post on how it feels to come back to running after time off. I tried to describe the awkward relearning how to run once before, but Julia does it a lot more eloquently than I did. Luckily I've gotten past that stage now and for the most part, feel like a runner again.