Five Health & Fitness Items I’m Loving Lately

1) Quest Nutrition Protein Bars - You're welcome. No seriously. These are hands down my most favorite little wrapped up bars of crack... err, I mean protein. Similar to my love for Cellucor Whey (#4 on this list), these bars are beyond delicious and nutritious (hey, I'm a poet and didn't know it! And a total cheese ball, apparently). They boast 21g of protein and 180 calories per bar (varies based on flavor) and are perfect to keep in your gym bag, purse, pocket, shoe... whatever. I don't judge. I think we all suffer from EHOTR - Extreme Hunger On The Road - from time to time. You're in the car, stuck in traffic, and having a damn near panic attack frantically searching through your center console/glove compartment looking for the bag of crackers you stowed away from your road trip last year. You'd eat just about anything because you're starving and didn't bring a snack with you. We've all been there. These bars are the perfect solution. Just be careful and practice moderation. I've now begun hiding them from myself because they're so darn delicious. 

2) Shock Absorber Women’s Run Sports Bra - I found this bra on Amazon as I was hunting for a sports bra that can hold my girls in place during long runs, short sprints, and HIIT sessions in the gym. I've tried just about every bra designed for well endowed women, and I can't seem to find any that do what they promise. This bra claims to be designed specifically for runners and reduces bounce by up to 78% (according to a study done by University of Portsmouth in the UK). As I mentioned, I ordered it via Amazon and must admit, it really holds me in! The entire back opens up (although thanks to living alone, I need to fasten most of the straps and ithen shimmy myself in - the first time I tried fastening all the snaps once it was on, I nearly dislocated my shoulder (I wish I was kidding). The fabric does a nice job wicking away all the swear I produce on runs (sexxxxy, I know!) and never digs in, pinches, etc. Great thing is it comes it all sorts of sizes - finding a 32DDD sports bra that doesn't give you uni-boob has proven to be difficult! All in all, I'm a big fan of this bra and have added it to my arsenal of fitness related products I can't live without. 

3) Bombas Socks - I love when you find a product that does what it promises to do, and supports a good cause to boot. With this chilly/gloomy winter weather here in Atlanta, I've had to take my 4-5 day a week running regime inside. A huge running pet peeve I've dealt with for years is finding the perfect pair of athletic socks (#firstworldproblems, I get it). They're either too tight, roll down, pinch my toes, rub against my shoes, you see where I'm going with this. Through some online research, I discovered Bombas, a company that claims to have engineered "mind-blowingly comfortable socks" AND donates a pair to homeless shelters for every pair sold. My favorite feature of these socks are their blister tabs - a little ankle cushion that sits where your shoe meets your ankle, preventing any rubbing/blistering. Genius! They come in cute colors for men, women and kids, two lengths (ankle and calf) and they've donated nearly 300,000 socks to homeless shelters to date! If you're looking for some solid athletic socks that are comfortable/functional AND support a good cause, give 'em a try.

4) Cellucor Red Velvet Whey Protein - 

Protein is a crucial component to: 

• Keeping you full
• Burning calories
• Maintaining lean muscle mass

While eating nearly a gram of protein for every pound you weigh sounds easy, it's actually quite difficult! Not only does that mean eating often, but figuring out how to eat LEAN protein low in fat (otherwise we'd all be belly up to a bar chowing down on 48 oz Porterhouse steaks for lunch). Cellucor, in my opinion, happens to make the best tasting, easiest to blend protein on the market. They continue to surprise with their innovative flavors (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter Marshmallow, and more!). Each scoop is jam packed with 25 grams of protein and helps me get closer to that 110g of protein per day goal without ingesting tons of calories or fat in the process. 

5) MyFitnessPal - Summer bodies are built in winter, am I right?! After following all my favorite fitness inspirations via Instragram, I decided to calculate my macros - aka the grams of protein, carbs and fats I need to consume on a daily basis in order to either lose weight, maintain lean muscle mass, etc. Once I calculated my particular macros (based on such factors as fitness goals, current body weight, activity level, etc.) at IIFYM, I set up my account with MyFitnessPal and became instantly hooked! Not only do I use the website when I'm working on my computer, but I downloaded the app and use it throughout the day. Initially I thought logging every single morsel of food I put in my mouth would be time-consuming and rather annoying, it actually surprised me how easy it is!! MyFitnessPal has over 4 million foods AND a neat little bar code scanner so you can scan the label of anything you're about to eat to track the nutritional content (although packaged foods SHOULD be avoided at all costs - eat REAL foods!) while I'm not sure how long I'll be patient enough to track every single calorie, carb, gram of fat and protein, the app/site makes it as easy as possible - and has given me a heightened awareness to the quality of the food I'm putting in my body!

What about you? What are some of your health and fitness must-haves?? Please leave your comments below!

XO,
Jenn