Saturday, January 25, 2014

Product Review: Larabar

The kind people at Larabar sent me a few samples to test and review…so let's get to it!



First off, I adore this product.  Larabar is all about pure, simple, and delicious bars that are made of unsweetened fruits, nuts, and spices.  In my opinion, they provide a healthy balance of fats, carbs, and protein for just about any time of day.  They sent me THE most amazing flavors as well.

As any coffee junkie would do, I tried the Cappuccino bar the morning after I received these samples.  I had a short run followed by an hour indoor bike ride, and needed something small and quick to have in between the two.  Keep in mind that I was up around 5am that morning, so the extra jolt of caffeine was a big bonus to keep my energy up.  The bar was SO good and had a really nice coffee flavor to it.  This will definitely become a staple in my early morning training sessions.

Moving on to the next flavor, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough…this is hands down my FAVORITE of the 4 flavors I tried.  I had this bar right after an Indoor Cycling Time Trial along with a protein shake for recovery.  This bar literally tastes like a chocolate chip cookie…stupid good.  There are a ton of chocolate chips in it and it's made with cashews!  I have a gluten allergy, so this is a major treat.  I love this bar so much that I have since bought boxes (I'm not kidding).  They make for real good desserts ;)

The next afternoon I found myself STARVING at work and I had a 90 minute masters swim before I was going to be home for dinner.  Time to eat me some Coconut Cream Pie.  I'm obsessed with coconut, you really can't go wrong with it in my opinion.  They definitely didn't go anything wrong when creating this bar.  It has the yummy texture of unsweetened coconut flakes AND is contains extra virgin coconut oil.  No doubt one of the healthiest oils around, can't say I've found another bar that has this ingredient.

Last but not least…Cashew Cookie.  Honestly, who doesn't love cashews?  I could eat jars of them, but they are even better mixed with dates.  That's it, 2 ingredients…bomb.  This was another mid afternoon snack for me.  Kept me full until dinner (this doesn't happen often). #ieatlikeaboy

Overall, I LOVE these bars.  They give me really good and consistent energy, sit well when I eat them before and during training sessions, and they taste SO good.  Larabars will continue to be a "go to" for me whenever I need something quick, nutritious, and really yummy.

One last thing…there are seasonal flavors!  Snickerdoodle and Pumpkin Pie.  Do yourself a favor and try them.

Why are you just sitting there??  Go out and buy some :)

Sunday, January 19, 2014

A New Year

I'm not into New Year's Resolutions, I think they are great for some people, just not for me.  If I decide I want to do something I just do it, doesn't matter what day it is or time of the year.  To be real honest about it...once I make my mind up about something it's more of a get out of my way because it's happening.  This girl don't have time to wait until Monday morning to start something ;)

What I actually like to do at the beginning of a year is set an intention.  This isn't "I want to lose 5 pounds" or "go to the gym more", this is a frame of mind.  How do I want to feel?  What do I need/want to do to feel that way?  What is holding me back?  You get the point, it's bigger picture stuff and takes a lot more work.  #itsworthit

For me, 2014 is all about challenging myself, getting out of my comfort zone, my own way, and working towards my goals and dreams no matter how scary or big they may be (because they are).  I know what I want out of life and I'm not settling.  Don't get me wrong, my life is pretty great.  I wake up everyday knowing how lucky I am to have everything that have, but I know there are a few missing pieces.  This means some things in my life will have to change, something that's always been hard for me.  I'm finally learning how to embrace everything that life is giving me.

To be honest, the end of last year and beginning of this year has already had some big ups and downs.  From a training standpoint, I've had some incredible opportunities in the triathlon and fitness community that I'm beyond excited about, more on this below.  On a personal level, I've had a few important relationships in my life shift in ways I had never planned.  No matter how hard this has been, I know I'm moving forward and in the right direction.

On to the exciting stuff…I was picked to be a member of Team Zoot Great Lakes for 2014!  SO excited for this opportunity!  On top of that, GU Energy and Therawheel have sponsored me for 2014 as well.  I still have to pinch myself to make sure this isn't all a dream.

And somehow I wound up in the Fitness Formula Clubs marketing campaign for 2014, so I am now in newspaper ads, a TV and radio commercial, and a 30ft billboard in Chicago…


No clue how this happened.

I have also finally decided on my race calendar for the year.  My "A" races are Duathlon Worlds in Spain, IM 70.3 Syracuse, and IM 70.3 Muncie.  I'm motivated and training hard now, hopefully they will pay off the way hope come race day.

Looking forward to a big, exciting, and life changing 2014 :)