Review - AnnaTheApple

January 2, 2015

New Year – new me? {And a giveaway!}

Happy New Year! I won’t do a “year recap” post as I personally find them a bit dull. Also my year wasn’t the best if I’m honest.

Yes I know I ran two marathons and I’m so proud of myself and pleased that I got through them (especially considering I didn’t do ‘proper’ marathon training for either). And a few other races were good experiences too but on the whole and everything in between, it sucked in terms of my running. One injury to the next, one rubbish run to the next.

But 2015 is going to be better (ahh, haven’t we all heard that before in January, eh??) I don’t really do New Year’s resolutions but I have some rough goals that I’m keen to stick to this year to help make 2015 better than 2014.

What I came to realise (and probably must be quite clear as an outsider I suppose) is that running took over things. I’d almost say it consumed my life. I got very down when I couldn’t run and everything I was looking forward to was to do with running. Every goal I had, every plan in the diary. Having now not run since November I feel (and this is going to sound really stupid and weird) free.

All races planned for this year (including London) have been put to one side and I’ve stopped thinking and worrying about them. Who knows I might run them or not. I frankly don’t care at the moment. Without any pressures on me the need to get back into running has disappeared. I’m satisfying my need for exercise by going to spin (I have a love hate relationship with that brutal class), pump, circuits and all the other crazy classes I’ve tried over this break. I feel stronger and my general fitness is still there and I can go to the gym however many damn times I like in a week without worrying I might break. I’ve even been doing double classes some days – because I can. (Don’t worry, I’m still very much balancing all this exercise with cake).

And this made me realise that I can easily give up running for a bit and still be fit, healthy and more importantly happy. Obviously I do want to run at some point – and though I’m not running right now I am still very much a “runner” in my heart and always will be. But my goal for this year is for it to not be all I do. I want to keep going to the gym, working on the weights and my strength, and going to spin, but running when I fancy. The mistake I made last year was quitting the gym as soon as I was back into running, which doesn’t work for me. So that’s my goal in a nutshell! That and eat less cake. Nahhh scratch that actually, less cake would make 2015 truly rubbish.

On to the giveaway! The lovely people at 9Point9 have sent me two of those very cool Zephyr Fire 100 hand torches (normally £44.99) made by Nathan Sports to give away to TWO of my readers.

I did a review of this product a few weeks ago which you can check out HERE. Basically it’s a hand-held torch so when you go running (or walking!) in the dark you can shine the light in front of you to see. It’s also USB rechargeable which is immensely useful as batteries truly suck. It also has a button on it to sound a siren if you’re in trouble.

To been in for a chance, just leave a comment below saying why the hand-held torch would be useful to you! I’ll announce the winner 12th January. Good luck!

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? What are they for this year?

Did you achieve last year’s resolutions?

How do you achieve a balance with exercise? Is it all one sport or do you vary what you do?

***Full Disclosure: I was sent the two Nathan Zephyr Fire 100 products for free to giveaway to two readers***

December 24, 2014December 24, 2014

Christmas Stollen and Body Glide

Woohooo it’s almost Christmas!

Tomorrow Ben and me (with Alfie in tow) will be picking up Ben’s mum and driving the 15 minutes to my parent’s house mid-morning to celebrate the day-long eating extravaganza otherwise known as Christmas. I’ve been put in charge of vegetables (clearly my speciality) so I’ll be carting honey-marinating carrots and parsnips as well as Brussels’ sprouts, broad beans (OK, not entirely a Christmas thing but they’re my favourite veg and I’m in charge sooo…) and some vegetarian stuffing (Ben’s mum and me prefer the non-sausage mix stuff). All good in the hood.

We’ll also be taking the freshly iced Christmas cake…da da!

We used royal icing and just kind of swirled it on. We bought the snowmen to decorate. We’re not brilliant at decorating as you can probably tell…

And the stollen was made pretty much by Ben while I hovered about sneaking samples.

My German friend’s mum’s kindly gave me her stollen recipe as we had some of hers freshly baked when we were over in Berlin recently and it rocked my world. Well anything does that has marzipan in to be fair but this was especially good. We wanted a fruitless stollen to bring as my dad can’t have the Christmas cake because he can’t eat dried fruit (or rather, as he so delightfully puts it, it “goes straight through him”).

Here’s the Stollen recipe (all credit to Charlotte’s mum) if you’re interested:

Stollen

500g plain flour (we had to sub for wholemeal as we didn’t have plain, whoops)
2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
150g caster sugar
Pinch of salt
150g soft margarine
250g quark
100g chopped almonds
200g marzipan (we might have significantly increased this to twice the amount)
To Dust: 30g margarine; 2 tbs. icing sugar

– Sieve flour and baking power into a bowl, add eggs, sugar, salt, margarine, almonds and quark. Knead into a soft dough and wrap in foil. Leave in fridge for 30 minutes.

– Roll out dough into a square (approx 30 x 40cm) on a sheet of lightly dusted baking paper.

– Thinly slice marzipan and lay out on the dough (alternatively sit the fat sausage-like wodge of marzipan on the dough depending how generous you were with the marzipan). Wrap the dough up from the sides to the middle and press together. Bake for 45 minutes at 175 degrees.

– Melt margarine and spread on warm Stollen and dust with icing sugar.

You can add different dried fruit or peel to the Stollen as well beforehand but like I said, we wanted ours to be more simplistic. Serve with jam, butter or cream cheese (highly recommended) or just eat plain! I think ours cracked quite a bit during baking because we used the stupid wholemeal flour but normal plain flour should be a lot better.

And lastly I have one more quick review for you. I was sent a Body Glide product from the company to test out. Sadly I haven’t been able to test the specific product I was sent out with running but I have previously used this brand before when doing races or when it’s been particularly warm. And I have trialled out the product they sent with my new gym activities.

I’ve suffered many times with chafage and honest to god it’s no joke. Like blisters they are savage and can really affect how your run is going. When I wear sleeveless tops to run I really felt the chafe under my arms. Getting into the shower afterwards was beyond painful.

A slightly old photo of when I suffered from the dreaded chaffage

Body Glide is a company specialising in a range of anti-chafe balms to help athletes keep comfortable and avoid irritation. These particular balms are quite popular because they are non-greasy and very reliable as they can apparently survive all weather conditions. I can attest that it reliably survives a hot sunny day!

The Body Glide have a new range being introduced to the UK:

Original Body Glide – the standard anti-chafe and blister balm
For Her – anti-chafing balm with effective skin moisturiser
Chamois Glide – balm for cyclists
Foot Glide – blister resister specifically for feet.

And they do different sizes as well so you can take a little travel-sized one with you to use just before a race. I was sent the For Her product.

It was great – very easy to apply (like deodorant) and it wasn’t sticky or greasy. It didn’t smell of anything in particular either. It was also nice that it had a nice moisturising element to it. To be honest though, I wasn’t overly fussed about this and happily would have used the original. As long as I don’t chafe I don’t mind!

I’ve used the original body glide product before when running. I all but bathed in it before my marathons and happily had no rubbing issues during. Although I failed to realise I’d chafe on my lower back! Who’d have thought to have applied the glide there!?

So a big thumbs up! Anything to stop that dread burn in the shower or that horrible chaffing feeling while you’re running (and then end up running like a chicken as I had to do one race as the rubbing was so painful).

Anyway, a big merry Christmas to you all! Have a lovely day and eat lots of yummy food. I know I will be!

Do you do any Christmas-specific baking?

Do you chafe when you run? Or are prone to blisters? Nasty little buggers.

***Full Disclosure: I was sent the Body Glide product for free to review. All opinions are my own as always.***

December 19, 2014December 19, 2014

OTE Sachets and PowerBar Energize Wafers – ProBikeKit Review

Hey hey hey. Last Friday before Christmas! Thankfully I’m working from home again today which is nice. Means I could go to Spin this morning and miss out on horrific traffic.

Today I have another review for you guys. This is review of the ProBikeKit.com website of which I’ve reviewed before (find HERE for my Clif Sports Energy Bars review and HERE for hydration tablets). Like I’ve said previously, I like this website because it has a range of both cycling-specific and running-specific products, from accessories, bike kit, clothing and nutrition. Today’s post is again focused on nutritional side of things.

OTE Energy Drink Sachets (find HERE)

This is a box of 14 drink sachets (for £12.99) which are designed to maximise your workout. You add the sachet of power to a 500ml of water and drink during your workout. It has a balance of electrolytes which help keep you hydrated and also provides carbohydrates (maltodextrin and fructose) to help fuel your muscles for 45-60 minutes. It has a neutral pH and is free from artificial sweeteners, colours or preservatives. It is also suitable for vegetarians and vegans, and is gluten and dairy free.

Calories per 43g serving: 180cal
Fat: 0g
Of which saturates: 0g
Carbohydrate: 40g
Of which sugars: 8.2g
Sodium: 360mg
Fibre: 0g
Protein: 0g
Potassium: 304mg
Calcium: 31mg,
Magnesium: 10mg

Thought? They come in three different flavours: Orange, Blackcurrant and Vanilla. I chose Orange. When you first smell the powder it’s like “woah!!”. It’s really strong – kind of similar to sherbet? I assumed it would taste similar. However, the taste is subtle and not very sweet at all. At first I wasn’t keen but then after swigging more it grew on me. It’s pleasant. Sometimes overly sweets things can be really overwhelming – especially when you’re also chomping through lots of gels and/or jelly beans etc. during a race or workout.I think it’s a great idea if you’re out on a long ride or long run and need some easy carbs and hydration that aren’t overly sweet. I probably wouldn’t have it during a short run or normal workout though as I wouldn’t need it but it’s ideal for endurance. And you could argue that you could have this instead of a gel as it’s got the carbs in there which means carrying less stuff during a run or ride. I’m a fan!

PowerBar Energize Wafer (find HERE)

This is a box of 12 wafers (for £10.99) which contain a C2MAX which is “dual Source Carb Mix contains a special of glucose and fructose sources ” (source). They’re individually wrapped wafers to help fuel you before or during your workout. They come in either Berry Yogurt flavour or Chocolate Peanut. They contain no artificial colours.

Calories per 43g serving: 166cal
Fat: 4.8g
Of which saturates: 2.4g
Carbohydrate: 28g
Of which sugars: 14.4g
Salt: 0.22g
Protein: 2.8g

Thoughts? They’re a bit flaky in texture so I can’t imagine they’d be a great choice for eating during a workout (especially running – perhaps cycling though if you don’t mind a bit of crumbage?). They’re very sweet but this is due to the high carbohydrate content designed to give you a buzz of energy to fuel you on. It was deliciously chocolatey as well with really only a hint of peanut (I liked this as I’m not a peanut person really – Snickers are a no-go for me). It’s definitely not a snack I’d eat middle of the afternoon to acquit my hunger as I’m sure my blood sugar levels would spike, but before a run or gym session they’re ideal as a quick “pick me up” if you don’t have time to make something more elaborate. The ingredient’s list isn’t perfect but it doesn’t look too bad for what it is. They’re also very tasty which always helps! 😉

Like I said, I really like ProBikeKit.com. Especially since I’ve become a bit more of a cyclist. There’s a whole range of bits and pieces on the website at, I think, quite affordable prices.

What do you have if you’re in a rush before a workout if you need a quick snack?

Do you drink your carbs or eat them when doing a long run, or both (if you do at all that is)?

***Full Disclosure: I was sent these two products for free to review. As always, the opinions are my own***

December 11, 2014December 15, 2014

MyProtein Review – take 2

I’ve recently been sent some products from MyProtein to review. I’ve previously done a MyProtein review before (find it HERE) and I quite like the company, hence my willingness to do more product reviews for them. The website has a lot of different products on offer, from supplements, protein powders, nutritional items and accessories all related to fitness and health. I got to choose a few items, so here we go.

Glucosamine Sulphate (find HERE)

This is a supplement you take one of every day and it provides 1000mg of glucosamine sulphate, which is a naturally occurring nutrient that is a major component of our body’s cartilage (it’s basically in the fluid around the joints).

It’s aimed at those who wish to have optimum bone health, especially those who are very active. I’m so hyper aware of my body and any impending injuries or current injuries that this really appealed to me. Anything to help, you know?

It’s quite a large tablet to take but I’m sure you could split it in two to make it easier. I can’t say I’ve felt a difference from taking this (though I have only been taking it for a week or so) but I had no side effects. Also a lot of the reviews on the website profess positive views on it’s ability to help with pain in the joints and “clicky” knees. On further investigation I’ve found it’s actually used as a treatment for osteoarthritis. To be honest, I don’t think I need to take this but I think if you do experience clicky knees or painful joints it might help.

MSM Powder (find HERE)

MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) is a form of sulphur and provides a flexible bond between the proteins for your hair, skin, joints, tendons and cartilage. This is a bag full of MSM power of which you take 1g daily alongside food.

This is ideal for, again, people who are training long term and to help them get the right balance of nutrients for the body.

I drink it in the morning mixed with squash (yes I’m still addicted) and I can’t taste it at all. Again I have no side effects from taking it but I’ve also not noticed any benefits (but again, I’ve only been taking it for just over a week). Similarly to glucosamine sulphate, it’s used for osteoarthritis and also join inflammation, bursitis, tendonitis…which was all very good news for me with my latest injury woes! Very timely indeed (though I’m pretty sure I don’t have osteoarthritis!!). For £5.99 it’s not a bad price considering you only take 1g a day so it will last a fair while.

ZMA® (find HERE)

This is another tablet-form supplement with a blend of zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6. The benefits are that magnesium helps with the body’s electrolyte balance, bone and teeth maintenance along with the supporting of the nervous system, muscles, protein synthesis and helps reduce fatigue. The zinc supports the immune system, metabolism, the maintenance of testosterone levels, it supports your vision, skin, hair, nails and bones. It also has a protective element against oxidative stress. The vitamin B6 helps to regulate your hormones.

I think this is clearly a good supplement for anyone, not just for those with fitness inclinations. I have to say that I’m quite impressed with this product. I read the reviews on the website and found it aligned with what I’d found: very good, deep night’s sleep! Perhaps my opinion was influenced by what I read, either way I’ve been sleeping brilliantly. OK I don’t get up at 5am anymore so that does help too but genuinely my sleep has been pretty damn good. I’m a very light sleeper but I wake up a lot less in the night now. Who knows! It is a more pricey product however at £28.99, though the tablet is a more reasonable size if that’s any consolation…

CoconPure Oil (find HERE)

This is a very large tub (460g) of 100% organic coconut oil, unrefined and non-bleached. Coconut oil is a very healthy oil as it’s rich in lauric acid and medium chain triglycerides, so though it is high in saturated fat most of this is good fat (not the same as that found in chocolate and cake) and is metabolised differently in the body.

Coconut oil can be used in so many different recipes. I often fry my vegetables or eggs in it, or melt a tablespoon of it and toss some roasting vegetables in it. It adds a very subtle coconut flavour to my meals. You can also use it in baking. MyProtein actually has a quite interesting article on the usages and benefits HERE.

For £9.99 I think this is an absolute bargain for the quantity and quality you get. I’m very pleased with it and use it probably every day.

Overall thoughts: As I said, I’m a fan of MyProtein. Though there is a danger of just wanting to buy everything from the website. When you read about the benefits that certain supplements provide you can get carried away wanting to be sure you’re not missing out on some vital vitamin or mineral. I’m sure if you were sensible you could get a lot of these benefits from eating a well varied and balanced diet. However for those who want to be certain and are maybe nervous they’re missing out then it’s ideal, especially for people like me who are injury prone! Anything that could support my body and help me get stronger is something that instantly appeals to me.

If you take supplements, which do you take?

Do you use coconut oil? What’s your favourite use of it?

Have you use MyProtein before?

***Full Disclosure: These products were sent to me for free by MyProtein.com but all opinions are my own.***

December 4, 2014December 4, 2014

Fuelify Review

Once again I have another review for you guys. This time it’s from Fuelify. Fuelify are a subscription box that specialise in sports nutrition snacks. Each month (or fortnight) they send a snack box containing around six to eight products, such as energy bars, hydration tablets and gels. What’s great is you can also just buy one box without a monthly subscription – so an ideal pressie for a pro-fitness or running mad friend at the very reasonable price of £11.99 (otherwise it’s £9.99 for a monthly subscription or £8.99 for a fortnightly one).

When the box arrived it really reminded me of the Graze boxes (which I love and get every other week – I’m a serial snacker, what can I say). But inside was packed full of different items all geared towards helping you either prepare for your workout, help you during your workout or recovering afterwards. When you sign up to the box you say whether your male or female and what kind or workouts you do: cardio, weights, endurance, or high intensity so the box can be a bit more specific to your needs.

What did I get then?

Mine was nicely in tune with my running needs – so lots of gels, hydration tablets and snacks.

Luna – Nuts over Chocolate Bar

This is apparently “created by and for women” (source) though why men can’t enjoy it as well I’m not sure! (Let’s not get into a Yorkie bar debate…).

Calories per serving: 180cal
Fat: 6g
Of which saturates: 2.5g
Carbohydrate: 25g
Of which sugars: 10g
Sodium: 190mg
Protein: 9g

It’s rich in folic acids and calcium which is always good – especially for hair, nails and bones, and it’s high in vitamins A,C and E.

Taste-wise this was really good. Very chewy, nice and sweet but not overpoweringly so and moreish. I was happy to munch on this one afternoon between lunch and dinner and the amount of protein does help stave off hunger. The ingredients list is rather long sadly and there are quite a few different forms of sugar in there, but organic so there’s a silver lining. I would say it’s a nice treat to help tide your hunger over.

Elephant Food – Super Charged Chomp

This stuff is dangerously good. A mix of organic 70% cocoa covered cranberries and buckwheat with raw cashews, coconut and organic puffed brown rice and sunflower seeds. To help boost your energy, vitality and immunity. All organic with no added preservatives, additives or “nasties”.

I forgot to check the nutritional info out but I think it’s safe to say you don’t eat it all at once! There’s a lot of calories to be had quickly here if you’re not careful due to the nuts, seeds and chocolate covered cranberries. That being said, it’s a very nice snack to dig into throughout the day. Though I did find myself picking out the chocolate and cashews…

Bounce Energy Ball

This little thing is packed full of macadamias, cashews and coconut and high in protein, fibre and antioxidants. It’s 100% natural and gluten free.

Calories per serving: 160cal

Fat: 7g

Of which saturates: 3g

Carbohydrate: 19g

Of which sugars: 8g

Sodium: 0.095g

Protein: 9g

It’s nice and tasty with a very definite coconut flavour to it. Very chewy! It does have a slight synthetic protein aftertaste though. Ideal to pack in your handbag to eat on the go or before a workout. Though I do like my snacks to get a bigger bang for the buck though in terms of calories. I want to feel like I’m eating something bigger if it’s 160 calories, you know? But tasty nonetheless.

Honey Stinger – Strawberry High Energy Waffle

Containing 21g of carbohydrates this is an energy boost probably best just before exercise. It contains zero trans fats and it’s completely organic. It’s a thin layer of honey with a natural strawberry flavour between two waffles.

Calories per serving: 160cal

Fat: 7g

Of which saturates: 3g

Carbohydrate: 21g

Of which sugars: 8g

Sodium: 55mg

This really reminded me of the stroop waffles you can buy to go with a cup of tea or coffee. It’s very sweet and very tasty. I could have done with about five it was that moreish! Good job there’s only one in a pack as this could get out of hand otherwise. Ideal to give you energy just before a race if you want something more than just a banana or a gel.

Honey Stinger – Organic Energy Chews

These are little chews (they look like gummie sweets) that offer a gluten and dairy free energy source. They contain naturally occurring enzymes, multiple carbohydrate sources and no GMO’s. One bag of chews gives 100% recommended daily allowance of vitamin C and also contains honey, amino acids, and antioxidants.

Calories per serving: 160cal

Fat: 0g

Of which saturates: 0g

Carbohydrate: 39g

Of which sugars: 27g

Sodium: 80mg

Protein: 1g

Fibre: 1g

I thought I’d hate these as I’m not a big fan of things like this but I loved them! Very chewy, tasted like sweets and a really nice fruity flavour. Big thumbs up! Very handy for when you’re on a run as well, especially if you don’t want to have an entire gel at once.

Gels

I haven’t tried any of these gels yet mainly because I’m not doing any long runs (or running at all) so it would be a waste (whereas the earlier energy chews looked a bit too much like sweets for me not to try despite not running…). However, I can’t wait to be able to try the gels – especially the SALTED CARAMEL one. How good does that sound?? On the Fuelify website you can see the vast range of different gels they provide in their boxes, which is brilliant. Not everyone’s stomach gets on with certain gels so having the opportunity to try a few different ones without committing to a huge boxful is a really good idea. Part of me was tempted to just open the salted caramel one to try…but then I thought I’d probably be bouncing off the walls with useless energy haha.

Honey Stinger Gels – gluten free, organic, contains electrolyte and natural fruit flavours.

PowerGels – 26.7g carbohydrates, contains a mix of glucose and fructose sources for faster energy absorption than just glucose. “Research has shown that consumed regularly during exercise, a mix of glucose and fructose can increase the amount of carbohydrates that can be digested and used by working muscles up to 55 percent which can lead to an improved performance on average of 8 percent.” (Source).

GU – 22g carbohydrates, 20mg caffeine (good for me!) and contains electrolytes.

Powders and Tablets

On a similar note I didn’t want to open these just yet either. The Nuun tablets I was very excited about as I already know I love these (see my review HERE). Each tablet gives 360mg of sodium, 100mg of potassium, 25mg of magnesium and 13mg of calcium. Really low in carbs and zero sugar (8 calories per tablet). Perfect to top up on the electrolytes lost during a hard workout.

The SIS GO electrolyte powder is to be used before and during exercise (like the Nuun tablets) for fast hydration and sustained energy. Unlike the Nuun tablets, this does contain carbohydrates (37g per 500ml serving, giving 147calories) which are easily digestible and quickly absorbed for fast energy. It also contains essential electrolytes. This one sachet is one serving.

Final thoughts: I loved the Fuelify box. It contained such a good amount of different products. Some I’d heard of, and some I hadn’t. For example, the Luna bar was quite intriguing to me as I’d heard a lot about it on US blogs but it’s almost non-existent in the UK.

There is such a range of different products and brands, from Pulsin, Clif, 9Bar, Trek, PHD, Lucozade, Nakd, High5…etc.! As with all subscription boxes, the ease of having it delivered and the surprise of what you actually get in the end (as you know, I love that) makes it very fun and very useful. You can try different products without committing to buying a whole load of them. The box is also surprisingly small so fits through the letterbox easily! I think the value of it is quite good too considering how much you get.

In a nutshell, you either buy a one off box or subscribe to a monthly/fortnightly box and it’s delivered to you. You don’t know what you’ll get but it is tailored to your needs in terms of the details you put when you signed up.

Have you tried Fuelify before?

Have you tried any of the above products?

What do you prefer, energy chews, gels or ‘real’ food to keep you going on a run?