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No Excuses Calisthenics Training Video Series On RxGirl: Jumping Jacks
I Need An Oil Can
Lately I have been in CONSTANT pain from inflammation in my neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips and ankles which has me creaking like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. I wouldn’t mind it so much if the pain patterns were completely predictable, but there have been days when the pain has shifted from one side to another. No amount of massage or adjustment seems to calm things down either. Granted, I have not been as diligent about taking my daily supplements due to almost two weeks of international travel which threw my daily routine off track in a big way. Now that I am back in the States for a while now, I plan to get back into my daily rhythm which will hopefully cause most of my aches to abate.
As a result of the pain I was enduring, I had a massage last week while in Bali. It was an amazing deal at 120,000 rupiah (about $10 U.S.) for a full hour of shiatsu massage, so I jumped on it. What I had forgotten was that shiatsu massage can hurt like a mother^%#@$* due to its focus on trigger points and deep pressure. I was writhing in pain for the entire hour, but figured I needed the torture. Usually if my patients experience deep massage, I will tell them to take arnica or ibuprofen for the next 24 hours to address inflammation, but since I am a doctor (and doctors really DO make the worst patients), and also since I had no access to anti-inflammatory agents, I tolerated the pummeling I got and simply hydrated as much as I could. The next morning, I was in so much pain that I could barely walk, and I couldn’t turn my head at all. Stretching was almost impossible because my range of motion was terrible. Thankfully, my range of motion increased gradually as the day progressed and my muscles warmed up.
After dealing with such intense discomfort for a while now, I think I will take my own advice and resume my daily intake of antioxidants, glucosamine, and turmeric. For those of you who may also be feeling like a poorly oiled tin man, you might want to follow suit.
Clever Fitness Ideas For Shopping Bags
These bag designs would be great for fitness oriented companies!
Check Out The Six Pack Fitness Bag Collection!
This collection is growing next year too, with a whole line of luggage! Please make sure to enter my discount code DRNAITO1014 If you order within the next day, and code DRNAITO1114 if ordering after that. You will receive 15% off your order.
I have used other brands of meal bags, and I honestly love Six Pack bags the best. This company has come a long way, and now they not only have Meal Management Bags, they also have Backpacks, Duffels, Briefcases, Women’s Bags and Accessories to help you keep everything in perfect order. They are top quality, fuctional and stylish. Get one!
What a great meal bag option for the fashionable gal!
The Protein Bar Battle
I am VERY picky about the protein bars I eat or recommend to others, so when I say that I dig Quest Bars AND B-Up Bars, that is saying a lot. Both brands are gluten free, soy free, very low in carbs, high in fiber, and offer 20 grams of protein per bar. I still remember when Quest had just started out, and had two flavors: Vanilla Almond Crunch and Peanut Butter Supreme, or as I had remembered them, the blue wrapper and the green wrapper. I loved the enthusiasm which Shannon Yorton Penna had in creating the bars and had a hunch the company would grow fast. Quest now has 16 flavors and has expanded to pasta, chips and clothing. Way to go Quest!
It was inevitable that a company would eventually throw down the gauntlet with a distinctive bar of their own. B-Up Bar is a new company with three awesome flavors and is taking off like a rocket, not only because they have great products, but also because the people in the company are friendly, professional and driven just like Shannon and the incredible team at Quest. I truly love both companies and eat both brands of bars, so I thought it would be interesting to look at the features of each brand of bar and also offer my feedback on them.
With Quest, there are TONS of flavors now (16) to satisfy all kinds of palates. They are free of sugar, gluten, and soy, and offer 20 grams of prebiotic fiber, so net carbs are very low. Quest Bars have 20 grams of protein and are sweetened either with sucralose OR stevia and erythritol. Here is the current list of flavors which are available:
Vanilla Almond Crunch
Peanut Butter Supreme
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Apple Pie
Cinnamon Roll
Chocolate Brownie
Strawberry Cheesecake
Mixed Berry
Coconut Cashew
Lemon Cream Pie
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Banana Nut Muffin
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Double Chocolate Chunk
White Chocolate Raspberry
Cookies & Cream
Like Quest, B-Up Bars are free of sugar, gluten, and soy, and offer 20 grams of prebiotic fiber, so net carbs are very low. B-Up Bars also offer 20 grams of protein, but they are sweetened with stevia, xylitol and monk fruit extract, all of which are natural sweeteners. B-Up Bars currently come in three flavors, but there will be more delicious flavors added to the group very soon. Here are the flavors:
Chocolate Mint
Sugar Cookie
Cinnamon Roll
I absolutely love the flavor of the majority of Quest Bars (the only one I am not crazy about is the Mixed Berry), and I definitely have my favorites (Peanut Butter & Jelly, Banana Nut Muffin, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough). My favorite flavors remind me so much of the food items they are named for that I am always tricked into believing that I am indulging in the actual food item. One thing I have noticed, though, is that over the span of a couple of months, these bars tend to harden up a lot, to the point where you can’t even bite into them without risk of chipping a tooth. This can be remedied by zapping the bar (WITHOUT the foil wrapper) in the microwave for a few seconds.
In contrast to the Quest Bars, B-Up Bars are chewier. I love the texture of the Sugar Cookie flavor because it seems softer and fluffier than the other two flavors. My favorite B-Up Bar flavor is Chocolate Mint because the mint flavor is pleasant but not overpowering, and the chocolate chunks break up the soft texture of the bar nicely. It seems that I digest B-Up Bars slightly better than the Quest Bars, but this isn’t enough for me to stop eating Quest Bars!
I noticed one other odd thing after spending a few weeks eating mostly B-Up Bars. When I went back to the sucralose-sweetened Quest Bars, I detected an aftertaste which I didn’t really like, so I guess my palate had adjusted to the natural sweeteners found in B-Up Bars. To be honest, I prefer the sweeteners found in B-Up Bars slightly more because they are more palatable. When I tried a stevia and erythritol sweetened Quest Bar after this discovery, I didn’t pick up any aftertaste.
In conclusion, I love both brands of bars and would recommend them both to friends, family, fans, clients and patients.
Lululemon Love
I think that if there was a sudden requirement for me to wear fitness apparel all the time that I would be the happiest woman in the world, because I automatically gravitate towards fitness apparel on a daily basis. I am not a business casual person, nor am I into wearing jeans and a t-shirt look when I need to run to the grocery store for something, I have a tendency to throw on capris or booty shorts (if I am not already wearing them) and a sporty tank. Of course I live in Los Angeles which is blessed with glorious weather the majority of the time, plus I tend to run hot.
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Over the years I have remained loyal to certain brands which seem to fit my body well. In sports bras, I prefer Champion and Under Armour, I love the fit and wear of Nike, Under Armour, Champion and Dcore capris, my favorite booty shorts are made by New Balance, and I love Dcore tank tops. When I began working in the fitness industry back in 2009, I was surprised to hear fitness folks sing the praises of Lululemon apparel like it was the best stuff ever. After I heard how expensive their items were, I shied away from them.
I finally went to a Lululemon store last week for the very first time, and now can honestly say I understand what the hype is all about. The quality of Lululemon garments is exceptional, from the fabric to the stitching, fit, and little details which set them apart from other fitness clothing companies. I am not a fan of the sport bras and find that I am between sizes in this brand, a fact which I find quite odd. Everything else fits like a dream though! As a result of my shopping trip, I am now addicted to Lululemon and have been living in Lululemon garments for the past week.
I honestly love Lululemon!
If It Fits Your Macros Trend…Is It For You?
Training Table USA Beef Chili Review
No Excuses Calisthenics Training Video Series On RxGirl: Hindu Pushups
Check out the new series which Ian Lauer and I compiled for our viewers!
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