fitness test drive

PROTEIN MINI BITZ     (April 15/13 update: The company just sent me an email saying their new name is KEWAZA.)

What It Is: Decadent, chocolatey energy balls that are also good for you because of super-food ingredients such as organic dark chocolate, unpasteurized honey, gojo berries, hemp protein, flax seed and more. These protein-packed snacks hit plenty of today’s health-food buzz words: gluten-free, raw, dairy-free, organic. Plus, no eggs, no added sugar. Comes in peanut butter (45 calories/ball) or coconut (70 calories/ball) flavors.

What You Might Not Know: Gojo berries=a complete source of protein.

Feelin’ the Love:  This was a love-at-second-bite experience for me. My first bite of the peanut butter Protein Mini Bitz Kewaza was, like, “Hmm, this is good. But I bet a chocolate truffle full of fat and sugar would be better.” Then came bite #2. Very tasty. Bite #3. Downright delicious!

Protein Mini Bitz Kewaza are bite-size, but pretty rich, so one is more than enough to satisfy a day’s worth of chocolate cravings. They aren’t what I’d reach for to fuel a workout, but they’re a satisfying and healthy alternative to treats full of junk.

Apart from feeling good about eating a slew of natural ingredients, I was especially drawn to the texture: a cross between fresh fudge and a slab of high-quality chocolate. Goji berries rolled into each ball added just the right amount of chewy, tangy sweetness.

My final testament to the power of these goodies: I have just as many good things to say about their coconut flavor, and I don’t even like coconut.

If I Could Change One Thing:  Availability. After I agreed to test-drive this product, I found out they’re only available on store shelves in Toronto, or you can order online.

If I could waltz into a Toronto store and pick up a bag, I would. But I was disappointed to discover that shipping charges to the rest of Canada (I can’t tell if they ship to the U.S. and elsewhere) are about three times the cost of the product (see below).

Should You Buy It? Toronto residents: yes. Everyone else: Prepare to spend $15.99 in shipping for a $5.99 product. Buy in bulk for a better deal on shipping.

THE THIN IN 10 WEIGHT-LOSS PLAN

What It Is: Thin in 10 (Sunrise River Press, 2012) is a weight-loss system in a book. The idea is to reach your fitness and weight-loss goals 10 minutes at a time. The program involves three pillars: exercise, diet and lifestyle. You get chapters on exercise plans with how-to photos (e.g., walking, circuits, strength, core, etc.). There’s another section with recipes, and a third section about making simple lifestyle changes.

What You Might Not Know: Tucked away on the inside back cover is a surprise! It’s a free fitness DVD led by one of the authors, best-selling DVD instructor Jessica Smith. Pop in the DVD for six 10-minute workouts that add variety and motivation to what’s already in the book. Nice bonus.

Feelin’ the Love: I’m already a fan of the authors Jessica Smith and Liz Neporent. Both women are established, credentialed fitness experts who are skilled at putting together safe and dependable exercise plans. For that reason, I was on board with the book’s content right away. But what stands out most is the simple yet thorough presentation.

Here’s what I think: Extrapolating an entire exercise plan from the pages of a book can easily become confusing for readers. Not the case with Thin in 10. Packaged like a giant, uber-organized magazine article, this book takes you through the routines with clear instructions and lots of helpful sidebars (“Bra Basics,” anyone? How about “Ten Easy Ways to Trim Calories from Your Diet without Noticing a Thing”?).

I also love the “Simplify It” and “Advance It” graphics, highlighting how you can scale back or push yourself in the workouts. That’s important for being able to personalize the exercises.

If I Could Change One Thing: I appreciate the dietitian-approved recipes in this book. They all sound yummy. But as a reluctant chef, I need to see the meal in living color – displayed in a glossy magazine or back-lit on my iPad – before I’m moved to make it. (Am I alone in this?)

The recipe pages in Thin in 10 are all text – not as tantalizing for me. Although … I suppose I could be convinced to whip up the photo-less Fluffy Frittata on page 159 …

Should You Buy It? If you need inspiration and expert advice for dropping pounds and exercising with purpose, then yes. Thin in 10 is 224 pages of useful guidance and motivation for losing weight and living well. Plus, it comes with that free workout DVD, don’t forget.

Cost: $24.95

WalkJogRun iPhone App 

What It Is: An amazingly comprehensive iPhone app for tracking the walking and running routes around you (its database contains more than a million routes worldwide). Follow the app’s suggested nearby routes based on time or distance (less than a mile all the way up to 20 or 30 miles and beyond). Or, create your own route and save it in the app.

Other features include a place to log your training sessions, calorie-burn estimates, pace tracker and, my favorite, GPS tracking, accurately displaying where you are along the route.

And since any exercise app wouldn’t be complete without the ability to share your workout results on Facebook and Twitter, this app has that, too. “Dear Facebook friends, here’s where I ran today.”

What You Might Not Know: This one’s for Apple folks only right now. But there’s an Android version in the works, according to a recent press release from WalkJogRun.

Feelin’ the Love: I’m not much of a runner, but I walk my dog every day. With this app, I now know how far we actually go – and it’s more than I would have guessed! Who knew our favorite jaunt along the seawall in Vancouver clocks in at 2.5 miles (that’s 4 km, people!).

This app comes with lots of “gadgety” bells and whistles, so if you love gadgets, you’ll love what WalkJogRun has to offer. Trying to figure out gadgets makes my brain freeze, so the highlight for me is the cool feedback: How far I’ve walked and at what point I hit mile 1, mile 2, and so on. The GPS tracking also instills confidence and motivation on less-familiar routes.

If I Could Change One Thing: Usually people try out the “lite” version of an app then buy one with more functions and features. I’d love the opposite with this app – bring on the “lite”! I’ll pay for it.

Why? This app’s got a lot of “gadget” appeal, and that makes my brain freeze, remember? I just happen to love the basics best: mapped-out route, mileage, time, GPS, go!

Should You Buy It: Unequivocally, yes. It’s quite illuminating – and motivating – to see just how far you actually run or walk while tracking yourself along the way.

This is a valuable tool for your own workouts, or, if you’re a personal trainer, for helping clients get a better sense of what they’re actually doing out there with their walk/run workouts. Get it at the App Store, iTunes or the link below.

Cost: $4.99; WalkJogRunApp.com

CORE TRANSFORMER AND “3D FAT BURN FUSION” DVD

What It Is: The Core Transformer is a system based on resistance tubing that provides constant, three-dimensional resistance training from all angles. You strap the tubing to your feet and hold each of its handles plus cross the tubing over itself two times in front of you or behind you depending on the exercise. (The DVD shows you exactly how to get this core-training contraption set up.) See how it works.

Developed by celebrity and athletic trainer Linda LaRue, the Core Transformer helps you work your deep core and entire torso from all directions: front to back, top to bottom and side to side. The corresponding “3D Fat Burn Fusion” DVD guides you through a 30-minute total-body workout or 15-minute interval workout using this cool equipment.

There’s constant core training happening, or, as Linda puts it, the Core Transformer “shrink-wraps your entire midsection.” Yes, I felt that “shrink-wrapping” effect, and I also felt it working in my upper body – especially shoulders – quite a lot.

What You Might Not Know: The Core Transformer tubing is made from natural, sustainable rubber trees. Give it up for eco-friendly fitness!

Feelin’ the Love: Straight up, the Core Transformer seems to do more than most home equipment. In my opinion, it totally upstages regular resistance bands when it comes to versatility and ability to make an array of exercises more challenging, more functional and just more interesting.

The Core Transformer works better than other resistance bands because: 1) it’s longer so you can actually perform standing trunk extension, flexion and twisting exercises properly, and 2) the foot straps prevent slippage so it’s safer than just standing on regular tubing (it won’t snap back at you).

Some of my fave moves from the “3D Fat Burn Fusion” DVD included the “Spider” (a plank with mini side steps), which was a serious call-out for the core. Then there was the “Bird-Dog” exercise, rivalling a hip-extension machine for what Linda calls a “nicely sculpted apple butt.” (Linda, lovin’ these vibrant descriptions you come up with.)

If I Could Change One Thing: I’m wondering if there’s a DVD that breaks this workout system into shorter time chunks focused on specific areas like cardio, upper body, lower body and stretching – all with the benefits of deep core engagement, of course.

Should You Buy It: Yes, if you’re motivated to try new equipment and stick with a program that introduces you to a new way of working out. I see this product as ideal for personal trainers looking to freshen up their trainer toolkit and also home DVD users ready to try something new in the “get flat abs” category.

Cost: $34.95 for the Core Transformer and “3D Fat Burn Fusion” DVD.