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.

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

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

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.

What It Is: New in Canada from sportswear giant Under Armour, the Armour Bra is made to accommodate both cup and band sizes. Cup sizes are color-coded and range from A to DD. Removable molded interior cups and all-over flat seams create the shape and silhouette of an underwire bra, but, frankly, I think it’s way more comfortable than that.

What You Might Not Know: What’s really gross after a workout is trying to pull a sweaty bra off over your head. I like that the Armour Bra solves that problem with its back closure like regular bras have (for cups B-DD). Or, you can keep the hooks clasped if you want to pull it on and off over your head instead.

Feelin’ the Love: When I first tried on my new Armour Bra about three weeks ago, I knew immediately that I wanted more just like it. Up until then, I’d been throwing on a flimsy yoga bra-top for exercise, but I was ready for a “grown-up” sports bra.

This, my friends, was it.

Thanks to the choice in both band and cup sizes, I was able to pick out something that fit well everywhere that I need it to: around my ribcage, in the bra’s cups and at the shoulder straps.

One of my favorite features is that I don’t ever notice that I’m wearing this bra during weight training or cardio. That means no digging, no chaffing and no “Ew, get me out of this soggy bra” feeling.

The Armour Bra offers seriously solid support. Yet, I never felt like my breasts were squished in there. Also, the bra never felt too heavy or restrictive, thanks to move-with-you fabric that wicks away sweat and mesh panels along the back.

If I Could Change One Thing: I happen to think this bra is cute, but sometimes I didn’t like it to be peeking out of my workout tops quite as much as it did – mostly in the back, at the shoulders and at the top (like around where my cleavage would be … if I had cleavage …). The wider-style shoulder straps don’t blend in that well with tops sporting spaghetti straps.

Should You Buy It: Yes, if you want to really love your sports bra. Armour Bra; $69.99 CND

HALO TRAINER

What It is: Newly launched in the fitness industry this month, the Halo Trainer is a handy apparatus that you use with a stability ball, with other equipment like a BOSU ball or even on its own. You can put the Halo under the ball for better stability when sitting or doing planks. Or placing the Halo on top of a ball – sort of like handlebars – makes for better ergonomics when doing pushups and similar exercises.

What You Might Not Know: The Halo was invented by practicing physical therapist (and all-round nice guy) Bryce Taylor. You’re looking at a thoroughly thought-out tool designed and tested by a true expert, who developed more than 200 exercises to go along with it.

Feelin’ the Love: I was lucky enough to try out the Halo under the supervision of the inventor himself. He showed me how to do a bunch of common exercises using a stability ball but with a Halo twist. I was pleasantly surprised at how I could really concentrate on good, solid shoulder stability during planks when the Halo was under the ball. 

Then, when Bryce flipped the Halo out from under the ball and placed it, handle-bars up, on top of the ball, it was a whole new, well, ball game where planks were concerned (this time done with straight arms and beautifully neutral wrists, thanks to the Halo’s comfortably padded handlebars). Probably my all-time favorite exercise, though, was triceps dips with the Halo securely perched on top of the ball. It just felt so right compared to doing dips on a ball without the Halo, where hands sink into ball-squish, wrists all awry.

If I Could Change One Thing: Like with any piece of equipment that’s meant to “go with” something else, there’s a learning curve to using it and also it’s not as “fluid” going from one exercise to the next. You have to take a few seconds to re-position the Halo from time to time, which isn’t bad, just more challenging for those of us with Type A personalities.

Should You Buy It? Yes. It’s good for anyone doing rehab or in need of a better way to position wrists during most bodyweight exercises. And if you’re looking for a useful accessory to spruce up the stability ball, TRX, bodyweight or BOSU ball exercises you already do – or to take them to the next level – picking up a Halo Trainer just makes sense. HaloTrainer.com; $74.

What It Is:  A heavy-duty plastic platform shaped like a mini surfboard with two anchor points on either end for elastic tubing. One end of each tube has a cuff that you attach to your ankle and the other end has a handle to hold on to. Comes with multiple resistance tubes so you can adjust intensity.

Judging from this product’s website, the FREESTYLER seems to offer a little of everything: Pilates tool, platform for choreographed exercise-to-music classes, portable device for personal trainers, physiotherapy, rehab, stretching, sports, home gym … you name it.

What You Might Not Know: I’m told that the FREESTYLER is huge in Europe and is just making its way to North America now. I love this promo video for the product – it’s like a very exciting fitness/Broadway musical mashup.

Only, can someone explain to me the folks in costume with those skull-hugging Spiderman hoods? Seriously, please leave a comment and let me know what that’s about. It’s awesome.

Feelin’ the Love: I test-drove the FREESTYLER at a recent fitness conference and when they first strapped me in, I felt like it was pulling me off-kilter. But with instruction from a patient FREESTYLER trainer, I soon realized that the pulling effect was part of the FREESTYLER’s benefit and charm.

I could feel right away how the tubing’s resistance was hitting my muscles from multiple angles as I moved my legs and arms around – it felt like I was getting a better hip, abs and shoulder workout compared to traditional exercises like squats, planks and dumbbell lifts.

If I Could Change One Thing: The idea behind the FREESTYLER is to provide “functional multiaxis movement” (according to a document from the company). It makes you use lots of muscles all at once with training that “emphasizes the body’s natural ability to move in three anatomical planes of movement.”

All that multi-dimensional movement choice is great – really great – but it also complicates how to actually use this thing from the exerciser’s point of view. Since my arms and legs aren’t normally attached to resistance tubing when I move around, I didn’t find exercising on the FREESTYLER to be immediately intuitive.

I think you’re supposed to bust out with your own freestyle “flow” of moves. But I didn’t know how to do that. Luckily, FREESTYLER offers 285 free video clips on its website for guidance.

Should You Buy It? Depends on what you’re looking for. With all the movement variables and adjustable equipment options available with the FREESTYLER, you’ve got everything you could wish for in a piece of portable fitness equipment, except maybe ultra-simplicity.

Since the FREESTYLER is more than 200 bucks, maybe see if you can try it out first at a fitness conference or fitness supply store. And it wouldn’t hurt to check out a few video clips, as well.

BETHENNY’S SKINNYGIRL WORKOUT  

What It Is: A yoga DVD – released this month – from Bethenny Frankel, reality TV star best known for her appearance on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City and her Skinnygirl brand, which includes books, DVDs and her famous Skinnygirl Cocktails. The DVD contains 15-minute, 30-minute and 45-minute yoga routines plus a bonus 12-minute stretch.

What You Might Not Know: Bethenny is pictured solo on the DVD cover and she’s in the DVD, but this “housewife” is not the instructor – whew! That distinction goes to Mike McArdle, Bethenny’s NYC-based yoga teacher, who, according to the DVD’s cover, is certified in Bikram yoga and Pilates.

Feelin’ the Love: Both Mike McArdle and Bethenny Frankel are likeable on-screen workout buddies, and McArdle is clearly an experienced yoga teacher. I enjoyed the yoga routines and bonus stretch he put together for this DVD. Each yoga segment balanced toning poses with stretching ones. And I liked how McArdle frequently brought my attention back to engaging specific muscles – like inner thighs, abs and back – in each posture.

Plus, I got a giggle out of a surprise celebrity sighting on set – Bethenny’s dog Cookie scampering across the floor. I’m a dog person, so any cute canine automatically scores bonus points with me.

If I Could Change One Thing: Someone forgot to point out that cues for “right” and “left” sides should be according to how the viewer will experience the poses. Instead, McArdle cues directly to Bethenny, who’s sitting right beside him, facing the same direction as he is. I played this DVD on my computer and was facing the screen, of course, so my right side was their left side and vice versa. Since I like to close my eyes while holding a stretch, or when I didn’t have a good vantage point of the screen in poses like Downward Dog, this backwards cueing mixed me up.

The routines and bonus stretch helped release muscular tension, but the frequent chit-chat between Bethenny and the instructor distracted me from toning down my mind’s clutter. I just couldn’t mentally “let go” to achieve true inner calm with all the yammering going on … (Breathe … relax … did I just hear Bethenny refer to menstruation as “lady holiday”?)

Should You Buy It: I’m not a huge fan of aligning fitness with skinny girls or reality TV stars making fitness DVDs, but I warmed up to this DVD quickly. Still … all that chit-chat! If you’re more “Zen” than I am, you might not be distracted by the running commentary throughout this DVD; in fact, Bethenny fans might love it! In that case, this one’s definitely worth a try.

Sold exclusively at Target and Target.com (at time of post); $16.

AMY DIXON’S BREATHLESS BODY & GIVE ME 10 MORE! FITNESS DVDs

What It Is: Two new fitness DVDs from celebrity master trainer Amy Dixon: Breathless Body and Give Me 10 More! (the sequel to one of my fave fitness DVDs Give Me 10!).

Breathless Body is a Tabata-style workout, where you exercise intensely for 20 seconds and then recover for 10 seconds. Do that eight times and you’ve completed a sweaty four-minute Tabata drill. Breathless Body includes eight separate four-minute drills for a lot of intense exercise (and sweat).

Give Me 10 More! tosses in a little of everything with six 10-minute segments: cardio, total-body training, lower-body conditioning with dumbbells, upper-body conditioning with dumbbells, core exercises and a stretch.

What You Might Not Know: DVD instructor Amy Dixon is a former world competitive power tumbler. I’m not clear on exactly what that is, but it sounds extremely fun. She’s also got a degree in exercise physiology and two kids.

Feelin’ the Love: These two DVDs complement each other well. With just 30 minutes to work out today, I zipped through two four-minute segments from Breathless Body and two 10-minute segments from Give Me 10 More! Killer cardio. Check. Total-body conditioning. Check.

In Breathless Body, every four-minute Tabata segment focuses on the same exercise, done eight times total. You might think, “Who needs a fitness DVD if you’re just doing, like, 20 seconds of jumping jacks and 10 seconds of standing around over and over?”

Trust me, you want the DVD.

Tabata training is hard; Amy’s motivation and encouragement helped me stick to it even when I really just wanted to kick off my Nikes and call it a day.

I loved the dumbbell exercises in Give Me 10 More! because they weren’t the same old ones you see everywhere. Each set lasts just long enough for you to feel the burn without feeling bored.

If I Could Change One Thing: Amy cues when each Tabata drill is about to end in Breathless Body. But I’m a control freak, so I would have liked to also see an onscreen timer counting down from 20 seconds and again from 10 seconds.

Should You Buy It: Yes to both DVDs. I think they’re best for people who like exercise already, get bored easily, don’t have a ton of time and aren’t afraid to challenge themselves. I get a lot of fitness DVDs to review that I never look at more than once – these are two DVDs that I’d definitely do again.

Both DVDs are $19.99 at www.AmyDixonFitness.com

What It Is: An all-women boot camp held indoors in the winter and outdoors from spring to early fall. Started in Ontario in 2007, this fitness licensing program now offers about 100 classes across Canada. All Booty Camp leaders are certified fitness instructors or personal trainers.

What You Might Not Know: Booty Camp gives away cool loot to a Booty Camp “recruit” who’s shown exceptional progress in their Eight-Week New You Challenge. Win the challenge in 2011 and Booty Camp will fly you to L.A., give you a credit card loaded with thousands of bucks and even rent you a convertible. Nice perk.

Feelin’ the Love: Exercising in the fresh evening air versus at the gym was a welcome change for me, and I didn’t even mind doing my most hated exercise, burpees (200 of them, in fact), in plain view of whoever happened to be strolling through the waterfront park where our class was being held. My favorite Booty Camp drill was sprinting across an open field between bouts of jumping jacks and squat jumps.

The instructor, Crystal Eckenswiller, came across as both strict and non-intimidating, which I really liked. I want my instructor to have high expectations of me without being a jerk about it. Crystal was all about tough-love, but in the friendliest of ways, stating that we’d be doing a total of 60 pushups and 60 triceps dips in the kind of pleasant tone that made it hard to slack off and risk letting her down.

If I Could Change One Thing: I loved the personal challenge the class provided, but afterwards I realized I’d barely had the chance to interact with the other women there. If I could change one thing, I’d swap about 100 of those dreaded burpees for a fun, runaround game to break the ice and build team spirit with the group. Also, by day three post-camp, I’d had enough of the lingering delayed onset muscle soreness in my triceps (curses to those 60 pushups and 60 triceps dips).

Should You Try It: If the idea of a challenging workout in a women-only class sounds good to you, try Booty Camp Fitness. Had my schedule allowed it, I’d have begged Crystal to let me come back for the full eight-week program. Cost: $299 for eight weeks, two classes per week (16 sessions total). Group discounts also available. Find a location and register at BootyCampFitness.com.