We’re a week into March already, so obviously it’s snowing and freezing cold and I really resent any outside exercise at all.
I meant to post this last week, but, well, I just didn’t ok. So a week into March, here are a few things that I tried out in February and would highly recommend.
Deep heat Roll On
I actually tried this ages ago, and promptly forgot to include it in any posts at all, probably because instead of sitting on my desk, it was so good it immediately went in my kit bag.
I saw a Physio once who was deeply dismissive of Deep Heat, saying that it didn’t actually do anything, just created a surface tingle that distracted you from the pain. Honestly, sometimes that’s all you want, is a little bit of distraction that might allow a stiff muscle to relax a little, or might just make you forget about DOMS for long enough to do another workout.
The RollerBall version of Deep Heat now has my life long devotion. The cream gets all over your hands (which you better wash before you rub anything sensitive….. EYES , I MEANT EYES) the spray gets all over everything and fills the air with caustic non asthma friendly fumes. The RollerBall, however, is perfect, you can apply it exactly where you need it without getting it all over your hands, and as a bonus you can use it to give yourself a mini massage.
Purition Protein Powders
These were sent to me as a protein shake, but made with real food. Personally I wouldn’t recommend treating them that way! To me a protein shake powder should mix with water or milk in a shaker bottle and be drinkable. If you do that with these it won’t mix properly and you will have a shaker full of lumps.
Instead what these powders are amazing for is as a smoothie ingredient for breakfast. Whizz them up with a banana and some milk in a blender and they are delicious. As they are “real food” they’re a great substitute for traditional protein powder in a smoothie. At 16g protein per serving they are slightly lower in protein than traditional protein powders, and also at around 14g of fat per serving they are a lot higher than a traditional protein powder, so if you’re tracking Macros you will need to make sure you have room for it!
Containing seeds like chia and sesame and nuts in the ingredients, they are super tasty and provide a lot more in the way of fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Two Birds Super Seed Cereal
This is another product that I loved, but not to do what was suggested with it! It’s a high protein, low carb cereal made from super seeds and bee pollen. First time I tried it I obligingly mixed it with milk and was underwhelmed, as was I when I tried it with yoghurt. As a smoothie addition, however, it was blooming delicious.
I used it much like the Purition powders, but with a traditional protein powder to add more protein, as the cereal alone is only around 6g per serving. A banana, flavoured protein powder and a portion of this in a smoothie with almond milk in the morning is really delicious, under 350 cals and over 25g of protein.
Stealth Real Fruit Energy Gels
I’m sure it’s terrible, but I rely a lot on pre packed energy gels as they’re easy to carry and keep around. My current favourites if I need them for running are GU Salted Caramel, which are small and compact, and contain caffeine. I also use them during long Roller Derby training sessions, or games when I can’t face eating. When practice finishes late at night, having caffeine containing gels isn’t always the best idea, so I was keen to try these out. They’re made with real fruit and rice starch to make sure they’re easily absorbed, made using ripe bananas and processed in a vacuum and packed under nitrogen to make sure they retain all the nutrients of the fruit.
Basically this tastes a bit like really sweet mashed banana in a tube and it’s totally delicious (as long as you like banana, of course)
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Have you tried anything worth giving a go this month?
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