I’ll be at BodyPower expo 2013

Just a quick one to say that I will be at the BodyPower Expo this Friday and Saturday and would love to meet as many existing and future clients, fitness and nutrition businesses, entrepreneurs, editors, commissioning editors, athletes, PRs… and blog readers as possible!

The best way to get in touch is probably via Twitter – I am @thefitwriter. My mobile number is not hard to find, either —>

Hope to see you there!

(Why not read my round-up of
my 2012 BodyPower visit whilst you’re here!)

I’ll be at BodyPower expo 2013 is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Fitness kit I’ve tested this week: Sativa Shakes non-dairy protein powder

I’m always especially pleased to review products from small, UK companies – so I’m happy to introduce Sativa Shakes: a friendly, growing protein supplement company who, it turns out, are local to me here in Kent. They produce non-dairy, plant protein powders including hemp protein and a plant protein blend.

They specialise in lactose-free (and vegan-friendly) protein powders. There are two main product lines – “Viva Sativa” hemp protein and “Viva High Pro” plant protein blend (hemp, pea, rice and soy). At the moment, there are four flavours across two product ranges: toffee, chocolate caramel, strawberry and banana, and kiwi and lime. They are all non-GM, organic and naturally sweetened with Stevia (a calorie-free sweetener derived from a plant – rather than from chemicals) and use raw plant protein, minimally treated and processed. Take a look at the ingredients lists – teeny!

I tried them all: straight-up as shakes, with my PWO banana (mashed up and frozen, like icecream) and stirred into my porridge oats. All were great! Because they’re plant proteins, the powders are rich and creamy and so they make quite thick shakes and go particularly well with oats. I loved all the flavours except for the kiwi and lime – I hoped to love this one as it’s unusual and not a flavour combo I’ve come across in any other protein powder, but I’m afraid I didn’t like it. This might be because, at the moment, this is the only one in the range which contains artificial flavour (the Sativa Shakes folk tell me they are working to find a natural replacement). I thought all the others were absolutely delicious, though.

The strawberry and banana, chocolate caramel “Viva High Pro” plant protein blend is a mix of pea protein isolate, soy protein isolate, hemp protein, brown rice protein, flavouring, cocoa powder (in the choc version) Stevia and xantham gum (a thickener) with citric acid.

Per 30g serving you get around 105 kcals, 22.3g protein, 1.3g carbs (0.4g sugar) and 1.2g fats (including a good mix of omegas). The amino breakdown is different to whey, as you’d expect with this being a plant protein – check out the full nutritional stats on the Sativa website. The stats are very slightly different across the flavours.

The “Viva Sativa” toffee flavoured hemp protein is simply raw hemp protein, natural flavouring, xantham gum and Stevia. The kiwi and lime version of the hemp protein does – at the moment – contain artificial flavour. Per 30g serving: 130 kcals, 13.7g protein, 4.5g carbs (1.6g sugars) and 3.7g fats. Again, you get a good dose of omegas and fibre, and of course no lactose – these being dairy-free protein powders.

They’re ideal for vegans but you don’t need to be a vegan to try them! I really did like these, particularly the toffee and chocolate caramel flavours, I think because the taste goes really well with the rich, earthy, nutty flavour of plant proteins.

I’m not indulging in any protein-baking at this stage in my prep diet but I think that I’ll try these in a cake or muffins at some point. I reckon they’d be a great ingredient with the rich flavour and the thick nature of the powders.

If you’ve been looking for a non-dairy, vegan-friendly, lactose-free protein powder, or if you just fancy trying a new protein product, I recommend giving Sativa Shakes a go. If you’re not sure which to try – here’s a handy guide!

Keep an eye on Sativa Shakes on Facebook as they often run offers and discounts. There are some special offers here, too.

Thank you, Sativa Shakes people! Find them online here Sativa Shakes website or on Facebook Sativa Shakes on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Now I’ve made myself hungry so excuse me – time for dinner!

Fitness kit I’ve tested this week: Sativa Shakes non-dairy protein powder is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

BCAA slushie (iBCAA from myprotein)

Phew-eee it’s hot today! Not complaining, like. It’s lovely.

What better on a warm day than icecream? Or sorbet? Or a tall glass of slushie? Yeah… except that I’m dieting for a bodybuilding show.

Hang on… there’s a way to get your aminos in and enjoy a summertime slushie treat, y’know. Just make a BCAA (or iBCAA in this case) ice slush drink! It’s easy as 1-2-3.

Gather your ice, your water, your BCAAs. I used these iBCAAs from myprotein, they’re a new product and in “berry blast” flavour which is a sweet/sharp berry combo taste.

Put it all in your blender.

Blend it up.

Pop it in a glass, grab a straw, take a break in the sunshine and enjoy.

Return to work feeling refreshed and full of amino acids. (And ice)

The myprotein iBCAAs are basically instantised BCAAs (branch chain amino acids) which you mix in with water – easier and tastier than taking a load of tablets/capsules and very refreshing in this weather. If you’re watching your sweetener intake, you should know that it’s sweetened with Sucralose.

You can have them during the day, intra-training or they’d be a great choice if you’re someone who does fasted training/fasted cardio, too. On days when I take the dog out for a powerwalk before breakfast, I make sure I have two things: BCAAs, and a black coffee.

This product gives a 2:1:1 ratio of isoleucine, valine and leucine (the current mega-star of the amino world) – amino acids which can’t be synthesised by our bodies.

How do you beat the heat?

BCAA slushie (iBCAA from myprotein) is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Giveaway winners – Kinetica Sports protein

Just a quick one to announce the two winners of the Kinetica Sports protein giveaway. Thank you to all of you who entered, I wish I had enough samples to send something to you all! Sadly only two people can win and they are:

colm bourke and Mattay Dunn

(I used an online random number generator thingy this time – Frankie says he is too tired to select the winners this time)

You both win a sample of the Complete and the Oat Gain.

Congratulations Colm and Mattay, please email me (there’s a contact me box top right on the blog home page) to give me your postal address.

Thanks to everyone for taking part

Giveaway winners – Kinetica Sports protein is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Giveaway! Kinetica Sports protein

It’s cold, it’s dark and it’s Friday. Perfect excuse for a little giveaway!

The folk at Kinetica Sports recently launched a few new products and sent them over for me to try. Trouble is, a couple of them don’t quite “fit my macros” (as the cool kids say) so I thought you guys should have them instead. Simple!

The new products include:
- Pro-Release (a really smooth-tasting blend of whey isolate,milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate and egg albumin protein for fast, medium and slow digesting proteins) – I tried this in both strawberry sundae and chocolate brownie flavour and loved it. It’s a very smooth and rich casein blend, perfect for bedtime.
- a new banana flavour whey protein – I also tried this and wasn’t too keen on the idea, as I don’t usually like banana whey at all, but this was actually very nice, not overly sweet and a great flavour. Nice and thick too.
- Complete in banana smoothie flavour – this is a high-quality whey protein with organic virgin coconut oil, Creapure® (99.99% pure creatine monohydrate), a high-and low-GI carbohydrate blend and a digestive enzyme (Aminogen®)
- Oat Gain in orange and mango flavour – as the name suggests, this is more of a “mass gain” product, with plenty of carbs and cals from ground oats, MCTs (from organic virgin coconut oil) as well as a protein blend and Aminogen® digestive enzymes.

Giveaway

I wasn’t able to try the Complete or the Oat Gain myself but I’d love you to try them! Click through to the links to check that they suit your particularly goals at the moment. I have two sample sachets of each, so will send two readers one of both the Complete in banana flavour (30g), and the Oat Gain orange and mango (80g). You lucky devils!

To enter, follow Kinetics Sports on Twitter, tweet something like “I’ve just entered @thefitwriter blog giveaway to win @kineticasports samples” and include a link to this blog post. Then head back here to leave a comment letting me know you’ve done that, so I know to put your name into the hat.

That’s it! I’ll pick a winner at random on Monday 25th March at 9pm.

Giveaway! Kinetica Sports protein is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Three Hills Sports Park supports community sport in Kent

At the end of last year, I moved “back home” to Kent, where I grew up, after 17, er quite a few um… “some” years away.

It’s been strange to drive around the areas in which I lived and went to school. Familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.

And so it was with a mixture of nostalgia (for Folkestone of the 90s) and excitement (for Folkestone’s future) that I went along to the grand opening of the Three Hills Sports Park, just a short drive from my house. As you drive through the entrance, there on the right-hand side is the old cricket pavilion, the site of many a sixth-form “free period”. It was adjacent to the boys’ school and a supermarket, you see. Win/win.

If sitting on the clapped-out old pavilion and arguing the merits of Oasis vs Blur represent the past of the Three Hills site, the grand opening made very clear that its future is full of opportunity.

Three Hills Sports Park is an impressive and rather beautiful community facility available to people living in Shepway and the surrounding areas.

Entirely funded by a donation from the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust (with the land provided on a 125 year lease from Shepway District Council), the £7.8m facility is owned and run by The Cheriton Road Sports Ground Trust, a registered charity comprising volunteers from Folkestone Cricket Club and Optimist Hockey Club. The result is a centre of excellence for cricket, hockey and netball, with some of the best sporting facilities of their type in the country.

It will be home to Folkestone Cricket Club, Folkestone Optimists hockey, Folkestone Running Club, Folkestone netball and Folkestone Dynamos youth football teams. But Three Hills is also – in fact primarily – a community facility, available to anyone in the area who needs indoor or outdoor space to practice or play sport.

Rt Hon Hugh Robertson MP, Minister for Sport and Tourism, opened the facility, congratulating the designers for “a cutting-edge design that not only looks fantastic but really works well.” The Three Hills project began back in 2005, when we won the bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. In his speech, Hugh Robertson said that Three Hills embodies the Olympic Legacy – a term we often hear overused and misused, but don’t often see put into bricks and mortar. “I think taking sport to young people and helping them achieve their ambitions is exactly what the Olympic Legacy should mean,” he said. “Three Hills Sports Park brings a fantastic opportunity to young people in Folkestone that simply didn’t exist beforehand.”

I loved going on a tour of the brand-new facility, which includes a pavilion, sports hall, small gym, outdoor pitches, a function room (with great views) and facilities for disability sport. There were more than 300 primary school children there on the day, playing hockey, football and cricket indoors and outdoors. The place was buzzing and it was clear that every inch of the space will be a huge boost to grass-roots community sport in the area.

Freedom Leisure will manage the outdoor pitches at Three Hills, which are designed for national standard hockey, county and club cricket and regional netball. Freedom will also manage the indoor facilities (a first-class indoor sports hall supporting cricket, hockey, netball and other sports, a gym and a dedicated youth area). Three Hills is Freedom Leisure’s 34th site (its third in Kent).

Jeff Hart, Managing Director of Freedom Leisure said, “We are delighted to be working with The Cheriton Road Sports Ground Trust to operate the Three Hills Sports Park. It offers first class sporting facilities for the local community, nearby schools and sports clubs as well as national and international athletes. It is an exciting development and we are looking forward to fulfilling its many objectives.”

If you work with kids or have kids of your own and live in Shepway or nearby, take a look at Three Hills Sports Park’s website, Three Hills Sports Park on Twitter and Three Hills Sports Park on Facebook. It’s a great facility and we’re lucky to have it.

3 Hills Sports Park supports community sport in Kent is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Fitness kit I’ve tested this week: Zbands from Ztrainer

I’m really pleased to be doing this review, because the kit I’m reviewing – Z Bands – are the latest invention from my clever friend Zita.

Remember (two years ago now!) when I went to FEB during prep? And roomied with a cool chick? Well that was Zita.

Zita is the inventor of the Ztrainer, a suspension trainer which is incredibly versatile, enabling you to do a range of bodyweight, resistance and plyometric exercises wherever you are (hotel room, at home, even outdoors). I reviewed the Ztrainer here.

This year, Zita launched the Zbands, a portable bit of resistance kit ideal for anyone who exercises at home (also ideal, I’d imagine, for mobile PTs and people who run small group training sessions).

You get two Zbands for your buck, one medium (6-12kg) and one strong (10-22kg). They’re looped with comfy, padded handles (unlike other bands which I find tend to dig into my hands long before I’ve done what I want to do). You can loop them around yourself/hook them under your feet, or loop them around hooks or door handles etc. Or if you’re working with a partner they’re ideal for pairs work.

If you’re not sure what to do with them or need new ideas, the little colour booklet which comes with the Zbands is really helpful.

Zita kindly sent me a prototype at the end of last year and I used the bands then in the pump-up area backstage at my bodybuilding comps. These days, I’m using them at home for various postural/rehab exercises and for assisted stretching. They’ll definitely be in my competition bag when the time comes!

In short, Zbands are a really well-made, quality bit of resistance kit! Nice one Zita and I wish you all the best with them

You can find Ztrainer and Zbands on Facebook, and Ztrainer on Twitter.

Fitness kit I’ve tested this week: Zbands from Ztrainer is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Giveaway! These are a few of my favourite things: the hairband edition

People will often ask me where I get my supplements, food, workout gear etc from. I have a few discount codes for some of my favourite companies, and am generously supported in one way or another by some others. Then there are the companies, brands and products which I just straight-up love, without discount codes or freebies! I thought I’d start a blog series telling you about these “favourite things” – and extending the discount code to you where one exists. All these “favourite things” posts are on one page.

Ladies (or metrosexual males!), I’ve got a giveaway for you today. Let’s brighten up this dreary drizzly day.

I rarely venture to the gym without some kind of headwear. It just doesn’t feel proper. A beanie hat, a peaked cap or, if I’m feeling particularly snazzy, a sparkly hairband.

My absolute favourite place to get my sparkly hairbands from is Razzy Roo. I don’t care that they’re in the USA. I love their hairbands and have loads of them. I’ve bought them for friends, for Secret Santa gifts and even for my sister (you know something’s good if it makes it onto the list of “Stuff I Give My Sister”.)

I sent one to my “Fitness” Secret Santa at Christmas, and she says, “I love mine thanks to you! So pretty!” Here she is having just completed “Hot Pursuit” – an obstacle course race – hair perfectly in place!

Take a look at the Razzy Roo website. They do thin, medium and thick sparkly glitter bands (my favourite!) and a range of patterned ones. I love wearing two of the thinnest sparkly ones together.

I love these hairbands not just because there are so many colours and patterns to choose from, but because they’re so well made. They’re elasticated (and none of them have lost their elasticity despite a lot of use), and the inside of the band is a lovely velvety material so it won’t snag or rough up your hair. And they keep your hair in place really well.

I always have at least one Razzy Roo hairband in my gymbag or handbag, and I’d love you to have one too.

Giveaway

The lovely ladies at Razzy Roo have agreed to give one blog reader a free band (of your choice) and they’ll ship anywhere in the world (although they do point out that international shipping takes a little longer than within the USA).

To enter, follow razzy roo on Twitter or like razzy roo on Facebook, then leave a comment on this post letting me know you’ve done so. If you’re on Twitter, tweet a link to this giveaway and put something like “I’ve just entered @thefitwriter blog giveaway to win a @razzyroobands hairband”

That’s it! I’ll pick a winner at random on Monday 11th March at 9pm.

20% discount

Everyone else can make use of an exclusive 20% discount on website prices – the code to use at checkout is THEFITWRITER. It will expire on 1st April 2013.

You can find razzy roo on Twitter and razzy roo on Facebook as well as their own website.

These are a few of my favourite things: the hairband edition is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Fitness kit I’ve tested this week: TevaSphere Speed shoes

In this installment of Fitness kit I’ve reviewed this week I’m pleased to tell you about some brand-new shoes from outdoor adventure brand Teva. I’ve had them for a while but was asked to hold back with a review until launch date – which is today. Hot off the press!

A lot of people understand the benefits of more minimalist footwear these days. Barefoot running has had a huge effect on the kit we’ve seen on offer from major brands, and gone are the days when huge big cushioned soles were the order of the day.

The TevaSphere range bridges the gap between minimalist and structured footwear and has been designed specifically for outdoors. The team feel that minimalist footwear and more traditional over-supportive training shoes have shortcomings, and wanted to develop a range which gives outdoor athletes like adventure runners a higher-performing shoe.

The brand collaborated with leading sports science and human performance institute P3 (Peak Performance Project) and the result was the first outdoor cross-trainer offering a spherical heel and pod-based arch support system. The idea is that the spherical heel lowers your point of contact with the ground, for a more natural point of impact and more efficient transition, and the pod-arch system gives you specific support only where it’s needed, to make the shoe supportive but really light.

I don’t do a whole lot of fell running or adventure racing (!) but I do a lot of power walking on varied terrains and I was happy to test the Speed shoe. In fact, I’ve been wearing them for a month or so now. The verdict? They’re very light and feel supportive but definitely allow me to feel more in contact with the ground. Enough support, without too much cushioning. And I did feel that I was able to roll through my foot whilst walking, which often isn’t the case when wearing walking shoes or regular trainers. The shoes dry really quickly and seem to have withstood the worst of the late-Winter weather.

There are three models in the line: the Speed (quick dry materials and lightweight design), Trail eVent® (a breathable waterproof membrane, sturdy design and toe bumper), and Trail Mid eVent® (with extra protection of a mid-cut height).

They are exclusively available from Cotswold Outdoor.

Thanks Teva for letting me try the shoes!

Fitness kit I’ve tested this week: TevaSphere Speed shoes is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

These are a few of my favourite things: the hydration edition

People will often ask me where I get my supplements, food, workout gear etc from. I have a few discount codes for some of my favourite companies, and am generously supported in one way or another by some others. Then there are the companies, brands and products which I just straight-up love, without discount codes or freebies! I thought I’d start a blog series telling you about these “favourite things” – and extending the discount code to you where one exists. All these “favourite things” posts are on one page.

We all know how important it is to drink enough water, whether we do endurance sport, strength sports or no sport at all (everyone needs to stay hydrated). It’s about more than just not getting thirsty. Proper hydration carries nutrients to cells, helps prevent muscle cramps, keeps you alert and focused, nourishes your skin, assists your body in digesting food, improves your sleep, helps your body recover after exercise (or injury/surgery) and even helps you maintain healthy hormone levels.

I admit I never used to pay a great deal of attention to whether or not the water I drank was actually doing its job. I was then recommended elete hydration drops (thanks Andy McKenzie) and haven’t gone a day without it since. It’s such a simple little product, but I honestly think it’s so important. Not just for people doing sport, for everyone of all ages (although certainly if you do train for sports then you should definitely be taking this product!)

elete is an electolyte product you add to water which contains all four of the key electrolytes (magnesium, potassium, chloride and sodium) along with 60 other naturally-occurring trace and ultra trace elements.

It’s 100% pure and natural and contains no sugar, sweeteners, additives, preservatives or calories (like most “sports drinks”). It doesn’t need to – you just add it to your water (or any other drink) and that’s it.

And it’s such good value for money (working out at less than 20p per litre of water). It comes in a concentrated form so you can carry it about with you if you need to, or just add it to your water at home.

elete has been scientifically developed and is backed by numerous bits of research and peer reviewed published studies. And it’s got the Informed Sport mark of approval.

I tend to add one serving to a litre of water in the morning, and then again to water which I make sure I drink straight after training. It doesn’t taste of anything at all (although you can get a citrus version, but I haven’t tried it). Full recommendations of exactly how to dose it are on the website.

Drink up!

You can find elete on Twitter and elete on Facebook as well as their own website (including research, testinonials and FAQs)

These are a few of my favourite things: the hydration edition is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.