Block Island Organics Mineral Sunscreen (Product Review + Coupon Code)

Block Island Organics offered me a free bottle of their Natural Mineral Sunsceen in exchange for a blog review.  I volunteered for this opportunity, and all opinions are my own. There are no affiliate links in this post.

I have slowly but surely trying to swap out my skin products for products that don’t contain harmful chemicals (this is a whole other blog post for another time). One of the first products my husband and I did research on was sunscreen. Over the past two years ago we have tried MANY brands of natural sunscreen.  While some have been better than others, they have always left something to be desired. Either they were overly thick and didn’t rub in well, they smelled a bit odd, or the packaging was too large for carry-ons when flying (this is a huge must for us since we don’t live overly close to the beach).  I am so excited to share a new product that I had the opportunity to try out that has solved all of these problems for me.

Block Island Organics Natural Mineral Sunscreen with SPF 30.

There are many awesome things about this product so I’m going to share them in bullet form:

• Block Island Organics is a family owned company.
• All Block Island Organics products (and this sunscreen) are free of parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, phthalates, dyes and artificial fragrances. Take a look at the label on the bottle:
  
  
• Block Island Organics does not do animal testing and uses vegan-based formulas. As I said previously, I have been trying to swap out my products little by little and am so glad to have found something that is not only safe, but also kind to animals.  This is a huge plus in my book.
• The texture of the sunscreen is very similar to the typical brands you would find on store shelves. It is thinner than all of the other natural sunscreens that I have tried and is not gritty at all. It also rubs into your skin very easily.
• Block Island Organics Mineral Sunscreen received a 1 rating in the EWG Skin Deep Database.
  
• The suncreen smells awesome – even better than typical sunscreens – I think it may be thanks to the eucalyptus in it.
• The packaging of the sunscreen is 3.4 ounces – meaning I can put it in my carry-on when flying! YAY!

Overall, Block Island Organics Natural Mineral Sunscreen with SPF 30 is a great product and one that I will continue to use and buy as I run out.  It is by far the best natural sunscreen I have found and I highly recommend it.

Have I convinced you? If so, you can use coupon code ‘becca’ to get 15% off on their website. This code cannot be combined with other offers but will work on top of any site sale. Good through 7/6/15.  

Website: http://www.blockislandorganics.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/blockislandorganics
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BIOSuncare

Vegan1 Protein Powder (Product Review)

Nutrition53 offered me a Vegan1 sample pack in exchange for a blog review.  I volunteered for this opportunity, and all opinions are my own. There are no affiliate links in this post.

For a while now, I have been struggling to find a protein powder that I could mix with only water or non-dairy milk, that would still taste good. Many of the brands I have tried in the past have quite frankly, tasted like dirt. I also wanted something that was pretty clean, and if it was vegan that would be major bonus.  That’s why when Nutrition53 reached out to me, I had to take the opportunity to try out three flavors from their Vegan1 line.

I received a package with samples of their Banana, Chai and Chocolate flavors.

Here’s what Nutrition53 told me about their vegan protein powders:

One serving packs a whole lot with 20g plant-based protein blend from peas, potatoes, and chlorella. It also provides 10 fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, carrots, and apricots. With 22 vitamins and minerals you also get great antioxidant protection. Plus, optimal digestion is ensured with 7g of dietary fiber, probiotics, and enzymes. Vegan1 has no dairy or soy and non-GMO. It is also allergen and gluten free. It comes in 4 delicious flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Banana and Chai. There are no artificial flavorings, colors, or sweeteners—it is 100% naturally sweetened with Stevia.

First I tried the Chai flavor one afternoon at work. I mixed it with 10 oz of water.

Here is the powder before I mixed it with the water. You can see that it’s a pretty fine powder.  Apologies for the horrible work lighting.

And mixed. It actually got a little “frothy” which I really liked. The flavor of chai was undeniably chai! I drank it all, it was delicious.

Next I tried the flavor I was most skeptical about – banana.

This time I mixed it with 10 oz of soy milk. It was so good!!  The banana actually ended up being my favorite flavor!!

I didn’t get a picture of the chocolate but it was pretty good as well, though honestly I liked the Chai and Banana more.

This is definitely a protein powder I will order in the future. I want to try out their Vegan1 Vanilla next!

If you want a free sample of their Vegan1 power, you can order one on their website.  It ends up being $1.50 with shipping – totally worth it to try it out if you have been searching for a protein powder like I have!

For more information:

Website: http://www.nutrition53.com/
Vegan 1 Website: http://www.nutrition53.com/pages/vegan1
Vegan 1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/N53Vegan1

MealEnders (Product Review + Giveaway)

As part of my Sweat Pink Ambassadorship I received four packs of MealEnders for free in exchange for a review. I volunteered for this opportunity, and all opinions are my own. There are no affiliate links in this post.

The giveaway is now over, so comments have been closed. The winner has been notified.

Have you ever mindlessly snacked even though you weren’t hungry? Or kept eating past the “full” point until you were uncomfortable? I definitely have.  That’s why, when I was contacted about a review of MealEnders I was intrigued. However, honestly, I was also skeptical.  We’ve all seen ads (and as a blogger I get contacted from random companies) that promise a miracle product to help you lose weight.  However, when I looked closer at the ingredients of MealEnders I was presently surprised.  There are no drugs, weird herbs, no funny sounding stimulants, and no high fructose corn syrup. There is some sugar, but only 2g per lozenge, and only 15 calories. Sign me up!

The basic way they work is by signaling to your body that it’s time to stop eating.  The lozenges have 2 layers – the first is a sweet layer that tastes like dessert (for real!). I will talk about each of the flavors in more detail below.  The second layer of the lozenge is a cooling layer – sort of mentholy – that “engages the trigeminal nerve to cue the end of eating and clear the palate.”  Interesting!  You can find more about how MealEnders work here.  Eating a MealEnder also gives your body and mind something to do during the time after you finish eating – the time it takes for your mind to catch up to the idea that you are in fact, full.

They come in convenient individual wrappers so you can stick some in your car, purse, wherever. I know I’ll be keeping a stash in my desk drawer at work.

Another thing I really liked is that in all the media I have read about MealEnders, the company never claims to be a miracle maker. They say a few times that it’s important to use MealEnders in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise to create healthy habits.  No quick fixes here, just a tool to help you control those random cravings.

I have tried the different types of MealEnders over the past week and wanted to share my thoughts. MealEnders come in four flavors: cinnamon, citrus, mint chocolate and mocha.

I tried cinnamon first, after lunch one day when I was working from home. I find that I tend to mindlessly graze MUCH more when I work from home since my entire pantry is available.  I actually expected to like the cinnamon the least but LOVED it.  It tasted like apple pie!

I tried the mocha after dinner one night hoping to fulfill the need for sweets I have after dinner. It more than did the job and I didn’t feel like I needed to snack that night either.

I really like all the flavors but my favorite is probably the cinnamon, and my least favorite is the mocha.

I honestly don’t have anything bad to say about MealEnders – I think with the variety of flavors there’s something for everyone, and they are a convenient and helpful tool.

The giveaway is now over, so comments have been closed. The winner has been notified.

MealEnders Info: Website, Facebook, Twitter @mealenders, Instagram @mealenders

EatSmart Precision CalPal Digital Bathroom Scale (Product Review)

I received an EatSmart Precision CalPal Digital Bathroom Scale for free in exchange for a review on my blog and an amazon.com review. I volunteered for this opportunity, and all opinions are my own. There are no affiliate links in this post.

A few weeks ago I was contacted with an opportunity to review the EatSmart Precision CalPal Digital Bathroom Scale.  Since the marathon I have started to think about tracking my food intake again to try to lose the last few pounds that I would really like to lose. I’ve been on and off with tracking my intake for the past few years but really stopped once I was in the thick of marathon training. I didn’t want to be reducing my food intake when I should be worrying about fueling my body.

One thing that I have missed in the past with tracking my food intake is using a scale to regularly track my weight. I have been a bit scared of the scale and try not to rely on my weight for how healthy I feel. So, I never really had a way to track any weight loss except when I went to the doctor.

Lots of background, I know. 😉 Anyhow, when I had the opportunity to try out this scale I figured what the heck, then I’d finally have a scale to track my progress with. For better or for worse.

I received the EatSmart Precision CalPal Bathroom Scale last week.

Here’s whats cool about this scale:

• Nice design – it’s clear glass so it has a pretty slick look. The blue back-lit screen is nice too.
• It can track up for 4 different users – the hubby and I both put in our info and it saves it seperately! When we weigh ourselves we also don’t have to indicate which user it is, the scale will make an educated guess based on our last measured weight (and if it is unsure, ask for confirmation). Very cool.
• BMI Calculation – Based on your height, weight, gender it calculates your BMI.
• Caloric Intake Calulation – It shows you how many calories you should eat to maintain your weight.
• Calibration – It’s very simple to set up and calibrate for the first time.
• Auto shut off after 10 sections of no button use.

After I opened the box I was able to very easily set up my user profile by inputting my gender, height, age, estimated activity level and then weighed myself.

The hubby did it too with no issues so here are a few photos from his experience…

Inputting his height.

After you enter your gender, height and estimated activity level, you then weigh yourself.

The scale displays your weight and your suggested caloric intake to maintain your weight, which toggles with showing your BMI.

I do think that BMI should be taken as a grain of salt – a true measurement of your body fat percentage is always more accurate – but I do think it can be a overall indicator of where you are on your health journey. I do not believe it is the end all be all though – it does not take things like muscle weight into account (many football players are considered obese based on their BMI).

I think that if you are looking for a simple and easy to use scale with a few perks this scale may be perfect for you. At $35 on Amazon.com I belive the price is reasonable for the information you can get and the fact that it can store multiple users.  It is also super easy to use and very modern looking, which are definite pluses in my book.

For more information–

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KQSOOOY

EatSmart website: http://www.eatsmartproducts.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EatSmartProducts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EatSmartScales

Pinterest:http://www.pinterest.com/eatsmartscales/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/eatsmartproducts

 

 

The Fitness Games App (Product Review)

As part of my Sweat Pink Ambassadorship I received the Platinum version of The Fitness Game app free in exchange for a review on my blog. I volunteered for this opportunity, and all opinions are my own.

I was really excited to get the opportunity to try out The Fitness Games App as a Sweat Pink Ambassador! I am a bit of a fitness app junkie (MapMyRun, EveryMove, Zombies! Run, Lose It!, Garmin Connect and a water tracking app are all apps I use on a very consistent basis…. if you’d like more info about using any of them certainly let me know in the comments).

The Fitness Games combines “fitness, gaming and social media”.

When you boot up the app you will see this screen:

Basically the app is full of tons of different “challenges” aka, work outs that you can challenge other users to!

Each category has a long list of different types of challenges (there are over 50 in the app).

For example, this is an example of what’s available under “cross training”.  Side note: I got the Premium version for free through this review opportunity so I had a few additional challenges available right off the bat.

If you want to just go for a run, you’d go under the “Cardio” option and then select “Running”. It can track you by time or by distance.

You can also create your OWN challenge. I was super intrigued by this feature because I am wrapping up marathon training so I am trying to be careful of doing any new tough workouts right now.

Creating your own workout is super simple. I created my own workout for a timed plank.

When I went in to do the challenge this is what appeared:

And after I held the plank as long as I could I got a score.

Pretty cool right? You can challenge other people to challenges, or just do them yourself. As you earn points you “level up” and unlock more workouts. I love the idea of leveling up – it totally motivates me to keep using the app!

The Fitness Games also has a private facebook group (you need to request to join) that is also a really neat community to learn more about the app, challenge each other and there are even contests where you can win stuff! (Side note: the private facebook group wasn’t a requirement of this review but i wanted to share it because it has been a really cool community to be a part of).

To wrap up, I think The Fitness Games App is a great way to work out from home and include a bit of a social factor by challenging others, or just by sharing your work out (which shows up on a “feed” that shows what your friends have done as well). As far as any cons, I am a website designer for my day job and focus a lot on usability. I think there are a few aspects of the app that could be designed a little bit better to be easier to understand.

If you are interested in more information you can check out The Fitness Games website, and download the app for iOS or Android.

 

Tweet: Challenge your fitness with #TheFitnessGames! Check out @TFGapp and let the games begin!http://ctt.ec/gd5dj+ @fitapproach #sweatpink