Gym Tips

Gym Tips

Here I've gathered some tips to navigate the gym! Sometime people are worried about walking into the gym or weight room because they don't know what they're doing, what to do, or too embarrassed because they don't know "gym protocol". If that's you, read on to find out how to maneuver around a gym!

Come With a Plan
I know for me personally, if I don't have a workout planned, I'm like a lost child at the amusement park. Crazy machinery all around me and I have no idea where to go first or what exercises I have planned! So I like to write up my workout and bring it with me so I stay on track during my workout! Usually includes the exercises and the number of sets and reps! I also write in if I want to do any cardio that day!

Return Your Weights
Don't leave plates on a barbell or the squat rack or the leg press, NO. I always hate that because I waste so much time lugging off plates from others who have left them there! When you're done, put all plates and free weights back where you found them.

Your sweaty mess is for you only.
BAM! What an awesome set! I really nailed those and gave it my all! Killed those bench presses! Now I'm just gonna get up and do something else. WAIT! No one wants to lay in your nasty [although awesome because you really pushed it] sweat!
Use the disinfecting spray/wipes!!!
Nothing's worse than sitting on a piece of equipment or using something that feels like it's been showered on...

Be comfortable
Wear something you're confident and comfortable in! Something that moves easily with your workout, that won't ride up, and also won't flash anyone in the weight room! If you don't want to dress up in fancy workout gear, don't! Just wear that old T and some shorts or pants! No need to get all dolled up for the gym!

Sharing is Caring!
Don't hog any equipment for too long by having super long rests! Try to share the equipment by letting someone work in while you're resting.
This goes for cardio machines too! I know at my school gym there is a limited number of machines, and some girls stay on for like hours at a time! Be caring and spread the cardio love! Try out some HIIT to get a just as effective sweat in a shorter amount of time! 

Technology
I know for some, it may be annoying when someone next to you is jabbering away on their phone. Please try and keep phone calls to a minimum.. or none! Also, you want to have a bombin workout right?!? Don't waste your fit time on a call! Get to work, get that heart rate up, and get sweating!

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Stay tuned! On January 1st, I'll be posting my 2013 Plan with a quick overview of my workout split and of my meal plan.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Tis the season to be jolly!
FA-La-La-La-LAAAAAA-La-LALA-LA!
Heheee I hope you could hear me singing that mentally while you read it :P

How is everyone's Christmas?!?!! I hope it's spectacular, filled with fun, love and happiness! Make sure you're cherishing every single memory! And take lots of pictures to capture them! In 10 years you'll be glad you did! Sometimes pictures can capture more than your memories can!

ANYWHOOO Just wanted to share with you some fun HOLIDAY CHEER I and the FAB 5 Cooked up!
If you don't know who the fab 5 are, CHECK THEM OUT! It's me and:

Meg, LivefitEatClean, Crystal, Alexandra

We've all been great friends since the start of our fitness journeys and have really connected over Instagram! We're all so close it's like we're #fitsisters ! I love that instagram can do that, pull people from different parts of the world and connect them and make such great bonds! ONE DAY we all hope to meet in real life and create crazy food, fitness, and health shenanigans!
A while back, maybe in November, we all agreed to do SECRET SANTAS.
My roommate helped us out by choosing the names randomly from a pile and texting everyone who they had! We arranged it so that we'd send our gifts out by a certain date, and had a certain money limit on each!
It was all kept a secret so no one knew who anyone had! EXCITING RIGHT?!?! We all told each other what was on our wish lists to make the shopping a heck of a lot easier! Funny thing? The first thing that came to everyone's mind was: FOOOD! And not just any food. Mainly, PEANUT BUTTER! Ahahahahah can you say #nutbutteraddicts FOR REALLLL?!!

Ok back to the Secret Santas!

So we all got to open them and find out who our Secret Santas were! And I wanted to share who I got my amazing gift from with all of you! Who had me??! None other than:

 LIVEFITEATCLEAN

I was so stoked when I opened up the box! It seriously was like AHHHHHHHHHHH! I love mail, especially packages, and especially packages filled with amazing goodies from one of your IG BESTIES! Here's an pic of all the goodies I got from this sexy babe!

Adidas Shirt, FUZZY as clouds socks, a food container [you know through my IG my packed lunches are the WORST, so these should definitely help :P], A pencil case for classes, and inside were 2 pieces of jewelry, one a bracelet and one a necklace! I wear the necklace daily now, it has a pendant of the Blessed Virgin Mary on it! Livefiteatclean told me it'll keep me safe, how thoughtful right?! I feel like whenever I wear it I'm invincible! I can take on anything! My willpower against temptation is like heightened and my goal to succeed is even greater! She also gave me the CUTEST headband that I've been rockin' out everywhere! And of course, FOOD! Peanut Butter & Co's Smooth Operator, and Quest Cravings bar! I've never tried this one so I'm excited to give it a taste!
And my FAVORITE gift would have to be the notebook. The words on the cover totally motivate me every time I look at it:

Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and twice as beautiful as you ever imagined

and my girlie also wrote the sweetest note inside the cover! So it'll definitely help keep me motivated through my fitness journey! SCORE, and it'll be another fitness and health diary to put on the shelves! I'm kinda obsessed with notebooks :P

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Well my Christmas is going soooo spectacular! Went to Mass to celebrate Jesus' birthday this morning, and there was such a great homily!

It was about everyone thinking they should get what they deserve. That if you're "good", then Santa will give good things to you, and if you're "naughty" you get coal. But then he made the point that Jesus gives to ALL of us, not when we're good, but because we've been bad. He gives us so much and more, not because we're perfect, but because we're weak and imperfect. Because we NEED him. He gives and gives so that we can become better and more deserving down the road. I can't really do justice to the homily given, but it was really good. :P

I feel so blessed to be able to even celebrate Christmas like we do! Full of great company, great memories, and love! I know there are many out there who don't get the chance to be with those they love, or may not even be able to celebrate the Holiday due to personal issues or circumstances in their lives! I thank God each and every night for blessing me with a roof over my head, loving parents, a great sister, the opportunities that have been given to us, that I'm able to go to school, have a job, live a wonderful life.

Without Him, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have ANY of this. So remember to be grateful for everything you have! Remember the TRUE meaning of this season! Not the gifts, presents, toys and goodies, but about the company, being with the people you love and who love you, making the best out of every moment, and not taking anything for granted. We all have our time here, so we all need to make the very best of it!

Ah that was my random rant on the Hallmarked season of Christmas!

Well gotta get back to the fam and finish celebrating these festive joyous holidays!

Remember fitfam, one day or 2 won't set you off your journey to fit forever! You just have to make sure to get back on track afterwards! Make sure you continue the rest of the end of the year or the New 2013 Year with a FIT BANG! You all got this, I believe in you!

Keep checking back for when I post up my plans for the 2013 year! I'll be posting my general overview of my plans for workouts and what kind of food meal plan I'll be on! Thank you ALL for making this year so spectacular! Love being inspired by every single one of you and I'm so grateful we can all share our journeys to health together <3

My Thyroid

Hello beautiful people! 

Here's a post about the Thyroid.

Some posts to look out for in the future:

Tis the Season to be Jolly Post on Secret Santas 

More Quest Product Reviews + Total Body Workout

My General Outline of My 2013 Fit Semester Plan

Stubborn Fat Burning Cardio

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Thyroid

Here's some background on the thyroid: 

Your thyroid is a gland located at the base of your neck, just below your Adam’s apple. It is shaped like a butterfly – each wing, or lobe of your thyroid lies on either side of your windpipe.

The purpose of your thyroid gland is to make, store, and release thyroid hormones into your blood. These hormones, which are also referred to as T3 (liothyronine) and T4 (levothyroxine), affect almost every cell in your body, and help control your body’s functions. If you have too little thyroid hormone in your blood, your body slows down. This condition is called hypothyroidism. If you have too much thyroid hormone in your blood, your body speeds up. This condition is called hyperthyroidism.

What controls the amount of thyroid hormone produced?
The amount of thyroid hormone made by your thyroid gland is adjusted by a gland in the brain called the pituitary. Another part of your brain, the hypothalamus, helps the pituitary. The hypothalamus sends information to the pituitary gland, the pituitary in turn controls the thyroid gland.
The thyroid gland, pituitary gland, and hypothalamus all work together to control the amount of thyroid hormone in your body. With the pituitary controlling most of the action, these organs work similarly to the way a thermostat controls temperature in a room.
For example, just as the thermometer in a thermostat senses the temperature of a room, your pituitary gland constantly senses the amount of thyroid hormone in your blood. If there is not enough thyroid hormone, your pituitary senses the need to “turn on the heat”. It does this by releasing more thyroid-stimulating hormone (or TSH), which signals your thyroid to make more thyroid hormone. Your thyroid gland then makes and releases the hormone directly into your bloodstream.
Your pituitary gland then senses that there is just the right amount of thyroid hormone in your body. With your thyroid hormone levels now restored to a normal level, your pituitary slows its production of TSH back down to normal.

Tests
While there are a wide variety of blood tests that can be used in the evaluation of thyroid disease, thyroid function testing usually refers to measurement of both TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) and thyroid hormone (usually T4) in the blood stream. If the thyroid is functioning normally, the T4 and the TSH are in the normal range. If the thyroid becomes underactive (hypothyroidism) the T4 declines and the TSH rises in an attempt to make the thyroid gland make some more T4. Conversely, if the thyroid gland is overactive (hyperthyroidism), the elevated T4 is sensed by the pituitary and TSH production is decreased in an effort to try to slow down the thyroid.

What can go wrong?
Diseases of the thyroid are often classified into problems primarily involving the structure of the thyroid gland (changes in size or the development of thyroid nodules) or function of the thyroid gland (over active or underactive).
Structural problems can include an enlarged thyroid gland (goiter), a small thyroid gland (atrophic) or the development of either single nodules (solitary thyroid nodule) or multiple thyroid nodules (multinodular gland). The evaluation of structural problems of the thyroid is usually done with a thyroid ultrasound.
Functional problems of the thyroid are initially evaluated with thyroid function tests which are used to determine if the thyroid is functioning normally, over active or underactive. Often times a thyroid gland can have both a structural problem and a functional problem at the same time. So the evaluation of a thyroid condition includes careful evaluation of both the structure and function of the thyroid gland

http://www.checkyourneck.com/about-thyroid-cancer/about-the-thyroid-gland

So why am I talking to you about the thyroid? Because a few years ago I was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism [or Graves Disease]. My symptoms were the usual for those with hyperthyroidism:

• increased appetite & increased food intake with steady weight
• rapid heartbeat [tachycardia] and irregular heartbeat with palpitations
• tremors of the hands
• sweating and hot all the time
• sensitive to heat
• irregular menstrual patterns
• frequent bowel movements [sorry, tmi??]
• enlarged thyroid - goiter 
• fatigue and muscle weakness
• difficulty in sleep
• brittle hair and hair loss
• discomfort in the eyes, light sensitivity, blurred vision, inflammation

Basically my body was on full throttle ALL the time. Everything full speed, hyper hyper active. Well this winter break, yesterday to be more precise, the 21st of December, I got radioactive iodine treatment to kill off my thyroid. The radioactive iodine is going to gradually shrink my thyroid over time and then ultimately destroy the gland, which will make me then hypothyroid. Here are the symptoms I've read for that:

• fatigue
• increased sensitivity to cold
• constipation
• dry skin
• unexplained weight gain ---- D:
• puffy face
• hoarseness
• muscle weakness
• elevated blood cholesterol levels
• muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
• pain, stiffness or swelling of joints
• heavier than normal/ irregular menstrual periods
• thinning hair
• slow heart rate
• depression
• impaired memory and forgetfulness
• poor muscle tone
• excessive sleepiness

Dunno if you could tell from my instagram post today asking for advice on post radioactive iodine/hypothyroid tips, I'm a bit freaked out by all of this. Everyone keeps saying as long as I take the meds, the synthetic hormones, then I should be able to function like everyone else and not experience these symptoms so badly. 

I'm most scared about the weight gain part! And I've heard it's SOOOO difficult to lose! That some have gained between 15 - 30 pounds, and now it's harder than ever to lose weight, even with restricted calories to 1300 and exercise 6x a week! Eek.... :O... But even though everyone says I should be fine once I find the right dosage of synthetic hormones and level out, I hear it takes a while for that to happen. It's not automatic. It might take a few months, if not years, to find the "perfect" level for my body. Ahhh this is giving me such bad anxiety!

The best thing I can do as of now though is keep monitoring it closely, listen to my body, keep getting my blood checked to find out my current levels so that my endocrinologist can prescribe me the right medication! As long as I continue to eat well and exercise, I'm seriously hoping for the best, and trying to stay positive!   

If any of you are experiencing the above symptoms, I highlyyy suggest you go get a blood test to see where your thyroid hormone levels are! Better safe than sorry in the long run! 

Holiday Tips & thinkThin Bars

Hello wonderful fit fam!!  
Decided to share with you some Holiday Tips to stay on track this season!
But first, another review!!

 
The other day I got the chance to try out a sample pack from the company:

thinkThin® High Protein Bars 

 

Here's what they have to say about their company:

12 varied and delicious flavors make up the core offering of the thinkThin® line of protein bars and a pantry staple item in households across the country.

With 0g sugar and 20g protein, this mighty delicious food provides a burst of clean energy, a moment of relaxation, and satisfaction for those in need of taste and sustenance. It is also friendly for those monitoring their sugar intake.

This bar is the #1 ranked natural weight management bar (SPINSscan research). Our thinkThin®High protein bars can be enjoyed in the morning with coffee or tea, before exercise or for a delicious burst of energy any time throughout the day.

Sounds pretty awesome right??
These bars are:

• packed with protein
• sugar free
• gluten free
• dairy free
• vegan
• kosher  

Chocolate Covered Strawberries: Right when I tore open the packaging, I could smell the strawberries and chocolate! Seriously, it was like BAM! Right back to the days when I used to make chocolate covered strawberries for bake sales or class mates! However, even though there are no real chunks of strawberries in the bar, it still tasted very much like it! And the chocolate flavor is pretty legit too! After a while though the chocolate gets a bit too sweet for my taste personally, so I think next time I'd eat half the bar, and save the other half for another time!

Brownie Crunch: WOW. Took a bite into it and it tasted SOO good, thick and fudgy brownie bar! Great chocolate flavor, not too intense in sweetness! And it wasn't too hard to bite into either :]


Chunky Peanut Butter: You all know my obsession with peanut butter, so I may have set my hopes too high! It does have a peanut butter taste, but it's kind of mild, not really strong, or I guess not strong enough for my liking! I loveee my peanut buttery goodness! Also it was described as "chunky" so I was expecting nuts of some kind, however it didn't. It was crunchy from the soy crisps, so I guess that's where the "chunky" part comes in!
 
Creamy Peanut Butter : This is almost exactly the same flavor as above, but the texture is different! Again, the peanut butter taste wasn't very strong for me, or as legit as peanut butter should be. But this bar did not have the same crunch or grainy texture because it didn't have soy crisp like the Crunchy bar does. 

Cookies & Cream: On the outside of the bar, there's a nice sweet, light and creamy flavor! On the inside there's a nice thick and chewy chocolate almost brownie like texture. There's also soy crisp chunks which makes the texture kinda grainy and crunchy!

White Chocolate: The outer layer of this bar is a nice, sweet and light white chocolate. The middle is chocolatey goodness and there's actually cocoa or chocolate pieces! The flavor was light and mild, definitely not too sweet which was good!

Dark Chocolate: This bar was a bit thicker and harder than the rest. Not sure if it was supposed to be? And this was good because it was not  too bitter, like some dark chocolates tend to be!

Chocolate Espresso: This one tasted just like a coffee bean! There were also like, espresso coffee bean-like chunks on the inside! I'm not much of a coffee person [don't have to have it, but don't hate it either!] so this was an ok flavor for me. Kind of bitter, like espresso tastes!

Chocolate Fudge: This bar was softer than the others, which I really liked! It tasted like a pure chocolate candy bar. It wasn't too sweet or too bitter. Just perfect! I think it was one of my favorites!

Caramel Fudge: This was like the chocolate fudge one, where it was also softer than the other bars! It had a strong caramel flavor and smell and was pleasantly sweet. It was not overbearing at all. The outside layer was made of chocolate and the inside tasted so nice and caramely, another favorite!

Overall review:
I did like the bars! Some to me were a little too sweet though. What?! How can too sweet be a bad thing?!! Well when you've had a fewww... :P.. bars in one night, the sweetness gets to you! 
Now they aren't 100% clean because there is maltitol in it and soy, which through my research some say isn't a clean ingredient. BUTTT I will say that these are DEFINITELY a great alternative to it's unhealthy counterpart! 
Just saying, you'd want to eat thinkThin's caramel fudge bars over an actual caramel fudge! And these at least have a great amount of protein!
I think the best time to chow on these would be the morning or right after a workout, and get all that FANTASTIC protein straight to your gorgeous muscles, or to fuel you for the rest of the day! 

Thank you so much thinkThin for letting me try your line of protein bars! I thoroughly enjoyed them! 
Visit their online store to pick up some thinkThin products!

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It's the Holiday Season! I hope everyone has spectacular plans!!!!
Christmas time, the New Year, what a crazy, busy festive time of the year!

This means it is usually the time for all loved ones to come together, celebrate what the holidays are truly about, and also feast out on spectacular food. I know I bet you're like OH NOOOOOO! How can I resist my Great Aunt Maggie's cakes and goodies and pies?!?!

NOTE, it's a lifestyle, so you CAN have everything you want, just remember that one word:
MODERATION.

Take one cookie, or one piece of pie.
Don't be like me on Thanksgiving where I ended up eating half a Costco Pumpkin pie by myself over the span of 3 days...
I could have done it in 1, just didn't want to overdo it... :O

Here are some tips that will hopefully keep you in check during the Holidays!

Keep up with your food and fitness journal!
Check out a little more about these journals here. Try and keep up with it! I know I sometimes end up just writing everything in a hurry at the end of the night before bed, and because of this I may sometimes end up missing some things I ate throughout the day, or important feelings I didn't jot down right at the time I was feeling them! So try and stay on top of it!
Also write down your goals for yourself, whether it's to lose weight, be slimmer, fit clothes better, etc! And when you're faced with allll that temptation, KEEP IN MIND THOSE GOALS! Will they be sabotaged? If so, DON'T DO IT!

Fill Up On the Good Stuff! And eat Slowwllyyyy
If you're at a family get together, fill up on the healthy shtuff so you're full before the massive dessert table! That means greens, veggies, fruits, lean proteins, YUM. Also, try and eat slowly! Savor each bite! This way, people will already be on their 3rds and you'll [hopefully] still be on your first place! Not only does it help to say no when others prod you to get more food, but it also helps digestion because you're really breaking down all that food before it even hits your stomach!

Don't Tempt Yourself, Get Distractions!
If you don't want to tempt yourself, DON'T LOOK AT IT! Try and keep yourself occupied on your current food in front of you, or play with the little ones to distract yourself! Enjoy the "party" aspect of the season! Get social, talk to your family members, have a good time! Enjoy people's company! It's not ALWAYS about the food!

Make it Yourself!
Tell your family that you want to make a dish for the holiday feast-ivities! And when you do, look up a healthy recipe of a favorite guilty food of yours! I'm pretty sure everything unhealthy has a clean eating recipe somewhere online!

Portions
Maybe you'll let yourself indulge a little bit, that's fine! But again, MODERATION. You can try a little bit of everything, but keep the portion sizes reasonable!

Stay Hydrated
Sometimes we confuse hunger for thirst! So if you're at the dinner table, just had 5 plates and are about to grab that 6th, down a water bottle or half a liter of water! It'll fill ya right on up!

Don't Be Too Restrictive!
I always say this because I've learned from my past mistakes: If I'm too restrictive on myself, that "diet" mindset will soon backfire and send me spiraling out of control and I'll eat allll the naughty things in sight! So let loose a LITTLE bit. Realize how I said little! Don't go crayyyyzy on me now!

Mindless Snacking
Don't do this! Eat your food, and then set a point to stop! Don't keep going back to that food table to grab munchies after munchies. 

It's a holiDAY
If you do plan to indulge, try and keep your loose eating around the actual holiDAY!  Don't lengthen it out into a whole month or into the new year! End if right then and there once you're done with your treat meal! Then, MOVE ON.

Be Active
I know after you're stuffed full, all you want to do is snuggle on that couch with a warm fuzzy blanket and chill in your jammies all night watching reruns of Elf on FX.  Don't do it! Take a nice post-meal walk with your family! Or play with the little ones while they're on their sugar highs! Get moving a little! The little things do help!

Although these tips areeee pretty obvious, I hope they have helped a little bit!
Stay on top of it at the end of this year, and slide into the New Year an awesome, stronger, and better YOU!

Rise Bars & Back Workout!

Even though I'm not doing daily updates for #operationsxy anymore, I hope you all are still along for the ride!!! 

Is everyone rising to their goals and beating dirty eating, weak will power, and flubby fat in the butt?!?!

I hope so!!!!! The photos on instagram under the hashtag are looking AMAZING!

Today I posted a picture of my current back on Instagram and you all were giving me such nice compliments and comments, thank you SOOOOO much! You all ROCK! Go to the bottom of post to see my typical Back workout!

BUTTTTT

Speaking of RISING to the occassion.....

 Rise Bars

 

Why Rise Bars?

• Gluten free
• 100% organic
• Vegan choices
• All natural ingredients!
• No preservatives, non GMO, non sulfured fruits!
• Vegetarian!

Seriously: look at these INGREDIENTS! They are SO CLEAN! Literally like all countable on my fingers! And all natural! Amazingggg.

SPECIFIC BARS FOR SPECIFIC TIMES OF DAY.

BREAKFAST BARS

FOR THE FIRST MEAL OF THE DAY.

Rise Breakfast Bar makes morning say, "Go!" It's sweet, with hearty chunks of fruit and nuts to keep you moving through the most important part of your day.

Crunchy Macadamia Pineapple: This was the first flavor I tried out of all of them! I brought it to work hoping to ward off any hunger cravings! At only 160 calories, this bar was AMAZING and kept me satisfied! So delicious. I loved the crunchiness from the macadamia and sesame seeds, and also the chewyness of the fruit like the dates and pineapple chunks! The flavor of pineapple wasn't tooo strong however. It was mostly an overall "sweet" flavor, mostly due to the dates.

Crunchy Perfect Pumpkin: Hmmmm this one was an interesting one for me... If I were you, I wouldn't smell it :P Just something about the smell of it was odd to me! I'm usually a pumpkin person and I always bake with it! But this wasn't one of my favorite flavors unfortunately... There were pumpkin seeds and also cranberry bits in there! You could taste the sweetness of the cranberries which was nice, but again, it was one of my least fave flavors. 

Crunchy Honey Walnut: The main flavor I first taste are the dates because of how naturally sweet they are! Then you get the crunch of the walnuts and sesame seeds and then the light sweetness of honey. I felt the most flavor did come from the dates. There is also a sort of raisiny smell to it. I did love how you can actually see the walnut chunks in it! Love how these bars have such few, but clean and natural, ingredients!

Crunchy Cashew Almond - This tasted and felt like a crunchy honey grainy nutty combo! Hahaha try saying that 10x fast! There was a sort of honey glaze holding it all together and inside was crispy rice, which made the bar crunchy. Me likey.

Crunchy Cranberry Apple: Main thing I noticed when I first bit into this were the almonds! Yum yum yum. Then the slightest hint of apple and when you get to the little chunks of cranberries, they tasted like craisins! 

ENERGY BARS

QUICK, LASTING,
ANYTIME ENERGY.

Rise Energy+ Bar is 100% organic, made with blended superfruit and nuts, full of fiber and antioxidants to fuel you through the rest of the day.

 

Raspberry Pomegranate - This bar was nice, soft and chewy. You get a different kind of crunch because of the little pomegranate seeds in the bar. The apple chunks  add a sweet little tarty-ness flavor to the bar, so it's not too overbearingly sweet.. There were also surprisingly coconut flakes in it! Which gave it a nice tropical hint of flavor. The overall texture was kind of gritty because of the pomegranate seeds, and I found that a few get stuck in your teeth!

Blueberry Coconut - MMMM I love my coconut flakes! These were also my room mate's favorites! [He helped me out a bit on these bars!] This bar was soft and chewy from the dates. The blueberry flavor wasn't too powerful because the date flavor took over. I think I could see the blueberries, but I couldn't taste them that much! The coconut flakes gave it a nice crispness and crunch!

Coconut Acai - This bar also had those delicious coconut flakes! Along with the sweet tasting acai, and again, the overpowering dates flavor. There were also almond chunks inside which I liked! The texture and flavor can be described as chewy and fruity instead of crunchy and nutty, like the breakfast bars were.

Cherry Almond - This bar was great because of all the almond chunks that were inside! Gave it a great crunch. There were also bits of soft, chewy, chery chunks! 

Apricot Goji - This bar had apricot cashew aroma! It was not too chunky. The taste was very comparable to the cashew butter that I had received from Artisana for their review! And I'm in LOVE with that cashew butter - ahh the taste is so sweet and buttery!

PROTEIN BARS

BEFORE, DURING OR
AFTER A WORKOUT.

Rise Protein+ bar is designed to make good workouts great. It's a super clean formula that delivers a big protein boost with five ingredients or less.

Crunchy Carob Chip - You get a great crunch from almond chunks! But the bar itself is somewhat chewy. What I did was warmed it up for a bit in the microwave, and what came out?? An almost brownie-like bar! It just melts on your tongue! And it was not overly sweet at all! Especially when warmed up!

Almond Honey - This has to be my FAVORITE bar out of all the bars I sampled! It was a chewy, sweet, bar, that seriously tasted EXACTLY like almond butter.  And yes, I'm an almond butter addict, I ADMIT IT! And it only has three ingredients! Almonds, Honey, and Whey Protein! Super clean, soft chewy goodness! It's not chunky because there are no chunks of nuts in it, but it literally taste like I scooped out natural almond butter and put it in bar form. Uhm.. YYUUUUMMMM. There was some oil coming off on the outside, I think mostly because of the main ingredient being almonds, so the healthy oils were coming out!

Overall Review:
The breakfast bars were all great and nutty, definitely a great snack to have at the start of your day to keep you powering through work or school, or any activities you have planned!
The energy bars were all all gooey and fruity chewy. These will definitely keep you energized because of all that natural sweet sugar from the fruits! The only complaint I have about these is that for most of the bars, the dates were very overpowering to the rest of the flavors in the bars! And beware, they're very sticky hehee!
The protein bars would be SOO great preworkout for an amazing energy boost, or post workout because it's full of great protein that'll go straight to building those gorgeous muscle you've been working SO hard for!

Favorite: Almond Honey
Least Favorite: Crunchy Perfect Pumpkin

In all? I absolutely LOVE these bars. Yes some flavors more than others, but still, they are pretty amazing in my book. CLEAN ingredients, NO ADDED ARTIFICAL ANYTHINGS, Gluten free! Perfect for me!! I'm going to have to go to the store now and pick up a few boxes...

Thank you SO much Rise bars for letting me try your amazingly clean eating and healthy snacks! 
 Go check out their site HERE and their online store HERE! 

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Here are the usual moves I do for back workouts! Try it out and let me know what you think! Remember, go as HEAVY AS YOU CAN until the last rep is almost impossible! Haha, that's what I do, Or I go till failure! That's the only way to change! Make your body UNCOMFORTABLE!