The Fun Fit Blog

Nuru Exercise Anywhere Cards - A Review

A big challenge with staying fit can be the gym itself.
Sometimes you:

• don't have time to travel to the gym
• are traveling and there is no gym at your hotel
• prefer to exercise outside

One of the first things my trainer taught me was that being able to workout without a gym or any equipment was crucial to overall fitness. She taught all her clients how to train every major muscle group without use of gym equipment.

Let's face it, being able to get a good workout in a small space with no equipment is a handy set of skills to have. Even for the most experienced fitness fanatic, creating a complete workout routine with no equipment in a small hotel room can be a challenge. Today, I'm reviewing a product that might help you with that challenge. It's Exercise Anywhere Knowledge Cards by Nuru.

Nuru advertises: "Want to build a better body without a gym? This deck is for men and women of all fitness levels."

Can a deck of 30 double-sided cards really help you build a better body and just how comprehensive can a small deck of exercise cards be? Let's find out.

For a small deck of cards, Nuru covers all the important fitness topics. The overall contents consist of:

1. Basics
2. Chest
3. Back
4. Lower Body
5. Shoulders
6. Arms
7. Abs
8. The Cardio Lab

These cards hit all the key points of what you need to know to create a great workout with no gym equipment. To get you started, the cards cover key items for exercises and cardio. Almost every card contains an easy to understand exercise illustration and many cards contain multiple illustrations. I especially like that Nuru's Exercise Anywhere cards take the time to explain, in a very motivating way, why you are doing the exercise.

Each exercise is well explained and many of these cards provide several variations for each exercise. So 1 card can actually teach you several different exercises. For the most part, you won't need any equipment to perform these exercises. However, a few exercises require the use of a towel and 1 exercise requires the use of water bottles. But these are easy-to-find items.  

These cards are easy to navigate. The deck comes with a metal ring. Each card contains a title on the top of the card and a subject tab on the side of the card. So you never get lost when reading through the cards.

Who are these cards for? They are for everyone from beginner to expert. If you are just starting out, these cards will be of great assistance. If you are a gym expert, you'll still learn a thing or two from these cards and more importantly, devise new ways to keep in shape when traveling and no gym is available. For a traveler, these cards won't take up space in a suitcase yet they'll provide you with complete suggestions for exercises that you could perform in a hotel room. In addition, much of the information in these cards can also be applied to exercises with weights. If you are working out with gym equipment, these cards make a great refresher on the principles of exercise.

Nuru's Exercise Anywhere cards make great addition to anyone's fitness library. These cards cost $8(US) from the Nuru website. For the amount of information the cards provide, $8 seems very affordable. If you are looking for some exercise ideas, give these cards a try.

Have Fun, Be Fit!
"Functional Marc"

Do Bistro MD Meals Deliver?

Bistro MD is the home-delivery meal plan advertised on the Biggest Loser website. Last year, I considered subscribing to this service, but had one excuse after another.  This year, looking at my calendar, seeing no major travels in my near future, and still needing to lose weight, I ordered one of the 4 plans. The 4 plans that are offered on the website are 5 or 7 days of breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks; and 5 or 7 days of just breakfast, lunch and dinner. I chose the 5 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner, since I knew I would want to have some meals outside of the meal plan, and I felt I could select appropriate snacks and stay within the calorie target I'd selected for myself.  It was also the least expensive way to try out the program, running approximately $155 (or about $30/day) when shipping charges are taken into account. Refer to the Bistro MD website for more specific details on meal plan options and pricing. I did find out that lunch-and-dinner only options are available (through customer service), if that makes sense for you.

Shipping…
The food is sent in a cardboard box containing a Styrofoam container packed with dry ice.  I understand that if you also order the snacks, there is a separate (or divided portion) that houses the room-temperature stable foods.  You also receive the menu for the week, so you know which meals were designed to be eaten on the same day as other meals (which helps to balance calories and nutrients over the course of the day), and some heating instructions.

Initial Food Review…
I am in the middle of my 3rd week of the program, and so far, I am generally impressed with the quality, taste, and appearance of most of the meals that I have been sent.

Breakfasts…
I have mixed feelings about the breakfasts, but they are growing on me.  They taste good but some seem to be very similar to items that could easily be purchased at the supermarket. For example, frozen waffles with sugar-free syrup.  There is one breakfast that is super-fantastic however – phyllo dough pastries with fruit filling.  WOW ARE THEY GOOD, and you get two for only 220 calories. I will be spending some time at the supermarket to really see if I can get quality 'substitutes' for the breakfasts (with as much protein and fiber) before I make a decision whether or not I'll continue to order the breakfasts.  I may keep ordering the breakfasts just for those pastries!

Lunches and Dinners…
The lunches and dinners are generally more elaborate and have foods that would not necessarily be as easy or convenient to prepare for one person if you tried to cook for yourself.  The chicken cordon bleu was outstanding, as well as one of the beef dishes.  The food comes packaged either like a standard frozen meal, in a paper tray with two compartments (which is to be heated in the microwave), or, in clear plastic bags 'boil-bags' suitable for heating by boiling or by snipping a hole in the bag and heating in the microwave. 

The main part of the meal (eg, the meat or pasta) is stellar in both taste and appearance. I haven't had one main meal I haven't enjoyed yet.  Side dishes in (in meals provided in the paper tv-dinner style packaging) have ranged from terrific to, well, needing some help.  I called customer service, and a very nice woman noted my comments about the meals that had side dishes that just weren't up to par, and 2 replacement meals were arranged for the next available delivery.  She also noted that refinements of some of the meals were planned.  My next shipment did not have any of the meals that were in the paper tv-dinner style packaging.  Not sure if that was coincidence or just great customer service orientation!

Appearance and Portion

Size…
What I like most about Bistro MD is that the lunches and dinners generally do not taste or appear like microwave dinners that are purchased at the supermarket.  Once cooked, if placed on a dinner plate, they appear like food you would receive at a restaurant, an advertising claim that I agree with. 

Preparation Time…
PLEASE BOIL the food when it's an option… It is a little more work but WORTH IT!  In my kitchen… the boiling method takes about 30 minutes total (about 20 minutes to boil the water and about 10 minutes to cook the food).  Long enough to change your clothes after a long day of work, answer some emails, or prepare dinner for your kids.  Some foods are microwavable… and some can be heated in the toaster oven (like the phyllo pastry I mentioned above…). 

My Short Term Future with Bistro MD… and my Reviews…
I have committed to myself that I'll continue in the program for about four to five weeks, as when I started there were 4 weeks of rotating menus available.  I noticed that now there are six rotating menus. Since I am not getting 2 of the 7 days' meals, I won't be able to critique each one, but I will write another review that will contain individual meal critiques, and more information about the nutritional content of various meals. 

Summary…
In summary, Bistro MD foods have been quite satisfying so far, and customer service is responsive.  I look forward to enjoying the meals waiting for me in my freezer, and writing about my continued experience with Bistro MD in the next few weeks. 

Did I mention that in 1 week, I've lost about 3 pounds, combining the support of Bistro MD and my new bodybugg!  Oh yes, I'll review my experience with that too!

Stay tuned.  Happy progress!

Bellydancing (and Spinning) Diva

Protria Fudgy Brownie - A Review

In a previous review, I told you about about sugar-free Optimum Protein Diet Bars. Today I'll review a competing bar, Protria Fudgy Brownie.

Let's go over the stats for this bar:

• 186 Calories, 27 from fat
• 5% daily value of total fat
• 10% daily value of saturated fat
• 0 trans fat
• 5% daily value of of cholesterol
• 8% daily value for carbohydrates
• 2% daily value for fiber
• 20 g of protein

These stats very good compared to most protein bars. But how do these bars taste? Protria is one of the best tasting protein bars I've ever tried. Protria kind of reminds me of Ho Hos, but without the cream filling. You get 20 g of protein for only 186 calories, plus great taste. That's a good deal.

If you're looking for a low-calorie, low-fat protein bar, give Protria a try.

Have Fun, Be Fit!
"Functional Marc"

Elite High Protein Cereal, A Review

I recently received a marketing flyer for a cereal with 25 g of protein. Intrigued, I purchased some Elite High Protein Cereal by Dymatize Nutrition. So let's review some high-protein cereal!

The first thing I noticed about this product is that it comes in several familiar sounding flavors:

• O's
• Slenders
• Frosters
• Tropical Loops
• Snaps
• Cocoa Snaps
• Fiber Crunch
• Sweet Raisin Flakes
• Raisins and Crunchy Clusters

This cereal is much more expensive than your typical cereal. One box comes with only 7 cereal packets.

Once you open up the Elite High Protein Cereal packet, you notice that it looks like standard cereal, but mixed with a whole lot of protein powder. This mixture does seem a little odd in appearance.

Here's where it gets even odder, you pour water over the cereal and stir well. That's right, water! The first time I tried this, I put in just enough water to cover the cereal and it looked and tasted like there was milk in the bowl. The second time, I think I added too much water because it tasted like cereal with water in the bowl. I think less water, rather than more water here is the key. Also to get all the protein, you're going to have consume EVERYTHING in the bowel, water included.

Here's the stats for the Raisins and Crunchy Clusters:

• 230 calories, 10 from fat
• 2% total daily value of fat
• 0 saturated fat
• 2% total daily value of cholesterol
• 11% of total daily value of carbohydrates
• 2.5g fiber
• 25 g of protein
• Cereal-type vitamins

The stats are great. This a low-calorie, low-fat, high-protein food.

I tried the Raisins and Crunchy Clusters, Frosters, and Tropical Loops flavors. All tasted very good.

This cereal isn't for everyone. It's expensive and even after you mix it with water, the cereal is still coated with tons of protein powder. Belly Dancing Diva could barely finish a spoonful of this cereal because she was grossed out by the powder coating.

This product is really for someone that's religious about eating low-fat, high-protein foods. Because all you need is water, this is a great product for work or when you travel.

I really liked this cereal. But then again, I'm someone that consumes lot's of protein shakes, protein bars, and cottage cheese. So my tastes may not represent the majority of people out there.

If you're looking for alternatives to protein shakes and bars, then give Elite High Protein Cereal a try.

Have Fun, Be Fit!
"Functional Marc"

Purdue Perfect Portions - Product Review

I am not a huge fan of supermarket shopping.  I get distracted and wind up buying too much, or things that weren't on my list (and they're usually not the healthiest impulse buys).  However, this weekend, I was planning on buying chicken breasts in bulk, and then freezing individual chicken breasts for one-person cooking in the near future… but then while meandering through the supermarket, I came across Purdue Perfect Portions.  The bag contains 8 perfectly proportioned chicken breasts, either plain or with Italian seasoning.  For 130 to 140 calories apiece, sized perfectly to cook up in less than 10 minutes, I was sold. I froze most of the pieces (which are individually wrapped) and left a few in the refrigerator to use during the week.  For lunch, I pan-seared an Italian-seasoned chicken breast, placed it on a Kaiser roll with lettuce and tomato and some "healthy butter substitute", and steamed some broccoli for a side dish.  The seasoning was just right.  And I'm looking forward to some lemon chicken tomorrow.

So, I suppose that every now and then, I'll do the shopping so that I can spot some products that will make my food plan easier to manage.

Best Fitness,
Bellydancing Diva

A Review of Mus-L Blast Protein Powder

I traveled to the Chicago recently. After I arrived, I headed to the nearest grocery store to pick up some healthy foods. Since most grocery stores sell some type of protein powder, I decided to save a trip and buy the protein powder at the grocery store instead of going to the local GNC or Trader Joe's. After some searching in the grocery store, I finally found the protein supplement aisle.

There was only one container left of protein powder on the shelf, it was Mus-L Blast Protein Powder, Body Building Formula. I was very tired from my travels, so I put this container in my cart and thought, "It's protein powder, it must be good". However, this proved to be my worst decision for the entire trip.

Today, I'm reviewing MLO's Mus-L Blast Protein Powder. First the stats (for a serving size):

• Serving size is 4 scoops, so 3 pounds of powder is enough for 9 shakes
• 550 calories
• 37% of total daily value carbohydrates
• 61 g of sugars
• 5% of total daily value fat
• 8% of saturated daily value fat
• 13% of daily value of cholesterol
• 21 g of protein
• Lot's of vitamins and minerals

Just looking at the stats, you can probably figure out why I consider this to be the worst decision of my trip. Mus-L Blast is high in calories and sugar. The stats for fat are OK, but I've seen better. Plus the stat of 4 scoops for a serving is a little odd compared to most proteins.

I tested Mus-L Blast in soy milk. Immediately, all the powder sank to the bottom my shaker. The powder sank like a rock. All of it. This was not a good sign. I've tried several protein powders over the years and I've never seen any powder sink before. Unless you drink your shake really fast, you have to keep shaking this protein drink every few minutes because the powder keeps sinking to the bottom.

The powder tasted sweet. It was almost too sweet to drink. I did the math, one 3 pound container of Mus-L Blast consists of 1.2 pounds of sugar! What is MLO thinking? How is this possibly healthy? I bought Mus-L Blast for protein, not sugar.

Also taking in 550 calories, just to get 21 g of protein is insane!  With a small can of tuna, you can get the same amount of protein for about 100 calories.

Yes this powder contains lot's of vitamins and minerals, but if I wanted a multi-vitamin, I would have bought one. I bought protein powder and there's not much protein here!

This is my first experience with MLO Sports Nutrition, but after this, I don't think I can take them seriously as a protein supplement company. I'm sticking with Designer Whey and Optimum Nutrition, their 2 pound containers will last me about a month or longer. Nine shakes for a 3 pound container is nuts.

So to summarize, Mus-L Blast is mostly sugar, with a tiny amount of protein. Mus-L Blast sucks donkeys! Avoid at all costs.

Still there are many great protein powders on the market. Look for ones low in calories and fat. Those protein powders will give you great results.

Have Fun, Be Fit!
"Functional Marc"

Ab Coaster - Fast Abs Now! - A Review

The other day I was at my local gym. In the distance I saw a man on some sort of ab machine that I had never seen before. This man's knees were on a seat and his hands held 2 handles. I noticed that the seat slid up and down along metal tracks in a J-shape motion. As I watched him, I thought "That looks like fun!".

Today, I'm reviewing the Ab Coaster. Let's briefly go over the pros and cons.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Great movement and range of motion
• Can add up to 40 pounds of weight plates to the exercise
• Seat position moves for abs/oblique exercises
• Sturdy construction

Cons:

• The machine essentially offers only 2 exercise types (ab and oblique)
• Cost, approximately $415 (US)

I work out my abs often and with many different types of ab exercises. But after using the Ab Coaster once, my abs were sore for about 2 days. This machine did a great job of targeting my abs. The motion on the Ab Coaster is really fun and very unique. I don't know of any ab exercise or machine that's comparable to it.

Having said that though, $415 seems expensive for what is essentially a dedicated, 2-exercise ab machine. For $415, you can get a lot of tried and true equipment to work your abs. While this machine is marketed to everyone wanting to get fit, it's really only for people who already have their "Ultimate" home gyms and want that little something extra to add to their home gym.

Do  I want an Ab Coaster? Yes. Will I buy one? Probably not. I think I'll use that $415 towards my home gym treadmill fund (a Precor 9.35 sounds good). Because abs are all about low body fat, a treadmill would probably give me better defined abs than the Ab Coaster.

Remember, there is no such thing as spot reduction. Or put another way, working out your abs, will not remove the fat around your stomach. Only proper diet and exercise will do that. Only by having an extremely low body fat percentage will you see that 6-pack abs. There's no substitution for a good diet and lot's of exercise. In fact, for that $415 the Ab Coaster folks will provide you with exercise and diet booklets. Why? Because even with the Ab Coaster, you need diet and exercise to see those abs.

Have Fun, Be Fit!
"Functional Marc"

The Biggest Loser Water Bottle - A Review

At the beginning of the season for The Biggest Loser, I talked about how you could get the same water bottle that they use on the show.

Recently, my main water bottle bit the dust. So I needed to purchase a new water bottle.  I ended up purchasing the water bottle featured on The Biggest Loser. So today I thought I would provide a brief review on this Nalgene/Brita Filter For Good water bottle.

I've use these bottles for a few days now. Let's go over what I like and don't like about it.

Likes:

• Stylish color
• Nalgene
• Wide mouth - good for ice cubes
• Size - Holds about 1 Liter of Water (not too big to hold in hands)
• Easy twist-on/twist-off cap
• Cap held on firmly by strong plastic
• Dishwasher safe
• Some of the proceeds go to a good environmental cause
• Comes with a $5 off Brita coupon
• Seen on every episode of this season's The Biggest Loser
• Seems to produce less condensation than my previous 600 mL Eddie Bauer Nalgene water bottle

Dislikes:

• Bottle won't fit in standard cup holder

Overall, I really like this water bottle. The fact that it can't fit into a standard cup holder isn't a big deal for me. I use this bottle mostly at work and home, not on the go. The 1 Liter size is great because I don't have to constantly refill it. If you work out a lot, you need to hydrate often. If you're looking for a new water bottle in the 1 L size, I would definitely recommend getting this one.

Have Fun, Be Fit!
"Functional Marc"

What Life Fitness Gets and Doesn't Get With It's New Treadmills

I get set in my ways very quickly. I admit that when I find a cardio machine I like at the gym, that I stick to that machine.  New cardio models at the gym always means learning new things. Besides, the treadmill I like to use at the gym has cooling fans. What more could I possibly need in a gym treadmill?

At my gym this morning, the Direct TV satellite signal went out on almost a quarter of the treadmills (an event that seems to occur much too often lately).

Looking for some way to stay interested for my 30 minute run without TV, I selected the gym's new Life Fitness Treadmill. From a distance, I could see the new treadmill had a nice big LCD screen, so I thought maybe this treadmill would have more real-time stats on the screen to keep me motivated for my run. When I got on the Treadmill, I realized, this wasn't a typical treadmill. This one had all sorts of bells and whistles.

The new Life Fitness models have an iPod plug for any iPod. You can use the buttons on the treadmill to control the iPod. You can also watch videos off your iPod on the treadmill's LCD screen (I left my iPhone in the car, so I'll have to try this feature out the next time I'm at the gym).

These new treadmills also have a USB port that works with any USB flash drive so you can track your progress every workout. I happened to have a USB drive with me, so I did test this feature and it worked easily.

These new features are great for any treadmill. However, there was 1 more feature that I was really excited about. These new treadmills also offer a virtual trainer (male or female, your choice) to help you during your run. This feature has a lot of potential. Imagine a virtual trainer that has 20 or more positive sayings and gives you an update on your progress every 5-10 minutes, ie tell you your miles, pace, and calories with a new positive message each time. Well, I can imagine it. Unfortunately, Life Fitness can't. Their virtual trainer mostly just helps explain what all the buttons do. The virtual explanation is nice, but not really needed. It's a treadmill. How complicated can it be to operate?

The only encouragement that the virtual trainer does is let you know when you're at the half way-point and when there's only 5 minutes left in your run. I think most people would like more frequent, positive encouragement. Why not make it sound original too?  How difficult is it to add at least 20-40 positive phrases to make the run more interesting? I think most people on treadmills wouldn't mind virtual members of the opposite sex cheering them on while they run. Life Fitness has the technology, but they don't have a clue.

Oh, the new treadmill felt fine during my run. However my virtual trainer was kind of a let down. I'm hoping that the satellite TV will be working on my next treadmill run.

Have Fun, Be Fit!
"Functional Marc"

 

A Review of P90X, Bring It!

I usually laugh at most TV fitness products because most of the TV fitness products out there are pieces of junk. However, one product recently caught my attention. It's P90X. After watching the P90X commercial, I got nothing but good vibes from this product and decided that I needed to check it out. Today, I'm going to give you a review of the P90X product. Let's find out if it lives to the hype.

P90X seems like a program that will appeal more to men than women. The P90X program includes a diet program and the exercise videos. Before you start the P90X program, you'll need some gear such as bands, dumbbells, pull-up bar, and heart rate monitor. Most of the gear can be purchased at P90X's site.

The diet very comprehensive. The diet program tells you what to eat every day for 90 days. All your meals of the day are planned out for you. And the food menu looks tasty. They even include some fast food suggestions for those rare times when fast food is your only choice. Also, the nutritional program is big on the P90X vitamin supplements, nutritional drinks, and energy bars. I'm not big on the idea of not being able to choose my own vitamins, protein shakes, and protein bars. Overall, the P90X diet seems really rigid. If you're someone that can follow a rigid diet plan, then this diet is for you. But if you're someone that likes to be flexible with your diet and are only looking for suggestions, then this might not be the diet for you. 

Before we move on to a review of the videos, I want to mention that every time you play one of the P90X videos, you're given this friendly greeting:

P90X is an extreme fitness program and should not be attempted by someone who does not meet the minimum fitness requirements outlined in the guidebook or who has a history of knee, shoulder, or spinal (back or neck) problems. This warning is not to be discounted. There are many fitness alternatives if you have weaknesses or are prone to injuries - but P90X is not one of them. The user assumes all risk of injury in the use of this program.

I don't recall seeing this fine print on the commercial, but then again I've never watched the commercial all the way through. After watching the exercise videos, I can confirm that P90X is indeed, an "extreme" fitness program. It's so extreme that I don't know if I could recommend it for beginners.

The exercise videos are very comprehensive. They consist of:

• Chest and Back
• Plyometrics
• Shoulders and Arms
• Yoga
• Legs and Back
• Kenpo
• Stretch
• Core Synergistics
• Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps
• Back and Biceps
• Cardio
• Ab Ripper

I'm not going to review every video, but there are a few things that come to mind when watching the P90X videos. One annoying thing is that at the end of each DVD is a commercial for Beach Body's web site. It seems a little odd, considering the cost of the program.

Let's talk about the bad first and the good later.

The Bad

For many exercises, there's not enough explanation of how to do the exercises. For example, for the balance lunges, I was disappointed that trainer never mentioned that the weight should be on the heel of the foot and not the ball of the foot. The program makes a lot of assumptions that you know how to workout, which is why it might not be best for beginners.

The Cardio X video isn't exactly what you might expect. But it's got a lot of variety to it and it will definitely burn calories. It includes a mix of yoga, kenpo, plyo, and core. Some of the moves in the cardio video are a little advance. As someone who took a couple years of Shotokan karate, I know that good kicks take practice and good form doesn't occur overnight. The cardio video really doesn't explain how to do the side kick or back kick. The trainer in the video says "Who cares if it's pretty?". Well you're the trainer. Shouldn't you explain how to do the moves? The Kenpo video explains how to perform the kicks a little bit. But I think the kicks could be explained better. But the P90X videos are not big on explaining the exercises or how to do the movements.

Speaking of kicks, the Kenpo video was disappointing. First, I wasn't too impressed with the high blocks.  This may be minor, but as someone with a background in Shotokan karate, I don't see how their high blocks would work in the real world. Plus, for the low block, the guy in the back is doing the block all wrong. Overall, a lot of the P90X blocks look more like a cardio routines than actual martial art blocks. And the punches just look really wimpy. I'm thinking that the P90X trainer doesn't have much of a martial arts background.

The back exercises in the P90X  involve a lot of back pull-up exercises. Even most fit people can't perform many back pull ups, but this video has you do a lot of them. In my opinion, these are really advanced moves and I think most people who buy P90X will have great difficulty performing these exercises.

The Good

However, most of the videos are really good. Although the Core Synergistics video doesn't involve any training with a BOSU, ball, or wobble board, the routines on the video will definitely work your core.
The Plyometrics video is good. It's good to see Plyometrics (exercises for fast, powerful movements) in a popular fitness program such as P90X. The Ab Ripper has a bunch of challenging ab exercises waiting for you. And I'm no yoga expert, but the Yoga video looks like it would be fun, yet at the same time be very challenging. It's tougher than most of the videos! The leg video will definitely work your legs. Many of the exercises in the leg video are the same leg exercises that I've been doing for years.

For almost 8 years, I've worked out with many trainers and trained at many gyms and I have to admit I learned a thing or two watching the P90X videos.There's definitely a lot of advantages to using the P90X program. However, the P90X program is not perfect. Most of the exercises in this program can be done by anyone. However there will be some exercises that you probably can't do or can do only with great difficulty. I don't think this program is a good choice for a beginner who is out of shape. P90X is a tough program and it starts off at a very high level, which is sad because really fit people don't need P90X. It's the beginner who is out of shape that needs P90X, but I'm afraid P90X may be too advanced for a great number of people.

If after reading this review, you're still interested in the P90X program, then go for it. While not perfect, this program definitely has a lot of good things going for it.

Have Fun, Be Fit!
"Functional Marc"