Over the past several months I've had the opportunity to try some products geared towards runners ( and anyone seeking an active, healthy lifestyle really). Some of these products were given to me for free to try in exchange for a review and some of the products I've purchased on my own. Regardless of how I obtained them, all opinions are my own and you can count on me to be completely honest! But please remember, this is just one persons opinion.
I'm going to start with one of my favorite products! Neuro Bliss!
I have to admit when I heard of Neuro Bliss, I thought it was a little bit hokey. This product claims to help reduce stress, enhance your mood, provide focused concentration, and promote a positive outlook. Really? All that from one little drink? I was provided three bottles of Neuro Bliss from
Danielle at It's a Harleyyy Life. I tried it and I instantly LOVED it. It tasted like a lightly carbonated grapefruit juice ( but not as strong). I love grapefruit juice ( but I hate carbonated beverages). This carbonation was so light that it did not bother me one bit. In fact it was just enough to make it feel refreshing. I have to admit that it did not make me feel any different mentally ( although it did make me happy to drink it and left me craving more)! I generally have a positive outlook and I don't have much stress in my life, so whatever it IS claiming to do is a bit hokey. But is it tasty? YOU BET! After a bit of searching, I found that my local Target sells Neuro Bliss for $2.49 for a 14.5 oz container. I think that's a little pricey for one drink, but I liked it so much that I decided I wanted to try it again.
This time I chose a different kind. Neuro Passion. This one claimed to give you sustained energy , improve your performance, increase drive and stamina, and enhance cognitive function. Okay, this was going to be a good one. I would drink this before a run. Just from the name "Neuro Passion" I couldn't tell what flavor it was, so I was really taking a chance. It ended up tasting like a cherry cola that went a bit flat. But that was okay to me because I don't like a lot of carbonation, remember. I had a little swig before my run. That particular run did not go so well for me that afternoon. I had only gone two miles before I had to turn around and walk home. I had such a pain in my side. I don't know if the little bit I had to drink contributed to it or not. When I returned I drank more of the Neuro passion. Almost instantly I had got a sharp headache. I put the drink in the fridge and later that night sipped on it two more times and each time I had a drink of it I got a sharp headache. I was now afraid to even finish the rest! So there it is, my review of Neuro Bliss and Neuro Passion.
Coconut Water:
I've been hearing so much about this product and how runners should be drinking it. I then read an article about how it should really only be used for short runs. I had to try it anyway. My local grocery store had it on sale two for $4 and then was giving a coupon for $1 off two of them. So I got two containers for $3. Not bad. Too bad I can't say the same thing about the taste! I tried to keep an open mind about this. Really I did. I tried to make myself like it ( cause afterall, it's suppose to be healthy, right?) It is much thicker than actual water ( which I figured it would be) and it has a very dirty taste to it. No, I don't ever remember eating dirt, but it taste like what I imagine dirt would taste like. I figured coconut water would come in a coconut flavor, but my store only had pineapple flavor and pink guava flavor. Both of these I would have to give a big thumbs down to. I don't know if it were actually coconut flavored if it would taste better or not, but I would say probably not. It would still be that thick texture I did not like and I'm sure it would still taste dirty!
Fruit Pouches:
Over the summer a fellow runner told me that she uses baby food in the pouch as running fuel ( instead of the Power Bar pouches). I found this a bit odd, but was curious. When I was at the Rock N Roll expo back in August, I asked a Power Bar's representative about this and he said baby food is great fuel for runners because it gives them the nutrients they need and it is very easy on the stomach. I did try some of the Power Bar pouches and I liked them, but figured I would try the baby food fruit pouches too. Wal-Mart and other grocery stores sell these pouches in the baby food isle and in the packaged fruit isle ( with the applesauce, raisins, etc). They range anywhere from .88 cents to $1.89 a pouch. Some are fruit and some are a yogurt base. I also found a box of four pouches at Aldis for only $1.99. Big Lots also has individual pouches for .33 cents a piece. These are only 3.1 oz, but are the perfect size to hold in your hand while running. ( They do fit on a fuel belt/running belt, but I didn't like how they flapped around while I ran). After running at Disney earlier this month, I was convinced that these pouches were a hit. I found one in my Disney Running Box!
Belvita Biscuits:
Belvita was one of the sponsors for the
Runner's World Half and Festival back in October so of course we all got complimentary packs of these yummy breakfast biscuits/cookies. I tried the Cinnamon Brown Sugar ones and am now hooked. They kind of have a graham cracker taste. These are great for a quick breakfast. There are four cookies/biscuits in a pack and I can honestly say that I become full before I eat the entire pack!
Quest Bar;
I was given a free box of Quest Bars (White Chocolate Raspberry and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough) from Quest Bar and Sweat Pink. I am normally a bit hesitant about protein bars because to me they always seem to be too thick and tasteless. I was very excited to try the White Chocolate Raspberry though and it did not disappoint. Both of these bars were full of flavor and were quite moist. As far as protein bars go, I liked these! You can tell I liked them so much that I forgot to take a picture of the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough one.
Lara Bar
Lara Bar was another sponsor at the
Runner's World festival. Flavor of Lara Bars that I tried included Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Pound Cake, Sticky Bun, and Roasted Nut Roll. The names of the flavors alone gave me high hopes that these would be yummy! The Lemon Pound Cake was my favorite. It was thick, moist, and had a nice lemon flavor ( not overly strong). I love Pumpkin flavored stuff ( have you read my
Pumpkin flavored food post?) so I was excited to try the Pumpkin pie. The flavor of that one was not strong enough for me. If I had not read the label, I probably wouldn't have known it was pumpkin pie. As far as the Sticky bun and the roasted nut, let's just say I was not a fan. They indeed were a bit sticky ( sticking to my teeth), and I didn't enjoy all the nuts in them.
Clif Bars
I believe these came to me through the Disney runner box. The top one is a Chocolate Chip granola bar. It was crispy and rather dry ( like a regular granola bar is). Nothing all that special. The bottom one however is AMAZING! This was Coconut Chocolate Chip. This tasted like those Somoa Girl Scout cookies (Ya know the ones with the coconut and chocolate)! I have been looking high and low for a box of these and have yet to find them!
Picky Bars:
The Picky bar came from my friend
Jocelyn at The Enthusiastic Runner who works for Picky Bars. I had never heard of Picky Bars before but am really glad I gave it a try. These bars tasted more like candy bars than "healthy" bars. I had the Peanut butter Booyah and expected it to be thick and tasteless but I was proven wrong. In fact, it was anything but. It had the perfect blend of peanut butter and chocolate and also had a good amount of crispiness ( probably from the chocolate chips and some kind of crispy rice) I can't wait to try other flavors of Picky bars now!
Power Bars
This was the first time I've ever had a Vanilla protein bar. I may have to change my outlook now on protein bars, because this is yet another one that has proven me wrong. I liked this one because it was vanilla, and also because it had some crispiness to it. I believe I received this Power Bar from a race box. Have you ever tried the Power Bar Performance Energy Blast? If you like gummy things, you should really try these. I've had the Raspberry, Strawberry banana, and the cola flavored ones and they are all good. I would prefer these to a Gu, but they are probably a little harder to carry on a run.
If you read all the way to the bottom of this post, Thank You!
I was debating if I should have made this into two posts or not.
So now I want to know if you've tried any of these products and what you thought of them.
Also, is there a new product that you've recently tried? If so, please share!
This is a post that we re-posted for Tuesdays on the run with April, Patty, and Erika!
