Wednesday, July 1, 2009

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

Thought I would share some of my favorite finds from salad dressing to bike shorts to water bottles:

Bolthouse Farms Salad Dressings:


These salad dressings taste so good you wouldn't know they were made of yogurt! No trans fat, no hydrogenated oils, no artificial colors or sugar added, and no high fructose corn syrup. My favorite, Blue Cheese, has 70 calories and 6.5 fat grams per serving. And they just came out with a vinaigrette line...with only 30 calories and 0 fat grams. Great alternative to mayonaise based dressings. Two thumbs up! (Btw, these dressings are located in the refrigerated area in your grocery store's produce section).

http://www.bolthouse.com/


Louis Garneau Women's Flora Short

I wore these shorts twice now and am in complete love! They cost me a few bucks more than your normal bike short but so well worth it. I WILL get my money's worth on this buy! Initially I thought these shorts were just bike shorts, but when I got them home and looked at the tag, they state "Triathlon Specific". Who hoo, bonus! On the comfort scale, they are top-rated. I love the material (not your typical lycra shorts) and they don't death grip your thighs. Oh, so comfortable. I have yet to try them in water yet but if all I do is ride in them....still well worth it! I got them at Performance Bike.

TP Therapy Products


Ok, I admit, I don't use my rollers as much as I should. But Trigger Point therapy is great for all sorts of ailments. Sure, it can hurt (the hip roller especially), but that means it's working. And it has been. Knock on wood, I haven't had any IT band issues this year.

http://tptherapy.com/


Stevia




What is Stevia? Stevia is a South American herb that has been used as a sweetener by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay for hundreds of years. The leaves of this small, green Stevia rebaudiana plant have a delicious and refreshing taste that can be 30 times sweeter than sugar.

It is a natural, non-toxic, calorie-fee sweetener. It is essentially a much better alternative to sugar and artificial sweetners. You can check out their website for more info. But how does it taste? It taste good; I use it in my tea (hot or cold) and really like the taste. I've noticed that sometimes it doesn't dissolve completely but I can live with that. (Btw, you don't need much...a little goes a long way).

http://www.stevia.com/

Eddie Bauer Water Bottle

This water bottle is da bomb! It's BPA-free and features a removable freezer stick. At the beginning of this year I vowed to drastically reduce the amount of "throw away" water bottles I use. So I tried, Polar water bottles, which aren't bad but if I'm not on a bike or running, I really don't want to drink from a sports type bottle. This one has a straw and flip top opening. The freezer stick helps keep the liquid cold and the bottle doesn't smell or taste of plastic. Bonus for me... I have this quirky habit of not tightening bottles, jars, toothpaste caps, you name it, so I typically end up spilling. (Ask Ed how many times I didn't tighten something and have it spill all over the place). With this bottle ...I just have to flip the sipper. As long as I just flip the sipper back in place, no spillage when I tip the bottle over. It comes in some cool colors too....I got the orange as shown above. (It's on sale now for $5.99 with any purchase).

http://www.eddiebauer.com

MacBook Pro

I (or my company) bought a new computer (it's good to be an owner sometimes). Strike that...it's not just a computer, it's a 15" MacBook Pro and it ROCKS! My 10+ year old iMac just wasn't cutting it, it served me well but I couldn't stand how slow it seemed. The power that these new computers have is simply awesome. And the portability of a laptop is fun. I'm sitting in my big brown chair just a typin' away and watching the Cubs game. I'm a happy camper with my new Mac.

http://www.apple.com/

Endurance Nation



Work works! That's their motto within the walls of EN. I gotta say, it's been working for me. I've had a couple of a-ha moments out on the bike. In short, I'm faster than I was last year and I'm able to keep a faster pace longer. I know I'm struggling right now due to my heart rate issues but having a solid structured triathlon plan gives me confidence that this lofty goal is attainable. Coaches Rich and Patrick give sound advice and keep you pointed in the right direction. The entire group of EN members are extremely supportive and also ready and willing to give you advice on anything and everything. I love drinking the EN kool-aid...want some? (They are currently closed to new members and have a wait list.)

http://endurancenation.us/

Well, that's it for now folks...hope you like a few of my favorite things! Do you have any to share?

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