By Chinups_and_Cupcakes | July 21, 2015

Okay, so it’s been awhile since I’ve done a product post. In the past couple months, I’ve come across some pretty awesome stuff. Last time that I did one of these, it was about the Top 10 dieting foods to try. This time, I wanted to share with you what products that I find really helpful for dieting and exercise. Now, some of this stuff you may have heard of, some of it may be totally new and a couple of these things are just random items that I think any fit girl (or guy) should have!

Workout Tools

#1. I <3 squats and deadlifts! Unfortunately, I have an annoying little lower back injury that likes to pop up randomly every now and then. The first time that I felt it, I was cleaning. Yeah… it’s not even a good story. The second time I felt it, was in the middle of a dead lift. I dropped the barbell, crumbled to the garage floor, checked to make sure I wasn’t paralyzed and then proceeded to drag myself into the kitchen and lay on a bag of frozen peas for an hour. “That’s it”, I thought, “I am NEVER dead lifting again.” To be honest, at this point I had only been working out for 2 months or so, so my form may not have been completely proper. Regardless, I was petrified of them. I got back to squatting relatively quickly, but I couldn’t bring myself to dead lift. Mentally, I wasn’t ready. It was probably a good 6 months before the thought even crossed my mind again. It was about that time that someone recommended getting a belt. I began looking and decided it couldn’t hurt to try, so I bought one. It turned out to be a very good decision. I don’t know if it was helping me more physically or mentally. I referred to it as my safety blanket. I don’t use it anymore because since then I’ve gotten past my “fear” of dead lifts. I would definitely recommend using one if you’re just learning dead lifts to keep your form in check/ keep good posture or if you’ve had a similar experience as me. This is the belt that I bought and it helped TREMENDOUSLY.

#2. One of the many things that I learned with NASM is that flexibility and stretching is EXTREMELY important. I used to neglect it (possibly why I ended up with that back injury). Not only does it improve our range of motion while we work out and in our everyday lives, but also plays a crucial role in preventing instability and injury during a workout. When we have flexibility issues, a group of muscles is usually tight and a group of muscles is usually not strong enough. Tight and weak muscles lead to postural distortions which lead to improper form which is a giant no no. There are several types of stretching (static, active, dynamic) and then there’s Self Myofascial Release. You may be asking yourself, “what the heck is that?” It’s foam rolling! The premise of foam rolling is that you roll on a, well, foam roll, through several different movements (depending on what is tight). The purpose is to find the tender spots (knots) and hold the pressure for at least 30 seconds. “Aghhh, it hurts so good!” After 30 seconds, the knot should begin to release. It may take a few sessions before you start to feel the difference but I can’t stress enough how WONDERFUL and IMPORTANT it is. You can get one HERE. It’s super great to do right in front of the TV, before and after you exercise!

Oh. Em Gee. Where did you get that?!

#3. “Fitness? More like fitness whole pizza in my mouth…” We All LOOOVE our witty workout tanks, don’t we? I know I do! There’s a whole hoard of inexpensive shirts and tank tops HERE. I mean, who doesn’t want to be Wonder Woman?! This leads me to the next product!

 

#4. THESE SHOES. I gotta be honest. I bought them a little over 2 weeks ago and I don’t think I’ve worn any other shoes since! They’re good for running errands, weight training, walking, staring at yourself for hours in the mirror while you strike Wonder Woman poses… you know, the usual!

#5. We’ve all been there. Whether we’re going for a run, heading to the gym to lift, going to yoga class or even running errands, sometimes it can be annoying to have to worry about stuff in your pockets or a purse. That’s why THIS comes in so handy. It’s the “fanny pack” of the future that basically blends into your yoga pants or gym shorts. There’s a pocket for your ID, credit cards, cash and even your phone. It even comes with a hook for your keys. Some people make fun of fanny packs, but they’re coming back in style people! Time to get with the times! I have one 🙂 (It also comes in handy at theme parks and such, because you can wear it on the rides!)

#6. I’m super obsessed with Shields of Strength. They make necklaces, bracelets and other things for both men and women. Each piece has a bible verse related to strength on it. They’re beautiful! Is it my birthday yet??? Check them out HERE.

 

 

Appliances and such!

#7. Every fit girl and guy NEEDS a food scale. Basic food scales are fine and dandy, but THIS food scale is INCREDIBLE. It’s like the Lambo of food scales. I bought Goose one for his birthday back in March; mainly because I wanted to try it… 😉 But it was well worth the money! It’s especially great for all you IIFYM dieters because it literally gives you the macros for more than 2000 foods! WHAAAT?! Ya gotta get one!

#8. The Promixx Mixer. It’s a protein shaker on steroids (teehee) because it mixes itself. It saves you from the gainz goblins that are traditional shakers, because you don’t have to burn your precious gainz shaking anything. I’m being a bit dramatic of course, but it is really cool. It’s portable and the fact that it’s self cleaning is a plus. If you’ve ever forgotten to clean out your protein shaker you’ll understand. YIKES, amirite?

#9. Do you travel a lot? Or are you away from home for several meals a day? I know some of you are! You should get yourself a 6 Pack Bag. Now, the bag itself doesn’t give you a 6 pack… but it does help you earn one! You can fit up to 5 meals in the biggest one, along with a water bottle. It’s like a big ole’ lunch box. It would come in handy if you’re really trying to stick to your macros because it holds a whole day’s worth, or more, of food!

#10. OKAY GUYS. I saved the best for last! This thing is like a gift from God himself. Heck, I’m pretty confident that even God would love getting this as a gift! It’s the T-fal Grill. It’s not your average grill or George Foreman, no no no. It’s the “grill” of my dreams. I always sucked at cooking. I used to worry about cooking meals for my family someday. I have a terrible fear of undercooked food, especially chicken. This thing is a LIFE SAVER for those of you (and ME) that suck at cooking. It has settings for burgers, poultry, sandwiches, sausage, red meat, and fish! I got it for Christmas last year and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. I love grilling chicken on it. It does everything for you! It has sensors so it knows when the chicken is done. If you’re cooking red meat, it lets you know when it’s rare, medium, medium well and well done! It’s the best thing ever. You need it, trust me. 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy shopping 🙂

Until next time…