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Fashion Fridays – I’m on a Budget

20 Jan

Welcome to the second installment of Fashion Fridays! The first one was such a success (page view wise), that I decided this weekly post will be the new norm for Friday!

I, along with many other people, am on a budget. Last week I featured a Lululemon top, which was a little pricey. This week I decided to post a budget friendly item, that almost anyone could purchase for their fitness wardrobe!

Old Navy Compression Tank Top

I will admit it, I am a total brand whore when it comes to running clothes. The pricier the outfit, the faster I think it will make me run.

This weekend I was out shopping, and decided to make a stop in Old Navy. I have been seeing their active wear commercials on TV, and thought it might be something worth trying. I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon this striped top, and it was on sale for $10!

I love wearing tanks to run in and in boot camp class. I get really hot when I have sleeves on, especially when working out inside or in the heat. This top was a dry fit material, which is perfect for a warm workout.

The top came with extra padding in the bust, however I removed these first thing. I always wear another sports bra under my running tops (unless it is a Lulu top), so I didn’t need the extra padding. It was a little large around my stomach, but that was ok seeing that I was wearing it at boot camp. Less clothing huggage, less I notice the results from donuts.

Overall, the top was comfy, and cozy. Not once did it annoy me during the workout, and I also managed to snag some compliments in between plank sets.

Should you buy one?

YES! For the price alone, this top is worth purchasing. It was just as comfortable and easy to wear as my pricey running tops, but one fifth the cost.

Anyone who is looking to refresh their running and workout wardrobe with cute clothes (which I would highly recommend), please head to Old Navy. The prices are amazing, and the clothes are cute.


Have you ever tried Old Navy clothes? Or are you a running clothes brand whore like me and afraid to venture out of the brand bubble?

TGIF!

Ali

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Fashion Fridays – Lululemon Edition!

13 Jan

I am excited to announce that going forward, every Friday I will be doing a fashion review on the blog. The fashion review will be focused towards some sort of fitness apparel, since this is a running blog! However that doesn’t mean other fashion items won’t be sneaking their way into these reviews.

So, Fashion Friday Volume One, let’s go!

Lululemon – Run: Swiftly Tech Short Sleeve

I purchased the Run: Swiftly Tech Short Sleeve top in October for the Rock ‘n Roll half marathon. Since that race, I have worn the top to kick boxing class, and bootcamp.

Pros:

The top is great! It is lightweight, and breathable. It also is a great moisture-wicking fabric, therefore you can wear it in hot weather alone, or cold weather as a layered item. It is soft, long, durable, and moves great with your body, which makes it a perfect top to wear to bootcamp/kick boxing class.

Yep, you have seen this top before!

Cons:

It is hard to think of too many cons for this shirt, other than the fact that it is a little pricey ($58).

The only negative thing I have to say about this top is the fact that it rides up a bit when I am wearing it. This issue could possibly be corrected if I got a larger size, but I have yet to try one.

Should you buy one?

Yes! I already plan on adding more colors of this top to my running collection, and possibly the long sleeve version if I can save some money. It is a great top, and so far seems very durable after the many loads of laundry it has been through.

And a little fashion bonus…

I doubt you could notice, but the most fabulous part of my outfit above are the Kate Spade earrings I am wearing. I always try to add a little pizazz to my outfit, and when I’m working out it’s no different.

A big thank you to my wonderful friend Brianna who gave me these awesome earrings for Christmas!

Thank you, Brianna!!!

Wishing everyone a fabulous Friday!

Until next time,

Ali

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Let’s Get Lean, GNC Lean!

11 Jan

Recently, I received a set of GNC Lean Shake products to try out. Seeing that I got back into my workout routine this week, I decided it was the perfect time to dive into the product.

Included in my product set from GNC were the following:

Lean Shake – Powder
Lean Shake – Pre-made
On-The-Go Deluxe Blender

Lean Shake – Powder

The Lean Shake powder I have is Swiss Chocolate flavored. As a choc-o-holic I was very happy that this was the flavor I was sent. I also knew that the chocolate would be a great flavor to mix fruit in.

I got out my new On-The-Go blender (see below) and started mixing. The container calls for two scoops of powder, mixed with 8oz of cold water. Total calories: 180, Total Protein: 8g, Total Fiber: 8g Total Carbs: 30g, Total Sugar: 5g.

I decided to add a little oomph to mine, so I added some frozen strawberries to my water and powder and started blending. In only about 30 seconds of blending my breakfast was ready! I poured it in a cup, and hit the road (I love that it was the perfect consistency to drink from a straw).

The shake tasted amazing! It was like having dessert for breakfast! Seriously, when the shake was gone, I got sad! Then I started looking forward to tomorrow’s breakfast so I could have another 🙂

So did it ward off my hunger? Yes! I made it until lunch time (about 4 hours later) until I felt like it was time to eat again.

Lean Shake – Pre-made

The powder was so yummy, and I was very excited to try to pre-made shake for breakfast today. In my wonderful package from GNC, there was a 4-pack of pre-made Lean Shakes.

The pre-made version of the Lean Shake was Lactose Free, and had 24 vitamins and minerals! Total Calories: 170, Total Protein: 25g, Total Fiber: 3 g Total Carbs:6g, Total Sugar: 2g.

I grabbed the shake on my way out the door, and took a big drink. WOW – it was amazing.

The pre-made version was a thicker consistency than the powder/water version would be, had I not added strawberries. I liked the thicker consistency though. I also noticed that the pre-made warded off my hunger a little bit longer than the powder version did. I credit that to the additional grams of protein in this version.

On-The-Go Blender Deluxe

The item I received that I was most excited to try, was the GNC On-The-Go Blender Deluxe.

My first go at using this blender was to mix the powder shake with the frozen strawberries. I dumped my three ingredients into the blender cup, flipped it over and started blending!

As stated above, it only took about 30 seconds to completely blend the strawberries, powder and water together. I have used some blenders that took about 4 times that long, so I considered this a great success!

Final Review

Overall, I loved all the products I tried. And I am very happy that I have a month supply of the powder, 3 more pre-made shakes and my blender.

The only thing I would wish to change would be to add more protein to the powder, and reduce the carbs. It does confuse my why the pre-made version has over double the protein, and far less carbs. I would also like to add more fiber to the pre-made version. It seems that the trade-off between the powder and pre-made are related to the protein/fiber/carb content. Seeing that the pre-made version is more expensive per serving than the powder is, I will probably not use that one as much (I’m on my New Year budget).

I have always held a very good opinion of GNC products, and I will continue to do so. I look forward to *hopefully* try and review more of their products in the future!

-Ali

 

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