Saturday, April 12, 2014

Energybits Product Review!

A about a week ago I was having a casual conversation via twitter with fellow runner @crystalduff about energy and what we use to keep us moving.  She mentioned that her go to is Energybits.  This was a new product that I had seen a few other posts about, but never really looked into them further.  I was intrigued!

From their website:
Need more ENERGY? We're your answer!
ENERGYbits® are tiny algae tabs so nutritionally dense, they eliminate fatigue and hunger instantly. Want a healthy, natural way to fuel your game or fire up your brain? ENERGYbits® are for you! NO caffeine, sugar, chemicals, gluten or soy, just pure, plant based nutrition, all for just ONE calorie per tab.
Need better HEALTH? We're your choice!
ENERGYbits® have just ONE ingredient - organically grown NON GMO spirulina algae – a super food endorsed by the United Nations and NASA as the most nutritionally dense food in the world. Spirulina has been a favorite of gold medalists for decades. Now it’s your turn. Be powered by BITS™

A rep from the company offered to send me a sample of the product to try!  WooHoo!!!  I was not going to pass up that opportunity to try a new, all natural way to fuel my long runs and crazy days at the gym!

When I received my bits, it was Saturday afternoon, after I already finished my long run, so I had to wait for another good run to come up so that I could try them out... One of the cats tried to get into them before me, but at least she didn't get them open!  Just a few holes poked in the bag from her teeth, so my bits were safe!  They ended up sitting there for a few days before I finally got to tear open one of the packages.  That was a long 4 days!

In the meantime, I had some time to do some reading up on these little gems.  From the information I received with my sample:


Trial 1 - Wednesday nights have turned into a fitness frenzy of sorts!  This week was no different!  My Wednesday evening was going to consist of:
~ 1 hour class at the gym
~ 2-4 mile training run
~potential yoga class to follow

Seemed like a great night to give these bits a try!  Before heading to the gym I tore open that little plastic bag that has been staring at me since Saturday! Honestly, I was expecting something that looked like small jelly or gummy type bits, not a bag full of small tablets... and now I had to swallow all of these?  Since this was the first try with these and not knowing how they might affect me, I opted to only take half of the bag before the gym and then take the other half between the gym and my run... just in case...

The workout at the gym was intense but when I finished, I was feeling good and ready for more!  So we left the gym and headed for the training run.  After meeting up with the rest of the crew (and finishing off the rest of the bag of Energybits), it was time to hit the streets!  I was feeling good and was determined to make the best of this run.  We did decide to only do the short loop for the training run, as the workout at the gym was a lot of leg work again... probably best to not push the knee any further today! It ended up being a fast 2 miles!

Trial one with Energybits complete... ok, not really!  I will have to say I felt great when I finished my run.  We opted out of yoga for the evening as we were all hungry!  Food trumps Yoga on days like today!  So we headed home to make dinner.  I will have to say that my first experience with Energybits was better than expected... not only did they carry me through my workout and run, but they also kept me going once I got home.  I was busy doing stuff around the house and I actually had to make my self stop and go to bed!  I could have kept going, but when the alarm goes off at 4:30am, sleep is a good thing!

Fast forward to today...
I received the ok from from PT for a 10 mile run this weekend!  Energybits don't' fail me now!  I grabbed a protein bar for breakfast and headed out the door to pick up Matt and we arrived at the school to meet up with everyone for the training run.  This was the first time Matt and I were actually are running together since Thanksgiving - hope I can still keep up with his long legs!  I popped my Energybits, and before long we were off.  Our mission was to finish our 10 miles before the rain!

The weather was perfect, I was out on the trail with good friends and I was feeling awesome!  It was not until we turned around at the 5 mile point that I realized one HUGE thing... ok, 2 things... 1st, my knee seemed to be holding up well, not pain so far! and 2nd, usually be this time I am on my second  GU pack!  So far, I had not even thought about grabbing one!

We turned around and started on the second half of our run, back to the Middle School.  So far, the rain was holding off (although the skies were not looking very promising!)  We were feeling good and I was really enjoying just going out there in the crisp spring air.  Before we knew it, we were at 9 miles!  Now at this point, I did notice that my knee was starting to flare up a bit, but it was less than a mile - I had this!

We ended up finishing 10.1 miles in 1:54:07.  Just over 11 minute miles - I'll take it!  and we beat the rain!!  I felt great for the entire run and never felt like I was running out of steam.  I just wanted to run! If it was not for my knee and making sure I didn't push that too far, I probably would have run more!

That run was all Energybits!  All of the rest of the fuel I had with me was still in my pockets!   What an amazing feeling!

Final comments for my review...
1.  The cost per serving might be a bit more than GU or any other race fuel I have tried, but in the end, if I can get through a 10+ mile run with 1 serving of Energybits instead of 2-3 GU packs, that is a win in my book!

2.  Yes, they do taste a little funky when you are swallowing them, but that is a minor detail that I can look past!

3.  With the changes that I have been making in my diet over the last 6 months, if I can use real food to fuel my runs instead of uber processed fuel with 20+ ingredients in them, I know when I would prefer!

4.  No sugar high or sugar crash

5.  There may not be any caffeine in these bits, but they sure can keep me going!

Overall, I am loving what I has seen from Energybits!  The natural fuel that I think I need to make part of my routine!

Thank you Energybits for offering to send me a sample of these little treasures!  Now I just need to get my own supply ordered!

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