Super Useful (Fitness) Travel Links 7.6.12

So, planning my own trip for the fall to Sunny California and realizing that I’ll be walking about 42 miles per day at the various theme parks and more I’ll be visiting, I have realized that even though I have stayed in places that have had on-site exercise facilities and I’ve gone to check them out and even take pictures, I’ve not once actually gone to use the equipment provided. I’ll admit it. I’m a total exercise hater. I will walk if I have a destination or do Pilates or go to the gym if I have a partner that makes me do it/go with them, but I hate to exercise on my own and set aside time for it. I’ve been working on how to psyche myself up to start working out again, because once I get into a routine, I am loathe to quit it, and figure I can’t be the only one with this problem.

Even worse is when I’m on vacation. If I’m not on the move to get to one monument or tourist site or another, I’m probably at a restaurant, kicking back and eating something fried. I’m going to attempt to change that with this next trip and eat better food and try to eat less of it, even though I am constantly hungry while I’m traveling. I also would love to bring along some sort of device to keep me on track with my eating and exercise. You know, so I’ll feel guilty when I don’t exercise. I mean, it’s probably not going to get use on park days, where I really probably walk 93,847,393 steps in a day, but on those off days, where I’m just hanging around the timeshare doing laundry and still refusing to go to the actual workout room.



Photo Credit

If you are like me and have a hard time concentrating on fitness at home and on the road, maybe we should download one of these two apps:

MyFitnessPal – Available for any phone that lets you add an app. Through an easy to use interface, you can track all the calories you eat in a day. Choose foods from a comprehensive list at each meal you eat (which is even easier if you are out to eat, because you’ve got time to do this in between ordering and receiving your plate of food or while you are waiting for the check. If you eat/drink the same things a lot, those items are saved for easy checkability and you can quickly see where you are throughout the day with your calories, carbs, fat and protein. You can even search for foods (like what is on a menu at your favorite restaurant) and drop it into your food diary.

Want to log your exercise, too? MyFitnessPal has a big long list of exercise routines to choose from and you can put in how much you weigh and how long you did it to figure out how many calories you burned. Just try not to cheat, because you’re only lying to yourself.

InBloom – Only downloadable on iTunes for now, the InBloom app helps you find good food choices when you are out. Right now they cover New York, LA, San Francisco and Chicago, but are expanding by leaps and bounds as folks clamor for new locations. The app features listings for restaurants, famers markets, stores, grocers, hotels and even more of green businesses that use renewable energy. You can also search by dietary preference/restrictions, like vegan, vegetarian, raw and gluten-free. It’s the perfect way to eat well and shop and dine at places with your same values.

Invention on Quirky

While not on the market yet, I love this idea for a fancy new jump rope. It is equipped with Bluetooth that connects to your iPhone, iPod or iPad and keeps track of your jumping. It also shows you how many calories you’ve burned – which is a big problem with just jumping willy-nilly – monitors your heartbeat and would be really easy to pack. Of course, this wouldn’t be just a good travel item, as it would make sense to work it into your exercise routine at home (or use solely as) and then keep up with your jumping and progress while on vacation. Jumping rope is an awesome workout, easy and you can pretty much find a place to do it anywhere – preferably outside.

Photo Credit

 Off the fitness track for a minute, although sightseeing could still be considered a workout, and lighten your load by leaving the heavy guidebooks at home and downloading some audiobooks or travel guides. USA Today rounds up the best places to find audiobooks at affordable prices. Sometimes, it’s hard to read a book while working out or laying on the beach – all those bright sun rays – so an audiobook is an awesome option. I also love them on road trips as an alternative to music.

Hopefully, you found some use in my inability to talk myself off the couch and these great reasons to make a workout happen, to help you keep your bikini bod and feel stronger and healthier. I’m going to try it. Starting next week, I’m going to make myself exercise for at least 20-30 minutes a day and I’ll check in with you periodically to let you know if I’ve been successful or lazy. Heck, I have a Hoopnotica hoop that even makes it not boring! You can check in with me, too, or make one of your real-life friends responsible for giving you the disappointed face. Good luck!

Review and Giveaway: Travelon Anti-Theft React Weekender

So, Travelon told me I could pick which bag from their new Anti-Theft React collection to review next and I thought I would put it to you to see which you were most interested in, since my reviews are for you guys! You answered – choosing the React Weekender – and Travelon came through with yet another amazing travel bag full of useful pockets and details you’re going to love. Not only can you use the React Weekender for travel, but it would make a fantastic gym, diaper, beach or commuter bag. So, let me just tell you that not only did I put this bag to the test, but I also proved to myself, and hopefully will prove to you, how few items can make an entire travel wardrobe. That said, a lot more than I expected fit in the React Weekender.

The Weekender has one main compartment that has 3 mesh pockets in it for your electronics (or snacks), two side pockets that are shallow enough to not lose things you want instant access to, but deep enough to hold bigger items, and a zipper pocket in the front to hold important items like your boarding pass or wallet. There is a huge side stretchy pocket for a bottle of water and the best addition to every travel bag, an add-a-bag strap that slips over your regular wheeled carry-on’s handle. I hate having to struggle with two bags when I can pop my shoulder bag on top of my bigger one and just breeze through the airport that way. It's so much simpler! Travelon really knows what travelers need and want and that comes across in all their products.



Yup! All THIS fit in that little bag!

So, aside from my packing awesomeness, this bag has everything you hope to have in a travel bag, like wide shoulder straps that don't slip down your arm when you're running from one gate to another.

This fabulous zipper stow pocket that I stashed a fun wristlet in for a night out, but also to hold my passport, money and boarding passes while on-the-go, because it's so much easier to have all those necessities in one place.

This huge inner compartment that holds absolutely everything! Seriously. Look at all the stuff I crammed in there. I'm in love with these mesh pockets, too, because you can use them for things you want to have at your fingertips while you're traveling: those little things you don't want to lose, holders for your makeup that doesn't go in a 3-1-1 bag (then you don't have to bring a regular makeup bag) or you electronics and snacks, like I used them for. These might also be the perfect little pockets for underwear and socks or your three favorite apples. You decide. They are multipurpose!

Do you enjoy reading and other activities when you travel? So do I. The front and back Velcro pockets are really convenient for things you want to easily access when it's under your seat or under your desk. Only half the depth of the bag, you won't lose change you tossed in there from your coffee run or bigger things like your iPod or Sudoku book. I was able to get my netbook in one side - without actually securing it closed - but could use it fully for my Kindle and camera accessories that I seem to always lose in the bottom of a regular bag. It's perfect for getting through security though, because I can just whip my netbook out and toss it in the bin without having to open the rest of the bag. This might also be a good place to put your 3-1-1 bag for quickly getting through the line and making others jealous of your organizational and preparedness skills. Take that, lady with lace up knee boots and bag full of fancy lotions!

Afraid someone is going to try to steal your stuff while you're at the airport, grocery store, playground, gym or beach? The ingenious bag engineers at Travelon have installed this discreet carabiner clip. It just looks like any old clip, but you can clip your zippers to it and the bag can't be opened! That's not all though! The bag also offers slash-proof construction with wire mesh lining and wire lined shoulder straps. If you think this adds extra heft to the bag, you'd be wrong. The empty bag is crazy light, but built so ruggedly, you'll have it for decades (if you aren't in the habit of throwing it off cliffs or running it over with your car).

Have I convinced you yet? I mean, look at that pretty color! The one I have is in teal (and matches my fun Lucas floral print carry-on), but it also comes in all grey. Whether you’re going on an overnight trip, need a new gym bag, have a mobile office or just want a new personal-size carry-on bag that will last you forever, then this is a fantastic solution for you.

More information

Where you can buy it: Travelon online

How much it costs: $100.00

Colors it comes in: teal | grey

Other specs: Slash-proof shoulder strap and bag construction, nylon fabric that is easily wiped down if you spill on it, 21" x 11.5" x 8", lightweight design easily folds down flat.

Now you can win your own Travelon Anti-Theft React Weekender Bag!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was provided with the Travelon React Weekender for the purpose of this post, but all opinions are my own.

Where Candy Comes From 7.4.12

Happy Fourth of July to everyone in America. For the rest of you, happy Wednesday! When Eric and I took our mini-vacation to Bend last month, we packed a lot of stuff into a short amount of time. It was still pretty relaxing though, which is always key in a getaway. One of the items we ticked off our itinerary was a trip to Goody’s Chocolate and Ice Cream Factory. We are both kids at heart and wondered what a two-dollar tour would consist of. Goody’s supplies candy and ice cream to its “local” stores and also ships chocolates to your home (if you don’t live in a place where it’s super warm). They manufacture 20 tons of chocolate a year, which may seem like a lot, but it’s pretty small compared to the bigger candy brands like Hershey.

Look at all the candy! This isn't even all the varieties.

For our $2, we were given a 15-minute tour and six candy samples as we were learning about each and watching (most of) them being made. Goody’s doesn't add any preservatives to their candies and the chocolate is gluten-free, so it’s a pure treat that you can certainly tell the freshness in.

We started our visit out with some chocolate covered potato chips, because you can’t just wait around for chocolate when you already HAVE ACCESS to chocolate, and wandered around the “museum”. Granted, the museum was the size of my bathroom, but they packed a lot of interesting facts and historical items in that small space. Like did you have any idea what a cacao tree looked like? Did you know a cacao pod is like the size of your head? Me neither!

Working hard to bring you delicious, delicious treats. 

So, Goody’s makes all kinds of candy, from chocolate covered cherries to caramel corn and then also makes delicious ice cream with local ingredients. It was really creamy and made a nice end to our tour. Along the way, you got to peer in the windows at the workers and learn about what they were doing and what each machine did. 

Poor me, having to try out "irregular" minty chocolate.

Candy-making is a lot of hard work and it takes experts to really make each batch perfect. Of course, sometimes mistakes happen or the machine doesn’t do its full job, and then you get discounted “oops” bags of goodies. It’s just as tasty, but not as pretty. For the chocolate lover, I say “who cares?!” We bought a couple bags and munched on them throughout our weekend.

Have you ever visited a candy factory…or any other kind of fun factory?