PrettyFit-The Prepared Pack

PrettyFit provides active women with the best nutritional supplements, healthy snacks, workout gear and more through monthly packs chosen by top fitness professionals. Expert trainers include their best workouts, recipes, and tips to maximize the benefit of the products inside every pack.

I just got my first PrettyFit shipment, The Prepared Pack. I'd been on their website before and was excited about the possibility of a monthly kick in the butt to slip on my running shoes or hit the gym. 

When I created an account, however, I was a little disappointed to discover the address form didn't allow for an APO/FPO option. Damn this duty station! Cue my clenched fist. I emailed customer service and was pleasantly greeted with a solution: simply create the account with my Stateside address and then log in and change it before placing my order. Ta da! It worked! $50.00 later I was all set to receive The Prepared Pack, touted as "everything you need for the perfect workout."

Upon making my payment I immediately received a congratulatory email. Every time I send money to the internet I am celebrated by all people except maybe my husband. I'm quite the hero. Or the mad shopper. Anyways this was the 24th and the email said they'd ship my pack out towards the end of the month. Damn. I mean, here we are, within a week of next month and I'm already getting my first pack. Sweet!

So the first rolls around and I haven't received a shipment notification yet. Sad face. I shouldn't have been so excited! I reach out to customer service once again and I'm informed that since my order was right on the cusp of the change in shipping dates I'd be getting my pack later than expected. Boo. Hiss. I was displeased because first of all, I had my heart set on RIGHT NOW for the shipping and second of all, the next month's pack looks awesome and I don't want the Prepared Pack instead-that is soooo Ginelle circa last month. The rep, Alex*, apologized and gave me $5 off my next order, plus they (damn those gender-neutral names!) put in an additional order for me for the new month's pack so I'd be all set up with goodies. Phew! I had expected the additional $50 charge anyways so that was no big. And $5 off isn't much but it was a nice gesture. The final email between us was the fourth, where I'd been told that I would get automated emails with tracking information for both boxes in short order. Celebrate good times, c'mon!
The twelfth (I didn't realize how odd that word looked spelled out!) I receive my Prepared Pack. Sans notification! That's okay, I was just excited to get it. I checked on the website the next day and I saw that tracking information was available in a weird format. Weird to me, anyways. Instead of having a tracking number, it looks like the site just updates itself with new information from USPS. It seems to have the same exact info as the USPS site. It appears that this pack shipped out the day that I got the last email from Alex (the 4th) and got to me on the 12th. Only eight days for shipping; not too shabby here at my duty station in Never Never Land.


The contents of this box were not obvious upon first inspection. No company logos or special packaging common among subscription boxes. I cracked that baby open and was greeted with purple tissue paper (FOR GIRLS, DUH!) and a big 'ol shipment of goodies. You can see from the picture above what was included in the Prepared Pack.

The Uplift Pre-Workout by NLA for Her in Guava Passion ($34.99) is the big ticket item in this pack. Okay I love me some pre-workout. I love getting all pumped up and excited for happy hour at the bar. I also love taking pre-workout and cleaning house. I'm a sick individual. I've certainly never tried out a pre-workout that's marketed directly to women** but I guess that comes with the territory of ordering a fitness subscription called PrettyFit instead of a JackedPack. Which I also considered.

The Dual Shaker Cup by Hydra Cup ($11.99) is an interesting little guy. My shaker cup was hot pink instead of purple as shown on the site (the only difference between what I received and the site). I love the way it looks, and I'm excited to put it to use since I let my last shaker get moldy on accident and was too grossed out to try to clean it. Odd, how at one time I had a billion shakers and then I was down to zero, mixing my protein in a red Solo cup with a fork. The bigger they are the harder they fall.

Mine looks just like this except it says "STRONG is sexy."

The bottles of Fill Shake and Go by About Time ($3.49) were an intriguing new idea. Portable protein without the need for even my own moldy shaker. No need to wash one out afterwards and get moldy, either. Can you tell I'm sad that I got my last one moldy? All you need is some water or milk (I use water) and you're good to go. I think my preference would be servings of protein in a little foil pack but I was excited to try these. The vanilla was.. not my favorite. I've tried tons of protein and I'm aware they aren't supposed to taste like dessert. But this one was hard to swallow. I've always hated the way vanilla protein looks by itself, like watered down milk or something. I tend to mix my vanilla into smoothies with instant coffee or frozen fruit or something. But this one I just mixed up at work for a quick snack and it was meh. I wouldn't buy it. I also see on the About Time website that they have this product in Birthday Cake. Um, PrettyFit why didn't I get Birthday Cake flavor? WHYYY?

WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME, BIRTHDAY CAKE FLAVOR?

The Granola Clusters by About Time ($3.99) were delicious. I didn't know how I would feel about them but I really like them. My only gripe is that the pouch had two servings. It's a small, snack-sized pouch. I have a ridiculous personal outrage for food/drink being in what looks like one serving but actually being more than one. I have a secret fantasy that every food came already prepackaged in single servings. I know, I know, people who love the environment hate me. But you know what? I like to eat snacks. I like to eat everything. Sometimes a barrier is all I need to realize I've already had my share. Anyways besides the silly serving size thing, these were good. I'd totally buy them. Of course for $4 a pop, they're a little pricey. But a good source of protein so maybe it balances out.

The SK Energy Shots ($2.99) were  an interesting inclusion in this package. I like energy drinks, though I know they're awful for a myriad of reasons. The energy shot takes all the fun out of getting an ice cold heart-attack-in-a-can but they often have similar payoffs. This was no letdown. The Strawberry Lemonade flavor smelled good and was just a tad tart. It wasn't hard to swallow like some energy shots which taste like feet. I'm looking at you, Five Hour Energy. Near-instant caffeine burst and no crash later in the day. Thumbs up. More than once I've made the change of heart to go for a run or hit the squat rack after work because of the right dose of caffeine. I'd say 7/10 would buy.

The BCAA+G RELOAD™ Natural | Post-Workout Recovery Sample by MRM ($2.99) was a welcome sample for me. I'm new-ish to the BCAA game. I've used pills and a few different mixables but I've never heard of MRM before. I'm a little bummed I got two of the same flavor (watermelon) but I checked the company site and they only have two flavors to begin with.

The Protein Packed Trail Mix by GourmetNut ($2.99) was a product I was chomping at the bit to review! I love trail mix! Love love love trail mix! When I first joined the military and went to Boot Camp, one of the few bright spots in those few grueling months was that I somehow managed to get my grubby little recruit hands on trail mix on a few different occasions. Hnnggg.

The PrettyFit Drawstring Backpack ($7.99) Self explanatory. And a nice little baby to hold all my new goodies.

The PrettyFit Workout Log ($2.99) I do keep track of my lifts, my measurements, my run times, etc. This notebook isn't anything special as it's blank lined inside and not very many pages. But the emptiness is just waiting for my creative juices to flow and pen the perfect workout log. I can do it!

So the total retail value of this pack was about about $84. Not too bad. Not the highest value subscription box I've ever gotten, but definitely a useful one. I get a lot of boxes that I-quite frankly-don't need. Jewelry, accessories, panties, candles, lord knows what else.. random ass stuff that I can live without. But workout/fitness-related stuff is a good one for me. I 'd ordered a Bulu Box once upon a time and was kind of disappointed. There was a decent mix of samples but it felt like I was paying for stuff I should have gotten for free. Anyways I can't wait to see the next pack from PrettyFit. They've kept me hooked for at least one more. :)

*I just did some not-so-ninja creeping on LinkedIn and it seems possible that this Alex character is the Co-Founder/CEO at PrettyFit. Is it possible? Am I a crazy stalker? I was just trying to figure out if my rep was male or female but... who knows. I could be way off base, it's not like Alex is an obscure name or anything. I'm a weirdo.

**Come to think of it, I did get something for chicks last year from GNC. It was GenetixHD Iso Define in Berry Sorbet and it was fucking delicious. I think I primarily used it post-workout, though, and I was happy it had CLA as I used to take it in pill form. I wasn't even aware there were drinkable forms of it. Also it tasted awesome. Awesome awesome. I should get me some more of that...

New HUM Vitamins Woo Hoo!! Plus a coupon code for $10 off your first box :)

So I've been working on a couple of bottles from Hum Nutrition and I've been very satisfied with the results.

Their boxes and website are just plain adorable.

My latest order is for the 28 Cleanse, which is a two-bottle set: one AM and one PM. 
From the site: 

Feeling out of sync? In need of a physical spring cleaning?
Flush out unwanted toxins and hit the reset button. 
We combined the Who’s Who of the botanical world to support your liver, bowel, kidneys, lungs, lymphatic system and skin in our Cleanse 28 formula. Cleanse 28 comprises a bespoke morning and evening formula. The A.M. formula contains extracts of artichoke, yellow dock red root, burdock, dandelion and more, while the P.M formula for the evening comprises flax, red raspberry, marshmallow, rhubarb, fennel, ginger and peppermint.

I mean, damn. You had me at marshmallow. But seriously, let's give this a try! Next time I place an order, I'm going back for the Red Carpet. My hair and nails and skin have been super happy since I took that!

Take two 30 minutes before breakfast.

Take two an hour AFTER dinner. 

Okay the suggested use for the pm version is a little weird. I hope i don't forget! 

Are you ready to try Hum for yourself? Head to their website HERE and enter code F5C86 to receive $10 off your first order! :) And don't say I never gave you a gift! ;P

Unboxing: My first BULU Box and FREE Download from YogaDownload.com :)

Look it, look it! Ain't it purdy?!
So the box is cute and it makes me happy. WAY TO MOTIVATE ME, CARDBOARD BOX!

So lets take a little looksie at my very first Bulu Box! Truth be told, I didn't have high hopes for this box based on the reviews I've seen. But since I'm in the market for a fitness subscription box, I thought I should try it before I knock it. Also it's pretty inexpensive compared to others I've been checking out. Alright, let's do this!

Here's our first peek underneath the orange tissue paper.

They let you pick three samples and then they pick 2-3 additional ones for you. My picks were the Simple Being Sleep Beans because.. they're called Sleepy Beans. That just sounds very appealing to an exhausted person like myself haha!

It says  to take 1 or 2 capsules before bedtime with water. We'll see how this goes. I see 1 mg of melatonin on the ingredients. I've taken that before because my little sister is OBSESSED with the stuff, but I felt like it gave me crazy vivid dreams. Not necessarily nightmares but the excitement while I was sleeping made me feel like I didn't get any rest. I'm still excited to try out these beans. If for no other reason than that they are called Sleepy Beans lol.

My next choice was another Simple Being product: Slimming Smoothie portion pack in Vanilla Bean.

26g protein/1g carb/0g fat. Fantastic. Honestly, I have been just AWFUL about getting protein into my diet even though I've been lifting weights. And I do like smoothies in my little bullet-style blender. This says to mix with 6-8 oz water, milk, or beverage high in carbs. It's vanilla so I may blend it with some frozen strawberries or instant coffee and ice. Can't wait to try it!

Next up: Shredz

Now honestly, how much can you tell about this type of product with a sample? Not much. But, I can probably tell if I feel some kind of extra energy or buzz from it, which it what I typically feel with fat burners. They tend to be stimulants which is how they burn fat or kill appetite. I'll give this a shot Friday before I lift. It says 1 capsule with breakfast and 1 in the afternoon or preworkout. Well I workout at 5am fasted so... maybe I can just take it two days in a row? Maybe one tomorrow morning and one Friday? I'll let you know!

Alright. Now for my extras. They give 2-3 and I got 3 woo hoo!

So the first thing I see is Dream Water

This excites me in the same way as the Sleepy Beans. What about it sounds bad? Drink me and have rest! A win! The bottle says to have a drink 30 minutes before bed to get some restful sleep. This also has melatonin although it doesn't say exactly how much on the bottle because it's listed as an ingredient in the "SleepStat" blend. So... we'll give it a shot soon. The thing about the sleep aids is I refuse to try them if I have to be up in less than 8 hours. So as soon as I get in bed soon enough, I'm trying them. Also, I've got a new app on my phone that tracks my sleep patterns and it may just collect some interesting data for us about these sleep aids :)

Next surprise is Raw Meal Vanilla Spiced Chai. It looks like a protein shake situation. I seem to have misplaced the picture. It looks like a square. Mix half a packet with 8 oz of water for 155 cal/2g fat/17g protein/16g carbs. Alright so it's decent in the protein department but also high in carbs, at least compared the the stuff I buy specifically for protein. Still, it's an interesting option. The packaging looks like the hippie stuff you find at natural food marts run by communes lol.

Finally, N.O.-XPLODE. This I know about, I learned about it when I used to work at a gym.

It's a pre-workout with lots of caffeine in it. SCORE! I would have been happy with a box of just this! That's not true, but I do like trying pre-workouts and I love caffeine because I HAVE AN ADDICTION, SIR! And it's watermelon. The last watermelon thing I had was SciVation Xtend. It was delicious. I'm excited to try this! WOOT!

Alrighty so.... overall. Meh. I mean I like most of what I got but not enough to pay for it. These seem like samples that SHOULD be free. Not deluxe size, not enough to try a few times to get a feel for them. And nothing particularly special or valuable. But I will be using everything in the box and I'm glad I gave it a try.

And since YOU gave this post a try, here's a little something for you!

YOGA DOWNLOAD
1 FREE DOWNLOAD with code Bulu1Free during checkout
Enjoy!

Subscription Box Nonsense!

It's no secret that I'm a fan of subscription boxes. Fitness, food, fashion.. you name it and I WANT it!

WANTABLE
I've tried all of the Wantable collections. They have Intimates, Makeup, and Accessories. (Coming soon they also have a Fitness collection but the set-up just doesn't appeal to me. You pay $20 up front and get 5 items based on your quiz. The $20 comes out of the price of items if you keep them. Keep 1 item-pay an additional $45, 2 items- $110, 3 items-$136, 4 items-$188, 5 items-$201. And the brands they listed were all brands I've never heard of, so not worth the money to me.) I have been very happy with the Intimates collections. The accessories have been just okay, but I'm incredibly hopeful because I've seen some great reviews. I think I just need to better tweak my customization quiz. And the makeup wasn't for me. If I'm going to get surprise products from lesser-known brands, I don't want to spend $40 a box. Now if they were sending MAC brushes, Urban Decay primers, Smashbox eyeshadows, Dior mascaras...okay then $40 a box is a great deal. But for stuff that looks like it came from a dollar store or someone's garage sale? No. No way.

JULEP MAVEN
I got one box from the Julep Maven subscription. I really disliked the nail colors I got. did love the Body Milk lotion I got, full size! I have seen some great products (not nail color) but I didn't care enough to stay subscribed in case I get them. I am very simple with my nails since I can't usually wear nail color at work anyways. And typically when I want my nails to look pretty I pay someone else to do them. So it's a popular box but not for me. Also Julep was a HEADACHE to unsubscribe from! They don't have a simple button to click online, you have to actually call and speak with someone.

LOVE WITH FOOD
I've gone through a couple of months with Love With Food. This is a cute box, and with a great cause behind it. I'm not in love with it and won't stay subscribed, but not because I don't like it. It's just not something I love so I'm funneling funds elsewhere.

COMING SOON
I have a couple of boxes en route and I'm excited to see them. Bulu Box is a fitness sample box. I don't have high hopes for this one based on reviews, but I like samples and fitness-related ones are right up my alley! And PopSugar Must Have... um, my expectations are SKY HIGH for this one. I am SO DAMN EXCITED for this box!

UP NEXT
My next subscription adventures will come from this list:
Elizabeth & Clarke
StrideBox
PrettyFit

I'm currently debating whether I want to keep trying with Wantable accessories. I'm just so blase about everything I've gotten. I want to LOVE the things I get like I do with the intimates, or like I see in other people's collections. I'm a little jelly :P

Bulu Box and Coupon Code for a Free Box

Hello lovelies! I just got an email to select three of my samples for my upcoming Bulu Box. According to their site:

Bulu Box is the best way to discover health, nutrition and weight loss products. Each monthly sample box is filled with 4 to 5 premium products selected to help you feel your best. Look forward to a new mix monthly for both women and men that include: vitamins, weight loss, energy, protein, digestion, sleep support, fitness DVDs, healthy food utensils and more.

So I selected SHREDZ Fat Burner, Simple Being Slimming Smoothie, and Simple Being Sleepy Beans. And Bulu is supposed to select 2-3 additional surprise samples for me.

I don't really have high hopes for this particular subscription box, but there's no harm in trying them out, right? Especially when you can get a great deal! Use the coupon code WOOHOO20 to buy your first month and get the second month free. CLICK HERE to take advantage of this coupon code!

Rise and Shine

Rise and shine.

6:00 AM and your hand can't make it to the alarm clock before the voices in your head start telling you that it's too early, too dark, and too cold to get out of bed. Aching muscles lie still in rebellion pretending not to hear your brain commanding them to move. A legion of voices are shouting their unanimous permission for you to hit the snooze button and go back to dreamland.

But you didn't ask their opinion. The voice you've chosen to listen to is one of defiance. A voice that says there was a reason you set that alarm in the first place. So sit up, put your feet on the floor, and don't look back because we've got work to do.

Welcome to the grind. For what is each day but a series of conflicts between the right way and the easy way. Ten thousand streams fan out like a river delta before you each one promising the path of least resistance. Thing is, you're headed upstream. And when you make that choice-when you decide to turn your back on what's comfortable, what's safe, and what some would call common sense-well that's day one. From there it only gets tougher. So just make sure this is something you want because the easy way out will always be there ready to wash you away. All you have to do is pick up your feet.

But you aren't going to, are you? With each step comes the decision to take another. You're on your way now, but this is no time to dwell on how far you've come. You're in a fight against an opponent you can't see but, oh, you can feel him on your heels, can't you? Feel him breathing down your neck. You know what that is? That's you. Your fears, your doubts and insecurities all lined up like a firing squad ready to shoot you out of the sky. But don't lose heart.While they're not easily defeated they are far from invincible. Remember this is the grind; the battle royal between you, your body, your mind, and the devil on your shoulder who's telling you that this is just a game, this is just a waste of time, your opponents are stronger than you.

Drown out the voice of uncertainty with the sound of your own heartbeat. Burn away your self doubt with the fire lit beneath you. Remember what we're fighting for and never forget that momentum's a cruel mistress. She can turn on a dime with the smallest mistake. She is ever searching for the weak place in your armor, that one tiny thing you forgot to prepare for. So as long as the devil is hiding the details the question remains: Is that all you got? Are you sure? And when the answer is yes and you've done all you can to prepare yourself for battle then it's time to go forth and boldly face your enemy. The enemy within. Only now you must take that fight into the open into hostile territory. You're a lion in a field of lions all hunting the same elusive prey with a desperate starvation that says victory is the only thing that can keep you alive. So believe that voice that says you can run a little faster and you can throw a little harder. That for you the laws of physics are merely a suggestion.

Luck is the last dying wish of those who want to believe that winning can happen by accident. Sweat, on the other hand, is for those who know it's a choice. So decide now because destiny waits for no man. And when your time comes and a thousand different voices are trying to tell you you're not ready for it, listen instead to that lone voice of dissent. The one that says you are ready. You are prepared. It's all up to you now.

So rise and shine.

Rewards for Weight Loss (Besides the Obvious Health Rewards)

I came here to post this and totally forgot and posted something else!

So I have a bit of a reward system for myself. It's tacky, yes, and probably a terrible habit that I need to get out of. But I want to reward myself for losing weight. You know, have some kind of motivation waiting for me on the other side (besides the health and looking great, G? Pfft, okay). I know! Looking and feeling better should be a reward in and of itself. And it is! Trust me, it is. But I'm a girl who loves to be spoiled so I'm going to do this anyways.

My first big goal is to get to 154 lbs. Once I reach this goal I will order myself some Luxy Hair extensions which I have been drooling over for some time now. They're pricey, but not crazy pricey. So when I drop the extra weight, I will reward myself with these extensions. :)

Beyond the 154 lb. benchmark, I'll have other fitness goals that I'll share with you. Things like run times and weight lifted. The rewards for those things would probably be like a facial, mani/pedi (don't get those anymore), maybe a laser hair removal treatment or something (yes, I've done it! I'll tell you about it later!). Oh and one that I'm pretty excited for, once my waist size is <30" and stays that way for at least a month, I'll add a new subscription to my current repertoire! I've had my eye on the Golden Tote subscription but I just can't bring myself to spend money on it without knowing that I can happily fit in and wear the stuff they send me.

So there you have it. Things I'll drool over until I get myself fit! :) I can't wait!!