REVIEW: Shredz Fat Burner

So it's challenging to give an in-depth review on a product when I only received a packet with 2 pills, but I'm willing to share my experience nonetheless.

SHREDZ® Fat Burner is a gluten-free thermogenic with naturally found ingredients that helps deliver clean energy, intense mental focus, and get you ripped and lean.
Ingredients like Vitamin B5, Green Tea Extract and Cayenne Pepper Extract help raise the body’s internal temperature to burn fat at a constant rate and provide benefits like:

• Melt Fat

• Get Lean

• Clean Energy

• No Jitters

• Increased focus

EACH BOTTLE OF SHREDZ® FAT BURNER CONTAINS SIXTY (60) CAPSULES OF OUR PROPRIETARY FAT BURNING FORMULA DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO CREATE RESULTS.

I had intended to take it as a pre-workout at around 4:30 AM before I hit the gym and went to work. But I had a difficultly rallying myself enough to get out of bed on time and by the time I got out the door I had to work. So instead, I took it on my way out (thinking I was still going to have time to go to the gym), and then again about 6 hours later before I *did* get my workout in. I had the pill on an empty stomach both times and I liked it. I was alert and not at all hungry. As a pre-workout, I definitely felt hotter in my face when I was working out. I don't think I felt a push to do more or harder, but for just sitting around like I was before the gym, it felt alright. With a $60 price tag (for a month's worth if you take two per day) I doubt I'd purchase it. I do feel like it was an effective appetite suppressant but I've got enough willpower for that on my own.

Take that as you will. For me? I will not be purchasing the full-size of this product. But I would take more samples if they came my way, just for the teeny little boost.

Buy Shredz Fat Burner HERE.

REVIEW: Simple Being Slimming Smoothie

I'm always looking for ways to increase my protein intake. I am just terrible at getting it from my diet. Ideally I would nom on steaks and chicken and bacon every meal, but I just don't have the time to organize that. My job takes me to weird locations in the world where I don't always have access to the food I want. I'm lucky to see eggs a few times per week. The easiest thing to provide people? Carbs. So don't worry, I get plenty of calories from carbohydrates. Too damn many if you ask me. Or my waistline.

I recently got a sample of the Simple Being Slimming Smoothie in Vanilla Bean (it also comes in Chocolate Truffle) which came in a convenient little "portion pack." So this product sells for either $50 in a tub (28 servings) or $40 for a box of 12 portion packs. Obviously you get a better deal in the tub, but honestly I'm not completely opposed to the packs as it would be a very convenient way to carry it around if I wanted to pre-fill my shaker with water and just add it in when I'm ready.

I had intended to actually make a smoothie with this but due to the craziness of work I ended up taking it as breakfast after lifting this morning. It was pretty tasty as far as protein goes. It wasn't chalky, it mixed easily with cold water. It was gross-looking, kind of a milky weird ick. I would like to try it blended with frozen fruit or instant coffee and ice! I'm surprised at its nutrition, actually. 110 calories per serving, 26 g protein, 1 g carb, 0 g fat. Huh. Now I'm not looking for a low-fat protein in the least, but the low carb is nice. Plus the lack of fat makes it a lower calorie option so that's a win.

My go-to protein boasts 6 g less protein, 4.5 g more carbs, and 1.75 g more fat. And a heftier price tag. 10/10 would buy the tub and give it a shot. :)

RECOMMENDED!

Simple Being Slimming Smoothie Tub HERE

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

Coffee-Lovers Protein Drink (and a discount code to try it out!)

I've been adding instant coffee to protein shakes for a couple of years (chocolate whey, sugar-free instant vanilla cappuccino, ice-it's my swole-frap haha). What a find this product is! It's like someone stalked me in my kitchen and stole my faux-Bullet recipes! Check out Click HERE. And be sure to see below for a discount code from Bulu!

10% off a an order of Click in Mocha, Vanilla or Caramel at BuluBox.com. Use Promo Code: CLICK10

FREE Vitamin Gummies with $50 Purchase!

Get Simple Being Daily Personal Vitamin Gummies FREE with any $50 purchase at BuluBox.com. Use Promo Code: 50GUMMIES

Hum Nutrition Re-Order and Code for $10 OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER

I'm getting ready to place another order with Hum Nutrition. I posted previously about using Red Carpet and Skinny Bird.

A quick review: I do think my hair is growing! I chopped off  at least 8 inches last summer and it feels like it's taking forever to grow back. It has grown, but I swear it's grown more out than down (silly curls!). But since I've been using Red Carpet, I do honestly feel like I've got some growth. I am VERY happy about this. :) My skin looked great for awhile although today it looks scary. I think that's PMS-related, though. The Skinny Bird.. well I did lose 5 lbs quickly. It could be diet/workout related or it could be the vitamins. I like to think it was money well spent.

My next order is going to include something new: Cleanse 28. Per the Hum website:

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. 

Proprietary AM Cleansing Blend 1,295 mg *

Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) leaf extract (2% cynarin), Yellow Dock (Rumex crispus) root, Red Root (Ceanothus americanus) root, Burdock (Arctium Lappa) root extract 5:1, Celandine (Chelidonium majus) leaf, Partially Hydrolyzed Guar Gum, Corn Silk (Zea mays), Dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis) root extract 4:1*, Oregon Grape (Berberis aquifolium) root, Echinacea angustifolia root, Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) seed extract 4:1

Proprietary PM Cleansing Blend 1,400 mg *
Flax (linum usitatissimum) seed, Red raspberry (rubus idaeus) leaf, Aloe ferox leaf latex, Marshmallow (Althea officinalis) root, Rhubarb (Rheum palmatum) root, Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seed, Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) root, Peppermint (Mentha piperata) leaf

Suitable for Vegetarians & Gluten Free
Contains no: added salt, yeast, wheat, corn, gluten, soy, preservatives, artificial colors or flavors       

I am very excited to try this new one out and let you know how I feel. Stay tuned!

Get $10 off your first order of $29 or more with offer code: F5C86

Hum Nutrition

Hum Nutrition is a company I discovered recently. They claim high quality ingredients in personalized vitamins. And they have a ton of different formulas. I had a tricky little time figuring out which I wanted to try, but finally settled on Red Carpet and Skinny Bird. I'm shopping around their site and looking for what to order next. Pretty excited!

 

Red Carpet seems to be their big seller. Per the website: Our Red Carpet formula is high in GLA, 150mg to be precise. Supporting healthy hair and skin, it makes life for all of us so much easier…At HUM our dietitians only recommend what you need and what works, so think of this bottle as a key building block to a healthy lifestyle.

And Skinny Bird is supposedly 3 times more effective than diet and exercise alone: A good body is like a long-term relationship between diet and exercise. Skinny Bird can make this relationship a happy one as it can help you reach your weight goals faster. It contains 7-Keto, a metabolite of DHEA that has been clinically researched in humans and been shown to be three times more effective in reducing weight than diet and exercise alone.      


I'm excited to update you on how these work out for me!