Cheribundi Review!

Cheribundi was gracious to send me a box of their wonderful juice to try and share my opinions with you all in blogland! It just took me long enough to try it and sit down to share my thoughts.

Cheribundi information, straight from their website:

Fifty Cherries: Our Tru Cherry™ juice packs fifty cherries into a short 8oz bottle. (We know because we counted them.) From there we add just enough water and apple juice to make it palate-perfect. Of course, to create the benefits of Skinny Cherry™ we decrease the cherries slightly and sweeten with natural Stevia. To get the benefits of Whey Cherry™ into a bottle, we add whey protein.

Freshness: The word "concentrate" isn't in our vocabulary. Our juice is freshly made with America's Superfruit™ grown in Michigan and New York. Other juices are made from concentrate once a year and then stored before you even get to drink them. Not cheribundi™, though. That's why it tastes so darn fresh.

Phytonutrients: These are the building blocks in fruits and vegetables, so they're good for you. They help plants grow and regenerate cells properly and they just may help regulate physiological functions in human, too. Cherries have a powerful combination of these nutrients, which provides more benefits than any other fruit or other good-for-you foods like tea, wine and other juices. ...

Vitamins and Minerals: .... In cheribundi™ you'll find Vitamin A, Potassium, Iron, Calcium and, in Whey Cherry™, muscle-growing B-Vitamins!

High ORAC Rating: The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity rating for cheribundi™ is higher than other juices - that means our juice has a
better ability to absorb and neutralize free radicals. Whether you're exercising or resting, cheribundi™ is working hard for you!

You can learn more about the Cherry Benefits HERE.


They sent me two bottles of the Tru Cherry, one bottle of Whey Cherry, and one bottle of Skinny Cherry. I just taste-tested the Whey Cherry and Skinny Cherry and thought they both were good. After my swim workout Wednesday night, I needed a snack and remembered reading about Wes (thanks for the idea, Wes) using this juice in a smoothie. So, I put something similar together using the Tru Cherry:

1/2 banana
1/2 serving chocolate Whey protein powder
1/2 c. strawberries
1/2 bottle of Tru Cherry
and ice

It was so yummy! It was very fruity with a little bit of tartness! Definitely hit the spot!

Have you ever tried Cheribundi? Do you have any cool recipe ideas to use this in other than smoothies or drinking it by itself?

Protecting My Skin & Products!

I have posted many times my frustrations with irritated, dry, and chapped skin, which I think has been the result of the dry winter and numerous hours in the pool for swim team practice. My face had dry patches on it (the cheeks and forehead), I had pink quarter-sized dry patches on my upper arms, a dry patch on both eyelids, and my ears were pink, dry, and cracking (sometimes burning). I told my aunt, who's a nurse, about my issues and she thought it was a form of eczema. I don't think it's that bad.

I started doing some more preventative things and I think it's helping. For the most part, I am really focusing on moisturizing my skin.

Here's what I'm doing/using:

• I am using Aveeno's Daily Moisturizer everyday! I use it every morning and sometimes before bed, if I remember.

• Before I swim, I put Vaseline on my face and ears in hopes that it will protect my skin from the chlorine. I am in the pool for 2+ hours a week.

• After I swim I use Neutrogena's Pink Grapefruit Body Wash. I love the smell of this refreshing bodywash and the little scrubbies in it make me feel like I am really getting rid of the chlorine and dead skin.

• I also use Aquaphor on my upper arms, where the dry patches seem to show up the most (per the nurse's request). I don't do this every day, but make sure I do it on the days I swim.

• For my face, I use Oil of Olay. Somedays, I will admit that I use Vaseline as a face moisturizer rather than my Oil of Olay. If anyone has any suggestions for a better face lotion, please share. My skin is usually normal or mixed oily/dry, and I am looking to try something different.

• For my hair, I have been using Swimmers Action Shampoo and Conditioner. I absolutely love the way this product makes my hair feel after a long swim session. Absolutely wonderful!

On top of all of that, Joel sent my my Tri-Swim giveaway that I won. It included 4 - 2oz. bottles of shampoo, condition, body wash, and body lotion. Yesterday I was able to try it for the first time after my swim practice. What did I think?


I liked it! I have only used all four products once now, but so far I like it. They all smell good and don't have a heavy fragrance! I will continue to use them until they're gone and then I might just buy the lotion and body wash since I already have a great hair care product for swimming!




And......I got my new goggles this weekend and tested them out for the first time yesterday! I ended up ordering the Aqua Sphere Lady Kaiman goggles that soooo many of you had recommended. It took a few minutes to get them fit right, but after an hour in the pool with little to no readjusting, I was pleased! They fight just right, are easily adjustable, and don't really leave much for ring marks around my eyes. The nose piece isn't adjustable, but it was just the right size and a soft plastic. The bottom of the nose piece started to rub a little bit by the end of my swim, but I realized that all I had to do was adjust the bands in the back a bit. I love them so far! Thanks for the suggestions, y'all!
This skin stuff is just another sign that I am getting old. I mean, Vaseline? Really? If I start going to bed with curlers in my hair I'm in trouble!





What kind of products do you use to protect your skin?

Global Ride: Product Review

A few weeks ago, Jeff at Global Ride contacted me, wondering if I would do a product review if he sent me a free DVD boxed set of cycling training videos. I couldn't pass up this opportunity and was exctatic when the set showed up in my mailbox almost two weeks ago.

The boxed set, Hawaii Rides, included three different DVD's that sh. With each DVD, you can choose music or no music, as well as a coach to lead you through the ride. If you choose a coach, you have the choice of difference coaches; American, Australian, Italian, etc. Each coach interprets the ride different, giving you a different ride on the same track.



Here's a little description of each:

1. Strendurance in Hawaii - This DVD combines the elements of a strength ride, focusing on climbing and leg strength, and an endurance ride, focusing on heart rate training and consistency. Following the ride was 30 minutes of Strength Training, specifically targeted towards cyclists.

2. Oceanside Ride - This DVD does consist of a lot of "flat riding" but is challenging if you choose to ride at a steady high pace! Following this ride was 30 minutes of Pilates Training, primarily focusing on core stability.

3. Maui Rollers - This DVD consists of three separate sections on one road. This ride consists of a lot of rolling hills, long climbs, and just enough time to recover and build speed! Following this ride was 30 minutes of Yoga. This will help restore proper balance in all muscles groups; specifically focusing on balancing muscles of cyclists, as many are under-worked and others are over-worked.



What is my personal testimony?

1. I truly enjoyed all three videos; they were all different. I look forward to changing them up a bit by trying different coaches!

2. Each video consisted of a 5-minute warm-up and 5-minute cool down. I thought this was great. During each warm-up and cool down, the screen was full of snapshots of cyclists riding all over the world, on different terrain as well.

3. I thought the music was awesome! But, I am a sucker for good music while on an indoor bike or trainer. The music was well-chosen and I felt that it suited the speed of each ride perfectly!

4. At the end of each video you were reminded to stretch! I thought this was great, as it is a very important part of any good training!

5. I really liked the additional 30 minutes of strength training, pilates, and yoga that followed each DVD. It's a great way to get in a little extra while your muscles are still warm after a nice ride!

6. Each video was approximately 50-55 minutes long. I think this is a great length for a trainer DVD, especially for a beginner like me!


Overall, I am very impressed with Global Ride and the DVD's they have put together! I haven't had any experience with trainer DVD's before, so I have nothing to compare them to, but I definitely give them two thumbs up!

Here is some additional information:

Global Ride has put together a fundraiser for Livestrong at http://www.cyclingfusion.com/. They are taking everyday cyclists to the "Little Giro" to ride the first 5 stages, a few hours ahead of the pros!! They're being sponsored mile for mile by people. All of the money is going to Livestrong. How exciting is that?

In an effort to raise as much as possible, Global Ride is doing two things:

1. Giving away a DVD boxed set (consisting of 3 DVD's) to anyone who donates $103.75 or more to sponsoring riders (0.25/mile sponsorship).

2. Giving 50% of the sale price of all Global Ride sales on the website and anywhere else the DVD's are sold to Livestrong.

Both of these things are running through May 14th, the date the event is finishing up at Giro. You can get the full press release text/details if you click here. There is also more fundraiser info if you click here.

Physical Therapy and Product Review

WARNING: LONG POST LIES AHEAD....

I had my appointment this morning with the physical therapist to check out my right knee. I hate to admit it, but I was very anxious and afraid of what he was going to tell me. I spent some time giving him a little background information:

The pain started after a short 3 miler the first week of February, about a week and a half after a glorious pain free 7 mile run. The initial pain was mostly tightness and tracking issues, followed by pain going up and down the stairs. Then I laid of from running, only running about 2-3 miles 2 or 3 times per week. Then, the pain was only noticeable after 2 miles of running and was followed by tightness around the knee. At this point in time there was no concern with tracking or pain going up and down the stairs. The past week I didn't run a single mile, until this morning when I ran a little under a mile to "test out" the knee and all was pain free.

Then he did some exploring; bending my legs, playing with the kneecap, feeling the muscles and tendons around and behind the knee, rotating my feet, stretching my hips, etc. He had me do some strengthening exercises, and after all this, he noticed the following:

• My hamstrings are okay, but could be stronger
• My quadriceps, hips, and glutes are weak
• My left glutes/hips are weaker than the right
• My calves are extremely tight

He said I have one disadvantage that I can't do anything about: I am a female. With that, I am wide in the hips, narrow in the knees, and then go out again from there to the feet. He checked my feet and arches and was happy to see that they are pretty strong. No orthotics necessary.

He showed me a handful of strengthening exercises, with and without the bands, and gave me homework to complete prior to my return appointment next week. If your interested, and looking for some strengthening exercises to work similar muscle groups as I am, here are a handful:

1. Leg lifts (on back, elbows, and sitting up): Start with laying on back, one knee bent, and other leg straight with toes pointed outward. Then raise the leg, stopping when it reaches the height of the other knee, hold for 2 seconds. Do 10 repetitions, 2 times. Repeat with other leg. Do this routine while 1. laying on the back, 2. propped up on the elbows, and 3. sitting up. They will, and should, be more difficult when sitting up. This should be done 2 times per day.
2. Side Leg lifts: Lie on side with right leg on top. Bend lower leg slightly. Raise top leg straight up, without letting it come forward. Make sure to keep body in a straight line from shoulders, to hips, to feet. Hold for 2 seconds, and relax. Do 10 repetitions, 2 times, on both sides. This should be done 2 times per day.
3. Knee Strengthening: Using a stretching band, create a loop at one end. Place one leg in the loop, and stick the other end in a closed door. Make sure the band is wrapped around the knee and step away from the door far enough to have some good tension. Begin with knee bent partway, then slowly straighten the knee (into locking position). Slowly bend knee again. Do 15 repetitions, 2 times, with both knees. Do this 2 times per day.
4. Side-stepping: Use a stretch band with two ends tied together to create a loop. Place both feet inside and wrap it around the legs, halfway up the calves. Side step, keeping tension on the band, and shoulders level. Do NOT let the leg drag as you are stepping to the side. Do 3 sets to fatigue.
5. IT Band Stretch: There are two different ways you can stretch the IT band. 1.) you can stand with the right leg behind the left, reaching over to the left. It may help to stand near a wall and use your left hand to support the body as your right hand stretches over your head. Hold 5-10 seconds and do 5-10 repetitions. Switch and do the same on the other side. 2.) Lie on your left side, the edge of your bed or a table, with your left knee slightly bent. Lift your right leg and let it hang over the side of the table/bed. You should be able to feel the band stretch in the right leg. Hold for 10 seconds and do 5-10 repetitions. Switch and do the same on the other side. One of these stretches should be done 2 times per day.
6. Calf Stretch: Position body against the wall with one left foot behind. Point toes straight ahead and hold heal down. Lean into the wall so you feel a stretch in the left calf. Hold for 30 seconds, 1 repetition. Switch and do the other calf. This should be done 4 times per day.

If you are confused with any of these, let me know and I will try my best to clarify!

The PT recommended that I work to strengthen my muscles before really getting back into my half marathon training. He said that I need a good 5-6 weeks of strengthening. He didn't say I couldn't run, but if I do, he said to keep it minimal. He also said to be careful on the bike as well, as that can make knee issues worse, especially when on bikes that are not specifically set for me (ie. upright bikes). He was glad to see that I came in before it got worse and that I didn't continue to run through the pain. He says that with strengthening these muscles, I should be able to run with little to no pain in the future. I left my appointment on cloud nine and ready to strengthen some muscles!

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Product Review:

Yesterday I tried my Yoga for Strong Knees video. The total run time is 50:00 and a lot of it is used to explain what kind of muscles do what and why it is important to strengthen those muscles. I thought that was very informative, but don't want to watch it every time I do the video. I think that if I do it a few more times with the video, I will be able to do it without the video in about 30 minutes. So far, I think it is a good video. They recommend doing it every other day, but with my strengthening exercises given by the PT, I will try to incorporate this yoga video a 2-3 times a week.

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Today's Workout:
Run - .75 miles, 8:47, 11:42/mile avg.
Bike - 10.81, 31:00, 20.92mph

Today's Song:
Lady Gaga - Poker Face (in sidebar)