4 New Favorite Fit Finds!

You know the drill – you gotta keep discovering new health and fitness strategies or your routine becomes just that: routine! So with spring on the brain, I bring to you an all-new list of my Favorite Fit Finds to help you stay on track with your goals. Enjoy!

1. Gymboss Interval Timer

This small clip-on anywhere timer is my new best friend when it comes to interval training (if you aren’t familiar with interval workouts, it’s when you do an exercise for a set time, take a short rest, then repeat this way for 30-45 minutes usually). You can set this baby to repeat your intervals up to 99 times if you want (golf claps if you actually go for 99 times), and it’ll beep when it’s time to rest and bring your heart rate up, then again when it’s time to go again. I like to set mine to run 30 intervals: I perform 10 exercises a minute each, and rest 30 seconds between each minute. Then I repeat for a total of 3 rounds. Beats checking the clock or having to hold my cell phone stopwatch while I workout! Check it out at gymboss.com (it’s only $19.95)!

2. MyFitnessPal App for Smart Phones

I only very recently joined the app-obsessed smart phone club, so forgive me for just now mentioning this cool free tool. MyFitnessPal is a calorie and exercise tracker that is not only convenient because it’s accessible via phone (which we all know we have in our possession all the time anyway), but it’s got an impressive database of foods already built-in. With most calorie trackers I find I have to enter in the nutrition stats for many foods I eat, which is annoying and time consuming. Not so with this – so far I’ve even been able to enter generic versions of foods I eat, like bread, yogurt, and even frozen mixed berries. It also has a bar code scanner option if you’re short on time. Scan the bar code, enter in how many servings you ate, and your food is logged! It even takes exercise into account and will adjust your daily nutrition according to how much you worked out. About midday, I check on how I’m doing and see how many calories I can still use up and which nutrients I’m low or high on. It’s a must for anyone who needs accountability, or if you’re just really into knowing what you’re putting into your body!

3. Dave’s Killer Bread

You hear about eating whole-wheat all the time, but what about making sure your bread doesn’t have other fillers in it that are completely useless? Enter Dave’s Killer Bread line. Their mission is to keep all fillers out of their bread. Yes, this means more expensive bread for you. But believe me it’s worth the quality and knowing what you’re putting into your body. The line is quite large – they make everything from Robust Raisin to Peace Bomb Mini-Baguette. I’ll admit I’ve only tried the Powerseed variety (REALLY good toasted with all-natural peanut butter, by the way!), but I’ll be trying the others...one at a time, of course. Here’s some good news: You can find this bread at Winco, Fred Meyer, and the Boise Co-op (I didn’t see it at Albertson’s, but that doesn’t mean yours doesn’t have it).

4. Bulgur

I’ve known about the health benefits of bulgur for quite some time but finally tried it the other night. Bulgur is wheat in its whole form (if you are gluten intolerant, skip it) and is highly beneficial for the digestive system. It’s mentioned quite a bit in literature on preventing heart disease, diabetes, constipation, and certain cancers. So now you’re wondering how it tastes, right? Well it’s my new favorite grain for a reason, my friends! It tastes a lot like rice, actually, and can replace rice in pretty much any recipe. If you’re a fan of couscous, you’ll love bulgur. It’s light, nutty, and when we made it the other night we mixed it with garbanzo beans, roasted red peppers and spinach as a salad (throw on some fresh lime juice and a small pinch of sea salt and call it a night). The other quality I love about this stuff is it has one of the highest mineral contents of any food (I’m not making this up!). Use it as a breakfast staple or in side salads, in place of rice or pasta, or just eat it by itself. Find it in bulk at most grocery stores.

Meet the Trainer

Crystal is a certified personal trainer through the National Sports and Conditioning Association (NSCA). She has a passion for helping others live a healthy lifestyle and coaching them to push their limits beyond what they think they are capable of.