Myprotein - New PhaseTech Range Review*

I am one for trying to keep active but sometimes my energy resources run low and I just need something to give me a little bit of a boost. Since training for a half marathon, my runs have been more frequent and longer meaning I struggle to recover between them. I didn’t want to injure myself but I was at a bit of a loss for what to do. I was then contacted by Myprotein to try out their new PhaseTech Range, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Head over to the myprotein website to discover more about PhaseTech.

Myprotein is one of Europe’s biggest online sports nutrition companies, and one that I was familiar with even before this collaboration. The new PhaseTech products include phased-release breakthrough technology created to enhance performance. They have been incorporated into three enhanced exclusive blends, THE Whey+, THE Pre-Workout+ and THE Amino+. I was lucky enough to receive two of these brand new products and have been trying them out for the past few weeks now in order to bring you a proper review.

The first product I received was THE Whey+  in Vanilla Ice Cream flavour, which costs £26.99 for a 900g 30 serving tub. I think that is excellent value at less than £1 a serving. This product has a unique protein formula designed to provide your body with the right building blocks it needs to help your muscles grow and recover, perfect for me after a long 10 mile run. It contains BCAA, leucine and glutamine which help to build and repair muscles after exercising and less than 2g carbs and 1g fat. It is best consumed in the form of a protein shake, however I have seen people use this in pancake recipes if you prefer your protein in a food form!  To me, it tasted great just mixed with water and in a protein shaker it mixed well. I often added extra things into my shake with the powder and stuck it all in my blender and it was smooth and delicious. The aim of this was to help me repair my muscles and I definitely found that my recovery time between training sessions was reduced. Usually after an efforts training session my legs would ache for 3-4 days, but after incorporating THE Whey+ into my life I’d only ache for one day and be ready to go again.

The second product I received was THE Amino+, a powerful amino acid drink designed to give you energy as well as vitamins and minerals to help aid in muscle recovery. It contains 14g of amino acids, BCAAs, L-leucine, and L-glutamine which all help tone muscles. This product can be added to water or juice before a workout or to give you energy throughout the day. I usually run on a Thursday lunch time with work, and I found that drinking one of these in the morning gave me a good boost before my afternoon run. It comes in three flavours, Berry, Tropical and Blue Raspberry Lime. I received Berry and thought it tasted pretty good so I would imagine the other fruity flavours are equally as nice. The texture was strange at first, a bit like having sprinkles in your drink but I got used to it pretty quickly.

Overall, I am pleased I introduced these products into my workout routine and recovery process. They have really enabled me to up my training plan and would be great for anyone who is into their exercise whether that be running like me or lifting.

If you are interested in trying these products, Myprotein also sell sample packs before committing to a large tub. Are you into your fitness? Would you be willing to give these products a go?

*I received these items free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

My Running Essentials

Since I have been training for the Race for Life I have been slowly progressing and my 5k time has come down bit by bit. For someone who was a complete beginner I am really pleased with myself and hope to beat my latest time on Sunday! I thought I would share with you my running essentials. These are the things I cannot be without when I’m training!

Music/iPod

I have been doing some last minute interval training sessions to get myself ready for the race! I find interval training very boring but it’s the best way for me to increase my heart rate. When I was contacted by a company that provides running songs that incorporate interval training I really wanted to try them out. As a beginner I went for the 3 minute interval training and the whole album sets you up to include warmups and cooldowns. The songs are upbeat and narrated with a friendly voice which tells you when it’s time for a walk or a jog. I felt motivated listening to these songs and they’re interesting enough to make you want to keep going faster and not stop. I listening to them through my phone with my beats headphones but these songs can also be added to your iPod if you buy the album on iTunes.

If you have Spotify you can listen to the 3 minute interval training here, or the 4 minute here or pyramid interval training here. Unless you have premium membership you can only listen to these on ‘shuffle’ which means they are in the wrong order so I’d recommend only listening in if you have a premium Spotify account.

These songs are also available to download on Google Play, or Amazon.  Check them out on Twitter.

Workout Clothes
I cannot workout without the correct attire. Getting a new gym outfit motivates me to want to go out! I wear a variation of tshirts and leggings but my essentials stay the same. I always wear a sports bra and mine came from H&M and is really comfy. I also always wear my Nike trainers, although they have seen better days and I am in need of a new pair. I usually have a towel to hand too for those hot and sweaty runs.

Water and Snacks
I always bring snacks with me for after my run. I have usually eaten before but after I need to replenish my energy stores so usually go for something like a banana. I recently tried this popcorn too and it's delicious! It is important to stay hydrated when running and I feel a lot more comfortable knowing I have a drink nearby. I always have water with me when I am running and can easily get through a whole bottle during a 5k! This may seem extreme to some but starting out I got a very dry mouth and it helped to have a bottle to hand!

Fitness Accessories 
I always take the essential accessories when going for a run. My apple watch has a running app and is also linked with Strava so I like to use either of those apps to track my run as well as my heart rate. I also own a Fitbit Flex (I bought the floral band from eBay) and this counts my steps for me. I am often challenging work colleagues so going out without this on would be a waste of time with regards to a competition!

I hope you enjoyed this post, what are your running essentials?

*I received no financial reward or incentives for this blog post.

Race for Life Training With Active Norfolk

I go to the gym a few times a week but my fitness levels are not great. I tend to warm up on the treadmill with a walk, head over to the weights or go on the spinning bikes. When I was contacted by Cancer Research UK to take part in the Race For Life, I knew it would be a challenge but I couldn’t turn down such a great cause. I decided that I would run the 5k race which takes place in Norwich on Sunday 15th May. Before accepting this, I had never even ran 1k let alone 5 and I had no idea where to even begin with my training.

Race for life Norwich have teamed up with Active Norfolk who carry out work on encouraging women to get into sport and fitness and tailor sessions for complete beginners. I was invited along to a beginners running programme which was free of charge and the sessions are run by Paul Evans, former Olympian alongside Steve who is great at motivating the group. So with less than a month to go until the race I thought I would share with you how the sessions have been going and how I have progressed.

I have been using my Apple Watch and Strava to track my own personal training sessions and I have been running on the treadmill in the gym and trying to recreate what we do in the sessions. The first week I decided to use the treadmill and try and hit 5k, mostly walking. I did this in 42 minutes and 50 seconds which was my starting point, and something to improve on.

The difference between doing this alone and doing the training alongside Paul and the rest of the group was very noticeable. I felt more motivated in the Active Norfolk training sessions and more determined to succeed. I turned up alone and met some lovely friendly ladies all in the same position as me. The first week we did 1 minute of running followed by 1 minute of walking, 10 times. We then did some fun relay games to get our heart rate going. We were then given homework to jog for 5 minutes without stopping, walk for 2, then jog for 5 again. I liked getting these little tasks and tried to do them a couple of times between sessions.

Week 2 was slightly harder but I was so excited for my session. Our overall running time increased to 12 minutes and it was great fun. I really pushed myself this week and could tell. There were less people at this session and I would say I was in the top 5 this week! I was really impressed with my progression even so early on. That week in the gym I then tried doing a 5k walk/run again and noticed already I had shaved nearly 3 minutes off my time hitting that 5k at 39 minutes and 1 second. My homework was to jog for 7.5 minutes, walk for 2 then jog for another 7.5 which I did on the treadmill.

The following weeks intensity increased and I have only a couple of sessions left before the race. I can't wait to try the 5k again a few times before I go to see if I have improved further.

I originally was only going to go to a couple of the sessions but I enjoyed them so much I am continuing to go! I have 3 more sessions until the race and my confidence is already increasing which is fantastic. I have created a JustGiving page and I would really appreciate if anyone wants to sponsor  me for such a worthy cause, just click here. All money raised goes to Cancer Research UK. We will beat cancer sooner.

I look forward to updating you all with the results from the race day and if you have any running tips feel free to share them with me in the comments.