You are browsing the Blog for Review - Lindsay's List.

← Previous Entries
by lindsaymwright

running while pregnant

December 5, 2013 in Baby, Blog, Fitfluential, Pregnancy, Review, Running, Workout by lindsaymwright

The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Mizuno. All opinions are my own.

Me + Running = A pretty great relationship.

Me + Running + a heavy pregnant belly = Look AWAY, LOOK AWAY!!

Don’t get me wrong – I’m getting it done (and have run during all three of my pregnancies).  But as the belly grows and my body starts to crack down the middle, running just doesn’t FEEL that great while I’m doing it (always great afterwards!).  A few things happen.  I a) immediately need to pee and b) immediately start to feel like the baby has dropped down to my ankles and will come out.  Fun times.  Pregnant running takes some planning and special maneuvering for sure, but the benefits are VAST so I’m aiming to continue running for the next 10 weeks or so (just at a much slower pace).

Benefits of Running While Pregnant

1)  It’s super healthy…for mom AND baby!

A recent study published by the Institute of Movement Sciences and Sports Medicine at the University of Geneva, in Geneva, Switzerland, found that “regular physical activity has proven to result in marked benefits for mother and fetus.” Maternal benefits include improved cardiovascular function, limited pregnancy weight gain, decreased musculoskeletal discomfort, reduced incidence of muscle cramps and lower-limb edema, mood stability, and attenuation of gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension (source).

2)  Running can speed along labor and postpartum recovery!

Women who exercise during pregnancy tend to have shorter labors, easier deliveries and a shorter postpartum recovery time.  Running is among the best cardiovascular activities that a pregnant woman can engage in – opening the hips and strengthening the lower lumbar!

3)  You just feel like a BOSS!

I know that for me, I get a huge high off of engaging in exercises and activities that I enjoyed PRE-pregnancy.  My energy level is higher, as well as my body image.  I enjoy maintaining my fitness level throughout my pregnancies and I’m convinced that my postpartum body thanks me for getting to the gym throughout those nine (ten) months.

Mizuno 01

Mizuno recently sent me a new shoe to review – the Wave Rider 17.  This neutral running shoe has A LOT going for it:

(source)

  • U4ic midsole delivers lightweight, resilient cushioning.
  • Dissolving upper fit with new DMF execution and soft, supple mesh materials.
  • SmoothRide Engineering for a brilliant run.
  • Lateral Forefoot Sculpting for smooth touchdown and transition.
  • Blown rubber forefront with deep flex grooves for optimal flexibility and cushioning.

What I love about the Wave Rider 17 is that it feels like a lighter version of my ALL-TIME favorite running shoe – the Wave Rider 15’s!  I trained for and ran my last half marathon in the 15’s – an amazing shoe all around.  In fact, I still wear those shoes even though the tread is starting to wear – they still just feel good.  The toe box is perfect for my wider feet and they provide great arch support.  These new 17’s are nearly identical to the 15’s except that they WEIGH LESS, meaning that turnover is greater (aka – my cankles can move faster).

Mizuno 2

A few more things that I noticed:

  • I wear a size 9.5 and I feel like these shoes run true to size.
  • The material is super breathable but not so much that you couldn’t wear them in winter weather.
  • The tread would make for a good winter running shoe – not necessarily “trail-like” but these have a good grip!

All in all, another spectacular shoe by Mizuno – rivaling the 15’s and surpassing my Wave Sayonaras.

The Wave Rider 17 will be unleashed to the public on December 5th for $114.95 MSRP.  Go here to get a pair of your own!  Oh!  And they’re available in WIDE and NARROW (great news for my hubby as he often has a really hard time finding wide shoes.)

QUESTION:  What brand of running shoe do you prefer?  Ever tried Mizuno?  Prefer lightweight or something a little heavier?

splendid…lindsay

5 Comments »

by lindsaymwright

playing dress up with reebok

November 27, 2013 in Blog, Fitfluential, Kids, Review, Sillyness by lindsaymwright

One of the (many) perks of having this blog is that I get to review products for free (and usually get PAID to do so)!!  I’m always thrilled for the opportunity to try new stuff out and I hope I present it in a way that is natural and not too “sales lady.”  I’ve had a great many products sent to me that don’t get on the blog, either because they turned out to be a fail or they included an ingredient that I couldn’t endorse.  When I started blogging 2 1/2 years ago, I NEVER thought that I’d be getting these opportunities (which come only because of my pageviews and online reach – so YOU!..thank YOU!)….and I especially didn’t think that my children would benefit much, if at all, from Lindsay’s List.

Welp.  Color me wrong.

051

Thanks to Reebok, Clara has some (adorable!!) new shoes to show off… so, naturally, she HAD to do a little fashion show.   Just for you guys!  (but mostly for herself, as she LOVES playing dress up.  And looking in the mirror.  And calling herself “boot-i-ful”.  Which she totally is.)

027

029

035

037

044

043

Reebok’s VentureFlex is just for toddlers – girls and boys sizes 2-10.  With an incredible flexible outsole and a wide toe box (us Wrights need this!), the VentureFlex is a great option for any active toddler (so every single toddler. ever.).  You can find these shoes at Finishline locations across the country, as well as online.

001

**I received this product, as well as my own pair of Nano 3.0’s for free through a partnership with Fitfluential and Reebok.  All opinions are my own.**

QUESTION:  Have you tried Reebok shoes before?  What’d you think?  <-I personally have two pairs of Nanos – one pair I bought myself – and love them for lifting and Crossfit-style workouts!

splendid…lindsay

9 Comments »

by lindsaymwright

introducing ISIS and the Verizon 4G LTE network

November 18, 2013 in Blog, Blogging, Review, Verizon by lindsaymwright

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Verizon Wireless.

———–

I have something exciting to share with you guys today.

Exciting for ME because I was recently chosen for a spectacular campaign with Verizon Wireless and received a new iPhone 5s!! (for which I’m BEYOND grateful!!)

Exciting for YOU because you get to hear about a new way to be awesome with your current smartphone.

A win-win.  So grab a cup of coffee and listen up.

First let me tell you about the iPhone 5s.

037

Before this upgrade, I’d been using an iPhone 4.  Actually, let’s go back further.  Just a year and a half ago, I was using two phones: one non-smart phone for making/receiving calls and a faulty iPhone 4 that I didn’t pay for data on (meaning it only connected to Wi-Fi and was super slow).  Cheap.  Frugal.  Pick one – that’s me.  I carried around two phones for about a year, juggling them back and forth, trying to look cool (and failing miserably).  Last September, I finally bit the bullet and got a new phone, just one, and now I (kinda) feel like an adult.

So you’ll understand that the gifting of a brand new iPhone 5s is just truly amazing (and undeserved)!!  The first thing I noticed was how FAST everything was – Verizon’s 4G LTE network helps with this!  The increase in speed makes it easier to browse all of my social media channels (especially FB), but it also makes application downloads way faster (we download at least one kid’s game every day).  The CAMERA is leaps and bounds better too!  I don’t take my Canon anywhere – the clarity that I get from the iPhone 5s rivals any DSLR!  Oh and the phone KNOWS MY THUMBPRINT and I get to talk to Siri and try to stump her.

I’m extremely pleased with this phone – if you yourself are looking to upgrade anytime soon, consider the iPhone 5s!!

Now to ISIS!

Verizon Wireless has just debuted a new mobile app – ISIS.  Having just been on a conference call with Verizon, here’s what I came away with.

isis

What is ISIS??

ISIS is a new mobile wallet app that has just launched for all Verizon users.  It’s an extremely SAFE solution to replace your wallet!

How it works:

Once you download the ISIS Mobile Wallet (through Google Play Store), you create an account and password.  Enter any compatible credit cards and bank accounts that you’d like to withdraw from.  During this process, you can also sign up for an American Express Serve card that will save you money (more on this below!).  You can use ISIS at any location that you see the approved symbol (over 20,000 locations nationwide!).  When at the cash register, enter your pin (that you choose), choose the card or bank account on file that you want to pay with, hold your phone up to the terminal and it will process your payment automatically!

Bonus:  You can also load loyalty cards – the ones that are gunking up your keychain – and store your rewards online!  Locations that accept ISIS are easily found with the built-in “Find Places Nearby”-feature.

How safe is it??

A couple of features make ISIS an extremely safe and secure solution for mobile payment!  First, your credit card and bank account information is encrypted automatically and stored inside your device (rather than online somewhere).

Second, every transaction will have a dynamic CVV (that’s the three digit number on the back of your credit cards).  The GREAT thing is this – no one can figure this number out because it changes with EACH transaction (compared to a static CVV that your current credit card has, this is a wonderful safety feature!)

Lastly, if you lose your phone, someone would need to know your 4-digit pin.  You can also call Verizon or go online to the ISIS site and FREEZE your mobile wallet.

Who can use ISIS?

Currently, only ANDROID devices are compatible with ISIS (go here for a complete list of approved devices).  ISIS has NOT YET been made available for Apple devices.  I’m told that this will happen very soon though and I’m excited to actually try it firsthand.  Android users can download ISIS for free at the Google Play Store.

Additional savings!

ISIS has paired up with American Express to provide savings through their Serve component.  When you sign up for a Serve account through ISIS, $10 will automatically be added to your Serve account.  Oh, and get this – when you use your Serve account now through January 31st, you’ll receive a whopping 20% back on all purchases!!  That’s a HUGE savings, especially considering Christmas is quickly approaching!!

ISIS also provides it’s users with exclusive offers from participating retailers.  This video sums it up pretty well!

————-

Now your coffee is cold but you’re cooler having found out about ISIS.  You can expect a few more posts (and FB/Twitter shares) as this partnership with Verizon carries on.  I’m thankful for the chance to share!

QUESTION:  Would you use the ISIS app??  Have any questions (I’ll try my best to get provide an answer or direct you to someone who knows more)??

splendid…lindsay

**TWITTER USERS!!  There is a Twitter Chat hosted by Verizon and FitFluential on November 18, 2013 at 9:00 PM Eastern Time on the hashtag #VZWFF. 

Participants will have the chance to win a Samsung Note 3 or a Samsung Galaxy S4.  I’ll be there!**

No Comments »

by lindsaymwright

thinkThin review and #giveaway!!

November 14, 2013 in Blog, Food, Giveaways, Review, Snack by lindsaymwright

I’m not sure I’ve been upfront enough about my LOVE for nutrition bars.

I could seriously eat them once (or twice) a day.

In college, I remember trying the Zone diet (among a zillion other diets.  The cabbage soup one was probably the most ridiculous.  And, OH SO stinky.).  Anyway, you’re instructed to eat a diet with a macronutrient breakdown of 40/30/30 (protein, carbs, fat).  I actually really love that breakdown and it works well for me now, but in college, I was ALL ABOUT THE ZONE BARS.  I remember eating like a box a day and calling it good.  Meaning that I ate NO real food, no cooking – just gobs and gobs of bars.

I know better now.  Thank God.

These days I practice a whole foods diet with an 80/20 breakdown.  80 percent real, whole foods (one ingredient foods) and 20 percent of anything else I want to eat.  Nutrition bars fall into that 20 percent for me and I use them for post-workout refueling or while traveling.  The convenience factor is huge for me – we’re generally out of the house for 3-4 hours every morning and I like to have something that’s easily accessible.

045

Recently, thinkThin sent me some of their high protein/low sugar bars to try out.  I’ve seen them in local grocery stores and at Trader Joe’s but never tried one.  First, I loved the taste and texture of these bars.  I’ll be completely honest here – taste comes FIRST for me when purchasing and is even slightly more important than the nutrition stats.  If a bar claims to be the healthiest/vegan/all-natural/most-amazing-thing-on-Earth but still tastes like dirt, I probably won’t be buying it multiple times.  Taste wins.  Always.  (it’s a good thing I think vegetables taste amazing!)

048050

In addition to the taste factor, the thinkThin bars also met some of my other requirements:

  • High protein (I usually look for something over 15 grams)
  • Low sugar
  • Short ingredient list with ingredients I’m familiar with

052

All in all, a great nutrition bar that I’ll definitely be purchasing for myself!  Thanks thinkThin!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

thinkThin has offered to give TWO Lindsay’s List readers a box of their own bars!  Use the rafflecopter widget to enter below – winners will be announced NEXT TUESDAY!  Best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

splendid…lindsay

86 Comments »

← Previous Entries