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Nosh: Hydrate, Relax & GO (with Giveaway)!

When you work out a lot, sometimes you get sick of drinking plain ol’ water to rehydrate. Other times you want something to help you relax but that p.m. glass of pinot negatively affects your a.m. run. And, on occasion, you might crave something liquid to help pump you up for that afternoon spin class. Yes, these are the problems of fit bottomed girls everywhere. But do not fret! Today we have solutions for each of these probs, all in liquid form! Read on and drink up!

botbot

Flavored waters these days are a dime a dozen, but I’m not ashamed to admit that the cute packaging on bot beverages is what first won me over when this arrived on my doorstep (courtesy of the manufacturer). Just look at those little alien/bot critters! You just want to pinch their grape, berry, orange and lemon cheeks. And then there’s the taste. It’s very light, not chemical tasting like some drinks,  (it’s made from all natural ingredients) and it’s low in sugar. Plus the flavored water contains electrolytes, B vitamins and antioxidants. And with only 50 calories per 16.9-ounce bottle it’s the perfect post-workout drink. I routinely guzzle these after my long runs and prefer the grape flavor, although all are darn delicious.

box_and_bottlesiChill

This one wins the award for best-beverage-name-to-sing-around-the-house to. Once the manufacturer mailed these to me, my husband and I went around singing/attempting to rap “I chill…Do you chill?”  for weeks. It’s really pretty embarrassing. The idea for iChill is much less embarrassing, though. The little shots of relaxation were created to counteract all the sugar-filled, high-calorie energy drinks out there. iChill includes a natural blend of melatonin, valerian root, rose hips and B vitamins to ease anxiety, curb stress and elevate mood. I was skeptical of its relaxation powers at first and downed a whole bottle (they say to start with half a bottle). It damn near put me to sleep I was so relaxed. Since then, I’ll drink a half bottle in the evenings if I’m amped up and need to hit the hay early or if I just want to relax a little but don’t have time to take a bath or do yoga. I wasn’t a huge fan of its very sweet berry flavor, but the stuff really does work, and you just have to drink a little to feel chill.

VegaSport_72dpi_LemonLime+AcaiBerry_TubsVega Sport

I’ve been pretty vocal about my love of Vega’s Smoothie Infusion protein powder, so, of course, I had to take Vega up on the offer to try its new Vega Sport powder. Made with Vega’s signature organic combination of natural plant-based ingredients, this super powder is for athletes (or wannabes like me). The stuff includes ingredients that enhances specific aspects of performance: energy, stamina, mental focus and recovery, thereby giving you fantastic performance and a killer workout. I’ve been mixing a scoop of the lemon-lime flavor with water about 30 minutes before my runs, and it sure as heck hasn’t hurt. The flavor takes a little getting used to—and I’m not sure if it alone ever helped my runs—but on days where I didn’t feel like hitting the gym, it definitely help me to get through. Like all Vega stuff, it’s pricey at almost $50 per 30-serving tub, but if you’re serious about your nutrition and performance, it’s definitely worth it!

Want to try Vega for yourself? If you’re a U.S. resident, leave a comment below with how you’d use Vega Sport to increase your performance, and we’ll randomly pick two lucky readers to receive a months supply. Contest closes in a week, so get to commenting! —Jenn

FTC disclosure: We often receive products from companies to review. All thoughts and opinions are always entirely our own. Unless otherwise stated, we have received no compensation for our review and the content is purely editorial. Affiliate links may be included. If you purchase something through one of those links we may receive a small commission. Thanks for your support!