I recently received a package from www.energybits.com which are a form of algae tabs. This is a natural supplement that is plant-based and vegan. They are made from one ingredient and are paleo-friendly. Did you know that algae has been used by Olympic athletes in Asia for over 50 years? I had no idea until I discovered the energy bits!

I was sent both the Energybits and the recoverybits that have a catchy slogan on them "it's ok to swallow" which I had a little chuckle about. They do however suggest swallowing rather than chewing them. The are quite strong "green" tasting.

Energybits

Are a pre-workout performance fuel for athletes that include runners,  triathletes and endurance athletes. They are made from 100% organic spirulina algae, they have the highest concentration of protein in the world and deliver a stead stream of energy, without sugar, caffeine, chemicals, soy, or gluten.

Recoverybits

Are a post-workout recovery fuel that are made from 100% chorella algae. The algae is organic as well and they have the highest concentration of chlorophyll and RNA/DNA in the world. Chorella builds the immune system, prevents colds, speeds recovery from injury, removes toxins and prevents hangovers when taken after drinking alcohol (I could have used this a few days ago when I went out for a friends birthday haha).

The only thing is that they are quite strong "green" tasting.  And  they also suggest swilling at least 30 tabs 10-15 minutes before your workout. For me this is tough because Im not good at swallowing pills and it takes me forever.

Check out there website for more info if you are interested in the bits! www.energybits.com

You need to show your loved one how much you care by putting in the effort to make the day unique by celebrating it in both a healthy and sexy way.

Play Together

According to Psychology Today "couples who sweat together stay together." Sign your partner and you up for a sexy dance class, a partners hot steamy yoga session or some fun partnered workouts with a trainer. Exercise increases testosterone in men and nothing is more exciting then seeing your partner work up a sweat. In addition to the release of hormones working out gets the blood pumping, heart racing and adds something fun and exciting to the relationship.

The Way To The Heart Is Through The Stomach

Both men and women love food. Impress your partner with some cooking skills in the kitchen. Make a romantic candlelit dinner for two at home. This is a great way for you to control what you are eating and how much. It also lets you show off your cooking abilities that your partner may not know about. Don't forget to serve a healthy sexy dessert.  Try serving strawberries and low fat whipping cream which could lead to burning some extra calories in the bedroom.

Burn Calories In The Bedroom

According to WomansDay "having sex burns 144+ calories per half hour." So get into the loving spirit and get close and intimate with your loved one. This has many health benefits and it provides your ability to boost your immune system, lower blood pressure and it also counts as exercise!

Go That extra mile to show your partner how much that you care by doing something unique thats healthy and good for the heart. Couples who are healthy and active have been shown to have happier, longer lasting relationships. When your body, mind and spirit are stimulated you will have a long and healthy relationship.

Follow Alicia Bell on Twitter or visit www.trainitright.com

According to the Huffington Post most of use consume an excess of up to and beyond 500 extra calories of sugar per day. One pound weight gain is equivalent to approximately 3500 calories. This means that the average person is putting themselves at risk to gain a minimum of one extra pound a week.

Here are 10 more reasons to cut back on sugar:

Sugar sweetened beverages are related to obesity

Canadians are drinking roughly twice as many soft drinks now as they did in 1970. Sugary liquids may make us fatter because they don’t curb our appetite for more food.

Sugar enriched beverages are linked to diabetes

Sugar sweetened soft drinks might increase the risk of type 2 diabetes because they’re high in rapidly absorbable carbohydrates. Also, studies have shown that people who eat foods that raise blood sugar levels have a higher risk of diabetes.

Sugar contains empty calories

There’s no question that sugars are a major culprit in obesity, because they’re a source of empty calories that most people don’t need. Sugar has no nutritional benefits whatsoever. Added sugars crowd out healthy foods, or make you fat if eaten in addition to healthy foods.

Sugar-sweetened drinks can raise the risk of heart disease

Excess weight isn not good for the heart. A big belly is one part of the metabolic syndrome, which raises the risk of heart disease (and diabetes). But sugar-sweetened beverages may promote heart disease whether or not they make you gain weight.

Sugar raises triglycerides

When you consume a large dose of glucose, the liver doesn’t pull much of it in if you don’t need the calories. In contrast, fructose ends up in the liver whether you need the calories or not. What does the liver do with all that fructose? It converts some of the fructose into fat, which gets sent into the bloodstream, resulting in higher levels of triglycerides.

Sugar promotes belly fat

According to the Huffington Post A 2010 2010 study in children found "excess fructose intake (but not glucose intake) actually caused visceral fat cells to mature -- setting the stage for a big belly and even bigger future risk for heart disease and diabetes."

Sugar may be linked to cancer production and may effect cancer survival

According to research done by the Huffington Post. A 2013 study found that "sugars in the intestine triggered the formation of a hormone called GIP (it is completely dependant on sugar levels), that in turn, increases insulin released by the pancreas. Researchers found that β-catenin may in fact affect the cells susceptibility to cancer formation. They found an associations between high sugar and starch intake and survival rates in both breast cancer patients and colon patients."  This link between sugar and higher cancer risks should make you wan't to cut back if nothing else does.

Sugar can cause over-eating

Leptin is a hormone made by fat cells. It’s supposed to make you stop eating. Over time a high sugar diet blocks the leptin signal in the brain. The result is that you keep eating and no longer know when you are full.

Minimizing added sugars has been known to keep blood pressure down

There’s a possibility that sugar raises blood pressure, but it is not definitive. It is clear that there’s little place for sugar in a diet that’s designed to lower blood pressure.

Most sugary foods are low in nutrients

When you consume high sugar foods from companies such as Coca-cola, Pepsi, Hostess, Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme etc you are getting over fed and under nourished. These foods are high in sugars and low  in nutrients. Many are also packed with white flour which does not contain much nutritional value.

Alicia Bell, BSc Kin, CPT, NCCP, CF-L1

For more info follow Alicia on twitter or check out her website

Do you suffer from indigestion, heart burn, bloating or gas? You are not alone. According to Yahoo around 70 million of American's suffer from different types of digestive problems each year.

It is important to your overall health to maintain a healthy digestive system. GESA reports that "Although the digestive system can withstand a lot of stress (from the foods you eat to emotional stresses), it can only do so for a limited period. Over time, the negative effects will accumulate and create health problems in the long-term." Therefore you should watch your diet and take preventative measures to limit the risk of problematic situations occurring.

Although the best way to diagnose and take care of digestive problems is to promptly report any that appear to your doctor, research on nutrition has found that certain foods effect your digestion positively than others. According to Inside Fitness some of these foods include the following five:

Apples: This tasty fruit has a magic combination of both soluble and insoluble fibre helps you eat and digest quickly and easily.

Tumeric: Has been known to help with inflammation which can help smooth out the digestion process as your food travels through your system.

Almonds: These little nuts are filled with digestion enhancing fibre and calcium which also supports many functions in the body.

Peppermint Tea: Is known to calm the stomach muscles and improve the flow of your bile. Try to refrain from the use sweetener or milk.

Coconut Oil: This natural oil is made up of medium chain fatty acids that can help with digestion. You can take it as a supplement, cook with it, add it to smoothies or even use it as a replacement for butter.

For more tips on fitness and healthy eating check out

Alicia Bell is a Toronto based Personal Trainer

www.twitter.com/trainitright

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Hey Guys! As you know this year  I became A Fitfluential Ambassador. Two of the wonderful ladies in my network have created an affordable cookbook that I have received. This cookbook is great because they give you cooking options, beautiful coloured photos and it is easy to follow.

The No Flour Cracker and Flatbread Cookbook is your complete gluten-free, vegan, mostly grain-free, soy-free, dairy-free, egg-free, paleo-friendly, real food cookbook! Inside you will find 49-page, full color PDF digital/ebook with 12 healthy no flour recipes. These crackers and flatbreads are the perfect on-the-go snack or a wonderful addition to a meal.

A mix of sweet and savory recipes to satisfy any palate!

You’ll see recipes like:

Collard onion cracker

Kale cracker

Berry flatbread

Kale hemp flatbread

…. and many more!

There is no cookbook like this out there. Easy to make recipes made from basic kitchen staples.  Each recipe you can make in a dehydrator to make wonderfully crispy dehydrated snacks or you can freshly bake them in the oven.  Every recipe is bursting with flavor!

Click on the link below to buy the book:

For more information on the authors you can check them out on their social networks:

Interested in a healthy, 0rganic, 100% natural form of energy? There are tons of supplementary options that exist. Algae and seaweed forms of energy are on the rise in popularity. Check out Energy Bits. What are they? According to the site they are made from Algae. Energy Bits and Catharine Arnston,  Founder and Chief Executive Officer states that "Algae is for everyone.  By the way, as you will find, we sell two kinds of algae, spirulina algae and chlorella algae. Each one does completely different things for your health and your body but both of them have the highest concentration of protein, antioxidants, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals, iron and beta carotene in the world. Both are just ONE calorie per tab."

I got the opportunity to try them first hand. According to the directions you can swallow them like a pill or chew them. I suggest chewing them unless you like that earthy, from mother nature, plant type taste. They did however leave me feeling more energetic and alert despite the foul taste. Im sure eventually it can become an enjoyable acquired taste.

The Bits boast a lengthy list of benefits that include athletics, beauty, children's health, colds, dance, detox and cleanse, energy and fatigue, extreme sports, hangovers (yes you read that right), jet lag, mental vitality, pet health, and even weight loss. There is a bit for everyone one of your desires. There are energybits, reoverybits, vitalitybits, and even skinnybits. Below are a list of each type of bit, their ingredients and their benefits.

Although each type of bit packs tons of benefits, vitamins and minerals the bits tend to be a little on the pricy side. If you have the extra cash to invest in your health I highly recommending adding Energy Bits to your supplementary routine. You can see more info and purchase the bits from their official webpage.

One day  I was browsing the web and came across a product that caught my attention. Oatworks. This product boasted that it was packed with as much soluble fiber as two bowls of oatmeal, gluten free, vegan friendly, dairy free, non gmo and no cholesterol.

The people over at Oatworks sent me a package of all three flavours to try! Lucky me! The three flavours were pomegranate blueberry, peach mango and strawberry banana.

Once I received the package I made sure to put them in the fridge. Accoring to oatworks "Like friends, Oatworks is best when chilled." Out of the three my favourite was strawberry banana followed by pomegranate blueberry and the peach mango. The ingredients in these drinks are packed full of nutrition. The one thing that I wish it had was more protein. Each flavour on average only has 1g of protein.

If you are looking for a quick on the go way to get a great tasting smoothie, nutrients and your daily fiber I highly recommend picking up Oatworks. These products are available in the USA and unfortunately they are not available in Canada yet. For more information on the product check them out at www.oatworks.com