ShowerPill: The Shower Supplement!

It’s no secret that we all sweat when we’re working out. As a former swimmer, I was lucky in the sense that I rarely ever felt my sweat; there wasn’t that awkward half wet, half dry feeling – I was either all in or all out (even though that meant I always smelled like chlorine). So you can imagine my initial disdain for sweating when I started working out outside of the pool. And of course adding insult to injury, I sweat a lot. But it usually isn’t a problem; I either run near home and hop right in the shower afterwards, or I run/workout at the gym and immediately head home for a shower. Obviously those are ideal situations, and it isn’t always practical to take a shower as soon as you’ve finished a workout. A great example of this is post-race… sometimes there are errands you need to do, post-run brunches that need to be devoured… you get my drift. So what’s a girl (or guy) to do when they’re in that awkward sweaty cool-down state, and you can’t hop right in the shower? Enter: ShowerPill!

The folks over at ShowerPill sent me some samples of their product to test out. No, it isn’t a pill, but rather a “hygene supplement designed to keep you fresh and clean on the go.” So you can think of it more like a recovery drink or jetson probiotics – it’s something meant to be used after your workout. I’ve never used a full-body wipe after a workout, so I was excited to give these a try. I decided to go for a run during lunch on Thursday, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to shower right after and wanted to stay fresh.

The first thing I did was smell the wipe – I was curious to see if it had any fragrance, or if it smelled a little more like medicine. The smell reminded me of a baby wipe, but not nearly as potent. This was the first sign that it wasn’t going to just try and mask the sweat-smell, but rather actually clean my skin. The next thing I noticed was it’s size and texture; this wipe is thick! I’m so used to baby wipes or makeup remover wipes that are small and thin, but it’s clear this wipe is really meant for your entire body. After my mini inspection, I gave it a try.

Directions on the package suggest that you use a different side for each body part, and clean each area for about 30 seconds, then air-dry… simple enough. The wipe is on the cooler-side (as are all wipes I’ve encountered), so I definitely recommend using this sooner rather than later – it’s definitely no fun when you’re already cooled off to wipe yourself with something cold! I was left feeling clean, without any sticky residue or awkward masking smell. And since the temperatures outside have been dropping, I was happy to note that my skin didn’t feel tight or dry after using it either. I even gave one to my husband to try and he was equally impressed.

I already have plans to use another ShowerPill after my Turkey Trot next Saturday… these are great and I highly recommend them! So you may be wondering – how can I get myself some of these? Well, you’re in luck! You can order these badboys on Amazon.com, and I’ve got a Black Friday coupon code for you! From Friday 11/23 to Sunday 11/25, if you buy 2 packages, you’ll get 3rd for free! You have to add all three to your shopping cart, but once you enter the coupon the discount will be applied. Be sure to enter SPFRIDAY at checkout!

Have you ever used an athletic wipe post-workout? Would you try this?
Do you have any good stay-fresh tips for after a workout when you don’t have time to shower right away?

Disclaimer: I was sent samples of ShowerPill to review at no cost to me as a FitFluential Ambassador. All opinions are my own.

A Cake Ball Attempt

I’ve been following Bakerella’s blog for about a year and a half, and have finally gotten around to trying my hand at cake balls. She seriously makes the cutest edible designs on sticks I’ve ever seen! Since my decoration abilities are nearly nonexistent, I decided to keep it simple for my first try. I let the fiancé pick out the flavors, and then got to work.

The actual making of the cake balls themselves is really easy. It’s when you try and get snazzy and decorate them that you actually need some skill. The fiancé decided on a white funfetti cake, with chocolate fudge icing. I was a little skeptical at first with the combination, but it came out really yummy, a little like a marble cake with some extra fudge. I ran into my first problem when it was time to prepare the ingredients to coat them, though.

I thought I had plenty of chocolate chips at home, but it turns out I didn’t. So, I wound up only being able to coat about 8 of them with chocolate. My second issue was actually coating them. I need to do some more research on Bakerella’s blog for some tips and techniques, because this was a disaster! I couldn’t fully coat them (probably because there really wasn’t enough chocolate), so it kind of became a mess. But that’s okay, because they were just for my fiancé and I to enjoy ourselves.

They tasted like really gooey munchkins, if I had to compare them to something. And let me tell you, they’re delicious! I’ve been looking around the past few days to maybe get some proper tools to make some of the adorable cake balls I’ve seen. I did buy that $20 for $10 on Amazon deal from Living Social last week that I think everyone got, and of course it’s burning a hole in my pocket!

So even if you’re like me and aren’t exactly cake decorating savvy, I would suggest making these just to eat as-is because they are awesome. But, if you’re creative I’d suggest checking out Bakerella and trying some of her adorable designs! I’m going to leave out any decoration instructions, just because I’m still working on trying to make that a success. But you can simply melt some chocolate and coat them. I’ll keep you posted on my next attempt!

Cake Balls
– makes about 30-40 balls, depending on how big you make them –

Ingredients:
1 box of cake mix and ingredients to make (any flavor – I used yellow funfetti)
1 container of frosting (any flavor – I used chocolate fudge)

Directions:
1. Bake cake according to box directions
2. Let cake cool completely, then crumble into a big bowl
3. Add icing to crumbled cake, coating completely
4. Form cake and icing mixture into balls (I rolled them, similar to how you’d form a meatball) and place on parchment paper, or sprayed foil on a baking sheet
5. Place in the freezer to harden about 1-2 hours

Christmas Gift Review 1: Contigo Travel Mug

Since this past Christmas was quite the foodie Christmas, I’ve decided to review most of my presents that would be of any use to anyone on this site. So, first up is my Contigo Travel Mug! I have to say I was a bit wary of it’s claims at first, but so far so good.

I’m an avid coffee drinker; I bring it to work every day in an effort to save money, but also because the coffee at my office is less than stellar. I was finding that by the time I arrived at work, my coffee was cold and needed to be reheated in the microwave. Now, this wasn’t usually a problem, unless I happened to bring a non-microwavable mug. Then I had to go through the process of pouring it into a regular cup, heating it up, then pouring it back in hopes of it retaining it’s heat for a little.

I’m also unable to prevent coffee from spilling on myself. I’m by no means a klutz, but for whatever reason coffee always seems to leak out or spill on me. So, I really needed a mug that I could rely on to close all the way.

With all of the aforementioned issues taken into consideration, my boyfriend decided on a red Contigo mug for me. Not only does it keep warm beverages warm for up to 4 hours (and cold up to 12), but it also is leak and spill proof! That is by far the best part. I have turned the mug upside down from side to side on multiple occasions to demonstrate, and not a single drop has appeared any time.

I am seriously impressed by this mug. It seems to have everything; I can fit 16 oz. in it, and it stays drinkably warm for quite a few hours. And, if I happen to be wearing a white blazer and reach over my mug, I don’t have to worry about it spilling all over myself and needing to use two Tide-to-go pens to try and get it out (yes, this has happened). It has also come in handy for my weekend morning trips to the movies with bagels and coffee; my usual plastic bag and hope for the best method can be laid to rest.

So, if you drink coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or even super cold drinks close to as much as I do, I can’t recommend this enough! I know they have them on Amazon, and you can also get them directly from their site. Next time you’re in the market for a new travel mug, check this bad boy out!