Bulu Box Review

As a sweat pink ambassador I was given the opportunity to review a Bulu Box.  As stated on their website," Bulu Box is the first health, nutrition, and weight loss discovery box designed to help you feel your best.  Each month, you'll get a custom box filled with a new mix of 4-5 premium samples from top brands to try.  Every sample is sufficient enough to decide if the product is right for you."  The cool thing about Bulu Box is the Reward Points program.  Basically you are given an opportunity to fill out a brief survey on each of the samples and earn 10 rewards points per sample for a total of 50 points per Bulu Box.  For every 50 points earned you get $5 to use at BuluBox.com toward a regular size item.  So you test the samples, review, get points and earn cash...easy peasy right?  So here is what was in my box and what I thought of my samples...

Up first was Mediterra, the Mediterranean Nutrition bar.  Mediterrra uses all-natural ingredients including nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables along with fiber-packed grains and seeds.  Mediterra nutrition bars come in different flavors and what I thought was interesting was in addition to sweet nutrition bars (ones made with yogurt, fruit, honey, etc), they make two savory bars- Sun dried Tomato and Basil and Black Olives and Walnuts.  My Bulu Box had the Sun dried Tomato and Basil bar.  I was super excited to try it, because I have never tried, let alone heard of a savory nutrition bar and the fact that I love sundries tomatoes and basil was just an added plus.  Okay, what did I think....


I'm sorry to say I was not a fan.  I found it to be really salty...like super salty.  The texture was that of normal nutrition bars and it had bits of sun dried tomatoes in it which I thought was just weird.  I actually couldn't eat the whole thing, because in my opinion, it just didn't taste good.  This is all I could manage to get down.  So would I buy these???  Not this particular flavor and after sampling this one, I would probably stay way from the Black Olive and Walnuts one too, but it doesn't mean that I wouldn't try or buy the sweeter flavors.

On my way to the trails

Up next were the Movit Energy Gummies.  These little gummies "use power-boosting ingredients like guarana, CoQ10, and folic acid to combat fatigue and help you perform your best!"  As stated on the package, for optimal results, consume 1 package approximately 20 minutes prior to activity then another for every hour of activity after.  I have always been one that couldn't eat much prior to a long run so I was eager to give these a try.

I had a 10 mile trail run planned for the weekend and thought this would be the best time to give these a try so I ate them in my car on the way to my run.  I thought they were pretty tasty and easy to eat...unlike other gummies I've tried that are thick and hard to swallow.  They actually had a consistency that reminded me of my daughter's fruit snacks.  The Movits were not too sweet so eating all 11 was easy.  And I have to add, the smiley faces on the gummies is a cute touch and made me smile on my very, very early morning.  But besides the cute smiley faces, good flavor (I had the Citrus flavored ones), and easy to consume consistency, these Movit Energy Gummies were fantastic.  I felt energized through the whole run which lasted just over 1 hour and 15 minutes.  What I liked most about these gummies is that I didn't have that crash down feeling and automatic "zonk" after an hour of running.  After my run, I still felt energized and probably could have added on a few more miles :) Would I buy these??? Yes, I think these are great.  They taste good, are easy to get down, and give good energy.  Thumbs up!

After a long run, it's important to recover and refuel your body.  I usually have chocolate milk, coconut water or a protein shake.  I was given 2 packets of Quest Protein Powder to sample in my Bulu Box so I decided to use one them for my post run shake.  The night before I sliced up a ripe banana, put it in a zip-lock baggie and stuck it in the freezer.  After my run I added the frozen banana slices to the Quest Protein Powder, added a little milk and a splash of water and blended in my nutri-bullet...the results were a delicious, super yummy, high protein smoothie.  And I have to say, I am usually a chocolate protein powder girl, but the peanut butter flavor was delicious!  And it tasted great with the banana.

Also in my Bulu Box was a sample of the Yerba Prima Fiber Plus Powder.  It's sugar free (sweetened with Stevia) , contains 9 grams of fiber per serving and helps gently detox your body by moving waste material through the colon.  You mix 1 heaping teaspoon of the powder with 8 ounces of water, 1-3 times a day.  It's recommended to start with one serving a day and gradually build up to 3 servings if needed.  So what'd I thing???  It tasted pretty good and was easy to drink.  I did experience  minor bloating which the label said can occur and suggests reducing your intake, but all in all, not bad.

The last sample I was given is Earth's Care Anti-Itch Cream.  This cream is meant for relief from skin irritations such sunburns, poison ivy, and minor cuts and scrapes.  Now because I didn't have any of these skin irritations, I wasn't really able to give a full review.  What I can say is that it's got a pretty strong smell, has no oily residue and leaves your skin feeling (must be the methol).

So there you have it friends.  I would like to give a special thanks to Bulu Box and Sweat Pink for the opportunity to sample these products.  If you are interested in trying out Bulu Box, use promo code SWEATPINK at check out to receive 50% off a 3 month subscription!

Bitten by the trail bug

So I've been a runner for about 9 years now and most of my running, races included, were done on the road; however, I've recently been exposed to and have fallen in love with trail running.  I've wanted to get into trail running for quite some time for many reasons.  One of the biggest reasons is that I aspire to be an ultra runner.  If you're unfamiliar with what an ultra runner is, it is someone who runs distances further than the 26.2 mile marathon.  Ultra marathons range in distances from 30k, 50k, 50 miles, 100 miles and even further and most of these races are done on trails.  Another reason I wanted to get into trail running is it makes you a stronger runner.  I'm not sure what exactly it is, maybe the terrain; regardless of what it is, I have been told by many that running trails makes you stronger and faster...and what runner wouldn't want that?  Lastly, to run trails and be an ultra runner would mean pushing far beyond my comfort zone.  It will test me both physically, emotionally, and mentally.

About five months ago my family and I moved to Orange County and to my delight, we live right by some beautiful and beginner friendly trails.  At 2 weeks post baby I was not allowed to run just yet  so I hiked the trails just behind my apartments.  Gradually I started to jog them and at 5 weeks post baby I felt good enough to run.  I fell in love with the trails immediately.  I loved the challenging up hills and the feel of the dirt beneath my feet...which was much softer than asphalt I must say.  I gradually built up my miles and so far, my furthest trail run has been 7 miles.  I also did a super fun 5 mile trail race with Renegade Racing.

Over the summer, Renegade Racing does a trail race series that consists of 3 races-one in June, July and the last in August and all races are approximately 5 miles long.  Unfortunately due to scheduling conflicts, I was only able to do the last one.  It's a really great race.  The course is beautiful...and challenging and the thing I enjoyed most was the after race festivities.  There is a bbq, raffles, and the whole thing is at the park so you can bring a blanket, have your bbq and chat with your fellow running friends.

Fought hard up a very large hill to earn this view.

INKnBURN ambassador love.

Renegade Racing does some really great races and I've participated in quite few, but I have to say that this was my favorite.  I will be back next summer to complete all three trail races in the series.  This year, you got a special medal for doing all three and what runner doesn't love bling, right?

I still have a lot to learn in regards to trail running and eventually getting to my goal of being an ultra runner, but I think I'm on the right path.  For now, I will continue to build mileage, ask advise from those much more experienced than me and run on!  By the way, if you're wondering about my running streak, it's still going strong and I am closely approaching 50 days! More to come on that, but for now, take care and as always...Run Happy!