This post is written by me in association with Energems.

Energy candy, chews, jellybeans…for quite awhile know I have known about them and wanted to give them a whirl to see if they really work. I know quite a few fitness bloggers, runners, and enthusiasts who swear by them. They look just like candy and come in a variety of shapes and sizes but they are more Red Bull then sugar rush. My workout routine though really didn’t require them. I worked out in the mornings, when I am naturally at my most energetic and fresh.

That changed this past month though when my schedule did and suddenly I found myself only able to workout in the late afternoon. It was a complete shock to my system. As my body was naturally ready to wind down and take it easy I wanted to get a workout in…at least one or two days a week. Yet every time I went in to the gym I felt lethargic and sluggish. Weight that I should have been easily be able to handle started to feel like it weighed a ton and I was getting pretty discouraged. So I decided to give some energy candy a try, specifically Energems, which look and taste kinda like M&Ms.

Eating or drinking too much before a CrossFit workout is a big no-no for me. It will start to come back up. This is why if I eat anything before working out it has to be super light, like a snack bar and a little bit of coconut water. Candy seemed like a great way to get some calories/fuel without having to worry about my stomach being full and having to run outside to visit with the bushes. So far I am really liking them too. The ingredients in energems are what you would expect from a traditional candy, though in my opinion they are a bit better…not so many ingredients that you cannot pronounce. They do have artificial dyes though.

They are made with real milk chocolate and are infused with energy by using caffeine, B vitamins and a proprietary energy mix. Three pieces of candy equals the same amount of energy in a popular energy drink…which I generally don’t like the taste of. These candies though tasted great, as candy does and they aren’t crazy high in calories if you are watching that sort of thing (only 15 calories per serving). I have been very pleased with how they have helped me power through workouts of late. It is important to me to workout and also not drag through them and feel discouraged. I know myself well enough to know that if workouts are tortuous every time and I don’t feel as though I am progressing, I will stop going and that just won’t do.

Want to try some yourself?

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Just  be aware that if you eat the whole box in the late afternoon/evening…you may not get to sleep that night, LOL. I find that one serving (3 candies) does the trick just fine.

Energems are energy supplements that are bite-sized, hard-coated gems made with real milk chocolate. Designed for the modern, on-the-go consumer, they contain caffeine, B vitamins and a proprietary energy blend. Think of them as a great alternative to traditional energy drinks and energy shots. You can try Energems absolutely FREE! Just click over to their Facebook fanpage and sign up now.

Energems are a delicious and low-calorie way to boost your energy, focus and concentration! Please visit energems.net for more info.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Energems.

After rediscovering fitness and exercise a couple years ago it quickly became apparent why fitness clothing is such a big business. When I joined a gym, and it stuck, I needed to go out and buy some fitness clothing. What I found second hand (my preferred way to shop) was usually not sufficient. The workout clothing was either worn to shreds by someone who actually used it or it was new with tags but in size XXS or XXL. There seemed to be little middle ground. So I had to buy some workout clothing and being used to second hand (aka cheap stuff) I went to big box stores where I could get away cheaply.

This ended up being a very bad idea. I bought two $5 tees, two fitness brand shirts, and one pair of fitness capris. All of it was cheap as I wanted but I soon figured out why it is best to leave the fitness clothing to the higher end companies who actually know what they are doing and are not simply trying to churn out a cheap product. I guess I knew this already but since I just going to sweat tons and get dirty in these clothes I figured maybe I could get away with it. Wrong.

Every single item that I bought that day I still have but yet I never ever wear them. I will happily do a last minute load of laundry just to avoid having to wear any of those items. Why? Well, now that I know what good quality workout gear fits and feels like I cannot stand to wear anything else. The old capris ride down and show my underpants when I bend over. They fit bizarrely in the crotch area too and I am always pulling at them. The shirts ride up and show my belly when I am doing burpees. The waist area feels tent like and the arm area doesn’t stay put when I am moving and gets all bunched up. The result is that I spend the workout worrying more about my clothing then performing my best. Well no more. Now I will actually save up if I have to…to get the gear I need. It hurts a bit to buy a $50 t-shirt or a $100 pair of pants but they perform well and they last much longer than the cheap stuff.

I recently got to try some pvBody workout clothing and have been very impressed. The outfit they sent me looks and feels like uber expensive compression gear which is very popular among CrossFitters because they allow for more blood flow to muscles. They fit like a glove and stay put, which is wonderful and they are also made with high quality materials so I know they will last a long time and stay looking nice. The top has a built in bra and it actually works so there is no need for that extra bit of clothing. I am a DD so that is no joke yo!

I have been really pleased with these items and I know they will be heavily used. The top can be worn in winter with a pair of compression sleeves and the pants keep me toasty warm but not overly hot once I break a sweat, whether I am running outside or rowing inside, or both. They will work for all seasons.

I have my eye on this amazing top next…with a built in bra, I could actually wear a criss-cross design like this.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy: pvBody is easy. Take the quiz, sign up and boom, an awesome package arrives at your door each month with a hand picked outfit for you!

Every outfit is styled just for you by a pvBody expert. Each month you receive an outfit worth $150, but you pay just $49.95. You’re getting great, quality pieces for a fraction of the retail cost thanks to the relationships pvBody has built.

pvBody is not just another clothing company, but a lifestyle brand. Their blog is a great place to check out tips and tricks for healthy, delicious meals and at home workouts.

Signing up for pvBody gets you a $15 Lululemon gift card, plus 25% off your first month subscription.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of pv.body. The opinions and text are all mine.

What is holistic weight loss? It’s about addressing the whole you instead of segmenting weight loss into it’s own little compartment. That’s what most people do when it comes to weight loss.

With weight loss there needs to be a combination of many things together in order to achieve success. Looking at various aspects of your life, not just the diet and exercise part.

They are the two most common components that get addressed when people want to lose weight. But what about your mindset, your level of stress, your work situation, the state of your personal relationships, your time out and relaxation, your sleep patterns, your level of perceived happiness, your overall view of the world? What about all those factors about YOU that really matter?

Do you think they might contribute and influence your results?

The clear answer to that is yes.

In fact I believe one of the main reasons that most people fail with their weight loss pursuits is that they are not addressing the rest of the problem. Often weight gain is a symptom of something else. For example, if you are stressed you will tend to reach for the bad foods. This leads to weight gain. The weight gain and more importantly the pain of it, is a symptom, not the cause. The root cause is the stress and until you deal with that, then chances are your success rate may not improve much at all.

Certainly this is not how it works for everyone, but often it is, and if you are reading this and nodding your head then obviously you relate.

First things first, stressing about losing weight won’t help you lose weight at all. And many of us chase our tails in circles stressing about wanting to do it, stressing about why it’s not happening fast enough, stressing about the whole process.

In order to take a holistic approach you need to first:

Relax

And Breathe…

Now slow down and take an objective look at your whole life, take a look at you.

Take the time to ask yourself some important questions, and more importantly, time to reflect and write down or think through how your life looks now and how you’d like your life to look in the future.

How is your level of stress? What would you like it to be like?

How is your work situation? Do you need a change of career? Are you happy doing what you’re doing?

How is the state of your personal relationships? How could you improve it if it’s bad?

Do you take your time out and relax? Pencil in how you will do more of it.

How are your sleep patterns?

Are you happy? What would your life look like if you were happy?

It may seem strange to think that these things can affect your weight loss results. But everything in our life is connected; we are a whole person. And often when we work on fixing the cause, our efforts to achieve weight loss, or achieve anything in our life, suddenly becomes much easier!

Jedha D is a weight loss and wellness coach who is passionate about helping people get off the merry go round and change their life from the inside out. If you need help with achieving better weight loss results and a lifestyle you love, please visit Jedha’s website for more info.

This week has been completely amazing. So very invigorating and enjoyable. In addition to making it to five CrossFit classes this week I also managed to drop some pounds. You see I put on a pair of my favorite pants a little over a week ago and they fit just a bit to snug for my taste. I hopped on the scale and saw that I had gained 12 pounds over 2.5 months. I traveled quite a bit in the tail end of summer with lots of parties and social stuff going on. I was in New York yo! I had to eat bagels and cheesecake. Early fall was spent at festivals (with festival food) and in the kitchen baking treats. I was only eating 50-60% paleo. So yeah I gained some weight.  I am already very encouraged though. I feel great being back to my happy 90% paleo place and I lost 3 pounds in the first week. Booyah!

My CrossFit box is in the process of moving to a new location but ran into some last minute issues with the city. This left us unable to move into the new place as scheduled and we were not able to stay at the old place any longer. The owner wrangled us up a temporary home at a private residence with 3 wooded acres, a long winding driveway (perfect for running), and an 18 car garage that will hold us if it rains. Most of the workouts have been outside among the beautiful Fall trees and falling leaves. I have enjoyed every second of it. It doesn’t get any better than this!

Monday: Warmup was 5 minutes AMRAP 15 squats, 10 lunges, 5 pushups, 15 leg kicks, 10 arm circles, 5 spidey lunges. Skill was snatches with PVC bar. WOD: Buy in was 30 deadlifts w/fat bar (93 lbs). 2 rounds of 200 meter run with sandbag, 20 pulls on rower, 10 pullups, 20 shoot throughs on parallettes, 10 box jumps (20″), 20 GHD situps, and 10 rope pullups. Cash out was 20 hang cleans (73 lbs).

The deadlifts and hang cleans were done in the middle of the woods. So cool!

Tuesday: I felt a bit “off this day…almost like I was getting sick. So I picked way lighter weights than I would typically select and just muddled through. Warm up was 15 minutes AMRAP and teams of 3: 500 meter row, Squat PVC pass throughs while partner is rowing, front squats w/DBs while 2nd partner is rowing. Skill was overhead squats with PVC. WOD was 10 rounds of 10 unbroken thrusters and stiff leg deadlifts.

After this WOD I came home and took mass doses of fish oils and echinacea throughout the day. Felt all better by the next morning.

Wednesday: Warm up was 100 squat hang cleans w/medballs and 100 pushups. WOD was 100 GHD hip extensions, 100 ring rows, x3 200 meter runs with sandbag, 100 Kettlebell Swings, 100 medicine ball backwards toss (14 lb ball for all medball exercises).

Here I am coming back from one of my sandbag runs…

Thursday: Warm up: Buy in was 200 meter run with medball overhead (14 lbs) then 10 rounds of max L sit on bar, max L sit on rings, and max L sit on parallettes. Skill was 5 minutes hang cleans and squats cleans with medball. Buy out was another 200 meter run with medball OH. WOD was 200 meter walking KB overhead swings, 500 meter row, 30 GHD hip extensions, 20 bench presses (65 lbs), and 50 medball toss (16 lbs).

I blistered my hands pretty badly on this day so I bought a pair of gloves for future classes!

Friday: We did a crazy “Fran”kenstein WOD today. It was terrifying alright. Warm up was 100 spidey lunges, 100 crab walk steps, 100 side plank steps. Skill was overhead squat and thrusters form/practice. WOD was 100 meter run with barbell overhead and 21 overhead squats. Drop bar and run back for weights, farmer carry weights back to bar and then 15 statue of liberty situps with weights overhead. Load up bar with weights run back to do 9 toes to bar. Run back and forth from barbell to bar doing “Fran” 21-15-9 thrusters and pullups. 150 meter walking lunges with overhead barbell, 9 Burpee Box Jumps, Break down your barbell, 15 Sandbag Thrusters, 200 meter run, 21 MedBall tosses. I used a 42 lb barbell which is kinda light for me but hey it was a rough week and those lunges are killer!

I am looking forward to a restful weekend and at least one more week of workouts in this awesome temporary location.

Hit a fitness goal this week and that was to make five CrossFit classes in a row. Ideally I would like to do 5 on, 2 off consistently. Of course today (on the 5th day) I am really super sore but I love that feeling. It let’s me know that my body is being challenged and that it is getting stronger. I also broke through some PRs (personal records) so that is another bonus. It’s been an awesome week!

Monday: Warmup was 10 minutes AMRAP 10 sec wobble bench hold, 20 overhead lunges (15 lbs), 5 wobble bench press (63 lbs), max L hold on bar – 100 meter run after each. Skill was 5×10 Wobble bench press (63 lbs). WOD was 1 minute AMRAP x10 with minute rest in between rounds – 5 air squats with DB held out front, 10 situps, 5 burpees.

Below is the wobble bench press…which is just benching a bar with kettlebells on the end, attached with bands. They wobble all over and make it hard to stabilize which works all the muscles in your arms like crazy.

Tuesday: Same warmup as yesterday. Skill was 7×5 wobble bench press (63 lbs) and 2 statue of liberty situps with dumbbell after each set. WOD was 15 minutes AMRAP – 5 high pulls, 10 sumo deadlifts, 5 sumo deadlift high pulls, 200 meter run (20 lb dumbbells).

Wednesday: Typically hump day is the toughest. Warm up was 50 Good Mornings, 100 meter run, 50 Back Squats, 200 meter run, 50 straight leg deadlifts, and a 400 meter run (33 lb bar). WOD was 20-1 Kettlebell Swings, Goblet Squats, and straight leg deadlift. That is 210 reps of each!!! Finished at 33:38.

Thursday: Warm up was 15 minute AMRAP: 5 Wobble stiff leg press (63 lb), 250 meter row, 15 Wobble back squat (63 lb), 250 meter row. WOD was 7 rounds w/one minute rest between rounds: max pushups, situps in 30 sec, air squats in 30 sec, max Stiff leg press w/ db’s (40 lbs). Group mobility with bands for finisher.

I managed to stay consistent on my reps for the WOD except for the pushups. That means if I did 16 situps in 30 seconds in round one I managed to stick it and do 16 situps in round 7 even though by then, I was very tired. This was mental just as much as physical.

Friday: Warm up was same as yesterday (wobble press, back squats (78 lb), and rowing). Skill was 5 minutes air squats, 5 minutes rowing, 3 minutes rack. Strength was 50 statue of liberty situps with dumbbell (20 lb). WOD: Team Fight Gone Bad – 3 person teams – Rotating through one minute stations. 1) wallball 2) Sumo Deadlift High Pull 3) 20″ box jumps 4) Push Press 5) Calorie Row.

My PRs: I increased my push press weight by 18 pounds, my back squat weight by 5, and my calorie row by 5 calories.

How did you do this week?