Good evening!

I apologize for going AWOL on you today, but you see I was stuck in the kitchen all day baking up some Glo Bar sampler packs! Wow, do you guys ever love your sampler packs! :) You have kept me busy as a bee in there.
I started my day off by shipping about 10 orders out! I am loving my new business discount with Canada Post. I now save 8% when I do shipping orders online! That will result in huge savings for my customers, so I am so happy about that.
After dropping off all of my boxes (and telling the ladies at the post office about my business!), I was off to do a huge bakery food order. I am kicking myself for not taking a picture, because I bought a CAR LOAD of food for baking! Another good thing happened today when I was purchasing the food products. The lady said, ‘Wow I have never seen such a big bag of flax!’ and when I was buying hemp seeds, ‘You know this bag is going to be like $40, right?’ lol. I explained to her about Glo Bakery. Then she gave me a 10% off discount card that I can use every time I am in the store! :D Whohooo! I am so happy about this. Today alone, I saved about $14!!! I should have told them months ago! lol.
Then once home, I did a huge kitchen scrub down and got everything ready to make my orders. I figured out how many bars I had to make and what flavours. I made over 200 bars again today! My poor lil arm is so sore from stirring sticky oats.
Then it was packaging time. And let me tell you. I need to figure out a way to do my packaging differently because this method takes so long! It basically doubles my time. I am going to look into ordering bar packages that are pre-printed for starters. Printing labels and sticking them on wastes a lot of time and money. I also want to buy a bag sealer, so I can just hot stamp the end of the bag to seal it, instead of using curling ribbon- which is not quick either! :)
But, this is all part of starting up the bakery…I get to test out what works and what doesn’t. I also am going to make my glo bars into actual ‘bar sized’ bars. Up until now I have been making squares, but I am either going to completely switch to bars or offer both options. The squares are better for portion control, but it basically doubles my packaging. Lots of things for me to think about and sort out over the next while! :)
Here are some pictures…
Whew!!! I hope you all love these as much as I do! :)

After about 8 hours in the kitchen, I needed to get out. I took no breaks all day (bad, bad baker!!), so I hit the road for an awesome, stress-relieving run!
The run:
- Distance: 6 miles
- Duration: 53 minutes
- Avg heart rate: 158 bpm
- Max heart rate: 171 bpm
- Avg pace: 8:54 min/mile
Today I focused on my speed again and also increasing my distance a bit. My 10-miler race is creeping up on me VERY fast (13 days!!!) so I need to start increasing my mileage. I was really happy with today’s run. It was very windy, but I still kept my speed up.
After this post, I am going to do exercise 11 for the Summer Glow Boot Camp!
For the record, yesterday I took off formal exercise and Eric and I just went on a nice relaxing walk around 9pm. It was a really nice night out. :) I also did some advanced side planks with twist and some other core moves and called it a day!

For the Summer Glow Boot Camp today we have a wonderful guest post from Stacy from Deliciously Healthy Everyday! Stacy is going to talk about exercise and hydration today.
A Word on Hydration
Before I became a trainer I hardly gave any thought to exercise hydration. I spent my high school years on the cross country team, and everything I learned about exercise habits originated there. On sprint days, we would grab water between sprints during rest since we were right next the fountains on the track. On the days we would leave campus for our runs, I rarely saw any team members carry water with them for the hour and half long practice ahead. I never really thought about it myself; I just knew that by the time we got back from practice, I was like a fish out of water.
While in the process of becoming certified, I learned a lot more about how to make a workout effective. Hydrating yourself properly before, during and after a workout can be the difference between a fun, high-energy workout and one where you feel like a truck has run you over! It makes a tremendous difference! There will be mornings where I head into the gym feeling crummy and tired. I have learned that, when this happens, I need to force myself to drink half a water bottle within the first 10 minutes of my workout. Almost immediately, my energy soars and I find the motivation I was so badly in need of!
When is water not enough?
Another left-over from my cross country days was the notion that all I needed to use to hydrate was water. I have found that, while water is crucial, sometimes the body needs a bit more of a kick to stay hydrated and energetic. The general rule of thumb that I follow is this: if my workout is under an hour, I generally stick to water. If I am on my second workout of the day or my workout will last longer than an hour, I usually drink something with electrolytes to replace all that I have lost. There are tons of sports drinks out there to choose from, any of which would be a good choice. Because I try to eat a diet that is as natural and unprocessed as possible, many of the Gatorade-type drinks don’t appeal to me. Plus their sugary flavor is impossible for me to choke down while in the middle of intense exercise. I prefer to drink flavored coconut water, which is basically nature’s sports drink.
There are a few brands, but my favorite is Vita Coco brand coconut water with pineapple juice. I am not a fan of plain coconut water, so I enjoy the slightly flavored variety. Another good brand is Zico, which makes mango and passion fruit flavors. Both brands are carried at Whole Foods, and Henry’s Marketplace carries Vita Coco. A good way to make your own favorite flavor is to buy plain coconut water and mix it with a 100% fruit juice of your choice. For more information on coconut water, check out this website: http://www.healthyfellow.com/278/the-truth-about-coconut-water/.
Thanks for the great info Stacy! :)
Stacy is also holding a fun contest on her blog right now for Vita-Coco Juice! yum!!

Well guys, Eric is almost home so I am going to go start dinner! After that I need to do some invoicing and package up my orders to ship out in the morning. Then I have a ton of email catch up to do and some work on Green Monster Movement.
I am hoping my life might return to somewhat normalcy tomorrow!
Tonight’s question:
Do you drink energy drinks or do you just stick to plain H2o?
I have never had energy drinks before, as I have always stuck to water. Then again, I rarely have workouts over 1 hour long. The only question I have is this- I know the rule of thumb is anything under 1 hour you don’t need an energy drink, however what if I do an intense 50 minute workout? Obviously, there are all different kinds of 1 hour workouts. 1 hour walking is a heck of a lot different than 1 hour of spinning or hill running.
If anyone has any input, leave it below! I have been thinking a lot about this lately. :)
Have a lovely evening!!!

See you tomorrow for ‘Eating to fuel workouts: Part 1’!
I typically stick to H20 but when I do Bikram Yoga I always have a VitaCoco afterwards followed by water. I have been raving about coconut water for awhile and got my fiance hooked on them. Thanks for posting about it!
OMG only 13 days till the race!! AHHHHHHH – that means this Saturday will be my last looooong run before the race. I can’t believe it is sneaking up so fast!
I normally stick to water but I’ve recently started drinking coconut water after some outdoor workouts and I like how refreshing it is. So far I’ve only tried the Vita Coco brand and I really like the passion fruit flavor. I haven’t seen the pineapple flavor but I’m going to keep my eye out for it!
Congrats on all your hardwork… goes to show what a wonderful baker you soon will be (officically that is)! :)
I have to say that I am not into drinking energy drinks. I actually drink SmartWater, which is enhanced with electrolytes, but otherwise pure. LOVE IT!
xxoo
Heather
Angela, seeing you so excited about your bakery almost makes me get a little bit weepy. You are so inspirational. You wanted to make a career change, and you just freaking went out and DID it. That is so amazing and motivational. You make me want to follow my dreams because you show it’s possible.
Great run – 6 miles is far! I never drink energy drinks, but always make sure to hydrate. I want to try coconut water now though!
I can’t wait until you open the bakery up to the US! If you ever need an assistant, I’d be happy to move ;)
I usually stick to water … I find I do suck down about a half a bottle ~ 10 oz. in the first 10 minutes of my workout. I’m not big on energy drinks – I think they’re full of sugar and bad things that you really don’t need to be adding to your body.
I would bring energy drinks with me on runs over 10 miles or so when I brought along a fuel belt. I’d usually also drink some after a run lasting longer than 10 miles (or if it was EXTREMELY hot out). I find I can usually replace electrolytes with delicious post workout fuel!
I’m all about the H20!!!
During the race they gave us sports hydration drinks and water. I didn’t really find the shot of sports drink to help me at all. What help me was my shot blocks that I took during the race. Also, I didn’t gulp the water because I was scared that it would be slushing around in my stomach and it would give me a cramp while I was running so I took a couple small sips and then splashed the water against myself. The good thing was the water stations were quite close together (every three miles, sometimes sooner) so I wasn’t worried about not being hydrated enough.
If my runs are less than 1 hr duration I will consume water but I can also do without any drinks (provided I’ve drank enough beforehand). For my longer runs, I will get a sports drink or even just plain water. For runs over 2 hr duration, it’s a combination of power gel + water + sports drinks. During marathons, I made sure I sip some water at every water points.
It makes so much sense that people are ordering your sample packs. It is because we want to try everything!
I usually don’t start consuming anything other than water until I start to hit 1 hour 30 minutes. I have a nine mile run on Saturday and I have been trying to decide what I wanted to take. This coco vita is appealing. Time to go for a Whole Foods run!
happiness awaits
Busy busy bee! That is so great, I am so happy that you are able to do this as your job!
I usually stick to just water, but my workouts are never more than an hour. Coconut water sounds ymuuy.
I am a really heavy (and salty) sweater…so if I am running longer than an hour or if it is really hot and humid out, I’ll bring both water and a drink with some electrolytes in it. I started with gatorade (and still use it sometimes because buying the powder and mixing it yourself is pretty cheap) but it can be hard on my stomach sometimes. I’ve also tried Ultima (sweetened with stevia), Gu20, and Nuun. I’m enjoying the Nuun right now. It isn’t very sweet, doesn’t have much sugar in it, but has enough electrolytes to help me out. So I guess I’m more of an “electrolyte replacement” drink kind of person rather than an “energy drink” person.
Yay! I can’t wait to try my sample bars :)
I drink tons of water throughout the day and am always well hydrated. However, I tend to be fairly prone to muscle cramps and spasms- especially when I increase my exercise intensity. If I start getting those, I know I need to pick up some Gatorade. I don’t like the way it tastes though, and I hate the idea of drinking my calories so I try to avoid it. I tried plain coconut water and didn’t like it (although I found it became more palatable when mixed with a little lime juice) but maybe I should try the flavored kind before I give up on it completely.
Hydration is so important and I can totally feel my energy levels drop if I’m not properly hydrated, especially before and at times when I’m not working out. I usually just stick to water now a days because my workouts usually aren’t over an hour, unlike 2.5 hours like they used to with dance. When I do do a really intense workout it’s harder for me to ingest anything flavored without having stomach issues, so I make sure to be properly hydrated before and replenish/refuel after. It’s really different for every person/athlete, and it’s important to find what works best for you to reduce fatigue, while maintaining digestion/gastric emptying.
I’ve never tried coconut water before but the website says a benefit is that it is low in carbohydrates. While this may be ok for the average gym goer, I don’t think this is beneficial for an intensely active person. NutritionData shows that coconut water has about double the amount of sodium (252mg) and more than 6x the amount of potassium (600mg) of regular sports drinks (I couldn’t find the nutrition on the website?) While I don’t like that Gatorade and other sports drinks contain artificial colors, they do have optimal ratios of electrolytes and a balance of different sugar sources proven to benefit athletes. It is best to have different types of sugars in a drink to enhance absorption, rather than just one type. Also, fructose can be a big culprit for tummy troubles, as well as fiber during exercise. This flavored coconut water has both. It may not work for those with sensitive stomachs because fructose can delay gastric emptying. I’m sure there are many things I’ve missed, but it’s worth a try. And that’s really the thing, each person is different and what may work for one, may not work for another. Wouldn’t this be a cool study comparing traditional sports drinks to coconut water? hmmm . . . thesis?
I’m kind of interested in checking this out because you can control the flavor, sugar content/sweetness and amount of electrolytes you need in your drink. It looks interesting! http://www.infinitnutrition.us
I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and am pretty disappointed to see you calling out two companies that do not hold themselves up to be very true. Zico says they donate 5% of sales to charity. This is simply not true. Companies that greenwash should not be supported.
I’d love to see some information on this. You can email it to [email protected] ~A
EatingRD-
“NutritionData shows that coconut water has about double the amount of sodium (252mg) and more than 6x the amount of potassium (600mg) of regular sports drinks”
Vita Coco has about 500mg of potassium and ONLY 30mg of Sodium per 8.5 oz serving. (just click on a flavor on their website and roll the mouse over the pic of the carton to get nutrionals)
“Also, fructose can be a big culprit for tummy troubles, as well as fiber during exercise. This flavored coconut water has both.”
Vita Coco has no fiber.
“I’ve never tried coconut water before but the website says a benefit is that it is low in carbohydrates. While this may be ok for the average gym goer, I don’t think this is beneficial for an intensely active person.”
It is true that coconut was is low in carbs. If a person fuels with a pre and post workout snack high in carbs, it shouldn’t be a big problem. For incredibly intense workouts, it would be beneficial to pair coconut water with a carb-rich snack if necessary. Personally, I have found that I don’t need this no matter what the intensity of my workout. I have found coconut water to be all I need, but that is just me, it may be different for others.