It was great to see the BBC picking up on Intermittent Fasting this week in an hour long episode of Horizon. As a popular show, it will have been watched by millions of people.
When I posted this on Facebook Lyle McDonald shot back with this:
"Predicting the future: folks in the UK will now adopt IF'ing. They will starve all day and binge eat at night and wonder why they are still fat."
It is hard to believe that just over 3 months ago… 100 days to be exact… I used to be a raging “Sodaholic”! I couldn’t live without my Diet Mountain Dew!. My soda habit had gotten so bad that I was downing almost 2 2-liters a day and that didn’t include the occasional 16 oz. energy drink. I could literally feel my kidneys hurting at the end of the day… something had to change!
One fateful day, about 100 days ago, I was scrolling though Instagram and came across a picture from Alan @sweatinguntilhappy. Alan had posted an image of a screen caption from his iPhone showing that he had gone over 700 days without a soda. At first I was curious what App he was using to track this and found out that it is called Streaks. Then i was astounded at the amount of dedication and motivation that it must have taken to do without something for so long! It was at that moment that I decided it was my turn… that very day I swore off carbonated beverages!!
Needless to say, the first few days took a lot of focus and intentional decisions not to grab a can of soda or visit the vending machine at the office. To add to the difficulty, my wife still enjoys soda (however, not ever remotely in the amounts that I used to) and keeps it in the house. Nevetheless, as the days went by, choosing something other than soda to drink became less of an intentional action and more of a habit.
By doing away with carbonated beverages, I was able to drink more water which keeps me better hydrated and feeling better all around. No longer to my kidneys hurt, no more bloated feeling, no more heart burn, etc., etc., etc… The benefits are enormous from what seems to be such a small action.
With all of that said, in case you haven’t guessed I have now gone 100 days without a carbonated beverage of any sort! I have to thank Alan for his Instagram post! His seemingly harmless post has changed my life for the healthier. Now let’s see if I can make it to that 365 day mark!
image from http://www.venettisnutrition.com
Well folks… It’s time for another supplement review. This time I am bringing you Spyked from Venettis Nutrition.
After reading TheOrangeMask’s review of this pre-workout (PWO) supplement I began following @VN_Supplements on Twitter, and I am so glad I did. This little known company’s motto is “Supplements should be inexpensive, effective and safe.” Seems simple enough… right? However, more and more I see concentrated and super concentrated pre-workout formulas that require you to take up to 3 scoops to get the full effect. Not Spyked!
image from http://www.theorangemask.com
Spyked worked like a champ with only one scoop! You heard me, 1 SCOOP! Ok… Ok… you are right, this is not an economics lesson. Does it work? That’s ultimately what you are after. The short answer is hell yes this stuff works, and works like a champ!Since each 45 tub serving is $30.00, that equates to $0.67 per serving compared to others, like MuscleTech’s Neurocore, that break down to $2.00 per serving (assume 3 scoops per serving/workout).
Now for the long answer… I was a little leary at the “lemon lime” flavor, but was pleasantly surprised as the flavor was good and was actually, somewhat, refreshing..?? It mixed well with no residue left at the bottom.
After downing Spyked, I had about a 10 minute drive to the gym. I did not feel a rush of energy, but by the time I got my stuff in the locker and walked upstairs to the weights, I was raring to go! It wasn’t an anxious or jittery feeling, just a super focused feeling backed up with a lot of confidence…. like a huge dose of “I GOT THIS!” The energy sustained me through my entire workout, which, on this particular night was chest and triceps.
I started off with flat bench barbell benchpresses. By the end of the 3rd set I knew this was good stuff as I had already surpassed by my personal best weight on this exercise and for more reps! The rest of the workout was no different. I had more increases of weight and for more reps than any other night previous!
The pump that I got from Spyked was superior to all of the other PWO’s that I have tried. Now, let me qualify this a little bit. Chest and triceps is usually a good pump night for me, but with the increase in weights and reps and this PWO… I felt like the Incredible Hulk… and the pump lasted for a good bit too.
If you have ever read any of my blog posts, or guest blog posts, you already know that I workout at night. This isn’t ideal for taking PWO’s, but with Spyked I was able to fall asleep with no problem. There was no crash and I woke the following morning clear headed and rested, however, still a little tight from the incredible pump.
This is the the only PWO that I have taken so far where I feel like it truly enhanced everything about my workout. My energy was plentiful and long lasting, my focus was spot on and dialed in, the pump was awesome… I really did not experience any side effects.
As I told Andrew, President/CEO at Venettis Nutrition LLC., I gladly give Spyked a solid 9 out 10 rating… 10 being the best of course.
I think these guys are going places and it goes to show you that you actually can get great affordable supplements that actually do what they say they do! Andrew and his team got it right, and I hope nothing but the best for them.
So just like others before me have said, do yourself a favor, well 3 actually…
If you have used Spyked, leave me a comment below (bottom of the page) and let me know what you think!
This is one of my favorite interviews so far in the Health Demystified Experts Interview Series. It is my honor to share my interview with Dr. Joe Leonardi with you.
In this podcast, Dr. Joe Leonardi shares some tips on he lost 130 pounds and how you can too.
Dr. Joe Leonardi shares:
1. How he overcame the “demonic duo” of alcohol and food.
Check out my latest guest blog post / supplement review on TheOrangeMask. Click here to read it.
