Social Workout

SW Labs

My Experiments With Mid-Workout Chews, Goos, and Gummy Bears

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

I am one of those lucky folk who cannot even think about running, jumping, spinning, swimming, lifting, lunging, or squatting if I have eaten within approximately four hours of activity time. The combo of food and exercise has me yacking like a Catholic school girl let loose in Cancun. Lately I've upped my huffing and puffing time to 2+ hours, six days a week. (What can I say — I needed an after work project, and I ran out of Bones reruns). But thanks to the four hour food rule, I've been hitting a pretty regular wall about an 75 minutes in. I decided it was time for a caloric intervention.

I am not a marathon runner, but a friend who is suggested I start testing out mid-workout energy aids.  Here's the rundown of my experiments: 

• Luna Moons: So far, these are my favorite mid-workout energy booster. They come in three flavors: Pomegranate, Watermelon, and Blueberry. They taste good, no weird aftertastes, and they're easy to chew and swallow quickly. Standard caloric goods: 100 calories, electrolytes and vitamins. Added bonus, they're organic.
• Jelly Belly Sports Beans: Not a huge fan of these. They're super sweet and almost too chewy-gooey. I couldn't get through the pack, which didn't exactly do much to help me keep on keepin' on at the gym. Nutritional info: 100 calories, electrolytes and vitamins. 
• Gu Energy Gel: Gu is the grandfather of energy aides. And unlike most other energy aids, they actually have a couple of grams of fat in them, which I think is interesting, and probably more satiating for a body at work. Taste-wise, the folks have their artificial flavors down. I knocked back some tasty chocolate and espresso flavored gu-s. But the constistency — let just say I can live without. Nutritianl rundown: 100 calories, electrolytes, vitamins, and 2 grams of fat.
• Sharkies Organic Energy Chews: I'm a sucker for anything that says organic. These chews are almost gummy bear consistency, and the taste is good, but they're higher in calories and carbohydrates than the others.  The 100 calorie mark seemed to be what my body could take before getting yack-y, and these guys were almost too heavy.  Might keep them around for a real-life snack, though. Nutritional info: 140 calories, 36 grams of carbs, electrolytes, vitamins.
• Haribo Gummy Bears: A friend of mine who bikes entire countries is a fan of good ole fashioned gummy bears for energy.  In the end she says "They're all just sugar."  Well, it might actually be more complicated than that, but in essence she's right, so I gave it a shot.  Twenty-two gummy bears is 150 calories and unlike the rest of these chews they actually have 2 grams of protein for all your muscle building needs. While I appreciate any excuse to eat candy, these were too chewy and time consuming and I felt really weird knocking back candy during exercise time. I think I'll save the gummy bears for recreational eating.

In the end all these badboys gave me the little kick of energy I needed to muster through my activities which means my decision to become a dedicated Luna Moon fan is based solely on taste and eatability.