Toga Beach Changing Towel Review

In a word: AWESOME

I came home after a bummer of a day from eating it on my skateboard to discover a package in the mail.  Inside was a Toga Beach Changing Towel.  Interestingly, my FCS changing towel had finally ripped so much that it didn't really cover me any longer.

This thing is pretty epic.  It's an XL so it goes down to my calves (and I'm 5'10" with a 36" inseam).  It's like wearing a big, cozy blanket.  I absolutely love it.  It's so warm and snuggly that I feel like I could take a nap in it.

The armholes and neck are reinforced, unlike my aforementioned FCS towel.  This makes a huge difference as the armholes are where the rips occur after a year or so of use for the FCS.  Every. single. time.  I've had 2 that this happened to.

My only gripe is that it doesn't have a hood, which I was used to but I can totally live without.  It's got a key pocket though so you can leave it on the beach with your key if you're one that does that.

Check them out here for yourself, they rock.

Product Review: Ellie - So In Love!

Okay, I am SO in love with the Ellie fitness wear line!  I recently received the two tops and leggings pictured above.

Why do I love them so much?  Let me break it down:

The sizing is fantastic!  I wear a jean size 27x32 and I have the leggings in small.  They fit perfectly and are long enough!  I've worn them running and for dawn patrol with Imma Uggs (fake Ugg boots since I'm not comfortable with the real ones).  Both occasions they were absolutely perfect and they look so good on!  The waist or ankles aren't too tight (as in uncomfortable tight) but yet they still fit without being baggy.  A perfectly awesome fit!

The shirts I have are just as awesome.  Soft, stretchy fabric that looks amazing.  The long sleeve has thumbholes so that you can pull the sleeves down (easily as well, even for my long arms) and the short sleeve looks so good on.  I got a medium in both since I've got my big surfer shoulders and usually wear a size 8 on top to fit them.  They fit perfect and are stretchy enough so they don't hang on the waist or look baggy.  Keep in mind - I am a total V-shape from swimming and surfing for my entire life.  My shoulders are definitely wider than my hips.  I don't recommend that you choose the same sizes unless you are similarly shaped or are naturally small.  If you're apple shaped with small shoulders you probably want to go the small or medium top with the medium bottom.  Don't frustrate yourself by getting sizes to small for you.  Feel good in what you wear and rock it!

I totally recommend getting an outfit once a month from the Ellie collection.  They look good, are functional, and have a great feel.  I use mine for running, yoga, skateboarding, or just early morning comfort on my way to surf.

Ellie offers women a chic new line in women's fitness apparel.  Save 20% Now.

Book Review: Trading Bases

Bettor up!

 

Wall Street trader Joe Peta needed something to do. After being struck by an FDNY ambulance and knocked off the trading floor for months of recovery; after being fired from a seven-figure job six weeks after returning to work in a wheelchair; after being confined to his apartment, jobless, unable to travel, and largely inhabiting an unfamiliar dark place; he needed something.

 

So Peta delved deep into the game he loved. It lifted his spirits, buoyed his recovery, and returned him to the world of those who sleep. It was healing by baseball.

 

He analyzed all the stats, crunched the numbers, embraced the sabermetric savvy of Bill James and FiveThirtyEight blog’s Nate Silver, put together detailed spreadsheets and created a market model for the 2011 Major League Baseball season. He could now project runs, wins, and take his season projections and convert them to single-game-win expectancies. The study engaged his mind. It became his obsession. And then—as any good trader does—he put his money where his statistical analytics were, and challenged the Las Vegas baseball line. It was gambling with an edge. A big one.

 

Peta sought to recreate the culture, analysis and energy of trading desk to the sports books. Risk management. An intimate knowledge of the marketplace. And discipline. Lots and lots of discipline. And succeeds.

 

TRADING BASES: A Story About Wall Street, Gambling, and Baseball (not necessarily in that order) (Dutton, March 7, 2013)—Peta’s account of the 2011 Major League Baseball season—is an all-American story of bringing Wall Street to Las Vegas via the diamond. From Opening Day to the final game of the 2011 World Series, he makes money on favorites, underdogs, pick-‘ems, you name it to the tune of a 41.03% profit. That’s right, 41%.

 

TRADING BASES also covers:

• The ins and outs of the $380 billion global industry that is sports gambling
• How and why there exists a far greater chance of making money betting on baseball than on football or basketball.
• A thorough examination of skill vs. luck, especially as it applied to the 2010 Tampa Bay Rays
• The age-old question: “Are some players really ‘clutch performers’?”
• The flawed notions that all major league players are capable of having a “good day”
• How the number of runs that a team scores and allows in a season is thought to be a fair representation of the talent of the underlying team
• The most important sabermetric statistic in existence for baseball bettors
• Why baseball has created so many different acronyms in evaluating performance; and asks why other industries haven’t done the same
• How Las Vegas should turn to Wall Street for ideas on ways to increase interest, traffic, and, ultimately, bets in their sports books

 

Portfolio management, Wall Street trading and sports betting are all interrelated, and Joe Peta’s enjoyable prose crosses over these cultures effortlessly. This is no DIY textbook. Michael Lewis’s Moneyball is for the day traders. TRADING BASES is the Wall Street insider’s view of sabermetrics and a brilliant primer on sports betting. Just as he has properly analyzed and then distilled his data, he has thoroughly fleshed-out the thoroughly entertaining epiphanies—one after another—that will tap into the type-A sabermetric aficionado inside all baseball fans.

 

Revelations abound, Peta finds clarity in the numbers. Revel in his dynamic thought processes. Strap yourself in. Dig a little deeper. This is trading in its purest form.  

I've just started in on this and it's a good read so far.  Being a numbers geek this really appeals to me.

 

Product Review Part One: Growth Factor-9

I was recently sent some Growth Factor-9 to try out.  If you know me, you know I'm not one for supplements, especially ones of this sort that promise lean muscle growth, fat loss, etc.  So what is it all about?


How Does Growth Factor-9™ Work?
The functional compound in Growth Factor-9 is an amino acid blend. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and therefore a common and very safe component of the daily diet. But this revolutionary research revealed that a specialized blend of amino acids, when taken on an empty stomach, has a profound effect on the human body. And that effect is on the pituitary gland, where human growth hormone is secreted. Dr. Amy Heaton, PhD, Director of Scientific Affairs for Novex Biotech®, explains, “We believe this is the basis of Growth Factor-9’s efficacy, because after taking its proprietary amino acid blend, study subjects experienced a 682% increase in their serum growth hormone levels. This is a completely groundbreaking discovery, because it shows that people can increase their serum hGH levels more naturally… without having to resort to an artificial form of human growth hormone like prescription injections.”


Who Can Use Growth Factor-9™?
Many so-called “hGH” pills are marketed strictly for men between the ages of 18-30 (which is ironic, considering that young males are already at the peak of their natural production of hGH). But here’s the breakthrough with Growth Factor-9: Its active amino acid blend works not only for young males, but has been shown in clinical trials to be effective even on middle aged men and women. Growth Factor-9 works on young and old, male and female, across the board

I started taking these for 2 days but then got a really bad cold (not from the pills) and stopped.  Now I've picked it back up for just over a week now.  Religiously.  These have to be taken on an empty stomach so I keep them on the nightstand so that I assure to get them in 2 hours before breakfast and 2 hours after dinner.

So far I'm not sure if I see anything, it's probably too soon.  Although - when I did get back in the water  to surf after being sick I felt a bit stronger in my paddling.  In fact, yesterday I paddled quite a long ways and was winded before I was sore.  I'm not really even sore today.  I'm  not sure if that's the placebo effect or if the product is actually working but time will soon tell.  I'm excited to see the results, hopefully it delivers!

FYI - my workouts are surf for 1-2 hours in the morning and then run/bike or both for an hour in the evening.

You can Growth Factor-9 on the web here.

I'll update my progress for you when I'm on the second bottle.

Product Review: Stay Fit, Stay Fashionable With pv.body

I was contacted by pv.body to give them a try and was quite excited to do so!  I've been doing more that just surf so running and yoga have been a big part of my recent fitness plan.  Getting some new fitness clothes for this purpose is a priority for me but I really, really didn't want to pay ridiculous prices for quality gear.  Enter pv.body.  

How does it work?

"Why should you pay $130 or more for yoga pants? That’s just not right! So we’ve embarked on a journey to bring you the best quality active wear that we can find at a fair price. We’ll be curating brands large and small, new and old. So enjoy the selection, we’re positive you’ll love it

We've built relationships with the manufactures of the biggest names in the business - and great new ones you've probably never heard of - so we can bring you an amazing value. With new items arriving each month we make it easy for you to always get cute new gear.

We want to inspire women to live their best life through active living. That's why all of our pieces are hand selected and designed by women, for women, so we can bring you clothing that makes you feel great and look great. Living healthy and actively is a way of life, and we want to look fabulous while doing that. So enjoy the selection, we’re positive you’ll love it!

It's quite simple:

Take the quick quiz and create a personal pv.body style profile.
Experts will put together a personalized outfit for you.
They ship your outfit to your door for free!

The outfit they selected for me was not only high quality but fit fantastically!  I loved the colors, style, and performance.

Try pv.body today and see for yourself!

Get started now and get 20% off by clicking here.

Clothing Review: AUR 2013 Women's Collection for Golf

 

AUR 2013 Women's Collection offers distinctive style, fine quality and an aura of sophistication lends itself nicely to a golf collection that is current and on-the-ball.

 

AUR Active is a performance golf collection with emphasis on the golfers ease of movement. This category features the AUR double-knit Dri-Max™ polyester. These polos feature stretch by using spandex, a soft supple hand feel, and a lightweight drape that makes it ideal for swinging a golf club. Golfers will appreciate the long lasting synthetic fibers, which create a strong, crease resistant fabric that is quick drying and maintains its shape season after season.

 

The AUR DRI-MAX™ Embossed Sleeved polo offers the golfer comfort and breathability, while creating a stand out look on any fairway. This polo is available in bright colors such as Passion pink, Amethyst and Twilight blue, as well as in black and white and features tonal embossing.  I have the Passion pink and love the fit so much.  The color looks great and the fabric moves so well.  My only wish is that it was a touch longer.  As a tall girl of 5'10" I prefer to have my shirts long but it's easily solved by layering a long tank underneath (which I love to do).

Check out their website here where they also have men's fashions.  Next, I've got to try the Black Tulip collection!

 

We Must Do Dog Agility!

Yes, I've decided that my almost 8 month old pitty girl must be an agility dog!  She's super athletic and LOVES to run, skateboard (both pulling me and sitting with me on it), and has a great attitude.  I'm incredibly excited!

I saw some great agility dogs a while back and really enjoyed it.  Now I've got a pup that would be a great dog for this - I'm pumped!

Now, if I can just get my bloodhound to do agility that would be awesome!  Could you imagine all the folds and ears flying?  The pictures would be epic!

Oh, and yes - the pitty will also learn to surf and enter the Huntington Beach Surf Dog contest next year!

Fun Fitness Items for 2013

Check out these awesome accessories to enhance your workout.  You might even stick to those New Year's Resolutions!

HooRag - This is a fun bandana that you can wear a bunch of different ways (check out the video above).  One way they don't mention in the video is a ponytail holder (well, then again, the gentleman in the video doesn't really have the hair for it).  This seamless bandana great for runners, snowboarders, skiers, cyclists, and so much more.  They're even worn by construction workers and SWAT team members.  Pretty fun product, I've got mine holding up all of my hair in a bun right now as I write this.  Check them out here, they'll even do custom orders.


Magneat - Tired of your headphone wires getting in the way?  Try Magneat!  Magneat is the simple, stylish way to win the seemingly endless war against headphone cables that tangle and dangle. Just attach the magnetic clip to your clothes and then wrap the excess wire around it. It's the perfect accessory for iPods, iPhones and MP3 players.  Using the Magneat is easy, and it works with almost any set of buds. Slide the two magnetic halves apart, put one side under your shirt and the other side over the top, and move them until they connect. Wind the loose cable around the clip, and you're ready for a run at the gym or just running around town.  If you need to turn off the tunes and use your ears for something other than music, just pull out your earphones and let them hang free from the Magneat.  Check them out here.


QuikCallus - Have the urge to do so me pull-ups but don't have workout gloves?  Want to lift free weights but it ruins your hands?  Try QuikCallus.  QuikCallus works by bonding to water molecules on the skin, forming a protective coating that alleviates that pain associated with building up calluses.  Guitar players will also find this quite useful (and it even comes with a pick).  Hubby gave it a try when he went to the driving range and said it worked quite well.  Yes, he grips a bit too hard!  Check them out here


ScoreBand - Tell time, keep score, and make it easy?  Yep - it's possible with the ScoreBand!  ScoreBand was developed so that you can focus on your game.  The silicone band also emits negative ions.  Keep score for golf or tennis (or table tennis, hockey, foosball, etc.) with ease!  When the game is over just leave it in watch mode for everyday use.  It's light, comfortable, and comes in black or white.  Check them out here.