The Chocolate Milk Vote for Team Refuel

No doubt: Chocolate milk is my healthy food. pnoeric

Got milk? Is it chocolate? Where's my milk mustache?

I thought I was only going to have about 15 seconds of fame when I sat down in front of the camera to record my reasons for refueling with chocolate milk after a run. It was the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon expo. It was the Team REFUEL booth. It was something to get expo-goers to stop by the booth, get interested, receive a freebie or two (I walked out with a hand towel, perfect for my next tri transition). And I was flustered from my registration, running low on time, and sweaty from pedaling down to McCormick Place. Plus the last time I was on TV (thank goodness I can't find the link to that video), I sounded like a complete fool--and never managed to look at the camera. Good thing I went into magazine journalism and not broadcast.

But it looks like those 15 seconds of fame turned into a month's worth--and perhaps a little more. The big shocker arrived in my inbox yesterday: This Fit-Inker was now a Team REFUEL finalist for July. My video (which you can view here) put me in the running to be one of the five people who will receive a Team REFUEL sponsorship, which includes training gear, $500 in sponsorship dollars, the chance to race with the Team at destination races around the globe (is Ironman Hawaii included in that?), and the chance to star in a "got chocolate milk?" ad. I might not be begging to star in the commercial, but everything else, including the research behind why lowfat chocolate milk is awesome post-race recovery fuel, gets a huge nod of approval from this chocolate milk drinker. Who knows? Maybe it'll mean another opportunity to run with Dr. Andy Baldwin--except next time I'll try to stick with him for more than two miles.

Addicted to the FuelBand

It adds up your steps. It calculates your calories burned. It tells you how much fuel you have, and not the gas-guzzling or calorie-consumption kind but a metric that puts a number on all the movements you do during the day from taking out the garbage and walking the dog, to sweating through P90X video or Zumba and preparing dinner. And if nothing else, The Nike+ FuelBand makes for a pretty sharp-looking watch (hey, those were Nike’s words not mine, and I can’t help but nod in agreement).

When I first heard about the FuelBand, I thought it’d be the perfect exercise tool for my mom to use. She’s had pedometers and they’ve either overestimated her steps or met their demise falling into a toilet. She tried a Polar fitness watch, a variation of one that Liz got me hooked on, but got frustrated when the stick figure spent more time sitting than zooming across the screen (that’s probably more her fault than the machine’s but let’s just say it didn’t motivate her to exercise any more or less). And lately she’s just relied on the digital readouts on the elliptical, or the treadmill, or the stationary bike. And we all know how wrong those can be.

I was convinced that the FuelBand would help track her activity, from running up and down the stairs to the gardening she claims exhausts her more than her treadmill walks. And that it would dispel the elliptical readouts claiming she burned at least 200 calories even though she was barely on the machine for 15 minutes and never broke a sweat.

Fit-Fuel: Ensure Taste Test

I used to be a peanut-butter-on-toast girl before marathons, halves and tris, but since September I've been drinking one or two 250 calorie bottles of Ensure (depending on the length of my run) before I head out, and I'm hooked on the stuff. Ensure is my secret nutrition weapon when I'm in training.

Yes, you read that right! This is the stuff that elderly folks drink in commercials. But here's a secret: It's an awesome pre-race meal for athletes looking for the perfect mix of carbs/protein/fat, sans GI issues. Knock on wood...it's never given me tummy troubles and it fends off hunger pains like a champ. In fact, I've become so hooked on the stuff that I've now given half a dozen flavors a try. I've scribbled some tasting notes below. Cheers!

Creamy Milk Chocolate This is the first flavor I tried and I wasn't expecting much. (Imagine a kid holding his noise while eating a forkful of peas, that's about what I looked lik.) So I was very pleasantly surprised by the smooth and light consistency and the delish chocolate-milk flavor. Okay, it's not as amazing as a Potbelly milkshake, but it's really good. One caveat: I've gotten a few skunk bottles that have an odd, subtle metallic flavor.

Strawberries & Cream I like this one a lot, too. It's a good, fruity option—something I really like in the morning sometimes. You'll notice a slightly chemical-y flavor that's definitely not "fresh from the farm stand" but that said, it's a winner.

Butter Pecan I'm not a huge pecan person (unless it's a Thanksgiving pie), but I found myself without another option on one drugstore run, which is how this flavor made it into my fridge. I don't recommend it: It's icky sweet and leaves a filmy aftertaste.

Coffee Latte Mmm, tasty. You can almost pretend you're sipping on a Starbucks frappucinno when you drink one of these. The flavor veers more coffee than it does latte, which always makes me sip some water as a chaser. And unlike Chocolate and Strawberry, I wouldn't want to pound two of these in a row or drink one on a hot day. It's a little too sweet for some situations.

Banana Cream This flavor is part of a new High Protein line of Ensures. (The company recently added a Plus line with 350 calorie shakes, as well a 350-calorie ImmunBalance line that's souped up with antixodiants and probiotics, and finally a Calcium line for folks looking to bank half their calcium needs with a few chugs.) I purchased a six-pack thinking I could down one of these suckers post-workout as a recovery drink. (Protein helps beat up muscles recover faster.) But I wasn't impressed with the chalky, uber-chemical taste. I looove bananas, and this didn't do it for me. Manipulating the formula to up the protein content seems to have messed up the flavor.

Vanilla I adore vanilla ice cream and I recently developed an affinity for Vanilla Bean–flavored GU, so I had high hopes. But again, this was a high-protein version, and I think that killed its potential. The flavor is flat and bland...you'd want to add a shake of cinnamon or nutmeg to make this drinkable. Photo grabbed from XXVIII on Flickr.com. Posted by Liz

New Drink on the Block

You may have already spotted it on the shelves at a grocery store near year, but today vitaminwater10 becomes official in the marketplace. vitaminwater10 launches nationwide, the low calorie--at just 10 calories per serving--and naturally sweetened sister to Glaceau's already popular vitaminwater.

You'll find the same great flavors such as XXX, Essential, Multi-V and Energy, but this time you'll save on the calorie count plus skip the toxic sweeteners that tend to taint other drinks that take it easy on the sugar. These guys use a naturally-sweetened concoction of rebiana, crystalline fructose and erythritol to cut the count. I don't know about you, but I can down one of these bottles in one sitting, easily craving yet another, and have to hold back before I go bonkers from the sugar and watch my belly bloat. And there's no compromising on the taste either, XXX still gives that punch of acai plus antioxidants, Multi-V has that daily dose of vital vitamins and minerals with a tangy yet sweet lemonade, Energy packs caffeine and guarana into each tropical citrus sip to boost your system, and Essential takes orange to the extreme with loads of vitamin C and folic acid.

Granted the jury is still out on the benefits of drinking water with vitamins and a collection online sites like scienceline.org blast the product for being bogus, but maybe there really is some science behind it. After all, the NCAA abandoned Gatorade at March Madness this year and all the players are drinking vitaminwater to refuel on the court. Photo grabbed from vitaminwater10's Facebook page. Posted by Kate