The Sunday Review

Welcome to the Sunday Review, the post where I share some more kick butt gear that I think you need to know about!

So let me start off by saying, my camera died. I thought it was merely the battery, but no, the whole camera, kaput. Needless to say, with the number of times the little munchkins have gotten their grubby little fingers on it, I’m not surprised. Alas, it is over 2 years old, which in my history of digital camera ownership is nearly a record. Point being, you’ll have to forgive me for the stock photos here.

BornFit-Apparel to fit your active mom life

BornFit is a line of women’s workout wear, created by two fit Colorado moms, and inspired by the Rocky Mountain peaks they love to hike. Not only does this company offer wonderful women’s active wear for the running mommy-to-be (Like my pal Bethany who just found out she’s got another little bun in the oven! Congrats B!!!) but it turns out they have a great line of workout wear for the rest of us non knocked up pregnant women!

The lovely ladies at BornFit sent me a “Sunlight Tee” to try out. Mine is a really beautiful shade of teal, but again, my camera didn’t show up for work this week, so please refer to the model on your left in the pink shirt instead. As I always do when new gear shows up in my mailbox, I put the shirt on the second I pulled it out of the envelope (good thing I wait till I get inside to open my mail.)

The first thing I noticed about this shirt was it’s relaxed, longer cut. Now, I’ve busted my rear end to keep my post two babies in two years body in (somewhat) shape, and I like to show it off, usually with a little more form fitting clothing. Yet the Sunlight tee, despite being roomier and forgiving in the bottom, was still incredibly flattering. Bonus points for the Bornfit people, keeping the running mama’s looking stunning!!

The bottom part of the shirt, as you can probably see in the picture, is mesh. Not 1980’s see through mesh, but a breathable mesh, making the feel of the shirt really light. And the moisture wicking fabric does it’s job, just as it should. There is a small bornfit logo out of reflective material, to add a little safety to your run.

What I appreciate the most, is the basic designs and color schemes of this line. Nothing too flashy, no crazy designs or patterns. While we all like to be a little crazy sometimes (heck, check out my neon pink sneakers, I certainly love a chaotic outfit every now and then), the born fit line offers basic high quality products that will work for every woman. Honestly, I’m kicking myself for not discovering them back in my pregnant days! I’ll just have to apologize to myself by ordering a Wilder Skirt and asking myself for forgiveness (retail therapy usually does the trick).

So pregnant mamas looking for something cute, comfortable, and non frumpy to fit that ever expanding belly, non pregnant mamas looking for some workout wear to flatter your mama figure, or even non mommy’s looking for some great quality workout wear (for running, yoga, cycling, golf, and more!), be sure to check out http://www.bornfit.com/

Next up: Black Diamond Sprinter Headlamp

The wonderful people at Backbone Media sent me this headlamp over two months ago, and I had yet to give it a try. Other than running through the complete dark (despite promised lit roads) at Beach2Battleship, I’ve never done any night running. I figured the headlamp would give me a headache, would bounce around like crazy in turn driving ME crazy, and last but not least, the bouncing beam of light in front of me would, you guessed it, drive me crazy.

Thursday day flew by in the blink of an eye, and I still hadn’t gotten in my run for the day. So I figured it was now or never, let’s give this night running business a whirl. I LOVED it. There is something so relaxing, yet empowering about running at night. No wonder the rest of you all rave about it!

Now, as I already mentioned, this is all new to me, so I have nothing to base the Sprinter headlamp against, but I will tell you this: I forgot it was even on my head. It was super comfortable and didn’t even budge, and gave off a nice, steady, wide area of light, as opposed to what I imagined would be like a flashlight beam coming off of my forehead. What’s more, it has a flashing red light on the back as to alert drivers and crazy wildlife of your presence. It certainly made me feel safer.

Oh, and a bonus, this headlamp is rechargeable. Yes, no batteries to replace! I have two toddlers with a gaggle of toys that require about a million double A batteries, so to not have to worry about one more thing sucking up batteries with every use is a relief.

Here’s what the people at Black Diamond have to say about it, for you techies:

The urban-inspired Sprinter opens up the dark for those whose running isn’t restricted to daytime hours. This rechargeable streets-to-trails runner’s headlamp features excellent fore-aft balance and a super low profile, which minimizes bouncing and shifting with your stride. A red rear strobe offers safety around cars while a strong, ovalized beam keeps your vision focused on the path ahead.
•DoublePower LED with 68 lumens (max setting) projects a strong, ovalized beam optimized for running
•Red taillight strobe for visibility in urban areas with on/off switch
•Powered by a lithium polymer rechargeable battery (6-hour charge time)
•Settings include full strength, dimming and strobe
•Regulated for constant illumination on max brightness setting
•Sealed waterproof to 1 m (3.3 ft)
LED Type : DoublePower
Lumens : 68
Max Distances : 50 m
Max Burn Time : 64 H
Weight Without Batteries : 100 g, 3.5 oz
IPX Rating : 7

Needless to say, I will never use the excuse “but it’s getting dark out” again. Thank you Black Diamond, for reforming this “daytime only” runner!