Shock Absorber Ultimate Gym Bra Review

Shock Absorber recently, kindly sent me their new Gym Bra to review, but before I get stuck into how I put it through its paces, I'm going to backtrack a little.  So...

Why wear a sports bra?

I think we would all agree that a good sports bra is an indispensable addition to a woman's gym gear collection.  Just as it's recognised that a good pair of trainers are important for comfort and avoiding injury, so it should be that a good sports bra provides the same for women doing any form of exercise.  Did you know that unsupported breasts move up to 12cm during exercise (up and down, and side to side).  Are you all visualising that female runner in your neighbourhood, or at your gym class who really needs to wear a more supportive bra? Shock Absorber themselves have even done their own research and found that their sports bras reduce 'breast bounce' by up to 78%, which is twice as much as a normal bra.  I guess the real clincher for women everywhere is that not wearing a sports bra can cause ligament damage and tissue damage that can cause sagging (and can't be reversed).  No thanks!

Okay, so why Shock Absorber?

A while ago, I tricked myself into thinking that I could buy a 'cheap' sports bra, and that it would do the same thing.  I couldn't face the thought of shelling out £30 on a sports bra and so bought one for about £7 from a high street sports shop.  My gym is one of those ones that caters for the egotistical (okay, those who want to improve their 'technique', yeah yeah...) and has huge floor length mirrors and I was pretty horrified by what I saw when jogging on the treadmill.  Not generally (well, kind of) but specifically in the chest area.  There was a whole lot of movement, and a whole lot of discomfort.  For someone aiming to do lots more running on the treadmill and the road, this is just not practical.  So the Shock Absorber bra came at a great time for me.  They really are the crème de la crème of sports bras - high quality, well-made and with lots of little details that aid comfort and support.  Cheap sports bras really are a false economy - I'm afraid this is one item in your gym kit that you're going to have to spend a little money on.

Shock Absorber Ultimate Gym Bra, £35*

Ultimate Gym Bra review

Okay, so let's look at the Shock Absorber Ultimate Gym Bra itself.  New to their Spring/Summer range and available on House of Fraser for £35, it's designed for the gym go-er but built with all types of sports activity in mind.  It comes in sizes 32A - 38H, and features thoughtful little additions like a seam free inner lining for comfort, a padded hook and eye section for if you're doing mat work, padded and non-slip straps and even a hook for your headphones. The back section has two openings which I must admit befuddled me when trying to get it on for its first wear. The first thing I want to express about this bra is that it is not a lightweight, slip on, 'almost like you're not wearing it' kind of sports bra.  It is the 'tank' of sports bras.  It is heavy duty.  Those boobs are not moving a millimetre.  I worked out that the trick to getting it on is to do up the top bit, yank it over your head and then do up the hook and eye section.  When on, it feels very solid.  I was slightly worried when I first had it on that it was going to be supportive to the point of discomfort - it really does hold you in place and I wondered what that would be like when running.  Luckily I had nothing to worry about.

I took the bra out for a run to give it a road test. After a few seconds of running my concerns that it would be, almost too supportive ebbed away.  It held me in place but didn't hurt or rub and when I took it off post-run there was no discomfort or marks (I'd been concerned that a heavy-duty sports bra of this nature would leave marks or rubbing, but it definitely didn't).  Since then this has been my 'go to' sports bra - it is comfortable, supportive and the colour and style looks great under a vest or running top which isn't always a deciding factor but is nice nonetheless.

I would have no reservations in recommending this bra - it is well-worth its price tag and a great investment.  Just take note that what you're buying is not a lightweight, 'slip it on' type bra - it is built for support, and, trust me, support it will.

Creamy Chorizo, Mushroom & Spinach Pasta Bake

So the other week I made my Spaghetti Bolognese for the third or fourth time, and it was just... meh. Usually it is CRAZY yummy and I spend the whole time totally over the moon that this giant tasty plate is only 8PP! Ah! But I don't know what I did, it wasn't as good. So I was like, 'OKAY. I am not going to be able to live on Spaghetti Bolognese until payday. WHAT CAN I MAKE THAT IS AWESOME.'

So I invented this! It was just going to be a pasta thing but then I turned it into a bake because that makes it totally acceptable to add lots of cheese. And this has LOADS OF CHEESE. I haven't mentioned that I like cheese, have I?

Creamy Chorizo, Mushroom & SpinachPasta Bake

200g Raw Chorizo Sausages - 13PP

(based on 1/2 pack of Sainsburys Chorizo Chipolata Sausages - I froze the rest)

1 Can Bachelors or Campbells Low Fat Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup - 4PP

115ml milk (or less) - 1PP

1 tbsp Pesto Sauce - 2PP

200g Pasta - 19PP

150g Low Fat Cheese - 12PP

200g Spinach - 0PP

6 x Mushrooms - 0PP

1 x Onion - 0PP

1 x Pepper - 0PP

2 cloves garlic - 0PP

=48PP / 12PP per portion

To reduce points: use less cheese, uese less chorizo, cut out the pesto

1 - Put your pasta on to cook as per the packet instructions and preheat the oven to 200c.
2 - Chop up your chorizo (I use scissors) and fry it either dry, with a couple of spritzes of FryLight or with a splash of water.
3 - You can use cooked chorizo here, I just much prefer cooking it raw (also I had the second half of the pack from last week to use up) because all the juices ooze out and give all your veg a yummy flavour.
4 - Chop up your veg (onions, mushrooms, pepper) and when the chorizo is cooked, add to your pan along with your garlic.
5 - Leave the veg to soften for 10 minutes or so (with a lid on if you have one) and then add your spinach. Leave it for a few minutes with the lid on to wilt. It will look like a RIDICULOUS amount at first but you'll be shocked at how much it reduces!
6 - Stir the pesto into the pan to coat all the vegetables and the chorizo
7 - Add the can of soup and some milk (I tend to just add a splash rather than measuring it) and then stir it all up so it combines and forms a smooth sauce
8 - Taste it and decide if you want to add any more seasoning - I added more garlic, a bit of salt and pepper and some rosemary, thyme and oregano.
9 - When cooked, drain the pasta and add to the sauce, stirring all together.
10 - Transfer the pasta mixture to a large ovenproof tray and then add the cheese over the top.
11 - Pop in the oven for about 15 minutes.
12 - When done, divide into 4 portions and eat one of them aaaall up. YUM.

Eggscellent Easter Treats

Easter is only a few days away not but try not to worry too much. You might be tempted to fall off the wagon, over indulge and feel guilty after but you can easily avoid this. The Weight Watchers plan is really flexible and you can treat yourself to a whole egg if you like by saving up your weekly budget of 49 points.

I normally tell friends and family who usually give me chocolate that I would prefer something else or nothing at all. I'm 25 now and can go and get my own Easter egg if I really want one, seems silly that I still get them every year. If I do still end up receiving an unexpected Easter egg I share it with everyone or use the online calculator to work out the ProPoints values of a chocolate egg and break it up into portions that fit in to my daily budget. This year I'm going to buy myself one of the £1 Cadbury eggs and eat it over the Bank Holiday as a treat but only if I have enough weekly points left.

If you wanted to have a go at making something yourself then try these tasty looking Mini Chocolate Easter Cheesecakes over on the Weight Watchers site for just 4 ProPoints each.

If you want to indulge this weekend then here is a little guide to tempting treats:

Food	ProPoints values
Cadbury Giant Creme Egg 532g	44
1 Lindt Gold Bunny (200g)	30
Green And Black's Dark Chocolate Thick Shell Egg 180g	28
Milky bar barn 160g - 9 points for whole egg + 15 points for the cow	24
1 Smarties Easter Egg (111g) - (38g tube of Smarties included has an extra ProPoints value of 5)	16
Cadbury Egg 'N' Spoon Double Chocolate 136g	6
1 Cadbury Mini Eggs (45g ctube)	6
1 Cadbury Creme Egg (40g)	5
1 Co-operative Healthier Choice Hot Cross Bun (60g)	4
1 slice Warburtons Hot Cross Bun Loaf (35g)	3
1 Weight Watchers Rich Toffee Bar	2
Updates for 2015 Cadbury Mini Eggs   1 for 3 Cadbury Mini Eggs (100g bag)  13 Cadbury Cream Eggs Mini  2  Cadbury Caramel Bunnies  3   Aero Bubbly Lamb  4  Maltesers Bunny  5  Cadbury Caramel Egg  5 Nestle Milky Bar Egg (65g)  12 Flake Egg (153g) with 4 fun size bars  22 Maltesers Egg (177g) Shell Only  15 Maltesers Egg (177g) with sweets  24 Snickers Egg (181g) with bars  27 Lindt Bunny (10g)  2 Dairy Milk Egg (214g) Shell Only  18 Dairy Milk Egg (214g) with bars  32 Before you eat anything this Easter… ask yourself if it’s worth the ProPoints values. Whatever you do, keep tracking Tracking makes you more aware of what you’re eating.

Sunday Summary 91

The WAMK girls all together last weekend!

Sarah V - I missed my Monday weigh in due to a nasty cold but since I last checked in, I've lost another 2lbs taking my total weight loss to 17.5lbs since 7th January. After the cakefest of last weekend with the other WAMK girls (which was amazing!) I've had a pretty healthy week, so I'm hoping that loss has gone up a bit more by my weigh in tomorrow! I am only 3lbs from my 10% and it would be amazing to do it before Easter - fingers crossed!

Gemma - After a weekend of cake at Norbury Manor and not being able to get out and do as much running as I would like due to the weather I'm really happy with a 1lb loss this week. I've got something on most evenings this week so I'm going to try and walk on my lunch break and fit in the 30 Day Shred before I go to bed to counteract all the nights out and events I'm going to. I'm going try and make senisible choices when I eat out and limit my alcohol intake on the weekend. Chicken salads and a couple of vodka and diet cokes shouldn't send me too far off plan.