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I never thought I would be a swimwear model: Deakin and Blue swimwear review

5/4/2020

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When I reached out to Deakin and Blue I thought it would be a long shot. I knew of the sustainable swimwear company from social media and had been eyeing up their diverse range of full suits and bikinis for my next trip. I’m training to be a dive professional and told them about my plans to volunteer for good causes using my newly acquired dive skills once I've got my qualification. The ocean needs all the help it can get right now and I can't wait to get involved with marine conservation projects and humanitarian causes. They liked the sound of my plans and very generously let me pick a swimsuit from their extensive range. Read on for a full product review, with some snippets about my Mexican travels thrown in for good measure. And scroll on for my swimsuit modelling debut.


I primarily wanted a new swimsuit to wear under a wet suit while scuba diving. I have tried different combinations of undergarments over the years and
I found two halves easier than a full swimsuit, so due to not wanting to buy more plastic, had settled on wearing an old sports bra and swim shorts I found in a charity shop. Not the most glamorous! So it was a treat to pick something designed more appropriately for the job. The model I chose was the Hepburn. It's designed with activity in mind and is more substantial than almost all bikinis I’ve ever seen. The tops are sized like bras so you can get a really good fit and decent boob support, with the arms of the top being cut low enough that there's no chaffing when swimming lengths in a pool. I chose high-waisted bottoms for comfort under neoprene, and you can pick the size of the bottoms independently from the top which makes a lot of sense. The range also includes full suits and more skimpy numbers in a huge range of size options so they have something for everyone.


All Deakin and Blue have high sustainability credentials. Their website explains that the material used is "
ECONYL® - a 100% regenerated nylon fibre made from post-consumer waste such as old fishing nets and industrial plastic." They are also built to last and are made tougher than most other products. The material feels nice against my skin, dries well and holds up to saltwater, swimming pools and waterfalls. A solid month of 3 dives a day in sea water and being dried in direct sunlight and I've seen no change in colour or stretchiness. The first time I wore it was at the stunning Roberto Barrios waterfalls near Palenque in Mexico, where it dried quickly enough that I didn’t need to perform an awkward towel dance to change my underwear in public! However, awkward towel dances are made easier with the front zip on the top. As demonstrated after swimming at the mossy green cavern that is the cenote in the heart of the city of Valladolid.
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My life as a divemaster trainee involves being wet for large part of the day. I love that I can take half my wet suit off and go to the loo (not an easy feat wearing a full swimming costume). And I don’t feel too naked, so I’m happy to wander around during our surface intervals without anything more on.


I’m so pleased to have found a product that suits my needs so well. I’m not at all comfortable wearing triangles held on with stringy bits and I need something that can offer support when lifting tanks and equipment on and off dive boats. The fact that Deakin and Blue have these design features covered is only made more brilliant by their eco friendly credentials - all happily delivered in beautiful, non-plastic packaging. I’m sure my new swimsuit will last ages but I know where I’m getting my next one. 



So now for the swimwear model moment. Here is a picture of a real person, on a windy day, about to do her 800m snorkelling swimming test in the choppy ocean. Thank you so much Deakin and Blue for the swimsuit and for the confidence you’ve shown in me in providing me with a product.
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Feed: more meal replacements - Review

3/12/2019

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Feed are another company creating meal replacement drinks and bars. They were kind enough to send me some products to try (as well as a nice hat). Here's what I thought of them and how they compare to other products.

I haven't tried meal replacements bars from any other company yet, but I thought the concept of these is great. Less fuss and mess than a shaker and powder. You don't look weird eating them and you don't end up needing to pee all the time because you drank loads of liquid. I spend too much time in my car, and I can even eat a bar driving along. I can't do that with a shaker. These bars tasted great too. My favourite was the chocolate one, a sort of fudgy middle coated in a layer of chocolate. It's hard to believe that they're vegan and that they're nutritionally balanced. The lemon one was less crumbly - more like a regular snack bar with a texture quite like a nakd bar. Each of the big ones is around 400kcal and 20g of protein. It was really handy to have one in my bag just in case - like going to an unplanned concert in the evening after work. It saved me buying unhealthy and expensive sandwiches at the posh cafe.

The smaller 'light' ones are around 250kcal so better for a snack rather than an entire meal. They tasted great too. They were especially handy for when I knew I was going to eat really late but still had to cycle to another job.
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Now for the drinks. I haven't tried Huel's ready-to-drink formula, only the powder, so I can't make a direct comparison. Feed do a powder too which I haven't tried. I had a bottle of the vanilla flavour drink with me when I had a long day of organ playing. I was sat on a bus to a train station, anticipating my liquid lunch to be something like a vanilla milkshake. However, it was gross. I could taste the sweetener and the texture was too thin. I had a few sips but couldn't finish the bottle (luckily there was a Greggs nearby for a vegan sausage roll, cheap but not quite so healthy...). The chocolate one was better, a bit less sweet. I couldn't drink the vanilla one chilled as suggested and I did managed to chill the chocolate one. Perhaps this made the difference to the texture. However, the chocolate still had a slightly strange after taste.

I really liked the bars for convenience and taste. However, I probably wouldn't buy them. Priced at £3 per meal (the drinks are more), that's more than double the cost of Huel bars which are currently just £1.30 if you sign up for their subscription service. In a rather competitive industry, I think all of the Feed products are priced a bit high. I'd happily make them part of my life if it weren't for this.

Are you a meal replacement fan? What other products should I try? Comment below and I'll give them a go.
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Runderwear: product review

6/8/2019

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Running is such a great hobby -  you don't need to know how to inflate tyres or the off-side rule, and there's no reason to travel to a gym or playing field, just go outside and off you go. When you're starting out, you don't need much kit either, good running shoes are really important but any clothes that you feel comfortable in will do. However, as your distance and time increase then kit matters more. I remember one long training run for the first half marathon I did where I was wearing a nice purple vest. After an hour in that vest the inside of my biceps were sore from brushing past the seam for so long. Ouch! Another source of chaffing can be underwear. Pants that don't wick sweat away from your skin, or an ill-fitting bra can both be a source of irritation to your skin and your mind. Enter RUNDERWEAR. Read on for my review of two of their products. 
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There are three main designs of pants to pick from for women - I got 'low rise hipster' in black. Where have these pants been all my life?! They're soft, so soft. Not to mention super stretchy, and they wick that sweat like there's no tomorrow. It makes them quick-drying after a wash too, (perfect for backpackers doing a sneaky bit of sink laundry in a dorm.) I like the wide elastic at the top - practical and stylish. Seriously, they're so comfortable that I forgot they were there. 
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The Runderwear Support Bra is rather more high-tech than the pants. Sports bras are strange articles with many different designs. It's extremely hard to decide on the right kind of design. In my experience of sports bras, they usually fall into one of several categories. This one falls into the category of "boobs definitely restrained, may dislocate shoulder upon exit". That's to say that it provides fantastic support, fits well (I got the same size as I would in a normal bra) but has to be removed over the head. When hot and sweaty after a run this can be somewhat challenging, as it needs to be a snug fit to do its job. One has to undo the clasp, remove one arm by tucking it under the main body of the device, then use the other arm to pull the whole thing over the head in a diagonal direction before finally waving it victoriously in the air. 

The only other negative thing I can say is that the padding makes it a bit slow at drying after washing but I didn't notice any issue with sweat-wicking as the padding is away from the armpit area. Overall, the dramatic exit manoeuvre is worth the comfort and support. I have other bras that come undone like a normal bra which don't provide nearly as much support. 

Other than functionality, another factor to consider before purchasing is environmental impact. I was unable to find out where Runderwear products are produced so I can't comment on fair wages or factory conditions. However, it would be great to see Runderwear reducing their plastic and packaging. Perhaps some bamboo fibre can reduce the dependence on plastic, and the plastic bag inside the cardboard packaging seems unnecessary. 

Thanks for sending me the Runderwear, here's to hundred more chafe-free miles.

How do you remove yourself from your sports bra? What are the comfiest pants you've found for running? Comment below!

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Tough Mudder: mud, team work and bamboo kit

10/10/2018

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My sister Alice told me she'd signed up for Tough Mudder and I thought she was mad. "Why would you pay money to get muddy and electrocuted?!" Fast forward a few months and I some how find myself in a field in Surrey doing a (not very good) guided warm up to loud music with a man shouting instructions down a microphone. Oh well, YOLO.

                        ***SCROLL DOWN FOR TOUGH MUDDER TOP TIPS***

My excellent team - You don't make friends with salad - was captained by Tash (the sister of my sister's boyfriend), with Larry (the husband of the sister of my sister's boyfriend), Charles (the friend of the husba....), Tim, Elliott, Alice and I. Thankfully the others had some prior experience and strong muscles. I actually really liked that team work is such a strong element of the event, especially when being hauled over various structures.
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But what to wear for such events? I was kindly given some bamboo activewear by Bamboo Clothing - and wore cropped leggings and socks made of the softest bamboo fibres. My leggings were super flexible (great for lifting one's feet when clambering over high things), and were thick enough to provide some protection when crawling along the floor under barbed wire (sounds really fun doesn't it?). The socks are like wearing little, fluffy clouds surrounding my feet - which was great for the 10.2 miles of trail running. I enjoyed the wooded footpaths that made up the course, and amazingly didn't have any trouble with blisters despite having wet feet almost the whole time. I also wasn't sure if I'd ever get them clean but they washed up just fine and don't look any worse for it. I *heart* bamboo socks.

Watery obstacles were frequent and ranged from ducking under large tubes, sliding into ice water, swimming (only because I couldn't do the monkeybars - new life goal I think) and jumping from a 5 metre high platform. I'm not a natural water baby and found these obstacles the toughest. I only jumped from the platform because Tim was shouting at me! And I was really grateful to a fellow mudder for guiding me under the large tubes. The bamboo socks did a great job, but the leggings retained the water for longer than synthetic materials, encouraging me to run faster to warm up.

The parts of the event I enjoyed the most were the more physical challenges involving team work. I was particularly proud of giving a strange man a piggyback! Being hoisted over walls by Charles and Elliott and helping Tash and Larry carry a large log was a bonding experience. The final obstacle - Human Pyramid - was impossible to complete without help from others. We splashed into the water at the bottom of the slippery slope (yes more water) to give a leg up to another mudder reaching her team. Once we'd worked out a strategy, everyone helped everyone else to the top even though we were all exhausted.

Why would you pay good money to slide around in mud, get electrocuted, bruised, soaked, ruin your clothes and spend the rest of the weekend exhausted? Because the sense of pride at the end is enormous. Because the sense of achieving something as a team feels good. And facing a challenge and overcoming it is what I love to do.

TOUGH MUDDER TOP TIPS
  1. Fuel and refuel - have a good breakfast. You'll get a few snacks (don't worry, vegan ones) but you'll be active for three or four hours. Refuel at the end. I had a VFuel UK protein shake as soon as I could, to aid muscle recovery.
  2. Kit - trail shoes are a huge asset. They will allow you to grip even during the slippery paths. But don't bring anything you don't mind getting potentially ruined (my old trail shoes went through the wash and are now fine).
  3. Friends - it's all about team work. Pick some good mates or volunteer for the chance to make new friends.
  4. Enjoy - don't want to do a particular obstacle? You don't have to. Want some help with being pulled up/pushed over/encouraged/guided under? Ask anyone. 
  5. Book early! - Tough mudder isn't cheap to enter, and it gets more expensive the closer you get to event day. Book well in advance to get savings.
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Thinking about entering but have some questions? Got any top tips for obstacle courses? Comment below :)
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Protein Powder; Vfuel Product review

12/6/2018

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Ah the confusing world of nutritional supplements. What are ketones? Should I use protein powder? I am not at all qualified in the science of any of this, I’ve just read some stuff to make decisions for myself, and in the process I found vegan company vfuel.co.uk who kindly sent me some stuff to try. Read on for the product reviews.
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 I don’t really understand Acai berries and I’d never had them before vfuel sent them to me. They’re supposed to promote ‘weight loss and healthy skin’. They smell lovely but the tablets are enormous! The dose is 2-4 tablets with breakfast - me and my sensitive gag reflex manage two if I bite them in half first. Next time you see me maybe my skin will be amazing.
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Raspberry ketones are supposed to help with fat loss. These tablets are mercifully small and the suggested dose is only one per day. They also smell delicious. Am I shredded yet?!
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My search for good and affordable vegan protein powder led me to find vfuel in the first place. They sent me this sample of their vegan lean. I choose to use protein powder as part of my diet to ensure I get a good boost of protein after a run or workout (if I were more organised and tried harder I could get plenty of protein from plant sources). There are so many products on the market, but vfuel is the best I’ve found. It’s cheaper than many other brands (£19.99 per 1kg plus £2.99 for shipping), it’s a blend of pea and soy protein and contains some other things which are bound to be good for you (there are those ketones again). It also actually tastes more than ok! I mixed my sample with 300ml of water (they suggest 200ml but I wasn’t paying attention when I filled my shaker) and it wasn’t chalky, was a good thickness and tasted chocolatey. I was previously using Sun Warrior vegan chocolate and it’s loads nicer than that one, and cheaper too!
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Of course you don’t have to just chug it (not the best picture is it?), why not make Snounty Protein Balls.


I’m going to continue taking the supplements, partly because I hate waste, but I don’t really think that they do a whole lot. However, I’m going to continue using a protein shake after a workout, ensuring I get enough protein in a day and helping recovery after exercise. And vfuel is going to be my choice. It’s lovely to support a small and fully vegan company, and their tubs are recyclable. Connor was very responsive to all my many questions and very friendly. Thanks team vfuel.

​​Disclaimer: vfuel sent me these products free of charge for me to review but the opinions are entirely my own, honest opinions. I am in no way a qualified nutritionist or fitness coach, please do your own research into use of nutritional supplements.
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    Hannah the traveller

    is a travel and lifestyle blog with focus on running, vegan eating and of course global travel.

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