With so many health and fitness products available, how do you know what is effective, legitimate and worthwhile? From head to toe, Health Your Way Online has you covered! Every smart exerciser knows in our multi-faceted world of fitness, caring not only for your body but your mind as well, is key to long-term, sustainable health.

Health Your Way Online proudly presents our Spring 2013 Product Spotlight. No gimmicks or shortcuts, only exceptional quality products.

Allow us to introduce you to ENERGYbits®, Sockwa, FiTMAPPED, “Nutrition for Exam Success – a Parent’s Guide” and B.I.C. Bands!

NUTRITION- Feed Your Body Smart with ENERGYbits®

Simply put, there is nothing else on the market quite like ENERGYbits®. They include one ingredient, algae! Organically grown and dried into small bite size bits that are easy to swallow or chew while on the go.

When asked who benefits most from ENERGYbits®, Founder and CEO Catharine Arnston responds, ” ENERGYbits® are for everyone. That being said, its benefits are most appreciated and most noticed by anyone engaged in high endurance activities.” She continues, “this includes  marathon runners, triathletes, cyclists, Olympians, elite athletes, professional athletes, fitness enthusiasts, but also busy executives, moms, teachers, kids, vegans, vegetarians, celiac intolerant, iron deficient, protein deficient or regular folks who want to improve their health, boost their energy and/or improve their diet and nutrition.”

ENERGYbits® algae is Non-GMO and is grown in controlled and daily-monitored water tanks. Their algae is 100% toxin free. While other parts of the world have used algae and enjoyed its health benefits for well over fifty years, ENERGYbits® is honored to bring this super-food to North America in a convenient, time-efficient and fun way to add green-food into our diet.

Why consider adding ENERGYbits® into your healthy living regime? “Our ENERGYbits® have the highest concentration of protein in the world and all this protein is already in amino acid form so it is 100% bio available and absorbed instantly” Ms. Arnston explains. “This is why you experience an immediate lift, mentally and physically from our ENERGYbits®. It’s not a rush of energy like you experience with sugar, caffeine or other artificial stimulants. There isn’t any sugar, caffeine or chemicals in our algae. They contain nothing but 100% algae whose green, natural nutrients deliver a steady and constant supply of energy and nutrients to your body and brain” she adds.

Discover for yourself the ENERGYbits® difference at www.energybits.com. Join their Facebook community at www.facebook.com/energybits to learn about discounts and special opportunities. For more information, please email Jeff at jwhite@energybits.com. And be sure to check out their additional brands of algae: www.recoverybits.com, www.skinnybits.com, www.vitalitybits.com, www.bitsofhealth.com.

FOOTWEAR- Go Green and Go Pain-Free with Sockwa

Say goodbye to the days of aching feet after every run and sore leg muscles after every hike! Enter Sockwa. Sockwa is your ultra-light, high-performance, minimalist shoe solution. They offer shoes with the thinnest sole of 1.2mm, with “premium, sustainable, decomposable, readily recyclable, hypo-allergenic, anti-odor uppers along with rubber-free soles” says Founder David Zasloff. So go ahead, save your feet and your planet at the same time!

Mr. Zasloff originally began the company with beach soccer socks. However, due to his loyal customer base’ popular request for a shoe that could be worn off the beach as well, Sockwa’s minimalist shoe was born. “Although we found that our first customer’s wore their Sockwa for niche activities like yoga, pilates, beach sports, cross-fit, back-packing, paddle boarding, martial arts, etc, we found that many customers started also wearing them for leisure wear, around town and while traveling” explains Mr. Zasloff.

Sockwa is for anyone who wants to allow their feet to move how they were designed to move, freely; sans constraints of traditional shoes. You’ll feel as if you’re barefoot, but with the added comfort of a durable sole. You’ll enjoy a more tactile, natural feeling shoe without feeling heavy with limited range of motion. In fact, these comfort fit shoes are becoming popular as day to day shoes, in addition to being used as athletic shoes. They are portable, flexible and easy to pack in your backpack, gym bag or even your bike pack. Sockwa makes an ideal everyday shoe for everyone.

Sockwa now offers 4 different models ranging from $20.00 to just under $75.00. Be sure to place your order at www.sockwa.com and join the minimalist movement! Need convincing- when was the last time you said your feet feel great?

They also welcome phone calls via 213.995.5004.

WHERE FITNESS AND TECH MEET- FiTMAPPED

Do you know where to find a dance studio on your lunch break? Or when you’re traveling, do you know a health club that will allow you to log your laps in the pool? The answer is here and it’s the only one of its kind; the answer is FiTMAPPED! FiTMAPPED leads fitness enthusiasts to their exercise options. Touted as your all-inclusive and searchable fitness directory, it’s easy, clear and it’s free to users!

“We saw a growing trend of new fitness establishments opening up all over the city and there was no real way to keep track of the variety of options. So, we decided to aggregate them and create a comprehensive database” explains Michelle Velasquez, Co-Founder of FiTMAPPED. Currently FiTMAPPED includes Los Angeles and New York City. “We wanted to make it easy for someone to find that third floor yoga studio around the corner or the new bootcamp a block from their office” she adds.

The FiTMAPPED database includes everything from large-scale health club facilities, to family focused gyms, to smaller, exclusive personal training studios. Simply log on to www.FiTMAPPED.com and search by your desired category. Search for example by price, amenities or location. And viola, your choices appear! There really are no excuses for missing a workout anymore.

Ms. Velasquez outlines their vision for the future, “as we grow, we hope to not only connect studios to our users, but we plan to connect users with each other. We hope to be the center of the local fitness community by creating a social platform for fitness experts and neophytes alike to exchange thoughts about their favorite workouts, plan fitness activities in groups, and share their healthy experiences.” Consider FitMAPPED your personal fitness finder!

Check out their Mobile app link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fitmapped/id550392329.  To add your fitness facility to their database, please email them directly at inquiry@fitmapped.com.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT- A Parent’s Guide

“Nutrition for Exam Success – a Parent’s Guide” is a book that has been written for all parents. Let’s face it, kids and especially teenagers, are a hard crowd to please when it comes to preparing meals! As parents, we are inundated with nutrition information regularly, eat this or don’t ever eat this; so how do we know what’s best for our growing children? We rely on science and research.

Here’s what we do know; we do know that there is a link between what we eat and how our brain functions. The author, Maggie Ayre, has done the ground work for you. As the UK’s leading coach for young people, she shares her years of expertise and experience. Ms. Ayres book offers the details why food intake is important for healthy learning for our children. Her book also offers over 30 simple recipes that are sure to please your kids of every age, and improve how their brain functions and absorbs information.

Ms. Ayres explains, “having worked as a Fitness Coach for Teens for five years I am dismayed at the foods many teens are eating.” She shares, “I feel that there is a lack of knowledge of just how important our diet is in all aspects of our lives and particularly the working of our brains, our powers of concentration and our energy levels.” All parents should consider this book a must-have manual full of guidance and resources!

Find her book via Amazon, as well as via Amazon in the UK.

Ms. Ayre’s mission is simple; she says “if we can get young children eating foods that will help them study, we will reap the benefits of better grades throughout their schooling.” Check out all of Maggie’s books on her website at www.maggieayre.com or email her directly at maggieayre@mail.com.

ACCESSORIZE…With a Purpose! Meet B.I.C. Bands

If you’re looking for a great gift idea, look no further! B.I.C. Bands is a business that gives back. They offer non-slip headbands that donate back to local charities with every sale! For example, in February their beneficiary was the American Heart Association, and the Go Red for Women campaign. In March, B.I.C. Bands is supporting the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation.

Founder of B.I.C. Bands, Sandy Pearson, explains the origin of her business, “these amazing headbands started all as a fundraiser for my run with Team in Training.” She continues, “I was looking for a way to raise the necessary funds to run my first half marathon. I had started to make headbands that didn’t slip because I was cheap and crafty~ friends said they’d buy them, so I decided to try my hand at making and selling them.” She adds, “my small little venture began and I started sewing. I donated the profits to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. OVER $1000 was raised through the sale of B.I.C. Bands!”

With over 250 styles available online, there really is a color and design for everyone; print, patterns, sparkles, you name it they’ve got it! Even offering four different widths, all with an absorbent lining that stays on your hair like velcro, without pulling or snagging your hair as with silicone-lined headbands.

Through their customer-service oriented wholesale program, they also offer custom bands for groups or teams. Email them directly at info@bicbands.com for additional details. When asked about the motivation behind her business, Ms. Pearson replies “because B.I.C. Bands were such a hit after my race, I decided to keep making and selling the bands to continue giving back to organizations in need.”

Check them out at www.BICbands.com. And be sure to follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bicbands, on Twitter @bicbands, and on Pinterest: BICBands. You’ll be sure to find the perfect headband for you, as well as some inspiration along the way knowing your purchase is making a difference in the lives of others.