Tag Archives: supplement

Wakacon Kava Waka Review: Relax Naturally

02/03/2016 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

Have you ever heard of or tried kava? I was on the search for a natural, alcohol-free way to relax for a while when I first found kava. It comes in capsules, paste, instant powder, micronized powder, ground kava root powder, and other forms I’m probably leaving out.

Without getting too detailed here, kava is shown to offer many of the relaxing, sedative effects of alcohol without all of the negative side-effects. It is also a natural muscle relaxer, which is perfect for my constantly tense neck and shoulders.

After reading through kava forums and Googling about the root, I concluded that capsules were basically useless and the powder was the best, most pure way to get the most of the relaxing effects of kava. There are many online kava stores that are highly recommended, but as a kava newbie and Amazon addict, I search there first. Lucky for me, I found Wakacon’s Kava Waka.

Wakacon offers kava in a fine ground root powder at a great value compared to similar brands. The added benefit of Amazon Prime makes it a perfect way to have Wakacon Kava at your door in no time.

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I was fortunate enough to have Wakacon provide their Kava Waka and Strainer Bag to me at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

They even have a handy PDF with traditional prep instructions. Here are their simple instructions:

Kava Instructions for beginners: Prepare a large bowl or container with warm water. Water should be warm to the touch but not hot. Deposit desired amount of kava root powder into our durable Wakacon strainer bag. Adjust amounts for desired potency. Immerse the strainer bag containing the kava root powder into the bowl of water. Knead and squeeze the Kava powder vigorously in the water for approximately 10 minutes, 5 if you’re strong. Squeeze as much liquid from the Wakacon strainer bag as possible and discard the used kava powder. A typical serving is 6-8 ounces and is traditionally chugged as opposed to sipped. If this is your first time, we might recommend starting with a small dose for a few days in a row so your body adapts, and eventually increasing the amount of Kava to a few servings in an hour to get the full effect. The effect of Kava is not the same for everyone, so please be patient and talk to a friend or someone who mixes kava regularly. Binge drinking is a terrible idea, so please start out slow. Yes, kava tastes very earthy and may be too strong for a beginner.

Following their prep methods, I made my first batch starting with 2 tablespoons of powder in 2 cups of water using a kava strainer bag. It’s a fine powder just as they claim, and the smell is very earthy.

wakacon kava waka

I drank it at night after dinner and wow, they weren’t kidding, this stuff needs to be chugged! The taste is not pleasant at all, but then again, some forms of alcohol don’t really taste great but we still drink it, right?

Right after drinking, there was a slight numbing sensation on my tongue that lingered for a minute or two. I didn’t mind the numbing, but I made sure to down the liquid as fast as possible the next time. My first try put me in a relaxed mood where I just felt an overall sense of well-being. Nothing much, but it was noticeable. I wanted more!

The next night, I upped the dose to 3 tablespoons. Yeah, that was awesome. My mind was more at ease and my entire body felt relaxed and, just….good. I thought I found the best stuff ever; no alcohol with all of the good feelings plus more from something completely natural! The effect lasted several hours and made going to sleep a non-issue as well.

Being over ambitious, I upped the dose again to 4 tablespoons and even drank the pulp because I didn’t want to waste anything. Bad idea. I eagerly drank it down at night and as time passed, instead of the usual “kava drunk” feeling, I started to get chills with fever, lost all appetite, and developed body aches.

It’s common to not feel much of an effect the first few times, and your body can even experience a reverse tolerance where it really hits you after many uses. Maybe I had a super reverse tolerance, but I’m pretty sure it’s best just to NOT consume the pulp or get too greedy by having so much at once.

Now I’m sticking to just 2 tablespoons and enjoying the calming state it puts me in while helping my muscle tension too. I plan on trying other forms in the future, but for now, I will use the traditional prep method with the powder. I’m good at downing liquids quickly, so the taste is not a huge deal to me, but if you can’t drink fast or have a bad gag reflex, I’d suggest you add something to help better manage the taste. A little cinnamon, add milk of choice, maybe liquid vanilla stevia, or whatever you like.

Parents and, well, everyone really all experience stress each day. I don’t want Avery seeing me reach for alcohol all the time, so I like having kava to offer all of the calming, relaxing sensations I look for without pouring a glass of scotch. Don’t get me wrong, there is still scotch and I still enjoy a glass on occasion.

If you’re interested in giving kava a try, Wakacon Kava Waka is a perfect way to start. If you have any questions or concerns with your order, they also have excellent customer service and will see to it that you are satisfied. Give it a try and let me know your thoughts. Just don’t get too confident, trust me!

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Legion Whey+ 100% Isolate Protein Powder Review

01/08/2016 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Do you currently use a protein powder? Is it plant-based, some form of whey, or something like beef protein powder? For the longest time, I was a mass consumer of whey protein until I realized it was the reason I always felt so bloated and, well, gassy.

That was several years ago and I have cut all whey out of my diet since, until now. After years of sticking to plant protein, I found a whey protein worthy of giving it another try, it was Legion Whey+ Protein. Not too long ago, I shared my thoughts about Legion’s Forge Pre-Workout supplement and how happy I was to find a company with clean, high quality ingredients.

Legion Whey Protein Powder

Eager to try more of their line, the awesome and kind people at Legion sent their vanilla whey+ to me free of charge in return for my honest review. This would be the first time in years to consume any whey protein powder, so I was a little timid at first, but then I tried it…..delicious! After giving it a day (just to be sure), there was no bloating, gas, or ill feelings, just the desire to have more after my next workout. And to use it in recipes of course!

Ingredients

Sure, there are many protein powders that taste good, but it’s what’s inside (i.e. ingredients) that really matters. It’s truly hard to find good quality protein powders without artificial colors,sweeteners or other possibly harmful chemicals. For example, here’s the ingredient list of a top selling vanilla flavored protein powder:

protein powder ingredients

And that’s rather short compared to other chemical laden brands/flavors. Plus, the source of these ingredients is almost guaranteed to be from the best places. Like where the whey comes from is most likely NOT from hormone- and antibiotic-free cows, and usually IS packed full of artificial flavors and sweeteners, usually it’s not non-gmo, and created with a blend of proteins.

If it wasn’t the bloating that turned me off from other whey powders over the years, looking at the ingredients certainly did it. That’s why I was delighted after seeing this list from Legion’s Whey+ Protein Powder:

Yeah, that’s more like it. Totally free of artificial flavors and sweeteners, it’s non-gmo, and made with 100% whey isolate from grass-fed cows untouched by hormones and antibiotics. Just try and find other whey protein powders with similar stats, they are scarce.

Taste and Mixability

As someone who uses stevia on a daily basis, I found the taste very pleasing, even when just mixed in water. If you’re not used to stevia, I think you’d still find Legion’s Whey+ satisfying with maybe a stronger sweetness than you’re used to at first. This will quickly pass as your taste buds adapt and your body feels better from not having all of the artificial junk found in other powders. As for mixing, it easily mixes in any liquid with a simple shaker bottle. You could stir it with a spoon as well, but there will be a few clumps. Of course, they are still tasty clumps!

Price

This is probably the hardest part to accept. When any product is made with top notch ingredients that are highly scrutinized to live up to the company’s standards, the price will be a little higher than products with cheaper ingredients. Legion Whey+ Protein Powder is a bit more expensive than other brands, but when it comes to what goes in my and my family’s body, I’m willing to spend a little more. That said, the price is not extremely high, and the term “you get what you pay for” definitely applies here. Plus, just sign up for their newsletter and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up to date on the current special offers.

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To summarize, what you get with Legion’s Whey+ Protein Powder is

A 100% whey isolate meaning each serving is almost entirely protein, with carbohydrates and fat almost non-existent
A supplement made from hormone- and antibiotic-free milk from cows raised on small dairy farms in Ireland.
A protein powder processed using cold microfiltration and ultrafiltration creating 100% intact, undenatured protein.
Great taste that mixes easily and is naturally sweetened and flavored.
Free of soy protein, gluten, GMOs, MSG, or hormones.

Legion’s Whey+ 100% Isolate is the first whey I’ve had in a long time, and now it’s the only whey to go when I choose this form of protein powder for our family. Of course, whey is not the best source of protein, and I always suggest getting most of your nutrients from real, whole food, but this is a great supplement and one I feel good about using. Even Avery enjoys it!

protein powder

I’m a fan of using protein powders as an alternative for recipes calling for flour, and after several test batches, I found a tasty, protein packed recipe I’ll share with you soon. Keep a lookout for the recipe soon, and in the meantime, pick up your own bottle of Legion Whey+ Protein Powder!

Do you have issues with most whey proteins?

What is your favorite flavor of protein powder?

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Fasted Training with Legion Forge + Squatting Update

10/09/2015 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Disclosure: I was provided a bottle of their pre-workout Legion Athletics Forge supplement at no charge. I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own.

Remember how I committed to following Cory Gregory’s Squat Every Day Program? I’m still going strong and squatting daily, but had to improvise while out of town at the At-Home Dad Convention. All it took was a little creativity and motivation to use the dumbbells in the hotel gym. Sumo squats, goblet squats, and, my favorite leg killer, rear foot elevated split squats.

Once I returned, I got back on track and am currently nearing completion of the program. Once finished, I’ll have gone for more than the 30 consistent squatting days in the program and will be sure to update you then. I’ve already increased my max on front and back squat by 10 pounds, which is great for me!

Since starting the program, I was fortunate enough to have the awesome folks at Legion Athletics agree to send me a bottle of their pre-work supplement, Forge, to use and review.

Legion Athletics, fat burner, pre-workout, fasted training, supplement — It’s here!!

I’m not a fan of using most supplements since they tend to have a lot of non-functional fillers and most are made from the same place in China then shipped overseas to have a brand label slapped on. But not Legion, they make their high quality supps right here in the U.S.A. with the following standards:

– All ingredients backed by published scientific literature
– All dosages at clinically effective levels
– No artificial sweeteners, dyes, or unnecessary fillers
– No banned substances or analogs of potentially harmful drugs
– Good taste
– Good value per serving

If you have any supplements in your home, go check the bottle and see if you can check off all of these. Don’t feel bad if not, I did the same thing and failed miserably.

Forge is Legion’s pre-workout supplement made specifically for those who train in a fasted state. It has 3 quality ingredients clinically dosed to work together with 3 goals:

To maximize the amount of fat you lose while training on an empty stomach
To minimize the amount of muscle you lose while training in this state
To help you maintain intensity and focus in your workouts, which can wane when “training on empty”

The 3 ingredients are:

Calcium Beta-hydroxy-beta-Methylbutyrate (HMB) – a metabolite of Leucine which prevents muscle-breakdown and is thought to be roughly 20 times more potent than Leucine in this regard
Citicoline (CDP Choline) – Highly bioavailable source of Choline which provides cognitive benefits.
Yohimbine HCL – A potent fat-burning compound which can significantly increase the amount of fat burned during a workout.

What?! A pre-workout fat-burner without caffeine?! Yep, and that means jitter-free workouts that just make it hard for me to hold heavy weights without, well, jittering. Plus, now I can enjoy a cup or five of coffee without worrying about overdosing on the stimulant.

I could geek out on you and dive into the scientific side of Forge even further, but they have all you need to know on their site, so I highly suggest clicking over there (once you’re done here of course) to learn about how and why they created this wonderful supplement.

What I will do is tell you how much I appreciate having Forge as part of my daily regimen. Squatting every day is not easy, mentally or physically, but Forge helps me clear my mind of negative thoughts and just get to work with whatever squat variation I have for the day. Not to mention how well it enables me to regain focus after having to take an unplanned diaper changing break. At least most of the time…

While I don’t have a need to lose fat, I have noticed my stomach getting a little more definition as well as my skin feeling tighter all over. I have been taking 4 capsules a day which is right between the “First Use” and “Full Dosage” recommendations with my 160 lb frame.

Again, no jitters or any crazy pump, just better mental clarity and feeling recharged and ready to go the next day. I’ve had plenty of days where I was running severely low and not motivated in the slightest sense, but after a couple weeks of taking Forge, that has not been the case.

Click here to order Forge.

My workouts last anywhere from 45 minutes to a little over an hour (depending a lot on Avery’s mood and need for diaper changing) and I have yet to feel beat up by the end. In fact, once finished, Avery and I go for a 2+ mile walk and/or run most days.

I still have a bit more to go until the bottle is finished, but I’m sure I’ll be ordering more once it’s out. Actually, Legion has a whole line of supplements I’d love to order. It’s hard to find a company that’s passionate about their products, especially supplements, and I simply love that they don’t go overseas to make their supps.

If you’re just getting into training or have been in the game for a while, consider adding a quality supplement from Legion. They have done their homework on what’s actually effective and put it all together at the right dosage to take the guess work out for us. From pre to post workout and everything in between, you’re sure to find something to give your training a big boost.

Thank you, Legion Team, for allowing me the opportunity to review your Forge supplement! If you ever need another active dad’s review for another product, you know where to find me! 🙂

Do you currently use any supplements in your training routine?

Interested in trying if not?