Epic Wipes Product Review

No time for a shower after your workout?
Epic Wipes are a great way to get cleaned up when you don’t have time or access to a shower. Made from bamboo with plenty of natural cleaning moisture, #EpicWipes are the green clean.

Epic Wipes Clean Up!

I’ve tried several brands of wipes over the years. Recently Epic Wipes sent four packets of their wipes to try.

As a parent I’m familiar with the baby wipes many of you have probably also used. When my kids were little we bought wipes in dispenser boxes which looked like large Lego blocks. Some of those boxes are still around full of Crayons and markers.

We also bought them in little packages we could throw in a diaper bag or backpack.

They were handy for cleaning babies, young children and messes in the car.

As the kids got older the wipes disappeared from our house and cars.

As a runner, I often find my self wet and stinky. I run about three times a week and hit the gym a few days a week also. As a result, I take a lot of showers!

When I run 10K or longer during the day at work I don’t have time to take a shower. I always do, but when I run long my time away from my desk runs long also.

An Epic Solution to an Epic Problem

When I first heard of Epic Wipes I thought, well here’s another wipe like others I’ve used. But I like to try new things so I gladly accepted the offer to try a few wipes.

I received two large and two XL wipe packets.

The first time I tried a wipe was after one of those work day runs.

Epic Wipes, shower on the goI decided to start with a large wipe which is 25.6 x 11.8 inches. An odd size but sized to work.

I’ve used athletic wipes before and there are a few rules you should follow.

First of all, don’t unfold the wipe completely. I usually unfold the wipe to the size of a wash cloth. That way I have a handy size for my face and neck area and I can use both sides before further unfolding.

Rule number two is to start at the top. You want to wipe your face, neck and torso before heading for the pits and points further south.

Your face may be sweaty and a little dirty but it doesn’t stink or harbor vast amounts of bacteria.

By strategically unfolding and folding over a wipe you can clean your entire body with a large Epic Wipe.

Epic Wipe XL

The next time I tried an Epic Wipe was at home after a Tuesday Night Club Run.

The XL wipe is 31.5 x 19.7 inches.

Epic Wipes XL, Massive Wet WipeWith the larger wipe I wanted to try it on my hair. If my hair smelled funny or I looked like a punk rocker, home was the place to find out.

Following wipe rule number one I started with my face and then unfolded the wipe by one more fold. This gave me more of a hand towel sized wipe to work with.

I rubbed the wipe all over my head and hair then used the flip side for another pass.

Epic Wipes are extremely moisture rich and I was able to get my hair wet with the wipe. By using both sides, the first pass got the sweat and smell and the second pass got anything left behind.

With additional “strategic folds” I had plenty of towel to completely clean my body.

Durable and Reusable Epic Wipes

Initially I had concerns with the durability of the wipes.

The first time I used one I was careful not to apply pressure with a single finger. As I went along it became apparent that Epic Wipes were almost as durable as a wash cloth.

At home I gave the wipe a more rigorous test. If I ran into problems I could just jump into the shower.

Both times I used an Epic Wipe there was plenty of life left in the wipes when I was finished. In fact it seemed like a shame to throw them away even though they had a body’s worth of sweat and BO in them.

Later while reading the Epic Wipe web site I found out that they can be re-used. Some people rinse them out and one person even has a mix that they use to re-infuse the wipes with cleaning moisture.

How cool is that?

I don’t think you can get a wipe back into the packet after you unfold and use it. If you want to re-use your wipes I would advise bringing a plastic bag to store them in.

I hate to use more plastic to re-use something. Seems to defeat the purpose. I might try wrapping the wipe in a towel.

The wipes have enough moisture in them that you should have some sort of towel with you to dry your skin.

My one issue is that perhaps there is too much moisture in each towel. I’d hate to wring any of it out before using it and risk ending up with not enough to finish the job. Maybe after a few more uses I’ll have this figured out.

Good for you and the Environment

Re-using Epic Wipes keeps them out of the waste stream and allows you to get multiple uses out of a durable product.

If you do throw your Epic Wipe away after each use, not to worry. They are biodegradable and made from a re-new able resource – bamboo!

I have some t-shirts made from bamboo and they are incredibly soft. So don’t worry about a scratchy towel chafing your tender spots.

Use omnirunner15 discount code when ordering for a 15% discount. You also get free shipping on orders over $40. Not bad.

Check out this video with a “how-to” section and information on how earth friendly the wipes are.

Run well my Friends and keep it clean!

Andy

I Tried Race Bib Tape

Have you ever had a race bib that wasn’t crooked?

I have, maybe twice!

It takes a lot of finagling to get a bib pinned to a shirt strait. I’ve been proud of my handy work only to put on my shirt to realize I had the shirt slightly off, and now my bib was slightly off.

Have you ever wanted to wear your favorite race shirt for a race but didn’t want to put pin holes in it?

I’ve tried the bib magnets and they work well. I used them for the Honolulu Marathon and my bib never moved.

The problem is that the magnets are so strong. This makes it challenging to make adjustments and the magnets love to stick to each other.

Race Bib Tape to the Rescue

Race Bib Tape is a simple solution that even I can use. I received a sample of six pieces of tape to try out and review.

I ran the Super Sunday 5 Miler on February 3rd in Cambridge and used the tape for my bib.

It was so simple. I put my bib on the table, took the backing off of two pieces of tape and placed them on each side of my bib. Then I took the back side off of the double-sided tape and carefully placed the bib on my shirt.

I got the bib on strait on my first try! No re-pinning or fooling around with un-cooperative magnets.

Check out this photo. What do you think?

Race Bib Tape, Super Sunday 5 Miler

I’m a little off center but the bib is on strait. And it only took one try!

I thought about adding a safety pin for, well safety. What if the tape didn’t hold in the cold or if I bumped into someone or got a thumb under my bib?

I have ripped a corner of a bib before. It happened about a mile into a half marathon and I was worried the rest of the day would be down-hill from there.

If I pulled this bib off, would the tape re-attach to my shirt?

Fortunately I didn’t have to put Race Bib Tape to that test. It held the entire race and I never worried about it falling off. I was so confident that it would hold that I never thought about it the entire race.

This is not a photo shopped photo. The bib is attached with just tape and it stayed there until I got home and took it off. And no residue on my shirt!

I’m not getting a commission or anything for saying this. I recommend Rave Bib Tape as a product thatRace Bib Tape 500 ct works.

Race Bib Tape is available through amazon in 36 count for $12.00 or 500 count packages for $47.60. For details on the product check out their web site.

If you are a race director you should consider offering this at your next race. It’s hard to find something unique to offer your runners and everyone is sure to love this idea.

Run well my Friends,

Andy

DEXA Body Composition Scan

The DEXA body scan is the most accurate method to measure body composition and distribution of fat and muscle mass. Read about my scan and learn more about the DEXA body composition scan.

You may have seem TV commercials for the Cenegenics Medical Institute in Boston.

They provide a variety of services from nutrition coaching, metabolism and exercise studies and healthy aging strategies.

One of the services they provide to assess patients physical condition is the Body Composition DEXA Scan.

The DEXA scan is considered the Gold Standard in body composition measurement and is commonly used to measure bone density. Increasingly it is being used to measure body composition.

I received a Body Composition DEXA Scan at Cenegenics Boston as compensation for writing this review.

Cenegenics has offered the DEXA Scan to their clients since 2011 and to the general public since 2015. In 2012 when I first wrote about body composition studies, no one in the Boston area offered the DEXA scan.

Cenegenics Boston provides a single scan for $175, two for $300 and four for $500. If you get a 10 scan package the cost is $99 per scan.

Why get a DEXA Body Composition Scan

The DEXA Scan is performed using a GE Lunar Prodigy Advance. This machine exposes the body to 1/10 the x-ray radiation of a chest x-ray. So the exposure is minimal.

DEXA Body Composition Scan, Cenegenics BostonDEXA Scan gives you the most precise information about your body fat, muscle, and bone composition, and lets you track changes in body composition over time.

Fitness enthusiasts, athletes, and dieters often use body composition scans to get a baseline of where they are now, and to objectively measure their progress.

Scanning every three to six months is a good way to monitor and evaluate your progress.

Some of us need to monitor our bone density or body fat. Athletes want to measure their body fat and muscle composition.

The primary advantage of DEXA Scan over fat estimating devices such as bioimpedance scales, calipers, tape measure, or displacement estimate devices such as hydrostatic dunk tank or Bod Pod is that the DEXA Scan is actually measuring your body fat and giving you precise measurements.

DEXA Scan gives you precise measurements of fat and muscle distribution around your body.

The DEXA Scan scan also shows muscle asymmetries between your left and right sides. These asymmetries throw weight distribution off, cause muscle miscoordination, and create unnatural stresses that lead to injury.

As a true body composition analysis, you can track potentially dangerous visceral fat around your vital organs. This cannot be done with any of the other body composition measurement tools.

You get a better sense of where you are now. And you can track the improvement over time.

For the average amateur runner like me the DEXA Scan can be very helpful.

Getting a DEXA Scan

DEXA scans are available in most major US, Canadian and UK cities. Many large hospitals also offer them to track the bone density of their older patients.

Check here to find the office offering the scan closest to you. Enter your zip or postal code, or use the map.

Check here for how to prepare for your scan and what to expect during your scan.

My DEXA Scan and results

I became interested in body composition several years ago. In 2012 I wrote about the different tests available in a post titled “What’s Your Number?”

You can perform a BMI calculation online or your doctor may provide your BMI at your annual physical. However, the BMI is imprecise and measures body mass, not body composition.

Over the past 15 years, my weight has fluctuated between 175 and 185lbs. When I began running in January of 2003, my weight was 203 on the bathroom scale. In 2014 I trained all year and ran three marathons and my weight dipped to 169lbs briefly.

When I went for my DEXA scan the office scale had me at 188lbs but the DEXA machine had me at 183lbs. I’m also shrinking and am now just under 6′ tall! Between my weight and decreased stature, my BMI was recorded as 25.7. This puts me just into the “overweight” bracket which begins with a BMI of 25.

The DEXA scan gave me the following numbers:

Total Body Mass: 183.7 lbs
Total Tissue: 176.3 lbs
Total Fat: 43.6 lbs
Lean: 132.7 lbs
Bone Mass: 7.3 lbs
Fat Free Mass: 140.1 lbs

Fat Free Mass combines Bone Mass (7.3) and Lean Mass (132.7) to get 140.1 Fat Free pounds.

Currently I am carrying 43.6 lbs of fat on my body. I was shocked to hear that number. That’s almost a bag of cement!

Dividing 43.6 lbs into my Total Tissue Mass (176.3) gives me a body fat composition of 24.7%. Again, this seemed high.

The important part of this analysis is the next part. The DEXA scans measures both Android and Gynoid fat.

Android fat is primarily carried in the belly area while some is also carried in the chest and upper arms.

Android fat is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, hormonal imbalances, some cancers, sleep apnea, and more.

Some Android fat is subcutaneous (under the skin) and some is visceral and surrounds our organs.

The subcutaneous fats is what we see in the mirror and which hides our six packs, no matter how hard we work to get them.

Our bodies need some visceral fat for normal body functions. But too much of a good thing can cause the variety of issues mentioned above.

My estimated Visceral Adipose Tissue was estimated at 2.85 lbs. I was told this is the fat under my abs and that it should be about 1 lb! Yikes! This much fat in this area is not a good thing.

Gynoid fat refers to the body fat that forms around the hips, breasts and thighs. For men this type of fat is typically not an issue. We didn’t discuss this type of fat in depth, but the technician did say that my legs have a healthy amount of fat.

Next Steps and Moving Forward

My goal is to get to 175 lbs. That means loosing about 8 lbs from where I am now. Since my total body fat is 43.6 lbs I need to loose about 18% of my body fat to reach this goal.

With age it becomes increasingly difficult to loose weight. It also becomes increasingly easy to gain weight.

I employed some dietary restrictions over the holidays and didn’t gain any weight. I also maintained my light running routine. This put me in a good position to reach my goal.

By paying attention to my refined carbohydrate and alcohol intake and increasing my running, I will be able to get to 175 and maybe beyond.

My next steps are to train like I have a number for The Boston Marathon. I’ve also been eating more fruit and nuts instead of corn chips and guacamole. I will also be more diligent avoiding sugar as I have been a little lax over the holidays.

Each time I think about heading to the fridge for an IPA, I think about that 2.85 lb pad of fat between my abs and my intestines. Do I really want to feed that thing?

Knowledge is Power

You don’t know what you don’t know. Getting a DEXA Scan is a lot like getting a blood work up at your doctor’s. Until the blood work comes back you don’t know what your cholesterol or triglyceride levels are. You don’t know what your A1c or vitamin levels are.

You can’t take action and control of your health until you know whats going on inside.

While a DEXA scan may seem expensive, I would encourage you to go at least once. It’s not just knowing how much you weigh that’s important. It’s important to know where you carry your weight so that you can understand your risks and what to do about it.

Run well my Friends,

Andy

Renting a car in Europe?

Renting a car in Europe? Get the best rates from the major rental companies and 24/7 support from Auto Europe. Auto Europe can answer your driving questions also

Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward me a small commission – at no extra cost for you. This helps me to cover the blog maintenance expenses. Thanks for your support.

Many runners dream of traveling to Europe and running a World Marathon Major such as the Virgin Money London Marathon and the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON.

There are countless other marathons across Europe and other ways to have a running adventure/vacation of a lifetime.

If you are flying six and a half hours to London or over 10 hours to Berlin, why not make the most of it and stay a few extra days?

You’ve paid for the flight and a few nights in a hotel, a few more nights could turn a destination race into an European adventure!

Renting a car in Europe

Imagine driving across France or Germany and stopping whenever and wherever you want? You can go from town to village to town all the way across The UK or Spain.

Imagine finding a cool trail or park for a run as you travel along?

How about driving to another race? In another country?

How about a road trip across Europe? How many countries can you run in in one week?

Pretty exciting isn’t it?

The idea of renting a car in a foreign country can seem daunting. What are the rules and requirements? Will your US license be valid? What about insurance?

How do you make sure you’re getting the best price?

Auto Europe

<a href="http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-7778295-12970023" target="_top"> <img src="http://www.ftjcfx.com/image-7778295-12970023" width="160" height="600" alt="Auto Europe Car Rentals" border="0"/></a>Auto Europe has been assisting travelers with their car rental needs for over 60 years and provides the industry’s best service before and during your rental.

Auto Europe has long-standing relationships with the top names such as: Hertz, Avis, National, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise and Europcar. Companies you know.

This allows them to offer you the best rates at over 20,000 pickup locations in 180 countries worldwide.
Their primary focus is providing a quality rental experience for those traveling abroad, primarily to Europe.

Auto Europe allows you to compare all of the top rental companies and know your price when you make your reservation without any hidden fees.

Auto Europe also offers a Ready-to-Go Pickup Guarantee and 24/7 service hotline from pickup to drop off.

Who wants surprises or hassles during vacation? It should be all about the fun and adventure.

With over 60 years of experience Auto Europe can help you through just about anything.

Rules of The Road

Auto Europe has been helping travelers for over 60 years. They know the rules of the road and can help you prepare before you go.

Their website has rules of the road for every country they operate in. Have questions about driving on The Autobahn? How about driving on the left side of the road in The UK? They have your answers on their web site.

Click the image to get the best price and best support on your European auto rental. And don’t forget to check the rules of the road and have a great journey!

Drive well my Friends,

Andy