Are you Thriving?
My Aunt, her mother, and both sisters have been advocating Level's Thrive on Facebook for a few months now and I have to say I am intrigued. The product boasts improved mental clarity, appetite control and metabolic support, while the Level Facebook Page is littered with testimonials about users experiencing "increased energy". Since these are all things that I struggle with/need help with (can I get an Amen?!) and because I managed to get my mitts on a starter pack, I decided to test out the product.
Please note: this post is nothing more than a personal review. I am not a medical professional, have not sought the input of a medical professional, and in no way speak on behalf of the Level company or any of their promoters.
I've never done a product review before so I decided to create and track a baseline of four wellness areas:
- Mental Clarity
- Appetite Control
- Energy Level
- Overall Wellness
I will try to track these areas daily as I progress through the 30 days on this supplement and give a very short status update by day. I'm not an expert on the product or the company but if you would like more information, check out my Aunt's team page at http://www.song.le-vel.com. She is really good at explaining what the product is and the many benefits. Also, because I don't think wellness should be taken in a vacuum, I am going to be tracking my diet and exercise in My Fitness Pal. If you would like to track my progress there, my username is luvmegbeth.
Baseline
My lifestyle is largely sedentary. I have a 2 hour commute to work, sit for 8-9 hours a day, and then commute 2 hours home. My only real exercise is walking my dogs twice a day. 20 minutes of dog walking tends to be my max. My diet consists of A LOT of fast food and pre-made meals. On a scale from 1 (low) to 10 (high), I'd say my numbers are fairly low for all of my challenge areas. (Appetite Control? I have no control!)
Mental Clarity - 5 // Appetite Control - 1 // Energy Level - 3 // Overall Wellness - 4
Day 1
Following the prescribed 1,2,3 plan (pictured below) I had my one capsule (which my promoters felt was the best way to start for my personal journey - speak to them about yours, we aren't all the same!), walked my dogs for 35 minutes, drank the shake (that will take some getting used to taste wise - lol), and then applied half the patch (again, at the suggestion of my Thrive promoters). I'm a coffee addict and was very worried about stopping cold turkey but half way through the day and I still hadn't experienced any coffee-detox symptoms. (How is this possible?!) My promoter suggested drinking a lot of water, so I am trying to do that. I feel the same for mental clarity and overall wellness but I do feel a little more energetic (maybe because I didn't have a heavy carb breakfast to slow me down?). Interestingly enough, I usually am eating constantly from breakfast to lunch. Like - a lot of snacks and/or eating my lunch at 11AM. I didn't have a single snack outside my shake, banana and water! Most marked improvement for me is appetite control. I did experience a bit of detox symptoms but my promoters had already told me that was likely to happen (and were spot on in what they said. I'm not sure if there is training for the promoters but mine are really well informed).
Mental Clarity - 5 // Appetite Control - 3 // Energy Level - 4 // Overall Wellness - 4
Day 2
Day 2 has started off differently than Day 1 because life is always hectic on the second day you are trying to do something to improve your health (Murphy's Law, or something ;). My dog was sick (throwing up) all night and then refused to make the quarter mile walk into the woods this morning. I mean, literally refused to take a step. So I had to carry her into the woods, all 60 lbs of her, to get her going. All this to say, I started today overtired and stressed out. I kept my energy level the same as yesterday because I don't feel any more energetic today but that is largely due to my life not allowing me adequate rest. My bad habits make me want to go and grab a coffee but I'm resisting. This may be the stress talking but I'm starving this morning. I had my shake at home but my bananas were at my desk at work - so my entire hour and forty-five minute commute I felt like I was having a conversation with my stomach. Once I had my banana I still felt hungry (bummer!) but am waiting to have my lunch and instead trying to fill up on water. I'm a stress eater so, again it could just be my life/habits that are getting in my way. Mental clarity feels improved and overall wellness seems improved as well. Normally, the little amount of sleep I had would make me feel nauseous all morning but thankfully that feeling hasn't appeared yet(!!). I went over my calorie goal for Day 1 which was so irritating because it was a combination of laziness, bad food making decisions (Taco Bell), and bored eating. Feel free to check out my MyFitnessPal page to see my epic downfall. Is anyone out there doing this Thrive Challenge? I'd love to hear how you are faring.
Mental Clarity - 6 // Appetite Control - 3 // Energy Level - 4 // Overall Wellness - 5
(also, yes - my hair really does look that bad today!)
Day 3
Hey, ya'll! Thanks for joining me for day 3. May I talk honestly for a minute? My head feels like shit, I'm really tired, I'm seriously considering going to Roche Brothers Market and getting an entire tin of cookies and noming them all, and I just kind of want to go to bed as soon as I get home! There you have it. Some days just feel crappy. Is it Thrive's fault? No. Am I going to pretend Thrive is making it better? No. My cell phone/alarm clock/connection to humanity died last night (because I forgot to charge it) and I woke up five minutes before I was supposed to leave my house (lovely). I didn't get my morning walk in (which means neither did my two giant dogs), a proper shower, and felt like a crappy adult all morning. I swallowed two capsules this morning about 20 minutes after my feet "hit the ground" (oops!), drank the shake probably 18 minutes after that, and remembered to apply the patch at the second stop light from my house. But I'm still giving myself props for getting it done (even if the timeline was WAY off). I was vacationing in Brazil a week and a half ago and I think I still haven't caught up on my sleep - at least, that's what I'm telling myself. While rating myself, I did increase my mental clarity because I knocked off some killer projects at work today in spite of my aching head. But everything else stays the same cause I just can't get things together today. Tell me I'm not alone in occasionally failing at this thing called "adulthood"?!
Mental Clarity - 7 // Appetite Control - 3 // Energy Level - 4 // Overall Wellness - 5
(also, could you NOT click on this picture to make it bigger?
i have blueberry stuck in my teeth! k'thanks)
i have blueberry stuck in my teeth! k'thanks)
Day 4
You guys, I am feeling so good today! But I have to tell you about my Day 3 evening - cause HOLY MOLY, ya'll even I can't believe it. Remember how tired and grumpy I was at work? And how all I wanted to do was go straight home and go to bed? Well that did not happen. I tried getting my car inspected (they had already closed), got home instead and between rain showers took my dogs for a walk!! and was super energetic. Then I cleaned the house, did my laundry, and ran to the shops for a few items. WHAT the WHAT?! Where did that energy come from?? I was a miserable wretch all day but somehow my body rocked the evening.
Anyway, on to Day 4...woke up at 3:30am to let the dogs out but managed to fall back asleep till around 5am. I'm a pretty terrible sleeper so that's a massive win. And because Day 3 was so chaotic that evening I prepped for Day 4...which is so awesome. (Note to self: do this every evening!). Anyway, because I was all prepped, I threw on my water shoes (cause I'm sick of my sneakers getting all mushy nasty from those muddy trails) grabbed the dogs (see pic below) and walked in the woods. And we KILLED it! Like basically the three of us ran through the woods. HOLY ENERGY. HOLY CAPITAL LETTERS. HOLY AWESOME PERFECT AMAZING LIFE. ;) I took my pills, shake, and patch at the right times. My head is clear, my appetite back on track, and overall, I'm just feeling amazing. I hope this sustains for the entire day.
Mental Clarity - 8 // Appetite Control - 5 // Energy Level - 5 // Overall Wellness - 7
Day 5
Here you have it....I feel grrrrrreat! ;) I'm starting to like the shake in the morning :) but suggest NOT trying to take a selfie trying to drink said shake at a stop light.
Mental Clarity - 8 // Appetite Control - 6 // Energy Level - 6 // Overall Wellness - 8
Days 6&7
I was terrible over the weekend. I had a TON of stress, brunch with my mom, and too many crappy dinners to even begin talking about. So I kept my levels the same just to not distort reality. I'm committing to a better diet for the week - wish me luck. Also, on another note, since my Aunt has started Thriving she is down 17 pounds!! How awesome!! She's walking 5 miles a day (10,000 steps for your fit bitters!). Well done!!
Mental Clarity - 8 // Appetite Control - 6 // Energy Level - 6 // Overall Wellness - 8
Day 8
Coming Soon...
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