Sweaty Bands

Well, it's National Frozen Foods Day, and I'm certain people all over the country are celebrating with microwaveable salisbury steaks and bean burritos for dinner tonight. Frozen foods are known for their convenience, and are pretty much impossible to mess up. Here's the catch: most frozen foods are PACKED with sodium. You know... that thing we are only supposed to have 1500mg of per day.

So, what do we do to combat our sodium obsession, yet still have an easy-to-make meal? Three words: frozen crockpot meals. A healthy and tasty twist on the traditional frozen meal, crockpot meals are easy to make (and freeze!), for quick meals on your busiest days. In fact, they are our go-to when it comes to meal prepping for an "I'm going to eat 30 cupcakes and 10 candy bars because I am so busy and stressed" kind of week.

Check out the recipes below and start making crockpot that you can freeze today!
[caption id="attachment_1421" align="alignleft" width="625"] National Frozen Foods Day – Healthy and Delicious Crockpot Freezer Meals[/caption]

Click here for printable PDF version.

Sweaty Bands turns 10 years old this year! We are proud to be the first non-slip, velvet-lined performance headband for women. But, our success has more to do with our customers and less to do with us! We are so thankful for each and every customer who has supported us, year after year. We have grown up – from a small operation run out of a basement with a borrowed sewing machine, to a global business and household name for athletes and women everywhere.
We are proudly headquartered right where we started, in good old Cincinnati, Ohio. We absolutely love our city and the active culture it breeds. From the Flying Pig Marathon to the Loveland Bike Trail and Modo Yoga, we love seeing our bands in action all over town. The love this city has shown us is enormous, and has given us the courage and confidence to push our brand out into the rest of the world.
We have attended marathon expos, sporting events, tradeshows, etc. all over the country and have met so many incredible people telling us of their running victories, fitness triumphs and other touching stories. Hearing a customer come up to us at event to say, “I LOVE Sweaty Bands; I don’t wear anything else!” still makes our heart melt a little bit each time and our chest swell with pride.
Our mission is to create quality products that empower women, one drop of sweat at a time. We know that might sound crazy, but if a simple Sweaty Band can inspire a person to move and live an active lifestyle, we feel so satisfied! Six months into the launch of our second headband, Sweaty Bands BE, and we are seeing the same incredible and exciting response. We are motivated and excited to continue innovating for you, our customers, and to continue to give you beautiful and functional products that last.
We have seen a lot of growth over the years. We have created hundreds of Sweaty Bands designs and sold many millions of product. We’re on sale in many stores throughout the country and have shipped to women all over the world. We obviously know our brand is not for everyone, but for those we have impacted in some way, we are forever grateful for your continued support.
Be sure to celebrate our ten year anniversary with us this month by taking advantage of our $10 off $30 Anniversary Sale going on all of March with code: 10YEARS. Additionally, we LOVE to see our products in action! Please post your pictures on Instagram all month long using #sweatybands, for a chance to win a 2-pack of Sweaty Bands on us!

Lastly, and most importantly, Sweaty Bands would not have survived ten years without all of our dedicated staff. We have had many employees come and go over the years. Each and every one of them has been integral to our success in their own way. To all of them, current and past, we say cheers and thank you! Cue the confetti! Get to know us even more with 10 fun facts below:

1. No matter how many pretty patterns and fun designs we release, our continual best sellers year over year are Wicked Black, Viva Diva Black, BE fierce and Rock Solid Black. We like to think that having your black Sweaty Band is just as important as your little black dress.

2. Donna Browning started the company out of her basement on a borrowed sewing machine. Over the course of ten years, we have moved three times – most recently on March 1, 2017! Please come visit us at our new address: 3802 Ford Circle, Cincinnati OH 45227.

3. Our office is insanely casual. Workout attire is a must since we regularly take a mid-day run or a hot yoga class! There is, or always should be, a nice beverage in the fridge!

4. We are all obsessed with the Bachelor and have a “Fantasy” league set up in our office.

5. Our CEO Doug is the only male in the office, and yes he participates in the Bachelor Fantasy League and loves it! Doug and Donna are married. We also have two sets of sisters that work for us!

6. Did you know you can put ANYTHING on a Sweaty Band? Seriously, our design team will work with you to help you create the perfect band. Our customs program has been one of the most fun segments of the business. We pride ourselves on customer service to please everyone's design. We charge minimal design fees, have zero minimums and there is no obligation to purchase! What are you waiting for?

7. We have attended over 500 marathon expos. Runners are very special to Sweaty Bands. Gasparilla Distance Classic in Tampa, FL was our first! We were also the Official Headband of the AVP Professional Volleyball Tour in 2010. That was so fun! Nothing like working with your toes in the sand and the sun in your face.Our first-ever event was the Duramed Futures Tour, Duramed Championship, which is a developmental tour for the LPGA. We met some great professional golfers!

8. We have had so many professional and amateur athletes wear Sweaty Bands, including soccer players, gymnasts, lacrosse players and the list goes on and on. One of our favorites is Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the WTA. She inspires and excites us every day. If you haven't seen her play, you need to!

9. Donna currently teaches a barre sculpt class and has been teaching fitness classes for 28 years!

10. Our customers created our tagline, “OMG…They don’t slip” because this is what everyone kept saying when they tried them on. They truly don’t slip, no matter what activity you are doing! Try one today to find out for yourself and become a believer.

Traditionally, heart disease has been considered one that affects men primarily, but the reality is heart disease affects men and women in the same proportions. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. February is heart month, so what better time could there be to shower yourself with love and commit to a more heart-healthy lifestyle? Here are some ways you can show your heart the love this month! FOOD Although most of us know we should eat healthier, we convince ourselves we are too busy to invest the time required in planning and preparing healthy meals. It’s time to change that mind-set. There are thousands of delicious, heart-healthy recipes out there you can prepare quickly and easily. Our heart-healthy Caprese salad recipe, for example, takes only five minutes to make and will no doubt become a favorite for lunch. A quick online search will provide thousands of heart-healthy recipes for you to explore. Try adding one or two into your cooking rotation each week. You’ll see eating healthy doesn’t have to be a chore and probably find some new favorite foods. EXERCISE Exercise is another area where most of us know what we should be doing but fall short in the execution. The American Heart Association recommends at least 30 minutes of exercise five times per week to improve cardiovascular health. Many of us get caught up in thinking we have to join an expensive gym or go for a five-mile run for our workout to count as exercise. In reality, exercise is anything that makes you move your body and burns calories. If you’re not ready to sign up for a gym membership, search for ways you can add extra movement to your daily routine. You could dance around the house while vacuuming. Make a couple of extra trips up and down the stairs when you’re doing laundry. Anything activity adding extra movement to your life will be good for your heart. HEALTHY HABITS Habits such as smoking and drinking excessively can increase your risk of complications from heart disease, especially if you have any other conditions, such as diabetes or high cholesterol. To protect your heart, you should stop smoking and drink alcohol only in moderation. For women, it is recommended to have no more than one drink per day. Once you change an unhealthy habit such as smoking, your body immediately begins the process of healing any damage inflicted. Give yourself the gift of health this Valentine’s Day and take steps to eliminate any of these damaging habits from your life. SLEEP Sleep is another critical factor in maintaining good heart health. Sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality can lead to a host of health problems, including high blood pressure, fatigue and metabolic problems. Getting the right amount of high-quality sleep is essential to your overall health and is a key factor in keeping your heart healthy. If you struggle with falling asleep or staying asleep, you should try reducing your caffeine intake and establishing an evening routine that includes going to bed at the same time every night and eliminates the use of any electronic devices, including cell phones, tablets and television close to bedtime. It’s important we demonstrate some self-love by taking extra good care of ourselves as women. Practicing good heart health habits will ensure you have the opportunity to live a long and healthy life! Also, check out our red bands this month and wear red for heart month!

About the Author: LaToya is an advocate for healthy living. She enjoys cooking up tasty, nutritious recipes and regularly practices yoga and Pilates. As a writer for eHealth Informer, she loves sharing her knowledge and inspiring others to live healthier lifestyles.

Don't let the time change ruin your running routine! Now that Daylight Saving Time is about to kick in, running after sunset is likely unavoidable. With the right preparation and focus, you may even learn to enjoy the darkness.
Protect yourself and follow these 10 tips:
1. Choose the best lit route.
2. Stick to routes you know well but vary up your routine. Potential attackers notice consistency so don’t make yourself an easy target by always running the same route at the same time.
3. Wearing a headlamp will help light the way in the dark.
4. Clip on a flashing or strobe light of some sort. Green and yellow are the most visible colors.
5. Load up on reflective gear. There are so many options now. A reflective vest can be layered on top of anything. Also, check out our Reflective Runner Sweaty Bands!
6. Run with a group. There are so many running groups that meet several times a week and hit the road. We love seeing that camaraderie— and the mass of reflective gear and flashing lights is hard to miss! Plus there is always safety in numbers!
7. Ditch the headphones.
8. Always carry your phone with you and some sort of identification. A Road ID shoe tag is a great option.
9. Always run against traffic. It is easier to avoid cars if you can see them coming at you. And it's easier for them to spot you!
10. Follow your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right head in the other direction.
Night or early morning runs in the crisp air can be very invigorating. Don’t let the darkness push you away from your goals. Your consistency and dedication will be unwavering if you are well prepared!

At Sweaty Bands, we use many different mediums to create our designs—
everything from markers to watercolor paints. Have you ever wondered how a simple sketch on paper becomes a beautiful, finished design? My name is Jordan Stevens, the Design Director here at Sweaty Bands, and I’m going to walk you through it!

Step One: Studio Days
After we have had an initial inspiration meeting, we take a couple of days to close our doors and play. We listen to music as we paint, draw and try out new techniques. We have created bands with nail polish, ink and milk, fingerpainting, colored pencils, pen, markers, paint, watercolors, tissue paper and of course, the good old computer. You name it—we’ve probably tried it… and if not, we want to! Step Two: Scan and Trim
Once we have a room covered in beautiful art, we begin picking what will look best on a band and we start scanning the art straight into the computer. Sometimes, for example in the case of the milk and ink, we have to photograph it to bring it into the computer. Once it’s in the computer, we use Adobe Photoshop tools to cut out the pieces that we like. Step Three: Play with Color
Once we have the content in the computer and trimmed to what we would like to work with, we can start altering the color. We can change the color completely or make it really bright and vibrant. We can make it black and white, scale it up or down, multiply it a bunch of times, rotate it, flip it and reverse it (Yes, a Missy Elliott reference—see aren’t you glad you read the blog?). Step Four: Finalize and Sample
Finally, we have art that we are super excited about and we cannot wait to see a sample of it on a Sweaty Band. We create our final print files in Adobe Illustrator and send them off to the printer. Three business days later, we receive printed artwork on what we call “top ribbon” (the part of the band that has the printed design on it). We lay them flat on the table, hold them in our hair, try them in different hair colors and ultimately pick which ones will become Sweaty Bands! Have a great idea for a Sweaty Band? Work directly with our design team to create a custom band of your own! We will send you a couple design mock-ups with your exact vision and help you narrow it down until it’s perfect. Sweaty Bands make perfect Christmas gifts… hint hint (It's never too early!). Shop the new bands pictured above here. Stay Creative (& Sweaty),
Jordan