Sweaty Bands

Ready to Run Far and Get SWEATY?! Not so fast! Before you get started on your training, you need to make sure your body is functioning optimally and your muscles are growing strong!

The main goals of your Pre-Sweat session nutrition are to: • Reduce muscle glycogen depletion (AKA reduce hitting a wall during your workouts) • Reduce muscle protein breakdown (AKA reduce muscle damage) • Reduce post workout cortisol levels (AKA reduce having a muscle meltdown) Okay, okay, enough with the science terminology. Let’s actually make this happen!! In order to make this happen, carbohydrates and proteins are going to be your new BFFs. Here are a few of our favorite pre-workout snacks that do just that! Whole Wheat Toast with Sliced Banana and Cinnamon As we said earlier, you will make carbs and proteins your new gal pals. You never want to favorite a gal pal, so it is crucial to not favor either carbs or proteins, but get the perfect mix of both. Greek Yogurt and Granola Getting ready for a long run? Eat some yogurt first. It's easy on your stomach, and when paired with granola or trail mix (without the good stuff) it can give you the little boost of energy your body needs to get you through a run! Apple Wedges with Almond Butter Eat the right kind of sugar before your workout and while you're at it, slap some almond butter on your apple. This will amp up your energy levels and help with hunger! Apple > Candy If you are in a hurry, one of our favorite quick snacks are protein balls. Check out PopSugar's Peanut Butter Protein Balls here. Seriously, it's almost like a treat, but keeps you energized throughout your whole workout! After you are finished breakin' a sweat, you should eat your post workout snack within 60 minutes of your workout. This repairs the damage done to your cells and helps you recover faster! It is usually a small protein snack or shake, but we have a few different options to keep you on your toes! Chocolate Milk Our favorite post workout snack at Sweaty Bands is chocolate milk. Yes, you read that right, chocolate milk! We have even heard that chocolate milk can be better than sports drinks. Got milk, anyone? Cottage Cheese + Fruit; simple as that. BOOM! Veggie Omelet with Avocado We know you all already know eggs are a great source of protein and help aid in muscle recovery and growth. So switch up your daily boring routine of scrambled eggs and make this amazing omelet!! And we like to put avocado on everything. If you don't, it’s okay we still like you. Band can be found here! Salmon and Sweet Potatoes Salmon is always the talk of the town around Sweaty Bands Headquarters. Customs Manager, Sheila, is always on top of her A-game when it comes to new salmon recipes. One of her favorite foods to pair with salmon after a work out is sweet potatoes. They both play an excellent role in helping to regulate insulin levels and give your joints the support they need. Sweet potatoes are a perfect way to get those complex carbs in and help restore glycogen levels (which we mentioned above). For an even longer list of pre and post workout snacks, check out the list our friends at Greatist made here! Let us know what your favorite pre and post workout snacks are below!

The 2015 Western & Southern Open is finally here! Some of the world’s top professional tennis players are coming to our hometown, Cincinnati! Okay, hold up. What exactly is the Western & Southern Open? We are here to answer your questions (because hello we probably have the same ones). The Western & Southern Open is an annual outdoor tennis event held in Mason, OH, exactly 30 minutes away from Sweaty Bands Headquarters! This event is one of the major tournaments leading up to the US Open and is the second largest summer tennis event in the US, talk about awesome. This year the event will be held from August 15th to August 23rd!

FUN FACT #1: This event started on September 18th, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city! The Western & Southern Open’s men’s portion is 1 of 9 elite Masters 1000 tournaments on the ATP World Tour. (ATP stands for The Association of Tennis Professionals). While the Western & Southern Open women’s event is 1 of 5 Premier 5 events on the WTA Tour. (WTA stands for Women’s Tennis Association). Speaking of Women tennis players, our main chick Bethanie Mattek-Sands will be in attendance! Bethanie is a Sweaty Bands lover, who we met years ago at the Western & Southern Open. This year her career has sky rocketed and we have pictures to prove it! Bethanie pictured winning the Australian Open women's doubles and the French Open with her partner, Lucie Safarova! Shop her look here! FUN FACT #2: One of our fulfillment employees, Mary, will be participating in the Pro-Am (Professional and Amateur) tournament on Thursday! Go Mary, go!! Snag Mary's Sweaty Band here! (On sale now!) FUN FACT #3: Sweaty Bands, as a vendor, has been in attendance since 2009! Be sure to come stop by and say hi if you'll be there this year! Check out this hype video from Western & Southern to get even more pumped up for the week to come!

A Day at the W&S Open from Western & Southern Open on Vimeo.

What’s a work day without an occasional dance party? If you’re anything like us, at Sweaty Bands, Music is KEY to any day. As Huffington Post puts it, “Music is one of the greatest ways to enter ‘mind-wandering mode,’ which can unlock creativity.” Our warehouse is known for their amazing playlists, and we didn’t want you to miss out on this fun! You probably think we have robots walking around the back of our warehouse, but in reality we have moms, high school students, and college kids shakin’ their tail feathers while fulfilling all your orders. When asking them what listening to music all day and every day means to them, we got some pretty funny responses. Some said that music puts them “in the zone” and is the “perfect distraction to get all their work accomplished!” Others said “Sweaty Bands music is why I wake up in the morning,” and “It makes me want to sweat and move." Our go-to DJ of the warehouse, Rihanna, said: “I love to see the joy and happiness that my music brings to the customers. “ To get a better feel about what goes on in the warehouse we interviewed Rihanna.

How we describe Rihanna: Unique, quirky, and smoother than a fresh jar of Skippy Peanut Butter A song that gets you pumped up: Ignition Remix by R. Kelly Fav. Sweaty Band: Colorwash Purple or Uncharted Territory Black Multi Fav. way to get sweaty: Hot Yoga Fav. memory in the warehouse: Singing Beatles songs with Jack Fav. snack: ANY food that the moms bring (usually pretzels—they always hit the spot) Fav. life quote: Try to understand before trying to be understood

Have you ever thought of a great idea for a Sweaty Band? You may have even found yourself ordering a custom Sweaty Band with your very own design and personal touch.

Here in the Sweaty Bands design room we pull inspiration from all around us to create new designs that you will love. We find beauty in the friends, family and coworkers that surround us on a daily basis. We research trends in high fashion and fitness and stay up to speed on current events and global movements. We let our imaginations run wild and get lost in a world full of rich pattern, vibrant color and unique texture.

We love our design process here at Sweaty Bands, and we wanted to share that with our customers. During our Warehouse Sale at the end of June, we gave Sweaty shoppers an opportunity to unleash their creativity and create their own Sweaty Bands with our “Design a Sweaty Band Contest”. Throughout the sale, we also had a coloring and craft table for the kids, free drinks for our customers, a great playlist and a balloon pop at checkout for even more savings! We were ecstatic about the turnout and received a lot of great feedback from our valued customers.

In addition to our amazing deals, our Sweaty Bands design contest was a big hit! We did it old school: customers used crayons, markers and colored pencils on paper templates. The response was great! We received 40 entries that week just from people stopping by and shopping with us.

After the fun week was over, we collected all of the Sweaty Band design entries and voted on them internally. Each Sweaty staff member got one vote for each division. We chose an adult winner and a kids winner. Congratulations to Tanya Perry (adult division) and Greta Tebbe (kids division) on their winning designs! Each winner received 10 free Sweaty Bands of their design.

Tanya: “I was inspired to participate in the design contest mostly to do something fun and spend time with my 12 year old daughter. We both entered the contest with our own designs, as did my 10 year old son. I felt like I was a kid again doing an art project. I have been planning our next summer’s family vacation to Sedona, Arizona, which I think is why I gave it a Southwestern feel.”

Greta:"I was inspired for my headband design from a previous art project that was a 3D mosaic. I chose the colors that I thought would look good on most people. As I was drawing I looked at our cute puppy, Suki, and decided to add her face in it. Can you spot her?"

But they’re not finished yet!! YOU will have the opportunity to purchase their winning designs from July 31st – August 31st. Each band purchased is considered 1 vote for that design. At the end of the contest, the winning designer will receive a $100 Sweaty Bands gift card! So, let the voting begin. May the odds be ever in their favor. Ready? Go!

Stay Sweaty, Sweaty Bands P.S. Stay tuned for our next Design Contest that you can participate in!

It’s that time of year; love is in the air! Wedding season is in full force, and with a newlywed and two engaged girls of our own here at Sweaty Bands Headquarters, we are LOVING everything wedding-related. Whether you are eagerly anticipating your big day or wedding season has you reminiscing, the excitement that surrounds the day you become a Mrs. can’t be denied! There’s the flowers, the cake, and the diamond ring, but we can all agree, other than the love between the two of you, there is nothing more stunning than the bride herself on that day! Her dress, her veil, everything is simply breathtaking. But after that wonderful day has come and gone, what becomes of that gorgeous dress, that elegant veil? Some get stored away, never to be seen again. We have the perfect solution for Sweaty Bands customers, whether you are a newlywed, or have many beautiful anniversaries under your belt, you can preserve your wedding dress or veil material on a custom Sweaty Band! Sweaty Bands customer Kayla sent in her veil to have Sweaty Bands made for herself and her bridesmaids. [Um talk about an ah-dorable gift idea!!] Not only did she look stunning on her wedding day in her beautiful lace scalloped veil, but now she can think of that special day every time she wears her custom Sweaty Band!

Kayla: “I absolutely love the bands Sweaty Bands made for me! This was the best option for me to preserve my veil because I'm a big believer in upcycling and being resourceful. Although I also love keepsakes in memory boxes, it made perfect sense to be able to convert my veil into something I could wear too, getting the best of both worlds! Now I can feel as elated when I wear my Sweaty Bands veil as I did on my wedding day!”

A 1" style for the Bride turned out gorgeous.

1.5" styles for her bridesmaids. Such a sweet way to thank your girls for being part of your big day!

Our own Director of Business Development, Danielle, got married in December and she also wanted to preserve her special day in a unique way. Using the lace from her dress that was cut off during alterations, a custom Sweaty Band was made that will forever remind Danielle of her day and her beautiful wedding dress.

Our own Danielle looking like a princess on her special day!

Danielle: “I have been holding onto the clippings from my wedding dress fittings wondering how I could turn them into something that will always help me remember the most special day of my life. Every time I wear this Sweaty Band, I instantly think of a moment from my wedding day- from seeing my husband for the first time in my dress, to dancing with my Dad at our reception and even my veil falling off in the middle of our ceremony! I wish I could wear my wedding dress every day to feel the way I did that day…so this Sweaty Band is the next best thing!”

We love the lace detail from Danielle's dress!

Now she can wear her wedding dress any time!

Creating a custom Sweaty Band allows you to be as creative as you want to be! We strive to give you exactly what you’re envisioning with the high quality you’ve come to expect from us. With the option of using material from your veil or your dress and picking a velvet color, the sky's the limit! You can’t really wear your dress or veil again [trying it on again from time to time is totally normal though, right?], but you can wear a little piece of it every time you wear your custom Sweaty Band! We are thrilled to be able to help women hold on to a piece of that amazing experience and share the Sweaty Bands love. If you’re interested in hearing more about custom wedding Sweaty Bands, drop us a little note at customize@sweatybands.com. We’d love to make you a one of a kind creation as gorgeous as you!