I made it my mission this year to be one of those people who has a solid workout routine.

I've always wanted to be more toned, but I was never fully willing to put in the effort. My old exercise routine used to consist of walking to and from work. If I wanted to see the results I was hoping for, I knew I needed to step it up. Everyone talks about that "wall" you must breakthrough before you start to actually enjoy exercise, so I decided to enroll in a few classes a week to get me motivated. I even paid for a month of classes upfront so I'd have no excuse to miss them!

I thought my first spin class was the hardest thing I've ever done - oh boy, walking up a flight of stairs the next day was agony! But I pushed through the pain and felt pretty proud after I'd finished my third class in one week. I got chatting to the trainer afterward and told her about my muscle pain.

She advised that it's super important to take the right vitamins to ensure that your body has what it needs to recover. I'd been taking multivitamins for years and assumed they would suffice. But she insisted that I check out MadeFor_- a customized vitamin subscription.

They curate the perfect blend for you after you take a quiz and answer questions about your eating habits or fitness targets. They also have pre-packs that are tailored to support specific goals. I checked out the MadeFor_ site and saw that you can skip their quiz and select a Fitness Pack that was designed for people who are working out regularly and trying to lose weight.

The Fitness Pack was designed by a team of expert nutritionists with a specific purpose in mind. It contains a bunch of vitamins with names that I'd never heard of, but MadeFor's site gave a great breakdown of what each component was for. I learned so much about what my body needs, both pre and post-workout: CLA, which aids fat loss and helps provide energy pre-workout as well as glucosamine for joint protection.


Meet CLA: The Supplement equivalent to 2 cups of espresso (with none of the negative side effects) --- Speeds up metabolism, Promotes fat loss, Protects joint health & Gives you plant-based energy


I never realized that magnesium is essential for muscle function, but its levels deplete when you sweat. So I was glad to see it was included. The Fitness Pack also includes Astaxanthin and Vegan Omega 3, which help support your immune system and heart health. It seemed like the ideal way to give my body the best chance at success. The dream team of vitamins is rounded out with B-Complex, which plays a vital role in organ function and energy production.

When my MadeFor_ box arrived, I loved that everything was broken into daily packs, so I knew exactly how much of each to take every day. It's so easy to grab a pack on my way out the door every morning! With my subscription, I never have to worry that I'll run out. I surprised myself when I finished my first month of keeping up a fitness routine.

Thanks to the CLA pill, I honestly noticed a huge spike in my energy levels. It's designed to help you maximize your workouts and contains caffeine, which speeds up your metabolism and gives you the energy you need to push yourself when you start to feel fatigued.

My muscles and seem to rebound much quicker post-workout, and my energy levels have massively improved. That's because my body has what it needs to recover. I never imagined that supplements could make my workouts less grueling, but MadeFor_'s perfect combo of vitamins helps me breakthrough that "wall" and keep going.

Even though working out still isn't my favorite thing to do, I've finally settled into a routine that works for me. And I'm finally I'm starting to see results! It costs under $2 a day when you sign up for the 6-month subscription. It helped keep get into the habit of taking a daily vitamin because I stocked up and always have it on hand, plus I saved 20%! The Fitness Mix has made staying on this new healthy path a lot easier and I feel better than ever. 10/10 recommend.

UPDATE: Madefor_ is extending a LIMITED TIME offer to get your first 3 Boxes For 30% OFF Today Using Code: GET30X3

It takes 3 months for the vitamins to have their full effect on your body so we'd recommend the 3 or 6 month plan.


MUSIC

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Hip-hop today is as thriving as it's ever been. Even your parents know who Cardi B is. Migos might be the hottest group in the world as of this writing. 2017 was the first year in history that it became the most popular genre in the United States. If there's any problem with hip-hop right now, it's that it's becoming too popular, to the point where mainstream pop music threatens to dilute some of the heart of what made it great in the first place.

With all the extra cash flow coming in, rappers have been able to expand their horizons and take creative risks at a level we haven't seen before. One of the rewards we've seen as a result is better, funnier music videos. Artists like Tyler, the Creator, and Young Thug made their bones doing subversive comedy, and now even those acts who haven't previously been known for their personality are getting into the game.

When Migos released their "Walk It Talk It" video last week, it was both "dumb-funny" and a step towards maturity for the group. The '70s throwback aesthetic was pure, and even though Drake kind of messes it up with his modern dance moves, the Migos members themselves stuck dutifully to the shtick.

Dressing up like the Isleys and doing this whole Hustle routine doesn't come out of nowhere, though. Migos have always prefigured themselves as "the culture"--the artists who define the sounds and look of the youth today. Referencing the groovy '70s seems like their way of acknowledging that, yes, this boy band dress-up thing they do may be corny, but it isn't just a gimmick: it's them, as artists, carrying the torch from those music taste makers that came before.

The Walk It Talk It video was directed by the same artist--Daps--who made the first funny Migos music video -for "T-Shirt"- off their first Culture album. It dropped only a few weeks after Offset's "Ric Flair Drip", which featured a ludicrous, geriatric Ric Flair doing his catch phrase, and ogling women young enough to be his granddaughters.

It will be a good sign if rap videos keep going in this direction. Historically speaking, humor has been a sign of good health for the genre--an indicator of artists ditching tropes, and being comfortable enough to experiment. " The Real Slim Shady" and "Pass the Courvoisier" arrived at a coming-together point of hip-hop and mainstream pop culture at the turn of the century. When Kanye did "Touch the Sky" and "The New Workout Plan", he ushered in an entirely new era of the game. A decade later, Tyler, the Creator with Odd Future did so much good satire that they actually managed to get their own sketch show on Comedy Central. Perhaps we're now approaching another wave.

If you're in the mood for it: here are, the top five funniest hip-hop music videos of the past couple years...

5. Ain't it Funny by Danny Brown

4. Moonlight by Jay-Z

3. Baby Blue by Action Bronson

2. Freaky Friday by Lil Dicky

1. Wyclef Jean by Young Thug


Nate Nelsonis an NYC-based writer and podcast host.


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