If you’re looking for a new t-shirt for your summer workouts, consider picking up one Nike’s Say Yes t-shirts.

This women’s tee is on sale at Nike stores throughout Europe and £7 from each £15 t-shirt will go towards a non-profit organisation called Women Win.

This group provides underprivileged girls with access to safe sports facilities, appropriate clothing and equipment.

The T-shirt features several ‘Here I am’ statements from Nike’s campaign of the same name to inspire women to take up sport to improve their bodies and minds.

The T-shirt is made of 5% organic cotton and contains Dri-FIT fabrication to wick away moisture from the body.

For more information on Nike’s Here I Am campaign visit www.nikewomen.com and to find out more about Women Win’s work check out www.womenwin.org

We discovered these l’il balls of loveliness a while back in a health store and found out some more about them for our Ban the Bar series. This occassional series aims to bring you healthy, tasty snack options for snowboarding days - so you need never buy an overpriced chocolate bar again!

Bounce Balls were invented in Australia by Andy and Paula Hannagan. They come in five flavours – Almond protein, Cashew & Pecan, Fudgey Walnut, Premium Protein and Spirulina & Ginseng.

Most are wheat, dairy and gluten free (but check individual packs for details) and they contain between 169 and 209 calories per ball. They’re a filling, nutritious snack which will give you plenty of slow-release energy for days on the hill. They're solid little snacks, really tasty with a chunky nutty coating.

They are available at healthfood stores and supermarkets in Australia and the UK and can also be bought online at www.bouncefoods.com

We caught up with Andy Hannagan to find out more about them:

Where did the idea for Bounce Balls come from and when were they launched?

The idea was born out of a trip to New York in 2003, my wife and I saw the products and we investigated with the manufacturers whether they would be interested in making a slightly amended version and a different brand for the Australian and UK markets. We launched in 2004 in Australia and then 18 months later in the UK.

What are the benefits of choosing Bounce Balls over other healthy snacks?

Taste, Taste, Taste! And the fun aspect of the brand appeals to our core consumers. Also we are gluten free, wheat free, preservative free, GM free. Women love our products and are the dominant consumers.

How did you decide on the flavours?

We decided on the flavours based on our tastes.

Why have some got more protein than others?

There are two protein flavours, and these two products serve a particular purpose for replacing protein stores in the body (great for post workout), or giving you a more filling snack food on the run. The Spirulina is more a natural energy hit with the Spirulina and Ginseng - this is actually our best product from an ingredient perspective but not to everyone taste!

Which is your favourite?

The Premium Protein - love the peanut flavour interestingly this flavour is the best seller in Australia and the Spirulina ball is the best in the UK.

Any plans to introduce them into other countries?

We have conquered Australia and UK for the moment with this range, we are planning some European destinations soon. We are also looking at expanding on the current success of the brand with other products.

We heard you were a ski instructor in New Zealand in a previous life. Do you think Bounce Balls are good for snowsports fans?

I have sat on many a ski lift eating one of the Bounce Balls! They are the perfect snack for on the snow fuel to keep you going so you don't have to stop for lunch!

What are your plans for the future of Bounce Balls?

Have more fun!
Develop new products
Have more fun!
Take the brand further into new countries
Have more fun!
And then have more fun!

Our quest to find your healthier snack bars to stash in your pocket on snow days continues. We’ve been checking out Raw Organic Food Bars which are made in California but are available worldwide (they were recently launched in the UK).

There are four flavours – chocolate coconut, cinnamon raisin, chocolatey chocolate chip and fiber chocolate delite.

Each 50g bar notches up about 200 calories and 9g to 10g of protein so they’ll help keep you full up and fuelled up for plenty of snow time.

They’re moist and slightly softer than other bars we’ve tried. There are no preservatives, trans fats, gluten or dairy and the ingredients include ridiculously healthy-sounding things such as organic bio sprouts and flax.

In the US you can buy them direct from www.organicfoodbar.com and elsewhere they’re available from good health stores including online stores. In the UK try www.veganstore.co.uk and www.red23.co.uk

With marathon training is over and the new snow season is still a way off, my motivation to keep fit was waning. I needed a kick up the backside to get moving again – and I certainly got it on my recent trip to Mexico.

Given that I save most of my annual holiday time to go snowboarding, it’s six years since I last had a beach holiday. I had some leave to use up by the end of May so I thought a bit sun was called for – and a bit of hard work too. I discovered Amansala’s bikini bootcamp in Tulum so it seemed like a good opportunity to check it out.

I flew into Cancun and headed to the hotel zone there for a couple of days. It’s a bit like Las Vegas by the sea - all massive hotels and chain restaurants. It didn’t really feel like Mexico but it was a good place to start the tan, walk along the gorgeous beach and get over the jetlag.

Amansala is on the dusty coastal road at Tulum which is about two hours from Cancun. It’s a different world from the massive resort – much more low key, with accommodation in small B&Bs and beach huts.

Amansala is one of the higher-end complexes in the area. Our cabana was painted pink inside with tiled detailing and two big comfy double beds covered with mosquito nets (although luckily there aren’t many around in May). Most of the electricity comes from solar and wind power and the resort draws its water from its own well. Apart from the airmiles, it’s definitely one of the more environmentally friendly trips I’ve been on.

The six day bikini bootcamp is a course aimed at women (and men too) looking for an active holiday with healthy food and plenty of time to relax.

Each day starts at 6.45 with some time to write your journal – a great opportunity to purge the brain and define some health and fitness goals.

After that it’s off to the beach for an hour’s walk – the first 15 minutes in silence – to wake you up and soak up the first rays of the day.

Next up is a class such as yoga or a sculpting class. After breakfast – oatmeal, tropical fruit and eggs – are another couple of classes or an excursion. We went snorkelling, kayaking, cycled to Tulum’s Mayan ruins and swam in amazing freshwater canotes – not a lot of sitting about!

After lunch (usually grilled fish and salads) came three hours of chill time for sunbathing, sleeping and reading. A couple of massages are including in the package – and these take place during this free time.

One day also included a Mayan clay treatment which involved us all slathering ourselves in bright yellow local Mayan clay and standing on the beach in the sun meditating until the clay had hardened. We then ran into the sea to wash it off, noticing immediately how soft our skin felt. I lost my camera on the trip and I’m so gutted I don’t have pictures of the long row of bright yellow ladies – like something from the Simpsons – lined up at the water’s edge, slowly turning crusty.

Before dinner the workout gear came back out again and we’d battle hardcore classes such as circuits, kickboxing or African dance followed by an hour of restive yoga.

There were some seriously fit women on my week – but it’s entirely up to you how hard you push yourself or how many classes you take. Some guests preferred staying in bed in the morning, missing the workouts and hitting the local bars at night for margueritas while others got up early, did all the workouts and headed to bed at 9pm to recover.

Obviously there’s only so much you can achieve in six days but I definitely left Mexico feeling relaxed, more toned and ready to get back to some proper training when I got home.

I’ve already joined a new gym and have picked out some of the yoga and spinning classes I’m going to make regular appointments with.

All the health and fitness goals I took away from the week will definitely improve my winter fitness. Who would have thought a week on the beach would be a great way to prepare for the new snow season?

For more info on Bikini Bootcamp visit www.amansala.com

Snowboarding is hungry business. When the snow's good and you're riding well, the last thing you want to do is stop for a snack break - so pocket munchies are essential.

However we know you're healthy ladies who look after your bodies as well as the base of your boards so we we've been searching for more nutritious and healthy pocket snacks. There are only so many semi-frozen Mars Bars and Snickers you can gnaw your way through on a windy chairlift.

In this occasional series we'll tell you about tasty alternatives you can pick up before you set out for your day on the mountain - and banish the Mars bar from your winter diet.

Not all the options we'll look at are available in every country but we'll look for some options where you live - honest!

First up are these Nakd bars which you might have seen pop up in supermarkets, chemists and wholefoods shops in the UK over the past year.

They're moist, chewy bars that are seriously filling. They're made only from raw fruit and nuts and contain no dairy, wheat or added sugar. Best of all they taste of what they should taste of.

The apple bar contains chewy apple pieces, the berry one has a sweet, tangy taste and the coco one is like a guilt-free rich brownie. There’s also a new banana bread bar - easy enough to guess what that tastes like!

We haven't given them the mountain test yet to see if they freeze into bricks on a cold day but they would definitely survive the pocket squash test as they're pretty solid offerings.

Nakd bars come in two sizes – a snack size 30g bar and a chunky 68g bar which will definitely keep you full up til lunch. The smaller bars contain about 100 calories and the large ones still a reasonable 220 to 230 calories. Much better for you than a bar of chocolate and much more likely to fuel you properly for that halfpipe hiking.

More info at www.naturalbalancefoods.co.uk

Oh and look out for a chance to win a massive supply of this good stuff on powderroom.net soon.

This weekend will be the last chance for you ladies to light up on a night out in England. The smoking ban comes in on July 1 so it’s a perfect time to hang up your lighter. Just think how much easier it’ll be doing those hikes up the side of the halfpipe with smoke-free lungs!

There are loads of tools available to support you through your quitting quandries. Tesco, for example, are giving away Quit Kits which contain loads of practical information and discount vouchers for all kinds of products that could help you while you beat your habit. The packs are available at stores around the country until August 14 (or while stocks last).

If the health benefits aren't enough to make you give up, just think about the awesome snowboard gear you could buy for the new season if you pack in the packets now.

You know you want to…..