Cyro Chambers And Tea All The Rage At ESPYs

TV series come and go but sports programming remains a constant.  From regular season games to play offs, from commentary to non-fiction programming, sports is a mainstay for both major and fringe networks.  Just like many other forms of entertainment, there is a dedicated award show that honors “Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly.”  Otherwise known as the ESPYs, the award show is now celebrating its 23^rd year.  To honor the award show that will be presented July 13^th, 2016 on ESPN, Celebrity Connected presented a special ESPYs luxury suite, and I was excited to investigate the affair.

Roughly thirty-six hours prior to the ESPYs, Los Angeles’ Taglyan Complex was home to a diverse array of vendors, inventors and entrepreneurs selected by Celebrity Connected.  While I imagined I’d encounter a number of health and fitness related items, I was floored by the amount of tea athletes apparently drink.  Tea was the most popular item, offered by many vendors throughout the event.  It came in every form, from loose leaf to bags, from iced to canned.  Before I get carried away on the beverage cart – here’s an ESPY –inspired “Best Of” list highlighting the event:

Best in Show – CryoNext 

Put simply, the practice of cryotherapy takes the principle of the ice pack (or ice bath, for the more intense athletes) and turns it on its ear.  Applied either locally or by stepping in a chamber, the skin is presented with a blast of sub-zero temperatures for two to four minutes.   Brick and mortar cryochamber locations have been popping up all over LA.  What Cryonext – a division of Nexttech - has done is create a fully portable chamber that can be taken anywhere!   Perfect for athletes on the field, the Cryonext chamber can provide instant relief to legion damage and sore muscles.   Looking something like a puffy tent, the portable devise does not skim on the attributes of the chamber.  It was designed to keep the head free, avoiding the need for a face mask and ear muffs.  This was definitely a perfect exhibit to have at this event!

MVP – Spark Personalized Medicine

The staff at Spark Personalized Medicine were the kindest people in the room, hands down.  They were able to outline their services simply, professionally and with an enthusiastic smile.  These are the folks you want helping you if you have athletic performance, wellness or other more personalized health topics (including weight loss or aesthetic services) you hope to treat.  From vitamin injects and iv therapies to non-surgical joint repair and PRP therapy facials, Spark is the place to go.  They are located in Solana Beach, CA – just outside San Diego.

Best Apparel:  RYU 

Respect Your Universe – that’s the meaning behind RYU.  The clothing have been designed for top performance with moisture-wicking, non-abrasive fabrics.  Backpacks have been designed to easily store and access goods – with a “wet clothing” compartment for folks looking to stow away damp items.  The Canadian based company run by athletes has made an effort to infuse structure and style into every item they sell, making their collection not only perfect for working out but extremely fashionable as well.

Best Invention:  Tie!

StinkBOSS and Kanga Klothing 

First, there’s StinkBOSS.  StinkBOSS had an impressive item – a box-shaped device that disinfects and deodorizes shoes.  Sneakers, heels, men’s dress shoes – just place them in and the box does the work. About the size of a shoe box, the device easily slips into a closet for out of the way storage.  However, Kanga Klothing designed a sweatshirt with a hand-warming pocket inside the shirt sleeves!  Founder Jerome Watts noticed most people pull their hands up their sleeves to keep them warm, and decided it was time to design a garment that housed the hand naturally. Sometimes the best designs are the simplest ones!

Best Food: The Real Co 

They are not a restaurant but they provide a range of naturally sourced and healthy foods on their website.  Not only do they have Himalayan pink rock salt and white basmati rice from Punjab India, their products are all gathered from co-ops; the money goes directly to the community.  Everything is packaged by mycupcounts.org, an organization that employs Americans with physical and learning disabilities.  And proceeds from every sale goes to FACE – Feed a Child Everyday.

Best Sports Drink: Mate Bros  

Created by Olympic gymnast Samuel Mikulak along with several athlete friends, Mate Bros is a tea-based sports drink that combines the benefits of water, yerba mate, cane sugar, stevia and lemon juice to provide athletes and busy people healthy and sustainable energy. It’s non-carbonated and has only 35 calories per a can.

Best Supplement: Healthy Hemp 

Even man’s best friend can be taken down by joint pain.  Designed for pets not humans, the supplement contains fully legal and safe CBD oil.  CBD is a non-psychoactive compound that is known to have benefits when used daily.   Healthy Hemp makes a series of balms and biscuits designed to provide relief for pain, heart health and mood disorders.

Best Personal Care Products: Let It Bee Natural

Fifteen years ago, Robert Miller was told he had two years to live.  Dissatisfied with the multitude of doctors presenting him conflicting information on his condition, he decided to revamp his lifestyle and began making all his personal care products from scratch. Once his health turned around, Miller formed Let It Bee Natural, a company that would provide healthy, toxin-free products at affordable prices. His 100% natural products include everything from “beeosporin healing salve” to deodorant to hand cream.

And, you knew it was coming –

Best Tea: T By Daniel 

Take pineapple, apple chunks, candied papaya, safflower petals and a few other natural ingredients and you get “Night in Rio” – a tea based party for your mouth. Delicious served iced, this tea made a non-tea drinker want seconds.  All herbal and caffeine free, T By Daniel comes in a number of varieties, from fruity to more hearty flavors that incorporate some unique blends of flavors.