Category Archives: Health

Fitness Goals for 2013 and My Favorite Workout Video!

Health, Physical Fitness, Product Reviews, Reviews
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Karen Voight Burn and Firm Workout Video

Hey there! So I don’t like to make yearly “resolutions” because I think that sometimes causes the mindset that I’ll wait till the first of the year to change.

Well, I am on a mission this year to get fit. Not only lose weight but just get in great shape overall like I used to be.  So I pulled out a workout dvd that I’ve had for a few years, but haven’t used in a long time! Anyway, I got it out just before Christmas and when we got home Christmas Day after stuffing ourselves at my parents house, I decided it was time to start working out. So last the week before last, starting Tuesday night, I worked out 5 days in a row! Pretty cool! The first 3 days I think I only did the cardio section, just trying to get the moves down and then I did lower body/abdominals and then upper body. So then I took 3 days off over New Years, and then started again on Wednesday last week doing the whole circuit the first day, then Thursday I did lower body and cardio, and the same on Friday, and then I ended up taking a break Saturday and Sunday.

So this week I have worked out yesterday and today so far. Yesterday I did just the cardio section and it kicked my rearend! Today I did cardio and upper body. So I’m feeling pretty good about the way this week is shaping up so far.

So, what workout dvd am I talking about? Well, it’s called Karen Voight: Burn & Firm . I really enjoy working out with her. She seems real and not obnoxious as I’ve heard some workout dvd instructors can be. I really have not worked out to any other dvd yet, so I don’t know what some of the other trainers out there are like. But Karen is wonderful and I plan on buying some of her other dvd’s to keep a good variation to my workout routine.

So I didn’t measure myself until Friday, but I don’t think I’ve lost much of  anything yet anyway. My plan is to document on this blog weekly about how things are going and give my measurements for the week. I ended up throwing away my scale last week, only because it is sooooo old and I need to get a new one. I do know my beginning weight though, but I’m not going to focus on weight at the moment. Only measurements.

Also, I have not changed my diet much, aside from naturally not eating as much now that the holidays are over. This week I decided to do Slim Rite drink in the mornings though (store brand similar to Slim Fast). And I may try doing green smoothies next week. We’ll see.

But I am loving working out. And this workout dvd is great for someone like me who is just starting getting back into it. I will say that some of the movements take some time to master, but they aren’t overly difficult, just a bit for someone who is a little uncoordinated lol. A few years ago when I first bought the dvd, I kind of gave up on it partly because of that. But this time around, since starting with doing just the cardio section and just taking my time and not worrying if I mess up, I have actually picked up pretty much all her movements and I can do most of them with confidence now!

So measurements…..

Here are my measurements as of Friday, January 4th

  • Waist: 38″ (Ouch!)
  • Hips 39.75″ (Yikes!)
  • Bust 39.75″
  • Underbust 33.5″
  • Thigh 24.5″
  • Calf 16.5″

And what’s my starting weight? I shudder to say on here, especially since I was nearly 10lbs lighter before Thanksgiving…..

170lbs(at 5′ 4″ in height) according to my old scale, which, of course is usually 5lbs less than any other scale I weigh myself on.

So, that’s that for now! I’ll be posting my progress on Friday and we’ll see if all this work is paying off ;)

A New Week, A New Outlook….

Children, DIY Home Improvement, Getting Organized, Spiritual Fitness
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So I have to say, last week was one of the worst weeks I’ve had in quite awhile. Seriously, it just was one of those weeks that you wish had never happened. Now nothing “tragic” happened, and I know there are plenty of people who have had and are currently having a much worse time than I had, but for me, it was just no good. Part of the reason is that I was in a horrible mood all week which had a lot to do with a recurring headache that woke up with me every morning. Then it seemed like the boys were just constantly at each others throats more than usual, which very well could have actually been due to my own attitude affecting them.
Many times we don’t really stop to think about how we are affecting others. We might blame the kids for our bad mood, but maybe they are acting up more Because of our mood.
So I had some things to think about toward the end of last week. But on Friday, I finally remembered I still had some childrens Benadryl and I remembered the last time I had a headache that Ibuprofen couldn’t tame, I took Benadryl and the next day it was gone. So I took some Friday night, went to bed early in Cman’s bed while putting him to sleep. Sometimes that’s the only way I can go to sleep earlier since my hubby has been practicing songs late at night to get ready for doing shows for his new music album (which I haven’t put up on his website yet so you might want to go to his facebook page to hear some of his new songs).

Anyway, I woke up the next morning feeling so much better!

And we got a lot of stuff done on Saturday. We got a door put up between the kitchen and the back laundry room and I got a lot of cleaning done so that our home actually feels comfortable now. We also got a new toilet which was long over due since the old one had to be manually forced to stop running after flushing it. We were actually forced to get a new toilet because Cman decided when he was taking a bath on Friday that it would be fun to flush some matchbox cars down the toilet! I was able to fish one out, but the other one escaped my grasp. All seemed ok until later that day when the toilet started backing up and flushing really slowly and then I ended up having to clean up the floor not once, but twice!

That was on Friday when I was still in a horrid mood! So since the plunger wasn’t working and a snake didn’t work, the hubby was going to take the toilet off anyway to get the car out, so I said “why don’t you just go get a new toilet?” . We got a home project loan from Home Depot a month ago so we could add a wall for a new bedroom and do some other fixing up in our house to get it ready to sell while not having to pay any monthly payments or interest for 6 months, which is awesome! We got approved for much more than we expected too. So, hey, we need a new toilet anyway, so why not just go down and get one? lol

But it is soooo nice to have a new toilet. The water bill should be much nicer too since this toilet doesn’t have to fill up near as much and then the issue with the old one running too long if someone didn’t stop it. I can’t wait to see the bill!

So this week so far has been much better. I’ve been trying to focus more on letting God help me with things instead of drawing away from him when my temper flares (and trying to take care of it on my own). I’ve also had the boys on more of a schedule with schooling in the morning, lunch, then bible time, then exercise time and then game time on the xbox which is then work on the computer time for me :) Then after that is some more housework.

Anyway, it just really helps, for one, not to have a constant headache, and two(and most importantly), to focus more on the Lord and allow him to lead. I need to take my own advice much more often, but I’m working on it!

Everlast Body Slimmer???

Health, Physical Fitness
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So I’ve been trying to figure out how to boost the weight loss in my rear and thighs and tummy while exercising and I never really thought of these before. Body slimmers. People put neck sweats on horses necks sometimes to slim their neck down so why wouldn’t it work with people? lol

Anyway, the reviews are very very good and I like that it is kind of an all in one thing. I can use it when I go for my walks or even when I’m just doing housework. I’m planning on buying one and I’ll let you all know how it works! And best of all, it is very affordable! I mean $20 bucks? It’s worth a try!

*Update:
Okay, so I found out that this body slimmer pretty much only gets rid of water weight. It doesn’t actually help you burn more calories, so it is really a temporary fix that might last a few days. So I’ve decided to pass on this and just continue to focus on going for daily walks and drinking green smoothies :)

I’ll try and post some smoothie recipes I’ve found soon!

Here’s one that the kids and I really love:

Put all the ingredients below in a blender and blend!

3 cups fresh Spinach

1tbls Peanut Butter

1/2 Banana

3/4 cup Almond Milk

1 scoop  Whey Protein Powder Isolate (This is the only kind I’ve tried, but it tastes pretty good. Amazon has a good price on these compared to store prices.)

1-2 tbls Raw Honey (optional)

Andy Griffith Passed Away Today

Micellaneous, Spiritual Fitness
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I just learned that Andy Griffith passed away this morning. So sad to see him go. I was a big fan of his shows. I loved the Andy Griffith Show, Matlock and others that he played in. I enjoyed Matlock even as a young kid. I’d always wait for Perry Mason to get over so I could watch Matlock! lol.

All things come to an end eventually. Andy professed to know Christ, so If he really did, I know I’ll see him again one day, and then in person! Here’s a link to a cnn article about his death and burial this morning:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/03/us/north-carolina-griffith-burial/index.html

My prayers go out to his family and friends.

 

 

The Vow’s True Story-What is real love?

Spiritual Fitness,
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Here is the a link to an interview done with the couple behind the true story of the 2012 movie “The Vow”
http://www.daily-times.com/ci_19670601/vow-movie-kim-krickitt-carpenter?refresh=no&webredirect&stopvalue&stopparam
I encourage you to read it. It is the basis for what I am about to ask…..

  • What is real, true love?
  • Is it a just a feeling?
  • Does it take work?
  • Can one “fall” in love?
  • Can one “fall” out of love?

As I read the article and realized the movie was nothing like the Carpenters real story, I could have been disappointed as she stated “I would love to say that I fell in love with him again because that’s what everybody wants to hear,” Krickitt said. “I chose to love him and that was based on obedience to God, not feelings … I chose to love him because I made a vow.”

This statement got a lot of flack in the comments to this article. I mean, why stick with someone you don’t love or don’t remember loving? God would understand if she didn’t even remember the guy. She’s doing a disservice to herself and her children by staying with someone she doesn’t love…..These are comments that I read over and over and it really saddened me.

Is that what many people think love is now? You get married and then when things get tough and you don’t “feel” in love anymore, you just move on to someone else? No wonder the divorce rate is so high! When you make a commitment, you don’t break it. It is not in God’s plan for couples to get divorced. In fact, he still considers them married  until one of them dies!!

“And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave unto his wife; and the twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Mark 10:3-9

“And he said unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.” Mark 10:11,12

Kind of hard to argue with the above verses if you believe the Bible is God’s word.

So what is love then? Is it just a feeling as many want to believe? So many of us have fallen prey to the fairy tales and romance novels and movies. These stories are NOT real!

That doesn’t mean you can’t have a great love story, but it takes work. Ask any married couple that has been married for a long time (and loves each other) and they will tell you it takes work. That feeling of being in love is not always there. I think it’s better to say sometimes you don’t “like” your spouse, but you still love them if you’re willing to work through things.

My husband and I, for example, have been married for just about 12 years now. We’ve had 3 kids and have had lots of rough patches. After the “honeymoon” period was over, there were arguments, hurt feelings (usually mine), times of joy and peace, times of wanting to push him off the bed……Anyway, it was definitely a lot of roller coaster times through the first, probably 6-7 years. Seriously, I look back at that and think, wow….I mean it’s not like we didn’t love each other at all, because that’s what kept us going, but I’ve had so many times where I didn’t really “feel” in love with him. The fact that divorce is not an option and that we could see that those down times were only temporary and then at least for myself, realizing that many times those down times were because of my own bad attitude and selfishness and not following God’s word, and I’m sure he realizes the same about himself. It’s all part of 2 different people learning to become one and for some, that is easier than for others, but it all comes down to willingness to do it. For those couples that have an easier time putting away their pride and selfishness and giving over to their spouse, they will come to that point of oneness much sooner.

The last few years have been much smoother as far as feeling more “in love” more often and I feel that we are much closer now, though we still have a lot of work to do. But like I said, it all comes down to the willingness to put forth the effort and realize that if we put away the selfishness and pride, we can choose to be “in love” with each other.

What does God say about love?

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

“And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8

God commands us to love each other so obviously, with his help, we can love even when we don’t “feel in love”, and that feeling of love will follow if we do it God’s way. If we love someone, we will overlook their faults. If I love my husband, I will get over it when he makes me upset. I’ll realize that maybe he’s having a bad day, or realize that I have my own faults, so why should I get so upset or hold a grudge over some stupid little thing he does or doesn’t do according to the way I want him to do it.

I’ve realized that I can stop being angry with him if I want to……It all comes down to a choice. Many don’t want to accept that, but it’s true. You can choose to be happy, you can choose to love your spouse even in the rough times, and that is what Mrs Carpenter chose to do.

I’m going to stop there and continue this in another post because I have more to say on the subject.

Please feel free to comment with your thoughts :)

 

 

Health Benefits of Cayenne Pepper

Food, Health
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So I’ve been taking Cayenne Pepper capsules for almost  a month now because I had read that it could be helpful for weight loss. Now I realize it doesn’t make much sense that Cayenne pepper alone is going to magically cause the weight to fall off, but some of the claims about it made sense to me for being helpful. Here are some of the claims I read and then I will tell you what I’ve found to be true for me personally:

  • Cayenne Pepper suppresses appetite.
  • Cayenne Pepper boosts metabolism.
  • Taking Cayenne Pepper before a meal generally causes you to burn about 10 more calories than not taking any.

So that’s basically what I got out of what I had read about the health benefits of Cayenne Pepper. Now I did read that people that are used to spicy foods like Cayenne pepper, tend to see less of the appetite suppression, or none at all, but I don’t like very spicy foods, so I figured I’d be ok. So I decided to go ahead and try it just to see.

I bought a bottle of  Spring Valley – Cayenne Fruit from Amazon.com and received it pretty quickly. I started taking it and I can tell you that it definitely has had some appetite suppression. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I can feel the cayenne pepper in my stomach, which isn’t normally very uncomfortable unless it doesn’t make it all the way to my stomach before the capsule opens up. This is where I learned not to take other vitamins at the same time as the cayenne pepper because if I did, it would normally open up before hitting my stomach and then I’d have to chug some milk because, wow! lol  But I can live with that if it helps me to not feel like snacking or eating as much.

Cayenne Pepper for Appetite Suppression: Check

As far as metabolism, I don’t really know. I don’t think I feel more energy while taking the pepper, but I’m not quite sure. So……

Cayenne Pepper for a Metabolism Boost: Undecided

Cayenne Pepper for burning more calories: Not really any way for me to tell

Now there is one more benefit of Cayenne Pepper that I did not anticipate and I hadn’t read.  I started taking it about a week and a half before my period was supposed to start. Now normally I can feel about a week before when my period is going to start, especially ever since a few months after I stopped nursing my youngest, so probably the last 6 months I’ve consistantly been feeling cramping and extremely irritable, headaches and so on, about a week or so before mensus starts.  Well, this time, my period caught me by surprise! I didn’t even feel it coming. I knew that it was coming up, but I kind of forgot because I didn’t feel crampy or anything!  When I stopped and thought about it, I thought I remembered some time in the past maybe hearing about Cayenne pepper helping ease menstrual cramps, so I looked it up. Sure enough, I found several places that said that Cayenne pepper helps with menstrual cramps!

Now that is a huge plus for me. If that was the only health benefit of cayenne pepper, then I would still use it.

How much to take? Well, the bottle says to take 1 capsule 3 times a day, but I was only taken it 1 or 2 times during the end of my last menstrual cycle. Now I will see with my current cycle coming to a close, if it helps again. I’ve only been taking it 1 time a day the past 2 weeks, so we’ll see if only once a day will still help with the cramps .

As far as appetite suppression, it seems to work well taking it in between meals if you don’t want to feel the munchies. Or taking it right before a meal if you want to cut down on your main meals.

So try out the Cayenne Pepper, it does seem to have some great health benefits. Let me know if it works for you!