Scraps of My Geek Life » Fit Life

The S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim Healthy Lifestyle

Michele — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:20:07 +0000

In December of 2010, I reviewed Cinch! by Cynthia Sass and I was asked to review her newest book, S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim. The full title is S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim: Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds, and Lose Inches.

S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim

S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim is the same program that Cynthia Sass introduced to us in the Cinch! book, but has a new title and more success stories. As I said, in my Cinch! post, this program is not just a diet for weight loss, but a healthy lifestyle to maintain forever.

In my experience, you will lose weight using this plan. I have done the 5 day plan and lost 7 pounds. I have had more problems with the core plan because I hate to cook and my family doesn’t want to eat any of the foods I prepare on the core plan.

The Plan

S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim starts with an optional 5-day 5 food Fast Forward. You eat only 5 foods (raspberries, eggs, almonds, spinach and yogurt) for 5 days and if followed correctly will lose up to 7 lbs. You then move on to the 25 Day Core Plan.

Each of the foods you eat on S.A.S.S. plan has a purpose. Cynthia explains in detail why she chose the foods on the plan and what it will do for your body. The timing of the meals is as important as the food.

My favorite part of the plan is that there is NO calorie counting and includes a daily dose of dark chocolate. My least favorite part of the plan? No diet soda or red meat in the Fast Forward or Core plan.

About the Author

Cynthia Sass has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in nutrition science with a second master’s degree in public health (focus on community and family health education.) She also has completed a personal-training certification and has formal culinary training in vegan organic culinary arts. Sass is also the author of the Flat Belly Diet! books.

The book is an easy read and includes recipes, meal plans and full explanations of the how and why behind the plan. The book ends with a maintenance plan to help you live this healthy lifestyle for the rest of your life.

Cynthia Sass , M.P.H., R.D. can be found online on her website, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

Disclosure: I was given a copy of the book by One2One Network in exchange for this review. All opinions are 100% my own. Affiliate links within post.

The S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim Healthy Lifestyle originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Chi Marathon Running Book Surprised Me

Michele — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:17:30 +0000

I’ll admit, I saw the word, “Chi” and was scared off at first. When I was given the opportunity to review Chi Marathon: The Breakthrough Natural Running Program for a Pain-Free Half Marathon and Marathon, the word pain-free caught my eye. I’m training for my second half marathon this year and having run one, I like the idea of a pain-free half marathon.

Chi Running Philosophy

Chi Running’s philosophy is based on the idea that humans are born to run (which makes total sense to me.) We were not born to drive a car. Our legs are our built-in mode of transportation.

The Chi in Chi Marathon is for Tai’ Chi because the authors, Danny & Katherine Dreyer have incorporated the philosophies of Tai’ Chi into their running program.

Chi Marathon Training

Chi Marathon works on your mind along with your body when training you for your race. I know that conquering the half marathon is as much a mind game as it is a body game. After reading the first few chapters, I’m convinced that this training plan will have me better prepared for running my next half marathon.

I’m going to train using the Chi Marathon methods and I will keep you posted on my progress. I struggle more with the mental part of running and I do worry about injury from overdoing it and not training correctly.

If the Chi part of the Chi Marathon has stopped you from reading the book, don’t! Read the book!

Let’s Talk About Chi Marathon!

Do you use a “method” of running? Have you had any running injuries? Have you read Chi Running or Chi Marathon? Share your thoughts!

Disclosure: I received the Chi Marathon book in exchange for this review. All opinions are 100% my own. Affiliate links within the post.

Chi Marathon Running Book Surprised Me originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Aerobie Pro Flying Ring For a Fun Workout

Michele — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:20:56 +0000

I’ll admit when I first saw the Aerobie Pro Flying Ring, I thought, “I’m never going to be able to catch that thing because I can’t catch a frisbee.” But I was wrong. I’m not saying I’m a pro at it, but I caught it many more times than I ever caught a frisbee.

The Aerobie Pro looks like a huge frisbee with the center taken out, but it has rubber edges to make it easier to catch. I received the 13″ Aerobie Pro Ring which I was told is for adults. My kids and I went out and played with it for about 15 minutes and it was fun. My kids had more fun trying to throw it on top of the roof (and only because they can…remember they are kids!)

It’s definitely a lot of fun and is another option as a fun activity for the family, but be sure to get the 10 inch Aerobie Sprint Ring if you have younger kids. My 9 year old had no problems with the larger size and my 7 year daughter did pretty good with the 13 inch, but probably would have preferred a smaller ring.

It would be fun to have 2 Aerobie rings and have contests to see who can throw it the farthest. We will definitely throw this ring into the car and use it the next time we are at the park (so we can really see how far it goes.)

The Aerobie Pro comes in 3 colors (orange, yellow & pink) and can be found on Amazon for $9.99.

Disclosure: I received an Aerobie Pro Flying Ring in exchange for this review. All opinions are 100% my own. Affiliate links within post.

Aerobie Pro Flying Ring For a Fun Workout originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Alison Sweeney’s Healthly Eating and Living Tips

Michele — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:08:49 +0000

Alison Sweeney is the host of The Biggest Loser, Hollywood Girls Night and Yoplait Light spokesperson also playing Sami Brady on Days of Our Lives since she was a kid. She is also a mom of 2, so she definitely knows what it is like to juggle life with being healthy.

Alison Sweeney Fan

I have always been an Alison Sweeney fan because I felt a connection to her. She always seemed very down to earth and real and the fact that you could see her weight fluctuate throughout her life was something I definitely could relate to. I love watching her take control of her own health because it gives me hope for myself.

As the spokesperson for Yoplait Light, Alison is offering some of her healthy tips

Healthy Eating & Living

Make exercise a regular part of your schedule and try something new all the time.
Eat at home as often as you can. Home-cooked meals are good for the soul, and the body!
Take time every day for yourself. Even if it’s just a couple pages of a novel before you go to bed.
Find happiness in small parts of your day — even at snack time. You can enjoy eating what you love, by just making a healthier choice. I like a Red Velvet Cake Yoplait Light because it tastes great and saves me a bunch of calories vs. a real slice.
Get plenty of rest! (this is something I am terrible at) getting a good night sleep always helps you stay healthy and feel better the next
Enjoy the journey! We all set such high goals and standards for ourselves, sometimes we forget that it’s the process of getting there that supposed to be fun. if we wait until the end to celebrate we’re missing out!

Yoplait Light is offering coupons on their site and you can find more recipes & tips on the Yoplait Facebook Page.

The Mommy Diet

Alison Sweeney also wrote a book, The Mommy Diet and I love it. She offers many more tips for staying active and being healthy while raising a family and working full-time. Her advice comes from her experience of living it. The tips are things that I know I can start in my life. It’s not always easy, but if you make it a priority, you can do it too.

Disclosure: I received nothing in exchange for this post. I have been a fan of Alison Sweeney and I thought I would pass on her healthy tips to you.

Alison Sweeney Flaunts a Fit Figure on Her First Bikini Cover(people.com)
‘Biggest Loser’ Host Alison Sweeney to Run L.A. Marathon(celebs.gather.com)
7 Secrets From Hollywood Girls Night’s Ali Landry and Alison Sweeney(hollywoodrepeat.wordpress.com)

Alison Sweeney’s Healthly Eating and Living Tips originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

SinuSense Review, A Natural Remedy for Spring Allergies

Michele — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:57:23 +0000

The last 6 weeks have been pretty miserable in our house. Everyone is either sick with a chest/head bug or spring allergies are making us feel like our head is going to explode. I have been lucky enough to have bronchitis and pneumonia and my allergies are back with full force this year.

Trying SinuSense

I have never tried cleaning out my sinuses at home. I’ve had it done in the doctor’s office, so I was apprehensive about trying SinuSense. I found this video on YouTube. I watched it a few times because I wanted to be sure I was doing it right. The first day I used it, I ended up with more of the water on me than in my sinuses, but I realized I wasn’t leaning over the sink. The next day I leaned over the sink more and it worked better. Using the SinuSense definitely cleared out my sinuses. I could breathe better and I wasn’t blowing my nose every few minutes.

SinuSense Helps Spring Allergy Symptoms

According to the SinuSense website, SinuSense helps relieve the following symptoms:

Nasal and allergy dryness
Sinus pressure and nasal stuffiness
Nasal symptoms from flu and cold
Nasal irritation from dust, animal dander, grass, pollen and smoke
Post-nasal drip congestion

I always struggle during allergy season because the medicine that works really well for me also puts me to sleep, so this is another option for me to try. It was uncomfortable at first, but after a few days I got the hang of using the SinuSense and it didn’t bother me.

Be sure to use a SinuSense coupon available on the Waterpik website to try SinuSense for your spring allergies. Follow Waterpik on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Disclosure: I received free product and compensation in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.

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SinuSense Review, A Natural Remedy for Spring Allergies originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

X Out Acne Treatment for Teens; Our One Month Trial

Michele — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 23:18:37 +0000

My daughter tried the X Out Acne Treatment for one month and overall she was pleased. You can read about her history with acne treatments in my first X Out post.

X Out Routine

Her routine with the X Out Acne Treatment included using the X Out Wash In Treatment in the morning and evening. She loved the QR code on the Wash In Treatment.

In order for the Wash In Acne Treatment to be effective, she needed to wash with it for about 2 minutes. Scanning the QR code, brought up a 2 minute video to watch while you wash. She said that was a “really cool way to be sure to wash for 2 minutes.” But her complaint was that it was the same video every time she scanned it. She was hoping to have a new video daily.

X Out Before & After

The truth is in the pictures. Here are her before and after pictures. I did not touch up either picture.

Sami Before Using X Out

And now the after picture:

Sami after using X Out for 1 month.

My daughter is really happy with her results especially after she saw these 2 pictures. She said what she sees is:

The few pimples that are there, are much smaller and lighter.
Her face is less oily.
She had few breakouts during the month.

She said she definitely wants to continue using it and I have decided I’m going to buy more for my son to try also. It was definitely a positive experience for my daughter.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of X Out and received a X Out product sample to facilitate my review, one to giveaway, and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

X Out Acne Treatment for Teens; Our One Month Trial originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Our Month Taking the Listerine Healthy Habits Oral Care Challenge

Michele — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:19:41 +0000

This past month, my family has taken the Listerine Healthy Habits Oral Care Challenge. After a month of flossing, brushing and rinsing with Listerine, I can tell you, my teeth feel cleaner. We have not been to the dentist, so I’m not sure if it made a difference in cavities.

Healthy Habits Challenge Results

There were a few days where I was in a hurry and tried to skip a step, but I could really feel (& taste) the difference in my mouth. On those days, I needed to chew on more gum or mints because I felt like my breath wasn’t the best.

The other result of the Oral Care Challenge for me as a mom was peace of mind. In my last post, I mentioned that brushing alone misses 75% of the germs and I know that my kids would sometimes brush for a few seconds and call it done because they were in a hurry. My kids really liked using the flavored rinse for kids so I felt like they were getting more of the germs.

Oral Care Facts

During the Oral Care Challenge, I received a lot of information that I think you all would love to see. Better than trying to summarize it all and miss some important points, I’m going to include many of the information sheets I have received. Feel free to download the pdf files and educate yourself about better oral health care.

Establishing these healthy habits is so important and easier to keep up in your life, if you show them when you are young. That puts parents as the first line of defense against poor oral care.

This first PDF is a Listerine Kids Oral Care Chart that your kids can use to track their daily oral care habits.

Download Kids Oral Care Chart

Oral Care Tool Kits

The next 2 charts are the best charts I have seen for oral care. I think the Oral Care Tools for Kids should be in that packet you get when you bring your baby home from the hospital.

Oral Care Tools for Kids

Oral Care Tools for Moms

The last 2 PDF files have tips from experts to give you a lifetime of smiles.

Expert Tips PDF

Lifetime of Smiles PDF

Did you miss my first post? Check out why we participated in the Healthy Habits Oral Care Challenge.

Disclosure: I received products and compensation from Johnson & Johnson and The Motherhood as part of my participation in the Oral Care Challenge. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Let’s Talk About Oral Care Healthy Habits!

I challenge everyone to take 30 days and educate yourself about oral healthy habits and commit to flossing, brushing and rinsing every day.

Healthy Habits for a Lifetime Oral Care Challenge(cutiebootycakes.blogspot.com)
Our Family’s Listerine Oral Care Challenge Experience- Update(hipmamasplace.com)
We are taking the Oral Care Challenge(mommybrainreports.com)
My biggest parenting deficiency.(momminitup.com)

Our Month Taking the Listerine Healthy Habits Oral Care Challenge originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Who Will Make Medical Decisions For You When You Are Not Able?

Michele — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:52:50 +0000

This is a subject that most of us don’t want to think about, but we should. Talking about who will make your medical decisions should be made before you need it. And not only should it be discussed, but it should be written somewhere. That is where My Directives comes in.

Advanced Medical Directive

My Directives will help you put together an Advance Medical Directive (AMD). Because this word is an important term, I’ve copied the definition right from the My Directives Glossary.

A document that allows you to give instructions about future medical treatment preferences for when you become unable to make decisions on your own behalf or can’t communicate your wishes, or if a court determines that you are incompetent. Advance medical directives generally include living wills and medical powers of attorney, as well as “do-not-resuscitate” or “do-not-attempt-resuscitation” orders.

http://www.mydirectives.com/en/FAQ/Glossary

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Have you thought about who will make these decisions for you? Do you know what you want should you be faced with certain medical conditions?

Why An AMD?

I do not have one now, but I am in the process of using the My Directives service to create an Advance Medical Directive for me and my husband. I am also going to forward to my family to be sure everyone has created one.

In the last few years, I’ve had several friends and relatives who have been very sick and have passed away. It makes me realize that no matter how old we are, we should be ready.

The paperwork and tasks that need to be completed when someone is sick or passes away is enormous. Emotions are usually fragile and everyone wants to do the right thing. But each persons idea of what is right may be different. Each of your loved ones has your best interest at heart. To avoid any misunderstandings about what you want, you need to tell your loved ones what you want in writing.

I am not a lawyer so I do not know all the legalities related to an Advance Medical Directive, but I do know that having one is always better than not having one.

Why My Directives?

My Directives makes it very easy. You fill out a series of questions about your health and your desires on medical care and give you a safe place to store it until needed. My Directives is the first “HIPAA compliant web-based system for creating & storing advance medical directives.” And the best part? It’s free.

Follow My Directives on Facebook & Twitter.

Let’s Talk About Advance Medical Directives!

Do you have an Advance Medical Directive? Have you thought about what you would want in these situations?

Disclosure: This promotional sponsored post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my 100% my own.

Related posts:

Advanced Monetization: Make Your Own Opportunities #Blissdom

How to Make a Dog Collar Charm #DogCollarCharm

DaGeDar Toys; The Trick To Make Them Fly

Who Will Make Medical Decisions For You When You Are Not Able? originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

X Out Acne Treatment For Teens; Our Test Drive Before Pictures

Michele — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 01:02:51 +0000

I have 2 teens in the house who were lucky enough to have inherited my complexion and both are dealing with teen acne. When I was given the opportunity to have one of them try the new X Out Acne Treatment for teens.

My daughter is 13 years old and we have tried many acne products and while some have worked better than others, she isn’t really happy with the results she has seen from all the products she has tried. She was really anxious to give the X Out Acne Treatment a try.

Acne Treatment Routine Before X Out

Morning Routine – Wash face & shoulders in the shower every morning. with an acne cleanser. Use a toner and moisturizer that are for acne-prone skin. Finish it off with an acne spot treatment for the really bad zits.

Evening Routine – Remove all make-up with an acne cleanser being sure to not leave any make-up on her face. Use a toner and night moisturizer (both for acne-prone skin.)Finish it off with a night-time acne spot treatment.

Acne Treatment Routine With X Out

Morning Routine – Wash with the X Out Wash-In Treatment while watching the QR code video.

Evening Routine – Wash with the X Out Wash-In Treatment while watching the QR code video.

Big difference in the amount of time she is spending on her routines. And honestly, I know that when she was tired or rushed for time in the morning, she would skip some of those steps which I’m sure is why they didn’t always work as they were supposed to.

It was just too much for her to do everyday. That was the big reason I wanted her to try the X Out. I knew that she could keep up with one step

X Out Acne Treatment Before Pics

My daughter has acne on her face and on her shoulders. She was willing to let me show you the before (and after in a few weeks.) She doesn’t like the acne at all and I think it makes her self-conscious about her face. She is a very confident person so she doesn’t let it stop her from doing anything, but I do know it is something that is on her mind.

She has been using the X Out for a few weeks now. We are going to give it a good month and we’ll take some more pictures and show you how she is progressing.

Follow X Out on Twitter and Facebook.

Let’s Talk About X Out Acne Treatment!

What acne products have you or your teen tried? What is your typical acne treatment routine like?

I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of X Out and received a X Out product sample to facilitate my review, one to giveaway, and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Related posts:

A Sonicare Drive With My Family

Casual Friday: Flip Mino HD Test

Ocean Pictures

X Out Acne Treatment For Teens; Our Test Drive Before Pictures originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Listerine and Reach Healthy Habits For My Family

Michele — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:52:58 +0000

As a Mom, I’m always trying to do the best I can to teach my kids healthy habits. One area where I know our family can improve is our oral health, so I definitely wanted to participate in the Listerine Healthy Habits Oral Care Challenge.

Why the Oral Care Challenge?

We all know that brushing and flossing is important, but did you know that using an antiseptic mouth rinse is also important? I know I didn’t.

Here are a few reasons why…

Brushing alone misses 75% of germs in your mouth!!

There are more germs in your mouth than there are people on earth! (Ewww!)

50% of kids between 5 & 9 have a cavity or filling according to the U.S DHHS.

Almost 75% of adults suffer from some form of gum disease (and don’t know it.)

51 million school hours are missed each year because of dental related diseases (according to surgeon general)

When I heard how many germs are in my mouth and that brushing alone misses 75% of them, that was enough for me. We need new healthy habits for our teeth.

The makers of LISTERINE^® and REACH^®are supporting the American Heart Association’s My Heart. My Life^.TM

What is the Oral Care Challenge?

For the next few weeks, my family is making our teeth a priority. We received Listerine antiseptic mouth rinse, Reach toothbrushes and Reach dental floss to use during the Oral Care Challenge.

Each day we will:

Floss with Reach dental floss twice every day.

Brush our teeth with the Reach toothbrushes twice every day for 2 minutes.

Rinse with Listerine Antiseptic Mouth Rinse twice every day for 30 seconds.

In three weeks I will report back to let you know how the Oral Care Challenge went for my family.

Healthy Habits In Your Family!

Your family can also take the Listerine Healthy Habits for A Lifetime Oral Care Challenge with us. Head to Wal-Mart to buy your Oral Care Products.

Tips for getting kids to join in the Oral Care Challenge.

Ages 6-7: Show, don’t tell. Make this a family event. Everyone gets together twice every day for Teeth Time.

Ages 8-10: Clean to the beat. Have them listen to their favorite song during their teeth cleaning routine.

Ages 11-12: Recruit others. Have the older kids teach the younger kids good oral care.

Not Your Grandmother’s Listerine

I remember when I was a kid and my grandparents would use an antiseptic mouth rinse and it had a medicine smell. I was really glad when we got the Listerine, there were flavors my kids would love (like bubble gum and berry) and the adult flavors did not smell like medicine at all.

Disclosure: I received products and compensation from Johnson & Johnson and The Motherhood as part of my participation in the Oral Care Challenge. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Related posts:

Healthy Breakfast Options for Children

A Few of My Healthy Lifestyle Blog Posts in Honor of FitBloggin

I'm Getting Better For BlogHer With Healthy Choice

Listerine and Reach Healthy Habits For My Family originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.