Book Review: Joy Bauer's Food Cures

I was pleased to have been given the opportunity to review Joy Bauer's new book Food Cures. The tagline is: Treat Common Health Concerns, Look Younger & Live Longer.

She starts out with her motto, "Life is hard... food should be easy" and I couldn't agree more with her!

The book instructs you to calculate your activity factor and calorie calculations. This will help you find the best match for your body, activity level and goals you want to achieve. From there you can start to get an idea about how many calories you should be consuming every day.

Each of Joy's meal plans fall into the 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day range. She suggest eating every 4-5  hours to help keep your body happy and in a digesting mode. Also to eat protein with every meal, as it can boost your metabolism.

She offers customized menu plans for each condition discussed, but also allows the individual to develop their own menu plan, by using her formula.

Each of the health concerns she outlines has a four step plan:

• Step One: Start with the basics - which outlines the general considerations regarding the condition/health concern you have
• Step Two: Grocery List - this is a list of foods from which you can "shop" from in order to create your menu plan. Or your shopping list when you do go to the grocery store. 
• Step Three: Going Above and Beyond - steps you can take to maximize your results, or minimize your condition (depending on what you are trying to accomplish)
• Step Four: Meal Plans - one of the core values of Joy's plan is meal planning, this set's you up for success when you can plan ahead. She also offers many options of planned meals for you. (It's like she's done the work for you!)

I like that she has the four step plan and that she outlines it for every health condition she has listed in her book, It's pretty set forward and easy to follow. It's also easy to substitute something different just by following her outlines for healthy eating. 

And if you go over to her website, you will find a host of other information, what I love about her website is the recipes, and how she has the nutritional information already there for you as well as what "conditions" it's good for. 

Source

All in all, I think that the book is a great tool to add to one's weigh loss tool chest, but also takes into consideration other health conditions, like type 2 diabetes, insomnia, celiac disease and having healthy hair just to name a few. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC.

Oribe Hair Masque Review

Some of you may know that I listen to Cosmo Radio on Sirius/XM. I am addicted to the channel, Ben can tell you that a lot of what I say and do, comes from the channel and the personalities on the different shows. They are like my real life (fake planet) friends.

Anyway, Victoria recently got her own show called "Cosmo Life with Victoria" and several weeks ago, she was talking about hair masques and said that Oribe was one of the best masque's out there.

So I went to see what it's all about. The Signature Moisture Masque, the first thing I balked at was the price $59 for a jar (5.9 ounces)! I had a credit on Amazon, and since I could purchase it on Amazon, I decided to take the plunge and go with it.

 

From the Oribe website: A super-rich indulgence. This crème de la crème deep-hydrating masque transforms even the driest, most over-it hair, leaving it supremely soft and irresistibly touchable.

I have to say, I totally agree with Victoria, I have super thick hair, and since I am growing it out for my wedding, it's really super long. I've been noticing that the ends have been getting a little dry, even though I use a daily conditioner and also use a heat protector serum, I still was noticing how dry my hair was getting.

I've now used the Oribe product twice (one per week), I use it instead of my daily conditioner and let it sit in my hair for at least 10 minutes. The product is really rich and thick, you only need a little dab. I would say with my thick long hair (below shoulder length) I would only use about a quarter size of product. My hair is also natural color, I do not color my hair.

For me, even though it's pricey, I am not using much product so the jar will last longer for me. And the masque lasts the full week for me, obviously my hair isn't as sleek and smooth on the last day as it was the first day, but there is a lot more moisture in it, and a lot more sleek/shiny than just using the daily conditioner and heat serum.

I have to agree with Victoria that this product is well worth the money. I've tried other drug store types of masques and the results don't last as long, or don't moisturize as well as Oribe does.

FTC Disclosure: I was NOT paid to review this product, several people asked me to post my opinion about the product. All opinions are solely my own. I purchased this product on my own.

Product Review: L'Bri all natural skin care line

I was given the opportunity recently to review a product called L'BRI. This opportunity was provided because of Business2Blogger. I received product to sample in exchange for my honest opinion about the product.

In the Sample Pack I received was:

• Rejuvenating Facial Peel
• Deep Pore Cleanser
• Freshener (Toner)
• Lotion (Moisturizer)
• Facial Masque
• Exfoliating Face & Body Scrub
• Smooth n/ Firm Eye Repair Gel
• As well as a wealth of product/company information

New England winters can be harsh and terrible on skin. I am notorious for not using moisturizer consistently. My normal routine was using the same cleanser I had been using since high school and some toner. I'd called it good. So I was interesting in changing up my routine and trying something new.

As I said, there was a lot of informative material included with the samples for me to try. One of particular note was that, "You will notice some change just by using these samples for a few days, but it will requires a minimum of 30 days usage to experience superior results."

I was a little nervous at first to try the stuff out, as I wanted to give a clear and honest review, but I didn't know if I was going to be able to tell! I am happy to report that I am noticing small changes in my skin. Normally, I am very prone to breakouts, especially when stressed.

I followed the very clear directions, first applying the cleanser, then the Rejuvenating Facial Peel, then the Freshener, the Smooth n' Firm Eye Repair Gel and lastly the Moisturizer.

I really enjoyed the Smooth n' Firm Eye Repair Gel. I could really tell a difference. Working in my line of work, I am up all hours of the night, and my under eye area is prone to puffiness and dark circles. I really liked the tip of leaving the gel in the refrigerator to help reduce the puffiness faster.

There is something different about my face/skin. When I went to get my eyebrows waxed recently, my stylist noted that my skin looked more toned and wasn't dry at all. She asked me what was I using, I was more than happy to tell her! 

There is a whole product line that L'Bri offers, including the products above, and much more, Shampoo and Conditioner as well as makeup. I am really impressed with the fact that it's made in the USA and they do not test on animals, or use any human or animal by-products in their skin care products. The first ingredient is Aloe, not water as commonly found with other products. This is a high quality natural skin care line without the high dollar price tag.

As a generous offer from L'Bri, they have provided me with a full sized version of their sample packet to try for a longer period of time. You don't have to use a whole lot of the product to get the desired effect/results. Their sample packet which is said to be about a week's supply, lasted me nearly 2 weeks, and I didn't feel like I was skimping at all. If you would like to try their sample packet visit www.lbribiz.com/free_samples.pdf (be aware, that they charge $6.75 for shipping and handling, but that's way worth it to try a new product without committing to a full sized version).

Review: 10 Minute Solution Workout for Nintendo Wii

I was recently given the opportunity to review the 10 Minute Solution for the Nintendo Wii. Since H2B is the more technical individual in our relationship. I asked for his take on the product. Oh yeah, FTC? We received the product in exchange for our honest opinion about it.

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Before you can do any training game you must complete the training for it, if you haven't previously completed the training. This is a good requirement considering all of the health and safety notes listed in the instruction booklet.  

There are three different games to choose from and they are all single player only:
•    Instant workout offers 16, 5 minute, workout games.
•    Custom workout.
•    My Fitness Plan: This option allows you to create your own workout program. You can create up to a 7 day workout schedule with customized routines.

Game options: 

This game comes with your usual array of options for an interactive sports game. You can change the difficulty between normal and advanced. You also have the opportunity to specify if you are left or right handed. The trainer can be customized for gender and voice.

Starting the game for the first time: 

This game has several different control options. I find this to be an excellent option, so you are not necessarily forced to purchase additional equipment, you can choose to use the Wiimote and Nunchuk, two Wiimotes, and/or the Wii Balance Board. 

If you jump right in with the Instant Workout option there are no options to change the exercises you'll be doing, but you do get to choose from several virtual locations. The training segment seems to be mostly dialog driven with your trainer telling you what to do and then following up with a short breakout for you to try each action to make sure you understand the directions. The directions are fairly easy to follow, but the game appears to have it's own internal timer on how long the moves should take and the in game visual queues are not the most intuitive. I'm hoping that this gets better once I start the exercise and can follow the rhythm of the music to aid the progress.
 
The first exercise that I was tasked with completing was basic step aerobics. The response for the game with the Balance Board was excellent. The transition from move to move is a little frustrating at first though I think most users would adapt quickly that you have to shift your focus from the onscreen trainer to the move name bar at the bottom of the screen to get a better idea of when your moves are going to be changing. The feedback system is very understated. If you are doing the move perfectly you will see glowing light bursts start appearing changing from silver to gold and getting larger the more perfect repetitions you have and you will also get the occasional "Good Job" from your trainer.
 
The second exercise that I was presented was Boxing. I was looking forward to this since I have several other Wii games that employ boxing as an activity. The speed of the exercise seemed a little slow. If you follow the rhythm of the music track, which is supposed to work as a secondary guide to the visual queues, you will probably find yourself expecting your jabs and crosses to come a little more frequently. A huge failing with the game has to be noted here. There are three basic moves that you are presented with for the boxing segment, jab, cross, and bob.  If you aren't familiar with these moves they are just fancy ways of saying punch with your left fist, punch with your right fist, duck/squat down. The game appears to track the punching action with adequate speed and accuracy.  The ducking worked twice for me during the entire 5 minute exercise. Keep in mind that I'm over 6 feet tall so when I duck down the controllers are dropping at least 18 inches. Needless to say I was not impressed.

If you go to the custom workout you will find three categories of exercises to choose from:
•    Cardio Boxing
•    Mixed Games
•    Step Aerobics
 
You will also see an option at the bottom of the screen that says Workout Video. There were no on screen clues at to what the video would cover, but since I had all of my exercise choices available on this screen, it made sense to me that maybe there was a stock catalog of exercise videos and corresponding clips would be shown based on what I selected. My assumption was not the case, the video that started playing and was for Ab exercises. The video is good quality and looks like any exercise at home video you would pick up in a store. The video is very fast paced and if you aren't familiar with the moves then you will find yourself wishing that there was a pause or rewind feature. Since that is missing you can either wait for the entire video to finish after 10 minutes or hit the A button to leave the video and go back to the previous screen. Bear in mind that if you do exit the video there is no resume feature, so you will be forced to start from the beginning every time.

Conclusion: 

Pros
◦    I think that the graphics and the variety of activities in this workout game are very good.
◦    The ability to use multiple controller combinations to interact is an excellent feature. 
◦    The structure for the exercises is also well done, so you will feel that you have really completed a good workout if you do 10 to 30 minutes.
  
Cons
◦    This game is really designed for an older audience 14+
◦    It is slow to start, until all of the pre-exercise training is complete.
◦    The seemingly random controller response is very frustrating and this could lead you to start skipping some exercises. Perhaps the developers will make an update for the game that will resolve this issue.

Practicing Safe Sun! (Review)

I was graciously given the opportunity to review Neutrogena's UltraSheer® Liquid Daily Sunblock. Being fair skinned and blond, I can develop a burn just looking at the sun; so I am constantly on the search for new products that protect me against the sun. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance to try something new.

I've used Neutrogena in the past, I love how their product doesn't clog pores. I find that it works great on my skin as I am prone to break out when I use greasy products. I am happy to report that Neurtogena's latest product (UltraSheer® Liquid Daily Sunblock) follows the trend.

I received SPF 70 with helioplex broad spectrum uva-uvb protection. Which helps protect skin from the harmful and skin-aging rays from the sun.

What I love about this product is that it's a liquid and really light and when you apply it to your skin it barely feels like it's there.

I love that it's waterproof and sweatproof, which is ideal for me, since when I am working at the barn, I tend to sweat.

As far as protection, well, I didn't get burned after being out in the sun for a couple of hours. I would recommend that if you are looking for a facial or sensitive skin sun block, that you check out Neutrogena's UltraSheer® Liquid Daily Sunblock. Especially if you are prone to acne breakouts and you don't want something that's heavy and tough to work in. 

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from Tidal Labs. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Bondi Band Review

Let's just state this right up front. I purchased these Bondi Bands, I offer this review as my own opinion and only my opinion. Take it or leave it... But since many of my readers/followers are active people, I thought I would share with you a product that (for me) works.

I was SUPER excited to get these and try these out. I love my bangs but seriously, they get in the way when I am trying to work out and sweating is involved. I bought 4, these 3 were for me. I bought a fourth one (Breast Cancer 3 day one) for my friend who is participating in the walk.

I bought these three for me, the one with the pig with wings... well, I never thought I would be running a c25k program or even signed up for a 5k... especially when pigs fly. Breathe, well simple, sometimes I just need to focus on breathing.. in and out. And lastly and my favorite, "one tough cookie" cuz, I am... so there.

I didn't take a before picture, but here is my mid workout picture: I just finished my weight training (cuz weights are for girls!) and I was heading home to go on a c25k training session.

Notice that even though I live in New Hampshire (Live Free or Die!) I am still wearing my seat belt! Then after my c25k training session, here is the after pic:

Wow, my face really gets red when I work out. Must be that Irish in me! (why I never tan, just burn) I must say, that the Bondi Band held well. I have a freakishly large head (all that knowledge, I know) and the Band didn't need to be re-adjusted. I've used headbands in the past and they've always slipped, even the elastic "No-Slip grip" that Goody puts out (joke!).. they always fell off my head. The Bondi Bands not only stayed put, but also kept the forehead sweat out of my face.

I also used these bands while cleaning my house, as well as my zumba class. Which where I was once again surprised that my Bondi Band stayed in place. And a zumba class, you move. A lot... the only time that it came "loose" was when we went on the floor and did mat work (crunches, push ups) and it was at the end of the class, am I surprised, no not really. A simple re-adjust and it held the last few minutes of class.

I would also consider using these when I got horseback riding, we wear helmets, but it would be nice to have something to hold everything back. I am sure there are more uses out there, these are just a few that I've come across.

They run $8 a piece and are so worth it. I am glad that I was able to find this product!