Exercise as of Lately..

Hello all!!! Long time no post... ;-)

I love group fitness...oh how I love it! I love everything about it: from the friendships made within the classes, knowing that you and everyone else in the class are working hard and towards a variety of goals, to the motivation that comes from being in a group fitness class.

Spinning: one of my favorite group fitness classes

source

I used to teach aerobics classes, and look forward to getting back into that. Until then I enjoy being a part of a class. It truly keeps me going.

Now, don't get me wrong...I am self motivated when it comes to exercise. If I miss too many days I feel it..whether it be my mood, sleeping habits, so on..I feel it. And it isn't pretty. I can get pretty irritable without my exercise. An unexercised Kelly, is a moody Kelly. ;-)

I, currently, do not belong to a gym...so, sadly, no group fitness classes for me *tear*, but that's okay...lately, I have been well, kind of tired and exhausted (read why here soon) but what I do have available to me in the apartment complex where we are staying at for awhile, is a pretty nifty fitness center with cardio machines and weight machines. I like the cardio machines, especially when it is too cold to exercise outside. I am personally more of a free weights fan, myself. We brought those with us...so, I can leave the weight machines to the other users...granted at 5:30 in the morning there is not a large number of people working out with me, anyhow.

An issue I have encountered lately, which is sadly causing a decline in my exercise level, is low iron. Yep, the dreaded anemia strikes again. Once a month I get hit by the iron sucking period. Period. Oh, okay...some of you may not want to hear this. Sorry. Close eyes now if need be...the flow is pretty heavy. Not sure why..I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that I have had children, as my period does increase with each child..thankfully I only have two, and thus am still alive. ;-)

So...I have been drinking liquid chlorophyll (doesn't get much greener than that, folks) as often as I can to help with anemia. Anyone else try this method? Meanwhile...while I am zapped of energy, I am also bummed...bummed that I do not have the energy to exercise like I would like to. In addition to the liquid chlorophyll I have been trying to drink green smoothies daily (love).

Oh, one other thing I will try to help with the anemia is ulsulphured blackstrap molasses. It is quite nutritious. I have also heard that it helps with gray hair,too (I believe that is due to the copper it contains). This would be a nice bonus....help with those pesky random grays and an anemia treatment..I'd take it. ;-) Any of you use blackstrap molasses for any of those reasons?

When I bounce back, which I am faithful I will...I will resume:
-running,  lots more weight training, and a serious ab routine (oh, I love ab workouts!!!, really!)
oh, and will also be getting serious about starting up this:
http://hundredpushups.com/
anyone else doing this??

Also...will be doing lots more workouts with Zuzana over at http://www.bodyrock.tv/. She has amazing workouts, which I love!

And...last but certainly not least..If I can manage to get a copy of the Beach Body's P90X exercise dvd's I will get to work on those, too. When I taught fitness classes in the past I incorporated many of the routines from this awesome program into my class. We saw amazing results! At that point, I had borrowed the program from a friend...it's due time to own it myself, don't you think? ;-)

So...that is what I have been up to exercise wise. I can't wait to get back into the swing of things with exercise. I miss it, but when my anemia is pretty bad I have to be careful with how much exercise I do. I tend to over exercise anyway so, this sort of helps balance me out, I suppose. ;-)

health & happiness,
kelly

CSN Stores Giveaway Winner!

Hi All!

 This is going to be an itty bitty post...I simply wanted to make sure you all knew the lucky winner to the CSN Stores giveaway....

Sorry for the quite unattractive picture of the number generator results..I will eventually learn how to put the results page into the post and not just snap a picture of it on my camera..until then that time...this will have to do.

So, the winner is...comment number 23. Who is number 23? The fabulous raw chef, Amber Shea, that's who! She has a great blog, which I love...http://almostveganblog.com/.

Congrats, Amber Shea!

So, like I said..this was an itty bitty post. Ever have one of those days when your head is pounding? It's one of those rare days for me..my sinuses aren't treating me so kindly. ;-(

Must close my eyes..looking at a computer screen isn't something I want to do. I think a nap (before the kids finish up their quiet time) will be in order. ;-)

Have a wonderful day!

Be back soon.

Love,

Kelly

Wilderness Family Naturals

Hello All! How has life been treating you? I hope wonderfully...

Speaking of wonderful..allow me introduce you to some products I was recently able to sample and review.  Wilderness Family Naturals sent me a package with some goodies in it to try. 

Let's just say it was coconut heaven.

First off we have their Extra Virgin Centrifuged Coconut Oil. 

My Review: This coconut oil is amazing!! A friend had told me a while back just how rich the taste of coconut is in this coconut oil. After trying this one I agree with her 100%. The taste is wonderfully coconutty.

Next up we have their Coconut Spread.

My Review: This spread is mouthwatering delicious! So far, my favorite way to eat this is on toast or with just a spoon. I love how it is raw and certified organic and that it does not contain nasty colors or preservatives.

Then there's the Coco-Loco Spread..

Sorry..this picture is a bit on the crooked side. ;-)

My Review: What is not to love about a tasty combination of coconut and chocolate? This is a delicious spread that kept my spoon coming back for more..okay, it had me coming back for more. ;-) This spread is also raw, certified organic, and free from extras like preservatives.

Last, but certainly not least is the Mango-Tango Spread..

My Review: The Mango-Tango is my kids favorite!!! It is a wonderful, tasty combo of coconuts and mango. Each bite had me feeling like I was on a tropical island....I kid you not. I did have to close my eyes for this feeling to occur,though (I mean it is Winter time, after all). ;-)  My kids referred to it as a "treat". It certainly was.

This spread is also raw and certified organic, and you won't find any artificial colors or preservatives in this, which makes this mama happy.

Wilderness Family Naturals offers some amazingly yummy products..I will be back for more, for sure! 

Well, I better get going....lots to do. Plus, the end of the kid's quiet time is just about over, which means I will read to them and we will cuddle. Oh, how I love story time... (okay, my heart is melting now). 

I will be back on the 1st of February with the announcement of the winner to the CSN Stores.com giveaway winner. You still have time to enter...click HERE to do so. Contest ends the 31st of this month. ;-)

P.P.S Check out Anne's from fANNEtasticfood.com most recent giveaway. One winner will receive a $50 shopping spree to iHerb.com. To enter click HERE.

Have a happy, blessed weekend!

Love, Kelly

FYI: Wilderness Family Naturals provided me with the products above for the purpose of review on the blog. The thoughts and opinions posted within this review are mine and mine alone...I wouldn't have it anyother way!

Follow-Up on Homemade Dishwashing Detergent

Hello there! I hope you all are having a lovely weekend filled with fun and love!

Today, I wanted to post a follow-up review on the homemade dish washing detergent recipe I posted a while back. You can see that post HERE.  I got the idea to do so after reading Kera's blog post this morning on this very topic. She, too, is experimenting with the same recipe, as well as homemade laundry detergent (which, I, too am LOVING the results from the homemade laundry detergent).. I will be keeping an eye on her results to see what she ends up thinking of it. (I mean, it could just be me..maybe the dishwasher, itself).

In the beginning this recipe was fabulous! The dishes came out very clean. L.O.V.E. Unfortunately, lately the dishes have been coming out of the dishwasher a bit on the blah side. Not too clean. So, this makes me sad. Dishes should be clean. ;-) So, for the time being I am taking a break from it for a while while I revise and review this recipe.

So, maybe it's build-up. Not sure. I am always very careful to put the vinegar in the rinse aid (very important step). So, I assumed this would take care of build-up. Oh, here's the recipe so, you can see the simplicity of the ingredients (I like it simple).

Homemade Dish washing Detergent

1 Tbsp Borax

1 Tbsp Washing soda (not to be confused with baking soda) (Washing soda can be found in the laundry isle   of most grocery stores)

Vinegar (To be used as the rinse aid)

I mix up lots and put in a mason jars (gotta love mason jars). Shake it up, little darling and then put two Tbsp in the dishwasher for every load.

I use plain white vinegar, but only had apple cider vinegar at time of picture taking. ;-)

So, this is a to-be-continued post...

Kera, please keep us posted on your results and thoughts. ;-) We'd appreciate that.

Anyone ever try this recipe for homemade dish washing detergent? I'd love to hear about your experiences as well as any tips with homemade dish washing detergents.

Meanwhile..be sure to enter my current giveaway for a $35 gift certificate to CSN Stores. Click here to enter.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

~Kelly~