Sponsor Spotlight: FitnessUWear #GetMoving2013

 

Style, meet Fitness.  I'm so glad that FitnessUWear has taken the time to introduce the two!  They have developed Banglz - wrist and ankle weights that are wearable in public.  They come in a variety of cute decorative sleeves so you can wear them with a variety of outfits!  Banglz come in 1/2 pound and 1 pound sets at an excellent price.  I have a set of wrist weights and a set of ankle weights.  I love them.  Some days I wear them around the house while doing normal tasks to give myself a little extra weight and push my body just a bit more than normal.  I definitely feel the difference in my body when I wear them!


FitnessUWear also has a line of stylish hair products, designed to be gentle on the hair.  They hold your hair in place without doing damage to it.  These are colorful fabrics made of stretchy spandex materials.  They are perfect for working out.  I use some almost every day!

 My favorite product made by FitnessUWear is their SimpleWear line.  These fantastic skirts, shirts, and dresses are so cute, they are incredibly comfortable, and they are fantastic for showing off your newly sculpted body! 


I recently had the opportunity to try out a SimpleSkirt myself.  I LOVE it.  I would love to have their whole line of clothing and wear them every day - yes, they really are that comfortable!  I got the "Funky" skirt.  I have to admit I was a little surprised when it first came, my computer monitor did not show off the colors accurately.  There is some bright green where I thought there would be yellow.  I assume that is a problem with my monitor.  I quickly found some tops to go with it and have worn it several times - even on a hot date with my husband (who adores the skirt).

FitnessUWear wants to help you show off your body as you get moving this winter.  They have offered to contribute a SimpleSkirt out of their current available stock to one of my readers!  I am super excited to share this prize with one of you!  The pattern chosen for the winner will depend on size needed and current stock availability.

Which skirt is your favorite?  Have you ever worn ankle or wrist weights to improve fitness?  What product do you love the most from FitnessUWear?

***Disclaimer: I have received a product or products free for the purpose of review.  All opinions are my own.***

Restore: My health week 1 update

Okay, so I'm working on restoring my health, eating better, exercising more...

Not the best start.  We are eating better, more "home" cooked meals (meaning some were store-bought and reheated, some were homemade cooked elsewhere, and some completely home cooked).  We had a quick snack at McDonalds the other day after we went to the zoo.  Monday was the big "Zoo-Loo-Au", and we were served hot dogs, orange drink, potato chips, and ice cream.  We ate at 4:00, so the boys were pretty hungry by the time we left at 6:30.  We also had a milk shake from Steak N Shake on a short family date yesterday.  (Monkey thought the green ice cream was amazing).

We're working on it, slowly doing better.  In times we might usually decide to eat out, we've opted for quick "pick it up at the grocery and throw it in the oven" meals - still not incredibly healthy, but more so than fast food, and much cheaper.  We'll get there.

We've taken a couple of good walks this week.  On Monday we spend a couple of hours walking at the zoo. Obviously there was a lot of stopping and starting, I hurt by the end but kept pushing.

Today we went for a good hike in one of the local parks.  We're working with Monkey on not needing to be carried while we hike - Crackers still rides on my back in the Ergo Carrier that I won from Tight Wad in Utah!  Monkey's getting there, he just needs a lot of prompting - can you run to the bridge, look at that catepillar...

So my IDEAL life with eating healthy home cooked meals every day and getting lots of family exercise isn't here yet - but we're moving in the right direction.. we just have to keep moving that way.

What motivation do you have to live a healthier life?  How do you work with your family on satisfying cravings for junk food?  How do you push your little ones into healthy behaviors?  (My little ones are very active, but when it comes to hiking, for some reason it's tough).

Renew: A commitment, Restore: Health

It's no secret that I'm a type 2 diabetic.  I've actually had a couple of doctors that were surprised by this diagnosis because "I'm too young".  I was officially diagnosed at about 25 yrs old - I already knew that I was diabetic, I had been testing my blood sugars for over a year and was "borderline" before I turned 20.

I am overweight.  I don't always eat well, I certainly don't exercise like I should.  I have a strong family history of diabetes.  All of these things together make for messy blood sugars.

My current doctor wants me to "take a brisk walk for 20 minutes after every meal".  What she doesn't realize, I guess, is that it's REALLY hot outside, I'm 6 months pregnant, and I have a toddler and a preschooler (who both happen to nap immediately after lunch every day).  Am I making excuses for not walking after meals?  Maybe.  The real truth is that it hurts right now.  My body is in a state of stretching and changing in ways that make it very uncomfortable to walk "briskly" for 5 minutes - I cannot physically walk "briskly" for 20 minutes - even if my boys are in the double jogging stroller.

I can control my food intake.  However, I lack greatly in self-control when it comes to food.  Especially on the 3 days a week that I am home-bound because I'm babysitting.  We are working on this - our grocery trip last week included "healthy snacks" - nuts, granola, cheese, carb-master yogurt, etc.  We also loaded up on veggies for salads.  We got a bit of fruit too, but it is not a big temptation for me - I'm not a big fan of fruit in general.

Why am I sharing this?  It's a step toward renewing my commitment to live healthy by eating well.  I don't know yet what I am going to do about getting more exercise right now.  We ARE working on it.  Last night we exercised by walking at the zoo for 2 hours (not a fast pace at all, and with several short breaks).

I want to have a healthy body so I can enjoy my family more.  I want to slow this disease.  I want my boys to grow up knowing how to live well so they can begin to defeat this disease before they have to think about it.  Yes, it's genetic - but that doesn't mean they will get it, and I can help them avoid problems with diabetes by getting them active right now.

How do you exercise when it's too hot or your body hurts too much?  How do you eat well when tempted by foods?