Top 6 Attractions in Phoenix Arizona

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Krissyar

Papago Park
Papago Park covers 1,200 acres of park recreation and extends to the cities of Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale AZ. It is not the largest park in the city of Phoenix. Papago features the widest variety of outdoor fun and is home to some of the most visited attractions in the Phoenix area. Including “Hole in the Rock” – The hole-in-the-rock is the most prominent icon in Papago Park and carries evidence that the prehistoric Hohokam Indians settled this area thousands of years ago. The red butte was created 6 to 15 million years ago and naturally formed with a series of openings caused by erosion. The openings and “chamber” (hole) near the butte’s summit are easily accessed from the rear via a smooth, but somewhat steep path. Those that trek to the chamber hole-in-the-rock are rewarded with great views across the city.

Camelback Mountain

Camelback Mountain is the highest peak in Phoenix – and probably the most scenic hiking spot in the city. Over 2,704 feet high, Camelback’s summit offers spectacular views of Phoenix and Scottsdale and can be reached from the 1.2 mile Summit Trail.

Piestewa Peak

Piestewa Peak, at 2,610 feet is the second highest point in the Phoenix Mountains, after Camelback Mountain, and the third highest in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. It’s a 2.3 mile trail that features beautiful wild flowers and is only recommended for very experienced adventurers. The trail offers a number of activity options and is only open from March until October. (Not far from Earnhardt’s Mr. Eds Auto Center).

Off-Road Desert Tours
Travel through rugged and beautiful terrain and go deep into the desert where most people don’t; This Adventure takes you deep into the Sonoran Desert where you may see javelinas, desert mule deer, wild burros, coyotes, rattlesnakes, scorpions and other indigenous creatures.  

Desert Botanical Garden

For more than 70 years, the Desert Botanical Garden has been teaching and inspiring visitors from the local community and around the world, providing research, exhibits and more designed to help us understand, protect and preserve the desert’s natural beauty. Today, the Garden features:140 acres, 55 under cultivation, over 50,000 plant displays showcased in beautiful outdoor exhibits, and more!

South Mountain Park

At more than 16,000 acres South Mountain Park/Preserve actually consists of three mountain ranges, the Ma Ha Tauk, Gila and Guadalupe; and is one of the largest municipally operated parks in the country. It boasts 51 miles of primary trails for horseback riding, hiking and mountain biking for all ability levels. From the park’s main entrance, you can drive up the Summit Road 5.5 miles to Dobbins Lookout and spectacular valley wide views or you can continue to the Gila Lookout for a view of the Gila River Valley.

 

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Keto Diet: Week 2

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Krissyar

So week 2 and I am still going strong – I know that doesn’t sound like much, but in previous diets or even just trying to eat healthier I couldn’t wait for a cheat day. I would live for the weekend day that I could splurge and eat what I want, which always made the next day – and the day after that – and the day after that – horrible. 

My plans are to NEVER have a cheat day. I know there will be days that I will go over a bit because maybe I didn’t plan ahead, or there is a special occasion where I eat a bit more than usual. But Keto is going to be my lifestyle change – not just my diet. And I know this is something I can stick with…I mean it’s delicious foods and I have control over how I can eat them.

This weekend we went on a date night to BW3’s. Normally on date now I feel a bit worried about splurging and ruining not only my whole day, but my whole week. See with the Keto Diet it can take a few days – up to a week – to get back into that ‘fat burner mode.’ So I knew I had to be careful. I searched online for the nutrition facts before we went, so I knew exactly what I would be ordering. Now does this look like a meal of a girl who is depriving herself of some delicious foods?

 Most definitely not. I went to town on some traditional garlic parm wings and celery with ranch, and had my Diet Pepsi.

I also had dinner with my family this weekend – we hit up Chipolte and I was pleasantly surprised at what I was able to eat there as well. Though it is full of protein (which I need to keep to a minimum) it’s definitely a great out-to-eat choice. Get a bowl with meat (double meat if you are super hungry) SKIP the rice and beans, and go straight for the cheese, guac, sour cream, mild salsa and lettuce. I also got a side of guac that I used pork rinds to eat it with. I hardly felt that I was doing anything different than I normally would!

 I stuck with my normal foods like bacon, burgers, steak and some cream cheese pancakes with whipped cream when I got a sugar craving. (which only happened twice).. and guess what? Eating all these foods I still lost a total of..

10 pounds! 

So since December 30th when I started this 13 days later I’ve already lost 10 pounds! To say I am excited is an understatement!

I know there are things I need to work on; too much protein turns into ‘sugar’ in your body.. so you have to keep that down, but get enough fat..and of course stay under carbs. It can get a bit difficult at times..and it’s something I am working on.

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5 Clever Renovating Ideas for a Small Bathroom

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Krissyar

Having a small bathroom can be a real pain in the neck. In fact, most people would simply like to tear everything down and recreate this room from scratch.

If you are thinking about renovating your small bathroom, we got a few tricks that can help you!

 

  1. Planning your space

Truth be told, best option for a small bathroom is to make it bigger. Obvious, right? However, this is usually very time consuming and expensive. You have to tear down the walls and redo everything. People who live in a small house do not even have this luxury as it reduces available space in the other rooms. Nevertheless, you might consider it as an option. Another nifty trick during planning phase is to add windows. What do windows do, you might ask? Even though they do not increase available space within the room, they will definitely make your room less claustrophobic. As you well know, there are two major issues with small bathrooms: lack of functionality and lack of esthetics. This will definitely help with the esthetic part making you feel more comfortable.

  1. Planning the design

There is a good reason why interior designers are paid so much. The way we feel in our home is closely connected to design. If the rooms look nice, we will feel good and vice versa. That being said, design that suits your character and preferences can go a long way. Majority of it comes down to picking the proper tiles. Also, you might consider painting your walls. When it comes to bathrooms, it is much better to pick lighter colors. They create feeling of spaciousness. Previously mentioned windows can also help you with this.

  1. Remove the clutter

The biggest issue with small bathroom is our perception of it. We think that this space should serve both for personal hygiene, cosmetics and drugs. Due to this, you will end up with an enormous clutter within a room that was small as it is. Minimize the amount of items (equipment) that goes into this room. Even some stuff that is traditionally meant to be in a bathroom, such as additional towels and hygiene products, should be removed and placed somewhere else. This is not a storage room!

  1. Utilizing available space

After removing the excessive items, you will have much more room to work with. That is great! Now, the next step is to optimize available space even further. Again, you will have to be creative. Always remember that every corner of the bathroom can be used for something. Some creative ideas include shelves that are positioned above your head, towel holders that are hanging from the ceiling as well as utilization of every corner. Whatever helps.

  1. Holes in the walls

Although very unorthodox, this is a solution which you have to consider. As we mentioned, tearing down the walls may not be the ideal solution. But, there is an alternative. You can drill holes in the walls. Naturally, it all depends on thickness of your walls. This is not something you will be able to do in every home. However, if the opportunity does exist, you should definitely consider it. This will give the necessary space where you can place your bathroom necessities. Just make sure to isolate the area as thin walls may come back to bite you if you do not plan carefully.

 

Renovating a small bathroom comes down to creativity. You also need to know you home, your walls and things that can or cannot be done. No matter what you do, make sure to consult with a contractor before you start renovation.

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The Many Ways Water Can Improve Your Health: DRINK UP!

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Krissyar

We’ve all heard for most of our lives we need to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. We know that our body is primarily made up of water and we need it to stay alive. Yada, yada, yada… but what we don’t realize really how important this whole drinking water thing is.

Water is essentially 70% of your body – including your brain. So when you get dehydrated (which most of us are a majority of the time) our brains aren’t working properly, and a whole lot of other things aren’t either. Water helps transport nutrients around our body, regulates our body temperature, prevents cancer, helps with kidney function, gives our muscles fuel, digest food – and the list goes on and on. . and it’s not just stuff on the inside that you can’t see that’s affected. Making sure you drink enough water can help you concentrate and stay alert, help clear up your skin, prevent headaches and joint pain, and of course help you lose weight.

So that’s the jist of it all – but let me go into a little more detail about how water really works for you.

Kidney Kick-Start. So we all know the kidneys are the body’s filtration system. But it takes a good amount of water to make it work right. Think of it like the oil for your cars engine. If it gets low, the engine doesn’t work very well does it? And it can cause some major issues; it’s the same with your kidneys. If your kidneys can’t do their job and filter the blood properly then you are going to have some problems – from kidney stones to other nasty diseases.

Water and the Brain. Being deprived of water can cause some serious issues – short term memory damage, memory impairment, and problems with your visual motor skills. You know how on occasion you get ‘brain fog”? Most likely from dehydration.

Good-Bye Joint Pain. Drinking the proper amount of water is crucial to your joints! They need cushioning! It’s the WD-40 for your squeaky joints! The synovial fluid which lubricates the cartilage that protects your joints – they need water!! Your body will be happy and in return so will you!

Drop the Pounds. No matter what type of diet – or healthy living – plan you follow, they all involve drinking water; and lots of it. Drinking water on an empty stomach first thing in the morning can improve your metabolic rate by up to 24%! Talk about a kickstart! It also helps reduce cravings and makes you feel less hungry (a lot of time we misread our body , we think we are hungry when we are actually just thirsty..so drink up). Water also cleanses the intestines and makes it easier to absorb those nutrients, which is awesome when you are trying to lose weight.

Now I know a lot of people who have great intentions of drinking plenty of water on the regular; but it’s just not happening. They forget, get distracted, or just don’t feel like they can consume what they should. Now if you are trying to stack on track try these few steps:

*Drink half your body weight in ounces of water (if you weight 160 lbs, drink 80 oz each day)
*Carry a reusable bottle of water with you EVERYWHERE you go – to remind you to keep drinking
*Check your color – when you are drinking enough water your urine should be a light color

Now if you are like me and drink nearly 100 oz of water each day – there is no way you are buying that many cases of water each week! Between what I drink, and my kids drink I would have nothing in my cart but cases of water..and my food budget blown to boot! So instead of individual bottles of water, my family buys gallons of Glacier Water to quench our thirst (and save my budget!)  

Glacier Water is great tasting water you can re-fill yourself. Each Glacier Water Refill Station is a mini bottled water plant! The water goes through a 5 step filtration process which produces some great tasting water – for a fraction of the price of bottled water!

 

We started out our Glacier Water journey with a water cooler. Now my fridge is always full and there isn’t room for gallons or bottles of water to fit! I don’t mind drinking room temp water on occasion -but nothing is like a nice cold drink of water when you are thirsty (not to mention it helps speed up your metabolism when it’s colder!) Not only is it nice and cold, but it’s way more convenient than a half a dozen empty water bottles laying around my house, and it helps save the environment. I cannot begin to tell you the amount of empty water bottles I found under my daughter’s bed (it’s shameful really) – so we decided to make a change.

The convenience of picking up a few of  the 5-gallon bottles every month – not to mention the money savings makes a huge difference! Depending on how much bottled water you are used to buying you can save hundreds of dollars a year by switching to Glacier. (Find Glacier Water in your neighborhood here.) 

 

Glacier Water and All in a Days Work are so convinced that a Glacier Water and a portable water bottle for you to  carry around will convince you to stay on track – that we are doing a giveaway! Enter to win a 5-gallon Glacier Water Bottle along with a HydraTrack Bottle with Water Intake calculator! Just enter below – and keep drinking!
Tell us – do you drink enough water each day? How do you do it – and if not, what do you plan to do to stay on track?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Start Your Year Off Right with Subway

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Krissyar

This is a sponsored post on behalf of SUBWAY Restaurants. Though I was compensated for my time, all opinions are my own.

As you all know I have always been a big fan of SUBWAY®. It’s my family’s top pick for food on the go, especially during busy soccer or baseball season.(Seriously, I am pretty sure the ladies at our local Subway had our sandwiches ready before we even get there we go so much after late games for dinner!)  It’s such a great healthy alternative to other fast-food – and it’s the only way I can get veggies in my kids without them complaining.

As you know a diet rich in fruits and veggies have been known to reduce risk of stroke, and certain types of cancer (and risk of death from it). That’s why the American Heart Association and SUBWAY restaurants are encouraging everyone to join this trans formative effort by encouraging you to start this new initiative called +color! Even if you have already fell off the wagon with your new years “I’m-going-to-eat-healthy” resolutions, you can STILL start over today!

Subway makes it easy for you to add that extra bit of color – especially on the go! With so many different combinations , it never gets boring. Adding veggies to your sandwich or salad can actually give you at least two extra servings of vegetables in your diet for the day!

Each of the veggie choices for your sandwich (or salad) at Subway – pick just one or two – or add them all! Lettuce, spinach, avocado, black olives, tomato, cucumbers, pickles, green peppers, banana peppers, jalapenos and onions. To be honest I don’t even realize what that I’m even eating veggies when I get them they are soo good. My youngest daughter loves them so much she gets the veggie sandwich and just fills her bread up with a ton of black olives, cucumbers, spinach and lettuce.

Making this one simple change is a step to a healthier tomorrow!

 

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