Motivational Monday: Resources for Weight Loss

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Krissyar

Getting in shape requires having the best resources at your disposal to get the job done. There are great tools that you can use to help you track your progress, burn more calories and achieve optimal health. Using these handy tools will help you to enjoy success more quickly and consistently.

BMI Calculator

Knowing your body mass index is a helpful tool in the fight for a healthier physique. The body mass index is a tool that practitioners use to determine a person’s ideal weight range. Simply input your current weight, age and gender and these calculators will tell you whether you are within a healthy weight range. These free tools are valuable in the quest to get healthy.

BMR Calculator

If you are trying to gain, lose or maintain weight, you will need to know your BMR, or basal metabolic rate. This number represents the amount of calories your body needs to keep you alive each day. Losing weight is a matter of shaving calories off of your BMR through healthy eating and regular exercise. To gain weight, you will have to take in more calories than your body needs for survival. Using a BMR calculator will help you to make the right food and exercise choices for optimal health.

Heart Rate Monitors

Aerobic exercise requires you to elevate your heart rate and maintain it in order to burn fat. Heart rate monitors help you to be aware of the times when your heart is pumping at its maximum. You can wear these small monitors clipped to your clothing so that they can accurately measure your heart rate throughout your workout. You can also find these monitors in watch form. There are great, low cost monitors at heart rate monitors USA retailers.

Pedometers

Walking is great exercise and can help you to reach your fitness goals. Walking 10,000 steps a day can lead to huge weight loss over time and get your heart pumping and blood flowing. Pedometers come in digital form and you can clip them to your shirt or wear them on your wrist. There are also great smart phone applications that will track your steps and convert them to calories burned.

Getting in shape is easy if you have the right tools at your disposal. Heart rate monitors, pedometers and calorie counters will help you to measure your progress toward your goal. Find your fitness tools today.

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Get ready for Spring with Customized Swingsets

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Krissyar

At SwingforSwingSet.com., you can choose from quality products to build your children’s outdoor dream swing set or safe infant swing. Turn your boring backyard into a playground paradise with the finest selection of top-quality DIY swing set kits, accessories, hardware, parts, add-ons including a Jungle Gym, replacement swings, playground mulch and everything that is needed to create or replace the ultimate swing set.

Make family time more enjoyable with the ability to swing your children on the best and most fun swing sets on the market. The large selection is sure to include the exact swing set that you have been wanting to create. If you have an old swing set that needs replacing, SwingforSwingSet.com is also the place to go.

Make family time more special with the best selection of swing set swings at SwingforSwingSet.com. Swing Set also carries a large selection of swing set seats, bucket swings and everything needed for the ultimate swing set. Enjoy a beautiful sunny day by swinging your children away while you listen to their squeals of delight.

Visit their website or give them a telephone call at 1-800-752-9787 to speak with one of the knowledgeable and friendly staff members, who will answer any questions and provide help with exactly what you need. With free shipping on orders over $38, your dream playground is only a click or phone call away.

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Fitness Friday: 14 day Slim Fast Challenge

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Krissyar

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I don’t really like the term ‘diet’ – when you really want to make a long term change, its a lifestyle change. Like any other change in your life – your diet takes time. You have to learn to adjust to going without or eating more of things that you may not like. You need to learn your body, what works for you may not work for someone else – and you have to be willing to commit to see long term changes.

However – if you are in a bit of a hurry to get a few pounds off as soon as possible like a special occasion, you are going to the course to swing some driving irons, or you have to wear a bathing suit there are things you can do to temporarily.. Some people use this as a kick start to their new diet plan, others just when they feel like they need to lose a few pounds. That’s why I did the 14-Day Slim Fast Challenge!

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By replacing 2 meals a day with a Slimfast shake or bar I lost six pounds in just two weeks!

Here’s my favorite way to do the challenge – I start off the morning with a shake. I am always in a rush in the mornings, so I just go ahead and drink a shake on my way to work. Now personally I find the chocolate shakes a bit well, chalky, but some of my friends like them just find. I prefer to get strawberries and cream which I think is good. Make sure you refrigerate it, it taste better that way.

For lunch I need to have something to physically eat – so I skip the shake for lunch and eat a meal replacement bar. Now there are 2 flavors that are my favorite, dark chocolate sea salt nut and caramel almond sea salt. They are pretty filling and do the trick until I can get home for dinner.

For dinner for the two weeks I did a simple healthy dinner. Grilled chicken, salad, green beans or corn and then maybe a carb like a baked potato or even some noodles.

The key to really losing the weight is drinking enough water. There is a ton of fiber in the shakes and meal replacement bars and if you don’t drink enough water you are going to end up feeling bloated instead of like you are losing weight.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

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Posted in Fitness/Health, Weight Loss | 1 Comment

Giant Leaps In Urgent Care Industry

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Krissyar

With every passing day, walk-in clinics and urgent care centers are gaining importance. They are being used more often instead of the emergency room for the fact that they provide convenient, cost-effective and high quality medical care.

According to a recent poll, walk-in medical clinics located in pharmacies, shopping malls, office parks and workplaces are getting more and more popular reporting that 27% people said that they have used walk-in clinics in the past two years. The number has increased from the initial statistics that was 7% in 2008 poll.

Why people prefer walk-in clinics over hospitals?

The main reason people choose walk-in clinics is that they’re convenient and affordable. Also,

  • Appointments are not needed, generally.
  • They’re easily located
  • One does not need to wait for a long time
  • They are available in the evenings and weekends as well
  • They usually provide a 24 hour service
  • Lastly, they are affordable

What are the key aspects for the increased popularity of walk-in clinics?

Today, many health insurance plans cover the cost of visits to urgent care centers. Most walk-in clinics have appointed trained staff who can not only diagnose an illness but also can prescribe medication. The care they provide is consistent and professional.

A study conducted recently identified the factors contributing to the growth and evolution of walk-in clinics in Ontario, Canada. These included a perceived increase in the expectations of a patient for convenient health care and a striking increase in the unavailability of family physicians. This drawback led to the increased visits to walk-in clinics due to their 24 hours availability of the professional staff and respect for life of a patient.

What kind of illnesses are urgent care centers best for?

Earlier people visited the walk-in clinics for basic health services related to colds, sore throats, minor cuts and wounds. Many clinics offer free screening tests for diabetes and cholesterol. As a result, patients have begun to use the clinics for managing their chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, to check their blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels.

Does the shortage of physicians have anything to do with the increased importance of urgent care centers?

Currently there is a severe shortage of physicians in the US and other parts of the globe. The latest prediction from the Association of American Medical Colleges tells that in 2015 there will be 62,900 fewer doctors than the amount needed. Those who rush to emergency departments today, due to unavailability of physicians, will tend to visit the nearby walk-in clinic. Thus the importance of urgent care centers is expected to double by 2015 and even more in the years later.

What are the benefits of urgent care centers?

  • Upfront Pricing: Walk-in clinics offer standard prices whereas hospital prices can get double being it denoted as an emergency visit
  • First Come, First Serve: They have shorter wait times. One does not need to stand in the queue all day and wait for his turn. Unlike emergency rooms, urgent care clinics work on a first come, first serve basis.
  • Co-Pay Savings: Insurance provider co-pays are generally lower at urgent care clinics when compared to hospital emergency room co-pays.

The extended hours and immediate availability of care at walk-in clinics, provides convenience for patients. Due to its better services, people are learning that Urgent Care is a better choice over the emergency room for their immediate, non-life-threatening health care needs.

Posted in Fitness/Health | 2 Comments

New Year, New Me, NEW CLEAN with the New Mr. Clean® Liquid Muscle™

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Krissyar

This New Year cleaning resolution tips post is brought to you by Mr. Clean as part of a Type-A Parent Community Sponsored Post.

As you know one of my New Year/New Me resolutions is to get myself -and my household – more organized. Part of that process involves the painstakingly issue of cleaning the downright dirty. You know those areas you avoid all year, like behind the frig, and *gasp* behind the stove? Well I have resolved to put that on my ‘to do list’ for cleaning one a month…I’m sure it will get easier, but I am embarrassed to admit it’s probably been a year since I’ve cleaned all the crevasses and I’m a bit afraid of what I might find. Let alone how long it might take me to get it done.

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Luckily, I was introduced recently to Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle.

The new Mr. Clean® Liquid Muscle™ has 2.5 times more power in every drop vs. Mr. Clean 40oz. With its new auto-stop cap feature, Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle delivers the right amount of cleaning gel with one squeeze – free of mess. It penetrates dirt, fights grease and lifts stains with less going to waste.  Liquid Muscle can be used on a variety of surfaces, including sealed floors, tables, countertops, sinks, stovetops and more.

The Mr. Clean® Liquid Muscle™ is so sure about it’s super powerful capabilities, that they offered to clean-up the biggest mess of the year – Time Square on New Year’s Day! A 25 person “Mr. Clean Team” Check out the great stories and pics on Twitter, using Hashtag #NewYearsClean

To keep from needing to make this resolution each year – I started searching for some great cleaning charts to help keep me from getting behind again. I found this great spot-on printable chart you can use to keep your cleaning on schedule. This way you never get behind, and you aren’t stressed on what to do next. Thanks to Christine over at First Home Love Life, you can go get your free printable there (and even create your own)!

Cleaning List

MrClean_CMYKThis is a compensated post brought to you by Mr. Clean. Mr. Clean is kicking off the New Year with the launch of a new product called Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle, a new multi-purpose, multi-surface concentrated cleaning gel that delivers superior cleaning performance on and off the floor. Be sure to like Mr. Clean on Facebook and follow @RealMrClean on Twitter.

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