Calories?

One thing I'm always trying to figure out is how many calories I really need each day, and how much I burn. Obviously, if you burn more calories than you take in, you'll lose weight.

I found an awesome website (which I've probably mentioned before - but it's just THAT awesome) that calculates your BMR and RMR (Basal Metabolic Rate and Resting Metabolic Rate). These are basically the number of calories you burn if you do absolutely nothing for 24 hours.

But this website also has a really cool activity calculator where you put in your weight and the amount of minutes you do something. If you keep track of all of your activities in a twenty-four hour period, you could see how many calories you've burned.

Got a minute? Check out Calories Per Hour and their informative calculators!

Reviewing the Bender Ball!

Today I am reviewing the Bender Ball!

I'd seen an advertisement for the Bender Ball several times, and thought it might be something that would work out well for Hunkahubby and I. Their informercial and website claims: "The Bender Ball gives you a workout that's up to 408% more effective than ordinary crunches."

Because of some issues I've heard and read about regarding ordering items off of informercials (which I'll explain in more detail below) - I went searching for my Bender Ball on eBay.

It came with the ball (flat), a plastic straw-like tube and a plug, and an instructional DVD. Hunkahubby inflated the ball for me. (He's good like that . . . .)

Hunkahubby and I had both discussed that we should just buy a kid's kick ball from Wal-mart and use that. But I'm glad that we didn't. The Bender Ball just "feels" different.

Here's the inflated Bender Ball:

Hunkahubby also did the good hubby thing and watched parts of the instructional video so he could be my (and yours, if you're reading this) personal instructor on using the bender ball.

The first time I used it, I was a little wary - because it almost feels like you're laying on a balloon that could pop at any minute. So far - that hasn't happened! :-)

Here our gorgeous instructor shows us where to place the ball if we're going to do crunches.

The main perk of the Bender Ball is how it lets you extend back more than you would with a regular crunch.

Up!

And back!

You can also work your sides, by performing a scooping motion with your arms on each side.

When I did this it made feel like a really graceful ballerina, and then I felt silly after thinking that. No one wants to see ME in a tutu. (My family always said we'd have to wear four-fours.)

This next thing is my FAVORITE exercise. You put the bender ball under your booty.

And you raise your legs in the air, like this:

Ummm . . . what was I talking about? Oh yes, the exercise.
Sorry, I got distracted for a minute for some reason.

Then you slowly raise one leg at a time. This really works my thighs - but it doesn't feel strenuous. In fact, it makes me feel relaxed.

Personally, both HunkaHubby and I are fans of the Bender Ball. There are more exercises that we have yet to explore - and we will hopefully update you on more as we learn them.

Again, this is a small exercise item that you could pretty much take with you anywhere.

Now for a word of caution: I have read on several website, and heard personal accounts of people who ordered the Bender Ball off of TV or through their website. Many "As Seen On TV" items have a "catch." They aren't just trying to get you to buy one item, but an entire line of things. And if you don't realize what you're getting into - items you didn't order will get charged to your card and start showing up at your house. And it is really hard to get these things returned and get your money back.

So my advice is to research ANYTHING before you buy it. And if you don't want to belong to the 'fitness gadgets I don't really want club", then I suggest you buy things such as this off of eBay, Amazon.com, or in stores, if available.

Do you have a Bender Ball? Do you love it? Why? Do you hate it? Please share.

I want to know!!

Reviewing the JumpSnap!

Yes, I'm finally reviewing my fun new gadget - the JumpSnap Ropeless Jump Rope.

The JumpSnap comes with two jump rope handles, a handy carrying case and weights that you put inside the handles to help with arm strength. (You can add up to 3.)


You can set up your JumpSnap for 2 different users. Enter your height and weight and it keeps track of the number of calories burned, number of jumps, and how long you've been jumping.

You can also choose to have the jump rope 'snapping' sound while you jump or you can turn it off. I think the snapping sound helps with getting into the "jump rope rhythm".

There is a TALK button that you can press if you're too lazy to look at the readout (or too blind to see the digital numbers, or you like to jump rope in pitch darkness) - and it will tell you how many calories you've burned, number of jumps, and amount of time spent jumping.

Just remember to CLEAR the numbers each time you jump or you'll think you're done before you start. ;-)


Here, my beautiful Hunkahubby is showing us how he jumps rope with the PINK JumpSnap that he is threatening to spray paint. (Notice his fuzzy audience?)



(Please ignore the basket of hangers in the background - focus on the kitty instead . . . yes, the poor thing is having trouble healing from her spay surgery and has to wear an e-collar.)

So - as you can see - the JumpSnap is not only a great exercise tool - but also great entertainment for cats!

I really like the JumpSnap so far. You can take it with you to hotels, use it while you're watching TV and you can use it for short spurts of time. You can use it anywhere and not have to worry about breaking things!!

I like to jump for 10 minutes, put it away for a while and then come back and jump for another 10 minutes. Jump Rope is a great calorie burner! (See this calorie burning chart.) I'm sure I'll work up to longer periods of time as I get used to the idea of working out every day!

The only issue I've found so far is that sometimes you can "cheat" your number of jumps if you wiggle just right, but it doesn't happen often enough to bother me. It definitely gets my heart rate up and gives me a pretty good workout.

JumpSnap also comes with a short DVD that helps you set up your JumpSnap (if you don't like reading directions and would rather someone basically read them TO you) and also has a few short workouts (which I haven't watched yet.) I hope to watch them soon and give you an update on the other types of exercises you can perform using this cool new gadget!

You can buy the JumpSnap at the official website, or on websites such as eBay or Amazon.com. The pink Breast Cancer version is on sale right now, and so I purchased mine on Amazon.

Do you have a JumpSnap? Do you love it? Hate it? Let me know in the comment area below!

Tomorrow, I'll review the Bender Ball!

Gadget Time - THIS WEEK

I'm determined to post my gadget updates this week.

But to let you know what I'm up to - I'll let you know what I'll be reviewing so you'll know if it is worth your time to come back!

1. Jillian Michaels' Wii Fit game
2. The JumpSnap
3. The Bender Ball

And anything else I get my hands on between now and then. :-)

As an update for me - I'm still tracking my food every day and I've actually been getting a few more workouts in! I weigh in tomorrow, so here's hoping the scale is good to me!

Until next time . . .

Healthy Food and Fiber Fit

I've been meaning to review these for a while now.

A few weeks ago, I picked up a new South Beach Living item - Fiber Fit Granola Bars.

They have two flavors at present - S'mores and Mocha. And I have to tell you - they are REALLY yummy.

(Picture from http://www.southbeachdiet.com/sbd/publicsite/how-it-works/convenience-foods2.aspx)

The S'mores bars are my favorite - the marshmallow-y top . . . mmmmmmmm.

The Mocha bars are great for those who love that coffee flavor (it was almost too strong for me.)

Nutritional Information:

120 Calories

4g Fat

0mg Cholesterol

125mg Sodium

80mg Potassium

25g Carbohydrate (9g Dietary Fiber)

2g Protein

These are not something I would eat every day - but on those days where I'm REALLY craving something sweet - these do the trick!!

Still tracking, still losing

I lost a pound this past week, and that is better than nothing! I just got something exciting via UPS, that Hunkahubby and I are going to test out and then review for you here.

I don't want to give away the secret just yet.

I'm doing well at tracking everything I eat and keeping within my allotted "points" for the day - but I'm still struggling with adding consistent activity every day.

Hopefully, my new gadget will be an inspiration.

More soon!

Quick update

I am still tracking everything I eat every day and my weight is steadily going back down, thank goodness.

This week, my exercise is part of work. I have to run up and down the stairs several times a day, along with packing and moving boxes of documents. :-)

I promise that sometime this week I will post a few cool updates.

Hunkahubby and I have purchased a few new exercise gadgets and I look forward to reviewing them for you.

Happy Wednesday!!

Back to losing . . .

I lost 3.8 pounds this past week. I've tracked every single thing that I've eaten and I'm slowly getting back into the habit of exercising, thanks to the help of Hunkahubby.

I'm frustrated because I look back to June of last year and how well I was doing, and I'm trying to decide what it was that frustrated me so much that I gave up and gave in. I know I had a plateau for a long time where I didn't lose but I didn't gain either - and I need to find a better way to get through those without giving up. I still have a ways to go before I get back to where I was in June. :-(

Stay tuned this week for some Healthy Food Finds, Wii game reviews, and other exercise information.

Happy Monday!

Back in the saddle again . . .

Well, after eating way too much over the holiday season and struggling to fit into my pants - I'm back it again with more willpower than ever before. :-)

I got a new Wii game that uses the Wii Balance Board that I will be using and reviewing on here. I've also found some cool new food finds, and I'll be talking about the new Weight Watchers Momentum plan.

I'm looking forward to catching up with all of you and working toward our common goal of overall wellness!