Friday, August 7, 2015

Up cycling and Doggie ice cream!




It's been a long while and I found a new project. Not only will this yeild a great ice cream treat for the dog but also the items used will yield containers perfect to hold the treats.please make sure these are safe for your dog before making these. My dog is not lactose intolerant  so he can have yogurt and he is able to eat nontoxic fruits. I always search to see what is dogsafe as should all dog lovers. You can add any combo of things as this is a treat keep in mind too much of anything is not good. With all that said let's get started! 
You will need:

1.  Plain yogurt  (No sugar substitutes of any kind)
2.  Strawberries (Any dog friendly fruit)
3. Baby food fruit  (wanted the containers and the food it held is dog safe)
4. Just plain ground peanut or almond butter
5. Nutibullet (any blending tool)
6. Honey or molasses optional





Next: 
Load the cup full of fruit (baby food) yogurt, peanut butter and top with real fruit.


Then:
Blend til smooth.



line up the baby food containers  and pour then freeze.


Finally:
When it is frozen take it out and call your pup and let them enjoy!


My pup has eaten so many!!!

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Fitness to Journey 13- Updates links posted at bottom.

Hello my friends. I know I haven't said much and I haven't shared a lot of things this second half of the year, let us catch up.  I'll be posting pics in the next few weeks as I get closer to the end of this journey.  So just to recap: I started on my birthday March 25th, 2013 and will end my entire journey March 30, 2014.  This is 29 days away. I have discovered Koko, I've figured it wasn't entirely for me.  I need to end my 1 yr agreement with them.  I worked out hard and started strong and will end strong with a lot of emotions to follow.  Last entry I mentioned Koko was alright just realized a year later it's really not for me but it is amazing for those who are on a kick start of weight-loss.  It was the best birthday gift I gave myself and it showed me things I could not see before.  The  problem I found other than the pro and con list in my last blog was that if you have never ever worked out in a gym or know the basics or you know somethings but it's been a long time, you don't know how to stand every time you come in. It seems like if you are a half inch off too far, too close, too far right or left you may have a good chance of hurting yourself.  The machine knows your range of motion and that's what it goes by so if you tried to do it and was off in your position it may feel a bit awkward or you may find you are reaching too far to try to meet your goal.  There isn't much in the way of classes or other workouts and those can be a bummer too.  So where am I now? I've gotten back into working out through Feb. I started up end of January so I basically took an over extended hiatus  because of an injury I had from working out about 6 mo or so.  I started near the end of January.  I've known a person through my dog, (Thanks Malcolm, wanted to play with her dogs all the time) and through conversations we had I mentioned my workouts and how I got a TRX band (Thanks Sis) and was trying to learn some things about it.  She (Woman who I met) said oh, I am certified TRX trainer. I said oh great you can teach me a thing or two.  She asked about my goals as every great trainer does and told her, weightloss and to WALK/run a 5k.  She said to me oh well I can train you and off we went.  I've been training for the Biggest Loser 5k run  for the last 3 weeks and have 5 wks to go, giving us 8 wks to train.  We started with a run to see how far and long I can go and my recovery.  I didn't get far :( then we started our training. I am currently running the c25k program and will begin week 5 Monday.


5K Training Schedule

Bookmark this Couch-to-5K ® running page so that you can easily return to check on your progress.
Week Workout 1 Workout 2 Workout 3
Done1 Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
Done2 Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes. Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes. Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
Done3 Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
  • Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
  • Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
  • Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes)
  • Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
  • Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
  • Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
  • Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes)
  • Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
  • Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
  • Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
  • Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes)
  • Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
Done4 Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
  • Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
  • Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
  • Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
  • Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes)
  • Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
  • Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
  • Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
  • Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
  • Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
  • Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
  • Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes)
  • Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
  • Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
  • Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
  • Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
  • Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
  • Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
  • Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes)
  • Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
  • Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
  • Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
5 Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
  • Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
  • Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
  • Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
  • Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
  • Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
  • Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
  • Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
  • Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.
6 Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
  • Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
  • Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
  • Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
  • Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
  • Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
  • Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)
  • Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
  • Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 22 minutes) with no walking.
7 Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes). Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes). Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).
8 Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes). Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes). Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).
9 Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes). Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes). The final workout! Congratulations! Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).


I know I've improved and broken my records on my RunKeeper app but I don't feel very successful in my runs.  I know I'm faster and can go further a bit quicker than I started but I have yet to feel the "runner's high" and more Energy.  So that's where I am, training for the 5k and plan to run it through. Pics will be uploaded through the month so you can see how I have progressed this year and I'll have new goals and new things after March.
Tech/ Equip I use:
Withings Pulse: to track my activity: steps, speed and distance, altitude, heart rate and monitors sleep
                       it has partner apps too. $99.00
 My Fitness Pal: Track my food and exercise works with Withings pulse
Map my walk
Run Keeper: shows me a map of where I run, distance and pace and nifty info. works with Withings pulse
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml site for the 5k program
TRX Bands: (love) click link for the one I got or cheap1, cheap2, cheap3 though I can't vouch for these.
If you have questions on anything leave a comment and I will be happy to try to answer or encourage.


Sunday, November 17, 2013

Journey to Fitness 12 - injuries and updates and is Koko still a viable option?

It's been a long time since last I blogged.  Ok, so what's been going on? Well, over the summer I was hitting it pretty hard on my work out.  Lets see, June, I was on schedule then in July,  I was in major back pain.
I had a budging disk and my left hip was higher than my right and my hips were forward and basically I was twisted to the core.  I went to the Chiropractor after about 3 days of mega pain and unable to get up from the bed.  If I move around I was ok, if I laid on my back and tried to get up I would be in so much pain I couldn't get out of bed without assistance.  I did "R.I.C.E" and saw the Chiro, about 6 sessions in two weeks  and found relief after the first session. I went right back to Koko after my back stuff I think it was about Sept. I started to feel better and then I did a normal work out  (last workout up to this point was June) and I felt good but my knee swelled. I was still going to the chiro and he started to work on me again.  Then came the matter of straightening my body out and doing an intensive session 3x a week to the chiro for about 2 months and then I started trigger point massage to get over some other pain that has since developed.   So that is my body right now.  My last Koko check in was on Sept. 18th and while I feel ok, I'm still hurting from time to time I've gained back some of the weight :(  So Nov. 19th I plan to go and since this day will be my "test" I'll be able to lower everything and then work myself back up.  If I re-injure myself I haven't decided what I will do.  I tried to freeze my account and they only froze it for one month and I have been shelling out money and not using the membership while I've been recovering.
So if you are deciding yes or no to Koko.....
Ask yourself:
Is this what I want to commit to for atleast a year?
This only has a treadmill or elliptical and a full body machine with a pacer and advice is this enough?
Do I need a variety? Will this be enough to keep me going?
While 30 min seems like a quick session  will it become a stale workout?
Do I need more challenges?
If I get injured what will I do as a recovery to the workout?

So what do I think of this Koko thing?

My experience with Koko have been an interesting one.  It's a great jumpstart for getting you into a workout and I found it to be a pretty cool concept.  I don't think it's completely right for me.
While I don't like having a trainer in my ear all the time and I love that it tracks me and gives me pretty good data it doesn't give you much more than that.  I have started to look at yoga, resistance bands and Pilates and even thought about taking up hula hooping. 
The cost I paid, which was initial set up and then $96.34 for my monthly, I think they went up since I started, I feel that I cannot pay for extra classes for other interests till I get done with a year commitment.
Bottom line:
Pro:
May be able to transfer your account to someone if it's not right for you, must ask your Koko.
Gives you data so you can see where you are at.
You have 24 hour access so it can be quiet.
In and Out with a total body workout in 30 min or less.
Earn bragging rights and lanyards and a t shirt
It's not that much of a drive to get to.
You get advice and suggestions  from machine and staff
They have many programs for you to choose from.
It's clean and very basic.


Cons:
Membership fee commitment minimum 1 yr.
If you are not aware of  your body position you may be doing it wrong and the machine won't tell you.
While it has 24 hour access you may have to wait for a machine to free up.
You may think you earned your shirt but if you skip an exercise even if you are perfect you may not get the shirt.
Do I have to drive?
Suggestions from staff may not always be correct or what you need.
Once you are in a program you must finish it before changing it completely or you loose what you've worked hard on. IE: If you do Diabetes program and say there are 12 sessions before the next diabetes program and you've done 6 sessions and you decide you want to change it for a challenge and decide you want to go back to diabetes you have to restart from the group of sessions you were in the middle of.
No showers, bathroom is one person at a time atleast at my Koko.
Don't be surprised if you talk to staff, they ask you a question, and they seem to be preoccupied to listen.
(hence I like to go in when no one is around)

So that is what I have experienced so far.  Sorry no other updates or pics.  I hope these things will help you a little more in your decision on to Koko or not to Koko that is the question.


                  

Friday, August 9, 2013

Diamond Candles... I don't know why it came like this. I've been waiting for a long while for this and after watching the tracking go from north of me to south of me by 3 hrs in either direction I was sad to see it say 5 - 7 days on your site and on the tracking site it says total of 10 days.  I finally got it at about 8 days. I was so excited when my husband came in from checking the mail and I opened the box and this is what I got. Slightly warped candle, which looked like it exploded and a wax covered wick.  Sigh.....
  

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Journey to Fitness 11

Hi all, I am still not working out but I am still losing weight believe it or not.  As you can see my measurements in past,  I will  post below my measurements as of late.  


                  June 2, 2013                      June 19th                                  Aug. 8, 2013
                                                      week before mens.

 Neck:           15.25 in                             15 in                                          14.5 in

Shoulder:       47 in                                 46 in                                           42 in

Chest:            43 in                                 42.5 in                                        41.5 in                            

Rib Cage:      37 in                                  37 in                                           35.5 in

Waist:            41 in                                  39.75 in                                      39 in

Hips:              46 in                                  44 in                                           42.5 in

Left Leg:        26 in                                  27.5 in                                        25.5 in

Right Leg:      25.5in                                 28 in                                         25 in

Left Arm:       12.75 in                              12.75 in                                   12.5 in

Right Arm:      13 in                                   12.5 in                                    12.5 in

Weight:            202lbs                                208lbs                                 190lbs

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

just showing off dog collar paracord....


Haven't found one like this one yet.  This allows for adjustment.  If you want to learn just contact me.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

air freshener for the home.

Today I decided to make a room deodorizer and well here are two sites that the idea came from but here is my version of it which doesn't differ much from what these two showed.

http://www.cbc.ca/stevenandchris/2012/11/diy-room-deodorizers.html
http://www.theburlapbag.com/2011/12/diy-room-air-freshener/

So here's the way to make it:
1. Need: Containers- Had old jar from another freshener and  two others from Renuzit bead freshener
                                 all three cleaned out.
               Baking soda, essential oil,  ribbon, tule and 2 items not pictured, tape or rubberband and scissors.

2. Pour baking soda in each of the containers a small box will make 3 maybe 4 containers.


 3. Put 12 drops or more of the oil on top.
4. cut and place tule on top and tie with ribbon, you may need to put a rubber band to hold the tule in place and then tie the ribbon and then remove the band or you could use tape .  If the container has a lid like the bottom you can put the tule on and then screw the lid if it already had holes on it like the bottom one.


5. You can shake and place around your home and from time to time you can also shake and add more oil as needed.