Aurorae Yoga Mat Review

Aurorae Yoga is a company whose goal is to make its customers' yoga experience more enjoyable. Aurorae offers ultra thick, extra long yoga mats as well as "Slip Free" accessories including the famous Aurorae Slip-Free Rosin Bag and the Aurorae Sport Sweat Towel.

I was given an Aurorae Ultra Thick, Extra Long Yoga Mat and Slip Free Rosin Bag for review. I received a pink yoga mat which measures 72x24 inches and has a 1/4 inch thickness to provide enough cushion and comfort to protect knees and joints without being too thick to grip. The eco-friendly material molds hands and feet to the mat with immediate recovery so it helps give a foundation for poses. This odor-free yoga mat also includes a unique focal point icon to help users focus on their poses and maximize the calming and stress relief yoga encourages.

The Aurorae extra long yoga mat comes in a variety of colors that define your inner self, bringing out your natural aura. According to the illumination chart, my pink mat is Hope and means intuitive, faithful, visionary, power of positive thought, energetic and healing. The pink color is very calming and the thick material and length of the mat is perfect for yoga, pilates, or any floor exercises.

I also received a slip free rosin bag which is used to increase gripping power and absorb perspiration. It is non sticky and has no odor, and is easily used by dabbing the bag on you mat and and on your hands and feet. This worked really well and you couldn't even see or feel the rosin.

All in all I am very impressed with Aurorae Yoga's mats and slip-free products. They are very high quality and make the yoga experience even better.



Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own experiences with the product. Individual results may vary. As part of the One2One Network, I will e entered into a drawing for posting this review.

 

Feelin like a Winner!

I WON!!! Not to gloat, but I am super excited that I won the Biggest Loser competition! Granted there were only 8 of us participating, but it still feels awesome to have won 1st place along with a nice monetary prize ($150)!

I feel like such a winner! Wait, a LOSER! I lost 26 pounds since September and I feel great! I still have 25-30 pounds more to lose, so I can't stop now, but now that I have come this far I know I can do it!

The thing I learned the most throughout this part of my weight loss journey is that it doesn't happen overnight. I started out slow and some weeks got frustrated when the scale didn't move. But I found that focusing on day to day and week to week, all of those small losses add up! If I would've started the competition and my personal weight loss journey by saying I had to lose 25 pounds by December, there is now way I would've done it. I honestly didn't think I'd lose even 20 so I am incredibly happy with my results, but it really helped not to focus on a huge goal but just go week by week.

That is why this competition helped me so much. Even though I wasn't losing weight FOR the competition, it really helped to have a weigh-in each week and someone to report my weight to so that I was held accountable. I always knew that I'd have to weigh in each week so I focused on my results each week rather than looking at the big picture of a huge goal.

So my advice to anyone trying to lose weight - take it one day and week at a time and the results will build up! Your results may not be noticeable at first, but 3 months and 26 pounds later, you will feel great! :)

Also, I do owe a lot of my loss to the Atkins diet. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone and frankly I hated it for the first few months until it became habit for me, but it really made a huge difference in how I eat, stabilized my blood sugar, stopped a lot of my cravings, and has given me a reason to avoid processed foods and sugary foods! Eggs can get boring (that's mainly what I eat since I'm not much of a cook), but I get filled up faster than before and don't get hungry as often, so I do recommend this lifestyle if you have issues with carbs and yo-yo weight. It is definitely a lifestyle change and eventually I will add in fruits and whole grains when I have lost all the weight I need to and move on to the maintenance phase, but obviously it's not something where once I decide I'm done losing weight, I can go back to eating pasta every night and sugary desserts and breads. That's where all the weight can come back on after dieting. This is definitely not a quick fix, but a way of living.

I am happy with the fact that I am eating healthier than ever before and losing weight, and I am determined to stick with this lifestyle! Thanks to everyone for your support, and especially to my cousin who started the Biggest Loser competition and encouraged me throughout the past 3 months!

Before                                                      After

Biggest Loser Ends; Thanksgiving blessings

The Biggest Loser competition I am in with a few former co-workers and acquaintances ends this coming Wednesday, December 1st. It started in September, I believe it was September 8th that we started. Why the leader of this competition chose the week after Thanksgiving to end, I'll never know ;) But, I think I am close to winning!

There has been one girl that has been serious competition and I'm pretty sure me and her are in for first and second place. First place gets 75% of the money (we all put in $25) and second place gets 25%. I am pretty confident that I at least will be the second place winner. The competition went by percentage of weight lost, so even though I lost a good amount of pounds - 24 to be exact! - I still am not sure if I won or not. But I'll find out on Wednesday and maybe I'll even be down 25 pounds by then!

Thanks to this competition and Atkins, I have reached my first major goal, and now I have to keep reminding myself that my journey is not over yet. I still have another 25-30 pounds to lose which is my next major goal. But it really did help to take it slow and focus on small goals. If I would've started by thinking I needed to lose 25 pounds during this competition, I don't think I could've done it. I actually didn't expect to reach my goal at all. But instead, I went week by week and pound by pound, and reached my goal that way! I feel great and it is awesome to fit into my old clothes again and to be able to wear some fun things.

It was also nice to start a new job feeling confident and positive and wearing some cute clothes. The new job has been a great change in my life, plus I started Mary Kay which is another positive support group and a fun experience. I have had so many great changes the past few months and losing weight is the icing on the cake (not that I can eat the cake, lol) My sister had her first baby last week, even though she wasn't due until January 5th, so it was a little bit of a scare but the baby is doing great and healthy and beautiful! She is the biggest blessing in our lives right now! And since my sister and her husband live with me now, I will get to spoil my new niece to pieces! :)

I can't help but feel overwhelmed thinking all of the amazing blessings in my life, and it is good to take a minute to thank God for bringing all things together for good. I always knew he had a plan for everything, but oftentimes I worry that things aren't going right or the way I plan until later I realize "Oh THAT's why that happened"! I love that, and I always say Everything happens for a reason.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Walk at Home Review

I have been a fan of Leslie Sansone for a few years after buying one of her health plan books, and I was lucky enough to get to try one of her great Walk at Home DVD's for review! I received The Big Burn - 2 Miles of Intervals, which utilizes intervals of walking and jogging to increase calorie burn.

The Big Burn program includes:

• A WARM UP Walk to get your ready to move fast!
• A brisk pace averaging 4 mph, 5 mph and 5.5 mph
• Mile Markers allow you to choose a 1 or 2 Mile Walk!
• Multi- Muscle Moves- Compound exercises give you a bigger calorie burn!
• A COOL DOWN WALK and healthy stretch to end!

Although this Walk at Home program is definitely a workout and a great boosted walk, it's something virtually anyone can do. There are no difficult moves or anything and Leslie even says during the workout that it doesn't matter if you are doing the "right" moves or keeping up with the music, as long as you just keep moving. She also gives a low-impact alternate option for the jogging parts so that even beginner's or out-of-shape walkers can still do the program. I love how simple and easy she makes it - No frills, no costumes, no over-the-top sets. Just Leslie and some of her fellow walkers working out in her fitness studio. I really like that because it's real, not an entertainment production.

I actually got a great workout from this boosted walk and was sweating plenty by the end of the program! It was great and is a great alternative to walking outside now that winter has begun. I also like that you don't need any accessories or special equipment - just a DVD player and walking shoes! It is so simple and anyone can do it. And it only takes 33 minutes. Plus there is a great variety of other Walk at Home programs for everyone from beginners to advanced walkers and runners.

You can join Leslie's Walk Challenges on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LeslieSansone and check out all the great DVDs at www.walkathome.com/!

Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own experiences with the product. Individual results may vary. No other compensation was given.

CSN Stores Upcoming Review

CSN Stores is an online one-stop shop for anything and everything you could ever want for your household, office, children, and pets. CSN offers so many different things from 200+ stores, like bar and barstool sets, dining room sets, all the way to exercise equipment and health equipment for the elderly.

There are literally thousands of items to choose from, and products for every style and budget. I will be given the opportunity to review a product from CSN Stores soon, and can't decide what I want to review.

I do want a new pair of dress shoes for a wedding I will be a bridesmaid in this coming March, so I was thinking these Monaco sandals. They look easy to walk in during winter. :

But perhaps I want to get some flats:

Or...something totally different?

What would YOU get?

Weight Loss Adventure: Not Giving Up

So last weekend I freaked out and ate a Reese's peanut butter cup and a fun-size Snickers. In the past, these would be like nothing to me. But ever since I have started focusing on my Atkins Adventure, sugar equals halted weight loss. Not only did I feel guilty right away, but I could not believe that the Snickers actually tasted BAD! Like, something just didn't taste right, it wasn't the good ol' Snickers I was expecting. So even though it wasn't good that I ate the candy, I was happy to find out that my tastes have changed and sugary carb-filled foods that once were like a drug for me are no longer as great as I remember.

I was frustrated that I had halted my weight loss because in Atkins when you have too much of a blood sugar spike, your body goes out of ketosis (fat-burning mode) and you experience bloating and halted weight loss. It's just not worth it to go "off" the wagon anymore! BUT, I am happy to report that today I am down 2 more pounds, putting me at a total of 14 pounds lost! I REALLY hope I can keep this up and lose 8 more pounds before Thanksgiving, which would help me reach my first major goal of losing 22 pounds and then I will be almost halfway to where I want to be!

I know I can do it, it's just a matter of sticking with it. I have learned that weight loss and maintenance is more about consistency and less about exactly what plan or diet you do. If you are consistent with your diet or exercise program, you will lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. If you do the old up and down, back and forth, this diet and that diet, high carb and low carb, etc etc, it's inevitable that your weight will spike up and down. I did this for the longest time. But this time I am sticking with low carb and I am going to follow the other 3 phases exactly so that I can slowly add in more carbs and whole grains while I keep losing weight and then get to the maintenance phase and keep my weight steady after that. Consistency and gradual changes are the key. I am not giving up and I am not going to eat anymore candy bars - losing weight feels so much better than eating a funny-tasting Snickers!

Celsius Supplement Drink Review

Celsius – “Your Ultimate Fitness Partner” - is a pre-exercise supplement drink that helps to burn calories, boost metabolism, reduce body fat, increase endurance, and provide lasting energy when you drink it before physical activity. It is backed by six clinical scientific studies and has been shown to help burn calories.

Celsius contains no sugar, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, and it’s very low in sodium. It is powered by a proprietary blend of ingredients: MetaPlus which includes Green Tea with EGCG, Ginger, Caffeine, Calcium, Chromium, B Vitamins and Vitamic C.

I am very impressed with the fact that Celsius does not contain aspartame. I have heard so many negative things about aspartame and just recently decided to avoid it because I have read that it inhibits weight loss as well. So I looked through all my sugar free drink mixes and even SlimQuick drink mix, and guess what – they all contain aspartame! But not Celsius, it is natural and contains only good and healthy ingredients that I can actually pronounce.

I was wary of tasting the Celsius drinks I received for review since they don’t have artificial flavors, but they were actually good and quite refreshing. I especially enjoyed the sparkling orange and wild berry. The non-carbonated cans of Celsius were great too. I also received a pack of Celsius “On-The-Go” stick packets, which is awesome because I love taking drink mixes to work. Even if Celsius wasn't a calorie-burning drink, I would still drink it just for the fact that it’s a healthy alternative to sugar free drink mixes. And it has little or no carbs, which is also a plus for me since I am doing a low-carb diet.

The materials say to drink Celsius 15 minutes prior to moderate exercise, but I drank most of the cans even when I was just working around the house and not really doing a workout, but still getting some physical activity. I still feel like it was effective in helping with my energy levels and boosting my metabolism. And with almost no calories or carbs, this is definitely the pre-exercise drink I would choose. I am about to start training for a 10K (I know, I don't believe I can do it either!) and I think Celsius will be great to drink before my runs.

Celsius is available at many mass retailers and grocery stores like Walmart, Cub Foods, Hy-Vee, Walgreens, and Shopko. 

Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own experiences with the product. Individual results may vary. No other compensation was given.