Review/Giveaway: Albion Fit Activewear (Can/US) (06/14)

May 23, 2013 by 3 Comments

Once upon a time, there was a girl (me) who had a closet full of large-ish sized clothes. And that girl (me) was overweight, flabby, tired and very unhappy with her appearance. The closet was filled with ill-fitting clothes designed to camouflage her widening girth. And not a stitch of activewear was in that closet! No yoga pants, sweat pants, athletic shorts, running shoes, NOTHING. That closet was a sad testament to a very inactive, sedentary person. That was the OLD me.

Fast forward two years. I am still a work in progress, but I am a 40 pounds lighter girl, with energy to burn, and a desire to get into better shape. Every week, I visit my lovely trainer for an hour of weight training and cardio. And so my closet is now filled with lots of fitness apparel, and activewear.

So imagine my glee when I was introduced to Albion Fit, an American company that produces fitness apparel for women of all shapes and sizes. I was given the opportunity to review some of Albion Fit‘s workout clothing, which included a jacket and yoga pants.

bottoms_stretchAlbion is a U.S. company who mission is “to provide women with the most luxurious, flattering and hassle-free fitness and leisure apparel on the planet“. They are a family owned company whose designs are inspired by nature itself. This is apparent in many of the designs that I checked out (drooled over!) on their website. Albion Fit is a company which is environmentally conscious– they recycle their plant waste and use earth-friendly materials in their products.

I was sent Albion’s 26.2 Jacket, in Teal. As soon as I took it out of the package, I immediately was impressed with the quality of this jacket. The construction of this jacket was markedly different than other workout jackets I have owned in the past. The zipper is durable, and heavy duty. The detail work on the jacket is amazing! There are 2 nice deep pockets in the front, and a handy small zipped pocket in the sleeve (which is perfect for my MP3 player). Another reason I love this jacket is the fact that it is long, and tailored in such a way to appear very slimming. A definite thumbs up for me, I was absolutely delighted with my jacket, and it will immediately go into heavy rotation in my closet.

No that's not me, but that's the awesome jacket I received!

No that’s not me, but that’s the awesome jacket I received!

I also received a stylish pair of Mantra black yoga pants which compliment the teal jacket. The fit was great, and a pretty design on the one pant leg echoes the similar graphic element on the jacket. It’s a style home run in my opinion!

My bottom line: Albion Fit makes women’s fitness and swimwear which is both pretty and functional. Their prices are reasonable, and the designs are amazing. The clothes which I received are very comfortable, attractively styled and very well constructed. I have no hesitation recommending this brand to any woman looking for durable, attractive fitness or leisure apparel.

For my readers, I have a special promotion! Albion Fit has kindly offered a $15 discount off any purchase of $50 or more. Just use the promotional code realclear15. (Hurry! This offer expires May 30,2013)

You can also WIN $100 credit to spend on Albion Fit’s website. Open to residents of Canada and the U.S., giveaway closes on June 14, 2013. Good luck!

Daisy and Me getting ready for a walk!

Daisy and Me getting ready for a walk!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclosure: I received the aforementioned articles of clothing at no cost from Albion Fit in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was received. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Filed Under: Contests and Giveaways, Health and Wellness, Product Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Review/Giveaway: Mia Mariu Anti-Aging Skin Care Products (Can/US) (06/05)

May 16, 2013 by 21 Comments

Mia Mariu Anti-Aging Skin Care Products

Mia Mariu Anti-Aging Skin Care Products

 

 

Taking care of my skin is something that I am passionate about. I have been using anti-aging moisturizers and sunscreen since I was in my early 20′s and I am not ashamed to say that I think my skin is in pretty decent shape at age 41. The effects of ultraviolet light from the sun, pollutants, cosmetics and stress can wreak havoc on any person’s skin, so it’s really critical that regular cleansing, exfoliating and moisturizing are part of your beauty regimen.

So you can imagine my delight when I learned I was going to review some anti-aging products from Mia Mariu!

Based in Dallas, Texas, Mia Mariu is a company who provides entrepreneurial opportunities to women to sell their health and beauty products. Their all-natural health and beauty products are exclusively available online, or through their Independent Beauty Advisers.

miamariu2

 

I was sent their Refreshing Foaming Gel Cleanser, Anti-Aging Brightening Serum, and Anti-Aging Eye Treatment to review.

 

The cleanser is a silky, lightweight product which is a great cleanser and non-irritating. It is scent-free and perfect for even the most sensitive of skin types. I found that it did a fantastic job of removing my cosmetics, and was not in the least bit drying.

The brightening serum is also a definite hit with me. I am a HUGE fan of serum products, because of the way that they even out your skin tone. For me, I compare serums to taking multi-vitamin pills in the morning. They are super concentrated pockets of vitamins and nutrients for your face. The Mia Mariu serum is a lightweight formulation, not as nectar-like in consistency as other serums I have used. The Mia Mariu serum product contains “anti-aging peptides, skin-brightening botanicals, aloe and vitamin b5″ according to their catalogue.

The Anti-Aging Eye Treatment has similar ingredients to the serum. It helps to reduce circles and wrinkles around the eyes. I have only been using the serum and eye treatment for a few weeks, so it’s hard to say what the long-term effects of the products will be on improving the appearance of the skin. However, in the short-term, I am very pleased with the Mia Mariu anti-aging products I have used, and I think that my skin looks and feels great. Their products would be ideal for any woman with sensitive skin, as their products are all-natural, and fragrance free.

Would you like to win the same Anti-Aging products (ARV $87)  that I received? Well, it’s your lucky day! Check out the Giveaway Tools linky below, and good luck!

 

 

 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Filed Under: Beauty Bits and Bobbles, Contests and Giveaways, Product Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Commit to Be Fit In Just 7 Minutes! #goodideas

May 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

squats photo: squats squats.jpgDo you love exercise as much as me? Ok, that was a sarcastic question on my part. All kidding aside, I HATE working out. There, I said it, and I mean it. As a part of my weight loss challenge, I have had to start making physicial fitness part of newfound reality.

Healthy eating and physical exercise go hand in hand. I bought a gym membership, and hired a personal trainer to help shape my flabby body. Getting motivated to go the gym is hard for me. I can always find a reason why I can’t go, why I don’t feel like going. I can always rationalize that I am short on time, that I would rather stay home with my kids, etc etc. So when I read an article about a 7-minute workout that you can do at home, I was intrigued. The article was published in the American College of Sports Medicine Health and Fitness Journal and is entitled: High Intensity Circuit Training Using Body Weight: Maximum Results With Minimum Effort.

You can’t help but be excited by the whole maximum results, minimum effort thing! Perfect for busy moms like me! The principle of this workout is simple: 12 basic exercises which require no fancy exercise equipment or fitness videos. All you need is a chair! The exercises include jumping jacks, push-ups, planking, and abdominal crunches. (all of the exercises in this circuit are ones that my trainer does with me, so I am familiar with them all! They are not overly complicated).

The exercises are designed to be performed in a specific order so that opposing muscle groups can alternate between active and resting states. The idea is to perform each exercise at nearly full exertion for 30 seconds with 10 seconds rest between each exercise. In order to maximize the metabolic impact of this type of circuit training, it is important that the times of rest and work are observed precisely. Therefore, you need to have some type of way to time your workouts. I use the timer function on my mobile phone, and it works perfectly.

The authors of this article state that this 7-minute workout helps to decrease body fat, improve insulin sensitivity and improve muscular fitness. In my mind, this is an ideal way for people of all shapes, sizes, and financial means to improve their overall fitness. Put on your own inspirational workout tunes to get the blood pumping, and you’re all set.

The 12 exercises for the 7- minute workout

Filed Under: Health and Wellness Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Mother’s Day Musings: Reflecting on Loss and Rebirth

May 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

My beautiful Mom, date unknown

My beautiful Mom, date unknown

 

 

 

 

 

I have always been a little bittersweet about Mother’s Day. My own mother passed away seven years ago, on May 1st, 2006, a few short days before my first Mother’s Day. At the time of her death, I was 7 months pregnant with my first child.

Experiencing the loss of my mother was devastating. Trying to articulate what my mother meant to me seems an impossible task. We were related by blood, but bonded as friends and kindred spirits. To lose her was to lose my closest friend and confidante. To replace her is impossible.

Just to be clear, our relationship was not perfect. My mom immigrated to Canada from Europe, and many of her views could be considered “Old World”. We clashed on many occasions, and at times she infuriated me to no end. When I met the man who I eventually married, she was very upset with my choice of boyfriend, and our mother-daughter bond was strained for many months. Being estranged from her almost destroyed my relationship with my (then) boyfriend.

Then, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and our world changed. She nearly died shortly after diagnosis, but rallied back and we had a rebirth in our relationship. She saw the world more clearly, having been so close to death. In the months of her chemotherapy and radiation treatments, we spent a lot of time together, and talked about many things. She lamented the time and effort she put into things that she no longer felt were important, like having an impeccably clean home. She expressed regret at not having cherished her family and friends while she stressed so much about her career.  That time we spent in the 18 months before her death were both gut-wrenching, and precious.

So here I am 7 years later, and I am now a mother of two beautiful boys. Her words to me resonate every day: “Having kids is the hardest job in the world….and also the most rewarding”. Many times she told me that I would never understand the depth of love that a mother has for a child until I had kids of my own. She was absolutely correct. Even in my haze of grief and sorrow, when I gave birth to my first child 67 days after her death, the enormous love I had for my son almost overwhelmed me.

I don’t know how people deal with grief, I only know how I experience my own. I feel the acute pain of her absence almost every day. For me the word grief is a word which is present tense; I don’t know how or when I will ever “get over it”. Dozens of times each day I think of her, as I try to insert her into the mundane details of my day to day life.

And so on Mother’s Day this year, as every year, I will have a wonderful meal with my husband and kids, and be thankful for the blessing that they have been in my life. And I will visit the cemetery, and sit beside her tombstone and shed a few tears. And I will continue to miss her, and wish that my Mother’s Day included her sitting beside me.

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

King James Version (KJV)

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Random Ideas Tagged With: , , , , ,

Product Reviews: Breast-Cancer-Tshirts.com

April 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Breast Cancer t-shirt

Breast Cancer t-shirt I received

The cause which is nearest and dearest to my heart is breast cancer awareness. I have mentioned this in previous posts before, but my mother died of breast cancer 7 years ago at the age of 56. The horrific nature of this disease has made me passionate about this type of cancer which afflicts 1 in 7 women in their lifetime.

So I was thrilled when I was sent a breast cancer t-shirt to review. I have a few breast cancer shirts in my closet, which I love to wear throughout the year. I also plan on doing a breast cancer fundraising walk in September, so these types of shirts are very useful.

This shirt came from an online store called breast-cancer-tshirts.com. They have a nice selection of t-shirts which feature breast cancer messaging, the ubiquitous pink ribbon and other related graphics. The designs are great, and many of them appealed to the girly-girl in me.

Although the shirt that I received was a man’s size and shape, I was happy to see that you can also order girlie-shaped tees, tank tops, hoodies and more. I received the “Be Tata Aware Lets Save Them All” shirt in white. The shirt is very well constructed, a thick cotton which retained its shape after being washed. You can tell that it is a good quality shirt which is not going to disintegrate after repeated washings. I plan on accessorizing this shirt with my pink feather boa when I do my fundraiser walk in the fall!

Probably my favorite breast cancer shirt from their online store was this one!

I love this breast cancer tee!

I love this breast cancer tee!

Breast-cancer-tshirts.com stand by the quality of their products. If for any reason you are dissatisfied with your purchase, they will offer you a refund or exchange if you contact them within 72 hours of receiving your purchase.

I give breast-cancer-tshirts.com a definite thumbs up!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
 

 

 

 

 

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Weight Loss Challenge: Willpower, No. Mindfulness, Yes!

April 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

weight loss photo: Weight Loss Weight-Loss-Help.jpg

Since I have started my weight loss challenge last year, I have talked to many people about their own challenges with extra pounds. People often ask me questions like, “What’s your secret?” The other thing that people tell me all the time is, “You must have a lot of willpower!”

Ok, stop right there. Do I have a lot of willpower?

Easy answer to that is NO. It sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true. I don’t think that I have any more willpower than the next person. So how does that make sense, given the fact that I’ve lost 40 pounds and several inches of body fat over the last 8 months?

My answer: MINDFULNESS.

Let me get one thing straight first: I have never been a super skinny girl. My family DNA consists of women who are “solid” but not fat. I have always struggled with my weight, although I doubt people really labelled me as “fat”.

As I grew older, and had my kids, I watched my weight drift very slowly upwards. It wasn’t anything drastic, but a pound a year over the course of “X” years, and, well, you get the picture. After my Mom died, I sank into a very deep depression and part of my “therapy” was eating. All the things that I used to eat in moderation were suddenly a bit more easily consumed, and I had this whole mindset of “Well, if she was healthy, and she died so young, then what’s the use in eating healthy?”

I usually avoided mirrors, as I never really liked my appearance. Also, I never weighed myself, so I really didn’t have a handle on how much weight I had gained. Then, one day, I went to the doctor’s office, and the new nurse on duty insisted on weighing me before I went inside to see the physician. The number absolutely FLOORED me. I couldn’t believe that I weighed that much. How I didn’t burst into tears at that very moment, I’ll never know.

From that point, I realized that there was a problem, and that it needed to be fixed. I started by hiring a personal trainer to help me get my flabby frame into some kind of shape. After months of training, I had not lost even a single pound. My trainer was stumped. “What exactly are you eating, Jennifer?” I muttered something about not eating that badly, and she said that I needed to get it on paper. EVERYTHING. A whole week of recording every morsel that went into my month. Talk about daunting.

journals photo: journals journals.jpg

As I started to record my food intake, it became pretty clear that I was ingesting way too much food, and way too much of the wrong types of foods. I joined Weight Watchers Online as I was in desperate need of guidance. The information I gleaned from WW was really helpful, and it helped me develop a framework for the kinds of foods I need to eat, and how much.

The whole key to my weight loss: PAYING ATTENTION. MINDFULNESS.

Imagine not knowing how much you weighed? For years I never knew my own weight, and I didn’t care to find out. Once you know that you are, say, 50 pounds overweight, it becomes a lot more difficult to justify eating a Peanut Buster Parfait at DQ. (secret ice cream obsession, sorry!)

Once I started paying closer attention to the quantity and quality of my diet, the pounds quickly started coming off. As I started seeing the numbers going down, it was not as attractive to eat greasy, calorie ridden foods to satisfy my every whim.

I have started to understand my own personal equilibrium: what goes in food-wise (and how much), and what is the consequence of those dietary decisions. Once I finish my weight loss challenge, (15 more pounds to go!) I will slightly adjust my intake to reflect the fact that I am no longer in weight loss mode, but weight maintenance mode.

One thing won’t change, and that’s the ongoing monitoring. The minute I stop paying attention to those food decisions, the weight will start to pile back on, and that’s not a road I wish to travel again.

 

photo Jennifer_Design-09.jpg

Filed Under: Health and Wellness Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Product Review: T-Shirt From KissMyShamrock.com

April 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment

My St Paddy's Day Tee

My St Paddy’s Day Tee

I spent St. Patrick’s Day in Florida this year, and sadly my t-shirt from KissMyShamrock.com was waiting for me in the mailbox in Canada. What a shame! Had I been home this year, I would have been able to wear it. No matter. I will DEFINITELY be wearing it on March 17th next year.

KissMyShamrock features – what else – but St. Patrick’s Day themed tees. I had no idea there were so many different St. Paddy’s Day t-shirts out there! It’s a popular holiday to be sure, and as I noticed when I watched the evening news on St. Patrick’s Day, the stories showed revellers in bars and restaurants and ALL of them seemed to wearing green themed shirts. If you were to go to one of these parties in regular clothes, you would have looked downright foolish!

KissMyShamrock.com has a huge variety of shirts to choose from. Some are cute, some are a bit more R-rated. Something for everyone to be sure! The thing that I really liked about their site, is that you can choose the St. Patrick’s logo you want on your shirt, and then you can choose the type of shirt you want: long sleeve tee, short sleeve tee, tank top, hoodie, girlie tees. That’s what I call catering to the consumer.

No, it's not me, it's a model wearing another Irish tee from KissMyShamrock.com

No, it’s not me, it’s a model wearing another Irish tee from KissMyShamrock.com

The t-shirt I received from KissMyShamrock was made of a durable cotton, and after washing it, it retained its shape and size. No shrinking at all. You can tell by looking at the shirt that’s it not some cheap shirt that’s going to fall apart after a couple washings,

KissMyShamrock is very proud of the quality of shirt they produce, and they offer a guarantee to those who buy their product. From their website: If for ANY reason, you are not completely satisfied with your order,
contact our customer service dept. and we will make it right for
you. Guaranteed!

I really liked my t-shirt, and would give them a hearty two thumbs up. Next St. Patrick’s Day, I’ll be wearing my new Irish tee, along with my set of green beads!

 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Product Review: Kienna Coffee Pods

April 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Kienna Coffee Kup

Kienna Coffee Cup

If you should know anything about me, it’s that I am a coffee fanatic. I absolutely ADORE coffee. My co-workers know that it’s not often that you see me without a cup nearby.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was to be able to review some coffee. Talk about doing the work you love!

Kienna Coffee Roasters is a family run company which has been in the coffee business for 79 years. They are a homegrown Canadian company, based in Calgary. Their business used to focus on the coffee needs of office clients. With the advent of single serve coffee machines, Kienna branched out and now offers their very own single serve coffee pods.

I was given a KiennaCUP to try out. Essentially, the KiennaCUP is a reusable plastic adapter (BPA free!) which can be used with any Keurig single serve coffee brewer. Each KiennaCUP has a lifespan of about 5000 cups. That’s amazing! You place the single serve Kienna coffee pod into the KiennaCUP, place it into the Keurig brewer, and voila, your coffee is ready in about a minute.

Kienna coffee pods are an eco-friendly Keurig alternative to Keurig K-Cups. The biodegradable coffee pods look similar to a circular tea bag. No use of disposable plastic (which will be thrown out anyway) each time you make a new cup of coffee.

This Calgary coffee roaster offers a nice variety of coffee pods. The flavour which I tried was Colombian dark, which was a nice, full-bodied roast for people who don’t shy away from a strong cup of joe. The variety which I would like to try is Backpacker’s Brew which is billed as “An exceptional blend of African, Indian, and Central American coffees.  Smooth in body, pleasant dark roast taste with very little bitter aftertaste.”

I was really impressed with my KiennaCUP experience. The fact that the KiennaCUP is an eco-friendly alternative to the K-Cup is really awesome. Then, there’s the coffee itself, which is DELICIOUS. It’s always a happy day when I can add a new type of coffee to my repertoire, and Kienna is a real nice find.

So where can you buy Kienna coffee? You can buy their coffee pods and KiennaCUP online, and at a host of retailers, including Bed Bath and Beyond. Visit their website to find a retailer near you.

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Product Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Weight Loss Challenge: Treating Myself With Some Healthy(er) Chocolate Cake

April 4, 2013 by 4 Comments

Ok, so what’s a girl to do! I am on this weight loss challenge, have lost 39 pounds, only about 15 pounds to go. As it stands, I have had very few indulgences over the last 6 months. I have been following the Weight Watchers Points Plus program religiously, and it has served me well.

HOWEVER! This girl loves chocolate. I mean I absolutely LOVE chocolate. You should have seen me scarf down chocolate in my pre-Weight Watchers days. It was unreal. That was a big reason that I was a BIG girl. I had to learn to portion out my foods and choose my sweets wisely! That means no late night ice cream bowls with sprinkles.

I heard about a yummy Weight Watchers recipe for chocolate cake, which my boss tried and said was delicious. With no hesitation, I headed to the grocery store to buy my ingredients.

cakeprep

The difference between this cake was using egg whites (instead of eggs), unsweetened applesauce (instead of white sugar), lower fat butter (instead of the full fat version) and using fat-free sour cream to give it some moisture and nice mouth feel.

I used the following ingredients:

3/4 fl oz water

2/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup dried shredded coconut

5 large egg whites ( I used the liquid egg whites found in the dairy case, 10 tbsp is equal to 5 large egg whites)

1 cup buttermilk ( I used one cup 1% skimmed milk, added 1 tbsp white vinegar, and let it sit 5 minutes to make buttermilk)

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

2 tbsp light butter (I could only find this in a tub form, Gay Lea brand in Canada)

1/2 chopped pecans

1 box German chocolate cake mix (I could not find this, so I used chocolate devils food cake mix)

The butter and water were melted in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the brown sugar until smooth. Pour the mixture into a non-stick 9X13″ baking pan which has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle the coconuts and pecans evenly over this mixture.

Next the cake part! Beat egg whites on high for 30 seconds. Add buttermilk, sour cream and applesauce, and beat well. Add cake mix, beat on lowest speed for 30 seconds to get the mixture wet, then on high for 2 minutes. Pour the cake mixture into the pan, and bake for 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Place the finished cake in the pan on a cooking rack until cool. Makes 16 pieces.

DSC03251

It’s chocolate cake time!

It was not a difficult recipe to make at all. The Weight Watchers points value was 7, for those who follow. Not the lowest value dessert I have had, but well worth the splurge. I am totally of the mindset that if you deny, deny, deny yourself the yummy stuff in life, at some point your willpower breaks, and then you go berserk and binge on all those forbidden foods. So a little bit of dessert, once or twice a week is a nice treat for me. I find I don’t crave things as much as I thought I would, and I find that even a small taste seems to quell that need to have sweets.

My chocolate upside down cake tasted great, we had it with a cup of tea. It was amazing! I would recommend eating it warmed up, with a small scoop of fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt if possible.

Try this amazing recipe, and happy eating!!

It's time for cake and tea!

It’s time for cake and tea!

photo Jennifer_Design-09.jpg

 

 

 

 

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