Charity Miles Team!

Hey friends! So as you know I'm always looking for ways to give back. I've recently discovered an awesome app that allows you to help out a charity simply by walking. I've only used it once so far, so I'm not an expert but in this post I'll tell you all I know and how I've formed a team for us to work together.

So you can download Charity Miles on either your Apple or Android phone for free. When you open up the app it immediately opens up a list of organizations that you can choose to run or walk for. There are 37 to choose from and they are all wonderful!

As I mentioned before I have only used the app once and it was to go on a walk with Chris and Zoram. I let Chris choose and his pick was the American Diabetes Association, but you are able to pick a new charity every time you use the app. A lot of the charities are ones that I have previously or have planned to use for Charity of the Month. I'm thinking that if we can build up our team then we can just follow my pick for Charity of the Month and make a bigger dent in helping out an awesome organization. 

I'm getting ahead of myself, let's do a little more explaining.

The app uses the GPS in your phone to measure your distance. It can also use motion sensors if running indoors, but most likely it'll be less accurate. Personally I wish it could connect to my Fitbit and get my miles from there because I've been doing a lot of treadmill workouts. Maybe someday it'll happen. 

However, like with my Fitbit, there are always inconsistencies and room for error. So I wouldn't recommend using this solely to track distance for a workout. For me personally, I just let it do its thing and whether or not the numbers are completely accurate, I'm not going to worry about it. 

Walkers and runners can earn up to 25¢ and cyclists can earn 10¢ per mile. I realize this is not a lot, but as a team we can make a difference. (I promise I'll get to the team in a minute.)

The app is super easy to use. You just open it up, choose your charity, then start your walk. That's it. Insanely easy! When you're done you have the option to share your miles and progress on social media, if you want. This app is fantastic at not taking over any of your social media and posting things that you don't want to. 

I've also been able to connect this app to my Walgreens Balance Rewards account. Walgreens is amazing at helping out organizations in need and I'm able to get rewarded for my efforts using this app and taking care of my body through exercise. You can earn 20 points for every mile. Since I live in walking distance to Walgreens and it's my go-to drop in place, I love that I can get rewards in the store simply by walking, while also helping out charitable organizations. Seriously, how could it get any better than that? 

You can set reminders on the app as well so you don't forget to take your daily walk, run, or bike ride. 

If you have any further questions on this app you can check out their FAQ page HERE. 

Finally, let's get into teams. Because of my desire for Charity of the Month, I've decided to create a team for all of us to work together towards the same goal. Simply go to the menu bar, click teams then type in DancingCowHerd to find our team. I'm currently the only member (big shocker there) and the team page looks like this:

As I said, I've only used this app once while walking my dog, so our team mile total is very low, but I'm planning on doing a 5k soon and if I can find a good way to keep my phone on my person while I run on the treadmill at the gym every day (because I've been doing awesome at it), then my personal miles will go up. Also, hopefully, more people join our team and our team total will grow. 

Now I will continue to do Charity of the Month each month and if the charity I choose is one of the options on this app then I will be using it for the month. I would love if you joined me in choosing the Charity of the Month so we could make a bigger impact for the month, but you are always welcome to choose your own. I would never force you to ignore a charity you are truly passionate about. 

If you decide to download the app, please join our team and don't forget to track your miles. I would love to have you join my team and together we can make a difference. 

____________________________________________________________________

I am not affiliated with Charity Miles or Walgreen Balance Rewards programs in any way. I was not compensated and any views or opinions were my own.

Pinterest Sunday: Fitness & Health

So this Pinterest Sunday is more specific. I have gained about 25 pounds since my wedding and I am so sick of it! I'm not happy with my weight and my clothes don't fit me, so I'm doing something about it. So these are my favorite pins from Pinterest about losing weight, and some Youtube videos as the end. Enjoy!

You can find my whole Fitness board HERE. 

How Runners Build Endurance

50 Ways to Lose 10 Pounds

These are some really good ideas that are simple to do! 

Pinterest Sundays: Dinosaur, Vest, Hugging a Fish, Mila Kunis, Tiger, Etsy, Anthony Robbins, Library, Lies, Fall, Friends, Isaiah, Dance, Demi Lovato, Victoria Secret, Youtube, Bed, Princesses, Books, and Children.

I missed last Sunday and I was so upset! So this week's might be extra long, might be, we'll see. Enjoy!

So there's a super long pin that can be found HERE and I'm in love with it! Please check it out!!

I don't have much to say about this picture except that I love it. :)

I love this outfit so much and it's getting me really excited for fall! If you haven't already, don't forget to check out my back to school looks! 

I'm in love with this picture. It's both adorable and hilarious at the same time. Her face is just so cute! This picture reminds me of my husband and his love for fish and I'm sure he'll teach our daughter to love fish as much as this little girl. Ha ha!

My husband always tells me I look like Mila Kunis, I disagree, but I absolutely love her hair and makeup in this picture and it's a look that I would love to try out for myself. 

Love this quote and picture! It's just so cute and inspiring! 

My 2013 Resolutions

So we are halfway through the year 2013, which in my opinion went by super fast. This is a crazy year. I got married, I moved back to Logan, I'm starting school again in the fall... crazy. :)

So at the beginning of the year I made 10 New Years Resolutions. Since we're halfway through the year I figure now would be a good time to look back at those resolutions and see how well I'm doing and remind myself to keep working on some of them. So here are my 2013 resolutions and what I've been doing on them.

1. To limit my income of sugar and salt. (Okay, so this one I was doing pretty good at before my wedding. I didn't eat any sugar and salt in order to fit in my wedding dress.... but after the wedding I kind of lost it. I've gained about ten pounds since getting married, so I need to work on this goal some more again.)

2. To learn to love cooking. (I haven't worked on this one. I was lucky to marry a guy who is great at cooking and doesn't mind doing it. But I did cook something special that was very very delicious!! You can find it HERE.)

3. To become more flexible. (I haven't been working on this one either, however, I was stretching the other day and did my left splits completely. So I haven't lost any flexibility, which is good, but I want to be stronger in my flexibility, so I'll keep working on that.)

4. To become a better friend. (Yeah... I don't have anything to say on this one. I current don't have any friends in Logan except my husband, but when school starts I'll work on that...)

5. To work harder for my education. (I don't know if I'm accomplishing this or not. School hasn't started yet. But I am super excited for school and making sure I have all the right tools and study time for this semester. I'm so excited!!!)

6. To learn ways to spend less money. (Well I don't spend money right now because I have none. So I guess I'm doing this, in a way.)

7. To (finally) get my six pack. (Again, I worked on it at the beginning of the year before my wedding, but I'm failing at it now. Actually, no, I'm giving myself credit because I did a lot of abs workouts today. So I'm working on it.)

8. To be more organized and clean. (I am slightly surprised that our apartment stays as clean as it does. If you would have seen my bedroom before I got married you would never know it to be possible, but we work together and do a great job at keeping our apartment clean. We struggle, but we're still getting used to things.)

9. To blog more. (I regret to say I have not been doing this. This year, as stated above, has been crazy. With wedding plans, honeymoons, busy work schedules to zero work, this year has been filled with ups and downs and craziness that has kept me from writing as much as I would like. But lately I've been doing a bit better. We'll see though. The goal is to write everyday.)

10. To love Chris more each and every day. (I am very proud to say that I do follow this. I can honestly say I love Chris more than I did at the beginning of the year. I love him more now than I did when we got married. Heck, I love him more today than I did yesterday! I'm so happy to be married to him. We're having the best time in the world and being married to my best friend is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.)

Favorite Ab Attacks!!

I'm trying to get a six pack before my wedding. I'm following a diet and exercising everyday. Here are my favorite ab workouts that I've found on Pinterest!

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE!!

Hey blogging world! I hope you're as excited for 2013 as I am... because I'M GETTING MARRIED THIS YEAR!!! :)

Anyways, as is customary, I have a few New Years Resolutions to start out 2013. I hope you have all thought up so new resolutions, and if not, (if you're in Utah like me) then you still have a couple hours. And actually, I think it's acceptable to still be thinking of resolution on New Years Day. I'll allow it.

So, without any further ado, here are my 2013 New Years Resolutions:

1. To limit my income of sugar and salt. (when I die, they doctors will say "Woah!! She ate way too much salt!" because I do, daily. I just eat it. It's delicious and a horrible addiction. So my goal is to stop that and only use it when necessary (like on everything... just kidding))

2. To learn to love cooking. (I'm getting married this year and for Christmas this year I got a binder to hold recipes (that is adorable!) so I really want to start cooking more. Besides, I have a million recipes on my Pinterest page just waiting to be tried!!)

3. To become more flexible. (I've been taking a flexibility class... so here's hoping!)

4. To become a better friend. (Yeah... I don't have a lot of friends it seems so I figure if I work harder to be a better friend it will help. But, the friends I do have are the greatest in the world! I love them all so much!!)

5. To work harder for my education. (The past three years I've been in college feel like a waste considering I have to retake like 4 or 5 classes. I need to push myself harder! This is my year to be a better student!!)

6. To learn ways to spend less money. (I've been a little addicted to Extreme Couponing lately. They spend like $8 on $500 worth of groceries!! It's ridiculous! I don't want to be quite that extreme, but I do want to save money anyway I can. Money will be really tight once I get married in May, but Chris and I are both willing to work hard and save wherever we can.)

7. To (finally) get my six-pack. (I know I can do it!!! For Christmas I got Jillian Michaels' Six Weeks to Six Pack workout video and I fully intend to make it work. I will have a six-pack by May for my wedding. I will!!!)

8. To be more organized and clean. (It's not that I'm a terribly messy person, and I do like this organized, but if anyone were to walk in my room right now... it's kind of impossible to walk in my room right now. I just have too much stuff! I need to de-clutter and organize what I have so that when I move in with Chris he isn't appalled by my mass amount of junk (yes I have a very large collection of clothes, but that is not going out... ever))

9. To blog more!!! (I really love writing on this blog! It makes me happy and I love sharing my thoughts and ideas with you! I also really want this blog to be helpful for others. So please leave your comments and tell me what you think. Also, remember that any proceeds I get from this blog go to charity, so spread the word. The more followers I get, the more money I'll have to send to charities! (by way of Charity of the Month, which doesn't currently exist because I don't have enough followers, please share this page with others!))

10. To love Chris more each and every day! (I'm so excited to get married this year!! Chris really is my soulmate, and he deserves for me to show it to him every single day! Love you Christopher!)

8 Week Get Healthy Challenge: Final Evaluation

So I'm a little late, but last week was the final week of our diet. And boy was I happy about that. I can finally eat sugar again! :) But I learned a couple things from this experience:

• I never drank enough water during the day and now I really like to.
• I also never ate enough fruits and vegetables during the day, but it's not hard to, and eating the right amount isn't as many as you think it is. (our challenge required us to eat 3 servings of vegetable a day with a "serving" defined as 1/2 cup)
• Eating fruits and vegetables is delicious! 
• I love working out. I kind of already knew that, but being required to work out 5 days a week helped me remember that I need to do it more, because it just makes me happy.
• I hate keeping a food journal. I even use My Fitness Pal (an app I use on my Kindle Fire) and it's not that exciting. It's boring and it seems pointless. 
• I love sugar. And forcing me to only eat sugar once a week isn't a good idea, but I was actually very good at following that. :)
• My uncle loses weight way too easily and we should never go in a weight loss competition with him ever again. 
• It's a lot easier than I thought to lose weight.

Seriously, that last one is true. Because... I LOST EIGHT POUNDS DOING THIS CHALLENGE!  Yay! And now, since I'm able to eat sugar again, I've gained it all back! Just kidding, it only feels like it because I've been splurging on sugar this week. I still want to lose ten more pounds but since I didn't even notice losing the first eight pounds, it shouldn't be that hard to lose ten more. I'm setting a goal for myself to lose the ten pounds before my wedding. Which gives me a lot of time (at the rate my boyfriend is going for getting me a ring). That even means I can get through the major holidays coming up the next few months, and then lose my weight after (I'm only being realistic, I know how much candy I eat at Christmas time). 

So to help me lose my ten more pounds, I'm starting my own challenge with my readers! I'm going to figure out what it's all about then post more information later. But if you want to be a part of my challenge to lose ten pounds, please leave a comment to let me know you're interested. 

I love my readers! Thanks for stopping by!

--Kaylee

Product Review: Jillian Michaels Extreme Shed and Shred!

So I started doing this workout video. There are two levels, I've done level 1 a couple times and level 2 only once. But my goodness, this really is an extreme workout.

Extreme Shed and Shred is designed to give you a strengthened and toned body fast! When you buy the DVD it comes with a meal plan to help you get all over nutrition and fitness to give you the perfect body. The DVD is my mom's so I haven't done the meal plan. But combining this video with the 8-Week Get Healthy Challenge that I'm currently doing, and I think I'll be okay.

Everyday I wake up sore because of this DVD. I don't know if you've seen The Biggest Loser at all, but Jillian Michaels is tough. "TV's toughest trainer" as some people call her. This workout is definitely hard core.  If you're looking for something to really tone you, I would highly recommend this video.

What's more, most workout DVD's I can't even finish. This DVD, I can finish it. I'm a sweaty, exhausted, sore wreck after it, but I can finish it. Which is a big accomplishment for me. It's hard work, you can feel it working, but it's not like any of the moves are impossible to do (which in some videos, that's what it seems like). My abs get so sore, so I'm hoping this will help me get my six pack abs. :)

I know there are youtube videos of this workout, so if you want to check it out more, just look it up. You can also find more on the website: http://jillianmichaels.shop.sportstoday.com/Dept.aspx?cp=14308_39474.

--Kaylee

8 Week Weight Loss/ Get Healthy Challenge!

So this is really fun because I'm doing it with my family. It can all be found through this link: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/01/8-week-printable-weight-loss-get.html. So my aunt and uncle did this about a month ago, and they're starting it up again with my family. My uncle lost 28 pounds after this! 28 pounds! He said it was the easiest weight loss program he had ever done!

Now I'm only trying to lose about ten pounds (more would be nice, but everyone thinks I'd look anorexic if I lost any more than that), but this program is great because it's teaching you habits that you should already have for a healthy life. For example, the program requires that everyday you:

• Drink 64 oz of water
• Eat three servings of vegetables
• Eat three servings of fruit
• Work out 30 to 45 minutes
• No sugary treats/snacks

This program/challenge is really easy, but it's really good because you are doing it on a competitive level! Everyone in my family participating put in $10 and the winners win the money! When you're in a competition, you're more likely to work harder. 

I'm going to keep all my followers up-to-date on how I'm doing in the challenge. I hope this inspires you to start the challenge as well! 

--Kaylee

Products That Just... What?

I love exciting new inventions and products that make our lives better and easier. Example, I'm in love with my Kindle Fire. It's incredibly useful and just fun. But there are some new things that I just... what? Really? Can they be serious? So here's my list of weird inventions, products, technology, etc.

1. The Facekini

Okay, I barely even have words for this one. Seriously? Someone thought this was a good idea? Apparently it's the new thing on China beaches (article found here: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/08/22/facekini-craze-takes-over-beaches-in-china/ ). My favorite part of this article is this:

"Note: the Facekini is also just the ticket if one is going straight from the beach to a bank robbery."

Do people really want to wear that to a beach? The colors make it beautiful and all... no... still not beautiful. Quite honestly, it creeps me out. But hey, if you're really that afraid of getting sunburnt or skin cancer, it's quite useful.

2. Bathmat that turns red when wet

Okay, this one makes me laugh, and is actually pretty cool. But red? Red is one of my favorite colors and all, but this seriously looks like blood. You could really freak someone out I guess...

3. Picnic Pants: For When Eating Off Your Crotch is Something You Want to Do

I swear I'm not making this stuff up. Sometime I worry about the laziness in America (and other places around the world). You can't balance a plate on your leg? You need pants to hold your plate in place? Oh, okay...? It's only a bonus that it's super fashionable as well.

4. The Defibrillator Toaster

This one is awesome. I don't really have words for it. I think it's funny.

5. Shark Pillow/Sleeping Bag

I like this one too. How fun would that be for little children? It's also great for teaching your children that sharks are nothing to really fear. Ha. But it looks like it would be comfortable...

6. AB Hancer

Ha ha. I don't have much to say about this one either. It's just too funny! This should be my new workout plan to get my six pack!! ;)

7. Honda Uni-Cub

Oh wow! How fun is that! You know what it reminds me of? The chairs for all the fat people in Wall-E.

The article I read about this product even said that Honda is supporting a fat future (found here:http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-57434692-48/honda-uni-cub-promotes-our-fat-lazy-future/?ttag=fbw). This are a bit better than the chairs in Wall-e, I guess, I mean they aren't as big, they don't have all these technological advances that make us just incredibly lazy. But there are others that are more like the Wall-e chairs.

8. Sleeping Bag

This one is great! On camping trips you can just wear your sleeping bag as your pajamas! And if you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, no messing around with zippers trying to get out of your bag, just take it with you!! If I had this, I'd wear it around campus, just to see people's reactions. And then I could just fall asleep anywhere in my handy dandy sleeping bag! 

9. Full Body Sweater

So I go to Utah State in Logan, Utah and the winters there are really cold. Like really cold. I lose motivation to go to class because I don't want to brave the cold. So this would be kind of nice on those cold nights... but really... I would never wear that. Why? Because I'm not an alien. 

and here comes my favorite...

10. The Hawaii Chair!!!

Now I can't say much more than what you see in this video. So here you go. Shout out to Ellen!! 

--Kaylee