Ready...Get Set...Go!

Oh Yea it's here, the time had arrived. We are Packing, making final arrangements, checking our list twice , and getting ready to leave on that GoWestMyFriend trip. In case your did not know we are going to Colorado, Nevada, Arizona , California and A Mystery State ( no Lexxie I will not blog it now!). My daughter has been trying her hardest to find out where it is, hehehe. I will not tell anyone. My friend suggested Blindfolding her so she will not even see from the plane. Somehow I think she will hear. So until the day of the flight she will not know, not from Hubby or my lips.

In Colorado we will be Water Water Rafting and other Mountain sports. We are spending The Fourth of July in Cripple Creek. They have a Big Old Fashion Celebration complete with Fireworks, One of the largest in Colorado.
Then off to Las Vegas there we will travel around the world on the strip, and plan to see the BlueManGroup!
Next stop Arizona, we will be viewing the Grand Canyon. Booked with two different Tour companies to see the all the sides. We are staying at Legacies Bed and Breakfast. It is owned by A friend of the family. We are looking forward to seeing them again.
Onward to California to see Disneyland and Universal Studio. Fun and Walking. Looking forward to eying Mickey one of my favorite character. Will be on the look out for Movie Stars. I hope to see Johnny Depp (oh, I just love Pirates of the Caribbean). Now I hear he will be The Mad Hatter on Alice in Wonderland ( as my Daughter says...Sweeet).
We will then cool down in our Mystery Place. No I will not say.

Please continue to drop by and check in. I will be posting some while on vacation.
Please make a stop over at At Home with Auntie E I have more info on that site about the trip.
Do not forget to drop over to Auntie E's Yard and Garden there I will be posting photos of all the gardens and out door wild life we visit there.
See you all from the West side of the Country..Only One Day left then Off We Go.

On-Line Health fitness Sites {part 2}

Today I found a site with different tickers. I really liked the choice and lay out of the tickers. Families.com is a site with all sorts of resources, as well as Advice Blogs. It looks like they have been in existence since 2004. The membership is Free. The Sites tabs include, Community, Parenting, Pregnancy, Family, Entertainment, At Home, Health, and Savings.
The Community tab takes you to Forums, tickers, a Members directory and Who's online. Here you can read and post in the forum, learn the members and see how active they are.
Click on Parenting and your choices are from Parenthood in all circumstances to Education (even homeschooling). They even have a Parenting Forum.
Pregnancy offers a Blog, Counters and a forum. Family stretches from Single-Parent to Marriage. there is also Blogs relating to Christian, Jewish and Latter Day Saints families. This also has a Family Forum.
In the entertainment section you will find, Places to go, notes on Pop Culture, Scrapbooking tips, Information on photography, Media reviews, and an Entertainment Forum. Once in the Forum you can find info about Games, Movies, Hobbies, Sports, TV and they even have a Book Club.
At home Covers things from changing Furniture, Painting rooms, to Outdoor Stuff. There are even recipes to try.
Savings has Coupons you can print, Rebate info and Hot deals you can get.

Now let get into the Health part; Health advice, Mental health, fitness, weightloss and health forums are showcased. I like this part because there is advice on how to get teens to eat Breakfast {now you know us with teens have that problem}, A quick way to stop Snoring { No more sleepless night,hehe}, and much more info on health related things. The fitness/ weight loss parts have articles on excerising in our yard, on vacation or anywhere else. Here's one we all can use " How to Keep Skin Tight While Losing weight".
Anyway you look at it the Web has all storts of help, encouragement and infomation for us to achieve a Healthier Life Style.

Bogging back Time-My First Pet.

It's Thursday, time for If I could Blog back time. I really like this Meme because it makes me dig back in my old memories. In this Fast paced time it is so easy to forget the past. To not allow myself the luxury of dementia ,which is nice when you have teens, I need to keep the mind filled and working. SO, WHY DON'T YOU JOIN IN? Go over to THE DINER and Sign in.
Today's topic: My First Pet .

My first pet. Our family had many pets; a Bunny , Cats, Chickens to list a few. However they were not mine. I walked to High school each day, one day I found this little kitten abandon. so, I brought it home. We already had a Siamese Cat and they family was not pleased to have another. My Grandmother was living with us then and she chime in for me. The family let me keep the cat. I name it and It was all mine!
Now here comes the story of that cat....First of all the Siamese had to get use to her. Once that happened the Siamese felt like he had to teach her how the defend herself. My Cat was wise (I was the only one who thought this) she would go outside and pick a fight, then yell and the Siamese would come and save the day!
My cat did not know how to eat. She would gulp everything. One day my grandmother put out some cheese on the counter. Granny went to do something came back and the cheese was gone, this was in a short time. Granny was convinced one of us kids ate the cheese, when low and behold here comes my cat... with a belly distended and swaying back and forth. You could actually see the outline of the cheese block.
I will tell you to this day My cat is referred to as "the dumbest cat ever". It has been given that nick name. To this Day my cat is talked about! Now I ask you How Dumb is that? She figured out how to keep her 9 lives alive forever! I believe when I am long gone " the Dumbest cat" legacy will still live on!

Weigh-in Wednesday

Dad was up for the Fathers Day weekend. We enjoyed eating our coconut things. We seem to be the only ones who like coconut. I did not loose weight. However I stay the same. Vacation coming up I am determine to eat healthy, while I do all sorts of sports. Thanks for your support.
Thursday post will be IF I COULD BLOG BACK TIME THURSDAY, My first pet. Drop by to enjoy memory lane. Better yet join in, link up tomorrow at Lola's Diner.

Monday Post

It's Monday hubby and Dad are busy replacing a sump pump, Daughter and I are getting ready to exercise in the pool temp is high 80's. Did anyone watch that ABC show last night,Called" IMPACT". They dared to bait and Hook us like fish, hehe. Now to see the rest we have to wait till next Sunday,What is that!!!! I'll forget all about it by then. We are so disappointed in the ABC Network, I fought to stay awake just to learn I'll have to wait seven days to see the conclusion. Hubby and Dad said it was not worth it. What do you think...Will you make a point to see the conclusion?
Well off to exercise..hope to hear from you all.
If you didn't see it here's the Promo

A New Sweetener on the Market.

Weigh-in Wednesday was no change in the weight. However some inches were lost.
Now on to some other Info. I have been trying to be careful with the sugar intake. I am Hypoglycemic so the sugar intake must be watched carefully. the other day one of my dear friends and I were talking about alternatives in the market. A new sweetener out is Truvia, then there is Stevia. Now the two come from the same plant, Stevia (pictured above). The difference is in the ingredients, Truvia has Erythirtol and Stevia has Maltodextrin. I have been trying both of them. For Truvia I have to use the whole package(3.5gm)to satisfy my sweet taste. Stevia(1gm/package), half the package works out fine. I can even use less if adding a sweet cream to the mix.

What are these Ingredients:
"Erythritol is a sugar alcohol. It is made during a fermentation process, then it is purified. Persons suffering from irritable bowel syndrome or other digestive issues should avoid using products containing erythritol. It is possible erythritol can aggravate symptoms in these individuals or cause further problems.". It is still one of the safest sweetener on the grocery store shelves. Consumption should be limited to avoid digestive tract irritation. Can cause rumbling sound in the bowels."Children are the largest consumers of erythritol. Many teens and young children chew gum on a daily basis. If a child complains of stomach problems after chewing gum, erythritol might be the culprit"(according to ehow facts).

"Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide or polymer of carbohydrate, and is a member of the dextrin family. Dextrins are a group of carbohydrates having low molecular weight. They are produced from starch. Maltodextrin is also produced by cooking the starch, also known as hydrolysis of starch. While producing it, acid or enzymes are used for facilitating the break down of starch. Maltodextrin can be digested easily, and is available as a white powder." usually made from rice, potato or corn. It is easy to digest. Body builders who do heavy exercise or any other strenuous activity, take maltodextrin along with other nutrients, it speeds up the transportation of nutrients to the muscle tissues and cells. It also helps in the absorption of these nutrients. It is a good choice for those trying to lose 30 lbs or more. It is also used in Baby food. To this date there are no proven side effects( according to buzzle.com).

It seem that the Stevia sweetener is the best choice for me. I have been using Sweet-n-low for years. One problem with that is it tend to slow down the digestive process. Because Stevia is a low glycemic choice, is easy to digest, and can be absorbed easily , it will not slow down my system. A little sugar is good however,we tend to overdo it without realizing it.
Just one change in a food item can help one to achieve that getting fit lifestyle.

Some Information in the article was from eHOW , SooooSweet!(photo from soooo Sweet!),and from Buzzle.com

A Workout Weekend

Saturday I worked up at the pool area. We needed to lay carpet, that meant cleaning the area up. Racking , removing weeds, and adding on the the deck all before laying the carpet. A lot of muscle work indeed. Of course it was in the upper 80s pushing close to the 90s. I did the cleaning work, hubby did the deck work. Adding to the heat we burned some leaves and wood in our pit. So that meant it got hot and I needed to cool off. Into the pool I went! Bathing suit was on under my clothes(knowing I would be doing that,hehe). With Oldie's music playing exercising in the pool came naturally. Well, Hubby could not stand seeing me in the pool alone so he join me. A little break in the yard work is always nice. I was in and out of the pool all day.
Sunday, had family over. The Kids hit the pool and we swam and played. More pool exercise for me! Today my muscle feel it, however I will spend some time pool exercising. So, the exercise ticker moved quite a bit over the weekend.

Fitness Friday- Wii Fit Family

The family is all active on the Wii Fit. Daughter is on the last Quarter of Health. They have to Log all their food and exercise. Hubby is working with SparkPeople so he is exercising and logging food and I am also logging and exercising. This means the whole household is in tune, Finally! I like this because it has been a struggle to plan meals and deal with complaints about no desserts.
Did well this week lost 2 pounds. Weigh-In for me are Wednesday on this blog (see upper right- side bar).
Has anyone had a family member have a birthday while doing the Wii Fit? It was a shock when I turn on the Wii on heard " ... did you know Capt D has a birthday today,....do something special for him....". I just had to laugh the Wii reminding me. So ,when hubby came home I had him do his Wii fit. When he logged in (I wanted to see what it would do for him), there was a birthday party on the Wii..What a riot. Streamers and all. We went out to eat at The Outback. We only go once a year. We all enjoyed the Wii birthday celebration!

Summer Vacations Complete with Exercise.

Most people go on relaxing vacations. I have done that many times. Tendency to come back 10+ pounds more is great! This year Our Family Vacation will be complete with plenty of Exercise.
I thought I would introduce you to some of my other Blogs here.
At Home with Auntie E is the first. Now on that blog I have shared about this up coming trip. I even have a countdown on it. I will put some link at the end of this Post for you. I will be posting some photos and info while we are on the trip.
Auntie E's Yard and Garden, this one will be showing some of the beautiful cactus and various Gardens we visit while on the trip. Be sure to check it out in July for the upcoming photos and post.
Auntie E's CookBook, Oh.. all the food we will be enjoying. I will be sure to acquire some recipes to post. I post recipes that are healthy and easy to prepare. Sometime I do post a unique recipe that I truly Love to eat!!
Book reviews by Auntie E, will be taking books to read on the plane rides and airports. I have a least 3 on my list. I am sure I will be picking up some books while on the trip.
Finally This, Ready 2 Get Fit site, Our trip will be starting in Colorado. All the Mountain climbing, Rafting and Walking will surely keep us fit. Then to the Grand canyon area.... California...Desert... and then to a Surprise stop with all kinds of physical activities. I will be blogging about all of it.
If you visited my At Home site, you know I received a Netbook(RUBY) for Mothers Day. I will be taking that. With the car adapter and AT&T network plug in, I will be set!! READY, SET, LET'S ROW!
Links to post about this trip
Traveling 2 the West...Here we Come
Trip out West

Fitness Friday- One Week Down.

One week down and Three to go! that is my target date to fit into my summer clothes(in the Drawers). Did well this week, No emotional eating, exercised, and logged all activities on Spark People. I am really liking this site! It is so easy to use. They make it easy to log your activities and meals. I have never seen one site so organized.
Tabs on the sites takes one to the Nutrition log site. Once there you can view a plan meal or change it. I tend to use the add button, there are so many people participating that the archives are great. I just type in the food and look through the list. Choose it add it to my Favorites and post it to today meals. I have not had to use the add your own not listed button yet, that is such a time saver. I feel like my food intake is under control now!

Want to Join SparkPeople? Use the link and sign up, List Auntie E1 as your Friend. You will be able to follow me there and I will be able to follow you.

Weigh-In Wednesday

Did well this week. The new to me, SparkPeople has help get me back on the losing track. I'm Down, as you can see from the Weigh-in Ticker(on sidebar). One of the tools at SparkPeople that really helps me is the e-mail reminders. Every day I receive support messages from the site teams( I'm on several) and other users. All the e-mails motivate me to get going. After I read each one I get a spark point. These Point are used for various things. One is you can send a spark message with a Picture tool to any spark person, even to yourself. I have sent a jump rope to remind me to exercise. I really like the Spark Point system.

Online Health-Fitness Sites

Searching the Internet I found several user friendly health sites. The first one I found was Ediets. This program had three Diet/food Plans to choose from; Low Cholesterol, Meal delivery, and a Mediterranean diet. It had a diet community, live support, meals with shopping list, recipes club, Personal fitness trainer, and 3D video training. The requirements are; Once a month weigh in and once a month participation in Community board activities. There was a fee for this site, 17.96 every 28 days.
The Second Site I found was Free dieting. This site has tools; Calorie Counters, Food Calorie Guide, and Meal planner. It will give you a 1200 caloric meal menu which you can print out. One of the pluses on this site was, it had other site links. You could go to each site and check it out. I really liked that!

Now through the previous site I found SparkPeople. I was really impressed with this site. It is totally Free! You join, fill out a questionnaire(easy), create a sparkpage and your in. The site links you up with Spark teams, these team are very active.
Spark People has a Fitness tab. In the fitness section there are exercise you can do with a video, and there is a library of videos to choose from. Do not know how to start? No problem, based on your questions earlier a exercise plan is laid out for you. It is so easy to customize to your personal style.

The Nutrition section tab. What a God Send! The program is user friendly, there is a planed menu to fit your caloric needs. A menu is set up for you, however it can be changed to suit your desires. You can add your own recipes and there is a search section with a large archive to choose from. It is so easy to use that I look forward to logging my food and seeing the stats. The chore is not cumbersome.

There are many more tools in Spark People. I will post one per week as I learn more and more about the site. Please feel free to comment about these post. Tell me your feelings and your thoughts. What are you looking for? What are your likes and dislikes about Diet/Health Plans?