Where did January go?! Can't believe that this Monday is already February. That's another month gone that I won't be getting back. I'm in a weight loss contest at work that started on the 11th (why not start on January 1st??) and goes for six months. It hasn't motivated me like I thought it would, yet, but I'm going to try to focus today and see how it goes. Read an inspiring post by Tony this morning. Got a DM Tweet from Andrew reminding me to stick with it. Thanks guys. Shedding weight is hard work. Everyone once in a while it pays to focus on shedding weight in a variety of forms and here today I'm going to do some shedding of weight that has been building up by my own accord.
People send me stuff. This is one of the benefits of having a blog where I occasionally write about products. People send me stuff, and they hope I will write about their stuff. Of course I am sure they hope I write positively about their stuff. Sometimes that works out (I still use my Sansa Clip, love it) and sometimes it doesn't (thank you for your samples POM Wonderful people, but that stuff is just nasty).
Alas, my posting schedule has been slower than the pace at which products to review have piled up. I'm under no obligation to write about any of these products, yet I really should. I appreciate the opportunities I have had to eat, play or test these products and I should have done a full-blown review of each and every one of them. And I hope I can do more of that in the future. But for now I have to shed the weight of responsibilty I am currently feeling by having a chestfull of products that I haven't written about that I should mention in some way.
So, please indulge me as I lighten the load.
Bill from EatSmart sent me a simple but really cool Digital Kitchen Scale. I have a really lame old mechanical postage scale at home that gets occasional use (think pinewood derby car weighing rather than food), and this morning that's going in the garbage. Digital is the way to go, baby! EatSmart offers a variety of different scales including a higher end food scale that would probably be of interest to some of you. I've never been able to get into weighing my food. Here is how simple this scale is to use. Click the on button. Boom, shows 0g. Not wanting to risk scratching the gorgeous chrome plate I put a piece of paper on it to protect it. Whoops, now it says 2g. Hit the on button again to zero it out to 0g. Now I can put a quarter on there safely and see that it weighs 6g. Well what do you know! Simple example. but it really is that simple. I like this scale and it goes into the workshop for a proper duty weighing things instead of sitting in it's box on a shelf.
Dennis from Aurorae Yoga Mats sent me a yoga mat. Now, when he first offered to send me one I made it pretty clear I wasn't a yoga guy, but he sent it anyway. And I'm glad he did because it's pretty handy. But I pretty much just use it for stretching, when I do such a thing, and not for yoga but who knows maybe I will turn into a yoga guy. Aurorae offers a variety of different colored mats that "define your inner self" - I have an infinity mat which means "Strength, Sophistication, Professionalism, Potential of Endless Possibilities". The Aurorae yoga mat is an extra long yoga mat at 72"x24"x1/4" (although I'll have to take them at their word that is extra large compared to other yoga mats as this is my only one) and it looks good and doesn't smell funny, two things I suspect are important in a mat you may be schlepping around to yoga class. It unrolled and stayed unrolled very quickly and easily and it only took about 2 minutes for one of our cats to decide it was a great place for her yoga - and I couldn't keep her off of it for awhile. If yoga is your thing, check out Aurorae Yoga Mats.
The kind folks at Kraft sent me a huge box stuffed with a variety of Crystal Light Frozen Pops and Lemon Ices. The kids were excited about the shipment not just because they got to sample the treats but because it came shipped with a big block of dry ice. Who doesn't like dry ice? Good thing it came that way too because our freezer was full. Oh wait, we live in Minnesota. OK, just throw the box on the deck outside, that will work. The box actually helped insulate the frozen pops from the cold. That's life in Minnesota where you need to worry about your frozen pops getting too cold. My car thermometer read -12F yesterday morning as an example. Yeah, it's cold here. But let me tell you those Crystal Light frozen pops are low calorie but very delicious. Go to the website to request a coupon - I just did even though I still have some samples left. Good stuff.
Anna from Authors On The Web sent me a copy of Power Up: Unleash Your Natural Energy, Revitalize Your Health, and Feel 10 Years Younger, although interestingly enough when she sent it to me it was actually called "The Source" instead of "Power Up" although it is the same book. I suspect some marketing person decided that was a better name. According to the inner sleeve "The Source is the most comprehenisive., authoritative , and cutting-edge health guide avaiable on how to power up your energy, your health and your life." As I started to write this paragraph I skimmed through the book for the first time and I have to say it was compelling reading. I don't make time to read much these days like I should, hence one reason for this book having sat on the shelf, yet now that I have taken a peek at it I think I may be doing some more things with this book so stay tuned for that. The ideas presented look promising and I could see how it could help me.
Last but not least is the Mio Stride Heart Rate Monitor Watch. The selling point of this heartrate monitor watch is that it doesn't recquire a chest strap, which I know will appeal to some people. I actually like putting on the strap and my current monitor works well, so I really don't want to crack open the box on this thing. Rather, I'm going to give it away. So, if you are still with me at this point, you live in the US (sorry Andrew!) and you would like a brand spanking new heart rate watch that has never been opened, be the first commenter to say "I'll take that watch!" and I'll contact you privately to arrange shipment.
There, a little weight shed and I feel better. Now on to the real stuff.
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