Vitamins make me tired

About three weeks ago I decided to take it upon myself to do something good for my health. I realized that I will turn 40 this year and my body might need a little extra calcium and iron. I started to take a supplement that contained calcium, magnesium and zinc all in one. I also took a slow-release iron pill.

What I did was take one of each, every other day for a total of 4 times. Why only 4 times? It turns out that the combination of vitamins were exhausting me to the point that I had to take multiple naps each day and didn't want to cook, bake or do anything I enjoy. I was tired beyond tired and that is unlike me. I am a very high-energy person and I knew something was wrong. I decided to stop taking the supplements and drink a ton of water. Wouldn't you know that within 4 days, my energy came back and I felt like myself again! From now on I will use the right food as my supplement. I have never been able to take vitamins in combination because they do wonky things to my body. If I take a multi-vitamin, I will end up with flu-like symptoms. Crazy, huh?

Have you ever experienced anything like this before?

Getting fit with Smooth Fitness | Update #SmoothBlogger

I have been getting Tweets, email and Facebook messages asking me how I am doing with my Smooth Fitness treadmill. I will say this first...  I hate missing my workout days. I have gotten so used to my Monday-Friday routine that I don't feel well if I miss a day. We recently got some new furniture for both daughters' bedrooms and we had to temporarily fold the treadmill for two whole days. It was killing me! The good thing is it was out of the way for the delivery men to get in with the bulky furniture without any harm to my gorgeous machine ;-)

I might have mentioned before that I suffer from leg cramps several times a week. It is like a deep nipping pain in my left calf muscle that really aggravates me. I often have to stop and massage it for relief and unfortunately take Ibuprofen if it gets that bad. Since I started consistently jogging and running on my treadmill, the cramps have stopped! Even my husband mentioned that he hasn't heard me complain about the leg pain. Doing incline jogging is tough but well worth being pain-free! Another big thing for me is that I can't get enough of having my own gym in the privacy of my own home. I can ugly sweat all I want and nobody will see me. Yes, I'm shy.

I  gained some weight during the month of February (darn you Valentine's goodies!). I had been doing a lot of stress-related eating. I have so much going on with my homemaker duties, family, blogging, kids' activities and school, as well as my husband's busy schedule. My mind has been in overdrive and when the anxiety kicks in, I hop on the treadmill. Even if I do just a 1/2 mile, it helps immediately. I have pushed myself so hard the last 2 weeks and I actually lost all the sweet goodies weight! I feel so much better and my clothes fit like normal again. It was getting scary that I thought I would have to go buy all new stuff! The one thing I will need is new workout attire. My exercise pants fall off while I run. This is because my waist is slimming down *happy dance*.

I am really getting a little freaked out about turning 40 this year and I have vowed to take better care of myself. Besides exercise, I have been drinking a lot more water, cut out soda and fruit drinks (except wine) and cut back on sweets. I also take more time for myself whether it is lunch out with a friend or just some browsing in the shops alone. My energy level in the daytime is insanely high and I sleep so well at night. I also started to do some weights in between and look forward to toning up for the summer swimsuit season. Overall, I am so happy and feeling great! I will update you all in a couple weeks on some details of how the treadmill works, as well as my husband's progress. I will say this much, I am SO proud of him! 

Be sure to check out Smooth Fitness on the web, Facebook and Twitter.

I am participating in a campaign as a Smooth Fitness Ambassador and will be reviewing a treadmill from Smooth Fitness in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts/opinions expressed are always my own.

Smooth Fitness 5.65 Treadmill update and folding feature demo #SmoothBlogger

Hi guys! It has been almost a month since we have had our fabulous Smooth Fitness 5.65 treadmill and we have been enjoying the many great benefits from it.  It just so happens that my husband is currently taking a health and wellness college class, so he has been able to offer tips to help maximize our workouts. One thing we did was buy a digital scale. Our eyes got rather big when we saw the numbers that came up. My husband has set a goal of losing roughly 40 pounds. He ideally needs to be under 200 pounds. So far he has cut out most of the sugar in his diet and has started eating very small meals throughout the day. After the first 2 weeks, he is down 6 pounds. I am so proud of how well he is doing and even when tempting foods are around, he either says no or he takes just one bite.

The treadmill itself is one fine piece of equipment. We have it set up downstairs near the girls' bedrooms and unless they walk out of their room, they don't hear if anyone is using it. That was a concern since my husband tends to do his workout early in the morning when everyone is still in bed. It runs very quietly and we love that we can hook up our music device or tablet to the MP3 jack so we can listen to music or watch videos. The girls have been incorporating a 2 mile run 3 times a week since they are so consumed with school-related things. I know that it will come in very handy when Briahnna starts back volleyball conditioning. I am sure she will make much better time on her laps.

I wanted to show you this quick video below that demonstrates how easy it is to fold the treadmill in the event we wanted to move it or store it. Quite honestly, I don't think we will ever need to store it, but we have thought about relocating it in the future. Check it out:

Note: It is not necessary to hold the bottom of the treadmill as it comes down, but I still do because I get scared it might slam down too hard. It doesn't do it but I am just the typical cautious mom. In the next couple weeks I will demonstrate the features located on the dashboard so you can get a better idea of how it works and how user-friendly it is.

Stay connected with Smooth Fitness on the web, Facebook and Twitter.

I am participating in a campaign as a Smooth Fitness Ambassador and will be reviewing a treadmill from Smooth Fitness in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts/opinions expressed are always my own.

See how Smooth Fitness is saving my family money! #SmoothBlogger

My family is on a very strict budget. If we don't have the extra cash for things, we just don't buy them. We have been members at our local health club for a few years on were on a special that was offered for a limited time. Of course, that limited time ended and the new price would have skyrocketed to $90 a month! With super high gas and food prices, we need an extra $90 each month. Also, with the kids' and husband's busy schedules, the gym membership was not being used like it should. We were throwing our money away because nobody had the time to go. 

Our Smooth Fitness treadmill came in right on time! We received it last week and  we were all eager to test it out.  My first impression when I saw it being hauled in by the delivery guys was, "WOW!" It was a lot bigger than what I was expecting.

My husband and I have been looking at treadmills for a while and most of what we have seen in the local stores were on the cheap side. They looked like even I could break it because of how lightweight they were. Our Smooth 5.65 Treadmill looks and feels like what you would see in a gym. We love that it can handle up to 300 pounds. It was important for us to have a high-quality machine since there will be 4 of us using it on a daily basis. Each family member has their own set of goals they want to achieve. Right now we are all in the process of starting off slowly to get our bodies conditioned for the goals we have planned for ourselves.

I love the very simple, user-friendly display. My husband experimented with one of the pre-programmed routines on the treadmill and he had to surrender after 15 minutes! He realized he needs to work up to that stage. His biggest goal is both weight loss and cardio strengthening. I plan to purchase a new bathroom scale so we can track his weight each week. Having this treadmill in our home is going to help him so much since work, college classes, being a dad and a husband often gets in the way of getting proper exercise. I want to see my husband around for a very long time! I will say this, so far one of the great side-effects of working out for my husband has been better sleep. He struggles with falling asleep at night and after only 3 days, he has been crashing hard! Of course we all know that the sleep is so important to be able to function properly each day.

Please come back in a couple weeks when I discuss through video, more about how the Smooth Fitness treadmill works. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to leave a comment or shoot me an email.

Stay connected with Smooth fitness on the web, Facebook and Twitter.

I am participating in a campaign as a Smooth Fitness Ambassador and will be reviewing a treadmill from Smooth Fitness in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts/opinions expressed are always my own.

There are some things women keep quiet about

As a woman, I know that there are some subjects that I prefer not to discuss. I think it's normal to keep quiet about some things. Did you know that the top 3 women's health issues that are least discussed are Fertility, Fibromyalgia and Constipation? Although the first two might not relate to every woman, the "C-word" has affected us some time in our life. Studies show that women are even less likely to discuss constipation as they get older. Thankfully the female members in my home are open about the subject. I received a fabulous gift kit filled with products samples just for women from Boehringer Ingelheim, maker of Dulcolax. My kit came with: a Pink Lands End small tote bag, Tarte Lip Gloss, Clinique Sunscreen,  Dulcolax for Women product sample, One A Day Women’s Multivitamin Tablet and a box of Tampax Pearl.

The main focus behind the kit was to get me talking about women's constipation and how Dulcolax for Women can help. The first thing that stuck out to me was that it was 'gentle enough for sensitive stomachs'. This is a good thing since most laxatives can give you severe stomach pain. I am so glad to have this on hand since one of my daughters will be going away on a week-long trip and generally comes home feeling constipated. I know they will get put to good use! Here are some points about Dulcolax: 

• Dulcolax Laxative Tablets for Women have a comfort coating that protects the stomach and helps women's bodies relieve constipation. 
• Gives women the gentle help they want, and the strength they need for effective constipation relief. 
• They provide dependable, overnight relief from occasional constipation in 6-12 hours. 
• Dulcolax Women is now available in 25-count packs and sold at local retailers nationwide.
• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should always ask their health care provider before taking Dulcolax Laxative Tablets.

Here is some great information from  Dr. Jennifer Wider (Medical Adviser for Cosmopolitan Magazine and the Society for Women's Health Research) for "Unmentionable Women's Health Tips:

Ladies, talk more openly about the 'C-word'- Constipation!

Research shows that women suffer from constipation more frequently than men, but preventing and treating constipation is almost always simple if you address it like any other health problem. Buying a Dulcolax product or discussing your condition with your doctor can be the first step toward relief.

If pregnant and constipation is persistent, talk with your doctor about an OTC Option

About half of pregnant women experience constipation at some point during their pregnancy. If the usual steps taken to treat your constipation, such as changes to your diet and lifestyle, are not working, your OBGYN may recommend an OTC oral laxative to help. With a comfort coating that protects your stomach and helps you gently relieve constipation, Dulcolax Laxative Tablets for Women can be an effective constipation option to keep you regular. It also provides overnight relief in 6 to 12 hours.

Some heatlhy (and simple) steps to stay constipation free

The good news is that although constipation is common, you can take some easy steps to help prevent it from occurring. These steps include:

• Make sure to include enough fiber in your diet, which includes eating more fruit, vegetables, wholegrain, nuts, and oats. A sudden increase in fiber may make you feel bloated so increase your increase gradually.
• Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration-and try to cut back on your intake of caffeine, alcohol, and fizzy drinks.
• The toilet is your friend; make sure not to ignore it! If you have the urge to go to the toilet but ignore it, you an significantly increase your chances of experiencing constipation. 
• Remember that the best time to use the toilet for "#2" is the first think in the morning or 30 minutes after a meal. 
• Exercise! Exercise! Exercise! Regular exercise will reduce your risk of getting constipation.

I really hope you get a lot out of this information as I did. If you would like more information on Dulcolax products or more tips on fighting constipation, check out the Dulcolax website.