Monday, February 28, 2011

Homemade Foam Roller




Have you used a foam roller before? It's almost like having a personal massage therapist. My IT (iliotibial) band, a muscle that runs down the outside of the leg, gets really tight all the time, so I use a foam roller at the gym quite a bit.

This morning I wanted to use one, but I'm not at the gym and didn't want to run to the store for a foam roller. So I made up my own version.
I pulled my yoga mat out of my closet and three cans of green beans out of my pantry. Then I rolled the cans up in the yoga mat and secured it closed with the band that came with my yoga mat. It worked like the real thing!

Tips:
  • If you want to buy one, the cheapest I found online was through Amazon.com for $6 (+ shipping).
  • The nice thing about having your own is that you don't have to share sweat and body fluids with others at the gym.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Cinch! by Cynthia Sass

Over the holidays, I panicked....Not about guests or gifts or gourmet foods. I panicked about my weight. By no means do I think I am fat. I workout, eat healthy, and do pretty well taking care of myself. However, I weigh about 10 pounds more than I did after my 3rd pregnancy. My #4 and #5 children have brought mounds of joy to our home, but they also dragged along 10 pounds and left it mostly around my waist. That's why I panicked.



And it happened to be the same moment that I was perusing Shape magazine's January issue. In this issue was an article about Cinch! by Cynthia Sass. This diet is all about appropriate portions and the right combinations of nutritious foods. I decided to give it a try. After sampling a few of the recipes from the magazine, I wanted more of Cynthia's recipes and more about her diet strategy. So I bought the book...


I know this is not a diet blog, but I've had such great success, I wanted to share. I have lost 8 pounds after 5 weeks--my goal was to lose 10. I feel great--lots of energy, no more afternoon sluggishness, clearer skin, less illness, and less mood swings. The recipes are delicious in my opinion, and my family likes them, too. I could live on this book's principles for the rest of my life.

Since this is a bargain blog, I'll tell you the cheapest place to get the book if you're interested. If you have a kindle, you can get it for $10. That's the cheapest. If you want the hard back, you'll have to pay more, since the book was only published in December of 2010. I paid $25 for it at Walmart. But now you can get it for $14.28 on Walmart.com. Choose "Site to Store," and you won't have to pay shipping.

Tips:
  • Normally, I buy used books, because they come in great quality for cheap. Amazon Marketplace, ebay, and half.com are great places to buy used books. I can usually get any book I want for 1 to 99 cents plus $3 shipping.
  • Most of my books, however, come from the library. Can't beat free!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

LOFT Winter Final Clearance

Head to LOFT for awesome deals! LOFT's Winter Final Clearance Sale offers an extra 60% off clearance prices, which means you can get some great clothing at very low prices.



Tips:
  • Wear your new winter items a couple of times (for fun!), then tuck them away for next winter.