Wanna Make a Bet?

I bet that I can lose 4% of my body weight in four weeks. What about you?

I signed up to participate in a weight loss challenge through DietBet. The challenge is what I said above - to lose 4% or more of your body weight in four weeks. I've been thinking about what I eat for the a couple of months now, and I recently started Slim in 6. 4% of my body weight is only about 5 pounds, which I'm usually like - oh yeah, no problem, I can lose that. The thing is, over the past few years it's become more and more difficult to shed the extra weight I gain when I get lazy about diet and fitness. So, I figure this is a way to have a firm goal in mind that reasonably attainable and to get some outside support.

It costs $15 to join in. To verify that you've actually lost the weight you say you have, you have to take pictures of yourself on a scale at the beginning and end of the challenge. You take one of your weight (and I guess your feet), and another full body shot of yourself standing on the scale.

If you lose your goal amount, you get your money back. If you don't, it goes into a pot to be distributed among the winners.

Now, I'll admit that this sounds like something that could easily be misused by people who have an unhealthy obsession with weight loss. To prevent this, there are rules about how much you can lose (if you lose too much you get disqualified, for your own good).

I joined in on SarahFit's bet. I enjoy her blog and her YouTube videos. She'll be posting workouts and recipes on her challenge page, on DietBet's website. If you'd like to join click here.

~ Susan

NOTD

I re-painted my nails today with Geranium, a polish from my monthly favorites.

The shade is Geranium, a beautiful orange-red. I was so temtpted to buy all the other orange-reds that were on display... I'm still considering going back and getting Clambake, which I think is a new shade.

~ Susan

July 2012 Pink Moment

Pink Moment is a monthly subscription service. Each month subscribers receive an eco-friendly bag filled with eco-friendly samples. Most of the samples are beauty and skin care samples, with some food products. There are three types of memberships ranging from $12 to $14 a month.

This month I received:

Olivella Bath & Shower Gel
 

 I've already used this. I was able to wash half a leg. If they keep sending us free samples (as this packet is clearly marked), I hope that they start sending at least two of each.

TheraNeem Organix Neem Therape Cleansing Bar

I actually really like using bars to cleanse my face. I just ran out of my gel facial cleanser, so I'll start using this.

EarthScience Gentle Skin Peel

Another free sample packet.

Teamotions Apple Cinnamon Chamomile
 

Loose chamomile tea.


Pharmacopia Verbana & Green Tea Body Lotion

Free sample packet number three.

Eden Organic Kamut Ditalini

Kamut is an ancient grain, I think it's still a form of wheat, but maybe it's meant to be healthier than regular whole wheat.

Pink Moment never includes a print out with information about the products like other sample services usually do. They also don't provide any discount information (coupon codes) from the companies that have products included. I like Pink Moment, because they're exposing me to a lot of brands I've never heard of. However, this just doesn't seem like it's worth $14.

What do you think?

~ Susan

Slim in 6

I just started a new workout program - Slim in 6. Slim in 6 is a program by Beachbody that promises to reshape your body in 6 weeks. The foundation of the program is a set of 3 DVDs - you use one at a time, progressing to the next in the set every two weeks. (You use Start It Up! for the first two weeks, Ramp It Up! for the next two weeks, and Burn It Up! for the final two weeks.)

According to the promo material, this program can help you fit into a dress for an upcoming event or lose the weight that you've gained over the years in 6 weeks. The workout is made up of fat-burning cardio moves and some light resistance moves. The moves target your abs, hips, thighs, and butt.

I likes these workouts because they're very straight-forward and not too dancy. There's also no jumping, which I like because sometimes I worry about how my downstairs neighbor acts.

I've had time to go through all of the workouts on the first DVD:

• Start It Up! - this is the main workout on the DVD, it features squats, lunges, arm exercises with a band, ab mat work, and 16 count aerobic moves
• Slim & 6-Pack - a 15 minute ab workout
• Slim & Limber - this is a 15 minute stretch routine
• 2 Bonus Workouts
• Thin Thighs Guaranteed - Debbie Siebers leads the exercies, but she looks and sounds very different than she does in the other videos, so this is either older or newer. Each move is 45 seconds, but so hard!
• Cardio Core Express - this workout is from the Slim Series, a different Beachbody workout program. This workout is under 30 minutes and there's no floor work. It uses several of the same moves in Start It Up! but it's more upbeat.

All of the workouts have a countdown bar at the bottom that tracks how much of the workout has gone by. The bar either tracks - how much of the total workout is left, how much of the current exercise is left, or both.
 
Hope you liked my initial review of Slim-in-6! I'll check in every two weeks, at the end of each DVD, to let you know how it went. :)

~ Susan

NOTD

Happy Fourth of July!!!

I painted my nails with the new polishes I got in my July Julep Maven box. I really love Mischa (the color I'm holding), I think I'll paint my toes with it tomorrow. I'm trying to think of the next time I'll use the shade "America- the Beautiful" though. It would be good for a baseball game. I guess you can be patriotic year-round. :)

How was your holiday? Mine was a bit hectic. We had people over for dinner and fireworks, and a lot more people showed up than we had planned for. Then, the fireworks weren't where we thought they were going to be, lol. When we moved in, someone told us that the fireworks were launched right across from our apartment, so this whole year we planned on having people over and watching the show from our porch. It turns out that they're actually launched from a spot about a mile away that's not visible due to the tree line. Party foul.

Oh well, we had a good time with fun people.

~ Susan

July 2012 Julep Maven

The Julep Maven program is a monthly mail subscription of nail polish/nail polish related things. There are several different sets of boxes that are sent out each month. This is the Boho Glam set/box. American Beauty was the style assigned to me when I took the style quiz when I initially signed up, but each month subscribers receive an email with the option to switch to whichever style you prefer. You can also choose to forgo a month or sent your box to a friend.

They've started adding sweets to each box. I usually end up giving these to the children I teach.

This box contained three nail polishes:

• Georgia -golden coral micro-shimmer
• Mischa - a cherry scarlet micro-shimmer
• America- The Beautiful - a shiny red with royal blue glitter and silver stars

I'm going to paint my nails with Mischa and America- The Beautiful tonight for July the 4th tomorrow! 

•  Julep Lip Vernis in Poppy, a peachy coral creme

I'd much rather have had another nail polish... but whatever. It's a pretty color, but the only thing I have more of than nail polishes are lip glosses.

If you'd like to receive monthly Julep Maven boxes, you can sign up here. Use the promo code "COLOR2012" to get your first box for only a penny.

~ Susan

Sleepwear

I did a little bit of shopping and ended up picked up some things to sleep in. Usually I wear flannel pants and a tank top, but recently it's been way too hot. These new items are much cooler.

I saw these shirts at Target -aren't they adorable? :) The back is lace, which allows for ventilation.

These sleep shorts are from the Victoria Secret Semi-Annual Sale. I think they cute - the ones up top are a wavy pattern while the bottom ones are multi-colored leopard print. Also, they're cotton, so they breathe.

What do you wear to bed in the summer?

~ Susan

June Favorites

1. Dr. Bronner's All-One Hemp Peppermint Castille Soap

I received a sample of this in my June Pink Moment Bag and I picked another one up from Whole Foods. I love peppermint body care items - the scent and the tingle makes me feel awake and happy.

2. Julep Nail Vernis in Sarah

Sarah is a sheer pink coral with iridescent glitter. Julep nail varnishes are 4-free, meaning that they don't contain formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, or DBP. I like them because they're much more chip resistant than other brands I've tried.

3. Essie Nail Polish in Geranium

When I saw this at CVS I had to get it - it's a spectacular pink-orange-red that's more on the red end. It's very cheerful.

4. Julep Nail Vernis in Lily

This is a bright color that is great to wear on the toes. What can I say - I really enjoyed nail polishes this month. :)

5. Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Baby Wipes

I've been using a bunch of baby wipes while cleaning. They make day-to-day light cleaning very easy. Whenever I have a free moment I'll wipe down surfaces with a wipe, which allows for more time between deep cleanings. When I launch a more serious attack on my counters I make a solution that's half white vinegar and half hot water, then add some of Dr. Bronner's liquid Castile soap.

6. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed

This blush makes me feel very summery. It's kind of a blush/bronzer hybrid, which I like because I'm very pale. Because it's not a true bronzer, I get some glow without looking orange.

I've also been really enjoying the new Maroon 5 CD. I've loved Maroon 5 even since their first album was released in 2002, a couple of years before "Harder to Breathe" was played on MTV. My favorite songs so far are "One More Night," "Lucky Strike," and "Tickets."

~ Susan