Getting the Pounds Off easily with the Body Fat Smart Scale #Giveaway

As most of you know, weight gain is a constant struggle. I fell off the wagon for a while and I let my weight creep back up to a new high for me. I am embarrassed and ashamed, but no more! 4 weeks ago I stepped into Weight Watchers and have begun my journey again!

Weight loss is never easy and we all hate that dreaded scale, until we see magic happen. Those numbers go down! And now it's fun to get on that scale to see my progress! 

About a year ago, I was sent a Body Fat Smart Scale. I used it and I thought that I would review it as I lost weight. Well, that wasn't happening, so it began to collect dust. 4 weeks ago I wiped off that dust and decided to give it a try!

What makes the Body Fat Smart Scale unique is that it measures weight, calculates body fat, muscle mass and body water. There is a daily calorie feature which calculates maximum calorie intake needed to maintain weight. It uses the latest Bluetooth® technolgy to then transfer you data to your smart phone or tablet. 

There is an app and you can trasmit data to your favorite fitness apps including Mapmyfitness, MyFitnessPal, or RunKeeper. The SmarTrack app allows you to share data via email, twitter and facebook. 

The Smart Scale reinforces the belief that weight management is not a quick fix, rather a long term commitment to a healthy lifestyle. 

Regularly priced, this scale is $59.95, but right now it's on sale at Amazon for $49.95.

This scale has a sleek look, and definitely helped me get on track with my weightloss. It was so easy. I downloaded the app from Google Play and created an account. It easily connects to your scale. Once the scale pops up on your screen, you simply click on it. 

You set your height, weight, activity level and weight preferences all from your phone. Now you are able to keep track of your weight (it even tracks it for you) and no more writing things down! 

So if you are looking for an easy way to get your health under control, I highly recommend this scale. It's done great things for me!

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Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lose Weight and Win a Polar Loop! #Dietbet #Rethinkyourday

Disclosure: DietBet is compensating me for this bet and Polar has given me the Polar Loop to use as a prize.

DietBet Begins September 15th! Join me! 

The time is NOW! No more excuses and no more health issues! It's time to get serious. If you are anything like me, you have said these things over and over again to yourself.  Then you find every excuse in the world to make bad and unhealthy choices. Then you kick yourself later for it. It sucks! 

Let's work together to get rid of this weight for good... forever! 

DietBet has approached me about hosting another DietBet on September 15th.  I have done these before and they work.  It's a chance to bet on yourself. I know that I can lose weight so I am betting $25 that I will! 

Here's how it works:

Join here: https://www.dietbetter.com/games/48713

Everyone who joins pays $25. We will have to lose 4% of our body weight in a month. When we win, we will split the pot with the other winners in our bet. I usually win and when I do, I get my money back, along with some extra (a lot of times my money was doubled.)  DietBet is very good about ensuring people aren't cheating too.  Don't worry! 

This is Kate. She joined her first DietBet with me. She did it! She is still looking fabulous too! She is a good friend of mine! 

It's so easy! I will be using MyFitnessPal.com to help track my eating.  I have found that if I don't track it, I won't eat right.  Please feel free to join me there. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ArtzeFartze  

I am honest and real. When I cheat, you will know it.  I have EVERY reason not to cheat though. I am ready to be "me" again. 

You can read more about DietBet here: How it works or DietBet: A successful weight loss helper  

There are so many reasons to join, but you should also join so you have a chance to win a Polar Loop Activity Tracker.  http://www.amazon.com/Polar-90052534-Loop-Activity-Tracker/dp/B00FEQ6TVO

Here is my review of the Polar Loop on Amazon.com and I stand behind it completely! 

I did a lot of research on this product before I got it. I previously had a different activity tracker. The Polar LOOP does so much more than any of the other products I researched. Once it arrived, it didn't disappoint. I am impressed by the simplicity of the syncing. It displays a graph of how long I slept, how long I was active and even how long I sat.

I love that I can press the button to see how many steps I have taken, how many calories I have burned and my activity level. It also displays the time which is a great feature and very different from other trackers.

My burn increases. I do wear a FT60 so I plan on wearing them both together to compare data. But even without the H7 it is easy-

Determining the Loop size was so simple. I was a little nervous about setting it up, but there was no issue.

I am a teacher and all of my students think it looks super cool as well.

The Loop would be a great gift for anyone who wants to be more active or is already active. Polar is such a great company with THE best customer service!

Give me your BEST weight loss tip! We need all the advice that we can get. If you would like to be featured on my blog with your success story, please email mindy@mindysfitnessjourney.com

Turning Up the Heat with Thermo Heat

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Thermo Heat.

I have been recovering from surgery for the past two weeks, and about a week ago, I started taking Thermo Heat Fat Burners. I have had some medical stuff going on since October, and my workouts have not been what I want or need them to be. I am ready to get back to the gym, but I don't have clearance for another 4 weeks. I decided adding walks and Thermo Heat would be a great jump start. And I was right!

The first thing I did when I received the product was read the label. I was happy to hear that I was supposed to start out slowly and take one capsule in the morning and one at lunch 30 min. before my meal. The first day, I didn't eat for about an hour after I took it, and I was a little worried that I was not going to like this. Luckily once I ate, I felt fine. I realized that I had better stick to following directions.

I definitely feel that it suppressed my appetite. I don't feel like eating between meals, and I have even had to make myself have a piece of fruit or cottage cheese for a snack. This is HUGE for me. Snacking a is big weakness.

I haven't found a huge increase in my heart rate just doing my day to day things, which is good, and I have had a lot of energy to get things done. I have a ton of things to do right now because I am in the process of moving and starting a new career. It is helping me get my butt moving!

It's also pushed me to go for walks with my family and our dog. It's so easy to get out of the habit of exercise. I am cleared for walking, so I need to get into the habit of doing that a lot now!


I am not always a big supporter of trying supplements to lose weight, but I really like what this owner stands for.
"I am committed to discovering the truth about which dietary supplements work and which ones don’t. AML will donate a percentage of its company profits to university studies at prestigious institutions to further the science of performance nutrition and wellness. AML’s partnership with the scientific community will show our corporate commitment and provide the consumer with credible, new information on safe, legal, scientifically designed performance products. - See more at: http://www.advancedmolecularlabs.com/about-us/"

There are a number of studies available for you as well. http://www.advancedmolecularlabs.com/clinical-studies/

The product information has information about the efficacy of Thermo Heat.
http://www.advancedmolecularlabs.com/our-products/


I highly recommend trying this product!  I think you will enjoy it.

Question: Do you take any supplements? What do you take?

Knock out!® Smart Panties™ and other gear and $25 discount

See below for $25 off discount!

A few months ago, I was contacted by Knock out!® Smart Panties™ on Twitter.  I had never heard of this company, and I only saw that they sold panties. My first thought was that I was a teacher and a mom and could never write a review about panties.  My son would die, and I wouldn't want my students to find this blog... That's when I found out that Knock out!® Smart Panties™ was a whole lot more than panties!!!  And they even have clothing for men! (My boyfriend has already ordered a white undershirt that is odor resistant and the underarms won't yellow... That is awesome!) I will admit that a good pair of panties is VERY important when it comes to my workouts. I need there to be some performance built in. And these have that little something for sweat and other leaks that may happen during workouts. We all know that we can't wear our Victoria Secret panties to the gym... those do not work! Knock out!® Smart Panties™ are soft and sexy, but they also have patented technology that protects from wetness and odor all day, everyday! "The liner has an all natural odor absorbing treatment and dual-action wicking fibers built right into the 100% cotton fabric. Thin, breathable and natural, you won't believe how much protection is packed into such a small area!" 

Every garment is Made in the USA and that makes me happy! 

I was also lucky enough to try out the Reversi-tee. This is a shirt that you can wear 2 different ways. I love it! I usually wear it with the V-neck, but I can also wear it with the scoop neck in the front. It's my favorite shirt! I wear it as often as possible! 

They also sent me the Workout Warriors Anytime Pants. I LOVE these pants. They have a built in liner so you don't need to wear underwear. This Pant goes from PJ, to yoga, to loungewear. They are so comfy!  

Honestly, this stuff is not cheap, but I have learned that quality is worth the price. These panties and clothes are worth it! Please go check it out! 

You need to head over to knockoutpanties.com and sign up for their mailing list. When you do, you will qualify for their discount. Your discount is $25 off for the next three days! Don't delay.  In order to get the discount, in the "how did you hear about us" field, type "Blog" during check out. This will give you the discount. The discount code is:  MFJ2014 - It is a $25 off discount.  That's right $25!!!

So what are you going to buy??? Comment below! I am dying to know! 

Nokia Icon Review #VZWFF

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Verizon Wireless.

I will be completely honest... I am a droid snob. I was very nervous about trying this new Nokia Lumia Icon phone. I loved the sleek look, and I knew that I was being "boxed" in with my droid. I decided to try it. FitFluential and Verizon recently joined together to review the Galaxy 4. I have been using that phone ever since.  

Now, I have been given the chance to try the Nokia Lumia Icon. The first thing I fell in love with was the phone itself. I love the "cool" (temperature) feel of the phone. And it fits perfectly in my hand. Being left handed, phones are sometimes hard to use. This phone has the on/off button at the exact height of my index finger. (For you righties, it's thumb level)  I bet some of you never even thought about us lefties... Yes it's backwards for us :) But Nokia remembered us!!

I am also loving the photos! It has outstanding image quality, super video with fantastic sound due to the high quality mics. It has 20 MP sensor with Zeiss optics with Optical and Digital Stabilization. You can zoom in after you take the photo and then reframe and you don't lose photo quality! This reframe function gets thumbs up :)

This is a screenshot... so cool

An added feature that I didn't even realize is that there is a button on the side of the phone that allows me to quickly take a picture without having to unlock my phone... amazing! All of the pictures that I missed while I was trying to unlock my phone haunt me... Never Again! 

This phone comes with a full HD display. There are "live tiles" on the home screen. You can personalize them however you need to. Only keep the tiles you want on your home screen. I love the live tiles. Makes the home screen so much more interesting.  It is called "pinning" and someone told me that she pins her airline app with her boarding passes to the home screen when she's traveling - once back home she unpins it. That is the beauty of these live tiles. You only need to pin the ones that you need and use. And the screen itself is called Clearblack. Clearblack is a life saver this time of year leading into summer when it's SOO bright. The other day I was at my son's baseball game and couldn't believe how great the screen was. The sun didn't cause issues for the screen. I could see everything. 

My tiles :) and they change daily!

The Nokia Lumia Icon uses Quad core processing, built-in wireless charging, and sturdy construction. I love that you can just put the phone down on a charging pad, and it charges. So simple! I am hoping to get the JBL PowerUp bluetooth speaker, but it works with any Qi charger.

For all of you (like me) social media crazed people, I figured something really cool out.  Not only can you see all of your accounts in one place, you can update Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter from one spot... pretty cool stuff!

Finally, the super sensitive touch is incredible.  You can use your fingernails... gloves etc... Awesome! 

My only downside is that some apps aren't available yet, but I did learn that there is an app that can help me when I can't find something I am looking for.  It's called "Where's my App" and I LOVE it! It will tell when the app you are looking for is coming out or what app you could use to replace that one. LIFE SAVER! 

Key Apps

Instagram

Vine

6 tags

Phototastic

Pic Stitch

Where's my app (a great app if you can't find your app)

As a former Droid snob, I highly recommend this phone! It's great! You have to be a Verizon customer to use this phone though. I love Verizon and would really have a hard time leaving, so hey, this phone is a keeper! 

My question for you... Have you thought of switching platforms? I am shocked at how easy this change is. There are things I miss, but I think the good outweigh the bad for sure! 

An Open Letter to my Motivation....

I need to do this again

Dear Motivation,
I know that there has been a lot going on lately and I ignored you for quite some time. I know that I let stress and fear take over my life and pushed you away. I am sorry. I need you to come back. I am ready to change and become the woman I am supposed to be.  What can I do to make you return? 

And I need to flip tires!

I promise I won't cheat on you again. I won't make excuses anymore. I will think before I eat! It's time to come home. There is room for you here. I need you here. When you are around, everyone is happier! My son is proud of me when you are here. You make me better!

Rappelling down a building! 

There was a time that I wouldn't have even considered skipping the gym or a run. Sometimes I would spend extra hours at the gym. I loved how I felt. I miss that feeling. I had that feeling because you were such a strong presence in my life.

You taught me that I could do whatever I put my mind to. You pushed me to do a half marathon, to rappel down a building, to join CrossFit, to try mud runs, and to even do the Tough Mudder.  I am ready! Come back to me!

Please consider returning! I am ready to take on this healthy lifestyle and lead by example. I know what to do, but without you, I cannot seem to get it started. 

I did Tough Mudder! 

I need you. Please come back! I love the way I feel when you are in my life!

Sincerely,
Mindy's Fitness Journey

Lovin' my #Koss Headphones: on sale now

Disclosure: This Koss product feature is sponsored by FitFluential LLC. I personally use these items and all opinions are my own.
Headphones for me are like shoes. I can never have enough. I love my 2 pairs of Koss headphones. One is in my gym bag and the other is in my car. Right now, Koss is running a special promotion on their headphones at Walgreens. In December I wrote a post about "A Few of my Favorite Things" and Koss Headphones were on the list. You can read about it here: A Few of my Favorite Things

Well, now you can get them for $19.99. They are on sale at Walgreens right now. These headphones are perfect for women because they are created by and designed for women. This is a great deal! It's only for a limited time, so head over to Walgreens and grab a pair or two!

Diet-to-Go 1,000 Meal Giveaway ($9,000 in Free Meals!)

Disclosure: I have been compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.

Enter for your chance to win 50 different prizes from Diet-to-Go including free weeks of meals and $50 gift cards. 5 lucky grand-prize winners will receive a month of free meals from Diet-to-Go!

Link to the contest: http://diettogo.com/1000-meal-giveaway 

As some of you know, I worked with Diet-to-Go last year while I was on a campaign with FitFluential.  The concept of Diet-to-Go was and is designed for someone with my crazy lifestyle. I am a single mom, and we are busy! Sometimes finding time to prep a meal is nearly impossible. Diet-to-Go allows me to eat healthy with very no plan time! After I tried the meals, I couldn't help but share the good news. After my work for FitFluential was done, Diet-to-Go asked me to be an ambassador. I couldn't resist it! What an opportunity! I love sharing my love for this company! 

Here is my review: http://www.mindysfitnessjourney.com/2013/06/my-diettogo-review-and-50-gift-card-for.html

Check out these prizes you can win if you enter:

 -       5 winners will receive a free month of meal

-       20 winners will receive a free week of meals

 -       25 winners will receive a $50 Diet-to-Go Gift Card

You know that I love twitter and twitter chats. I am so excited to tell you that there will be a twitter party or chat. I will be there tweeting, and I would love for you to say hi and let me know you are there! Chats are super fun and very easy. And you will have more chances to win!  It is a twitter chat that will focus on goals to lose weight for the New Year. 

The Anti-New Year’s Resolution: Using common-sense to make lifelong, lasting changes towards health. (It’s not about a diet or quick-fix. It’s about a lifestyle change) This chat will be on January 7th at 9 p.m. EST

There will be 1 randomly drawn chatter who will win a Fitbit Flex Wristband or a Fitbit scale and 3 randomly drawn chatters will win 1 week of free meals

There is no reason for you not to click the giveaway below and try to win. You will also get an extra entry for everyone who clicks on your link. It's awesome.

Do you ever eat prepackaged meals? Have you tried Diet-to-Go?

Thinking about goals for 2014

As I sit here at my brother's house on vacation, I am thinking about the successes and the setbacks from 2013. I am trying to figure out how I can stick to my goals in 2014 and not get off track. I am thinking about the areas where I have found success and the areas where I find weakness. It occured to me that I have to focus on fixing my weak areas. I am not ready to post about what worked and what didn't yet, but I am sure that there are some changes that WILL be made. That post will be done in the next couple of days.

It seems to me that if I focus on making small changes, I will see big differences. There is no magic pill. I have to WANT it and DO it! It's really easy to want it and sit on my butt and dream about it. I have good days and bad days, and the important thing is that the number of good days out-number the bad. There is no excuse for it being the other way around. No matter what goes wrong in life, there is no excuse for self sabotage.

Are you making New Year's Resolutions? Any tips on writing successful goals? I would love to quote you in my next blog post.

Verizon Galaxy S4 and ISIS

disclosure: The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Verizon Wireless.

As a busy, single mom, I am in desperate need of organization. With a new phone, comes a new opportunity for organization!  Verizon offered me a chance to upgrade my Motorola Razr to a different smart phone. I had the opportunity to try the Galaxy S4 or the iphone. I jumped at the chance to get the Galaxy S4. I am a Droid-snob. LOL... Honestly, I love that platform and would hate to switch over. Sometimes I think I am crazy since I have an iPad and a MacBook, but I really love what my Droid can do. After researching the Galaxy S4, I HAD to have it. This was the first thing I read about the Galaxy S4 on the Samsung website. http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxys4/

Life companion

Make your life richer, simpler, and more fun.
As a real life companion, the new Samsung GALAXY S4 helps bring us
closer and captures those fun moments when we are together.
Each feature was designed to simplify our daily lives.
Furthermore, it cares enough to monitor our health and well-being.
To put it simply, the Samsung GALAXY S4 is there for you.

A life companion??? YES please~ I love this phone. The pictures it takes are unbelievable. It has different settings for the camera too. I have no excuse to miss a photo, and there are always opportunities for pictures with a busy 10 year old around. The coolest part is that with the photo, I can record a sound to go with it. It's so interactive!

This phone can also detect when I am not looking at it and shut itself off. It can also scroll as I read just by my eyes. 

One thing I haven't tried yet but will soon is S Health. This is really cool. There is even a scale I can purchase that syncs with my phone. I can't wait to learn more about this.

my son and his best buddy~

And the coolest thing (In my opinion) is sliding my hand across the screen for a screenshot :) 
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There is so much to learn!! I love exploring with this phone.  I am really excited about the  super-fast Verizon 4G LTE service.  




Verizon introduces Isis Mobile Wallet
http://vz.to/1bv07tu http://vz.to/17uHAhy




Yep, now we no longer need a wallet! I love it! My phone goes everywhere with me. Many times I have left my wallet at home, but I never leave my phone. This is amazing and easy! Yup, that means no more GIANT wallet in your back pocket or digging through your purse trying to find your wallet.

• How ISIS works:
• Tap to Pay. The Isis Mobile Wallet holds virtual versions of many things your existing wallet does including your credit cards from participating providers. Just tap your phone to pay at any Isis-Ready merchant.
• Save with offers. Your offers, deals and promotions are also stored in the Wallet, so you always have them with you, organized and ready to use.
• Simplify loyalty cards. You can also add your loyalty cards from participating merchants. You know, the ones crowding your keychain and weighing down your wallet.
• Safety:
• PIN protection: Your wallets accessed can only be opened by entering a unique 4 digit PIN that you set.
• Remote wallet locking: If your device is lost, you can visit My Verizon to remotely suspend your wallet.
• Personal privacy: Isis values your privacy. What you buy is between you and the merchants you patronize.
  
  

Do you want to learn more?
Fitfluential and Verizon are chatting on Twitter on

November 18 at 9pm EST! Use the hashtag #VZWFF and 

you could win a Samsung Note 3 and Samsung Galaxy S4. 

(How awesome are these prizes???)

I hope to see you there!
Are you starting to feel like we are becoming the Jetsons? 

What do you think about a mobile wallet? 

Update on My Crazy Life!

The first thing I need to say is Thank you to all of the veterans out there. We are so blessed for all that you and your family sacrifice. I pray for you every single day and thank you! God Bless! 

Thanks to https://www.facebook.com/FunnyCopImages
for this picture. Thank you Sarah for finding it.

It has been over 2 weeks since my last post. I have had so much happening, and I have started to get anxiety about getting back into writing. I feel a little overwhelmed by everything going on in my life.
I am super busy at work, and I haven't gotten to the gym yet, so I worried that I wouldn't have much to tell you. Then I realized that I need to just write... so here goes!

I am ready to get back into a routine. This past month and a half has been really tough with the stress of wondering if there was something seriously wrong with me or if I would have to have surgery over my medical issues. Things are looking good!

I am hoping to get back to the gym this week. I have done some walks, and this week, I plan to do some jogging. I look forward to it! Gosh, I miss it!

I am so ready to get back to this with my cleaning assistant :) 

What is your plan for the week? Are you training for something?

Fabulous Friday! DietBet and Skora Giveaway!

Ready to lose some weight? Join my DietBet! 

http://www.dietbetter.com/games/24743




I also have a Skora Running Shoes Giveaway! Check it out here!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Some of my favorite motivation sayings :)

Skora Running Review and Giveaway

About three months ago, I was introduced to Skora Running Shoes for the first time. I had heard of them, but I hadn't tried them. I was at FitBloggin' and my roommate, Kyndra from Peace Love and Low Carbs told me all about them. She said that she loves them for running, and she also said that they were great for CrossFit workouts. When I got home, Skora Running contacted me and asked if I would like to try their shoes and offered a giveaway. I jumped at the chance. The first thing I did was head over to their website. I wanted to learn as much as I could. Last year I hurt myself by jumping into a different pair of shoes I wasn't used to.  I was pleasantly surprised by what I read.

My Skoras with my Shubeez tag! 

"At SKORA we view Real Running as running how nature intended — efficient, effective and with ease. As the foot strikes the ground, contact is made in the middle of the foot, not at the heel. Running with a whole-foot gait results in less impact energy and force shock transmitted through the body than compared to the heel strike gait favored by conventional running shoes (built with large amounts of cushioning, support and a thicker heel).

Real Running is not something your body needs to learn, but rather be reminded of. As a child we all Run Real, it is only as we grow up and get used to conventional running shoes we forget how to run naturally."

I love this because  Skora Running is taking me back to the basics for running. But I also know that I can flip tires and do CrossFit workouts at CrossFit Blackbeard too. That is a good thing. 

Who wants to win some Skora Running Shoes for themselves? Enter the Rafflecopter below. If you don't win any, they are having a great sale at their website www.skorarunning.com

I ordered the Skora Phase:

FEATURES- REALFIT™ last- Airmesh upper- Laminated reflective overlays (no-sew)- Asymmetrical lacing- Anti-slip microfibre heelpad- No-tongue design- Reflective details- IBR (Injected Blown Rubber) outsole - Rubber toe bumper- Zero-drop construction- Stitch-down construction- 8mm Forefoot/heel stack height 

Most of all, they are SUPER CUTE! :) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A few of my favorite things.... Raysbaseball and Fitness... Fitness Night at the Trop

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.... 

Yes, those are nice but do you want to know what my FAVORITE things really are... 

Fitness and the Tampa Bay Rays!!!

Can you imagine my excitement when I heard that both of these things are going to be combined into one fabulous night!!!!

Check out Rays Fitness Night at the Trop!

     Thursday, September 19th, 7:10pm  Texas vs. Rays

         For $30 per person package includes: Lower Level Reserved Ticket

 Rays Dri-Fit T-shirt

      Deadline to purchase tickets Tuesday, September 17

        Visit www.raysbaseball.com/fitness and use to the code FIT2 to purchase

He is such a goof! 

We LOVE our Rays and can't wait to be there! We hope to see you there!!!!