Category Archives: Health

Fitbit Alta is Very Cool!

I got a Fitbit Alta this week as an early birthday gift and it’s really cool!

It’s much slimmer than my previous pedometer/watch (Max) and looks like a bracelet. It has a larger display than the other fitbits and it can show time/date/day of the week, steps, distance, calories, and active minutes with a tap to cycle through this info.  The display also lights up so that I can read the time in the dark.  As someone who is horribly near sighted, this has become a great way to check the time during the night.  As an alternative to turning on the display with a double tap, the display shows the time when I turn my wrist to look at the display, a very natural gesture for looking at the time already.

What I love most is that it buzzes when I get a call or text!  When I get a text, it shows the sender’s name and the message scrolls across the display.  With a call, it scrolls the caller’s name 3 times.  I often don’t hear my text alerts when my phone is in my purse or when it’s set on do not disturb, so I love this!

As the reviews say, it’s difficult to do the clasp at first, but this got easier after just a day.  It was also hard to figure out the tap and double tap to see the display at first, but I quickly got the hang of it.

Fitbit comparison page.

Summer Squash Pasta

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If you have more summer squash in your garden than you know what to do with, the Aidell’s chicken apple sausage (above.)  Delicious!

My friend who recommended trying the
Veggetti has collected lots of veggetti recipes on Pinterest.  Thanks, A!

If you want a faster method of spiral cutting vegetables, my friend has moved on to the Spiralizer which she loves.

Enjoy!

Daily Yoga App

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I have tried a lot of yoga videos and even a class, but after all of them, my favorite is the Daily Yoga app.  This is a free app, available for iOS (iphone and iPad) and Android.  The free app is great and includes a dozen different yoga routines.

Even better, right now they are offering a summer special of 50% off on the subscription which gives you even more routines!  It’s a great time to try out the free app to see if you’d like the subscription at a discount.

What I like about this app is that the yoga routines are a perfect level for me.  Some videos I’ve watched have been too slow, too many poses with just breathing and poses that didn’t feel like they were challenging me.  Some have been too advanced with poses that were too challenging or required too many extra accessories such as straps and blocks.

I also really like that this app includes several time options for each routine, such as 10, 15 and 20 minutes.  I love being able to choose a length to fit my schedule.

I started doing yoga after having bad lower back pain last summer.  I’ve since found that just doing the the Daily Yoga for Back 10 minute routine once a week keeps my back healthy!  I even enjoy the feeling of stretched, warmed muscles after a routine so much that I’ve increased my yoga routines to several times a week.

UntitledTo see the special offer, install the free app on your mobile
device.  When you open the app, the special offer will pop-up as in the image at right.  Regular subscription prices are shown in the image below.  If you don’t catch the discounted subscription this time, they run specials periodically and they’ll pop-up when you open the app.

Enjoy and Nameste!

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Mental Health Awareness and Crisis Intervention

I continue to be overwhelmed by the number of mass shootings in the last couple of years as I know most people are.  I’ve been thinking a lot about what can be done to prevent these awful acts of violence and desperation in the future.

Not being a mental health professional, the best that I can come up with is to help spread information on mental health awareness and resources.  Following is a web page about mental illness warning signs, and a crisis hot line web site.  Please review the warning signs of mental illness and share this post with all your friends.  Let’s get the word out about mental health awareness!

Mental Illness Warning Signs

Crisis Hotline and Intervention Services