Guest Review and Giveaway: Wii Fit

I have been really wanting to try the Wii Fit system for our Nintendo Wii! I've heard such great things about it. So far, I have been unable to get one! When Patric Welch, from Noobie told me about a contest, I asked if I could post excerpts from his awesome review of the Wii Fit. Here is Patric's first impression of the Wii Fit:

You know you’re overweight when your video game console tells you so

After several attempts to use technology to nab a high demand Wii Fit, I finally got one. Lucky for me, I just happened to be in front of my computer when I received a text message alert from Amazon.com telling me a select few will be in stock in the next couple of minutes. A few days later I had a Wii Fit sitting on my front porch.

If you are not familiar with the Wii Fit, it is basically a balance board and a disc that plays on the Nintendo Wii game console. I hesitate to call the Wii Fit a game because it's really not. Instead it's designed to help you stay healthy and in shape. It does this by tricking you into thinking you are playing fun little games when in fact you are actually exercising.

Prepare to be shocked

One of the biggest wake-up moments for everyone I've talked to that owns a Wii Fit is the moment when you have to step on the balance board and let it determine your weight and your body mass index (BMI). For most people, the wake-up call isn't in seeing their weight or BMI on the screen—most of us could probably guess where we are with both numbers. No, it's when the little guy that you choose to represent yourself, called a Mii, suddenly transforms himself into an image that more closely resembles what you look like based on your weight and BMI.

The pictures below are my actual results after weighing in: (Click Here to read more...)

And then after a few weeks:

Just over two weeks ago, I wrote about the horror of seeing what the Wii Fit deemed I look like based on my weight and BMI. I vowed to immediately start exercising and eating better.

I am happy to report that as of today, there is 3.1% less of me to go around. That's the percentage of my body weight I have lost since purchasing the Wii Fit.

Of course I can't give all of the credit to the Wii Fit. As much as I really enjoy the wide variety of yoga, strength, aerobic and balance activities on the Wii Fit, it hasn't hurt any that I started watching what I eat and started running three times per week.

Some of you reading this might even think that the Wii Fit had absolutely nothing to do with my weight loss. But you would be wrong. There are days that I worked out 30-40 minutes using the Wii Fit and definitely felt it the next day. If you don't believe me, try doing the push ups and side plank strength exercise a few times.
Motivating and rewarding

But the Wii Fit is much more than just a collection of helpful and fun activities. It actually does a great job of motivating and rewarding you. Just last night my wife used the Wii Fit and it told her that she should congratulate me because my posture has really improved.

The Wii Fit also does a great job of rewarding you with new activities each time you meet a milestone, either by successfully completing an existing activity or by earning enough fit points (minutes) in your Fit Bank. I won't deny the competition in my household right now to see who has the most activities and durations unlocked on the Wii Fit. Or who has the highest score on each activity (currently my 5 year old son reigns the household on the warrior yoga pose).

And if nothing else, the Wii Fit uses peer pressure to get you to weigh in and work out. If you haven't worked out in a while (or at least run a body test) the Mii representation of yourself on the screen starts to drift off to sleep while other family members around you are cheerfully running in place and doing yoga poses. (Click here to read more...)

Noobie is giving away a brand-new Nintendo Wii, valued at $250, this holiday season as part of Noobie's "I want a Wii" contest. All you need to do is fill out the form on the site for your chance to win. Noobie will take care of the rest! (Click Here)

While you're there, check out Noobie's resources to help you effectively choose and use technology.

Be Informed About Women's Health Issues

A few years ago, there was some talk in our town of a rift between certain OB/GYN doctors. One group started looking into the practice of recommending hysterectomies to solve a number of problems, such as heavy bleeding, fibroids, stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. They felt that traditional open abdominal surgery was being used too often to treat problems that could be solved with newer, minimally-invasive procedures.

In fact, these conditions are so common that one-third of women will experience one or more of these conditions in their lifetime due to a variety of factors - most commonly pregnancy and childbirth.

But, the good news is that there are treatment options for these conditions that do, which frequently comes with a higher risk of complications and a longer healing process. Minimally invasive procedures, done quickly and relatively easily, usually require much less time to heal and there's a lot less pain, too. Yet many of us do not even know they exist, as we rely on information from our doctors who may suggest the outdated approaches because they lack the skill to perform the newer, less invasive ones or even because new endoscopic procedures bring less income to the doctor or hospital.

The US News & World reported that, out of the one in four women who receive hysterectomies, approximately 85% are still treated with traditional open abdominal surgical methods, despite the perfection of a decades old laparoscopic procedure that leaves the ovaries and cervix in place.

Be sure to talk to your doctor about this, and possibly get multiple opinions, so you can make the choice that's best for you.

Visit http://www.aagl.org/healthcare-consumer for more information, and a list of doctors who are open to these minimally invasive technologies.

This post sponsored by MomCentral.com

Stop MRSA Now

We all know there are germs lurking around almost every place we take our children. If you're like me, you get a little more complacent with each child, maybe skipping the hand-washing before dinner, or after the playground. Recently, an infection has come to my attention which cannot be ignored.

Many of us are familiar with the Staph bacteria, which can sometimes cause infections. There is a type of Staph, which can prove potentially deadly, and we must be armed with the facts. And here they are:

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a type of Staph bacteria found on the skin and in the nose that is resistant to antibiotics. More than 90,000 Americans get potentially deadly MRSA infections every year and in 2005, nearly 19,000 Americans died from MRSA infections. More deaths are linked to MRSA infections than AIDS.

There are two known types of MRSA. You may have heard of Healthcare-Associated (HA-MRSA), which occurs in hospitals and nursing homes, but a newer type of MRSA is Community-Associated (CA-MRSA), which has recently begun to spread in public settings like gyms, locker rooms, households and schools.
source: www.stopmrsanow.org

But there is no need to freak out! According to Stop MRSA Now, there are steps we can take!

• Scrub up - Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water for at least 15 seconds - the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice - or use an alcohol-based hand rub sanitizer.
• Wipe it down - Use a disinfecting bleach solution to wipe down and disinfect hard surfaces. Make sure to use clean cloths to avoid spreading MRSA from one surface to another. (1 tablespoon of disinfecting bleach diluted in 1 quart of water)
• Cover your cuts - Keep any nicks or wounds covered with a clean, dry bandage until healed.
• Keep to yourself - Do not share personal items, like towels or razors, that come into contact with bare skin.
• Use a barrier - Keep a towel or clothing between skin and shared equipment.

I have had a few friends deal with staph infections recently, and thankfully, they weren't MSRA, but it has really gotten me thinking about preventing this bacteria from harming my family.

This post sponsored by Mom Central.

CVS Daily Facial Cleanser: A Diamond in the Rough! (Get Some FREE!)

I have really interesting skin. It's dry, and flakes if I don't have enough moisture. But at the same time, I get blemishes if I use too much moisture. I've been searching for the perfect facial soap for years. I liked Mary Kay, but it is a little on the pricey side. I liked Olay, but I felt I was always fighting dryness.

When I was visiting my Aunt last month, I forgot my Olay Daily Facials, which I had been using for a while now. I was about to send my brother out to the store to get some, when my Aunt said, why don't you try my Cetaphil Cleanser? I have terribly dry skin, and it really gives me a great moisture balance." So, while I was there I tried it.

I really loved the Cetaphil! I didn't have to slather the moisturizer on, nor scrape the flakes off before putting on my makeup.

I bet you're wondering why I'm going on and on about Cetaphil, when the title says, "CVS." Well, I got back home, and decided to bite the bullet and buy the Cetaphil, even though it may be a little more expensive than Olay.

While I was looking in the aisles, I saw the CVS Daily Facial Cleanser. It said "compare to Cetaphil" on the front, so I did! I'm telling you, it was exactly the same! It feels clean with no residue when I rinse it off. It even takes my eye makeup off. From the first day I used it, my skin has not been tight, or flaky, and I have had no blemishes. I haven't even had as many clogged pores that I can't resist trying to squeeze out! (Oh, you know what I mean!)

So, I recommend CVS daily Facial Cleanser to everyone, especially those who have been trying to find something that won't dry you out, while cutting down on blemishes.

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Do you want to win some free?

CVS had them on sale, buy 2 get one free. So, I'm personally going to give away my third bottle. I think each bottle will last so long that it'll be a while before I can use it!

To Win:

• Leave a comment on this post, telling your biggest facial skin challenge, and what cleanser you currently use.
• If you subscribe to Real Live Review, you'll get an extra chance. Leave a separate comment, saying "subscriber." (click here, or enter your email address at the top right of the page)
• The comments will be open through Wednesday, May 21, and I'll announce the winner on Thursday morning.
  

Ask and Ye Shall Receive... An Oral B Power Toothbrush

I went to the dentists last month, and found out that I have the beginning stages of gingivitis. I've heard it before from my previous dentist, but she never gave me any suggestions on what to do about it, other than keep brushing and flossing. My new dentist suggested an aggressive professional cleaning schedule (every three months), and that I use a power toothbrush.

He mentioned that they conveniently sold them there, so I didn't have to take the time to drive to the store. (how nice of them!) First of all, I'm a power toothbrush skeptic, and second of all... I'm going to try to get one free, first!

So I wrote to the Oral B, and asked if I could get a review product and write an ongoing review throughout my next dental appointments. All they could say was "no," right? And they did say no; at least the guy who emailed me said, "no." I thought, "Oh, well, I'll just spend the $20." Then imagine my surprise when I received a coupon for a free product of my choice in the mail! Awesome!!

I bought the Oral B Vitality, and used it for the first time last night. It felt really great! It was like a gum massage, and my teeth felt really clean and slick afterward. According to the product and my dentist, the power brush is supposed to clean under edge of the gums better.

After my next dentist appointment, I'll let you know what he says!

If you want a $3 off coupon, you can visit the website, and fill in some information.