Category Archives: Revolt

The Snugg – iPad case review

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When my husband gave me an iPad one of the first things that I did was start looking for cute and functional covers that didn’t cost an arm & a leg. It wasn’t the easiest task and I spent a lot of time reading reviews on various different covers/cases. One of them was The Snugg and the reviews were good, bad, and in between so I was torn when they asked me to do a review.

Some of my pre-requisites for the cover were that it had to be cute, not just plain old boring colors/prints, it had to be like a stand so I could watch my shows, it had to protect the corners/edges, and most importantly… it had to withstand a toddler. This last one was super important since he broke my iPhone.

This what I learned… It’s pretty freakin’ awesome! Those that complained about it either got the wrong case for the iPad that they have or they are the kind of people who nit-pick at every single detail.

The Snugg

When I first got it I checked it out pretty closely for some of the things that people complained about… poor stitching and the smell. Both of which I didn’t notice. It was a solid product that did not smell or look like it has been hastily put together. I slid the iPad in and used the Velcro to hold the edge down and it was perfect.

My iPad fit in their rather snuggly and there was no chance at all that it was going to slip out and it was protected on all the sides and corners. I was able to easily access all of the buttons, the cameras were not covered and neither was the speaker.

There are some pretty nice features in it as well. It folds so you can use the case as a stand, which I did to view a recipe and let my son watch one of his shows on it. There is also an elastic strap so you can slip your hand in it to hold it so you don’t drop it, there is a place to hold a stylus, and the cover is magnetized so that when you close it the iPad goes to sleep.

So far this is the one of three cases that I have used for my iPad and by far it has been my favorite. Would I recommend The Snugg to someone? Absolutely. Especially since my son dropped my iPad while in the case and it was just fine.  Yes, it is most toddler proof!

What is the best case for an iPad that you’ve used so far?

Failure, lifestyle change, and not giving up

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Do you ever have days or weeks when you feel like a total failure and that giving up would be a lot easier than continuing on? It’s sort of a silly question because my guess is that most people will answer yes, they feel that way once in a while.

That was me last week. I don’t know what brought it on but changing your lifestyle is hard and it’s so incredibly easy to fall back into your old ways and think that it’s so much more comfortable there.

For me, I’ve decided that I am not dieting. I am making a lifestyle change because once I reach a goal weight I’m not stopping and going back to eating what I want all the time. I can’t. At this point in my life I have to fully accept that I am not that 20 something (or teen) that used to eat a king size Reese’s for breakfast with a bottle (yes, a glass bottle) of diet coke. I am 40 years old with 4 kids and my metabolism isn’t near what it used to be.

Changing my lifestyle isn’t just about losing weight and getting in shape though. It’s about my health, living a long active life, and being there for my family whenever they need me. Heart disease, diabetes, and a variety of other health issues run in my family and I don’t want to be a candidate for any of them… I don’t want to take pills daily to keep my cholesterol in check, or insulin shots because my body can’t handle it on it’s own.

change

I started the Revolt program because I need to tone up all the flab from losing weight in the past year, lose that last stubborn 10lbs, look amazing, and learn better habits.

Well, last week I kind of fell off the wagon. I was craving sweets, breads, and all the bad crap! I ate it too and I won’t lie… that elephant ear was freakin’ delicious people! The homemade ramen stir-fry was tasty too and the no bake cookies that my daughter made.

Anyway, I think that it simply comes down to being human. I don’t believe that anyone can change his or her eating habits and lifestyle overnight. It takes weeks to make that change permanent but even after you’ve got it down and are doing awesome life happens and you eat a piece of cake … or two. And some chips.. whatever.

This week is a new week and I am committed to trying harder to really push myself with the Revolt workouts and sticking as close to the meal plan as I possibly can. Besides, I have a couple short-term goals to reach! One is to look as good if not better than my sister when she comes home and two is to look awesome at BlogHer!

How have you been able to reach your goals?

Have you made a lifestyle change like this? How did you achieve it?

Disclosure:  I was chosen as a Revolt Fitness Program blogger and received free membership to try the fitness program out and share my thoughts on it. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Revolt Fitness Update

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This week I want to talk all about the food because the Revolt plan isn’t just about the workouts and incredible videos that go along with them.

The program includes the meal plans with calorie ranges from 1400-2400 calories. There is also a detox week which is about 200 calories less than the normal Revolt diet and meant to help with all the sugar you’ve eaten and will help you lose the bloat associated with high simple sugar consumption.

Each plan has 5 – 6 meals each day and will list exactly what to eat for each meal and how much based on the plan you’ve selected (they help you figure out which one to follow). The meals are well balanced and include lean protein, lots of fresh veggies, whole grains like brown rice, fruits and healthy fats and the best part is that if there is something in the meal plan that you don’t like or are allergic to there is a list of over 100 approved items that you can pick from.

One of the things that I worried about was having to make a separate dinner for the rest of my family because to me that seemed like a lot of extra work that I didn’t want to do. But what I’ve found is that a lot of the dinners are family friendly and I can make mine right along side of theirs and we can all eat together.

Here’s a perfect example. Last night’s dinner was a chicken stir fry bowl and when I told the kids when they asked what’s for dinner (like they do a million times a day each week) they said that sounds good. Win! The only difference between mine and theirs was that I pulled out some of the stir fry sauces, soy sauce, and sriracha for them to use on theirs while I seasoned mine with lemon pepper seasoning (minus the salt).

Of course their favorite so far has been the coconut curry chicken. My daughter who loves food like this even said she doubted that it would be good and then she tried it and changed her mind. Another win!

revolt meals

Once in a while I do get tired of grilled/baked chicken and like to find ways to mix it up but for the most part I do try to stick with the meal plan. There is lots of grilled chicken, fish, lean sirloin, sweet potatoes (which I love), steamed veggies, smoothies, and eggs… I’m not so fond of hard boiled eggs anymore.

OH.. I almost forgot about the best part! Cheat day! One day a week you get a cheat day where there is nothing planned as far as the meal plan goes and you can eat whatever you want. It can be any day of the week that you want just make sure that it’s only once. I use Saturday as my cheat day and even though I still try to be good I end up eating something that is so far from the healthy list it isn’t even funny! Usually some dessert… good thing cheat day is only once a week.

Okay, so here’s where I get honest. Do I follow the plan 100% to the T? Nope. There are days that I find it really hard to stick to the plan exactly but I do try to eat good and stick with fresh foods, avoiding the processed stuff as much as possible.

What kind of meal plan do you follow?

Disclosure: I was chosen as a Revolt Fitness Program blogger and received free membership to try the fitness program out and share my thoughts on it. All opinions expressed are my own.

Fitness Friday – Revolt Update

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Well, it’s been 2 weeks since I started the Revolt program and I won’t lie…. it’s been really hard. Of course I knew that going into it because no diet and/or workout plan is ever easy, especially if you want to see results, right?

So the big news this week… I’ve lost about 5lbs total! Not ideal but it’s a start and it can only get better from here. I will admit that I have not stuck to the diet 100% and that I sometimes skip the icky green smoothies. I tried… honest I did but I just could not do it. It tasted and smelled like grass and was thick and clumpy. I’m sure that there are much better uses for kale than a smoothie no matter what the health benefits are.

Something I have noticed is that I’m getting stronger (and sore some days) and that means that I am building lean muscle which will help fuel the calories being used. The workouts are 5 days a week with Monday, Thursday, and Saturday being giant cardio circuits and Tuesday being lower body sculpting and Friday being upper body sculpting (Wednesday and Sunday are off days).

Exercises that I have learned to hate but that means they work.

  • Planks. The first 30 second plank is easy peasy… the 2nd… it’s starts to get a little challenging, the 3rd… my muscles are shaking and it takes a lot of focus to stay in place…. the 4th… well, lets just say that I don’t always make it to the 4th one.
  • Stability ball pass through. The first time I did this I could not keep my legs straight and move them slowly down to the floor because my core was/is just not strong enough. I had to pause the video because Nichole can do them at an unnatural rate of speed and has 10 or 12 done before I’m on to number 4. But… slow & steady wins the race! Today I was actually able to do them (my legs weren’t totally straight) but I didn’t have to pause in between each one.
  • Wall squats. 30 seconds. I needn’t say more.

The exercises are broken down into level 1, 2, and 3 and level 1 does 3 circuits and 2 and 3 do 4 circuits. I do the level 2 exercises but I’ll admit that there are times that I’ve had to stop after 3 circuits because I simply can’t do anymore. To make up for that and to help speed up the changes in my body I head out for a run or a walk in the evenings.

My goal is not have a baby belly or thunder thighs! I don’t expect to walk away looking as awesome as Nichole but I do want to look good in a swimsuit again.

What exercise or weight loss goals do you have? How are you achieving them?

Why yes, this is a sponsored post. I am a Revolt blogger and have been given access to the meal plans and all the workout videos for free in return for my honest thoughts and opinions about the program. 

Revolting Wednesday!

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I’ve been on and off this weight loss wagon ever since finishing the Shaklee 180 program and I’ve been trying to get rid of these last 10 – 20 pounds and it’s been so difficult. I will admit that I haven’t made the best choices when it has come to what I eat at meal time or snacks. Then there is the “witching” hour when I get home from work and it’s before dinner… I get the munchies. I will snack on just about anything that I can get my hands on and then add to that the holidays and weight came creeping back.

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Now, I am doing great! I’ve been lucky enough to be invited to join a group of great bloggers who are working on the Revolt Fitness program!

Revolt is a total fitness plan that is a combination of workouts and meal plans to get you in shape 6 weeks. The workouts are led by Nichole and change from week to week and follow a similar routine where there are 3 days of cardio, 1 day of lower body strength training, and 1 day of upper body strength training with two days off in between. These workouts are not easy…. not at all and they’re designed to get proven results. I have had days where it hurt like hell to sit down because my leg muscles were very sore and this is after going to the gym regularly.

I started the diet with a detox which was meant to help my body rid it of the effects of all the sugar I eat. I’m here to tell you that it was a rough week… and I followed it pretty closely except for one day where I messed up. Now, I’m on the next phase and have been able to increase the types of foods that I’m able to eat and there is even dessert. Yum!!

I will be following the program for the full six weeks and will be sharing my thoughts and progress each week. Below are my stats from the start of the program on April 29th and they’re similar to what they were at the end of the Shaklee 180 program except for the weight… that’s a little higher. As I get a little braver and whole lot more fit I’ll be sharing some pictures of my progress (my initial pics were shared in a private FB group and even that was a challenge).

My goals are to fit into a size 10, lose the baby belly, and look fit and tone overall.

Height: 5’8″
Weight: 160lbs
Chest: 32in
Waist: 31.5in
Hips: 43in
R. Arm: 12.5in
L. Arm: 12in
R. Thigh: 22.5in
L. Thigh: 21.5

You can join Revolt at any time for $9.99 a month of course you can cancel at anytime but after seeing the results you’ll want to keep with the program.

 I was chosen as a Revolt Fitness Program blogger and received free membership to try the program out. All opinions, pics, aches & pains are my very own.