The Nalgene Bottle, My Hot New Gym Accessory : By Morgan

I got myself another treat today! I ordered a workout water bottle for me and my workout buddy from REI. This is a Nalgene brand bottle. You can purchase them on amazon, ebay, at the Nalgene website (just google nalgene) or where I got mine at REI. You can also find quite a few sites where you can buy nalgene bottles with PayPal. I ordered mine from REI only because I thought they were the cutest with the little tree silhouettes. I got a pink one for me and blue one for my workout buddy Zuri. I am very excited. I used to carry one all throughout  high school and college. These are the wide mouth variety which I love because they are easier to clean and because you can fit ice in them. They are very durable, will pretty much last through any trauma, plus they are BPA free. If you don't know what PBA is it's a chemical used to make plastic. There is PBA in the water bottles you buy your water in at the grocery store. PBA isn't extremely harmful but can be. It's outlawed in most developed countries, but is still used in the USA and heavily monitored by the food and drug administration. The reason why it's better to go PBA free is because whenever your water bottle gets hot it leeches this plastic chemical into your water and you consume it. So if you reuse a water bottle, which I used to do, your probably drinking chemical. If you've ever microwaved anything in plastic, your probably eating chemicals. After a while, in large enough does, over the course of a lifetime these chemicals can cause cancer. So get a PBA free water bottle, and buy a Brita Filter too. It's something little you could do for the environment that will make a big difference in the long run! Plus Nalgene bottles are a fashionable accessory. What do you think?

Nalgene bottle purchased at REI.com

Lane Bryant Bras are the Best! : by Morgan

I did some shopping today. I would consider myself a serious consumer. I take shopping seriously, it's an art I've mastered. I love to shop around to find exactly what I'm looking for, compare products, and when I find something I really like I stick with it. Shopping lately has been a treat for all my hard work in the gym. Today I received the Lane Bryant bras I ordered at www.lanebryant.com. I love Lane Bryant bras. I'm just starting to get into their clothes more, but I have been wearing their bras for 5+ years and can't say enough about them. They are the most comfortable and more flattering I have found for full figured girls HANDS-DOWN ANYWHERE! They come in all sizes and lots of pretty patterns. I love them! They seem kind of pricey at first sight, but they have really great deals all the time. I always buy bras when they have specials. They have buy one get one half all deals almost everyday, and on top of that they have special offers where you can take 30-50 % off your entire order. I shop smart and stock up whenever I can.

DISCLAIMER: In no way would I promote something I do not absolutely love, nor am I accepting any freebies or forms of payment for this product review.

The bras I received today! & I got the pink polka dot panties to match the bra!

Because I wear a bigger size, 46DD (or sometimes 46DDD), I generally order my bras online. There is a much better selection online. In-store they generally carry sizes 44 and under, 46 is harder to find. Lane Bryant bras come in different styles, balconette, plunge, t-shirt, full coverage ... it's really comes down to personal style. Quite honestly the balconette bras are to me the most comfortable and hold up the best. I really like these new sateen plunges because they come in size 46 and are sexy and good for lower cut tops. (in the photo above the navy and leopard bras are smooth plunge convertible bras, the pink polka dot is a cotton t-shirt bra and the white one is the ultimate sports bra.

DISCLAIMER: I do not claim to own these photos, they are property of Lane Brant @ www.lanebryant.com

HAPPY SHOPPING,

Bally Total Fitness Review: By Morgan

I decided that I need to really step it up for week three. When I started this weight loss journey at the beginning of January started by working out at home. It was a little hard to get fired up, but I had to start somewhere. From there I started working out at the gym in my apartment complex. They had minimal equipment, 2 treadmills and a couple circuit machines, but it was definitely a step up in intensity. Now I'm on week three, and since I'm doing so good working out I decided it's time to look for a gym. There are so many free passes out there I decided why not give them a try and really shop around for a gym.

So yesterday me and my workout partner Zuri went to Bally Total Fitness. You can print a free 7 day pass off the internet, and that's exactly what we did. We went to the one on Cobb Parkway in Smyrna Georgia right next to the Target. It's not too far from the Galleria Mall. It's a 15 min drive from my house in Buckhead and the closest Bally's to me.  We really like it so far. A personal trainer named Christina gave us a tour. She talked to us, gave us some great advice, and seemed to really care about our weight loss efforts. Bally's has a pool and a hot tub, a lot of ellipticals and treadmills, lots of circuit machines, and an indoor track. Yesterday Zuri and I did an hour on the eliptical trainer and it was killer, but really effective. We both burned between 600-700 calories and it felt really good to take our workout up a notch.

Monday we have an appointment with the personal trainer. Eeek I know, I'm a little nervous, but mostly I am excited for the challenge. I've never worked with a personal trainer and I can't wait to see what it's like. So wish me luck, I'm sure I'll be blogging about the experience soon.