"It Ain't Your MaMa's YOGA!"

After having a few back strains from doing high intensity exercises, I started looking into alternative workouts, such as yoga. I've never been the biggest the fan of yoga, mostly because I'm inflexible, but I did a few downward dog routines and it helped my back.

For the past month, I have been trying out the new workout program called DDP Yoga, which I received free of charge in exchange for my honest thoughts. I received the workout kit fairly quickly by USPS, which contained four DVDs in two cardboard sleeves, a reference wall chart featuring all the basic moves, and a fitness guide book.

DDP Yoga was created by the former WCW and WWF wrestler Diamond Dallas Page, famous for his finishing Diamond Cutter move. He suffered from many wrestling injures, which would normally result in a wrestler retiring, but instead he tried doing yoga and got back into fighting shape. Now, he has created a 13-week program to help others get into shape.

The workouts included in this program are:

Product Review - Ultimate Garcinia

My main, well only, resolution this year was too have a new me by getting into shape, which has been a little rocky for me. For the last few months, I have tried out many different workouts and other health related products. In April, I tried out the dietary formula Ultimate Garcinia, which I received a complimentary one month bottle in exchange for my honest review.

I'm well aware that dietary formulas aren't a magic cure. You have to eat well and exercise if you want to see results.

One bottle of Ultimate Garcinia contains 90 capsules, which you take one capsule, preferably with a meal, three times a day. The product contains Calcium, Chromium, Potassium, and Proprietary Blend. Other ingredients include Gelatin, Microcrystalline celilose, Magnesium stearate, and Silicone dioxide. The hydroxide acid from Garcinia Cambogia fruits helps suppresses fat.

MyAllergyTest Review

Spring is here, well kind of, actually there is snow on the ground even though it is May. The weather has been wacky all year and so have my allergies and sinuses. I've never been tested to see what I'm actually allergic to. Let's face it; it costs to visit the doctor, even with insurance.

Recently, I had a chance to receive a free MyAllergyTest from ImmuneTech in exchange for my honest review. The kit is available at Walmart, Walgreens, and Meijer in the pharmacy department at the retail price of $49.95.

The at-home-kit contains an instructional booklet, a registration/personal information card, an alcohol prep pad, two single-use safety lancets, a funnel, a blood collection tube, one adhesive bandage, a prepaid return envelope, a biohazard zip lock bag, and bar code labels.

The instructions on how to collect your own blood sample is pretty simple to follow. Make sure you look at the diagrams, so you'll know what finger to choose and where to puncture with the safety lancet. Also, make sure you have the funnel in the blood collection tube correctly. Basically, shake your hand to get the blood flowing, stick your finger with the lancet, massage your hand and finger, and let the blood drip into the tube. Put the label codes on the tube, slip the tube into the biohazard bag, fill out the registration card, put everything in the prepaid return envelope, and drop it off at the post office.

ZICAM Intense Sinus Relief Review & Giveaway

I never really suffered from allergies until last year when it seemed I was sick every little bit with sinus drainage. Every time the weather changes, my sinuses act up. Spring is here and I mowed the yard for the first time yesterday. I didn't have any allergy problems when mowing, but I did last year. Once the weather gets hot again, I'm sure I'll be having problems.

Being a blogger, I get many opportunities to work with different companies and review different products. Recently, I got a chance to review ZICAM Intense Sinus Relief nasal gel free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I've only have tried a few nasal sprays before, most them were the cheap brands and none of them helped. I've seen the ZICAM brand in the stores, but I have never tried any before.

The nasal gel contains a cooling menthol and eucalyptus. The non-drowsy spray is to help give you a quick relief of your sinus pressure and nasal congestion for up to 12 hours.

Does it work?

Find the Perfect Mother's Day Gift

Mother's day is only a few weeks away, which for me it becomes harder and harder every year to come up with new presents ideas for my mom and grandmother. Sure, I can get my grandmother a music CD and get my mom a quilt book, but they have so many I wouldn't know which ones they already own. Luckily, I received an opportunity to work with Oriental Trading Company, Inc, who nicely sent me a $25 gift card for me and another one for a giveaway (see the bottom of the post for it) in exchange for an honest review.

Picking out a few gifts for my mom and grandmother wasn't as easy as I thought it would be as Oriental Trading has many different products for Mother's Day. Some of the bestsellers are the "2013 Happy Mother's Day" Magnet Picture Frame Craft Kit, DIY Flowerpots, DIY Ceramic Tea Cup Planters, and the 24 Magic Color Scratch Butterfly Ornaments.

After browsing for about two hours, I settled on the Bird Figurine for my grandmother. It is made out of resin and is 7"H. As you can see from the picture, the figurine is beautiful. It is on sale for only $3.99. At that price I figured it would be cheaply made, but I was completely wrong. The figurine is going to look great on top of my grandmother's entertainment center.

Tiny Task LED Light Review

Everyone who knows me knows that I love to read. Let me rephrase that. I'm obsessed with books. Being a passionate reader means that I like lying in bed and reading a good novel, but I don't have any place to put a lamp. I have had a few book lamps given to me over the years, but they never really worked. They didn't give off very much light and they were hard to keep clipped onto a book.

I recently got a chance to try out a new product called the Tiny Task LED Light from Mighty Bright free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I guess you can say I was excited about reviewing this miniature light, which I received in the mail very quickly.

The lamp is available in four colors and the one I was sent is blue, my favorite color. The light doesn't take up much room as it is only four inches tall, and it resembles a typical desk lamp. I like that you can twist the neck to position the lampshade to whatever kind of angle you need. You can slide the lamp under a book page, magazine, or newspaper by using the clip on the base. You don't have to worry about the light slipping as it has a rubber on the bottom. It uses two CR2016 batteries that can last up to 4 hours. The energy-efficient LED can last up to 100,000 hours, so you don't have to worry about replacing it anytime soon.

bubba RAPTOR and HERO Sport Bottles Review

I've been on health kick for the past few months and I've been increasing my intake of water as it is good for losing weight, plus I get extremely thirsty after a great workout. I also try to keep a glass of water nearby while I"m working out, but I've accidentally broken a few glasses. I've tried using a coffee tumbler, but the lid likes to slip off and the water spills everywhere. Luckily, I got a chance to review the Raptor and Hero from bubba brands free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

The Raptor is an insulated dual wall sports bottle made with Tritan from Eastman and will hold up to 160oz. It is BPA free and is dishwasher safe. There is a neat handle on the mouthpiece for easy carrying, which when pulled down raises the mouthpiece. The bottle came with two heavy-duty straws.

The Hero is a massive 24oz stainless steal, vacuum insulated sports bottle and it can keep any liquid cold up to twelve hours. It is also BPA free and dishwasher safe. Just like the Raptor, it has a handle on the mouthpieces and came with two straws.

Smile Brilliant! Review and Giveaway

I'm a heavy coffee drinker, who refuses to drink from a straw. Even though I brush my teeth daily, I can't get rid of a few stains (most likely from the coffee) on my teeth. My focus this year has been on reinventing me, so naturally I have looked at the many whitening products in the stores. There are so many kits, strips and pastes on the shelves claiming to be the best that I don't have a clue who is telling the truth.

Luckily, I learned about that Smile Brilliant! were looking for blog reviewers to review their LED Teeth Whitening system and I quickly sent in my application. I figured there were many applications, so I wasn't expecting to be accepted, but I received an email confirming the product had been sent off. Of course I was excited about this and I was even more excited when it only took two days to receive it in the mail.

The LED Teeth Whitening kit came in a neat little box (see the above picture) and contained a High intensity Ultra-Blue LED activating light (with batteries), top & bottom protective trays, 4ml Professional whitening gel pen, and a small brush. The product is simple to use. All you have to do is use the whitening gel pen to paint the stained teeth. To stop the gel from coming off, quickly slip the whitening trays into your mouth. Next, you place the light transmitter against the trays and wrap your lips around the rim, so it won't come out. Last, you turn on the light and leave it alone for 20 - 45 minutes. Depending on your sensitivity you can go a bit longer, up to two hours and you don't have to use the LED light constantly. After you are finished, you need to wash and dry the mouthpieces.

Send a Sweet Gift To A Friend Review & Giveaway

Blogging has given me the opportunity to try out many different new products. Last week, I got a chance to work with a company called LittleSomething.com. What is does this company offer? Well, they carry many gifts for under $10 with free shipping (there is an option for faster shipping at an additional charge) that you can send to a loved one. With each gift you get to write a personal message that will be printed onto a stylish note card. For a few bucks more you can have the gift wrapped.

The site carries many items for both children and adults, such as the Sonic Flyer toy plane, Rush Hour Mini Play Scene, Rubber Band Ball, Paddywax Candle, Chocolate Drizzled Popcorn, and many other nifty items. LittleSomething.com nicely offered me two free gifts in exchange for my honest review, one for me and one for a friend. I thought this was perfect as my friend, Michelle, has a birthday at the end of the month. So what did I order for her? I got her the Happy Birthday! Celebration Cake that includes a microwave safe cooking bowl, a cake mix, frosting, sprinkles, a candle, a balloon, and a party horn. For me, I got the Mint Chocolate Chip Poppie's Cookies as I do have a sweet tooth.

Holy Smokes, Its Batman!

Anybody who follows my blog knows that my favorite holiday is Halloween. When I was a kid I use to love to dress up and go trick-or-treating. I went as Oscar the Grouch, a Transformer, a pirate, and Jason Voorhees. By the time I entered junior high, I had quit dressing up, but I did continue to decorate the house. Recently, I got a chance to review a superhero costume from Costume SuperCenter. I didn't realize there were so many different types of costumes for kids, adults, and even pets.

I'm not much a comic reader, but I'm a fan of the Dark Knight movies. Costume SuperCenter has many different costumes to choose from including the villains Joker and the Riddler. So which one did I choose? Well, of course I picked out the Batman muscle costume to review.

NuShape Weight Management Review

On my quest to get into shape this year, I tried out NuShape weight management dietary supplement from NuSirt Sciences free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

What is NuShape? It is all natural, side-effect free, supplement that works with your body while exercising to help extend the fat burning process. On the bottle label it reads "15 minutes of exercise = 60 minutes of fat burning," meaning the supplement will help you burn an extra 300 calories (approximately) a day. The ingredients used are: Vitamin B6, L-leucine, Mircocrystalline cellulose, and croscarmellose sodium.

Of course you need to add diet and exercise when you take any type of diet supplement in order for it to truly work correctly. Now I went exactly by the directions as I swallowed two tablets in the morning and two tablets before I went to bed. The exercising and dieting are two completely different stories. I have had my fair share of issues this last month with my sinus acting up, so there were days when I didn't feel like exercising. I tried my best for the first week to stay on a strict diet, but I fell off track. It started with one cookie here and there, and a few slices of pizza didn't help much either.

Wear a Cool T-Shirt for St. Patrick's Day

The big holiday this month is Easter, but there is also a little holiday on the 17th called St. Patrick's Day. The day when you are forced to wear something green or you'll be pinched by a friend. There is also the chance that the leprechauns will come after you. Well, that was back when I was in elementary school. For us adults, we look forward to the St. Patrick's Day parades and of course the once a year green colored beer.

I like wearing holiday themed t-shirts, but I have broad shoulders, so I find it hard to find a shirt that will fit. X-large shirts are normally too tight in the shoulders for me, but the XX-large shirts are too long and baggy. Luckily, I was sent a great Irish party tee shirts in the mail from Funny Irish T-Shirts for free in exchange for honest review.

TV Store Online T-Shirt Review & Giveaway!

Anyone who knows me or follows my blog would know that I'm a fan of cartoons, movies, and television shows from the 80s and early 90s. I guess you can say that I was more than excited to work with TV Store Online, who provided a free T-shirt in exchange for my honest review.

TV Store Online carries many T-shirts from old and new television series. I was surprised to find that they had many tees, sweatshirts, and other products from my favorite series, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood, Saved by the Bell, Married with Children, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and The Big Bang Theory, as well as my favorite childhood cartoons, such as TMNT, Alvin and the Chipmunks, G.I. Joe, He-Man, Looney Tunes, The Smurfs, Thundercats, and Voltron. The store also carries many tees from movies, such as Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Iron Man, Resident Evil, Stargate, and many others, and from music, comics and games.

Review - Enjoying Weight Loss

I hate the word "diet" as I have never been able to stay on one for very long. Over the last few months, I have added a daily exercise routine that doesn't bore me to death, but without out a diet plan, I am only maintaining my weight instead of dropping those unwanted extra pounds. I need to do something to help me eat healthier.

I'm well aware that there was audio hypnosis programs that can help people deal with many problems, like trying to quit smoking, get rid of anxiety and stress issues, boosting your self esteem, and helping you to lose weight. Being curious about hypnosis, I did a Google search and found the program Enjoying Weight Loss from the Hypnosis Network. After reading about the program, I contacted Hypnosis Network and they were kind enough to send me a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

Enjoying Weight Loss was created by Dr. Roberta Temes, a professor of psychiatry at the Downstate Medical School of the State University of New York and an editor of Medical Hypnosis.

The program is on four discs with nine sessions:

Review - TapouT XT: Extreme Training

Being a night owl, I happened to catch the infomercial for the 90 days home workout called TapouT XT: Extreme Training. Since I have slowly gotten myself back into an exercise routine, I became interested in this cardio intense workout program.

TapouT XT was created by Mike Karpenko and uses MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) style workouts to help you lose weight and build muscle over the 90 days schedule. The workouts are not meant to teach you any actually fighting or self-defense moves as they are meant to help you tone up.

The basic kit arrived fairly quickly by UPS in a black box with the TapouT logo printed on the packaging tape. The kit consist of the Strike Training DVD; a cardboard slip case to store the workout DVD cases; the twelve workouts on twelve DVDS; the 90 days workout schedule; the 48 pages Food Plan & Nutritional Guide; the twelve page 10-Day Slim Down Guide; the extreme resistance band; the leg training band; a TapouT XT sticker; and a TapouT XT towel. There are two DVDs in each slim case, helping you to save space and they are also easy to travel with.

The workouts range from 40 to 53 minutes, except for Buns and Guns XT that is 31 minutes and Ultimate Abs XT at 15 minutes.

The workouts are:

Cross Core Combat - This is the first workout on the schedule and it is not an easy one. I was covered with sweat by the end of the workout.

Review - GSP's RUSHFIT

If you are just like me, then you've probably made a few New Year's Resolutions. One of the most poplar resolution craze is fitness, due the fact that all the department stores have exercise equipment and accessories on sale, and let’s face it; you'll probably have some guilt over eating that extra piece of fudge at Christmas.

Instead of waiting until after New Year's Day to start a new exercise routine, I wanted to start a new workout program, so I wouldn't have to be feel any guilt about indulging in a few cups of egg nog. I'm a night owl, which means I have seen countless infomercials, where I happen to catch the George St-Pierre's RUSHFIT 8 week- workout program advertisement. Yes, I know that there are many fitness infomercials out there, but RUSHFIT caught my eye as it didn't require any other equipment other than dumbbells (2 lbs - 25lbs), which I already own.

I received the workout program by UPS within a week, packaged in a cardboard box with the RUSHFIT logo printed on it containing the five DVD workouts (Full Body Strength & Conditioning; Abdominal Strength & Core Conditioning; The Fight Conditioning Workout; Strength & Endurance Workout; and the Explosive Power Training), the bonus DVD workouts (Balance & Agility and Stretching For Flexibility), the cardboard box case, 3 workout programs (Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced), the Nutrition Guide, and the Workout Guide.

Review - Mysterious Creatures the Game

Growing up an only child, I didn't play very many board games (though I did own many) unless it was with my cousins, my aunt, or when I could talk my parents and grandparents into playing. By the time I started school video games where starting to become popular, therefore I played Super Mario Bros. with my friends.

Now as an adult, I realize the importance of interacting with another player instead of a television or computer screen.

Recently, I had the opportunity to review a new educational game titled Mysterious Creatures the Game, courtesy of Education Outdoors in exchange for my honest review. I received the game by UPS within a few days in a nicely packaged box.

Mysterious Creatures requires up to four players between the ages of 8 and up. There are some small game pieces, so children under the age of three shouldn't be around the game.

A Little Luck of the Irish for 2013

Well, we survived the 2012 apocalypse and many of us survived the madness of the holiday season. Before we can even blink, Valentine's Day will roll on by, leaving us with just over a month until St. Patrick's Day, you know, the holiday where if you don't wear green you'll be pinched to death. Oh wait, that was in back in elementary school. 

As we all know St. Patrick's Day is the day to celebrate the anniversary of Saint Patrick’s death. As adults, we look forward to attending the religious services, parades, and of course the traditional glass of artificially colored green beer. And you still might get pinched by people who still believe that wearing green will make you invisible to Leprechauns.

Do You Remember Those Ugly Sweaters?

Do you remember Ralphie having to wear the ugly pink bunny pajamas in the 1983 classic A Christmas Story? As a kid, do you remember receiving those awkward homemade sweaters from your mother, aunt, or grandmother? If you were one of the lucky ones, then you avoided the embarrassment of wearing the sweater to school after the holiday break.

Now you can have a chance to wear a Christmas tee shirts for your Ugly Christmas Sweat Party this year. AM T-Shirts kindly sent me a black men's XL t-shirt called "Fiery Night" for free in exchange for my honest review.

I received the shirt in the mail in less than a week. The design really is ugly, but in a cool kind of way with the Godzilla wearing a Santa hat battling a tank and planes. The green, red, and white colors will surely get everybody's attention when you walk into a room, whether it is a school party, an office party, or a family gathering. 

Product Review: Advil® Congestion Relief

Winter officially starts on December 21st, which means the sore throat, the sinus pressure, the nasal swelling and congestion, and the headache season has begun. Unless, you are just like me and have these issues all through the year.

Last week, I received 10 coated tablets of Advil Congestion Relief courtesy of Smile 360 and Advil in exchange for my honest review.

Advil Congestion Relief helps temporarily relieves the common cold and flu symptoms such as a headache, fever, sinus pressure, nasal congestion, and minor body aches and pains. It reduces the swelling of the nasal passages and can temporarily help you breathe better through your nose.