I remember catching the infomercial for Ab Rocket featuring Kim Kardashian, socialite and television celebrity, and her mom, Kris Jenner.

Being the socially connected gal that she is, I knew it wouldn’t be difficult to track down details on the infomercial – Sure enough, Kim had posted about the experience of her and her mom on her Celebuzz blog.

My mom and I filmed an infomercial for the Ab Rocket. This machine is soooo easy! I took one home and have done it every day since! It’s effective and doesn’t hurt my back when I do my situps! Has anyone here tried it?

As much as I hate to admit it, Kim does look amazing!

Her struggle with her figure was a little on the public side and while she does look amazing, she does have one of those frames that will always require a little work and effort.

At least now she has a toned body and she seems to be very happy in love. Kim claims she didn’t starve herself to lose the weight, but instead, she stuck to an intense workout routine. Kim’s routine brought her down from size 6 to size 2.

Like most solid workout sessions, Kim’s began with a warm up, followed by some cardio exercises. It’s reported that her favorite exercises include lunges and squats. Kim would finish off her routine by stretching and doing abdominal toning exercises. One thing many of us get stuck in is focusing solely on those problem areas – not Kim – she chose to do a total body workout for the best results.

Kim’s workout routine included:

• Cardio – start workouts everyday with an elliptical machine or walking. Kim claims cardio exercises must be done for about 30-60 minutes everyday.
• Lunges – she would stand straight and keep her arms at her side. She would step forward with her left leg and then squat down until her thighs were parallel to the floor. She would then repeat this from the right side.
• Squats – consisted of standing in front of chair & sitting down on it. Then she would stand up and repeat this for three sets of 15 repetitions.
• Arms and upper body – this was accomplished with push ups. Kim would do 3 sets of 10 repetitions. Triceps dips are also important.
• Ab Rocket – finally Kim would round out her session on the Ab Rocket to help her tone and sculpt her abs. It also help to burn fat from your buns, thighs, and arms.

A balanced diet is also crucial to an overall body toning success. Kim included lots of fresh fruits and green vegetables. She also increased her water intake. She avoided saturated fats and junk food.

Obviously it worked and it worked very well!

What other actual customers are saying:

• Grace, California – I love this exercise device! Very well made and took me less than 3 minutes to set up. I love it…so does everyone in the family! It is way better than it was described in the advertisement!
• Ariel, New York – It works, I haven’t had any result yet but that’s just because I haven’t been consistent with it but my two sisters have gotten results!

Ab Rocket is available on Amazon with bonus Flex Trainer Attachment for $135. Everywhere else it’s averaging about $180 without the bonus features.

Have you tried the Ab Rocket? What was your experience?

When parents are competing with xBox, Wii, video games, computers, cell phones and a half-a-gazillion entertaining channels on television, it’s quite a chore to find ways to get the kids up and moving around for any amount of exercise.

I’ve always tried to be creative in ways to get my kids outside and actually playing like I did in – you know, the days before television, cars and indoor plumbing?!?!

Water balloons are one of those timeless forms of entertainment. It doesn’t matter how young or old you are, water balloons are just FUN!

One of my kids assisted this review by creating the video seen here:

Imperial Toy has found a way to improve on this timeless entertainment with the KAOS Nemesis.  Each KAOS Nemesis Wrist Launcher is designed to launch water balloons up to 100ft. The KAOS Nemesis comes with 50 Balloons. 

The KAOS water balloon launcher is perfect for any summertime event that may invite water-filled Summer Fun. Kids of all ages from 8-88 will enjoy this balloon launcher.

I actually wished this had been around when my twins were much younger. I could have kept them entertained by launching water balloons at them from my favorite summertime chair in the shade rather than thinking I could keep up with a couple of 3-year-olds racing all over the lawn.

The Nemesis even got the older kids outside and participating in a good old fashioned water fight!

The kids are already planning their attack for this years Pirate Weekend at the lakes which involves groups of people trolling around the lakes in their boats and engaging in a giant water fight.

SRP: $14.99 KAOS Refills are sold separately SRP $5.99.

When I was a kid, I got my hands on one of those ‘pink’ packets of artificial sweetener and it scared me for life.

I had seen my aunt use it in her coffee, and being a fan of the color pink, I waited until my aunt wasn’t looking then snuck a couple of packs for myself.

I’d been told it was “sugar” so I had all kinds of sugarplum thoughts going through my head.

I snuck around the corner, ripped off the top, tilted my head back and just like I did with the old Pixy Stix candies, I poured it on my tongue. Naturally, since my mom had always said “Pixy Stix were nothing but sugar” you can see where my thoughts were!

The instant I tasted it, I spit. I spit. I spit and then I spit some more. It was the most horrible thing I’d ever tasted, next to getting my mouth washed out with soap of course.

So that instant, that horrible taste, would become the “idea” I would carry into my adulthood as to what I believed all sweeteners tasted like.

When the blue and yellow packs came along – I flat refused to try them. I just knew they’d taste as retched as the pink stuff I had as a kid.

Funny how those sort of memories stick with us, isn’t it?

Fast forward 35 errr a few years *cough cough* and I find myself being introduced to another sweetener. This time the label was “natural”- naturally dreadful I thought!

I’ll be honest, I looked at that cute little box all decked out in orange and blue, then thought, HOW can I do an honest review if I don’t actually try it. I swear, I did NOT want to try it. BUT, because I am very committed to trying anything I write a review for, I gave in.

I brewed my morning pot of coffee and prepared myself mentally for this ginormous (to me) challenge that stood right in front of me.  You’d have thought I was being asked to have coffee with Count Dracula the way I crept into the kitchen.

I opened the box. Pulled out the packet of Skoopz. Took a good look at the packet, front and back then front again – cute stuff! Orange, my favorite color (could you tell?). I poured the white powder into my cup and with a quick stir, I was ready to go.

Deep Breath!

My first sip was an iddy, biddy touch to the lips – Not bad!

My second sip was more of a gulp. Not. Bad. At. All!

That was 50 cups ago!

skoopz® is an all-natural sugar substitute — the perfect alternative to sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners. skoopz® delivers the look, taste and feel of sugar without the calories of sugar and without the aftertaste found in other all-natural sugar substitutes. skoopz® contains no artificial ingredients and is safe for use by diabetics.

Skoopz is simply sweet folks! It’s a guilt free pleasure you can really enjoy whether it’s on your cereal, in your coffee or tea or in one of the delicious recipes they have listed on the Skoopz Natural website.

Just because you’re trying to lose weight doesn’t mean every aspect has to be dreadful! skoopz gives you that little nudge to keep going because you don’t have to deny yourself everything that’s yummy!

Skoopz is not available everyplace just yet – but it can be purchased  in individual packs of 50 or 100 count via their website or in bulk on Amazon.com

After having seen Trudie on Regis and Kelly a few months ago, I was excited to conduct a review of the Weight Loss Yoga DVD.

Besides feeling as though a pet rock farm has taken up residence on your shoulders, everyday stresses lead to unhealthy habits including poor nutrition, lack of exercise and the inability to rest properly.

Trudie Styler’s Weight Loss Yoga helps you develop a more balanced lifestyle that ultimately enables you to achieve your weight loss goals.

This DVD is broken down into 5 segments

Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss (18 Minutes) – This cleansing and strengthening routine will help you shed extra pounds so you ll be leaner, stronger and more energetic. Based around many of the traditional standing yoga postures, this flowing practice gets you moving gracefully while you make noticeable progress.

Total Body Yoga (24 Minutes)
Expand on the previous workout by adding a little more challenge. You ll work all the major muscles, building upper body, lower body and core strength while increasing flexibility, stamina and balance.

Yoga Abs (15 Minutes)
Improve core strength, flexibility of the spine and posture, as you activate the deep layers of the abdominal muscles for a firm, flat midsection.

Chair Yoga (35 Minutes)
Easy-to-follow routine perfect for those new to yoga or easing back into the practice. The chair provides a comfort zone and allows you to practice with confidence, despite lack of flexibility or experience.

Plus additional bonus features including recipes, tips and discussion on CLEAN diet.

I’ve actually heard a few friends mention Yoga and have told me how they find it relaxing and stimulating. They attribute Yoga as the reason they are able to work more efficiently and stay more focused throughout their days.

I’ve always thought weight loss and fitness were coupled with high impact exercise – but this puts that theory to rest.  I’ve only just begun with this DVD but I’ll be sure to keep you posted on progression as it happens.

Trudie’s Weight Loss DVD is available for purchase at both Gaiam.com and Amazon.com

Do you Yoga? If so, what have been your results? What’s your personal experience? What do you like? Not like?

I’d love to know!

For as far back as I can remember, I’ve always had to have something to drink within reach. Over the years, I’ve developed a habit of using a 32 oz. Styrofoam cup with a straw and lid. I will use a cup over and over until it starts to bleed through. Then I toss it, visit the local quick mart and get another.

Most times you’ll find me carrying water or a sugar free lemonade. But always, something refreshing to drink.

The fine folks at Contigo sent me one of their 24 oz AUTOSEAL® Tritan (Madison) Water Bottle to test drive. And when it comes to cups or bottles, I know how to test them! They travel everywhere with me as if they are a new growth that’s sprouted on my hip.

My Contigo bottle has a push button feature that makes it spill proof and leak proof. It’s easy to use single handedly – leaving my other hand free for a phone, iPod or leash.

One of the problems I’ve always had with similar water bottles has been the spout. I just never felt like I could get it "clean" enough after use.

The AUTOSEAL Water Bottle is easy to carry, easy to drink from and is perfect for a busy lifestyle or a very relaxed walk around town.

My boys are football players and with summer conditioning getting underway, this is a great grab-and-go option for them.

The price isn’t bad considering you can use it over and over. The regular price is $9.99 however, at the time of this review – there’s a sale underway and prices are cut to $7.99 and there are 5 colors to choose from.

I will say the ONLY issue I have with this water bottle is the fact that cold drinks won’t stay cold long, unless you drink them quickly. That’s usually the case with anything that’s not insulated though. BUT, that’s easily remedied by opting for the coffee version instead.

Specific Benefits via Contigo:

    * 100% BPA free.  No need to worry about the container you are drinking from – Contigo® makes only BPA free bottles.
    * Patented AUTOSEAL® lid is 100% leak-proof and 100% spill-proof.
    * Drinking made easy! Press to sip. Release to seal. AUTOSEAL® automatically seals between sips to ensure no spills.
    * One-handed water bottle operation for on-the-go drinking.
    * Water bottle is made out of Tritan™, which provides high impact resistance and won’t stain or retain odors.
    * Carabiner clip on the handle makes this water bottle easy to carry. Attach it to a bag strap for hands-free portability.
    * Water bottle is top-rack dishwasher safe.
    * Wide opening fits ice cubes.
    * Volume markings help you gauge water intake.
    * 24 oz. size fits most car cupholders.

Volume: 24 oz.
Dimensions: 4.1" across widest point of lid x 10.3"H x 2.9" diameter at base