Sandalwood Soap Giveaway

Sandalwood Soap Giveaway:

I am going to tell you something that is going to make you fall out of your seat and right on the floor. I do NOT have internet at my house. Can you believe it? I didn't think so. YHH has been running on a laptop in various locations for almost a year. Library, coffee shop, bookstore, friends' house, family's house, anywhere my laptop would pick up Wifi. (Thanks to all those who let me hang out on your computer and use your internet. Love ya!).

But thanks to my perseverance, I finally found a company who will run internet back to my house. My husband and I live about 650 feet off the main road. And the main road is not like most of you are used to, I am sure. We are back in the woods. I love the peace and quiet but modern day life is just reaching us now. After several phone calls to several companies for about two years (perseverance), an internet company has agreed to run cable back to my house for a normal installation fee. Praise God!

But this brought me to thinking of this word, Perseverance.

Wikepedia says: Perseverance is a term for human endurance. Dictionary.com's explanation is: steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

This relates to everything in our lives but to me it's working out. I want to persevere and conquer my goals. I want to have the endurance I need to reach my weight and physical goals. I want to continue to reach my goals no matter the obstacles or difficulties in making time for my workouts. If I miss a day, I don't get down on myself. I just make time the next day and then the next. Being healthy to me is a way of life, not some 90 day diet. I want to encourage all of you to persevere and reach your goals. No matter if it takes 6 months or 2 years. Keep going until you reach your goal. Then, make another one.

So in celebration of the internet being hooked up at the end of this next month, I have picked up several organic Sandalwood Soaps made in China from a local organic store. (I know what your thinking. Everything is made in China. But these are authentic organic soaps. Believe me, you won't be able to read the label; that's how made in China they are.)

I would like to give these soaps away to three individuals. All you have to do to enter is:

#1 Be a subscriber or subscribe today. (Once you are a subscriber you are automatically entered in all YHH giveaways for the life of your subscription.)

#2 Be a follower for a second change to win.

# 3 Leave me a comment on how much weight you have lost and how you feel. If it's 5 pounds or 50, each of us has a story. (Or how much weight you plan on losing). I want to hear stories of perseverance.
Contest ends on April 6th at midnight. Good Luck!

Coming in May: YHH is going to start posting more giveaways, recipes, slide shows of proper form when lifting weights, workout routines, and much much more. So subscribe today, if your not, and be a part of an incredible group of people who are changing the way they look at themselves and are making an effort everyday to have a Happy Heart.

Blessings, Angie Taylor

NuMetrex Giveaway Part #2

This is what you have all been waiting for! The NuMetrex giveaway. But first I want to share a few more things with you about this fab company and the benefits of heart rate monitors.

I mentioned in Part #1 I have a Polar watch with chest strap. My strap is all one piece and once it's on, the transmitter starts sending out the signal to your watch or gym equipment. Several of the higher quality Polar watches come with what they call a "WearLink" chest strap.
(See Below)
It's a bit different in design as the transmitter snaps on and off much like the NuMetrex transmitter and is made of a softer material. It has the same woven-in threads as in the NuMetrex garments. (This is the style that my husband sports). Since the WearLink transmitter is similar to the NuMetrex transmitter, it can easily be snapped into a NuMetrex garment and an additional NuMetrex transmitter is not needed. (See below)
For those of you who have the WearLink, then you are all set and can be connected with any of the garments that NuMetrex has to offer. If not, the additional NuMetrex transmitter can be purchased for your new NuMetrex garment.

I am also proud to tell you, on behalf of NuMetrex, they have been acquired by Adidas. Adidas loved their heart rate monitor system and wanted to offer it to their clients as well. They felt this would be the most comfortable way for their customers to benefit from a heart rate monitor system. This says a lot about NuMetrex when a company like Adidas is on board. When you purchase any garments from NuMetrex you know you are getting quality. When you register for this great giveaway, you will also receive a 20% off coupon via email that you can use on your next purchase. Can't beat that!

So what do you have to do to register for this giveaway to win one of these great garments and NuMetrex heart rate monitoring systems? It's so easy. Only two simple steps.

#1 Leave me a comment on why you would love to use this system and let me know if you are a subscriber. (If not, subscribe and join the thousands of other fitness junkies on YHH.)

#2 Click on the word NuMetrex or the photo below to register your email for this great giveaway and a 20% off coupon. I am so excited NuMetrex is giving my readers this opportunity to win. Contest to run 03/25 - 04/01.

Good Luck! As always, keep working out, work hard, and don't quit until you reach your goals.
Angie Taylor and Your Happy Hearts.com

NuMetrex Clothing and Heart Rate Transmitters Part #1

I just love my Polar F6 Heart Rate Monitor, if you haven’t heard me say that before. This has really helped me keep on track of calories in/out. This is so important if you’re really trying to lose weight and get fit.

With a Polar Heart Rate Watch you receive a chest strap with built in transmitter to send a signal of your heart rate to your watch (or any gym equipment with a built in heart rate monitor system). This strap goes on under your existing sports bra or whatever you are wearing. Not quite the same hassle for you boys, but nonetheless, you can feel this tight strap around your chest while working out. It’s worth a little discomfort to be able to get a great reading of your calories burned. And I highly recommend this system……But…..

I have found something better and more comfortable to use along with your watch. NuMetrex offers clothing with special sensing fibers sewn directly into the material so you don’t have to use a separate heart rate monitoring strap. Ladies, they have a great sports bra by Adidas, which I found to be extremely comfortable. And guys, they didn’t forget about you. NuMetrex clothing also offers tanks and cardio shirts, allowing you to be free from your chest strap as well. (See photo of mens and womens tanks below).

Each piece of clothing has a small pocket inside of the front chest area of the clothing, with two snaps. Simply snap on your NuMetrex transmitter to start sending the signal.
One feature I really like about this is by snapping or unsnapping, you have a quick ability to turn on and off your signal, saving battery life. With the regular heart rate strap, as soon as it’s wet and on your body, it’s working until you remove the entire unit.

With NuMetrex clothing and the NuMetrex transmitter, you can wear the clothing out to the gym or wherever you may be heading for a workout and snap the transmitter on just before you are ready to blast off some fat.

If you have a job like mine, where you can take a break and go for a walk, you can easily wear your sports bra/tank/cardio shirt under your work clothing. Then just before your walk, quickly snap on your monitor, get the strips wet, and off you go. I walked this huge hill twice in one day and burned 80 calories one walk and 87 the next. These are calories I would not have taken into consideration with my at home workout unless I was wearing my monitor earlier in the day.

You do have to take some care when snapping in the transmitter to make sure the clothing is lying flat on your skin and you have enough moisture on the sewn in fibers to get a good read on the watch (or gym equipment). I had a few times where the signal was inconsistent until I got the material nice and flat on my skin. But I believe this is something small and can be learned after just a few tries.

On the Jillian Michaels DVD’s, she has you do lots of superman exercises (lying on your stomach for those of you who aren’t familiar). Even during this maneuver I could barely feel the transmitter pushing into my chest. It’s extremely comfortable.

I highly recommend you use a heart rate monitor if at all possible. I recommend Polar as I have had great results. But I also highly recommend the NuMetrex watches and their clothing line too. I hope to have my husband in a tank soon, and he can tell you about his experience as well. With the right equipment and the right frame of mind, you can accomplish all of your health and fitness goals. I hope to be there every step of the way, making it easier to choose the right food, equipment, and all your fitness needs.

NuMetrex is going to give you an opportunity to win your very own bra or tank with transmitter. Your Happy Hearts.com and NuMetrex are in the process of setting up this great giveaway for you. So look for this spring giveaway coming very soon, in Part #2 of my review.


Be Blessed, Angie Taylor

Jillian Michaels New Workout DVD’s.

Your Happy Hearts.com are huge fans of Jillian Michaels. She can train us any day. Well, if she did in real life, we may not be so happy about it. She's one tough trainer.

For those of you who don’t have access to a gym, but want the same results, then Jillian has just the thing for you. I have spoken before of her 30 Day Shred and just how awesome this DVD is. I have a co-worker who has used it with great results. She is even doing all three 20 minute workouts at one time because she is getting stronger and losing great amounts of weight (27 pounds to be exact, way to go Kelli). Well, it’s time to confuse those muscles and try something different. You never want your muscles to get used to a certain workout for too long and stop changing. That's when you hit those nasty plateaus. If you continue to change up your routine, you will continue to lose weight and grow stronger. As always, watch what you eat as well! 10% genetics, 10% workout and 80% what we eat.My husband and I continue to listen to Jillian’s radio show out of California (broadcasting on Sunday mornings). My hubby downloads them onto his iPod and we listen to them in the car on our drive into work. J.M. had made mention of these new DVD’s and spoke of how one of the gals on her team was actually crying by the end of filming. I can see why. These high impact workouts are worth every penny. Which, as always for Jillian, is in everyone’s price range. You can purchase both DVD's as a set for only $17.95.

No More Trouble Zones is a 50 minute workout. With a 5 minute warm-up with light cardio and dynamic stretching, then moving into 40 minutes of 7/6 minute circuits - targeting shoulders, chest, arms, abs, back, legs, hips and glutes. Then you end with a 5 minute cool-down. This DVD requires hand weights and a yoga mat if you are working on a hard floor. I wouldn’t go to crazy on the size of your weights. The program is more for toning then adding any bulk/major size. So stick with 5-10 pound weights and I suggest you bulk up on an opposite day of the No More Trouble Zones DVD.

Banish Fat Boost Metabolism is another great workout in which, seriously, my husband and I had to pause between circuits. Not only catch our breath, but to bring down the heart rate. If you do this workout program, I highly recommend a heart rate monitor if you can purchase one. If you have one already, make sure you wear it. It’s pretty intense. My husband and I both have the Polar watches with chest straps. (I have the pink Polar F6 and am in the process of testing a sports bra with the transmitter in the bra. So no chest strap needed. I will be reporting to you soon on that product.) The Banish Fat workout is a great way to get your metabolism up and moving. This is also 50 minutes of workout. 5 minutes of warm up through cardio circuits and building heat in your body, which helps reduce any injuries. So don’t skip it to save time. Then 40 minutes of high impact cardio circuits, followed by a 5 minute cool down to lower heart rate. With our experience, it has taken more than 5 minutes to cool down. So if your heart rate has not yet dropped, walk it off around the house till you feel you are again comfortable with the pounding in your chest.

By adding these two workouts to your 30 Day Shred Program (which I recommend starting with) this is all you would need to make your gym complete. If P90X (which is also a favorite in our house) is too expensive or too time consuming then try Jillian’s workouts. They are very similar in moves to the P90 and are very empowering at the same time. (Men you can workout with Jillian too. It’s a great workout to do along side your wife as my husband does with me. So no more excuses! I am talking about myself as well). Spring is right around the corner along with bathing suit season. Even if it’s a suit in your own backyard, with a blow up pool, who doesn’t want to feel comfortable in their own skin? I know I do. So get these DVD’s in your player and get working out now!

Be blessed,
Angie Taylor

Calorie King Giveaway

Book giveaway is here again.



This is the third time I have promoted this book and gotten it into your hands. I love this collection of information because it can go anywhere with you. In a purse or a gym bag. Don't you really want to know how much your eating and how it is effecting your workouts? I personally have the Calorie King (computer program) on my lap top, which sits in my kitchen right on the counter. I enter in my daily food intake at night when I get home from work. What's great, is we are creatures of habit, and we tend to eat the same food. So after a while you know where to find it or how much the calories already are. The book and program have thousands of foods. The program on-line continually updates and has even more information than the book. From fast food to fine dining, you will never have to guess your calorie intake again.


I really want you to be focusing on your food. 10% of your body mass is genetic, 10% is your hard workouts and 80% is what you put in that smiling face of yours. So this just proves how important our food intake is.

To win this book (last of the 2008 supply) full of great information for your travels, gym bag, or purse, you must follow these rules:

Calorie King book
1. Be a subscriber to this site, as this is my gift to my hardworking gym rats who give 100% every day. Or we try too!
2. Enter as a follower and join my team of athletes that want more out of their bodies.
3. Then leave a comment on why you want the Calorie King, leave your email address, and let me know if you are a subscriber or a follower or both.
Contest runs from Friday the 03/06/2009 through Friday 13th. Wow, did I just say Friday the 13th. Must be your lucky day!

I can't wait to send this to one of my awesome readers who continues to strive for a new life every day.

Blessings, Angie Taylor

Journal, Journal, Journal…all the way from London!

 
As many of you know I encourage, promote, and plead for you to journal. When we make changes in our bodies by working out, there MUST be a change in our minds also or the change in the body will not be life changing. We must create a new man and make extreme changes to see results. When we give up on our old ways or our old lifestyle, we are admitting we were wrong and the things we were doing were not working. That is not easy for most. Just as in marriage/relationships, when you argue about something for so long, one of you must come to a realization you are wrong and your partner may be right. You must swallow your pride, and change your ways. This is the only way the relationship will work. The same goes for the relationship you have with yourself. You have to admit when you are wrong and find another alternative. Another healthier alternative to the way you are living your life.

When journaling, I want you to start out your first page with your current weight, body fat, and age. At the start of each week record your new weight. If you have a scale with a body fat counter, keep track of that too. I want you to be able look back and see how far you’ve come. This is also the start of really looking at yourself and realizing it’s not where you want to be and you have to change. Then express your thoughts about yourself, fears of working out, and eating habits. Why did you eat that donut? Are you depressed, bored, angry, hurt? Find what triggers your bad habits. Get in a workout and write down what you did, for how long, how you did, and how you feel. Every day end your journaling with your new goals. Set a goal for tomorrow, set one for next week, month, and even year. Those who plan ahead WILL reach their goals. This includes my guy readers too. Just because your men, does not mean you don’t have thoughts and feelings that should be written down. In some cases, this will be more beneficial to you, as I bet most of you have never had a journal.

Now in saying all that I wanted you to have the finest in journaling tools. In searching the net, I came upon a company called Aspinal of London. They have awesome leather products made in England. Each item is handmade by their team of traditionally skilled craftsmen and women. Apsinal House uses only the finest leather and materials to produce beautiful journals and works of art.

I received my lockable leather journal from Apsinal earlier this week. All I can say is WOW. If I could make this article scratch and sniff, I would have you smell your computer right now and get a wiff of the finest leather. My journal is white lizard print and filled with quality thick parchment paper and has 150 pages to pour out your fitness journey (yes I counted). A green ribbon is attached for keeping track of your last entry, and it’s lockable. For those who may have snoopy parents, spouse, or children, this is perfect for making you feel safe in writing your innermost thoughts. ( I just had to take a few photos as their site does not quite capture it's beauty.)

 

 

These journals are a little more expensive than going to an office supply store or grabbing a spiral bound notepad at the grocery store, which you can do. But boy when you get your hands on this journal, you will want to snuggle down in a blanket with your organic chamomile tea, put on your new Aspinal Slippers (gals) and poor your heart out. Because of the different color selection, there is one perfect for each of you. Men you can get a black or brown journal for a more masculine feel if that helps you finally start journaling. They have men's house slippers as well.

Please check out my friends at Aspinal of London and see what other wonderful items they have to offer. I am in love with the heart change purse as it goes with the Your Happy Hearts theme, don't you think? I think I need one in white to match my new journal!

As most of us spend time in the gym or at our home gym in gym-rat clothing, dressing up and feeling good about our new bodies is a fun adventure. I see a new purse in my future, and if there is, I will rave to you about that as well, I’m sure.

As always you can contact me by leaving a comment or if you wish to ask a personal weight loss question, please email me at taylorhappyheart@gmail.com Be blessed in all your journaling and let your thoughts just wonder.

Angie Taylor.