There are so many apps out there, but my favorites are the CardioTrainer and Calorific apps from WorkSmart Labs. CardioTrainer is free and records all of your workouts…anything from yoga to running to weight training. It tells you how many calories you’re burning, how far you’ve gone, and even plays your workout playlist to keep you motivated. I highly recommend upgrading to Pro (For $9.99…it was given to me as a gift by my mom.) if you can afford it. This gives you additional options, including interval training and premium features like a weight loss trainer which I’ve found very helpful in planning my food intake and calorie burn goals.

Calorific is also free and makes it easy to make good food choices. Each food is categorized as green, yellow, or red. Your green foods are things  like fruits and veggies, whole grain breads, brown rice, beans, and fat free dairy products. These are supposed to make up 50% of your calorie intake. Yellow is mainly lean meats, white breads, nuts, oils, and low fat dairy. Yellow foods should be 35% of your daily caloric intake. Red is beef, fried foods, butter, ice cream, soda, cake, and all of those things we love but should eat in very small doses. They should make up the remaining 15% of your diet. It’s a much more simplified version of the calorie counters you might find on SparkPeople or Weight Watchers, which makes it much easier to use and much more effective for people like me who tend to get easily frustrated trying to nail down every single food as specifically as possible.

I also really like the Daily Workouts from Daniel Miller. He has them for abs, butt, and arms. These apps are free and give you an easy 5 minute workout, but for 99 cents each you can upgrade them and get an additional workout so you can switch it up a little.

There is also a free heart rate monitor out there for Android phones. It gets fairly accurate results when used correctly. Knowing your heart rate helps you be sure your hitting your target during exercise.

I know there are many more apps out there, but this is what I’ve found and like so far. Do you have one you love?

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The weather predictions told us that things were iffy, but we figured that we could visit the aquarium if it was rainy…one way or the other, we were going to the beach.  We got there right around 11AM and broke out lunch for the hungry crew.  There were some dark clouds and a drop or two while we were eating, but it seemed like the weather was clearing (or at least not bad enough to skip the beach) by the time we were done.  The van was unloaded, our spot staked out, and children sunblocked by noon.

We played in the water.  We played in the sand.  We played in the water AND the sand when I decided to sit at the water’s edge and just play, something I never do because it means sand ends up in every nook and cranny and crevice.  But I did it, and loved every moment of being there with my babies.  I nursed my little girl with the sound of the waves in our ears…she hasn’t nursed the last two mornings and I suspect that we are near the end of that part of her life.  So I sat there, doing nothing but focusing on her for that precious time, her eye peeking up at me from the towel I used to cover myself.  We were surrounded by people and noise, but for those few moments it was just the two of us.

There was lots of

and

and

and even

!!!

It was a glorious day…despite the 3 hour ride home in a wet swimsuit filled with sand (um, ouch!) and the discovery upon reaching home that the sunblock I used was expired (double ouch!) and finding that all of the problems I’d left behind for the day were waiting on me as soon as I got in the door.  In the end, we were out only the $2 we spent on ice for the cooler and the gas card we were saving for a rainy day.  We packed our lunch and there were no parking fees or park admission fees.  No stopping along the way for snacks or drinks.  Just a beautiful day in the sun with the people I love the most.  I chose to find joy in today, and it was there just waiting for me to discover it.

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This weekend is Easter, when we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior.  It’s going to be an awesome weekend and the church is giving away 2 free movie tickets for each household who visits for the first time.  If you’re a believer but just aren’t into church, if you’re wondering what it’s all about, if you’re searching for something more, come join us.  Services are at 9:15am and 10:45am at Spring Lane Cinemas.  See you there!

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If you’re interested, go here and sign up.  (And just in the interest of full disclosure, I do get SwagBucks for referring people, but I think it’s worth doing or I wouldn’t recommend it!)

And if you’re using SwagBucks, fill me in…how has it worked for you?  How long did it take you to earn 45 and what have you gotten from them?

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The website is http://www.kidsbowlfree.com.  The closest free bowling location to Sanford was in Cary, so we printed the coupons, loaded up the van, and headed up Highway 1.  I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a sign on the door that said the bowling alley was now smoke free, since having 3 kids with asthma makes me more than a little paranoid about them breathing cigarette smoke.  It was clean, the employees were great, and the kids had a lot of fun.

I think this is good through August 31, so if you have a chance to do it in the next few days, it’s worth the trip to Cary!

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