I’ve been packing my supplies to take on the 3-Day walk, and one of the things I’m bringing that’s new this year is Freeze It. I love it so much, I even made a video testimonal about this fabulous topical pain relief gel. Forget the Ben Gay and Icy Hot, I’m a Freeze It girl from here on out!

Jim could have told me that good shoes are vital for avoiding sore legs and feet. His job requires him to be on his feet for 10 hours a day, but he’s also required to dress in a white shirt, tie, and dress pants, which means dress shoes! Most dress shoes are made for just that - dress up. He has been able to find work shoes that are comfortable and support his feet, but they’re also dressy enough for work, and they have a non slip sole so he doesn’t trip and injure himself. He’s also ordered work boots with a steel toe which he uses to do work around the house. Good shoes for work really DO make a difference, especially when you’re not sitting at a desk all day. Oh - and this site offers free shipping for orders over $100. For someone like Jim, who orders 2 or 3 pairs of shoes at a time, that’s a nice perk!

While you’re out walking for exercise, wouldn’t it be great to be giving your abs a workout at the same time? A new product available at TVTopTen.com called the Slendertone promises that you can have firmer, stronger abs in just 8 weeks, without doing stomach crunches or special ab workouts! The Slendertone Flex works the muscles in your abdominal region using electricity to stimulate the nerve pathways for those specific muscles. You can wear the Slendertone to work, while out shopping, or even walking or while you exercise. You do need to use this product in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise - it can’t work miracles. But it CAN help you to tone those abs. During the clinical trials, 100% of the participants reported that their abs were firmer after using the Slendertone! The package is only $14.99 and includes the unit, batteries, a Flex belt, gel pads, and an instruction manual, as well as a 2 year warranty.

I was a lot more active in my youth.

Not only did I bike everywhere, because I couldn’t drive, but I walked 2 miles (each way) to school, and I took dance classes several times a week. Trust me when I say that dance gear has gotten a lot better looking in the past 15 years! Back in my day, you were hot in a one piece cat suit and some leg warmers. Ick! It was either that or tights (usually white) and a leotard (usually black). We had to travel to a specialty store to get footless or stirrup tights! You kids today have it easy, with the internet - you can go online to a store like Just For Kix and get dance tights, unitards, warm up gear, tutus, and costumes too! The site offers footless tights, body stockings, specialty stockings (excellent for recitals and costumes), and even special sizes for children and toddlers.

It may be sobering to think about, but not all cancer patients end up being cancer survivors. One of the reasons that I walk is so that we can someday find a cure for breast cancer, and other cancers. Often, people who are terminally ill start to go downhill rapidly. Terminal patients want to spend their last days at home, surrounded by family and friends, which often necessitates that the family of a terminally ill person buy a home care bed. Much like funerals, these things are not typically planned until it’s too late, which means that the family goes into this type of purchase short on time and money.

This article on how to choose a home care bed is one that I hope none of you will ever need to use, but should you ever have a terminally ill family member, the article provides key points on what to consider. For example, the author points out to consider the medical condition. Most people not in the medical field think that sick means sick, and one bed will suit all patients. This simply isn’t true. You may require a low bed, or a bed with special equipment. A person dying from cancer will have different requirements for a home care bed than a non terminal patient with a debilitating illness.

The article gives you what to look for when shopping in 8 bullet points, and explains each clearly. My impression of the company is that they’d rather have satisfied, informed customers than make a profit on just simply selling a bed to someone. Obviously, they know the power of a happy customer!

I recently received sample packets of a product called Freeze It in the mail. Freeze It is a pain relief gel, and with the 3-Day walk just a few months away, I’m always looking for new products that will help me walk those 60 miles relatively free from aches and pains. I have limited space for my supplies, so I tested Freeze It tonight to see if it would make the cut and be included in my waist pack.

Now, last year during the walk (and for about a week afterwards) I used a combination of Icy Hot and a product called Bio-Freeze. I hadn’t ever heard of Bio-Freeze before, but the 3-Day people were passing it out for free on the walk, so I tried it. Honestly, it didn’t make a favorable impression on me. It felt like rubbing colored jelly on my calves. I used Icy Hot in our hotel room at night, but I can’t STAND the way it smells, and the opaque lotion tends to go on my skin feeling a little thick and greasy.

I rubbed Freeze It onto my right calf and waited. The first thing I noticed is that it resembled Bio-Freeze in that it was a colored gel, but it wasn’t as clear as Bio-Freeze. I’m not sure if that means anything, I just thought I’d point it out. Freeze It also has a very strong menthol smell to it, which reminds me of the Vick’s Vapo Rub my mom used to rub on my chest when I was little. I had to wash my hands twice to get the smell of, but as long as it doesn’t get near my nose, I’m fine with it.

I felt my leg warming up about 10 minutes after I rubbed on the Freeze It. Unlike Icy Hot, which feels, well, hot, this was a nice warming sensation, almost like a little heating pad for my sore calf muscles. And considering I never felt any type of sensation with Bio-Freeze, warm or cold, I was happy to see that Freeze It actually did something for me! 30 minutes after applying it, and my leg still feels warm. I like it!

Here’s another reason why Freeze It is better than Icy Hot or Bio-Freeze. Once I rubbed the Freeze It into my leg, it dried completely and left my skin feeling soft and smooth. I was surprised, because I had to wash my hands after applying - I just assumed it would feel greasy or sticky. I’m quite pleased that it didn’t!

This product is available in a tube, or as a roll on stick, which is a great option for the 3-Day walk. I’m going to be telling my team about Freeze It and purchasing my own package to carry with me on the walk. I’d love to see Freeze It approach the Komen people about sponsoring the walk and knocking Bio-Freeze out of that spot, since I think Freeze It is definitely the superior product!

Until then, Lola is guarding my extra sample packets for me. Don’t get any ideas about stealing them from me, or I’ll have her nip your ankles!

I’m turning 31 next week, and along with that comes a need to change my beauty routine. Oh, I don’t mean all at once, but there comes a point in your life where you maybe realize that the products you’ve loved and relied on for years aren’t cutting the mustard anymore. As we age, our skin changes, our body changes, and we need new products to keep up with those changes. Sooner or later, I’m going to start seeing fine lines and spots that will serve as a constant reminder of a sunburn I got 10 years ago.

Emerge Skin Care is a new line I’ve heard a lot about lately, and I’m intrigued. The line was created by dermatologists and has several distinct products to combat some of the problems I’m currently facing, without surgery or other drastic measures. But what makes this company really stand out is their commitment to the environment. Emerge doesn’t print catalogs, and they don’t package their products in boxes. They made the choice to do that in an effort to prevent using (and wasting) 15,000 lbs of paper a year on things most of us throw away. Bravo!

Here’s a great deal on contacts for all of you kids who are too cool for glasses

Right now, you can get Proclear contacts for a great price (51.95) per package, and on top of that, there’s a fantastic rebate if you purchase 4 packages at once! If you do that, you’ll be eligible to send in for a $30 mail-in rebate. Proclear contacts are monthly disposable lenses, and are available in a normal lens, or select the Proclear Multifocal lenses if you need a multifocal or bifocal contact lens.

You can wear the same pair of contacts for one month (taking them out each night and cleaning them well, of course) which is really nice for people who are regular contact lens wearers.

There’s been a big move in recent years towards using all natural and organic products. I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t really sought out this type of product, but that comes more from being clueless than being opposed to using something all natural. In fact, just yesterday I had an energy bar on my training walk that was all natural, organic, and preservative free - and it was good! There’s absolutely no reason I wouldn’t eat one again, or buy them from my kids, especially after I read the label and saw how healthy it was. If you’re a little clueless about making healthy choices, like I am, Oasis Advanced Wellness is a site you can use to educate and inform yourself.

You’ll find information on natural health remedies, like pain and allergy relief, organic skincare, and other natural health tools. As someone who deals with allergies all year long, and the mother of a child with allergies, I’m interested to see what can be done to deal with those instead of popping a pill. I didn’t realize that there were so many natural products that could be used to fight colds, allergies, and the flu!