Rethink your resolutions this holiday season

As holiday season begins, you may be spending more time thinking about what dish you should prepare for the next family gathering or crossing people off your holiday shopping list. But the holidays are also a time to begin “rethinking your resolutions.” The average person gains 7 to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas – making it much harder to achieve those healthy living resolutions, such as losing weight, once January 1 rolls around.

To help you manage your goals for 2018, Great Expressions Dental Centers (GEDC), a leading dental service organization, wants you to consider your New Year’s resolutions well before it’s time to act on them. In order to do so, they have put together tips on how to “rethink your resolutions".

• Maintain weight: Before you sit down for a big holiday dinner or sneak a tasty treat, take the time to prepare a healthy dish that can be enjoyed by you and others. By consciously watching what you eat during a time that you typically feast, you are setting yourself up for success when trying to get healthy in 2018.
• Save money: Don’t lose your hard-earned money. Give your insurance company a call and find out how much money you have left in your medical benefits flex account. Once you’ve determined how much you have left in your account, take the time to call your local dentist or doctor to schedule appointments or services you have been putting off. If you don’t use that money, you lose it!
• Have a plan: Having a plan in place or determining your resolutions prior to the holidays will help you stay on track as you work towards a final goal. It can also be important as you may loss motivation around the holidays, but you can always think back to your resolutions to remind yourself why the change was important to you in the first place.
• Be kind: The holidays are typically a time that we spend celebrating and thinking about others. It’s important to not only be kind to family, friends and strangers during this time, but also to yourself. You want to start the New Year off on a positive note in an effort to enable yourself to succeed!

Combat New Year’s Resolution Workout Pain with Salonpas Review & #Giveaway

Many of us included daily exercise as a primary New Year’s resolution.  Keeping that resolution can result in more aches and pains than usual due to the demands of the regime.  Reaching for OTC pills is not always the healthiest solution.  A healthier solution for pain management awaits with the availability of topical analgesic products in the form of creams, gels, sprays and patches.

By putting the medicine right at the site of pain, bypassing the stomach and liver, Salonpas can use less medicine to deliver an effective dose. Try it and we think you will agree that Salonpas offers powerful relief when and where you need it.

“When people self-medicate with over-the-counter oral pain pills, they can ingest inappropriate doses and run the risk of potential drug interactions, which can lead to unintended or unsuspected dangerous side effects, some of which can be as serious as liver failure or heart damage,” says Dr. Sylvia Hesse, a New York based orthopedic medicine specialist.  “By relying on topical analgesic gels, sprays and patches for pain relief - without the use of pills - you can be assured of making a safer choice.”  

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My Thoughts

My husband suffers from Sciatica. Working as a chef and being on his feet for hours at a time really aggravates his condition. He refuses to take painkillers, so topical cures are the way he chooses to medicate.  We tested out several of the products from Salonpas, and the results were far better than we expected. Here is a little about each of the items we tested.

Salonpas Deep Relieving Gel

With this gel, a little goes a long way. You only need a dime size portion. Rub it into the area, and you'll feel it going to work instantly. It relieves even the deepest aches, and leaves your skin feeling tingly.  Unlike other gels, it doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy and it even had a pleasant aroma. 

Salonpas Jet Spray

This works pretty much like the gel, except it's a spray on formula. The results are just as impressive, but the spray is easier to apply then the gel if you're sore in hard to reach places. 

Salonpas Pain Relief Patch

These pain patches provide cooling relief that lasts for up to 12 hours. Just stick one on the sore area and it goes to work. These are a godsend to my husband when he's working long hours.

Salonpas Gel Patch Hot

These are a lot like the other patches, but provide the added comfort of eight hours of warmth in addition to the menthol. We like using these at night, especially in the winter to keep from waking up stiff.


My husband has used tons of different pain relievers over the years, but nothing provided the results we saw we with Salonpas. We will definitely be ordering more of this in the future. To learn more about these fantastic products and all they have to offer, be sure to visit their website or follow them on social media.


The Giveaway

One lucky winner is going to receive a package of Salonpas products valued at $100! To enter, just fill in the Giveaway Tools form below. Open to the US only. Ends 3/10/15 at 12:00 EST.  The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to reply. Thanks again to Salonpas for offering this fantastic prize.
  

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CVS Beauty Club "Happy New You" Challenge - $50 CVS #Giveaway

2015 is a scary year for me. I'm only one year away from forty. With this terrifying event inching ever closer, I've made one major beauty resolution. I am NOT going to grow old gracefully. I am fighting it every step of the way, and proving it by taking the “Happy New You” drugstore challenge sponsored by CVS/pharmacy. When it comes to beauty products, CVS has always been my go-to store. Not only do they carry all my favorite brands, they usually have them at great prices. If you catch a sale, the prices are even better. Add to that the awesome perks of the CVS Beauty Club, and you are guaranteed to get the best deals out there.

If you aren't familiar with the CVS Beauty Club, here are some of the advantages of signing up:

• $5 ExtraBucks® Rewards for every $50 cumulatively spent on qualifying beauty products  (includes hundreds of products across cosmetics, skincare, haircare, hair appliances, hair accessories, hair color and fragrance
•  10% off beauty shopping pass at enrollmen
• $3 ExtraBucks® Rewards on the your birthday 
•   CVS/pharmacy regularly launches new beauty products from leading brands, including dermatologist-approved brands in the Healthy Skincare Center and exclusive to CVS/pharmacy brands like the NEW Makeup Academy collection, the Essence of Beauty fragrance, bath and body line, and the Nuance Salma Hayek beauty collection. 
•   Risk-free shopping! They offer a 100% satisfaction Beauty Guarantee on beauty purchases! If you're dissatisfied for any reason, you can return the beauty product (opened or unopened) along with your receipt to any CVS/pharmacy store. They’ll refund the full purchase price — no questions asked!
• In-store, beauty shoppers can receive personalized consultations and product advice from Beauty ConsultantsOnline, beauty shoppers/fans can access deals, expert how-tos, beauty giveaways, etc. at CVS.com, Facebook.com/CVSBeautyClub and Twitter.com/BeautyClub

Now, thanks to the  CVS Beauty Club, my "Happy New You" challenge is well on the way to success. I stopped at CVS/pharmacy last night and walked away which everything I need to put the aging process on hold.

I started off with Loreal Preference hair color, on sale for only $5, to cover up those pesky grays.

Next I'll shampoo with Herbel Essences to keep that natural glow and my hair looking healthy even though it's being treated. Shampoo & Conditioner were 2 for $6!

I don't  want to neglect my body. What better way to get skin that will stay soft to the touch than a little Dove Body Wash? It was 50% off at CVS! You can even get a poof sponge if you need one!

Of course my biggest concern is wrinkles. I don't have many yet, but Roc Skincare is the best way to keep it that way. Day moisturizer, night cream, and eye gel applied every day will to keep those crows feet under control and give my skin a healthy glow. And get this--all the Roc products were 50% off!

With this awesome combination of products, I know my challenge can't fail. 40? Ha! You won't break me down. You're only as old as you feel and thanks to the CVS Beauty Club, I'm perpetually 29! 

The Giveaway

Do you have any beauty resolutions? Is 2015 your year to wear sunscreen daily? Or are you pledging to wear eye cream every night? CVS  Beauty Club wants to help make them a reality. One lucky winner is going to receive a $50 CVS/pharmacy gift card! To enter just fill out the giveaway tools  form below. Open to the US only. Giveaway will end 2/11/15. The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to reply. Thanks again to CVS/pharmacy for offering this fantastic prize.

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21st Century Smoke - The Cigerette for a New Generation

My husband is a smoker. So when we got together, we had to set some ground rules.  I don't allow smoking in my house because I hate the smell and the damage it does to the walls. However, having been a smoker myself at one point, I can relate to the frustration of having to step outside every time he wants to take a drag, especially this time of year when the temperatures are dropping. It takes him ten minutes just to get bundled up in his winter jacket. Though I felt bad watching him from the door with that pathetic puppy dog face, I never gave in and allowed him to smoke in the house, until we tried the Vapin Plus Liquid Vaporizer Pen from 21st Century Smoke.

The e-cigarette is an amazing invention that allows you to enjoy smoking without disturbing family and friends.  The e-cigarette gives you the nicotine you crave and even the satisfaction of holding the cigarette and puffing the smoke without bothering anyone around you. The difference is, there is no smoke. Instead, you're breathing in a smokeless vapor. There is no smell and no cloud of smoke when you exhale. For the first time, my husband can enjoy his cigarettes inside the house because there is no odor or secondary smoke left behind.

If you're thinking about switching to e-cigarettes, the 21st Century e cig is a great choice for several reasons. First, they carry all the fun flavors like cherry, cappuccino, and chocolate, but they also offer e-liquids that taste like the menthol and tobacco you crave. Choose from literally dozens of e-liquid flavors! They even have disposable soft tips that feel more like a real cigarette. The effect of this combination makes you feel like you're smoking a real cigarette, because all of your sensory cravings are being met.

Of course e-cigarettes are more socially acceptable. You can smoke these at home or at a restaurant and no one will ever complain. But there are other advantages as well. They are definitely more affordable, starting at just $5.99 for the equivalent of one pack of cigarettes. You can also buy e-cigarette refills in bulk for even more savings. If you've been considering switching to e-cigarettes, you can try out a liquid vaporizer pen kit for as low as $24.99.  Try the e-cig today and you'll never be left standing outside in the cold again.