Jawbone UP3 Full Review | 3 Month Update

After using the Jawbone UP3 every day for 3 months, I'm finally ready to give you my full review! There are some things I love and some things I'm not as into as I though I would be. Let me know if you have any questions about the Jawbone UP3!

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Jawbone UP3 Unboxing + First Impressions

I got a Jawbone! I've been thinking about getting a fitness tracker for a while, but I finally took the plunge and got the Jawbone UP3. Here's the unboxing, plus my initial thoughts, what the Jawbone UP3 offers, and some of my concerns with using a fitness band.

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Sarah Moran is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Week 1: Jillian Michaels Body Revolution

As I promised last week, I started week 1 of Jillian Michaels Body Revolution on Monday. First off, I have to thank you guys. There were more days than not where my inner dialogue went something like this: I really don't want to do this today.

You have to. You have to put it on the blog.

Ugh. Alright then. Stupid blog...

This was a bit of a surprise to me. I mean, this was only the first week and I haven't worked out in a couple months since I hurt my back. I should be ready to go! Fresh and excited! However, that simply wasn't the case. Maybe it's because I've gotten out of the routine. What was a part of my every day a few months ago is now like an added hassle. Here's to hoping that changes over the next few months.

I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start with how the program works.

Each two weeks you use 2 strength DVDs and 1 cardio DVD. The strength DVDs change every 2 weeks and the cardio changes every 4 weeks. The first two weeks look like this.

On Mondays and Thursdays, you work out chest, shoulders, triceps, and quads. On Tuesdays and Fridays, it's back, biceps, and hamstrings. The purpose of this, with the cardio mixed in, is to give your muscles 2 days off in between for maximum recovery. Also, even if you're sore, the theory goes, you should still be able to exercise since you won't be actively targeting those muscles.

And let me tell you, I was SORE! Much more than I expected. You see, I was on week 12 of this thing right before my wedding back in May. I knew it had been a while, but I was in for a rude awakening. I was sore after Monday's workout and on Tuesday I had the conversation with myself from above. It really wasn't too hard though since I wasn't using the same muscles. By the time Wednesday got here however, it hurt to walk. And sit. And stand. And pretty much any other movement. I opted to skip the cardio on Wednesday and instead did some foam rolling to work out the kinks. I know this won't be a big problem in the weeks to come, just the nature of waking my muscles up after such a long rest, so I figured it was ok to skip. We're not aiming for perfection here people. Thursday and Friday were much better and I was able to do the cardio on Saturday. As I type this on my rest day, I can safely say that I'm not groaning every time I have to get up to go potty. That's always nice. :)

I'm already feeling stronger from this first week, so I'm excited to see how my strength and endurance improve in the weeks to come.

Week 2: Jillian Michaels Body Revolution

How do you guys deal with sore muscles? Let me know in the comments below!

Moosewood Restaurant New Classics Cookbook Review

As promised, I've been cooking up a storm and have my first cookbook review for y'all! This one is for the Moosewood Restaurant New Classics cookbook, one of many published by this vegetarian restaurant in Ithaca, New York.

The Pros

This cookbook offers a wide variety of recipes (350 total) from the basic to the exotic as well as many international-inspired dishes. It's a great resource for anyone who is vegetarian, enjoys meatless recipes, or is interested in exploring this way of cooking. All of the recipes I tried were quite tasty and I'll keep many of them in regular rotation from now on.

The Cons

Many of the recipes are quite involved and require a lot of prep work. For me, as someone who enjoys cooking, this isn't a problem. But, it's definitely not a quick, 30 minutes or under kind of cookbook. You'll want to save these recipes for when you have a little more time.  Also, most recipes that call for flour use white flour and even the whole wheat recipes use some white flour too. In my opinion, this is completely unnecessary as whole wheat flour can easily be substituted for white. Lastly, most of the recipes dirty a lot of dishes, making clean-up (my least-favorite part), a pain.

Overall, this is a great vegetarian cookbook with a wide range of recipes that I will turn to again and again. However, it's not the best for quick, no fuss recipes and they use white flour when whole wheat could easily be swapped in.

Looking for the Perfect Water Bottle? Look No Further.

I drink a lot of water, so it is important for me to have a water bottle that I love. Over the past several years I've been through a few different models, only to be disappointed with one aspect or another. I just couldn't find one that "ticked all the boxes." I wanted a bottle that was attractive, non-toxic, didn't affect the water's taste, and was easy to keep clean all while being convenient to carry and drink from. Well my friends, after all of my searching, I've finally found it. I present to you the Takeya 22 ounce glass water bottle.

This stylish sleek bottle comes in two sizes (16 oz and 22 oz) and five silicone sleeve colors. There is also another design option called "Modern."

I love this bottle for several reasons.

1. No Toxins.

We've all heard about the harmful effect of bisphenol-A (BPA) that can be found in plastic water bottles. While many companies now produce BPA free plastic bottles, I like the glass for that extra level of comfort.

2. The Water Tastes Like...Water!

In my experience, water from a plastic bottle can often taste like plastic and the stainless steel bottles give the water a metallic taste. When your water is in glass it tastes like water and nothing else.

3. No Mold.

One problem I've had with water bottles in the past is mold. The stainless steel ones aren't clear (obviously) so it's hard to see whether the inside is clean. Plus, since light can't penetrate the container, it creates a perfect mold growing environment. On the plastic side of things, many bottles have a nipple or straw-like aspect to make drinking easier. However, mold grows in these damp areas quickly and, because they are small, they are quite difficult to keep clean. With a screw on cap and clear glass this water bottle is free of these issues and completely dishwasher safe, making it easy to clean.

4. Not Heavy.

A major concern I had about purchasing a glass water bottle was its weight. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Takeya bottle is only slightly heavier than its plastic counterparts and no more cumbersome or difficult to transport.

5. Easy to Open and Drink From.

I was worried that this bottle may not be as easy or convenient to sip from as others, but I'm happy to report that the lid is quite smooth and easy to spin off while also closing tightly to prevent leaks. Furthermore, the mouth of the bottle is not extra-large, as is the case in many others, preventing water from sloshing out and getting everywhere.

What do you think of the Takeya Glass Water Bottle?