shapelygirl fitness: wrap up & giveaway

I spent the month of October working out with Debra Mazda and ShapelyGirl Fitness. While the month was a challenge for me physically, I loved working out with my chosen DVD, Walking Fit and Fabulous. This DVD is something anyone can do! Sure, you may not be able to keep up all the time, but, as Debra says, "Just keep walking!"

One thing that really surprised me was that I didn't get tired of doing the DVD. I almost always picked one or two of the Pre-Mixes to do, and that helped keep the workout from feeling monotonous.

I didn't experience any giant strides in my fitness level this month, but every little bit counts! I actually enjoyed exercising, which is something I've only rarely experienced in the past. I am confident that I will continue using my DVD even though this review is finished.

Now for my monthly results:
I lost five pounds and .5 inches from my neck, 1.5 inches from my chest, .5 inches from my hips, 1.5 inches from my thigh, .5 inches from my gut, and 1 inch from my upper arm. That's a total of 4.5 inches lost!

Before

After

Not a huge difference in my appearance, but I can tell that my clothes fit differently!

To see my other thoughts on ShapelyGirl Fitness, go to my initial post and my weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4 updates.

About the giveaway: I love my Walking Fit & Fabulous DVD, and I'm thrilled to announce that Debra Mazda has given me a copy to give to one of my readers! Simply enter below for a chance to win! (I'm trying out Rafflecopter for the first time, so please let me know if you have any problems.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a free copy of this product to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” I am part of the CWA Review Crew.

free book: "unclaimed legacy" by deborah heal

Last week, I reviewed the wonderful Young Adult/time travel/historical novel Unclaimed Legacy. Now, you can get your own copy free!

The Kindle version of Unclaimed Legacy is free on Amazon today through Friday (10-29 to 11-2). Get yours today!

Get Unclaimed Legacy free. 
See my 5-star review of Unclaimed Legacy.
See my 4-star review of book one of the series, Time and Again.

shapelygirl fitness: week four update

Week four with ShapelyGirl Fitness is over! This week was a bit of a challenge as busyness coupled with the flare up of some of my health issues left me with not much time or energy to work out. But I did manage to get my three workouts in!

Workout 1 (10-24-12): I was finally able to work out again today following last week's knee injury and a super busy Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday where I was home basically to sleep and shower. I did the Quick Walk & Cool Down from the Pre-Mix menu, and boy did Debra kick my butt! It felt good to sweat again and get my heart rate up, but it also wore me out!

Workout 2 (10-25-12): I did the Bonus Walk from the Pre-Mix menu tonight. It went well, and I finished feeling good.

Workout 3 (10-27-12): My goal today was to do the Long Walk ... well, I got through half of it! I was just so exhausted by that point that I had to quit. I see my doctor again on Monday, and I hope we'll be able to get to the bottom of this fatigue issue.

This week's numbers:
Weight: 191.2 (down .2 pounds)
Measurements: Down 1 inch on my chest, down .5 on my hips, down .5 on my thigh, down .5 on my calf, down .5 on my gut, same on my neck, same on my arm, and up 1 on my waist (huh???).

Check back in next week for my overall review of my experience with ShapelyGirl Fitness. In the meantime, feel free to check out my other ShapelyGirl posts. You can also check in on the other women who are on this journey by clicking below. Not everyone is giving a week four update (we had a choice about when to post our final thoughts, and I decided to do that next week), but you can check out the ones who decided to through this link up.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a free copy of this product to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” I am part of the CWA Review Crew.

kindle book sale!

If you love Karen Kingsbury's books or have always wanted to check them out, today's your lucky day: Amazon is having a one day sale on Karen Kingsbury books! Today, October 27, you can get the Kindle version of any (or all) of the books featuring the Baxters and Flanigans (except for the final book, Coming Home) for $1.99 each!

And remember, you don't need a Kindle to read a Kindle book—you can get free Kindle reading apps for your computer, tablet, or smart phone.

Happy reading!

"the beginning" by karen kingsbury

"The Beginning" is a short story prequel to Karen Kingsbury's book The Bridge. I bought it because I read practically everything Kingsbury writes, and I thought it would be fun to read it before I read The Bridge.

About the story: Donna and Charlie are no strangers to tragedy, and when it strikes again, they decide to begin anew in Franklin, Tennessee, where they will fulfill Charlie's lifelong dream of running a bookstore.

One day Edna, a woman grieving a terrible loss, enters the bookstore. As Donna uses books to help Edna escape the pain, she discovers that the bookstore may be more than Charlie's dream—it may be their calling.

My take: When I heard about this short story, I knew I wanted to read it before reading The Bridge. It's a quick read that introduces readers to Donna and Charlie, owners of The Bridge bookstore. I enjoyed it, and I definitely can't wait to read The Bridge, but this story lacked the emotional impact present in most of Kingsbury's writing. I was interested in the story, but I wasn't emotionally engaged. Still, I'd recommend it as a precursor to The Bridge. 3-1/2 stars.

About the author: No. 1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America's favorite inspirational novelist. There are nearly 20 million copies of her award-winning books in print, including several million copies sold in the past year. Karen has written more than 50 novels, ten of which have hit #1 on national lists.

rethinking reviewing

I came to a realization this week. This is something I've known for a long time, but I ignored it. However, this week—when I had three book reviews due on Monday, one on Thursday, one on Friday, and one on Saturday—made one fact abundantly clear: I need to review fewer books.

When I began reviewing books on my blog (four years ago now!), I only reviewed for Thomas Nelson, and I averaged about one review a month. Then I began joining the book review blogger teams for other Christian publishers. And then, in February 2011, I hit the book blogger's jackpot when I became a Litfuse blogger. Litfuse is a publicity group, and they tour the best—seriously, the absolute best—in Christian fiction. (They also have non-fiction book tours, but I rarely sign up for those.) And when there's a wealth of excellent books, I have trouble saying no to any of them. (I've been trying—I even made "learn to say no" one of my goals for 2012—but I haven't been incredibly successful.) This year alone, I've discovered five or six new authors whose writing styles I really enjoy.

But too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. I feel like reviewing is beginning to take over my life. The last time I read a book purely for fun—no review strings attached—was after my gallbladder surgery in May. (And then I went ahead and reviewed it anyway because apparently I have a mental condition.) I have a full shelf of books I've purchased in the last 18 months that I really want to read but haven't had time for yet. I have a Kindle brimming with free books that I've never opened. I still haven't finished Loving or read Coming Home, the book that wraps up Karen Kingsbury's Baxter family saga. 

This is my "to be reviewed" shelf.

This is my "I so want to read you, but I can't because I have too many review books" shelf.

Probably the most important reason to review fewer books is that my spiritual life is suffering. In my spare time, either I'm reading like a mad woman or I'm vegging out in exhaustion. I can't remember the last time I picked up my Bible when it wasn't related to church or one of my Bible studies. 

So I've decided that, for the next six months to begin with, I will only request books from authors whose previous books I've loved. These are authors whose books I would purchase if I wasn't a reviewer—authors like Susan May Warren, Becky Wade, Sarah Sundin, and Tricia Goyer. This will cut back on my reviews drastically and should give me time for other things. Things like ...

• Spending time with God.
• Getting healthier. I'm working out and trying to eat better, but I know that the stress and lack of sleep due to reading and reviewing so many books is also wearing on my health.
• Finally reading some of the other books on my "to be read" shelf.
• Cleaning my house.
• Continuing my Cinematic Survey project.
• Blogging about things other than books.
• Getting farther than episode four on Friday Night Lights.
• Focusing on relationships.

For a while, my reviewing pace won't slow too much because, as you saw above, I already have a bunch of books to review. However, I don't think any week will be quite as crazy as this one has been!

I know this won't be easy. I'll be very tempted to "cheat" now and again. But it will be healthy—for my body, mind, and soul.

a long time ago, we used to be friends, but I haven't thought of you lately at all ...

This made my night that much better:

Logan!! Where are you?!@imkristenbell #veronicamars twitter.com/HiRyanHansen/s…
— Ryan Hansen (@HiRyanHansen) October 20, 2012

Now I think I need to go watch an episode of Veronica Mars before bed ...