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Living Healthy: Let’s Learn About Fitness Equipment

 

Welcome back to DealDash Blog’s Living Healthy series. Today’s blog is going to introduce you to some pieces of fitness equipment and tell you how to use them.

 

Let’s start out with everyone’s favorite, the treadmill. Treadmills are the indoor motorized equivalent of walking or running in place. You simply keep up with a belt that’s moving under your feet. Your treadmill workout will burn about the same number of calories as walking or running outdoors, yet in your lovely air conditioned and internet equipped house.

If you’re getting on a treadmill for the first time, or even more importantly if you’re someone who hasn’t had any strenuous physical activity for at least three months, it’s recommended that you begin with walking. By training consistently (initially twice a week and then three times a week), you can gradually increase the intensity of your exercise by increasing your speed and incline.

 

Next up is the exercise bike. The exercise bike is a piece of exercise equipment having handlebars, pedals, and seat like a bicycle, and you pedal and stay in a stationary place, which is why is is also sometimes called a stationery bike. The exercise bike comes in both computerized and non-computerized versions. Computerized exercise bikes typically have digital displays that let you know how many calories you’ve burned and how much distance you’ve cycled. Some even have the technology for evaluating your heart rate and speed. If you like to have a calorie count, a computerized model may be for you. However, a non-computerized model will help you to burn calories just as well (You just won’t know how much you’ve burned!)

As with the treadmill, if you haven’t been exercising regularly then start slowly.If you strain yourself, you will be in too much pain to want to work out the next day. Start with 15 minutes on the bike, but understand that it’s okay to stop earlier if it becomes too much for you. Eventually, your legs will get used to the workout, and it will be more comfortable to do the entire 15 minutes. Gradually work up to 30 minutes on the bike. Once you are comfortable at this level, work towards a goal of spending one hour on the exercise bike, five days per week.

 

The last piece of exercise equipment that we are going to talk about today is the rower, or rowing machine. An indoor rower is a machine used to simulate the action of watercraft rowing for the purpose of exercise or training for rowing. In addition to being a great strength training exercise, rowing is an intense calorie-burning exercise. Although new rowers with less ability and training will burn fewer calories, the rowing machine is an excellent piece of exercise equipment for use in a weight-loss program.

If you are a total beginner with the indoor rower, please watch some YouTube videos to learn the proper form, I have included a link to one at the end of this article. If you use the rower improperly you can give yourself a back injury. After you have learned the proper form for rowing, shoot for 15 minute sessions at a 1-3 level of resistance. After you have mastered this, try to work yourself up to 30 minutes at a 3-5 level of resistance.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope this article has encouraged you to think about your health and how different pieces of exercise equipment could benefit your fitness. If you’re interested in getting some items to get you started head on over to DealDash. DealDash has all of the pieces of equipment that we talked about, as well as water bottles, mats, and plenty of other items that you can use to get healthy. Check out the Hobbies, Outdoors, & Sports category and I’m sure that you’ll find something that you just love. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

 

 

 

Having Good Habits in the Office

Having good work habits in the office, or even the home office can benefit everyone.

Are you the type of person who can get to work and immediately get down to business? Or are you more like the rest of the population and need a little encouragement to get you going? Well, in this article I am going to try and share a little bit of what I have learned about having good work habits.

  • Keep your area neat and tidy – Keeping your desk space clean, neat, and orderly is very important for a few reasons. Namely, it’s much easier to have a clear and organized mind when your desk space is clean and ready for you to get to work. A great way to keep your desk neat and tidy is to get a desk organizer to hold all of your pens, post-it notes, and other small items.

 

  • Punctuality – Being on time for work (or even a little early) is a great trait for any employee to have. To be successful you should have already put your things away and gotten your coffee and be ready to sit down and work when you are due to start, not rushing in the door at the very last minute. This also applies to working at home, too. If you have the luxury of being able to work at home you should treat your home office with as much respect as you would treat a regular office, and keep regular hours.

 

  • Personality and Teamwork – Having a positive attitude and being willing to work as a team with your colleagues is a very important work habit to have. When you get to the office in the morning try and imagine yourself having a great day before it even starts. Try to greet your co-workers cheerfully and be willing to help out on projects. If you are able to achieve these feats then you are well on your way to having a great day at work.

 

I hope this article helps you on a journey to better work habits. If you’re interested in getting some new items for your office or home office, head on over to DealDash. If you browse the Home & Office  category I’m sure that you’ll find something that you just love. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

Baby Talk: What Should a New Mom Bring to the Hospital?

No matter if you are a first-time mom or a mom of many (or a dad or grandparent!) it’s smart to be prepared with a bag packed to take to the hospital when it’s time to deliver the new baby.

There are many things that you are going to need to pack into the bag to go to the hospital, but the very first thing that you are going to need is a bag, of course! I suggest using a duffle-style bag instead of a suitcase. I feel that a duffle bag is much easier to store when you don’t need it anymore, as well as being useful for many other things such as for sports/gym, trip to the beach, etc.

 

 

The first few things that I would advise you to pack in your hospital bag are some comfortable PJs or nightgown, robe, thick comfortable socks, and slippers. Of course the hospital will provide you a hospital gown to wear while you are there, but they are thin, scratchy, and uncomfortable. And besides that, you aren’t sick, you’re having a baby! There’s no reason why you can’t be cute and comfortable in your own clothing instead of the hospital-issued ones.

 

 

The hospital will also provide a hat, blanket, and tiny gown for your baby to wear. These items are great keepsakes, and very serviceable for your baby to wear while you are there. You might want to pack a special outfit for them to wear to leave the hospital, though, especially if you know the grandparents will be waiting with the camera to take a bunch of pictures.

Speaking of pictures, it’s a great idea to bring a digital camera and camcorder to the hospital with you. Most people have cell phones to take pictures and video, but I find that the quality is just not as good as  a full-sized digital camera and/or camcorder can provide. Trust me, you will take tons of pictures and video, and you will want to cherish these memories forever.

 

 

You may or may not want to bring your own toiletries. The hospital will provide them for you, but they are definitely not high quality, and I was very glad that I packed my own toothbrush/paste, hairbrush, lip balm, and deodorant. If your baby’s father is going to be staying the night with you at the hospital be sure that he packs toiletries, too!

 

After reading this article I hope that you have a better idea of what types of things that a new mom should be bringing to the hospital when she gives birth. How about starting your hospital bag shopping on DealDash? They have all types of items in many different categories there, check out the Toys, Kids, & Baby section to find some awesome products. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

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Let’s Take a Road trip!!

Look at the calendar! We are HALFWAY through August, can you believe it? I think it’s time for an end of summer road trip.

The summer is coming to a close rather quickly, and school will be back in session soon. There’s a few weeks of summer fun left before it’s time for Autumn to begin. One of the best ways I can think of to close out the end of summer is to go on a road trip with my family.

 

I’m sure most of you have fond memories of getting up at daybreak and piling into the car with your parents and brothers and sisters and setting out for a road trip. Maybe it was to go visit Grandma, or even some aunts, uncles, and cousins that you on;y get to see a few times per year. However, my favorite kind of road trip was when we would venture to a place that we had never been before.

 

When I was a kid, as exciting as road trips were, they could also get a little boring if the trip was more than a couple of hours long. Kids today probably have less boredom, though, since there are some great products out there such as portable DVD players for the car, and of course ipods and tablets. However, sometimes it can be fun to play games in the car with the whole family, and I would like to share some of the ones that I think are the most fun.

  • Memory Game – Some people call this the Grocery Game, because the easiest way to explain how to play is this:

To start the game, the first player names a product available at a grocery store that starts with the letter A. The second player has to repeat what the first player said and then add another grocery item that starts with a B. For example, if player one says “asparagus,” player two would repeat “asparagus” and then might add “blueberries.” If you forget a grocery item, you’re out, and the game continues until the player with the best memory wins. However, you can play variations of this game with anything from animals to sports to TV shows. This was one of my favorites as a kid, because I usually won!

*Fortunately-Unfortunately

To play this game, one person will make an unfortunate statement, and then another player will counter the statement with a positive response.

Fortunately-Unfortunately presents boundless possibilities for creativity and positive thinking. For example, one player could make the statement, “Unfortunately, an alligator is going to attack us.” A second player would counter with a more fortunate statement such as “Fortunately, I took “Alligator Whispering” lessons.” The more exaggerated and silly the statements are the better! This game is fun for kids and adults, too.

*Virtual Hide & Seek

To start this game, imagine you are back in your own house, and pick a place to hide. You can be any size, so you can hide in the dresser drawer, inside the sink, in the linen closet, wherever you can imagine!  The other players ask yes or no questions only, such as “Are you in the bathroom?” until they narrow it down to the room, area and then….find you!  Kids love this game because it’s so fun to hide in places you’d never really fit into.

Hopefully you and your kids or grandkids will enjoy playing these fun car games. If not, there’s always the portable DVD players, iPods, and iPads that I mentioned earlier! Check out  DealDash‘s Computers, Laptops, & Tablets section and Im sure you’ll find something to make everyone happy. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

 

 

Baby Talk: Dinner Time!

Figuring out when to switch your baby from milk or formula and puréed baby food to table foods can be a tricky thing. With the right information and tools you can make the transition easily and keep your baby happy and healthy.

If you were to ask your pediatrician, she or he would probably recommend that you begin to transition your baby from jarred (or homemade) baby food to table foods around 9 months of age. The goal is to have your baby mostly eating table foods rather than formula and baby foods by the time they hit their first birthday. Of course, every child is different, some get their teeth sooner or later than others do, and some children are more food-motivated than their peers. The idea isn’t to force your baby into something they aren’t ready for – the goal is a healthy baby who is happy to eat a variety of foods.

 

The transition from baby food to table food can be a bit of an adjustment for some children and their parents. Some babies are happy to eat the jarred baby food, and some (like my daughter!) just couldn’t wait to eat table foods and would grab at just about anything on a plate that she could get her sticky little hands on. A fear that many parents have is the fear of their child choking. It instills a bit of terror in the hearts of many Moms and Dads everywhere. Here is a list of foods that can help ease the transition and help keep everyone happy.

1- Fresh fruit. Peeled and cut up into small pieces fresh fruit makes a great first table food. Apples and pears are great hand foods for your child to handle as long as they are cut up into small pieces. These are delicious and totally healthy, too.

2- Vegetables. Steamed and cut up into small pieces vegetables are a big hit with a lot of kids. Some other veggies to try are mashed regular or sweet potatoes, sweet potato french fries  baked in the oven, steamed broccoli or green beans, and just about every kid loves peas, fresh or even frozen.

3- Carbs. Toast, waffles, pancakes, bagels, pasta… All tasty, and just about all kids love them. These will probably be big hits at first as the flavors won’t be too over powering.

4- Breakfast foods. In addition to the carbs mentioned above, other breakfast foods such as cereal (dry or wet), scrambled eggs, and even tiny pieces of bacon can be a tasty treat for your little one.

If you’re still a bit wary of making a plate of table food for your baby and turning them loose, there are some different products made to make the transition easier for you and your little one. Here are some of the most popular options:

Baby Food Grinder: You can grind softer foods like bananas, pasta, steamed veggies, avocado.  Put a small amount of anything that you are eating into the grinder and  turn the arm and it is ground up and ready for your little one to eat.  Because it  grinds the foods into such small particles there is little worry of your little one choking.

Mash and Serve Bowl: You can mash foods like potatoes, beans, steamed veggies, fruits, eggs. You mash the food and serve your child right from the bowl, eliminating dirtying up and extra dish.

Fresh Food Feeder: You can put just about anything from fresh fruits to meat into the mesh bag and let your child feed themselves. This is also great when they are teething, you can put frozen fruit into it to help with teething pains.

 

After reading this article I hope that you have a better idea of when and how to switch your baby over to table foods. If you are in need of anything for your baby, including kitchen items check out DealDash. Try the Toys, Kids, & Baby section to see what awesome baby products they have coming up. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

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