6 Reasons Why a Curved Treadmill is Better

07.01.2019 by awellpacedlife // Leave a Comment

I saw these in our gym, but never gave them much thought and would always walk right by them and onto the “regular treadmills”. I didn’t really understand them and just figured I was getting as good of a workout on a standard treadmill, but BOY WAS I WRONG!!! Here’s 6 Reasons why a curved treadmill is better:

It’s self-powered, which causes you to create momentum to turn the belt. As a result you use more muscle groups at the same time, more so than a standard treadmill.
You burn about 30% more calories than a standard treadmill. So you’re scorching fat in less the time! This is especially great if you’re strapped for time.
The running belt is frictionless so it speeds up or slows down with you.
They’re very useful for HIIT (high intensity interval training). You can hop on them for sprints and hop right off!
They’re more compact, so if you have one at home, they take up less room
Though they are pricey, there are less buttons to deal with electronically, with less likelihood to break down like a regular treadmill. They also use much less energy, so they’re easier on your electric bill!

Perfect for LISS Cardio

As long as I have time, I typically try to do LISS(low intensity steady state) cardio after my workouts. It helps rev my metabolism and keep me burning more calories throughout the day. I aim for 20 minutes because that is the target amount of time to put your body in a fat burning state. By the end of my session , I am dripping with sweat!

There are various studies done on curved treadmills that you can delve in deeper into research if you choose to. This is mostly to list the main benefits of a curved treadmill and why you should not be intimidated by something you haven’t tried at the gym yet. You might just end up LOVING IT!!! Same goes for a Jacobs Ladder! I’ll save that article for another post, but they are equally as awesome, if you’re looking for a killer cardio workout!

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Be sure to follow me on my instagram accounts! I post most of my Fashion/Home/Living on www.instagram.com/awellpacedlife and all of my workouts on www.instagram.com/fitwithawpl

Thanks for reading and be sure and let me know what you think of the curved treadmill after hopping on one!!!

Stress Less with Stressballs

06.14.2019 by awellpacedlife // Leave a Comment

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Stressballs at Walmart. This conversation has been compensated by P&G and its advertiser. The opinions and text are all mine.

Do you ever just stop in the middle of your day? Stop moving? Stop scrolling social media? Stop trying to get all of your to do list done? Stop all the noise, the chaos, the kids bickering, the endless laundry, and everything else that clutters up our minds on a daily basis? Yeah, me neither! I forget to!! I know that you’re most likely like me, busy 24/7 with everything to do and limited time to do it all in. One of my best friends mentioned recently that everyone comes up with the same excuse, and they seem to reply with “I’m so busy, or I am too busy to do xyz” Its true, isn’t it? Have you heard yourself say it? We are ALL BUSY, and being BUSY is all relative! But………do you ever just stop yourself from whatever it is (except driving, don’t just stop in the middle of the road if you’re driving) and do something for yourself to STRESS LESS?

Stress Less with Stressballs

Well, Stressing Less just got a bit easier! Stress less with Stressballs! Not to sound cliché, but I am a busy, work at home wife/mother to 3 young children. Before you enter parenthood, you can’t even fathom the meaning of “busy”, and what all it really entails. I run my own website/blog, am a sales rep for a well-known foot peel company, run my children to/from sporting activities throughout the year, manage our household(which is full of grocery trips, making sure the house is clean, stocking inventory for household necessities, paying bills, cooking, parenting the kids…..which is um…another job in itself, Dr. visits, birthday party planning 3x’s a year)ok…. you get it, I don’t think I need to go on.

There’s no wonder parents find their full cup of coffee in the microwave ALL THE TIME! My question for you…..is……what do you do to just STOP, and de-stress? What do you do to relax or just do something for YOU that makes you happy and manage your daily stressors? My #1 thing that I have always had a passion for and that gives me that “me time”, is fitness & exercise. It’s what makes me happy, strong and relaxed after I’m finished. It’s at that time that I don’t have to be a mom, answer to anyone, except the weight that I’m about to throw around! haha After figuring out what my schedule looks like each day, my first thought is, when am I going to work out? My days are happier and less anxiety with daily exercise, hands down! My point is, even if you don’t enjoy fitness like me, find something that helps you manage your stress. That may just be grabbing coffee with a friend, seeing a movie, golfing, knitting, having friends over for game night, getting a massage, going on vacation, etc. I am sure you’re like me, and can’t fit those things in, ENOUGH, into your days.

That’s where Stressballs come in to help you. Found only at Walmart & www.walmart.com where you can receive 2-day free shipping (on purchases over $35). Stressballs are specially formulated gummies with natural herbs in them that you can take day & night. Click here to read about the Day Gummies and the Night Gummies here

Focus–Destress–Re-energize

The Stressball Day gummies include Ashwagandha, Lemon Balm, & Ginseng, that are all herbs that help you focus, destress & re-energize, without the effects of caffeine. The Stressball Night gummies are formulated with Ashwagandha, Chamomile, Lemon Balm, Valerian Root, & Lavender, which help you relax, de-stress & sleep*. They are both drug free, habit free & naturally flavored. Stressballs night, help keep your stress levels in balance each day and night by providing natural remedies in a drug-free, habit-free naturally flavored herbal blend.

Relax–Destress–Sleep

I’m smiling at my kids giggles more and enjoying life’s little moments. These little gummies help me stay centered so I can manage my daily stressors. Did you know that they even help you focus! When you’ve got a to-do list a mile long but your head is spinning, these are designed to help you stay on track.

Stress Less with Stressballs

Do more of what brings you JOY in life. Live more….Stress Less. Check out Stressballs, available at Walmart and also www.walmart.com.

*This formula has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Mid Century Chair DIY Project

05.21.2019 by awellpacedlife // Leave a Comment

Mid Century Chair DIY Project

This is a very special post for me, because it includes items that were my paternal grandparents. Several years ago, I got to visit my late grandparents home and walk through it, again. Even though I was pretty young when they were alive, I had a bunch of memories that flooded me in that instance.

While walking through their home, my husband and I saw these 2 mid-century, low-profile chairs that swivel and even rocked! My parents said they were ours if we wanted to take them, so at that time, we found someone to reupholster them and stain them the color of our dark floors. They turned out great and matched our decor, however they didn’t add any more cushioning in them, which I really thought they needed to. You could feel the springs a bit.

Fast forward almost 7 years–we have recently taken on a flooring project in our home and gone from dark to white oak floors. A complete spin on our colors from before! So that meant the wood on the arms & legs of both chairs needed to be stripped and sanded down. I had never tackled such a project, but anyone who knows me, knows that I love a good DIY project.

I put together a video of the process, which you can watch below. In a nutshell, I applied the stripper, and left it on overnight. It literally lifted right off the wood, very easily. There was some sanding to be done afterwards, to get the wood as light as I wanted it to match our new floors that we were going to install. That meant I also got to try out the electric sander(of which I had never used). Yep, total newbie to this type of thing!!!!

We were getting new living room furniture, so I thought the upholstery would look great in the grey velvet that our accent pillows would be in. Before sending it off to a different, and amazing upholsterer, I started the job of refinishing the arms/legs. My upholsterer gave me a great product tip of what I should use to strip it with, and let me tell you, this made my job so much easier! It hands down, was the easiest part of it. The product was Ready Strip, which you can purchase here.

After sanding the arms and legs down with 120 grit sandpaper, I wiped them down with mineral spirits to clean them well. I used a small bristle brush to clean out the areas around the bolts, so I could then spray them down with a clear polyurethane, or so I thought. I didn’t do my research and used the spray polyurethane on one of the chairs, and quickly found out that since it was oil-based, it turned the light wood a yellowish tint. After lightly re-sanding it down again, I went back to the store and then purchased clear polycrylic spray. This is what you’ll need to get the appearance of white oak and not have that yellowing effect, like the other spray.

I allowed the first coat to dry overnight, then sprayed it down a second time. My timing was perfect, because my upholsterer then called and said she was ready for the arms/legs, because she had the main body finished on the chairs. A few days later, she called saying they were all finished! To lay eyes on them in the first moments of seeing them, they looked simply amazing!! Better than I had even pictured in my head. She also found that the chairs had original horse hair in the cushions! She did add some padding, which made them so much more comfortable than before!

They turned out gorgeous, and they look incredible with our new floors. What do you guys think? To top it off, I taught myself how to strip(insert joke here…lol) and sand furniture! I am someone who loves learning new things, and it is very satisfying to take something old and redo it/and give it new life! I think Grandma & Grandpa would be so proud!!!

Mid Century Chair DIY Project

In case you’re looking for chairs similar to these, I have found them on this site and also here, are similar ones. Two of my favorite sites, besides this place! I’ve listed all of the items I used for this project, below. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask away!!!