Get Healthy with Digital Diet and Exercise Accountability Partner - MyFitnessPal App

Is one of your New Year's resolutions to lose weight or exercise more?  Let technology help you with your diet and exercise plans to improve your health.  There are lots of websites and apps on-line that will track your exercise progress, as well as ones that will track your progress on a particular type of diet. Most diet websites will provide instructions for getting their phone app.  For exercise tracking apps, merely do an on-line search for the type of exerciser you plan to do (walking, running, cardio, weights, etc.)   

I personally use a free app that my doctor recommended because it will do both.  It is MyFitnessPal, where you can track your weight, your calories or carbs, and deduct calories burned.  The doc said to get the app, track my normal eating habits for 3 days or more to see how many calories I typically consume daily.  He said people eat more than they need to.  So try to reduce my average amount by 500 calories as a daily goal to lose weight. It took a few months, but I lost the weight gain from my surgery recovery period with this method. 

MyFitnessPal app has a database of food options. including restaurant meals, with calorie and other nutrient amounts.  After adding an item to your meal in the app, you can edit the portion size to match how much you ate and it will adjust calories.  After taking a quick health survey on the website, you can set a final weight  goal to  track what you are losing. It also allows for daily max goals for carbs or fats.  It provides motivational flags at points in the weight loss or when a good food choice is made.  You can sign-up to receive healthy meal ideas and healthy option articles emailed to you when you create an account on the website.  Most of this is free.  After you get the app and if you want to go ad free, scan bar codes, or add an exercise tracking app to automatically track calories burned, that requires upgrading to a fee-based premium program.  Test it out for free before deciding to buy upgrades.  During trial or if continuing with free, do your own math by adding exercise notes and then subtracting the burned calories from your daily meal calories.  

As noted above, you may link an exercise or step tracker to MyFitnessPal if you have one you like.  If you do not already have a fitness tracker, use one of the free exercise tracking tools at CaloriesBurnedHQ.com.  This site does not require an account to use their calculators on-line,so bookmark it on your phone or computer. 

If you are looking for a healthy diet plan for a lifestyle change, consider Atkins, Keto, Mediterranean, or South Beach diet plans.  If you just have a few pounds you want to lose quickly for a party or gathering, check out the 3-day diet, 7-day diet. or the 21-day diet. 

POST SHORT URL = https://tinyurl.com/4ysbe6a2

Always consult a doctor before starting a diet or exercise program!

Lessons From the Big Freeze

Across America, lessons were being learned about our neighbors and ourselves during the big freeze of February 2021.  So what were a few of the things we learned, good and bad?

We learned that there are lots of good people out there and despite what you may hear, many neighbors are still neighborly.  Many homes lost power and thus heat and/or water during the below freezing temperatures.  Neighbors and relatives that still had power (or had alternative sources of heat) opened their homes to those without heat who were willing to leave their houses.  Neighbors and friends of those who chose to stay in their cold homes (and not risk walking or driving on icy roads)  brought food and drinks to those without power or water.  If travel was hard and special vehicles needed, friends with those would show up to chauffeur others to warmer locations.  The few churches and shopping malls with power also opened their doors as warming stations.  

We also learned we can live without electronics!  Who knew that gathering around a fireplace and talking could still be a relevant form of communication?  Groups gathered together told stories and played cards.    Although phone service was spotty in some places, pones were once again relegated to emergency use only (since they could not always be charged) and notifying friends or family about current situations.  City officials announced warming stations and locations for free bottled water via text as well as their website, since many without power had no internet or TV.  The few who felt they needed electronics and had no one nearby to stay with, chose to travel out-of-town to warmer locations or took local hotel rooms if power was available.

The bad things we learned were that we were not as prepared as we thought.  We may quickly handle natural disasters like floods, hurricanes and tornadoes which  typically come and go in a few hours.  We have handled rolling power-outages in the summer when it was over 100 degrees, but multiple days below freezing was never expected - especially in Texas.  Not only were people cold, but frozen pipes were bursting in homes and water leaks were throughout multiple cities affecting houses and business.  Many towns had homes without water or with "boil water" directives.  We now realize our cities and utilities need multiple weather plans and that we can NOT rely on only one type of energy source.  We must keep natural and fossil fuels of coal, gas, oil, and wood (not only because they are less expensive and not as prone to failure as green alternatives) to burn for heat when there is no sun for solar or wind for windmills.  We must prepare for water shortages in freezing conditions in addition to "low lake levels" of summer.

What did you experience in the big freeze and what lessons did you learn?  Do you have any good  hero links of stories regarding the freeze in your area?  If you want to share them, please add them as comments below this post.  Thanks!

Thirty Tips for Using Bobby Pins Outside of Hair Styling

There are lots of hair style that benefit from the use of bobby pins.  Whether you want the pins to be displayed or hidden in your hair, you can try almost 50 different styles.

However, did you know that bobby pins have other uses in your closet and around the house too?  Below are 30 tips (15 each) giving ways to use bobby pins to help out.


15 Quick Clothing Repairs and Craft Tips Using a Bobby Pin

1. Fix a broken zipper slide
2. Mini clothespins for lingerie
3. Use to hold silky fabrics together, instead of straight pins, when sewing
4. Hold together a broken clothing strap or for a missing button
5. Tie a knot in drawstring to thread back into pants or hoodie
6. Repair broken or sagging hemline
7. Use as a money clip
8. Prevent tangling on the end of ribbon or lace roles
9. Pin/brush tip for fingernail art
10. Poke thru elastic to use as threader in new waistband
11. Use as a tie clip inside a vest or jacket
12. Keep balls/skeins of yarn together
13. Secure loose end of a too long belt
14. Stitch saver to mark ends of knitting rows
15. Embellish pins for hair or jewelry-making crafts

15 Tips to Help Around the House Using a Bobby Pin

1. Reset electronics with tiny hole or button
2. Squeeze and roll- up toothpaste tube
3. Pry out little batteries or SIM cards
4. Mark end of the tape role
5. Use as a bookmark
6. Instead of paper clip or staple on notes or multiple pages
7. Use as a bag clip on snacks
8. Pry open stuck medicine or drink seals on bottles and jars
9. Hold a nail when hammering it
10. Open letter envelopes without tearing
11. Lock the end of twine or cord onto roll
12. Keep headphones cords from tangling
13. Hook hair out of clogged drain
14. Hold together streamers or tinsel on holiday tree
15. Use as ornament holders if you are missing hooks

Let me know if you come up with any other ideas by placing your suggestions in the commetns for this post.

Free e-Reader Apps for Computer, Phone, or Tablet

I sometimes give away my digital books (i.e. e-books or electronic books) to celebrate a milestone, or a new book release, or just because I suddenly feel like it.  When I announce a giveaway or the sale of a new e-book, someone always says “I would love to have your book, but I don’t have an e-reader.”  Below solves that problem for future readers.  To buy my books or check to see if there are currently any freebies, go to author page for Shirley Fine Lee on Amazon.

You do not have to have a Nook or a Kindle to read e-books.  Amazon offers free downloadable applications (apps) to let you read e-books on your computer, phone, or tablet.  Amazon offers three different ways to get the apps. 

1. The easiest way is if you are already on a book page, just scroll down below the image of the book cover to see and click on the option “Read on any device.”   Click on infographic in bottom of this post to enlarge it and read how to use that option.
2. The option above eventually takes you to Amazon’s Read Everywhere with the Kindle App, which you can go to directly from this post or via Amazon help.   
3.  The third way is to find out what optional devices Amazon offers apps for on their page Free Kindle Reading Apps.  You can click on the links below each device to begin the process of downloading.

My Smartphone is So-o-o Stupid!

Do not get me wrong, I love technology as much as the next guy.  I am even known for my ability to embrace change.  I went from land-line to mobile phone, from calls only to texting.  I was looking forward to not being tied to my computer for internet or to my car for GPS.   So one those smartphones seemed like a logical and time-saving step.  So why am I having so many issues?

Issue #1 – It makes answering a call a nightmare!  I can’t just flip the phone open or click a button, I have to swipe!  Not just swipe or poke, but do in in a certain way or nothing happens!  Swiping should only be for credit cards – right?  Even when I swipe, if I start too low, the idiotic gadget starts trying to access the worldwide web instead of answering the call.  I have had so many people hang up before I can even get the phone to answer a simple incoming call!

Issue #2 – It will not tell me if someone has left me a voice mail!  There is no little recording icon anywhere on my screen to suggest I should check my voicemail.  So I just have to routinely call my voicemail after I realize the person in issue #1 has gone to voicemail after only 3 rings!  Seems like a big mistake on the part of the phone designers to me.

Issue #3 – It will not let me save contacts with multiple phone numbers to my SIM card.  SIM only allows one number and no email.  Must save to phone if I want to designate type of phones and put in emails.  What if I want to upgrade (or downgrade) phones later?  I have to reenter data into new phone that is not on SIM card.  Sounds like an unwise design to me…

Issue #4 – Text spellchecker assumes I am a bigger idiot than my phone.  Whenever I start to type words, it assumes I want to type a 5-7 letter word when I only planned on 4 letters.  Now I have to backspace over unnecessary letters so I can type the word I want.  Argh!  Got to admit though the word choice option pop-up would be nice, if it would let me choose from the list rather than pre-selecting for me.

Issue #5 – I do not like waiting for a keyboard that my tiny fingers might can use to prevent picking a wrong key when typing a text.  Yes, I can turn the phone sideways so a bigger keyboard comes up, but more often than not it takes more than a minute for the ignorant phone to realize it has changed position. Instead of waiting, I’m typing sideways until it wakes up.  I try to keep typing so spellchecker does not give me more of issue #4.  On the bright side, maybe I am inventing finger yoga?

Issue #6 – I waste data bytes often without being on the internet!  I set-up and save the WI-FI with WEP/WPA codes for the places I am most often at so I get free time on them.  So how come I’m using up so many bytes?  Could I be accidentally hitting the Google search when I’m trying to swipe as in issue #1?  Am I inept or is it this the way designers actually set-up the phone?

Issue #7 – I use my phone for work, not play.  Most of the pre-loaded apps are useless to me.  Due to power constraints (see issue below), I am afraid to use the ones that may actually be useful as it may prevent me from getting a call later in the day. 

Biggest Issue – The dumb thing eats up power!  A charge lasts less than 24 hours.  I have to plug it in every night!  How energy efficient is that?  If I am traveling and it decides that the battery is not powered enough then no emergency better come up.

BTW:  My old not-so-smart-phone would hold a charge for a week or more depending on my actual usage. 

Tell me, is your phone smarter or does it just increase your frustration with modern communication?

Do Not Forget to Pay Those Bills On-time!

It is best to pay your bills when they are received to prevent forgetting them.  However, if not paying bills because of a cash-flow issue, then you may need a method to keep up with them. Try filing the bills in an appropriately marked baskets, bins, or folders.  An option for labeling and categorizing is to divide bill paying into two categories:

1. First code or mark the preferred storage as the bills to pay by mid-month or the 15^th.  These you will process during the first week of each month in order to avoid late fees or added interest. 
2. The other is those due by the end of month or the 30^th.  Those will be processed early in the third week of each month. 

Calculating and Paying Bills

If you are deciding to manually pay bills, be sure to select a particular day during the processing week to review and pay your bills.  Also, you should have everything you need on hand when paying the bills: such as a calculator, your checkbook, pens, postage, and of course envelopes.  

To reduce bill paying time and paperwork, you may prefer to utilize on-line bill payment where bill reviewing and paying is done without checks and postage.  This method allows you to set-up payment as soon as the bill arrives by selecting a date to pay just before the due date on the bill.  This on-line process simply transfers money from your bank account towards the appropriate bill on your selected date.  Another option to cut out the time for review and still not mess with checks or postage is to set up automatic electronic payment where available.  With this method, you need to keep very few receipts (except for tax reasons) as your bank statement becomes your record of all or most paid bills.

Discovering Personality Styles

Do you like knowing your personality style and guessing the styles of others?  Below is a 9 minute video using history of psychology presentation to identity profiles through the ages. I found it interesting and you might too.  For learning your own style, I recommend something like the DISC assessment which you can do on-line or checking out a book like Personality Style at Work.

Top 75 Productivity Experts

This weekend a new list came out on Evan Carmichael's blog:  April 2012 Top 75 Productivity Experts to Follow on Twitter.  The business blog To Be Productive (@2bproductive on Twitter) that I write on was #30 on this list.  That blog contains productivity tips for business professionals and leaders written by guest consultants, trainers, and coaches as well.  Whereas, the Organize This with Style Blog (@OrgThis on Twitter) is more about personal productivity and whatever else I feel like writing or ranting about. 

Below is the ranking in the list of well-known American authors and productivity experts who are also on the list.  There were also authors from other countries and many who do organizing or time management as a business that are not authors.  I did not include them below since I am not familiar with their work.  However, if you want to see the full list or get their Twitter account names to follow them, use the link in the above paragraph or use the book links below to find their titles on Amazon.

#1 - David Allen, author of Getting Things Done and Ready for Anything

#2 - Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People series

#5 - Leo Babauta, author of Zen Habits and Zen To Done

#9 - Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager series

#13- Justin Levy, author of Facebook Marketing

#14- Laura Stack, author of Find More Time, Leave the Office Earlier, and more

#22- Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing from the Inside Out and more

#30- To Be Productiveblog - by authors of 9 business /productivity books at time of this list

#42- Monica Ricci, author of Organize Your Office In No Time

#46- Clare Evans, author of Time Management for Dummies

#55- Mark Forster, author of Get Everything Done

#61- Mike Song, author of The Hamster Revolution series

#73- Shari McGuire, author of Take Back Your Time

3-D Celebrate Lights Show is Church Christmas Display

I saw this news story about a Texas church being used as a projection screen for a Christmas lights display and thought it would be really cool to see live.  This is most definitely not your traditional dancing lights that you can find at many houses at this time of year.  I found the 6-minute video of the show, so you can watch it here – be sure to turn the volume all the way up if you want to see the music that goes with the show.  If you are in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area for the holidays, you should drive to Southlake and check it out.  If you watch the video and doubt that it could be awesome, then check out the video from the news story where the little girl gets so excited at all the changes.  She is so adorable too!

When I first saw the story, I thought the church should have used the money for charitable purposes.  However as the story progressed I heard the show was not put on by the church (other than electricity costs maybe), instead it was sponsored by a member who sells the equipment.  So I suppose the church will  use other funds to help those in need for the holidays.  The display is a nice thing for the community and it may attract new visitors to the church as well - so good cheer goes to the sponsor whose name was not provided.

Shopping for the Hottest Techno Gifts?

For the early shoppers, I covered budget-friendly gifts for the gals: diamonds, gold, pearls, bracelets, and more.  This month, I thought I should touch upon a few ideas for the guys on my reader’s shopping lists.  Most guys I know love gadgets and gizmos.  So I thought I would provide some links to great technical gift options to buy or what you might want to avoid irregardless of current hype.  If you order on-line soon they should arrive in time for Christmas.  Otherwise you will have to fight the crowds at local electronic stores.

• Squidoo’s Top 10 Best Electronic Gifts
• Chicago Tribune’s Gadget Gift Guide in Pictures.
• Video Games Blog: Top 20 Video Games to Buy for Christmas
• From Gifts.com Haute Technology
• Yahoo’s 7 Gadgets That Won't Be Around In 2020

If you want to give a business book to professional men you know, consider the options presented in the various links form 2bproductive’s post Buying Business Books as Recognition Gifts.

If you are looking for affordable non-techie stocking stuffers, consider Hot Hands or Toasti Toes for guys who like to fish or hunt.  They may help prevent frost bite.  Plus it is much easier to give these than to try to select the correct lure for the type fish he prefers to catch or knowing his gun type/size in order to buy bullets.  

Losing, Organizing, Researching, or Saving

I do not read every magazine I get cover-to-cover.  Instead I review the articles touted on the cover and then check the table of contents (TOC) for other items of interest.  This method saves time since I don’t spend time on things that are not of interest to me.  Checking the TOC also tells me if this is a magazine worth the issue cost before I buy as covers can be enticing and deceiving. However, I occasionally flip through magazines when waiting on an appointment or if it is a style magazine which is typically more photos than content.  All that said, to preface my review of the latest Family Circle (FC) as it might relate to this blog.

Family Circle cover

September 2011 issue

This issue offered 23 tips to help you and your family get organized around the house.  Instead of buying the magazine for just this article, check out the “Organizing from A to Z” slide show on-line to get the tips.  It only shows 13 slides of which some have 2 tips in the text part on the right of the slide.  The final tip in the article was to get more ideas from their website, so I am encouraging this too.

The above was a cover topic under “organize your life.”  Another cover item promised “lose 10 lbs. this month.”  The 2 pages (1 full and 2 halves) for this article gave a few common sense tips for exercise/eat schedule and reading labels.  If this is all you do, I am not sure you would drop 10 pound in only a month, but it is good advice for a long term diet improvement plan.

What made this September issue both timely and well-worth my annual subscription cost to me was the “How to Buy a Tablet” article and the related tablets reviews link from comparison chart. I have been thinking of getting a tablet verses an e-book reader but was procrastinating on doing the research.  (Yes, we time management experts do procrastinate sometimes too.).  Here all the information was condensed for me!  Besides this article, I checked out FC’s on-line Compare E-Book Readers.  Now I don’t have to do internet searches on the different products and can stop asking people I see how they like their tablet or e-book.  All I have to do now is check prices and details on-line for the ones that sound like they best fits my needs.  Of course I will go to the store to play with it before actually buying.  Thanks FC for saving me a few hours of my time!