Monday Musings and Giveaway Results

I have a lot I want to share with you over the next week or two, including reviews of Barre class and Hydro Ryder.  Stay tuned for those!

In other news, I wanted to announce the two winners of the Bimuno IBAID giveaways. Congratulations to Susan and Ross - please email me to claim your prize!  

As for this week's musings.  Well, where to begin?  On Saturday I "celebrated" my 29th birthday with one year experience.  I can't say I was overly pleased about this milestone, but I managed to make it through the day without breaking into tears.  Success! The worst moment was using the elliptical a day or two before my birthday and putting age 29 in there for the last time.  The second worst moment was when my husband and I were looking into symphony tickets and we found out that he could claim a discount for under 30, but I could not.  

On a more positive note I enjoyed pedicures with some of my lady friends, two lovely dinners, a play and a brunch.  I also received a new DSLR camera.  More on that below.  And without further ado, my links!  

Digital Photography School - The Ultimate Guide to Learning how to use your First DSLR

So first of all, wow excited and wow overwhelmed.  I was successful in opening the box and charging the battery.  I even attached the strap to the camera.  After that, I was lost, to say the least.  It has been a long time since I felt so ill-equipped to do something or to learn something new.  I followed the instructions for putting on the lens - 15 minutes later I was successful.  Then I tried to remove the lens.  That was a complete and utter mystery to me.  So much so that I had to turn to YouTube to find out how to remove it (it was so easy!).  I also turned to YouTube to learn how to use the monitor instead of the viewfinder.  Don't even get me started on all of those settings.  As a result, I sought out some beginner articles on using a DSLR and came across this one.  I can't wait to sit down and try some of this out.  I did snap a few pictures, with my model Hugo, of course!  

Eating Birdfood - 10 Healthy Smoothie Recipes

We are big smoothie lovers in this house and have one pretty much every day.  Recently we have been adding frozen kale and we have found out we prefer it over spinach in our smoothies!  But, every once in awhile it is nice to mix it up, so I was happy when I came across this post.  I am dreaming about the chocolate-covered strawberry and peanut butter and jelly smoothies - delish!

And Then We Saved - 26 Ways to Kickstart Your Inner Cheapskate

We are trying to kick our savings into high gear for a few home projects we would like to take on and are working on de-cluttering our lives.  De-cluttering is one of the goals I have set out for myself this year.  The first of these projects is to organize our utility room, which is currently in very dismal shape.  This particular post falls in-line with these goals.  

We have been working on a few of their suggestions already - for example, eat everything in the pantry. We haven't necessarily eaten everything in there, but we have really been working to clear out produce as much as possible instead of allowing it to land in the green bin. The go free suggestion seems a little daunting, but I had one major success this past week through GetGifted.  I claimed a gift for Foreign Affair in Halifax and discovered that my gift was a $50 gift card.  I was certainly excited about this, but was skeptical about whether or not I would find anything for $50.  Well, serendipity shone on me that day - I scored a pair of cobalt blue 7 For All Mankind skinny jeans (regularly priced at $295) from the "now or never" rack, marked down to $50 on a tax-free day.  I walked out of there without spending a cent and on a shopping high like no other!  

Monday Musings: Motivation Monday

Here are your links - I had so many to choose from this week.  With the return from Christmas break the blogging world has boomed again and there are many inspiring posts and posts that will help you get your butt in gear for 2014.  Hope you enjoy these!

Let's Make 2014 Your Best Year
Some of you who have seen my Facebook feed may have already watched this video, but in case you did not... watch.this.video.right.now - it is fabulous!  A friend of mine suggested it and to quote her it will put "the fire back in your belly".  Wow - what a description!  And if you think her description is good, just wait until you watch the video.  Not sure about you, but I have decided that 2014 is the year I take over the world (or at least my world) and this certainly gave me that extra push.

Green Plate Rule - Sunday Night Prep to Eat Clean All Week
In keeping with the taking over the world theme - or at least getting myself organized and my life under control, I thought this post was filled with great ideas to make healthier eating easier throughout the week.  Not only does she have great suggestions for getting organized and making quick meals, but I just adore that image of her organized fridge.  Need I say more?

Ghost Parties - Five for Redness
As a shout-out to my fellow pink-tinged, pale or redheaded friends out there, this post has some suggestions on products for reducing redness.  If only someone could find a product for blushing...

Glitter Guide - YouTube Channels for Exercise at Home
I do a lot of my workouts at the gym, mostly on a spin bike or yoga mat, but sometimes I like to mix it up and try some workouts at home.  This article gives you some suggestions on YouTube channels to check out.  I have recently tried Blogilates and have enjoyed it so far.  I also like Z-Wow and Sarah Fit.

Into the Gloss - Best Beauty Advice of 2013
This was a really interesting article to read.  Some of the perspectives are a little out-there, others are insightful.  I am especially intrigued by aqua cycling and love the references to epsom salt baths - I swear by them!

On a final note - if you haven't done so - ENTER my giveaway before it is too late.  Contest closes tomorrow.

Product Review: Bimuno IBAID

In early December I received a shipment of the Bimuno IBAID pre-biotic supplement to test out as an IBS sufferer.  First and foremost – I did receive samples of the supplement but did not receive any other compensation for this review.  The opinions expressed in this post are solely my own. 

What is it?  It is a supplement that works to restore the good bacteria in your gut and can help promote a healthy bowel.  It is a pre-biotic – as opposed to the more well-known pro-biotic.  Prebiotics can live longer in your digestive system and help to increase the good bacteria.  The other big difference between pre-and-pro-biotics is that prebiotics do not require refrigeration and most probiotics do. Click here for more answers to FAQs.

How much is it and where do I buy it?  The supplement is available directly through the Bimuno website and shipping is available internationally – specifically to Canada and the US.  To receive a three-month supply the cost would be $43.55 including shipping (90 chewable tablets). 

My review…

Normally, when I am approached to complete a product review I proceed with extreme caution, especially when supplements are involved.  Before deciding to try this out I did online research into other reviews and found that generally, they are extremely positive.  I do take probiotics on a daily basis and have come to view them as an essential part of my IBS maintenance.  In fact, they are so crucial that I double my intake whenever my IBS begins to act up.  After reading that the prebiotics would last longer in my system and that I didn’t have to remember to put them in the fridge – I was sold! 

I received a two-week supply to test out.  They are chewable tablets – similar to a wine gum in texture.  In terms of flavour – I can honestly say there is no flavour.  I realize this is an odd statement, but really, it is flavourless.  Trust me, if this tasted disgusting I would not have finished the package!  They were a bit chewier than I would have liked, but I do have jaw issues, so most people probably wouldn’t be bothered by this.  

I was in the middle of a short IBS episode when I began the supplement and the episode eventually tapered off.  I cannot say I noticed a difference while on the supplement, but it certainly did not make anything worse.  My symptoms were comparable to my regular probiotic routine (which I stopped during the two-week period I was taking Bimuno).  I would be interested to try it for a full month to see if things improved longer term.

Would I buy this?  If this was available in Canada for purchase from a drugstore or grocery store, then I would.  However, I would not purchase online because of the extra hassle and my fears of what the customs charges might be.  If I lived in the UK where it was readily available then I would definitely try it out for a longer period of time. 

Now, here is the part where I giveaway a two-week supply to two lucky readers so that you can test it for yourselves!  Please follow the giveaway directions below.

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How do you manage your IBS?  Do you find supplements helpful?  If so, which ones do you take?