Archive for "Health"
DanActive Probiotic Dairy Drink
Posted on January 11, 2011 by Ching under Health.
Since we can’t get Yakult around these parts, Brian and I have started drinking DanActive in the morning.
I had my doubts at first, but it is a lot like the Yakult that I grew up drinking. It’s supposed to be good for both your digestive and immune systems.
You guys should try it. You’ll get hooked!
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So Far, So Good
Posted on December 11, 2010 by Ching under Health, Things to Do, Videos.
I’ve been able to sustain a five-day workout week the last couple of weeks. Zumba on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and then Advanced Step on Saturdays. I really want to workout on Sundays also, but something usually comes up that prevents me from doing it. (Becca does Zumba at North Y at 4:00 PM on Sundays and I’ve yet to try it.) I leave Fridays open for Salsa night at Suede, but that’s a workout in itself.
Step was particularly awesome today. There were only five of us. Six if you count the instructor. The small class size actually made it better because we were all regulars. We only had to break down a couple of sections and were able to get through the entire routine. Something that we’re not able to do usually when there are a lot of new people in the class because then we have to break down every segment. There is one part that we learned for the first time last week that kept tripping me up, but otherwise it was a fantastic workout. I finally got it on our last time through. I absolutely love Jenni’s Step class. It is the best Step class ever!
Zumba was good on Thursday too. Amanda likes throwing in seasonal music so we had two Christmas songs. We’ve done Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” and also Ricky Martin’s “Ay Ay Ay It’s Christmas” for a couple of weeks now. I think it’s awesome that she does that.
Although, I realized that stopping by Panda Express on the way to the gym the other day was a very bad idea less than fifteen minutes into my workout. LOL. I didn’t have a choice, though. My 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM training earlier that day ran long. It actually ran so late that we had to move the 1:00 PM training class to 1:30 PM, which meant I didn’t get to take a lunch. Lucky for me, they had bagels in the room from the training class in the morning so I just snacked on a bagel while in training.
By the time Brian picked me up at 5:00 PM, I was starving. Misty opted out of Zumba so we didn’t have to swing by her house and pick her up. That meant I had a little bit of time to eat before class. I would have had more time to eat, but we got trapped in East Kellogg traffic because of four-car pile up. I pretty much just scarfed up my food as quickly as I could. Not something that you want to do anyway, let alone do right before aerobic activity. I was so hungry, though.
I managed to make it all the way through Zumba without puking. I even had enough energy left over for another epic racquetball match with Jay. At one point Brian asked the score and we told him 7-4 (in my favor). He was like, “All that running around and you’re only at 7-4?” It was so intense, we wouldn’t let each other score. I think we were at 0-0 for at least five minutes. LOL. That’s pretty much how my racquetball matches with Jay go, though.
I always blog about my wins so I think it’s only fair to blog about my losses as well. I lost to Jay 15-11. Last week we went into overtime. Jay won that one too, 17-15. I was in the lead for a long time during that match and the tides turned when we hit 12-12. I seem to have a real problem with closing the game. Something that I’ll need to work on. Anyway, I think Jay is probably my most favorite racquetball opponent. Even though he did hit me with a fast one square in the center of my back the other day.
BTW, did you know that the Guinness Book of World Records is going to be in town on New Year’s Day to witness a record-breaking Zumba class at the Farha Sport Center? I think they’re going for 1,111 participants. Too bad we’re going to be in Las Vegas. Otherwise, I would totally do this! You all should definitely do it, though. I’ll be with you in spirit. 🙂
Here’s my current favorite Zumba song to get you in the mood… Enjoy!
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Brian is Richly Rewarded
Posted on December 5, 2010 by Ching under Health.
Brian’s reward for being a good sport and going with me to Midnight Magic at Legends in Kansas City was a 90-minute massage. He earned it!
I’m so glad April told me about the Serenity special on Wise Buys a couple of months ago. I had two $50 gift certificates laying around that we used toward the couples massage. I guess we’d just been so busy that we hadn’t had a chance to use them. They came in handy last Sunday, though. We just had to pay for the difference and gratuity. I love, love, love good deals!
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Time to Embrace New Marketing Methods
Posted on November 26, 2010 by Ching under Coupons, Health, Tips.
This will sound like a Groupon testimonial, but it’s not meant to be. Although, I do love Groupons and am a bona fide Groupon junkie.
Several weeks ago, Ultimate Electronics ran a promotion where they were giving away a limited number of $25 gift cards at the door. They advertised it in their regular insert in the Sunday paper. Now, Brian and I subscribe to the Wichita Eagle, but we actually heard about it first from our friends Cory and April. (April is the goddess of deals. If there’s a deal to be had, she probably knows about it.) Cory said there was barely a line. I think he said there were five people, counting themselves, when the doors opened. I can think of several reasons for the poor turnout: (a) Wichitans like to sleep in on Sundays and don’t read their paper until later in the day, (b) people don’t subscribe to the newspaper anymore because you can get your news online, (c) those who do subscribe and read the news tune out all the junk/inserts, or (d) they only care about the RedPlum and SmartSource coupons and discard everything else. LOL.
The following weekend, Ultimate Electronics ran the same promotion and there was actually a line before the doors opened. We would have made it, but I didn’t want to give up my Sunday morning workout. Brian could have made it, I suppose, but he’s not as enthusiastic about deals as our friends and me. Anyway, I don’t have to survey the people in line that morning to conclude that they didn’t read about the offer from the ad in the Sunday paper, they likely heard about it from a friend. Just as Brian and I did. Word of mouth rocks. That’s a given. You can’t beat word of mouth advertising.
I’m not going to tell you that print advertising is dead because there is a time and place for it. However, if you want to reach people and get them in the door, you have to go where they are… Social media. People aren’t reading newspapers as much. They’re spending more and more of their time on Facebook. Yes, even the older generations. Shoot, my mom probably spends more time on Facebook than anyone I know. And, Facebook and Twitter posts are digital equivalents of word of mouth. (There’s many others, but these are the two big ones.)
With traditional word of mouth, I could probably tell a dozen people about your product/service/promotion before I lose my voice, but with social media I can tell about 600 Twitter followers and 800 Facebook friends how much I love/hate you without much effort. If my message gets re-posted and re-tweeted by a handful of people, the reach grows exponentially. See how powerful that is? (For more on social media, read my previous blog post about the summit I recently attended in Arizona.)
So back to Groupon and why I love, love, love it. You all know how much I love coupons and deals. With Groupon, coupons and deals go social. This is where we are headed people, just accept it. =P
Most of the time I pick up Groupons from companies that I love or already do business with (or at least am familiar with). For instance, some of the Groupons I’ve picked up in the last year are for Lucinda’s, Pink Boa, Pacific Coast Pizza, LaMars, In the Bag etc. etc. As I grew more comfortable with purchasing and using Groupons, it’s actually allowed me to try companies I’ve not heard of or done business with before. For example, I’d never been to the Kellogg Clinic (where I’m going for laser hair removal) or Fresh Spa Market prior to getting their Groupon offers.
I think the best example is probably my most recent Groupon experience, which was the catalyst for us switching dentists. Wichita Family Dental is a dental office located on the East side of Wichita. They’ve been at their current location for about a decade and yet we’d never heard of them or thought to try them. That is, of course, until their Groupon offer: take-home teeth whitening that’s regularly $230 for only $69.
I purchased the Groupon last month, but we’d been so busy that I didn’t get to use it until recently. (I had Veterans Day off so I came in on that day, remember? I’d written about it previously.) I was so impressed and had such a wonderful experience that I told Brian about it (followed by telling the rest of you about it through our blog). I told Brian, “I love, love, love Dr. Mendoza but I think we might consider switching dentists. Come with me to my follow up appointment, and you decide.” Brian went with me to my follow up appointment and was just as impressed. He doesn’t look it in the photo, but he was impressed. Trust me.
It doesn’t always work out this way. I mean, I tried Fresh Spa Market and didn’t switch. I still go to Beau Monde and Skin Essentials for facials and Serenity for massages. Groupon will get you new customers for your business, but you have to offer something that is better than your competitors in order to keep them. So why the switch to Wichita Family Dental? Let me give you our top five reasons.
- Reason #5: One-Stop Shop
They do everything from regular dental work to orthodontics to cosmetic dentistry. We wouldn’t have to be referred to another dental office. This works out great because I’m thinking of getting Invisalign next year.
- Reason #4: Hi-Tech Everything
They have very modern equipment like digital x-rays. Every dental station has a computer work station. There’s computer monitors mounted to the wall/ceiling so you can see your x-rays while you’re laying in your chair. They use really cool mouth cameras so you can see your teeth magnified on the screen. They don’t just tell you that there’s a potential issue with your tooth – they show it to you! The office is well on its way to being completely paperless (e.g. they use iPads instead of paper charts). I could go on and on and on. Of course, most people don’t really care about this stuff. However, for a couple of nerds like Brian and me, we think this stuff is awesome!
- Reason #3: Location, Location, Location
Their office is conveniently located within our little comfort zone. They’re so close to our townhouse that I could actually walk there! I know we won’t live in our townhouse forever, but we really like this part of town and will likely stay in the area when we’re ready to be homeowners again.
- Reason #2: Saturday Hours
They’re open every other Saturday so Brian and I will not have to miss work for dental appointments anymore. This is really a plus for me because I hate missing work for any reason.
- And the #1 Reason for the switch: Dr. Begnoche is Hot!
I saw him the first time that I came in. That’s another thing. Everyone seems really friendly. Dr. Begnoche and Dr. Pierson actually both came by and introduced themselves (not at the same time) while I was sitting in the dental chair. Except, Dr. Pierson said his name quickly (or I wasn’t paying attention because my mind was still on Dr. Begnoche and how young and good looking he is) that all I got was Chuck. When Brian came with me to my follow up visit, Dr. Begnoche was at some training for the Galileo (their neat x-ray machine) so Brian didn’t get to meet him. I introduced Dr. Pierson to Brian as Dr. Chuck because that’s all I could remember.
Anyway, I failed to mention the good looking dentist to Brian in my original sales pitch, but he discovered first hand when he went to his dental appointment yesterday. Brian said, “I had a different dentist.” So I asked, “Which one?” He replied, “I don’t know, but he’s cute.” LOL. Dr. Begnoche doesn’t even look old enough to be out of college. He must be like Dorian Gray or something.
Oh, and it didn’t hurt that they were running an iPad promotion on new patient referrals this month. Basically, if you refer a new patient then your name gets entered in a drawing for an iPad. I figured that I would refer Brian. That’s at least one entry. So anyway, this is my word of mouth way of telling you all you should schedule a dental appointment at Wichita Family Dental and tell them that I, Cherrie Brubaker, referred you. I could use a few more raffle entries because with the kind of luck I have, one raffle entry ain’t gonna cut it.
Until next time,
Ching
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Jenni is Officially a Cougar – JK
Posted on November 25, 2010 by Ching under Family, Health, Shopping.
I’m posting these photos in honor of Jenni’s 30th birthday. She looks like she’s 12 but, as of midnight tonight, she’s really 30. I guess, just like Dr. Begnoche, she is Dorian Gray-ish that way. =P
I normally have several options for working out on Sundays. I can either do Step and Iron at the East Central Genesis at 10:15 AM, Step and Core at the North YMCA at 1:00 PM, or Zumba at the North YMCA at 4:00 PM. Jenni decided to have her birthday lunch at noon, though, which made it difficult to do the 10 AM or 1 PM workouts. I guess I could have done the Zumba, but I was feeling rather unmotivated that day.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from last Sunday:
This is a photo that Brian and I took of our ourselves using Jen Teves’ iPhone 4. We were playing with her front-facing camera. It really makes taking selcas so much easier. I think my next digital camera will need a front display screen.
An awesome photo I took of Jenni and Q. I actually managed to make her look wholesome. =P I think she should make this her new profile picture on Facebook.
The two Jennifers: Jenni and Jen Teves. This was taken before the other Jennifer, Jennifer Cannady, arrived.
Jen and Armando brought the most delicious tiramisu cake. Yum!
Here’s another picture of the cake without the candles.
Gotta post this photo of Jenni and me, just for mom.
We got Jenni a Stoli gift set for her birthday because we’re sick like that.
Logan and Jenni – another possible Facebook profile picture.
Mom and dad showing us that they know how to salsa.
Mom and dad — you guys really need to come out to Suede with us one night! How about next Friday, December 3rd? No Suede for us tomorrow night because we’re going to be in Kansas City this weekend. I’m dragging Brian to Midnight Magic at Legends (Village West). Since he’s being such a good sport about it, I’m rewarding him with a couples massage at his favorite massage place (Serenity) when we return. See, I’m really not the evil wife that you think I am. LOL.
We’re busting out the flannel-lined jeans for the first time this season since Legends and Country Club Plaza are both outdoor malls. We’re also wearing sneakers. I figured since I’m missing my regular Thursday night Zumba class, this can double as my workout. We’re going to be doing a lot of walking after all.
Speaking of working out, I felt really guilty for barely working out last week and then skipping on Sunday that I had to make up for it by working out three days in a row. I did Muscle Pump (45 minutes) and Step (45 minutes) at North YMCA on Monday night, followed by an hour of Zumba at the Downtown YMCA on Tuesday (Thanks for trying it with me, VH!), and then another hour of Zumba at the East Central Genesis yesterday (Gina’s class). I think I really earned my Thanksgiving “pig out” this year!
Anyway, I was hoping that VH would be my workout buddy. Brian doesn’t really like my fitness classes and only reluctantly goes with me because I beg him to… I need an honest to goodness workout buddy like I had in my friend Divina years and years ago. I thought VH could be it, but she already has a set workout schedule. Unfortunately, it includes Yoga (something she loves that I’m not really too fond of). Don’t get me wrong. I like Yoga because it makes me feel like I’ve just gotten a deep tissue massage afterwards. It makes your body feel really good.
Except, I had the misfortune of trying an advanced Yoga class a couple of weeks ago. You know me. I’m not that flexible. Well, I was trying to imitate this old man behind me, while doing one of the Yoga poses (it’s one where you start out on your hands and feet – downward facing dog? – and then you take an arm off the floor and then stick one of your legs up and out; I don’t know what it’s called and I’m pretty sure I was doing it wrong), and I fell over. Brian and I both busted up in quiet laughter. Brian was smart and kept both feet on the ground instead of trying the more advance move so he managed to keep his pose even though he was struggling from laughing at me. I was an idiot and tried to copy the guy behind me, though. I figured, if he could do it then I could too. I was wrong. It was pretty embarrassing, actually.
The worst part is that Brian and I kept cracking up while trying our best not to laugh. It took a good 30 minutes before I was finally able to regain my composure. Needless to say, I’m not going to be doing Yoga for a while. At least, if and when I try it again, it will have to be a beginners class. LOL.
Gosh, I totally got sidetracked on this blog. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Happy 30th birthday, Jenni!
xoxo,
Ching
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