Reviews, Health, and Other Stuff

Welcome

Welcome to my ever-evolving blog. It started out as a blog on Beachbody workouts and products, mainly when I was a Beachbody coach. I no longer coach, not because I don't believe in Beachbody's programs (I subscribe to Beachbody on Demand and use their workouts every day), I am just not a salesperson and hated that aspect of it. I am more than willing to answer questions about my experiences with their products and the various workouts, and I feel freer to do so without the appearance of giving a biased review of something.

I have also started adding reviews for various things I have purchased like movies, books, CDs, and other products. This was brought about by a fight with Amazon in which all of my reviews were removed over a completely bullshit allegation that I posted a review that violated their terms of service. After going back and forth with the morons in the community-reviews department (even after they admitted that my posts did not violate their guidelines) they restored my account (which took them six months to do), but I have been posting my reviews on my blog to have them preserved in case something like that happens again. And here, I will post uncensored reviews so I will swear from time to time and post reviews that may be longer than Amazon's character limit. Everything I post here on any topic or product is my personal opinion, and I take no compensation for any product reviews I post. I am a member of Amazon's vine program and because I get those products for free, I keep those reviews on Amazon only, but everything I have purchased with my own money, whether from Amazon or some other store/website/outlet, I will post here.

I also plan to do some longer blog posts on various topics, such as how to learn physics, how to get through calculus, and longer reviews of workout programs as I do them. Basically, whatever strikes me as interesting at the time. As you can see if you navigate around the blog, I had many years in between postings. During that time I was going back to school to get an engineering degree, and learning material that I avoided my first time through college was a different experience and one that gave me a lot of insight into how to do well in those classes, which I will try to impart here for those who are looking to get a science or engineering degree.

Friday, September 15, 2023

Supplement Review: Adrenal Support & Cortisol Manager

This is a cortisol control supplement that is supposed to help control stress and promote relaxation. If it works for you, it is good to be able to get it through subscribe and save on Amazon. I did not notice any difference while using it though, regardless of whether I took it in the morning, early evening, or right before bed.

App Review: Tubi

Tubi is a free streaming service that is a rival to services like Netflix and Hulu. This means you will have to sit through commercials that will randomly pop up during a movie (they do seem to be keyed to natural ad breaks for most of the TV shows, however), and the content is more on the B or C list level. The good thing is that movies are not censored, so you will not have to watch the TV versions of movies. There are some older A-list movies that get sprinkled in, and there are some TV series that they have (such as the reboot of V that aired a handful of years ago now) that I have not seen on other services.

It is easy to navigate the various categories, and the content does cycle through (there is a category for leaving soon) if you want to watch things that will not be on the service much longer. It is a good option for cord-cutters, especially if you do not want to subscribe to all the paid services out there.

Product Review: Jergens Natural Glow 3-Day Self Tanner for Medium to Deep Skin Tone

This is a tanning lotion by Jegens. It does not have an overpowering scent, and provides a gradual darkening, without giving a "fake bake"/orange look. It dries pretty quickly so you are not left feeling slimy after you put it on, and it is pretty good at moisturizing. It is not a huge bottle, just 10 fl Oz, so you may go through it pretty quickly depending on how much you use.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 55

Day 55 was the last day of Phase 2 in 645, which meant doing the cardio workout again. The routine is the same, seven moves back to back, and all are moves that have been done during the program (or slight variations on them). This time they only did three rounds and then a longer cooldown stretch at the end. My cardio is still not great, but it is getting better so the program was challenging. The seal jacks and the plank walkouts definitely wore me out in this workout.

App Review: CBS News

This app allows you to watch either archived/on-demand news clips and stories or watch a live feed of CBS News. During the times when some news program is regularly airing on CBS, such as during the evening news or Sunday morning, you can watch it live. On the off-peak times, the "live" feed are top stories that get played on a loop. So, if you just had it playing in the background, the stories are going to be recycled. It does cut in for breaking news or newsworthy press conferences though. So how much of a recycled feel you will get can vary depending on the particular day's news. As others have said, the Fire Stick version can be glitchy. Content-wise, however, it is good, and it does not require a subscription to CBS All Access (now Paramount+) to use it.