One Simple Change

Della and I have been on many diets. At one time, we thought that losing weight was the end goal. We tried many different types of diets and had some short term success. But over time, we fell back into old habits and the weight came back, and then some. But a couple of years … Read more

What's next

We both feel a little off as a result of the summer in the RV and not focusing as much on our health. Sometimes, its out of your control and this was one of those times. So we’re going to do better and start with a 10 day shred. We we’re recently at a dinner … Read more

A Look back at the summer of 2016

It was wonderful. We spent the majority of the summer in the RV. We hit Drumheller, Rimbey  and Redwater in Alberta; Williams Lake, Sicamous, Penticton and Quesnel in BC. Being in the RV allows us to visit friends and family. Its wonderful to renew old friendships and make some new ones. It’s very special to be able to run a business anywhere and impact so many peoples health and livelihood.
If there is a downside, most campgrounds have poor internet connections. If we didn’t have a online business I would care less. I don’t understand campgrounds that have poor Internet. Most people I know like to stay in touch by email at the very least. I know we’re a little different in wanting a constant, reliable, fairly quick Internet to conduct business. But still, come on campground owners. We always comment on locations that dont allow us to check our email at the very least.
Here’s a video with a brief description and lots of photos of our summer.
Summer 2016 on Youtube
 

What I've learned about social media

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Ipad setup for content creation

I really became interested in social media when I retired and my wife decided to become a distributor for Juice Plus+. When I was working as a Deputy Chief in Emergency Services I was aware of the value of social media in getting information out. It wasn’t until I started curating and creating content for Della that I really got my feet wet.


I started out using Avid Studio on the PC to create video content. I loved it. The problem I had was that I didn’t use it every day so that I practically had to listen to the training video with every use. A smaller issue was that I had to go back to my home office and create the video before publishing it. Still I loved the program and still use it.


I’ve learned about Pinnacle Studio on the iPad. Its what we use now to create, edit and post content. We can go from start to finish in 30 minutes. You can’t beat that kind of immediacy.


I’ve learned that content we create does a lot better with the Facebook algorithm’s than curated content. The results for our own video and photos are much higher than content we curate. I remember one superb post that got very little coverage because I used a photo I got from a site.


We have experimented with Facebook Advertising. For a very small cost, you can dramatically boost the number of people that see your post. The lesson I’m working on is creating a boosted post that spurs a call to action.
Here’s an example of our video’s:

Software we use:

  • Hootsuite. We use it to monitor our personal and fan pages on Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, Instagram, Google+. I like it but I’ve not much experience with other programs. Occassionally, it looses a stream which is irritating. I don’t like that the iPad version does not have the same capability as the browser version.   
  • Avid Studio for the PC.  Full of features, longer learning curve.  
  • Pinnacle Studio for the iPad. Enough features for on the fly editing and posting to the Internet. Its what we use now for content creation.                    
  • Canva. It’s what we use to create images for our posts. After all, posts with images are read. Without an image, the post is less interesting                
  • IoGrapher Hardware for the iPad. We use a frame with handles that the iPad fits into. The frame allows for lenses, microphones, lights and a tripod to be attached.
  • Filmic Pro. That’s the program running on the iPad in the photo. It assists with 3 different zooms, focusing and lighting.     

We have a couple of issues remaining:

  1. We’re not used to being on screen presenters. Showing the energy and excitement we feel is harder that we thought. Still we’re getting better. It helps to have a solid belief in what your doing.
  2. Developing engaging content.
  3. Advertising. No doubt that using Facebook boosts will get you in front of more people. We don’t yet know if that will translate to more site and page visits.

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New Years Resolutions

Are you one of those people that have New Years Resolutions? So were we, once a long time ago.
The problem we had was that we couldn’t stick to them. It didn’t matter if the resolution was about loosing weight or getting more exercise. A couple weeks or months afterwards, we stopped. Then the guilt and feeling of failure set in. It seemed like an endless cycle.
Then a couple of things happened in our lives. We attended a year long health basics course. I still remember a couple of lessons learned:

  • Develop a Mantra. Ours is “Food is just fuel”.
  • Use smaller plates. We keep our dinner plates in the cupboard for company and just use the smaller set. It’s funny how your mind works but it does make a difference.
  • Plate your food away from the table. This discourages seconds. It works too.
  • Half your plate should be coloured green and orange. Eat real food. Portion sizes should be no larger than your palm.
  • Drink a glass of water when you wake up, 30 before minutes before each meal and before bed.
  • Exercise for 30 minutes 3 times a week. In Red Deer we used the gym sets spread though out the Parks.
  • Focus on being healthy and weight should follow. We don’t use a scale anymore.

Then we were introduced to Juice Plus. The Trio pills certainly make getting the required amount of fruits and vegetables easier. The corresponding improvement in our health has been astounding. But the trio is only a bridge so we also use the Tower Garden to get fresh vegetables year round. The flavour difference is amazing. It’s like I’ve never eaten lettuce previously.
We completed a 12 day detox program the other day and notice that both of us have lost weight in our faces. This made us think about New Years resolutions again.
This time its different. We have a community that supports and encourages us.  That same support could help you too. Click the photo to jump out to the Healthy Living Rules website. If you like what you see, leave a comment.
HRL Page for Blog
We encourage you to get involved in the January challenge. Use the site links under blog roll in the left toolbar to visit our site.
For every Trio and Shake order we receive from now until end of January we will also add you to the Holiday Living Rules Facebook page. There you’ll find more recipes, tips and most importantly a supportive community.
Lastly, for every Trio and Shake order we receive from now until the end of January 2016 we will donate $20.00 to Big Brothers and Sisters Canada.
 

Update to Wifi Ranger review

We’ve put the R.V. away for the winter. I’ve been spending time updating and preparing for next March. I’ve hooked up the WiFi Ranger Go and Elite routers to our home wireless network. They work beautifully delivering speeds nearing 18 meg. Even my old laptop performs well when connected. It appears a good Internet connection … Read more