last minute gift idea: kiva

Location:	Los Angeles, CA United States
Occupation:	Entrepreneur
I loan because:	It takes money to make money. And because Kiva rocks!
About me:	My mom and I create and publish journals for tracking fitness/health habits. Our first (created in 2004) is called the Streaming Colors Fitness Journal. And our most recent is the Lean Mode – Not Your Usual Food Diary. Starting a business and making it profitable has taken more hard work and more time than I ever expected.
Check out:	www.ColorCodeMode.com
Member Since:	Nov 23, 2006

I'm posting my lender profile to this blog because Kiva is an organization I really believe in and have supported for two years now. I tend to lend around the holidays. In fact, this might be the best holiday gift idea ever (only our journals are better ;~) It's a super fun way to support micro-business owners around the world through micro-lending, and make a difference in someone's life. All for the low low price of just $25. Or you can lend more if you like. Get the full scoop at kiva.org. If you're looking for last minute holiday gifts they offer gift certificates online. So check it out! Happy holidays to all, and cheers to a glorious new year. - Alexis

Do you Issuu?

Get your own - Open publication

This might be the coolest FREE thing I've found on the internet in a really really long time. Ok, it is. This site allows you to publish your book online so people can view it like they would if they had it in their hands. Every single page. Doesn't it look nice?!?! To me, this is what good design is all about. Check out all the beau-tee-ful books on their website. So cool. If you use Issuu please post a link in the comments section so we can check out your publication.

we made it to the finals!!!

We've been selected as finalists for Idea Cafe's Innovation & Originality Grant. This is so exciting! If you're a small business owner and you're looking for a fun website that provides information on marketing, financing, and running a small business then you need to check out Idea Cafe. It's a great place to gather and share information with other people (like you) who are trying to make their small business a big success!

Oh, and you can vote for us on their site too. Wooohooo!!!

December fitness tip from the Streaming Colors Fitness Journal

That bowlful of jelly might be cute on Santa, but if you have stubborn belly fat, it may be a sign of chronic stress. Making time for brisk exercise is more important now than ever, if the holidays stress you out. Exercise helps relieve your body of the "flight or fight" hormones that humans needed ages ago to survive in a primitive world. They ran it off. We sit in traffic. But those hormones still tell our bodies to store fat for survival. So give yourself the gift of fitness and add some festive color to your journal. You'll look and feel better, and have more energy for the holidays. If you're prone to holiday blues, exercise has also been shown to help relieve mild depression. Happy Holidays!

lululemon activa jacket & random safety tip

This jacket looks just right for spring running outdoors in LA! The fabric is nice and thick, but it also has "built-in air conditioning" mesh inserts. It has a back pocket w/zipper for keys & cash, which I like, in terms of functionality, but if you put stuff back there you have to be very aware of who's behind you, as thieves have caught on to this design feature as well. Trust me, I had some random dude "rub" my back just as I was about to cross the street... and I didn't even have a back zipper pocket! So traumatic... until I realized I was about a foot taller than him. He ran off before I realized what he was doing. Still, it was daytime, in a very busy area. So be careful, especially if you wear headphones when you workout. There's my random fitness clothes safety tip for the day.

we're featured in the Austin American-Statesman newspaper

Ooh, this is exciting! Our Lean Mode food diary is featured in the Fit City section of the Austin American-Statesman. Check out what journalist Pamela LeBlanc wrote about us:

For the fitness junkie on your list: Gear, gadgets and guidance

Heart rate monitors, DVDs, water bottles for the fit-minded

By Pamela LeBlanc
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, December 05, 2008

Athletes (and the rest of us) love to get faster, stronger and more powerful. To do that, we need the right stuff.

Gadgets, gear and guidance, books, bottles and blinkies: It's all part of our never-ending quest to improve performance.

Got a fitness junkie on your holiday gift list? Listen up.

We've rounded up some of our favorite products, from basics such as water bottles and blinking lights to exotics, like a top-of-the-line heart rate monitor and a stylin' pair of sunglasses.

Lean Mode Color Code Food Diary

$20

www.colorcodemode.com

Streaming Colors introduced its exercise journals in 2004 and we were instantly addicted to the color-it-in-as-you-exercise system. Now comes the Lean Mode food diary, for people who need to home in on their eating habits. Studies show that people who track what they eat every day lose more weight than those who don't. This fun-to-use diary keeps you honest.

That's right, it keeps you honest! It's a big eye-opener to see what you eat everyday written down on paper. And our color-coded system makes it real easy to see if you've been naughty... or nice-n-healthy. Read the rest of her awesome holiday gift recommendations (including one of my personal faves and featured A-List item, the Sigg water bottle.)

we're semi-finalists for Idea Cafe's Innovation and Originality Grant

IdeaCafe.com is a site that takes "a fun approach to serious business!" (Just like ColorCode Mode journals take a fun approach to fitness journaling.) As semi-finalists for their Innovation and Originality Grant, we're thrilled to be included among a group of entrepreneurs that impressed Idea Cafe "with their inventiveness and willingness to leverage their business acumen and personal talents to help others." We'll keep you posted!