Tonight's Walk

A Friday night walk

Just sharing a little bit of our hard work to hopefully inspire you guys.  Tonight we knocked out 2.32 miles in right at 49 minutes.  And that is with pushing a baby stroller.  There were a few slight hills, but overall it was a good walk.  We're working on going faster.  But that will be a work in progress.

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Workout Routine: Monday

Today I didn't have a whole lot of time, so I managed to chug through a quick workout during my lunch break.  The workout list below is a copy of the workout I used today.  Needless to say, my arms are shot now. lol


Check it out, if you can use it; great, feel free.  If not, thanks for reading.  As always, I am not a doctor or any medical opinion.  Please consult your doctor or physician before undertaking any exercise regiment or workout routine.

Happy Monday!

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These Shoes Are Made For Walking...

To walk or not to walk?  That is the question.  And it's one that has a very simple answer.  If you are mobile (i.e.: not restricted due to physical limitations), then walking is a fantastic way to jump start your fitness routine.  It's relatively low-impact (unless you are hiking mountain or off road trails), it can help you gradually build up your endurance, and can help teach you how to breath properly while exercising.  All of these things may come across as very simple or maybe even common sense.  But walking is a cornerstone for fitness in my book.

For me, after a good walk my legs are usually shot.  Which after a long day at work, usually feels pretty amazing.  Plus, if you walk outside; then you get to take in the beauty of God's creation and maybe even some socialization on your path.  For instance, last night the family and I took a 2.43 mile walk through our town.  This walk involved a detour by our local park, a store to grab a drink for the trip (we got Gatorades, no sodas here), and then the return trip back.  For us, this was our longest distance walked with our baby.  She seemed to love the trip, and so did we.  Granted pushing the baby stroller for a little better than a mile a piece, it was a nice workout all around.

But during out trip, we passed so many people who were out walking for fitness.  Some were walking, and some were riding bicycles.  We passed solo walkers and runners, we passed couples, and even families.  It was nice to see people putting their technology away long enough to get outside and get some fresh air and a little healthier.

So my point in this short post, is to not discount the advantages of walking.  Remember a good rule of thumb for walking.  Good shoes and stay hydrated.  The rest of the world is there for the taking.

Go outside!

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Workout Routine: Tuesday

As a new parent, trying to balance home responsibilities with getting fit can be a challenge. It is extremely easy to walk in the front door and run all evening either getting things around the house done, quality family time, and giving the little one attention.  That leaves me with either the late evenings or fitting in a quick workout on my lunch break (when I can).

I usually try to make it a "Workout Lunch" several times a week at a minimum.  With my workload, sometimes that isn't feasible either.  So I try to tailor my workouts to be completed somewhere within a 45 to 50 minutes block of time.  This will give me plenty of time to exercise and still leave a few minutes to get ready before heading back to the job.

So here is today's workout routine:

The sets marked with a (PR) designate my personal record to date.  It looks like a simple workout.  However, it took me about 50 minutes (give or take a minute or so) and I was in a mad sweat when I finished.  I have no clue how to results of this workout will play into my current weight loss.  But I know one thing, my abs and shoulders are going to feel this one later today.

And it sure beats sitting around and eating junk on my lunch break!

PS- I do not substitute a workout for a meal.  I do eat, I just eat a quick lunch after my workouts.  It is prudent to replenish your body with water and proper nutrients after exercising.  (In other words, don't flop down on the couch).

*Disclaimer: I am NOT a medical professional. Before starting or participating in ANY exercise routine, please consult your doctor or physician for advice on what may work best for you.  The record of exercise on this page is simply for my personal records and accountability in my fitness goals. Feel free to use any or all of this workout as you see fit.  However, understand you do so at your own risk.  Improper use of exercises or workout equipment can lead to injury.

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The Building Blocks of Life: Water

We all know how important water is for our daily diet.  Most of us have been taught since we were children that we all need a certain amount of water intake a day in order to help maintain a proper diet, etc.  And I am not refuting this teaching by any means.  Because my logic is, our bodies are mostly made of up water at the very basic level.  Common sense would dictate that we NEED to take in water.

I am not going to tell you that you have to take in 8-12 cups of water a day.  That is entirely up to you.  Your preference.  As I states before, I am NOT a doctor or a medical authority of any kind (I'm a computer geek just trying to get healthy).  For "official" advice consult your doctor.  Give this URL a read sometime from the Mayo Clinic as it covers daily intake etc.  Instead I will tell you what has made a difference in my life.

My Story:

I weighed myself yesterday and found that I have lost a total of 11 pounds within the last 7 weeks.  And I must be honest that I haven't been actually trying to loose weight.  We went on vacation, ended up doing a bunch of walking and drinking a lot of water to stay hydrated and the water habit seemed to make it's way back home with us.  Basically I replaced my soft drinks and sodas with water.  And a couple weeks ago when I hit the scale for the first time in forever, I was amazed to see that I had already lost several pounds.  Sure, the vacation walking helped me.  But I didn't sustain that behavior during the weeks after my vacation (although we have since started back up), the only real difference was changing my soft drinks over to water.  We don't snack much here at home.  So we rarely have the "bad" foods we should probably distance ourselves from.  So it definitely helps that we don't keep that stuff here in the house.

My Result:

I find that by replacing the sugary, soft drinks with water even my appetite is affected.  I don't get hungry quite as easy (or quickly), I have less of a desire to snack (when we do have snack foods).  And I feel better overall.  I have had less headaches and joint aches since being off of the soft drinks as well.  I even rest better now.  Does this mean that I haven't had a Pepsi or another various soft drink.  No way.  I have about one a day.  And that's really about all I need (or want).  I have, in a sense; taught myself moderation of soft drinks.  And I still have a cup of coffee about every morning with breakfast.  So basically 2 caffeinated beverages a day is what I limit myself too. And personally, I feel great.

And the awesome thing about it was, I saw how quickly I dropped a few pounds that otherwise I probably would have killed myself over in the gym.  But you see without making a change, there would have been no catalyst there to help ignite a little weight loss.  And as a result of seeing a few pounds drop off the scale, it ignited a desire to push a little harder and loose a few more in the process.  As a result, I've started working out on my lunch breaks.  Days where I can't go to the gym, I use a small set of free weights I have here and I utilize Xbox Fitness on the Xbox One game console to sneak in a lunchtime workout (when I can).  And being sore has never felt better.

So at least in my case, I don't adhere to a "rule" or a set amount of water.  I drink a glass of water when I get thirsty and with my meals.  Do I NEED more water? Maybe.  Am I comfortable with my current intake.  Yes, I am.  My challenge to you.  Start replacing one of your "non-water" beverages a day with a glass of water.  Do that for a week, and see if you don't start feeling better.  From there start working your way down.  I understand dropping the soft drinks cold turkey is hard.  Been there, done that.  It's a hard, tough process.  But the payoff is well worth it in the end.

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Happy New Years!

Hey everybody!  I wanted to throw out one last post before we closeout 2012.  I am thrilled and excited to be able to say that 2012 was THE year I made some changes in my life that would affect my overall health.  I have lost right at 20 pounds since April 2012.  This is the first time in a little over 8 years that I am doing something for me (on a health level).  And it feels good.

But enough about me.  I hope that my few (and somewhat scattered) posts on this blog is enough to at least spark a little fire under someone who may read it and be an encouragement to someone else.  After all, that is my point for making this little piece of collective verbage here on the web.  Just to be an encouragement to someone else.

So tonight a lot of us will probably put our diets aside for the evening.  Eat a little junk food, and remember where we were a year ago.  For those in Aurora, CO and Newtown, CT there are families who have loved one's who didn't make it to 2013.  My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to these families.  May God ever bless and keep them.

Through the tragic events, this was an election year and we were anything short of politics and the looming US Fiscal Cliff hanging over us.  Who knows what 2013 will bring?  I certainly don't.  But either way, 2013 is coming.  It's looming at the door and in a short while, we'll be watching the New Year's Ball dropping in New York City.

Here is my challenge to the few readers who may see this post: Forget resolutions this year; instead, make yourself a commitment.  Make yourself a promise to spend some time taking care of yourself this year.  I plan on pressing ahead with my health/fitness goals.  And am excited to see what this New Year will bring.

So pressing ahead, I'll see you all in 2013!

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Let's Chat About Sacrifice: What is does and doesn't mean

One word: Sacrifice.

This is something that I have been thinking a lot about over the last month or so.  I'm not really sure why, other than the fact that it feels like with any effort to loose weight, diet, or get fit you have to sacrifice some things to attain your goals.  And for every person, these sacrifices may be different.  So, first let's take a look at what it means to sacrifice something.

In our context, we will look at one of the several definitions of the word from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: sacrifice- a destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sacrifice

For me personally, I have had to make several sacrifices to reach my goals thus far along my personal fitness journey.  And mostly, I haven't missed the time involved in the things I have put aside as I strive to meet my goals. And let me be clear when I say that you don't have to completely stop doing something you love to try and meet your goal.  Sometimes just scaling back the time spent on something can make all the difference too.  Let's face it, then you'd just be miserable. :)

For me, I am a huge television junky and gamer.  There are several tv shows I like to watch, and I am an avid Guild Wars 2 player.  However, both have been preventing me from becoming (and staying) active.  So, as a result I decided to redirect some of my time doing both of these pastimes and use some of that time to exercise.  This doesn't mean I stopped doing either altogether, I just spend a little less time doing them each day (or week). 

On the other hand, I also love things like candy bars, potato chips, pretty much anything deep fried or chocolate.  I also love a good, cold, can of Pepsi.  Those are my vices.  And they were also hindering my progress.  But in this case, I ended up "sacrificing" most of these items because in the end I felt it was a better investment for me to exclude these items.  Keeping them around the house meant I would eventually end up eating them.  I have very little self control when it comes to the aforementioned items.  And honestly, I haven't missed them.  And now that I have learned my control with these things, I know an occasional candy bar or Pepsi won't hurt my progress that much.  And I can walk away at any time.  For example, I bought a bottle of Pepsi this afternoon, after drinking about half of it on my way home from work, I was done.  I had my fill of it.  And didn't need to splurge on it anymore.  This was a huge step for me, and without being able to initially sacrifice that, I wouldn't have stopped until the whole bottle was empty.  And there was no guilt for not finishing it or even for buying it.  Because I know I haven't had one in 2 weeks.  Which is a great improvement over about 7 cans a day.

Now let's look at a way sacrifice can hinder your progress.  For me personally, I have been down this road as well (as recently as this week).  One thing you shouldn't sacrifice is rest.  I made this mistake the other night.  After pulling a late evening at work, I came home and worked out.  This meant I was going to end up getting less than 5 hours or so of sleep that night.  But I did it anyways.  The next day, I felt terrible from lack of sleep and I was sore from working out on top of that.  Your body needs that rest to rebuild and rehabilitate from the stresses of not only working out, but from life in general.  Don't sacrifice that.  It's far too important.

One other way you can sacrifice to the point of hindrance is by giving in to the "I have to workout" syndrome.  I hear people talk about how they feel they just "have"  to workout.  If you have this mentality, your workout may benefit you as much as you think.  Sure, you're working out.  You're doing something to help yourself.  But with a "have to" mentality, you are sacrificing the "want to" mentality and thus will not push yourself as hard as you normally would.  I'm not saying we don't have "off" days, where it is physically challenging just to tie your gym shoes.  But be careful not to fall into this trap.  Remember, you are choosing to workout for a better, healthier you.  Don't sacrifice that self worth and sell yourself short.

These are just a couple brief ways sacrifices in your everyday life can help (and even hurt) your progress.  It is up to you to evaluate what you could do a little less with each day, or even do without for a few days to help you attain your goal.  Just make sure you aren't sacrificing the right things by mistake like: proper nutrition, rest, activity, and your personal relationships. After all, this fitness thing is all about learning to balance your life with a healthy lifestyle.  Keep that in mind.

And until next time, be happy and be healthy!

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No Gym? Body Weight Routines Can Lend a Hand...

I was faced with an interesting dilemma this week.  As I may have mentioned in a previous post, we recently joined a local gym.  And it is amazing; with great people, plenty of equipment, and a great atmosphere that is conducive to wanting people to succeed with their goals.  We love it there!  But what happens when things arise that prevent us from going to the gym?  To be honest, we don't have a lot of equipment laying around the house.  We have a dumbbell set that includes 4 x 7.5 lbs. plates and a set of light weight resistance bands.  That's it.

I encountered this type of situation twice this week.  Both of which were due to work conflicts, that prevented me from dropping by the gym.  But the beauty of this situation is that a gym is NOT needed to exercise... You may be saying: "Whatever..." or "Yeah, right!".  But it is true. Your physiology is equipped with the basics you need to get in a decent workout.  Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical at first, myself.  But after last nights Body Weight Routine, I can say without a doubt that it does work. *Note: I am NOT a doctor or offering medical advice. As always consult your physician before using any workout program for health and safety purposes.

Don't get me wrong, I love hitting the Elliptical and the Stationary Bikes and I thoroughly enjoy hitting the dumbbells and various bench presses and pulldowns.  But when the event arises where you just have to burn some energy or need to feel that welcome burn in a particular muscle set.  There are other options.  For example, here is the workout I did last night upon returning home from working late:

Body Weight Squats: 4 sets of 10 reps each

Oblique Crunches: 3 sets of 40 reps, set 4 was pushed a little further to failure at 44 reps.

Body Weight Lunge: 1 set of 20 reps, 1 set of 16 reps, and 1 set of 14 reps

Push-Ups: 1 set of 14 reps, 1 set of 20 reps, 1 sets of 22 reps, and 1 set of 24 reps

Jumping Jacks: 3 sets of 40 jumping jacks

Plank: 1 set of 1 rep (lasting for 45 seconds)

Total Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Going into this routine, my initial thoughts were that there was no way I would feel like I nailed a decent workout.  But essentially what I did was starting with the Body Weight Squats, I would do a set and then move into the Oblique Crunches and do a set.  Then I would bounce back to my Squats.  Basically when I felt I needed to rest from a particular exercise in the routine, I would move on the another one.  If I did something like a set of Push-Ups, I would follow with a set of Oblique Crunches or Jumping Jacks to keep my heart rate a little elevated.  Gradually I worked my way through the routine towards the dreaded Plank.

On average I am able to hold a decent Plank anywhere from about 00:01:05 to 00:01:15, but after the workout I was lucky to hold it for 45 seconds.  The only things needed for this routine was a little bit of floor space, and a stop watch for measuring Plank time.  And I use my cell phone's Stopwatch feature for that.

And by the end of the workout I could feel muscles that I have never felt before.  My quads, hamstrings, and thighs were sore, my Abs and Obliques were hurting, and I was sweating as if I had just went 10 minutes in Moderate Intensity on an Elliptical.  The best part about it, it was a "sore chore" getting out of the bed in the morning.  But it was well worth it.

So let this be a lesson to those who sit back and deny that they can try to get fit because of a lack of gym equipment or even lacking a gym membership.  Body Weight exercises are not to be shrugged off.  I currently weigh 230 pounds and trust me, that is a heck of a workout.

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Fitocracy: A Social Network for Health & Fitness

Fitocracy.com

I stumbled across this site the other night, and have actually just joined it.  It's a free, social networking site for those looking to get fit.  Unlike some sites, Fitocracy is aimed for pretty much everybody.  If you are just getting into a fitness routine or trying to gain a healthier lifestyle you can feel right at home.  But on the other hand, if you are someone who has been in the fitness game for a long time and are doing great when it comes to things like diet and nutrition, and you love visiting the gym; then don't shy away because there is plenty going on here for you too.

So here is the deal.  It is a social network much in the same vein of Facebook.  It features you're run of the mill social networking goodies like a Feed (a place where all of the stuff you want to see from people you follow show up i.e.: Facebook's Wall), Friend's List, Group's List, etc.  You can share pictures and media and such.  But where it is different is that it uses "gamification" help people attain their fitness, diet, or exercising goals.  And as an avid gamer, this is an idea that I like a lot.  As some days, I just lack the desire to get out and do something healthy.

It breaks goals down into "quests" much like an RPG game.  Completion of these quests gives you points.  These points add up much like experience points (or XP) in a role playing game.  Once you fill up your point bar for your current level; you level up.  As you level up and complete certain "quests" you get achievement badges to share on your Feed for bragging rights.

Sounds pretty cool, doesn't it?  I signed up this afternoon.  And one of the most daunting things to do once you join a social network is to get friends to follow.  If you don't know someone who is currently using the site, then it can be pretty lonely.  The Fitocracy solution: not only recommend a few friends for you, but actually connect you with new friends to get your feet wet.  The site will also set you up as a member of several groups based on what interests you picked during sign up (Cardio, Strength Building, etc.)  So when you first get to your feed, you actually have some stuff to look at.  From that point forward it's up to you to continue to build your friends list, add exercises (remember to be honest), and have fun reaching your goals!

There are two tier's of membership on the site.  You can join and use the site for free (I'm a free member), or you can sign up as a Fitocracy Hero which gives you some extra features on the site and let's you challenge other user's to duels.  A Hero account will set you back $4.99/month or $44.99/per year.  There is also an app for the service but it currently only supports iOS (Apple's iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad).  Supposedly an Android app is in the works.  For Android user's, you can visit the site via your device's web browser and use the mobile version of the site (which coincidentally is just a mobile version of the sign on screen, but loads the full browser version of the site after login).

So get out and meet some people with similar goals as you, and let's work together to encourage each other!  Follow this link and sign up and hit me up: Fitocracy Sign Up

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App Review: Endomondo Sports Tracker

This week's app review is for a sweet little app that has become a staple in my everyday workout toolbox.  It is the Endomondo Sports Tracker.  If there is one app that I use every time I set out to walk, it is this app.  It's main feature is that it provides GPS tracking for your workout.  However, the app doesn't stop there.  I use it for it's built in metrics which allow me to see how well I am progressing over the course of time.  And if that isn't enough, there is a fantastic community of people using this app pretty much all the time, all over the world.  And for that reason, this is a two section review.  We will touch briefly on the app and then we will discuss the website as well.

The app is available for Android, iOS, Blackberry, and Windows Phones.

The App:

The GPS tracking is pretty straight forward.  You turn on the GPS function on your phone and then open the Endomondo app.  When your GPS gets a lock, simple press the green "Start" button and the app will begin logging your location and tracing your route.  As you walk, in realtime the app will display what sport you have specified (in my case it is walking), the duration of your activity, the distance (in miles), Speed, and Calories burned.  You do have the option to let the app do a 10 second countdown before beginning or just starting to log right away.  

You also have the option for specify a workout, this includes (some of these features only available in Pro version):

-Setting a time of distance goal.

-Beat a friend's personal best.

-Follow a Route.

-Beat Yourself.

-Interval Training.

You will also notice the main interface has a music button and a speaker button (left and right respectively).  The Music button will give you access to your device's stored music to jam out to while working out.  The speaker button is a virtual training that gives you audible information pertaining to your workout as you use the app.

Swiping the screen to the left will slide the interface out of the way so you can see the map of your route thus far.  The path will be overlaid ontop of a Google Map tile of the area you were active in.  This allows you a birds eye perspective on your route.  Plus, I like to use the mapping features as sort of a GPS Map to plan my next couple of turns when walking in city areas.

As you use the app, you will find that you can do more than just tracking walks with it.  There is a huge listed of exercises you can log with the app.  And pretty much if it involves any moving at all, you can track it.  Whether is is walking, running, cycling, mountain biking, skating, kayaking or even kite surfing and scuba diving.  If you can take your phone with you, you can GPS track it.

But you can also track sports like golf, boxing, fencing, gymnastics, pilates, weight training, and even yoga (and so many more).  So as you can tell, the app is extremely versatile.  From within the app you can also see your friend's list, a New's Feed about what your friends are up to, and an Inbox for receiving and approving Friend's Requests.

The Website Integration:

If you visit the website and setup a profile there, your workout data will upload to their website under your profile for further analysis.  Their site also involved a pretty neat social integration as well.  You can send and receive friend requests, see what your friends are doing as far as their workouts are concerned, and you can take part in Challenges.

The workout data that is uploaded consists of your workout speed, duration, calories burned, time per lap, and the GPS data in map form.  From the site, you can set your workout maps to private so only you can see them if you are concerned about privacy.  If you forget your phone and go workout anyways, don't worry.  As long as you know what route you took, you can log into the website and click on Routes at the top of the screen and draw your route on the map to log it.  You won't have a complete collection of data from the workout, but at least you will get your distance, time, and estimated calories burned logged.

Challenges can be created by other users or Endomondo staff themselves.  It took me a couple of weeks before I gathered enough courage to jump into a Challenge.  But now it's almost become an addiction of mine.  It's fun to see where you stand within a group of other people.  I always have that feeling that I probably just walked the slowest mile anybody has every walked.  Then I look at the Challenge page and see my name halfway through a list of a couple hundred people.  And as you work through the month and partake in the Challenges you not only see your growth, but also you "competitors" growth as well.  I use the word "competitor" very loosely because we are working to be a leader in the Challenge board, but we are all working toward a common goal of getting healthy and exercising so it becomes fun instead of out for blood competition.

There is a lot of encouragement that goes on in the comments section of the Challenge pages for pretty much any challenge you see listed.  And as I wrote about a few weeks ago, encouragement is a huge factor in accomplishing you goals!

Speaking of encouragement, if you use the mobile app, it is possible for your friends to send you messages while you exercise.  For example, a couple weekends ago I decided I was going to complete my first 10 Mile walk.  This was a huge milestone for me to try to accomplish.  About mile 6 or a little better, the podcast I was listening to paused itself and a female voice came through my earbuds and said: "New Message from Dominic: Keeping pushing, way to go!".  The sender was a person in another country that was listed in a Challenge that I was active in and he sent me a friend's request.  So literally from halfway around the world someone sent me a "PepTalk" at the very moment I was out exercising.  Personally, that is an awesome feature!

I love the quick analytics listed on the main page of the user profile.  It gives several quick charts showing Distance, Calories Burned, and Duration.  If you mouse over each of the three pie charts a small tool tip will pop up with your data for the month up to the current day.  Below that you can log your weight and keep a running total of your weight loss.  And under the weight section is your Overall Summary.  

The Overall Summary shows your totals for which you can filter by All Sports or only by one particular sport if you choose.  It lists how many total workouts logged with the app, total duration (or time spend working out), and total distance.  There are also entries here to show your progress "around the world" and "trips to the moon".  Also listed is average speed, average pace, and calories burned.  They also guesstimate how many cheeseburgers you have worked off as well.  These starts are fun to look at and they give you a total view on your workouts since you started using Endomondo.  If you view full stats you can see really nice charts listing your progress as well.

The charts are filterable, meaning you can change the data displayed to view as needed.  If you want to see your progress from day to day, week to week, month to month, or even between years, you can.  You may be asking: "I haven't used a service like Endomondo.  But I have a device I am using that stores data like this, can I import that into Endomondo?"

If that is your concern, then fret not. You have complete control to be able to import that data into Endomondo's website as long as it is coming from a Garmin device or you have the .gpx, .tcx, or .fit filetypes exported from your device.

Overall Opinion:

Endomondo is a very valuable resource for anybody working out with a smartphone.  It is cross platform as well.  So both iOS and Android users can use it.  There are two flavors of the app available: a free version and a Pro version.  I use the Pro Version because back in December, Google offered a bunch of Android apps for 10 cents and I picked it up "just in case" I needed it later since it was so cheap.  But the free version has most of the features available that you would want to use anyways.  But if you like the app, I'd say spring the few dollars and support the team at Endomondo.

And if you really like the service, you may want to support the team even further by Subscribing to the Endomondo website by joining the "Athletes Lounge".  On top of everything you get for free, for $6 per month you get benchmark yourself against your friends and you get a badge on your profile that touts you as a paid member.  For $39 per year you get all the free stuff, plus the badge and benchmarking, and 15% off purchases from their online store.  The online store is full of Endomondo branded gear including cycling clothes, jackets, t-shirts, workout music, headphones, messenger bags, and accessories like FitBit and heart rate sensors that connect bluetooth to your phone.

Can you use the app without the web service?  Probably.  Can you use the web service without the app?  Sure you could.  But you're not going to get the full benefit of how Endomondo can help your workout unless you use them both in conjunction with each other.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars!

Pro's: 

-App is fantastic.

-Great integration with their website and online services.

-Realtime GPS tracking of your workout.

-Cross platform with most smartphones (Android, iOS, Blackberry, & Windows Phone).

Con's:

-It occasionally takes the app a few minutes to connect to the GPS signal.  But this may very well be my device and not the app.

Get the app:

Google Play Store:  http://bit.ly/IPABmQ

Apple's App Store: http://bit.ly/ctiLf3

Blackberry App World: http://bit.ly/I0t6qk

Swing by their website: http://www.endomondo.com

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Busy, Busy, Busy...

Sorry for the lack of new posts over the last couple of weeks.  It has been incredibly busy on my end of the street as of late.  And on top of life in general, I was busy trying to meet my personal goal of 100 miles walked for the month of March.  Unfortunately, I did not hit my goal.  However, I came dangerously close!

For the month of March, I logged 91.93 miles walked!  So even though I didn't get to meet my goal of 100 miles.  I came less than 10 miles short of it.  And for my first month, that ain't bad!  Considering up until March 1st, I wasn't active in much of anything other then everyday life.  So I am incredibly pleased with my progress and can't hardly wait till the end of April to see how close I will come this month!

Checkout the chart of my total progress.  You will notice some mileage walked in February.  However, I am starting the actual mileage counting on March 1st as the official day that I started working out.

On top of my walking progress, I have lost a total of 8 pounds during the course of March as well.  Also, my workout is growing.  I picked up a cheap (and I mean cheap) dumbbell set that has four plates at 7.5 pounds each (total of 30 pounds, big leagues baby!).  And the set came with an adjustable kettlebell bar which is neat, but it is NOT a suitable replacement for an actual kettlebell in most cases.  However, with the dumbbells and some light use with the kettlebell bar, I have managed to get a decent upper body workout started.

However, I am still working out the kinks with what lifts I am doing and how many sets.  As this is a work in progress, once I have something more set in stone as far as a routine goes, I will try and post the workout on the site for anybody who would like to see it.

And on top of everything else, I have been trying out some killer Android Apps that are helping me achieve some of my goals. So look for some reviews in the coming week or two!

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App Review: Lose It! by FitNow

Our first app review is going to cover one of the very first fitness apps I ever encountered.  It is called "Lose It!" by FitNow, Inc.  I found this app a couple of years ago when I had went through a fitness spurt and installed this one on my iPod Touch.  I liked the layout of it and it seemed to flow nicely.  When I gave up my iPod Touch and migrated to an Android based smartphone, I wasn't sure if there was anything comparable in the Android Market.  A couple of weeks ago I found it again.  And I am glad to see that not much has changed, with the exception of a few added features.

And it is still FREE!!  Free is good. :)

What is the purpose behind "Lose It!"?
Too many people think there is some kind of magic behind honest to goodness weightloss.  Maybe there is a magic pill or a "wonder-exercise" you can do to melt the pounds away.  But (for me anyway) none of those options are a true-blue way to loose weight.  For me I have had success over the last couple of weeks mixing regular exercise with keeping watch on my calorie intake.  The concept: eat less calories than what you burn to kick off weight loss.  Controlling the calorie intake and maintaining it at different levels can lead to a safe loss in weight.  The goal is not to starve yourself, it's to shock you back into eating healthier by putting into perspective what you eat everyday.  And it can be shocking.

So, this app is basically a fancy way to count your caloric intake (or how to inventory the number of calories you eat everyday).  You can also log exercise time and find out how many calories you have burned.  Of course the calories burned are estimates.  But they seem to match pretty closely other resources found online.

There is a large database of foods built into this app.  And quite a few chain restaurants are included as well.  What I like about it is if you eat something fairly regularly then it will be added to your 'My Foods' category for quick reference.  This makes it easy to enter food on the fly.  You can also add your own foods to the database as well, just in case you can't find a particular food listed; which occasionally happens.

There is also a large number of exercises listed in the database as well.  Personally, I walk a lot.  So I use walking and some weight training quite a bit.  And as mentioned earlier, it does a good job a estimating how many calories you burned during a particular workout.

Setting Up The App
After installing the app, there is a very short setup process involved.  Basically, it prompts you for your account credentials.  If you are a new user, it is a quick registration process.  Then you are prompted with some basic information to get started.  It will ask your current weight, what is your target weight, and how long you will take to achieve that target weight.  The length of time is interesting.  I have seen some online resources in the past let you pick however long you'd like.  From a couple of days to a year.  But the "Lose It!" app seems to let you pick from several preset choices that gives the impression it is for a controlled weight loss and not a crash diet.  That is a good thing.  Based on the figures you enter, the app will generate a daily total number of calories to be consumed in order to achieve your predetermined goal.

Post Install

After installation and a couple minute setup you can start cataloging your food.  Simply pick 'Add Food' and select for which meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, or Snacks.  From there pick your category of food or search for the food you'd like to add.  And add it.  The calorie totals will automatically tally based off of food and exercise entered so you have a real-time view on how you have done for the day.  As you use the app it will build a form of analytics that you can use to keep track of your progress over the course the last several weeks.  It will even build some neat charts you can glance at quickly to see your progress.

For me, I tend to loose motivation easily when it comes to certain types of food.  And as I go through my day entering my intake, I can keep a bird's eye view of what I have eaten versus what I can still use for the day to try and stay right at or just under my daily allotment.  Think of it as a sort of 'Weight Watcher's Point Counter' but instead of points you are counting physical calories.

And if keeping up with yourself isn't enough for you.  FitNow has added a whole social media swing to the app as well.  You can sign up on their website (http://www.loseit.com/) and you can basically do the same stuff that the app allows but also interact with others and build a network of friends to help coach and motivate you along.  Which is pretty cool.  And from the app you can also choose to Sync the app data to their website as well.  There is also a barcode scanner that allows you to scan and retrieve calorie information using the camera on your mobile devices (which is a cool feature).

So what if you loose some weight?  How does the app know?
For example over the last couple of weeks I've lost about 5 pounds.  If you tap on the 'Goals' tab across the top of the screen you can record your weight for that day.  As you record your weight across time a chart is drawn showing your progress.  This reflects loss and gains as well.  And at the top of the screen it is clearly worded what your goal weight is, how many pounds you plan to loose per week,  and what your daily calorie budget is.  Just in case you forgot. :)

One thing to make a note of, is as you log your weight.  Your daily calories budget will gradually change to reflect the amount of calories you take in to maintain loosing weight by your current plan.  So if your plan starts you off at 2,000 calories a day and you loose 10 pounds after a month.  Then your will naturally be expected to take in less calories to continue loosing weight.  That's the idea.

And overall the app does what is advertised.  Of course how you use it actually negates how well you accomplish your goals that you set when starting the app initially.  For me, I try to adhere to it but not beat myself up too bad if I go a little over my daily calorie budget.  But it helps me keep an eye on what I am taking in during the course of the day.  And with a "watching eye" kind of steering me along I tend to find the motivation to stay away from the needless snacking and high calorie stuff that I would like to eat.

Does this app 100% break bad eating habits?  Nope, that is your job.  After all, this is just an app (or a web service if you use it).  It is up to you to enter you foods on a daily basis.  It takes a little training to remember to enter your meals.  But if you stick with it and exercise regularly I guarantee it can't hurt.  It hasn't hurt me.

And as I mentioned above, with a little help from keeping myself inline using "Lose It!" and regular exercise I have already lost a little better than 5 pounds.  I plan on continuing to use "Lose it!" if for no other reason that to keep an eye on my daily intake.

"Lose It!" is available on both the iOS and Android mobile platforms; as well as being available via their website to be used from a desktop PC or tablet.

I rate "Lose It!": 5 out of 5 stars



Find "Lose It" by FitNow, Inc. at:
Cost: FREE
Google Play (former Android Market): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fitnow.loseit
Apple App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lose-it!/id297368629?mt=8

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**I am in know way affiliated with FitNow, Inc., LoseIt! mobile app or web service, Google Play, or Apple App Store. Screen captures sourced from my mobile device.

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Motivation:Why Is It Important?

One of the biggest problems I personally have when it comes to exercise and fitness is a complete and utter lack of motivation.  This has plagued every half-witted attempt I have taken at getting fit.  Usually I start off strong by working out regularly and trying to eat right then after a couple of weeks something will happen.  Almost as if I flipped a switch off in my mind that says "Okay, I'm done.".  From that point forward it becomes a lot easier to sit inside and play games or do other things on days we have nice weather or lay out of the gym.

So how do I combat that lack of motivation or drive?  For me, I have found that when I can't motivate myself; that's when I need to get other people involved.  The first person I started bugging was my wife.  Initially, when I told her what my personal goals were for things like walking and weight loss she was surprise, worried, concerned (whatever you want to call it, she though something was up).  But after she actually saw me get out and start working, it was almost like catching a cold.  She jumped right in and started contributing with me.  After a couple of days I started mentioning my efforts to others like my Mom.  My Mom is a nurse and understands the point of good health practices and likes to get out and about herself.  So she jumped on the wagon with us too.  Essentially, I surrounded myself with people who I knew would be proud of me if I succeed and will help encourage me when I don't quite feel like going that extra mile.  And so far, it is working.

With a form of what I will call "external motivation" from other people, that pushes me to be more inclined to get out and put forth an effort.  And so far with this motivation, I have walked since March 1st, 2012: 34.37 miles.  Which may not sound like a lot but a month ago I was spending almost all of my free time sitting around either infront of a television, computer, or video game.  Now I am walking at least 5 days a week (oftentimes 6 days) and am pushing myself farther every time I go out.  And I have already started to move my belt in one notch.  And for a guy whose belt hasn't moved in 7 years; that's a big deal!

So how can you find that extra motivation to help encourage you?  First, don't think of your workouts/eating better as a diet.  If you start out by saying "I can't go there or eat that because I'm on a diet"; you will find that you are limiting yourself within constraints that may make life a little more difficult on you.  And who needs that stress, as it will kill motivation for you.  Yes, you should be conscious about your diet, but not to the point you have put yourself in a doorless room with rice cakes.  If you happen to splurge (which it is healthy to do once in a while), just make a note and work a little harder on your next trip out.  NOTE: Please don't read that Techie said to go crazy with your moderation.  That's nuts.

Second, set goals that you know you can achieve.  Not something that is unattainable.  In my case, if I started out doing no exercise whatsoever (which was my case actually), and I decided to go out and run for 10 miles.  I would have flopped in my attempt that day.  Instead, I started out determined to walk no more than 2 miles.  When I hit the 2 miles mark, I was feeling pretty good and ended up walking 5 miles my first day out.  Yes, this killed me since I wasn't used to much activity.  But, I rebounded after a day or two of rest and haven't stopped since.  So, goal setting is very important.

Third, you have to find some form of "external motivation".  Whether be friends or family, or maybe there is a local walking group in your community.  If not, start one up instead of waiting on someone else too.  If you are scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to finding others to participate, look online.  There are communities online that are there to help.  Sites like Endomondo, LiveStrong, etc. are there for the purpose of helping you.  Sure, sites likes these have paid services.  But usually they offer some free services by way of forums and message boards or even online fitness trackers that you can share on Facebook or Twitter.  And believe me, I have used some of these (and still do use a couple) and they can be a big help.

I am by no means, a fitness expert or a doctor of any kind.  However, the above points are what continues to help me everyday.  If you have other factors for motivation, chime in below with a comment and share with all of us as we may need the help too!

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Credits: Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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