Disney Training - Week 2

The week started off really well. My runs felt much better and recovery was very fast. However, the weekend did not fair so well. Even though it was move-in weekend to my new house, I still have planned out time for my two runs. However, Friday when I was working from home, I fell down the stairs and my foot and ankle were bothering me all weekend. So I decided I couldn't afford to risk re-fracturing my right foot, which is where I had landed from my fall. As I am writing this post today, my foot feels a little worse so I may be shifting the next couple weeks around to help recover. After feeling my toe and injury area, it feels very similar to when I had fractured it last. However, it does not hurt like it did, so I am hoping a couple weeks should have me good to go.

Swimming
I got in my usual Monday swim. Even though it was under 20 minutes of swimming, I was completely exhausted. I will need to get myself up to two or more swims a week if I want to stop feeling so drained each time. With my current foot injury, I'll be planning to up my swimming to 3 times a week minimum.

Cycling
I didn't have any cycling sessions, but with my foot, I will be setting up my trainer and starting to cycle a good bit to help keep up my endurance. I don't really have any plans for any major cycling workouts during my training; just the occasional cross training session.

Running
With my latest foot injury, although I am sure I could run, I am not risking it. The last time I was stupid I was out of commission for over 2 years. So I'll be focusing on swimming and cycling to keep up endurance.

Strength
I have been meaning to get my strength routines going, and with the injury, it's just a bigger excuse to roll out my strength plans. Therefore, I'll be doing about 2-4 strength sessions per week. My main focus will be legs, hips and core.

Nutrition
I have not done well at all with portion control or staying away from snacks. With my new move however, I am not stocking anything bad, so I really expect to start turning things around.

Final Thoughts
Overall a great week because I am now living in my new house and I have quick and easy access to lots of fitness facilities and areas. However, a bad week since I hurt myself; although I am happy it wasn't from working out. Now to mend myself so I don't miss too much training.

Disney Training - Week 1

This last week started my first week of sixteen for my Disney Dopey Challenge training! I cannot properly express how excited I am right now for this race. For anyone not familiar, the Dopey Challenge is 4 back-to-back days of running; 5k, 10k, half marathon, then full marathon. You run through the Disney World parks and there are tons of spectators and characters cheering you on non-stop. Supposedly during the marathon, there is a point you can hop on a roller coaster during the race. If this is true, I will definitely be taking advantage of this! In typical fashion, I'll be displaying my training in the same format I always do, but my focus will be on running.

Swimming
I had the Rock 'n Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon the prior weekend, so I decided I would hop in the pool Monday to get the blood flowing and loosen up. This worked out really well, as the rest of my week for running went really well. I will probably be pushing to swim every Monday. If possible, I will be shooting for Fridays as well, since that is my other running "rest" day.

Cycling
I had the City to Shore Bike MS 45-miler on Saturday. I really wanted to get in my run as well, but my legs were pretty tired from that ride. I am not sure how much riding I will be doing over the next few months. My plan is to get my trainer set up once I am fully moved into my new house. Then I'll shoot for 1-2 trainer rides per week as some cross training.

Running
I had five runs scheduled this week. I completed four of them, with the fifth not being completed because of my bike ride. Although my body was still a bit tired from my half marathon, I still felt alright completing all of my runs. The only issue I had is that my pace was definitely a lot slower than I would have liked. Hopefully I can get in some more sleep, an extra swim, and some strength training to help loosen, strengthen, and speed up recovery.

Strength
I didn't get any strength sessions in. I am still working on figuring out where to put them into the schedule. I will definitely be doing 2 sessions per week though, since the last time I did endurance training and skipped strength, I got some serious injuries.

Nutrition
I was able to find the time to log all of my food five out of the seven days. Overall, I ate alright, but still lots of room for improvement and I need to get myself off of the mindless snacking. Even though I try and keep stuff out of the house, I find myself grabbing a bag of chips or cookies when I am at the food market without even noticing until I home again. I will keep working on this, as well as logging my food. I need to set reminders with MFP so I log at the end of every day.

Final Thoughts
Overall, a really solid first week of training. I just hope my body keeps the quick recovery pace so I can keep getting in all of these runs each week. Hope your training efforts are going well!

Half Marathon Training - Week 4

A much better week overall from the prior week. However, I still had house hunting and other things comes up, so I did miss a few workouts. Overall a great week for nutrition and exercise though. I even got in more stretching, which I feel is what allowed me to achieve my Saturday and Sunday workouts.

Swimming
I got in a swim this week, which felt amazing. I was extremely tight from strength training on Monday and I felt awesome afterwards. Thanks to this swim I had no trouble with my run.

Cycling
I was excited to finally get in a ride this week on the SRT. I did a run-bike brick and cycling really helped me loosen my left hip after my run. I hope to start getting more rides in, but I'll take what I can get for now.

Running
I got three of my five runs in this week. Although the two runs I missed were easy days, they are still important days and I hope to not miss any for this upcoming week. Overall, each run felt pretty good.

So far it's looking like my easy pace is around 9:30 minutes per mile and my tempo is around 8:30 minutes / mile. This is fine for now, but I am really hoping I can run my Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon in September around an 8:30 minutes / mile pace. That would put me around a 1:51 half marathon time, which would be awesome, especially since my best HM is around 1:40.

Strength
I only got in one of my two strength sessions. I loved my Monday session even though the DOMS was extremely bad. As a matter of fact, it was so bad I was having trouble walking on Tuesday. Sadly, I didn't swim or do any stretches, which I think dramatically slowed recovery. Thankfully I did a swim on Wednesday though. I had no excuse for missing the other strength session, since it was a short benchmark test. I technically had three sessions, but the third was too intense to fit in with my running over the weekend, so I pushed it to the following Monday. This isn't so bad since it was scheduled for Sunday anyway.

Nutrition
Overall I did pretty well with my nutrition. I still snack way too much, but crazy schedules don't really seem to allow me to get any sort of schedule. I did not do as well as logging either. I kind of wish there was a way to have MFP remind me to enter everything each night. I know I can set regular phone reminders, but it's just one of those things I wish an app offered but doesn't. On a positive note, I have added a reminder for this, just not via the app.

Final Thoughts
I think this was a pretty good week considering all of the life stuff trying to get in the way. I have been getting myself more active as well. I hope to keep this progression and to always work towards more consistency. Hope everyone else is doing well.

Half Marathon Training - Week 3

Had a pretty rough week. Cat was sick again and back in the hospital, so I didn't have time to exercise for most of the week. However, I still got some workouts in and felt really good from them. I'll be getting back on track this week and it will be as though I never missed a week!

Swimming
I didn't get to swim at all.

Cycling
I didn't get to ride at all.

Running
I only got in one of my four runs. Even though it was the only run, I still got in 3.5 miles felt really good. I definitely need to start working on figuring out a way to retain water better, because even on these short distance runs I am needing a lot of hydration.

Strength
I only got one of my three strength sessions in. I had really hoped to at least get my strength sessions in, but I did not. I am sure this week's strength is going to be extra tough because of that.

Nutrition
For the most part I did much better with logging my meals and keeping closer to my calorie limits. I still have a lot of work to do on myself, but I will definitely get there.

Final Thoughts
Overall a bust week, but family first. I still got in a run and strength session and will get back on track this week. I was really happy to progress with at least my nutrition, as that will ultimately help me out with my weight loss goals.

Building Plan: Week 15 Complete

Another week down! It was a crazy week and I was not home much and my work schedule prevented me from working out at lunch time. However, I was still diligent and got a good amount of workouts in. What is most important is that I didn't miss my strength sessions. My goal for the upcoming week is to not miss any runs, but we shall see, because with any luck I'll be dealing with potentially new home stuff.

Swimming
No time for swimming again. This is still a point of frustration, but my schedule has not permitted me to get to a pool. To make matters worse, I am not sure I'll get to the pool this upcoming week either. I am sure going to try though.

Cycling
I was able to get a cadence ride in last night. I was nervous about doing this because I didn't want to be too exhausted for my strength session. That was silly, because of course I was, but I pushed through and did awesome with my strength session. Also, I am feeling more comfortable than I expected with my new resistance at 90 RPM. I didn't expect to be increasing this for another week or two, but I will be increasing this week.

Running
Although I did not get more than 1 full cadence session in, I still ran 3 times. I have gone back to doing warm-up cardio before my strength sessions. Therefore I was able to get in two 10 minute runs. My cadence was alright for both. With the strength sessions, my legs have been a bit more tired, so it's been tougher to get the turnover I need. This is alright though because my average SPM is increasing even though my legs are tired, showing my strength is improving.

Strength
I hit all of my NTC workouts this week. I feel amazing after doing them, and I keep seeing great improvements in functional strength, mobility, and muscle strength.

Nutrition
I logged almost 100% of everything I ate this week. This was challenging because I didn't always make good decisions; whether it be from stress, needing something quick and easy, or just giving into cravings. However, getting almost everything logged helped me mentally a lot, so I am going to keep focusing on that and with any luck, over the next few weeks my bad habits should start to decrease considerably. On a really good note, my soda consumption is down exponentially! I am no longer drinking or craving Pepsi Max, only drinking Coke Zero when I have Rum and Cokes (a couple times a week), and having a ginger ale when my stomach is upset (this seriously works wonders for me).

Final Thoughts
Overall I am seeing improvements each week. My strength sessions are really having positive effects on all of my cardio workouts. I look forward to keeping up this momentum and once my life schedule isn't as hectic, I'll be able to fit in more cardio sessions.

Choosing a Health and Fitness Ecosystem - Part 7 - The Apple Ecosystem

The 1st Generation Apple Watch was not the game changer people had hoped for. It wasn't really good for anything other than standard pedometer and HR functions. It required to always have your iPhone with you and was just not very diverse. However, with Apple Watch 2 and the updated Apple Watch, this has changed everything; specifically because of the Apple Watch 2. I will be focusing on the Apple Watch 2, going into a little detail on the watch, and then going over the ecosystem.

Fitness Watch or Smart Watch?

It's both. I won't sugar coat this though; it's one of the best smart watches, but still lacks greatly in the fitness watch department. However, the Apple Watch 2, in my opinion, is superior to most non-hardcore sports watches. So, if you are a triathlete or long distance runner like me, then Garmin, TomTom, Polar and Suunto are your choices. Yes, you can use others, but they just don't have the accuracy, sports tracking metrics and functions, and battery life that the 4 mentioned do.

Anyway, Apple Watch 2 is my focus here because I got to use one for about 5 months. As a note, I am going to be selling it because, although I love the smart watch features more than I can really properly describe, it doesn't even partially meet my sports training needs. Maybe in the near future some third party software company will figure out how to tap Watch OS to get more data, and Apple will improve battery life. Until then, I'll be sticking with my generic smart alerts on my Garmin 920xt.

About the Watch - From a fitness standpoint

So, the Apple Watch 2 has GPS and is waterproof. This makes the watch a fully functioning multi-sport watch. It still has wrist HR, thankfully improved from the first generation. You will need to charge your watch daily with a standard workout regiment. However, I found myself having to charge 2-3 times a day when I was doing multiple workouts, where both were using GPS and longer than 1 hour each. However, this was me being cautious; you can get away with only 1-2 charges. As a point of reference for readers, standard use for me was utilization of many apps throughout the day, as well as at least 1 workout, non-GPS, of 60 to 90 minutes. I would still have close to 20% battery life before I went to bed.

From a GPS standpoint, I found that once it picked up the signal, it was almost spot on for distances in outdoor swimming, outdoor running, and outdoor cycling. However, the map detail is severely lacking and you CAN NOT export to another service to see more detail. Thankfully it was close enough to my Garmin 920xt that I felt somewhat comfortable with the accuracy. You can use third party apps to get more detail, but they can only get so much data because Apple restricts a lot of the data available to other apps.

From a non-GPS standpoint, I found the watch to still be pretty good. It did not handle rapid variations in HR very well, but for stead-state workouts, it was almost identical. For treadmill running, I was pleasantly surprised how accurate the watch was for distance. It was never more than .2 miles under what the treadmill mileage would read, and never more than .1 miles under what my Garmin watch would read. However, if I did intervals with constantly varying paces, it became like most other watches; inaccurate. I did not play around with 3rd party apps much, so I didn't see if I could sync up a foot pod...maybe you can do this, I don't know. You can sync up a BT HR monitor though, which exponentially increases the battery life of the watch. I had a 2 hour trainer ride where my battery hardly drained on my watch while using HRM, versus a 45 min trainer ride without HRM. So this might be a good workaround if you are going to have really long workouts or workout days.

Apple Activity and Apple Health

Apple has two application for you to review you data; Apple Activity and Apple Health. Apple Activity is the software on your watch that tracks everything. It then sends the details to your phone so you can see more stats, maps if you did GPS, etc. It's a great design and extremely easy to see your data. There is virtually no learning curve on this. On the flip-side, there is too little data for the more data-centric athlete.

Apple Health lives exclusively on iOS. It basically is a repository of any health data that you can sync with it. So, anything from your watch ends up here. You can see trends in regards to HR, sleep (need 3rd part app or 3rd party accessories for sleep tracking), or any other stat you get into this app. It's not the most intuitive app, but has amazing customization, which I find great because I can really tailor it to what I want to see and what I really care about.

As I said though, Apple Health lives exclusively on iOS. To make this more difficult, Apple Activity has the same issue. Therefore, you can look at Apple's ecosystem as a closed loop, with no online portal. However, there are increasingly more apps which can pull data from Apple Health to display on their sites, such as MyFitness Pal. It's still not ideal though, but a choice made for security reasons by Apple. Right or wrong, that's how it is.

3rd Party Apps

As I have eluded to, there are lots of 3rd party apps that utilize more functionality and data capturing of the Apple Watch. Again though, they can only get what Apple makes accessible. There are still lots of 3rd party apps not using the GPS function of the watch very well either. Although Runkeeper uses it, the GPS seems to have more issues than using the native app or the Nike+ app. I am sure companies will get better with supporting ALL of the functionality on the Apple Watch 2. The beauty of Apple's ecosystem is that it can grow exponentially thanks to 3rd party app and hardware vendors. In addition, there are rumors that the next iteration of the Apple Watch will have a much better battery; but we shall see.

Final Thoughts

If you are primarily into general fitness, do some races - short or long, or like multiple sports and don't need long duration tracking, then the Apple Watch 2 has you covered. In addition, it's one of the best Smart Watches I have ever used. Android watches still have a ways to go, even though the Polar one is pretty nice. If you need a long battery life though, more accuracy, and more data, you will want to have a dedicated fitness watch for that part. And since Apple's ecosystem is mostly closed off, you will have to manually sync, if possible, to get the whole picture of your workouts. If I was just starting out in triathlon, and never had been spoiled with my Garmin, I would probably find the Apple Watch to be a perfect training partner. The final ecosystem, TomTom, is up next!

Choosing a Health and Fitness Ecosystem - Part 6 - The Garmin Ecosystem

When you think fitness and sports tracking, one of the top names people respond with is Garmin. Garmin is one of the leaders in fitness and GPS technology. They were slow to the ecosystem game originally, but Garmin has really done an amazing job at building connections with third parties and making a diverse line-up of devices.

Garmin Fitness and Lifestyle Devices

The first thing to note is that Garmin makes many devices. But what matters here are its lineup of fitness and lifestyle devices. Whether you are looking for an all-day activity tracker (Vivosmart HR), a stylish activity tracker for work (Vivomove), a GPS fitness tracker (Vivoactive and Forerunner series) or a multi-sport and rugged GPS tracker (Forerunner and Fenix), they have you covered. One thing I want to note here is they also have a tracker for kids, vivofit Jr. I note this because nobody has really done this very well, and Garmin definitely has done a great job with this device. There are other devices as well for cycling, swimming, and more. They all integrate onto the same platform, making a great ecosystem for the devices.

Garmin Connect App

The Garmin Connect App has really come a long way since its inception. I will be covering the iOS app. With a simple dashboard, found in Snapshots, you get an immediate visual of your steps progress and sleep. Right below you can see your active calories, number of activities for the day, remaining calories you can consume, and how many calories you can consume. The calories remaining and consumed come from connecting to MyFitnesPal. I really like the lack of clutter on this first screen. Even though FitBit is one of my favorite connected apps, it can still be a little daunting to some to see so much information as you see right away with their dashboard. So, Garmin has additional screens, or Snapshots, you can swipe to. You can customize these as well. Basically, they go into more details from the dashboard and will cover specific activities, such as running or swimming.

In addition to Snapshots, you can see leader boards for challenges you have joined and with your connections (friends list). Your calendar gives you a glimpse of your scheduled training and events, as well as your completed activities. It takes a little bit to get used to what each color stands for, but once you learn that, the calendar is a really awesome tool. The News Feed will show activities or steps for your connections. Finally you get access to a massive amount of other features under More.

Overall, this is a wonderful app, especially for people who are very fitness and activity focused. However, unlike many of the other apps from competitors, there is a learning curve to this app, which may not be for the timid tech user.

Garmin Connect Website

The Garmin Connect Website is one of the most powerful sites I have ever used. It's also one of the most complicated to use and has a rather steep learning curve. The site is mostly easy to navigate. The real power to this site is that you can heavily customize tabs to show whatever information you want. For example, my loading tab is called "Training" and shows an overview of things I find important, as you can see below. I also have tabs for swimming, biking, running, and activity tracking. Each tab is customized how I want to see my information.

Some of my favorite features include being able to create training plans, running or cycling routes, and creating workouts. Garmin provides some free training plans which are pretty decent. You can sync them to your Garmin device, assuming that device supports it. The calendar is where I spend most of my time. I plan out my weeks by adding workouts I have created. I can then sync my calendar to my watch, and load the specific training activity on my watch for that day and begin that workout. Polar does this as well, and it's an awesome feature.

Similar to MapMyRun, Garmin has the ability to create routes. It is not as advanced as MapMyRun, but it's good enough that you don't need to rely on MapMyRun to map out your routes. There are tons of other features on the site, which would take a long time to cover.

Final Thoughts

The Garmin ecosystem is what most athletes and active individuals dream of using. It's important to note that Garmin is also, slowly but surely, getting with the times and allowing for multiple Garmin devices to sync with their app like FitBit and others have, working more with allowing third party integrations, finally starting to move to Bluetooth smart, and making the overall experience more streamlined. I am not convinced Garmin is for everyone, even if their devices, since there are some learning curves to the devices, app, and website. However, Garmin is one of my favorite ecosystems...then again, I am biased since I am a triathlete. Up next, Apple!

Choosing a Health and Fitness Ecosystem - Part 5 - The FitBit Ecosystem

FitBit has one of the most user friendly ecosystems of any other company. There are very few personal and company health services that do not connect with FitBit. In addition, most activity, fitness, and health sites connect with FitBit. They are constantly receiving recognition for having one of the best looking and easy-to-use apps for mobile and portable devices. And if this wasn't enough, they have one of the largest active user communities. They have even embraced the fashion and smart watch trends; maybe not the best, but they have pretty much everything covered.

FitBit Devices

I am not going to dive too far into the details on the devices, as there are too many to cover. Basically, they have simple activity trackers (Zip) to general fitness (Charge and Blaze) to a multi-sport tracker (Surge). Some of these devices sport smart features that let you receive phone alerts and control your music. However, the smart features for the most part are usually limited, but with FitBit's recent acquisition of Pebble, that might change in the very near future.

In addition to activity and fitness tracking, they also offer a smart weight scale and designer and collector models and accessories for their devices.

Overall, their devices are pretty good. The wrist HR is fairly accurate, but as with all wrist-based HR, there are always limitations, especially when it comes to how much you sweat and, for running specifically, how much you alter intervals. My only major complaint is their treadmill accuracy. Compared to a lot of other companies I have tested, FitBit had one of the least accurate treadmill values; I always got credit for way more steps than I actually took, average of 15% more steps to be exact.

FitBit App

As usual, I will only be able to comment on the iPhone version, as I do not have an Android device. To put it simply, this is the BEST app I have used for a connected device. You can sync multiple devices with ease and navigation to features is amazingly simple. Even advanced features are a breeze. The Dashboard, or home screen, is sleek, modern, and does a great job at showing you useful information. Since I am not currently using FitBit, I will be showing stock images from FitBit's site. The user experience is identical though, so don't worry.

Aside from the Dashboard, which is basically a summary of your whole day, there are screens for each item that appears on the Dashboard; sleep, steps, heart rate, activities, nutrition, weight, and more. The type of device you have will determine the level of detail and data that appears. For example, if you just have a Zip, you will see steps, can still track nutrition and weight, but won't see things like heart rate.

However, using your device when going outside for an activity gives you the added bonus of tracking that information through the app. So, you can get extra information such as GPS tracking and other metrics.

FitBit Website Dashboard

In addition to having one of the best apps, it also has one of the best websites. Sure, there are some features, or lack of certain customization that make no sense, but overall their site is amazing. You get a good look at everything YOU want to see. And it stays consistent with how you see things on the app, so you aren't confused by screens. Plus, for many, the simple integration with MyFitnessPal is huge for nutrition tracking. There are plenty of places to connect with others and won't disappoint you.

Final Thoughts

FitBit is still the market leader for a clear reason. It's definitely designed with the masses in mind. Very few companies are focused on such a diverse audience. Whether you need to track steps for work or your health care plan, want to get more active, are a constant gym goer, an extremely active person, or a fitness nut, there is an option for you. However, if you are an athlete and looking for a device that can withstand the stress, weathering, beating, sweat and water, and more, FitBit does not really have the devices you are looking for. For me personally, this is the only reason I left FitBit...as a triathlete, I needed a device that was waterproof, could track all of my sports and in the same session, and could handle the beating I put on my watch. Up next is Garmin!

Choosing a Health and Fitness Ecosystem - Part 1 - The Basics

The Basics

If you don't have a naturally fit and healthy lifestyle, then it may be a struggle to figure out what you need to help motivate, track, analyze and progress. There fitness devices, smart devices with fitness features, apps for smart phones, websites, software, and much more. Not only that, each group has typically no less than a dozen or two companies / brands you can go with. This alone makes wanting to track what you do intimidating and can stop you before you get started.

So, let's cover a simple checklist to help you navigate this crazy world of health and fitness. As a note, I will be doing more in-depth posts on various options, ecosystems, and advice to blend your lifestyle into the ecosystem you choose.

What Do I Need to Get Started?

You need to first ask yourself, "Do I really care about tech and tracking as a way to motivate myself?" If the answer is no, stop reading and go get healthy! If the answer is yes, which is how it is for most people, then let's figure out what your initial motivation is.

Most people want to be healthier or improve something about how they look and/or feel. Some people also have major health issues that should be addressed. However, this isn't always enough to get going. Once you decide to get going, you then need a way to keep yourself motivated.

We'll start with the easiest and fastest growing motivator: Your job, school, or coach has laid down the hammer and said you either have to be more fit and healthy, or there is some awesome financial perk to being fit and healthy. This is the easiest to address. In most cases, especially with companies, there is already some tool that the company is going to use, such as Viverae or Shapeup. Almost all of these tools link to other fitness or tracking websites and electronics. The most common examples are MyFitnessPal and FitBit. So, if your company is your motivator, your ecosystem is simple: Use what they have, get a fitness tracking device that will connect to that ecosystem, and if you plan on tracking nutrition, either find a site that allows you to track what you eat or utilize the site of the fitness device you got, assuming they offer food tracking.

Let me give you a common scenario. Let's say your company uses Viverae. Their portal allows you to track sleep, steps, activities, and nutrition. Most companies who have this setup also offer company stores or discounts to activity trackers, the most common being FitBit. FitBit is a one-stop-shop for general activity, health and fitness tracking. For example, the FitBit Flex HR will track you steps, sleep and activities. This data will automatically (once you set it up) sync to the Viverae portal. In addition, FitBit's website and app allow you to track your nutrition as well. This also syncs with Viverae. You can also get a FitBit scale that will get your weight and other vitals. This can also sync with Viverae. You now have an all-inclusive ecosystem with minimal effort:

1. Viverae Portal to show all progress for whatever bonus you will get from your company
2. FitBit Device
3. FitBit Application and Website

That's it! It's not as intimidating when you see it that way.

But I Do More than Just Health and Fitness for Work, School, or a Team

That's fine. And maybe you already have fitness devices or activity trackers you currently use. This can be both an easier and more complicated scenario. If you are using one of the major brands, like Garmin, FitBit, Jawbone, Under Armour, Polar, or TomTom, then those companies already sync pretty well with other websites and portals. In regards to nutrition and health tracking, if you are using one of the major ones like MyFitnessPal, then that syncs with all of the major activity and fitness tracking brands. Therefore, for those who are doing multi-sport, activities other than walking/running, and so on, there is an easy way to sync everything up.

Now, the caveat here is that you may need to be using multiple sites and apps to see everything, but it's still rather minimal. Here is an example of a common scenario for someone who does multiple sports in addition to nutrition tracking.

1. Garmin VivoActive HR
2. MyFitnessPal
3. Withings Scale

This scenario is very common. And it's also the easiest to manage. Now, there are other sites you can sync your data to for a different or more in-depth look at your workout and health data, but that is completely optional. However, let's say you have a device that doesn't sync up well with other sites you want to use. There are websites out there that will sync with virtually anything that can give them data. In turn, they will then format that data and send it other sites you use. So, if your fitness device doesn't sync with MyFitnessPal, for example, you can use a site such as tapiriik.

In Summary

Ideally, you want to stick with an existing ecosystem, especially when it comes to devices. So, if your planned support group all use FitBit, and FitBit's devices meet your needs, don't look any further. If you have tons of friends who have all sorts of devices, find a site that can sync with all of them, and then get whatever device looks the nicest or is the easiest to use. Up next I'll cover the difference between an activity tracker and fitness device, and how to choose the right one for you.

On the right track

I accomplished my goal last week; I exercised 3 times. Since I have been out of it for a bit now, I was a little sorer than expected, otherwise I would have gone for a 4th workout. For the most part, I made sure to log my foods. This weekend was a bit tough, but my goal right now is to log 5/7 days, which I did accomplish,

I missed my workout yesterday because I was busy painting and shoveling ice, and I am extremely sore right now. However, tomorrow I will be back into the swing of things. Overall I am doing well, but I can still do a lot better. However, I am very optimistic and progress is progress. Good luck to everyone out there striving towards their goals!

Nike Apps (for iPhone)

I had done a post a while back on NTC (Nike Training Club) and I figured it was time to just talk about Nike's other app offerings for iOS.

• Nike+ Running (Free)
• Nike+ Fuel (Free)
• Nike Training Club (Free)

As you can see, the theme here is "Free". For now, I have a review on Nike Training Club you can check out.

The main reason for bringing up Nike+ is that it's still a very strong community and they have great tools to really help people succeed. There are tons of alternatives out there, and yes, Nike+ isn't as much of a focus anymore since Nike discontinued the FuelBand and there hasn't been as much focus on Nike+ from Nike.

So let's dive in! The main reason I like these apps is because they are really well built and useful. Aside from being required to create a Nike+ account, there really isn't any downside I can find, unless you are someone that needs extremely detailed statistics. Nike has designed their apps more around the idea of social fitness and the average user. This means that someone just starting out won't get overwhelmed by too many features and screens. In addition, the learning curve is fairly flat, so if you know how to use your iPhone, you can easily use these apps.

The other reason is that I love the way Nike has built the social and rewards aspect so fluidly into their apps and site. One of the hardest things for people to do is stick with a plan to improve fitness, have a healthy lifestyle, achieve a fitness goal, or the like. One of the easiest solutions is to take the journey with someone, which is easy to do with Nike+. You can setup goals, challenges, and share your progress.

In regards to additional tracking, you can link your Nike+ account to other 3rd party sites / apps; some popular ones include MyFitnessPal, Garmin, TomTom, Apple Health, Google Fit, and more.

So, now for a brief overview of each app, which I will have follow-up posts on more details for Running and Fuel.

Nike+ Running

This is basically your standard app that allows you to track you run; indoor or outdoors. You get standard information which is very important to beginner or seasoned runners / walkers. First off, you will be able to track your distance, total time, and average pace. In additional, you will see your total count of runs, total miles overall, Fuel Points, and how you rank compared to friends (assuming you use the social piece).

One thing I always loved was how you could integrate your music into your run. You can create a Pace Station which allows you have you music sync up to your pace to keep you motivated and consistent. This is partnered through Spotify. Or you can just select a playlist you already have.

During your run you will get alerts, such as each mile completed, as well as be able to see your current distance, average pace, heart rate if you have a bluetooth HR monitor, and elapsed time. You will also see what song is playing and have the ability to change tracks.

Once completed, you can add a picture if you want to make the session more memorable. For example, if you are running a race, you could add a finish line selfie. Finally, after your run, you will see a map of the course you ran/walked, total time, average pace, elevation gain, average heart rate if you used a HRM, how you felt after the run, the temperature, and the current mileage on your shoes. You can also share your session with all of the popular media sites.

I want to mention that if you are using a FuelBand or an iPod nano, you can utilize this for indoor running. Now, it is not the most accurate, but you can get a foot pod which is surprisingly accurate for tracking. However, it's best for steady paces, and does not do well with large fluctuations in pace. Interval training works well though.

I also have to mention Apple Watch. You basically have the same functionality, but on your watch. As with most apps, you will need your phone with you for GPS and HRM.

Nike+ Fuel

If you still have a Nike FuelBand, then you use this app to sync all of your information. As a note, I am pretty sad Nike got out of the tech arena, as the FuelBand and their GPS watch really set the tone for the current wearables market today. Anyway, the app is very standard for any activity tracker; shows you steps, activity levels throughout the day, and your Fuel Points. You can view extra detail on your activity level as well; viewing day, week, month or year. You can view your progress, how you are doing on your goals that you defined, and how you are doing versus others. In addition, you get social updates your friends. You can also see you summary of all of your training sessions. This app integrates with NTC for activities. In addition, you can use your iPhone 5 or later if you don't have a FuelBand. You pretty much track what Nike calls Nike+ Sessions.

Nike+ Training Club - NTC

As I noted above, you can read my full review on this app. Basically, it's a fitness trainer on your phone. The app includes workout plans for all types of goals and personal schedules  (I love the 30 minute workouts). The app syncs with your music, gives you alerts and counts reps for you. In addition, if you aren't sure how to do a move, there is a video for every move to show you proper form and technique. There are tons of paid apps out there, and yes, there are many apps you can customize your workouts to your heart's content, but there are still few apps that offer such a solid and well rounded set of workouts for FREE! I still use NTC a bunch, but being a triathlete, I typically use apps that allow for fully customized workouts, such as Fitness Builder.

As you can see, Nike really offers a 1-stop shop for anyone who wants to get fit and healthy, or for anyone who is seasoned and needs solid and reliable tools. Enjoy!

Now for the Kick Start

Last week when I said I was going to try and do some sort of workout in between cooking, I was successful! I didn't do much; some push-ups, crunches, and seated dips. But it was better than my usual nothing and I was really proud of myself.

I didn't get any other workouts in over the weekend, but I made sure to be pretty active. Although I was more active on Sunday, I somehow met my step goal for Saturday but not Sunday. At some point I'll have to figure this out. 

This week is going to be a big week for me. I have two major goals: get no less than 3 workouts in, and start weaning myself off of soda, minus the occasional rum and coke. 

Another upcoming goal is going to be to start getting a minimum number of steps per day, which will force me to at least run most days, if not every day. Hope everyone is going to have a great week and hope everyone enjoyed Super Bowl weekend!

The Road Ahead

Life is full of twists and turns. You never know what is going to come your way and derail you from everything; not just health and fitness. However, success comes from picking yourself up from these challenges and moving forward. True success comes from turning these challenges into opportunities and executing on them.

I cannot say I have done this too well. I typically get going, fall, dust myself off, walk it off, and try to get going again. The last 2 years have been one fall after another and I have spiraled further and further down the rabbit hole. Realization is only part of the path to move forward; acceptance and moving passed this is the other piece. I have made one excuse after another, and never fully accepted everything. I have now and cannot wait to move forward.

So what does all of this mean? Well, I am not going to go cold turkey and set myself up for failure, that’s for sure. Right now it’s all about incremental change and improvements. I’ll be starting with getting myself healthy again. This means getting more sleep, a better eating routine, logging my meals consistently, and getting in some workouts each week.

As I have in the past, I will be keeping track of my progress through blog posts to help keep myself accountable and hopefully, if anyone out there is struggling through hardships, you might find something useful from what I am learning or doing. This is going to be a great year!

Tracking Your Life...11 "Apps" to Help You Out

I am always trying to find more efficient ways to do things; and trying to keep my life organized and on-track is always challenging, given my schedule. So, I thought I would share some awesome "apps" that allow me to track everything. I quote "apps" because almost all of them have a web-based and mobile application access, which makes life even better; because once in a while you just don't want to be on a small phone or tablet screen.

1. Evernote
• Quite simply, this is a notebook to store anything you can think of; scrap book, create To-Do Lists, projects for work or personal, etc.
• Alternative to Microsoft OneNote
• Available on virtually every platform
• You can pay extra to be able to have offline usage and some other great features
2. Mint.com
• When it comes to personal finance, Mint does everything stand-alone software does, but it's a website or mobile application instead of something you are forced to install on a computer
• Syncs with almost every financial institution for tracking loans, income, expenses, bill reminders, budget planning, and tons more
• Did I mention you pay NOTHING for it? Yep, awesome!
3. Wegmans
• Chances are you don't even know Wegmans. They are a grocery chain and their app ties seemlessly with their website.
• Grocery list building from all products available from store you set as your local store
• Tells you location in the store of the items on your list
• Can add recipes ingredients from their awesome recipe section to your shopping list
• Can view history of purchases to track spending, what you buy, or to compile new shopping lists quicker
• NOTE: If you shop at a grocery chain, see if they have an app that is similar
4. My Fitness Pal
• Whether you are trying to lose weight or just trying to stay healthy, it's important to know what you eat and recommended by most nutritionists, doctors, and specialists. MFP, as it's commonly called, can track all of that
• It has one of the largest food and drink databases I have come across, and although not all data is always 100% accurate, people can update the incorrect items with the correct information if they want
• You can also track any fitness you do
• Many external fitness sites and tools can automatically sync with MFP, allowing even easier tracking of fitness and activities
5. CardStar
• Did you forget your 10lb keychain at home with all of the different membership and store cards? Don't worry, you can use CardStar to input all of those pesky cards...ranging from an LA Fitness membership card to a GNC rewards card
• CardStar has a huge database of existing services, so usually you just find the name of the company, group, etc. and then input or scan your card
• If the rewards program isn't in CardStar's database, no worries, you can manually input it
• Also, a few updates ago they beefed up security, which is a really nice piece-of-mind
6. Waze
• No website, since this is a GPS app
• However, this is hands-down the best GPS app I have ever used; and although Google has bought Waze, Google's map app for iPhone still isn't that great
• It updates with alerts as people report them, so if Waze sees that there are a lot of slowdowns or an accident that pops up in your route, it doesn't need to wait for it to be reported to the local highway administration, it gets updated immediately by other users, then can automatically re-route you
• This really is a must-have for driving almost anywhere
• NOTE: Google's map program is still the best for walking around a city and finding things
7. Google Drive
• With some recent updates, you not only gain access to all of your Google Drive files, but you can now edit and create as well
• If you keep all of your document on Drive, then this app is a must!
• NOTE: SkyDrive people, unless you have a Windows Phone, forget the editing unless you get another app such as Office2 or CloudOn
8. OpenTable
• OpenTable is basically a restaurant finder and reservation scheduler tool
• Okay, not every place to eat will show up in here...just the ones who sign up with OpenTable
• However, it's great to find somewhere to eat when you are out, and you get rewards and can make an instant reservation...Perfect!
9. Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
• All the news
• Yes, for all of the goodies and articles, you need to pay, but comparing the quality of writing and journalism to other free news sources, you typically don't need to worry about a poorly written and/or researched article in here
• And I personally have no patience or time to weed out the junk articles...no offense to apps or services similar to Google News
10. Chrome
• Sorry Safari, Opera, and million other browser options
• I love the Chrome browser...syncing across all devices I have is awesome...not only that, but Chrome has a great feel to it
• NOTE: With iOS 7 coming out soon, I may end up changing this back to Safari, but we shall see
11. EasilyDo
• No website, but apps on iOS and Android
• If you are busy, and tend to forget things, even when you enter them in your calendar, then you NEED this app
• It basically acts as your personal assistant, and it will automatically send birthday wishes and presents to people via Facebook, or will track a shipment for an order you just, and much more
• Various functions include:
• Location-based items such as Direction to Home and Work, Local Weather and Alerts
• Facebook birthdays, RSVPs, Important Posts, Popular Posts, Daily Top Photos, Tagged Photos of you, Friends' Profile Pictures
• Email (ties into your email service) - boarding passes, hotels, restaurants, events, invitations, job changes, contact information, package tracking, bill pay reminders, receipts, expired deals cleanup, old calendar emails cleanup
• Calendar (ties into your calendar) - Next Calendar Event reminder
• Contacts (ties to your contacts) - Duplicate Contacts Cleanup
• Extras - Free App of the Week, Free iTunes Single of the Week (for iPhone)
• And they are always adding more features!!!
• NOTE: If you are a privacy nut, you don't want this app, it invades everything...HOWEVER, the privacy policy states they will not use any of the information other than for the functions of the app...this still means they can get your non-personal stuff and use it, as most apps do anyway