It’s February! Where did January go? Are your “get in shape” New Year resolutions already a distant memory? Are you looking for a way to jump-start your fitness routine? Well, step right up. I have a grab-bag of nifty new fitness finds to share with you.
Stepping It Up!
One of the best gadgets I have treated myself to so far in 2014 is my FitBit One fitness tracker. It’s this tiny, cool little clip on pod that works as a pedometer, altimeter and sleep tracker. I am now intimately aware of how many steps I have taken during the day, how many flights of stairs I have climbed, how many calories I’ve burned, how long I’ve slept and even how efficiently I slept and more. It tracks information over time, allowing me to see patterns and trends in my own personal activity. It connects wirelessly to my iPhone, so when I click on my FitBit App I can track my progress. It also syncs with my desktop computer, which provides me with the same information in a slightly different format.
I have been completely surprised by how motivating this little gadget has been for me. I now walk the four flights of stairs to my office almost exclusively (rarely use the elevator), bound and determined to hit my 10-flight goal. I have also realized how sedentary I truly am. I’m a desk jockey, spending the vast majority of my time at my office desk. I’ve discovered that without a good 35-minute run or walk every day, there is no way I can hit my 10,000 step goal. I have even walked around my house, picking stuff up, at the end of my day just so I can hit that 10,000 steps! You can also socially network with a FitBit–do you have one? Friend me here.
Happy App
I prefer to exercise outside, but lately the cedar pollen and/or cold weather have forced me to the gym. One of my favorite Apps when I’m on the elliptical, walking or running on the treadmill is Songza (free in the iPhone App Store). It’s kind of like Pandora, but with more personality. I typically work out in the mornings, and once I put my headphones on, I go to the “Concierge” in Songza. It guesses what I might be doing by the time of day it is and day of the week it is. I then pick from a menu of activity-appropriate song lists. My current fave right now is “Uplifting Pop Motivation” form the “Working Out” set.
I recently found myself increasing my pace and grinning like a lunatic on a treadmill run when a song that I hadn’t head before popped up on the “Uplifting Pop” station. Have you had the pleasure of hearing “Happy” from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack? Meet my favorite new running song.
U’ll Get Fit with the Wii Fit U
Do your kids have a Wii or a Wii U? We bought a Wii Fit Balance Board and video game software years ago, when my now-teenage-Xbox-loving boys were totally into Mario. The other day, when it was really cold outside and I hadn’t gotten my morning workout in, I texted the boys from my office: “Do we still have that Wii balance board? Can you see if you can hook it up to Eleanor’s Wii U?” When I got home, the old board was connected to our relatively new Wii U system. I downloaded the Wii U Fit software, and within a very short time I was hoola hooping, scuba diving in the ocean, practicing yoga poses, following along in a step aerobics class, running around a virtual town, and carefully carrying trays of desserts to hungry party guests.
Wii U Fit is a nice improvement on the old Wii Fit software–I like the way some of the activities cleverly incorporate the Wii U console. I didn’t get in quite as many steps as I wanted to, but I did have a lot of fun and even broke a sweat, all while on my way to my 10,000 step goal!
What are your new favorite fitness finds? What really motivates you to exercise? I’d love to know.
I bought all of this stuff, and these are my opinions.
