August Health Challenge (2016)

[PTree15]

I managed 25 minutes of exercise today and it nearly killed me. Wow, I was so achy. I'm shamefully out of shape, oh well, I can only improve from here on.

It won't take long for you to be right back at it. You are doing great!

I did my 5k walk this morning at work with my friend, who is now back from vacation. I had a really good week exercise-wise last week as well. I took only Sunday off this week, as it was just way too hot for me to do any real outdoor activity.

 

[Chryssie]

Here are my weekly stats:

Fairly consistent. I did get one over 10k day!

 

[Jamie in Chile]

I am doing a weekly weekend run. I may do some weekday morning runs as it gets more light later in the year (I am in the southern hemisphere, so winter now).

I started doing press ups today and added a reminder to my calendar to do this once a day for 5 minutes per day. I read that some weight-bearing exercise in addition to aerobic is good, so I am giving it a try.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I drew up an exercise plan and stuck it on the fridge so I can see it when I'm reaching in there for food or alcohol. I'm going to see if I can stick to it for 8 weeks and then I might buy a fitbit. I was reading reviews yesterday and getting quite confused. Would anyone on here recommend a particular one?

 

[Jeremy]

Well, yesterday was another 55 minute run... Today my back is kind of stiff, but at least it's not the legs lol... I'm debating whether or not to take the day off or not since I have UPS delivering a 123lbs desk today. Just what I need is to be a bit sore from running and then have to put together a heavy tempered glass L desk... But hey, maybe I will, I can take the punishment

 

[PTree15]

Be careful, Jeremy. Eeek, I sound like a mom, lol. Still, if it were me, I would take the day off, but I am older and more susceptible to age-related injury. Sometimes it's good to give your body a chance to catch up with new routines. Plus, the desk issue. I hope your back feels better!

 

[Jeremy]

Be careful, Jeremy. Eeek, I sound like a mom, lol. Still, if it were me, I would take the day off, but I am older and more susceptible to age-related injury. Sometimes it's good to give your body a chance to catch up with new routines. Plus, the desk issue. I hope your back feels better!

Yeah, perhaps you're right.

 

[AeryFairy]

I drew up an exercise plan and stuck it on the fridge so I can see it when I'm reaching in there for food or alcohol. I'm going to see if I can stick to it for 8 weeks and then I might buy a fitbit. I was reading reviews yesterday and getting quite confused. Would anyone on here recommend a particular one?

I started out with the flex, kept that for several years before switching to the surge I have now. It's one of their more basic models, tracks steps and sleep patterns, and does estimations for calories burned, distance walked, and so on. I only updated because with all the extras I was doing, I wanted heart rate data and more accurate workout data. It all depends on exactly what you want to track.

 

[Chryssie]

I got the very basic tiny least expensive Fitbit. It tracks steps and that's about it but it is small and clips on securely so I can wear it all the time. At this point I don't care about all the extra stuff!

 

[Jamie in Chile]

I cover this at work and I've spoken to various people that develop the technology for fitness wearables. Basically, it is a technology in its infancy.

The ones that came out in 2015 will be completely outdated by next year, with their questionable accuracy and limited features. Companies rush to get into the market first, before the technology is really ready. Great to see your heart rate reading using light pulses, but who knows how accurate it honestly is in the first editions. But there is a first to market advantage. Generations 2 and 3 end up better.

By 2017/2018 the overall quality and value for money on these things should be better, and the market should settle down.

 

[KLS52]

I drew up an exercise plan and stuck it on the fridge so I can see it when I'm reaching in there for food or alcohol. I'm going to see if I can stick to it for 8 weeks and then I might buy a fitbit. I was reading reviews yesterday and getting quite confused. Would anyone on here recommend a particular one?

The one my daughter gave me is the Flex. I like it. It doesn't do anything fancy, like heart rate, or display the information like your step count, time of day, etc. But it does track my sleep. And after the whole "I thought I lost my Fitbit" fiasco, it ended up dying two days later, lol. So I was in the market for a new one and I ended up staying with the Flex. I was kind of torn, at first, but I decided that it would be easier to just stick with the Flex instead of having to figure out a newer model. And I really don't need it to do anything more than it does. What I like best is having it synced to the app on my phone. I get to track calories in vs calories out, and you can scan bar codes like the Weight Watchers app. That part is really neat. I can also track my exercise when I go on my walks. I guess if I didn't have an iPhone then I would have sprung for one of the higher end models. My daughters both have the Alta and that works for them. They don't bother much with the phone app. I hope that helps! Maybe go on Amazon and look at the different options and read the reviews. Good luck and let us know which one you get if you do decide to get one.


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[Jeremy]

I would be very interested in having one that monitors heart rate, for sure.

 

[Chryssie]

This is the one I have: Fitbit Zip™ Wireless Activity Tracker
It syncs with an app on the computer and the phone though I haven't used the phone one. Very basic and was less than $50.

 

[KLS52]

This is the one I have: Fitbit Zip[emoji769] Wireless Activity Tracker
It syncs with an app on the computer and the phone though I haven't used the phone one. Very basic and was less than $50.

Oh wow, so that works in the app just like the flex. Damn. I could have saved $30, lol.


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[PTree15]

I am very happy so far with the Charge HR. I like that it measures heart rate and has all the displays and whatnot. It also feels more like a watch to me, which I really like. My mom has the one that just clips on, and she loves it because it's basic and not too complicated. I guess it depends on what you want out of it in determining which model to get. The good thing is, there are several levels to satisfy just about everyone.

 

[KLS52]

I am very happy so far with the Charge HR. I like that it measures heart rate and has all the displays and whatnot. It also feels more like a watch to me, which I really like. My mom has the one that just clips on, and she loves it because it's basic and not too complicated. I guess it depends on what you want out of it in determining which model to get. The good thing is, there are several levels to satisfy just about everyone.

Exactly. So you just need to figure out what will work for you. I almost went with the Charge HR but I don't really do enough to get my heart rate up. Plus I'm on an adrenalin blocker for an arrhythmia and that keeps my heart rate down. And I'm a creature of habit, lol. Since the first Fitbit Flex was a freebie and I got used to it, it was easier to just stay with that.


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[Moll Flanders]

Thanks for all the information on fitbits.

I think I pulled a muscle in my neck or back yesterday so I had to get up and take some ibuprofen in the night. I feel fine today, though.

 

[Jeremy]

Finished week 12 of the 10k trainer. Week 13 is looking pretty interesting. Run time goes down, but so do the reps. Instead of three 18 minute runs with 1 minute walks in between, day 1 of week 13 will be two 22 minute runs, then day 2 is two 25 minute runs, and finally day 3 is two 30 minute runs. I guess that does set the ground work for running 60 minutes (NO walking except for warm up and cool down) for week 14. 10k is almost within reach... But damn my lower back, and my arse are sore after today's run.

 

[AeryFairy]

Way to go Jeremy! You'll have that 10k in no time

Today's CrossFit main workout sounded so simple... just pick up a kettlebell, step up onto a box, step down off the box, and put the kettlebell down again. Repeat 150 times, complete within 20 minutes. But after the first 20 or so, it gets a little tiring. After about 60 my legs were shaking. Everyone was dripping sweat, it was completely exhausting. My heart rate graph for the session shows a little of how hard it was:

 

[Jeremy]

I pushed through with the run today despite the back and the legs hurting. I'm glad I did, the run actually helped!