Oh. Snap.

So, I started exercising more and dieting more, you know, those things I do for a few months and then I rediscover fast food.

I bought a bike. Yep. That means I've got to be some-what committed, but then again I have a lot of exercise equipment that would prove I need to be committed. (pun intended).  In all seriousness (well, most seriousness, never go all serious) I have lost weight, and despite having the sore, aching muscles, I have had more energy, which is great.  The moral of this story? I don't know, maybe I'll find one along the way.

Did you know you can get apps that help you track pictures of your body to see the transformation?  I got one about 3 months ago and took my initial shots.  This week I took another shot (I forgot about it until now) and boom, I saw the transformation.  It wasn't the direction I wanted though.  That is a good driving force for me to buckle down and get in shape. A shape I like, that is.

Lyndsay is going healthy again too, and she had the awesome idea of doing video diaries of her progress.  It's an interesting idea, one I might steal. At any rate, go health!

Digital Me

I've noticed something.  I like electronics. I especially love the ones that work and you don't even have to do anything for them to work. An example of this is fitness trackers, they work, and they do their job while you just wear them. Brilliant.  I think I may have gone a bit overboard with some of mine, but here are a few of the things I use or have pre-ordered.

FitBit Force
I know that this was recalled because of a chance of a skin rash forming, but I've had mine almost since day 1 and no problems yet.

Misfit Shine
What's this you say? Another activity tracker? Yes. I am currently wearing both (one on each wrist), as a comparison of their accuracy and also to maintain my activity on my linked websites (MyFitnessPal, GymPact, etc) since the Shine is currently working on integration, but it's not live yet.

Automatic
This is a device you plug into your car's interface port and it transmits all sorts of data to your phone.  It beeps when you go over a set speed, accelerate too fast, or brake too hard.  The point of it is to monitor your driving and help you to increase fuel efficiency.

Tile
This is one of my preorders.  These little tiles you can put on your key chain or stick to anything.  They help you (with the assitance of their app) to find the tiles.  You should never lose keys again.  I plan on putting one on each of my children, just in case.  One neat thing about it is that if someone steals your thing, everyone who has the app on their phone can find it, in the background anonymously and it lets you know where it is, so you can go put on your Batman suit and break some noses to get back your mug. That might just be me. Sorry.

SunSprite
This one is another pre-order.  it's a device to measure your sun intake and let you know you should get out and see the light of day.  Sounds silly, but light therapy is good, I use a blue light in the mornings to help regulate my syrcadian rhythm.

LUMOBack
This is a device that fits around my waist and lets me know when my posture is bad.  It also lets me know when I've been sitting too long.  Of course reports are also available so it's awesome.  With my job I sometimes end up sitting a lot, so this helps me move my body. Not dance. Well, at least not all the time.

LUMOLift
Pre-order.  This is another posture device, but this one goes on your collar or upper body. Same concept, but working in conjunction with the LUMOBack, I will get a better idea of how messed up I sit and walk.

Wahoo BlueHR
This is a Heart Rate monitor that I can wear when I walk\run\jog\workout.  It keeps an eye on my heart rate, connects to my phone and lets me know when it's about to explode (my heart - not my phone).

iHealth Wireless BP Cuff
This is a wireless blood pressure cuff that connects to my phone.  It's so awesome, I can take my blood pressure reading anywhere, even in a public restroom!

iHealth Pulse Oximeter
Another device for my health.  It is a wireless pulseox that gets my pulse and oxygen level and sends it to my phone. Reports, it's all about the reports.


So if I wear and use all my devices at the same time I would be outfitted as so:

• Both wrists have an activity tracker around them
• On my left collar I have a posture tracker
• On my right collar I have a sun intake tracker
• Attached via a band around my upper chest is a heart rate monitor
• On my left bicep is a wireless blood pressure cuff
• On my left index finger is a wireless oxygen\pulse sensor
• Attached via a band is a posture tracker on my lower back
• I would have a device on my key chain that left me know where it was
• I would be driving with beeping occurring if I burned rubber

Batman has a lot of gadgets, so I'm just trying to catch up, obviously.

Changing it Up

For years now I've been a loyal FitBit User, and even in the face of the Fitbit force fiasco (Google it), I kept my Force.  Lately the thing has started to crack and the step counter doesn't seem to be as accurate as it once was.  I have been researching where to go, and I've landed on the Misfit Shine.  It is still working out integration with other sites (like myfitnesspal.com, etc.) but I think it will work well for my needs.  It's weird, but something as trivial as this makes me nostalgic. I've had a fitbit for so long, but what did I do before that?  I counted each step in my head.  If I lost count I would stop walking and lay down and go to sleep where I laid. True story. Except for the part about counting my steps and laying down and going to sleep.