There are many tools and techniques that people use to help them make life changes, especially when improving diet, increasing physical activity, and losing weight. The trick is to find the one that fits best for you. Just because one technique worked fabulously for your friend or coworker does not mean that you will find it as helpful. Different types of accountability will be effective for different personalities. Your personal motivation for life change will also impact what will work best for you.
Apps – Smartphone applications often work well for the busy, on the go individual. Apps can be informative, provide data tracking, and/or hold you accountable through reminders. If your phone is never far from you, a good app may be the easiest type of accountability for you to integrate.
Gear and Gadgets - There are a lot of options for the techy person who enjoys gadgets and toys. These often appeal to people who enjoy technology and value quality. The opportunity to use these gadgets or toys is the motivation to increase physical activity. Some gear worth considering includes Jawbone UP, a pedometer, a fancy bike, or a BodyBugg.
Despite the fact that some studies have linked child weight gain to playing video games, there is a new technology on the block that might actually help you shed pounds.
The NewYu Connected Fitness Monitor is a wearable, connected fitness monitor that tracks all activities users engage in throughout the day, from running and biking to cooking, cleaning and shopping. The monitor syncs with an online dashboard where you can establish fitness goals, track progress, and share your results.
“The more accurate the tracking, the more likely users are to reach their goals,” said Van Krueger, President and CEO of Wellcore, NewYu’s parent company.
The San Jose-based company will introduce the new monitor at the 2011 IDEA World Fitness Convention in Los Angeles.
The Gruve Solution™ is a new weight loss and weight management gadget that encourages you to increase your daily activity. It was developed by a medical doctor in concert with research funded by the Mayo Clinic.
Similar to the FitBit, GoWear Fit and BodyBugg, the Gruve is a healthy living tool that encourages you to be more aware of behaviors like what you are eating, how much you are eating and how much you are moving.
But the Gruve is also very different.
It was created on the principle of NEAT, or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, the concept of burning calories and expending energy aside from clocking 30 minutes on the treadmill. Given our desk jobs and overall sedentary lifestyle, the lack of NEAT in our lives is a large contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. Read Full Post >
When Ali Vincent was in Los Angeles going through the final stages of casting for Biggest Loser season five, she took out a small bell, a gift from a friend, and started shaking it at her mom chanting “Believe It, Be It!” No one could have predicted then that those four words would be the mantra that would carry her to become the first female Biggest Loser and that it would be the title of her first book.
“Believe It, Be It” published last month and provides an intimate look at Ali Vincent’s life – what got her to her starting weight of 234 pounds, what pushed her to follow her dream and win Biggest Loser season five, weighing 122 pounds, and how she lives her life today, still listening to her mantra.
Listen now as I speak with Ali about the book, her lifestyle, and what her advice is for everyone about to start those New Year’s resolutions.
24 Hour Fitness is fast becoming one of the best known fitness outlets in the country. This is due in large part to their high-profile partnership with the wildly popular reality show, The Biggest Loser.
The show’s trainers, Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper, motivate contestants (and viewers, for that matter) as they compete for the $250,000 grand prize. The trainers whip contestants into shape with equipment provided by 24 Hour Fitness. They’ve done so for the eight-season history of the show.
24 Hour Fitness contributed the Body Bugg calorie management system to season eight. This calorie counter armband helps users with a digital display that keeps them on top of of how many calories they have burned throughout the day. There’s also a Web interface that helps users track calories consumed based upon user input to the software. It also helps users with daily meal planning. Read Full Post >
There are many tools and techniques that people use to help them make life changes, especially when improving diet, increasing physical activity, and losing weight. The trick is to find the one that fits best for you. Just because one technique worked fabulously for your friend or coworker does not mean that you will find it as helpful. Different types of accountability will be effective for different personalities. Your personal motivation for life change will also impact what will work best for you.
