Tag Archives: pedometer

Garmin Vivofit Fitness Band Tracks Activity, Sleep, Calories, and Challenges with Friends

garmin-vivofit-fitness-tracker

You see fitness and activity tracking gadgets everywhere these days. Whether it be something you clip on your clothes or something you wear on your wrist, more companies are creating solutions that help you keep track of your progress and stay motivated day by day. Garmin is the latest company to launch their own such product: the Garmin Vivofit fitness band. It comes in five colors (black, gray, green, blue, and purple) and will be available within the next month. The Vivofit is available for pre-order at $129.

Like other contenders for a spot on your wrist, the Vivofit’s pedometer function tracks the number of steps you walk (or run) in a day, the number of calories you burn, the distance you go, and patterns in your sleep. You’re able to visualize this data on the small display on the band itself, or via the accompanying free Garmin Connect iPhone and Android app on your smartphone. (iPhone app | Android app)

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Posted on February 18, 2024 by Mike Beauchamp

Peggy Bradford Used Facebook to Rally 3,000 People to Better Health

Peggy Bradford of Sewell, New Jersey hasn’t always been the avid promoter of health that she is today. Before losing 70 pounds the 47-year-old mother weighed close to 220 pounds and suffered from severe depression. The weight gain came after a major surgery that required her to be on a hormone replacement for one year, which left her feeling terrible both physically and emotionally.

After facing resistance from her doctor about getting off of her medications, Peggy told her husband she was going to take matters into her own hands, and that’s exactly what she did.

Peggy almost instantly began eating healthier and watching her calories, cutting out soda and choosing protein bars over candy bars. For exercise she purchased a pedometer to encouragement more daily movement.

“I started out doing 10,000 steps a day with 4 pound weights,” she said. “I’ve built myself up to between 20,00-30,000 steps a day and 12-15 pound weights. I not only jog in place when I do my workout, but I jog in place when I talk on phone, iron, do dishes, etc.,” she said. “It sounds crazy, but the steps add up and have been a huge part of my weight loss journey.” (more…)

Posted on January 24, 2024 by Dana

The New Nike+ FuelBand Tracks the Fuel You Burn with Every Step

There was a time when the only option one had for tracking their activity was a pedometer– a simple machine that clicked over a number after it sensed a step. Those days are long gone. There are many tracking devices on the market and Nike just introduced the latest and greatest this week.

The Nike+ FuelBand was just introduced. It’s a sleek personal accelerometer that measures activity in what Nike calls “Fuel” units. Every motion from walking to breakdancing is tracked by the band and contributes to a daily tally of “fuel” you’ve consumed.

The band contains two arrays of LED lights. The first horizontal strip of lights measures the users progress turning from red to green as the goal is met. The second array is white and serves as a display screen to light up “steps,” “cals” (calories) or “fuel.” These are the categories the FuelBand tracks. The user links the band with a computer to initially set daily goals and then they can track and chart their progress as they move through out their days. The band also pairs via bluetooth to a smartphone app so the user can monitor their progress on-the-go.
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Posted on January 20, 2024 by Lacy

5 Tips to Jump Start Your Health

By Dr. Mache Seibel for Care2.com

Ask a person if they want to stay well and in less than a nanosecond you will get a universal, resounding “Yes!”

Then ask if they eat healthy, exercise regularly, incorporate relaxation into their daily routine and get enough sleep. The response is much slower and the percentage saying, “Yes” is a lot lower.

Sure, people want to make changes to improve their health, but changing old habits for newer, healthier ones is hard work. For many, it seems almost impossible. Why else would the average person make the same New Year’s resolution 10 different years without success, or only one in seven people who have had a heart attack make long lasting changes to improve their diet or exercise habits? Don’t you think it is time to take responsibility for your own health?

The trick is to start simple. Small changes can make a big difference. Here are five simple steps you can start doing today to improve your health.

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Posted on September 16, 2023 by GuestBlogger

We Love Fiber One 80 Calories Honey Squares

Like any other child-at-heart, I love cereal. Whether it be a small bowl with breakfast or an afternoon handful, I simply can’t get enough. Cereal can be a good source of nutrients but it can also be an even better source of excess sugar (among other things.) While some cereals are falling to the wayside in a quest to introduce healthier foods to the masses, Fiber One has created a new option for cereal-lovers.

According to the nutrition panel, each ¾ cup serving of the Fiber One 80 Calories Honey Squares contains only 140 mg of sodium and a whopping 10 g of dietary fiber– that’s 40 percent of your recommended daily value! The ingredient list boasts whole grain corn as the number one ingredient but it also contains sucralose, which is fine in moderation although I personally prefer a natural sweetener.

It tasted great as a morning meal and I tried it with both vanilla almond milk and regular skim milk on different occasions. The texture was light and crunchy and it was very filling. I also tried it on top of a yogurt parfait and it added just the right touch of crunch without the amount of sugar that’s in the granola I usually splurge on.

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Posted on July 6, 2023 by Theresa

The 3 Most Important Habits to Break if You Want to Lose Weight

Rebecca Wilson practices cognitive & mindfulness-based therapies and researches health psychology and behavior change. Her website, habitspark.com, focuses on how to use positive habits to create healthy and happy lifestyles.

First of all, what exactly is a habit? A habit is a behavior that you do so regularly that it becomes almost automatic. Although many habits are good, like brushing your teeth, some habits are devastating to a healthy lifestyle and weight control. Here are the 3 worst habits and how to break them:

Bad Habit #1: Eating mindlessly. Eating on the run, eating without paying attention to your hunger signals, and eating to escape painful feelings.

Break It: Replace eating mindlessly with eating mindfully. Eat at a dining table and make sure you aren’t doing anything else while you are eating. Before you start eating, notice your hunger level. As you eat, pay attention to your senses: the taste of the food, the feel of it, the smell, and how it looks.

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Posted on June 12, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Garmin Forerunner is a Stroke of Genius

Every phase of life has some tool or product that could make it better. For me right now, since I am training for a marathon, my focus is running. I have found some great tools to help me in this and one of my favorites happens to be a Garmin.

Watch now as I explain what the Garmin Forerunner is and why it’s now a part of my fitness regimen.

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Posted on August 19, 2023 by Shay

Healthy Father’s Day Gift Ideas

Father’s Day is fast approaching. Do you just have no idea what to get the man in your life? Skip the neckties and dress socks, and consider some of these cool and healthy Father’s Day gift ideas:

1. Vegetarian Grilling Cookbook – It’s unfair, but a fact: manliness is associated with being a carnivore. But tell that to 6′ 5″, 250-pound NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez, or the heavyweight slugger Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers.

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Posted on June 16, 2023 by Jason

Adidas miCoach Fitness Gadget Offers Virtual Personal Trainer

adidas micoachThe Adidas miCoach (pronounced “My Coach”) has the features that many pedometers offer. It has a stride sensor that keeps track of your running pace, distance, and heart rate. There’s also an interface at micoach.com to input your fitness goals.

What sets miCoach apart is that Adidas is marketing it like a personal trainer. That’s because it has an audio feedback feature to help you keep track of your workouts. The real-time audio feedback gives you a virtual kick in the butt if you are lagging, so if you are off your pace you will know to pick it up. It’s also compatible to all MP3 players, so you can listen to music and still get the audio feedback. (more…)

Posted on January 12, 2024 by Jason

Essentials for Runners: Google Map Pedometer and MapMyRun

runnersSo, today was an interesting day. For the first time since my first of two difficult-to-heal injuries – I ran. And it was truly a pathetic thing. A humbling spot, and one I never imagined I’d find myself in again. After all, I’ve run several 5Ks, a few 8Ks, one 10K and a very memorable and torturous half marathon. I’ve been a runner for quite a while. I wasn’t always a runner, though – when I first began my weight loss journey, I couldn’t even walk around the block without stopping to catch my breath. (And cry – but we can just pretend that we never spoke about that, OK? Keep it just between the two of us.) I started walking a block at a time, added a small distance every couple of days, and one day, found I was covering more than seven miles. I could either walk further or start running, so I started running. And until I injured myself, I ran just about every day. (more…)

Posted on September 26, 2023 by Carmen

The 10,000 Steps a Day Walking Program

walkingI’m sure you have all heard about the 10,000 steps per day thing, right? Well, I am a firm believer in it. The purpose of this goal is to get the sedentary, or couch potatoes, up on their feet more often. The average person’s stride is between two-and-a-half to three feet long, which calculates out to around 2,000 steps to walk a mile; while 10,000 steps is nearly five miles.

Again, this is a goal to motivate those who need a little extra kick in the butt to get moving. Set a goal for walking 10,000 steps and once you beat that for a week straight, up your goal to 11,000 steps per day. (more…)

Posted on June 23, 2023 by Matt