Fully Charged

 I've had my Fitbit Charge HR for a little over a year now.

And I still love it. Maybe even MORE, now that I'm finally using a few more of its features!

I'm not sure if there were updates along the way, or if I just finally figured out some of the options that were there all along. I've recently started using more of the goodies available, and wonder why I hadn't done it all along! NOW I'm feeling fully charged using all the features of my Charge HR!

With the kids back in school, it's back to chauffeur duty for me. It's easy to remember and be ready for the drives TO school (at 6:30, 7:15 and 8:15) as the kids are right there waiting. Pick up though ... that's a little different. Sometimes as I'm home alone, it's easy to lose track of time. Last year, I'd set a little timer, but then I wasn't always in that room when it went off. Then I realized/remembered, my Fitbit has an alarm!

So I set it up ... elementary pickup Mon-Thurs, early out on Friday, and my turn for middle school pickup on Tuesdays (this one I really need, as it's just a once a week thing). Now, I get a little "buzz" on my arm at the selected times, and I'm off! It's been great. WHY wasn't I doing that all along? It's uber easy to set a one-time alarm too. Great feature. Thanks Fitbit!

Another feature I've been focused on more recently is the "Hourly Activity" option. I think this was a new addition with one of the updates (when Fitbit introduced the new dashboard). Here, to encourage you to get up and move, you get a dot when you walk 250 consecutive steps in any said hour. The default setting was from the hours of 9-5, but you could change it to any nine hour span. I chose to have it track from seven in the morning until nine at night.

One some weeks, I was REALLY motivated to make sure I filled in all my little dots. I would sync my Charge and if I hadn't hit my 250 steps, I would make sure and get it in. I'd watch the clock and be aware of the hours and my movement (or lack thereof). On other weeks, I wouldn't actively TRY to hit the steps, but just look at the feedback to see how I did during the day. I'm quite active, and adverse to sitting still, and 250 steps isn't much, about five minutes of movement. But still, it's interesting to SEE if you've been stationary. It's not always something I'm aware of (sitting down doing a blog update ... that would get me some days! Oops!) One of my favorite ways to get a quick set of steps in was to just practice a Zumba song! The device itself does not give you a buzz when the hour is almost up and hour haven't gotten your steps in ... I think other gadgets, and the newer Fitbit's do have that feature as well.

An update quite a while ago introduced "autotracking" to the ChargeHR. Before that, I'd need to remember to start the timer on my ChargeHR when Zumba class started up, and more importantly, to STOP it when it was over. Unlike my FitbitONE, there isn't an option to adjust the time if you forget (and leaving it running really throws off your stats!)

After a few initial tracking attempts, I didn't bother starting/stopping the time for my elliptical workouts. I do three or more a day, and it was just a pain ... and they were usually pretty similar every time. After the update, suddenly my elliptical workouts were being recorded without me doing anything. I found I did like the feedback from them, as sometimes my intensity did differ. I also loved when it would pick up a walk (my duck walks for example), when maybe I hadn't anticipated going very far, but then did (so I wouldn't have tracked it manually). 

It was interesting to see how the ChargeHR could guess what kind of exercise I was doing. It could tell the difference between being on the elliptical, or walking on the treadmill. It would differentiate between a walk and a run. It isn't perfect ... when I mow the lawn, it thinks I'm riding a bike, and when I AM riding a bike, it logs it as a walk. Happily, while I can't adjust the time frame, I can change the label to if it came up incorrectly (just for my records, it doesn't change anything in the stats). Just FYI ... Zumba comes up as a general "activity" ...  Now that my 13-year has a ChargeHR, it's fun to look at his account and see what exercise he's wracked up too (the basic Charge didn't have the auto-tracking feature). 

You CAN still track things manually, and a number of my Zumba buddies with Fitbits still do. I like to see how the auto-tracked minutes line up with what I judged the workout to be (or tracked on my other gadgets). It's usually within a minute or two. 

If you have a ChargeHR ... are YOU fully CHARGED? 

Are you using all the features available?

My Charge is my backup tracker. I had my One for years before and couldn't give it up, but wanted to try the heart rate monitor. So I got it, set up a separate account (so I can wear them both at once, and get data from both) and was on my way. 

I am friends with myself you see ... there IS quite a discrepancy in steps!

Me and the TV

I'm doing my best Vanna White pose for the picture above. Seemed like a logical shot to go with my title. This is the television in our master bedroom. It's nice for watching a movie with the hubs, or sneaking in an episode for before bed (with the hubs). There is no fighting over the remote in our marriage ... hubby has such a  high tech device that I don't even know how to use it! The hubs has been gone for a week, and I didn't even turn on this TV once while he was gone. The kids monopolize the television in the family room, but again I don't mind. I do actually watch a ton, just not on either of those!

Here's MY setup. A television, a DVD player, a Roku box and a Wii (also a speaker for my ipod when I'm in a musical mood). All right there in front of my elliptical and treadmill (and my "happy place" picture wall).  I have touched on this topic before (TV Time = Exercise Time) but as I was thinking about what motivates me, I thought I'd mention it here on Motivation Monday.

My television is not hooked up to our cable. I can't get a signal to watch live programming, but that's ok with me. We have Netflix, Amazon Prime, and PlayOn/PlayLater ... I can get almost any show I want between them. I do have the DVD backup just in case WiFi is having issues.  I'm very patient. I don't need to see a show immediately, generally, I'm more than willing to wait until an entire season (sometimes an entire series) is available for me to watch back-to-back (rather than waiting for weeks in between episodes). Because I don't watch any live TV, I don't see commercials or spoilers (although sometimes they do spill over onto Facebook). 

I'll watch movies here and there, but I like TV series. I prefer the "hour" (40 minutes sans commercials) shows to the shorter sitcoms (although I watch them occasionally). I'll elliptical for 20 minutes, press pause ... and then come back to finish my episode. If it's super exciting ... all the more motivation for me to get back to the elliptical for another session. 

I see some of these "commercial break" workouts out there ... but I just work out the entire time! I love the shows where the adrenaline is pumping (24, Friday Night Lights, Arrow) as that helps energize MY workout. 

I know I'm spoiled with my home gym ...being able to pop downstairs multiple times a day, being in complete control of my programming. I know many big gyms do have televisions or theaters, but it's not exactly the same thing. Some people might try watching on an ipad (hubs would even do that here in our own gym, not wanting to disrupt my paused show ... ok YES, do NOT mess with a DVD, because that is a pain to try and find my spot again, but I can resume Netflix or Amazon easily ... PlayOn is a bit more particular, but I could deal) ... I've tried an Ipad but my neck didn't like it, I much prefer the bigger screen and looking straight ahead.

I'm glad I found something that motivates me. Sometimes, I actually not sure if I'm actually addicted to the exercise ... or if I just like to watch TV *Ü* I'm so happy I have a workable set-up that makes it possible to do double duty.

As it is Monday, I'll do my quick weekend recap for MIMM.  Hubs and boys #1 and #3 were off at Lake Powell for the week. On Friday (the 4th of July) I took the remaining three boys and we went swimming at my parent's community pool. I didn't get in though, it was a little crowded. We went out to lunch afterward at Red Robin (last time I went to Red Robin was back in April, with three boys and my folks while Hubs and boys #1 and #2 were in New York). We bought $40 worth of fireworks (I mentioned our five favorite fireworks in my Friday Five post) and the boys had some fun with those, and the neighbors did not disappoint (they put on a big show every year). 

The hubs and the boys got back on Sunday. It's nice to have them home safe and sound. I was without contact with them the entire week. I liked the New York trip better, where I was able to get daily updates and photos. Their trip had a little bit of everything, a lot of water and fun, but some stressors too.  Like a Party Boat that pulled up along side their camp and proceeded to pump karaoke music and flash lights into the night. Winds that threatened to swamp the boat and rocked the wave runners all night. Beetles crawling all over ... and it was hot. Hubs can honestly say it was probably good I decided to sit this one out (and #4 also, my weather worrier ... hubs said he would have been pushed to the limit. We actually had a microburst here at home which did send the poor kid screaming to the basement, away from the kitchen windows). I discussed our Anxiety Issues last week ...

It's Monday. Jack is back (24 is on tonight!) so I'll be catching that tomorrow! For now, time to go to Zumba! I DO exercise without the TV too!

Walker Tracker

I've been a pedometer person for about eight years. Ever since I first lost weight back in 2006. I kept my daily numbers in a handy-dandy excel file. At the end of 2008 ... I discovered Walker Tracker.

Walker Tracker is basically just a website where people can enter their step numbers. The site has cool graphs and can foster a lot of social interaction.  When I first joined, December of 2008, it was extremely motivating to me. I made many online friends, participated in challenges and my steps reflected that. 

Things change over the years, as they always seem to do. In 2010, I got my Fitbit. On Walker Tracker, I had to enter the numbers from my Omron pedometer manually. With the Fitbit, everything was automatically updated. Fitbit was SO easy. One of the things I loved about Walker Tracker were the many graphs, but Fitbit had some cool (and similar) graphs as well. The Fitbit site also ranked you against your friends for competition and comparison. I found myself drifting a bit from Walker Tracker, even though Fitbit never really had the same level of social interaction that WT did. I have many Fitbit "friends" but I  have never really exchanged any conversation with most of them. I was very social on MFP when I joined that last year (but again, drifting ... although still tracking my food every day). I've been tracking activities on Daily Mile too. How many trackers and social sites does one need/want ... or can one even keep up with?

There were a few times I gave up on Walker Tracker. I still had my excel file. I had my Fitbit graphs. I'd get behind making my entries and then feel overwhelmed when I'd try to catch up. Yet ... I would. I came back to Walker Tracker every time. Why can't I just make a break?

I do LOVE Walker Tracker's graphs ... and I have my information there from December of 2008. I am a numbers gal, and I do love to look at my trends, especially over YEARS. This next graph is looong, but the information in it is so valuable to me ... I KNOW I faltered in my exercise and activity at the end of 2012, and the start of 2013, but these numbers really shine a spotlight on the drop!

I could come up with these numbers on my own (my monthly total steps, and my average) but I just don't know if I would get around to adding it up myself. Here on WT, I enter my stats everyday (or catch up at the end of the week) and then it calculates these numbers for me. It's interesting to compare year to year, watch for trends in certain months, etc.

 I had been VERY behind in my Walker Tracker entries. It's June now, and I had only entered through April ... nothing since then. I decided to get caught up ...

 I'm looking pretty good for June ... Over goal as of now.
(I was sick in December - I'll be happy when that dip is gone from graphs!)

I have used the graphs in my monthly updates here on the blog.

I like this "Day of the Week" focus too. It's interesting to see visually how your days average out as far as your activity. Sunday is my slow day, not surprising ... Thursday surprised me, I thought I was a little MORE active the day before official weigh-in! I have been doing a lot better on Fridays/Saturdays since I started doing Zumba on those days too.

I think there is a beta program in the works, that will automatically sync with Fitbit (as mentioned, I haven't been very active on the WT site to keep up with what new things are happening) ... which would save me the time of the manual entry. As of now, I actually still use my Omron numbers (yes, I still wear my Omron pedometer too. I like that it gives me "aerobic step" numbers, something that Fitbit actually doesn't do, but that is a separate number that Walker Tracker keeps track of. It's interesting to see how many of my steps are from "exercise" and how many come from regular daily activity.

Just thought I'd give a little shout out to Walker Tracker today. The tracking program I can't quite give up on. Maybe some of you out there might like to try it out. Linking up with WOW and the Hump Day Blog Hop.

Saturday Spotlight #16 - My Motivators

For today's Saturday Spotlight ... I thought I'd spotlight some of the shows, books and music that has been motivating me lately. I rarely watch tv, unless I'm on the elliptical or treadmill. I read books while riding the stationary bike. Music helps me jog, and is crucial to Zumba. Music is just ... important!

This past Monday morning, I jumped online to record Sunday's episode of "The Good Wife" so I could watch it a little later in the day while I worked out. There hadn't been a new episode. Dang it. I still worked on ... but my Monday was missing a little something. I did go ahead and watch "Game of Thrones" (shhhh, don't tell hubby, that's one we usually watch together. I guess it can be my new "Monday Morning" show now that "The Walking Dead" has ended for the season.) I'm still keeping up with"The Voice" for now. When I don't have a "live" show (that I watch the day after it airs) show to try to keep up on, I just watch a series on Netflix or Amazon Prime. I'm watching Royal Pains at the moment. I do keep a list of what I'm watching (for my own reference, but you're welcome to take a peek too).

Friday, I was having trouble getting Grey's Anatomy and Scandal to record. As they weren't ready and waiting ... it actually impacted my workouts just a bit. I didn't feel that PULL down to the gym, anxious to find out what happened on the next episode (well, I was anxious, I just couldn't watch as I wanted). But I got to them today ...

I've watched Grey's Anatomy since the beginning I think. It's a bit of a joke in our house. My hubby's name is Gray (Grayson). So OBVIOUSLY I like Gray's anatomy. Ha ha. The spin off "Private Practice" had several seasons (which I also watched), but it wrapped up. Grey's is still going strong. When I mentioned it a few weeks ago in a Friday Favorites post, I got a comment "Is that show still on?" Yes. Yes it is. Season 10.

There are always things that make me think. I love the relationships. The complexity and morality of the medical decisions and issues. It always makes me grateful for MY health, that I haven't had to deal with things that come across here.  In many of the recent episodes, I've been especially aware of the music. It's been remakes of familiar songs, redone in a very quiet, subdued tone.  Just something that has caught my attention. When they did the MUSICAL episode a few years ago? That version of "Chasing Cars" is still a favorite song of mine. I mean, I've always loved that song, but I LOVE the harmonies and the impact it had seeing it in the show. Have you heard it? It was interesting, I didn't know those actors could sing ...

... a final interesting quote from the most recent episode. In regards to an award that everyone in the hospital was talking about. "She didn't win it. She earned it".

I've been busy reading too! A few weeks ago, I mentioned some books I was looking forward to reading.  I have since read "Cress" ... and I was wrong. It isn't the last book in the series (I thought it was a trilogy, but there is a fourth book coming out next year ... so now I'm waiting again). I just saw that my library has "Ruins" now, so I put it on hold and am anxiously awaiting it coming in. As I've had these books I've been excited about, I've had a few days where I actually hit the bike a second time in a day! Just to get a little more reading in. You can see what else I've read recently on GoodReads.

In Zumba ... last Wednesday, there was a new number. It was to "What Does The Fox Say" ... now I'd heard OF the song (who hasn't?) but I had never actually heard the song. I have now. It was an energetic one and everyone seemed to enjoy it. There was a bit of laughter as we danced along. There was another song that I really liked ... enough that I looked it up when I got home. I bought it and added it to my collection. I put it on the ipod and danced around as I cleaned the house today. I thought I'd shine the spotlight on it too.

 

Any music, books or TV programs been grabbing you?

Zoomba

I think we've all seen this Zumba meme or one similar, right? 

 Honestly though, I have NO illusions. 

I can't dance. I know this.

When I got on my fitness kick, I knew almost everyone had tried and loved Zumba. I'm not a social exerciser though. I'm a homebody with a gym in the basement. I like my routine and my comfort zone. And ... I can't dance. I was heavily involved in musical theater when I was a teen. I am aware of my limitations. I got the lead role (Laurie) in Oklahoma. She doesn't dance. I sought out the role of Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street ... they actually say about the character "but she can't dance!" so it was perfect for me.

Back in January, I did a post (I Hope You Dance). A Zumba class was being offered. It was close, convenient and free. In that post I discussed my anxiety before attending. I mentioned how I wasn't super sold on it after I went...

I'm addicted now. 

I think back on those first few classes and the original instructor. I actually think it was great now, to have her introduce Zumba to me. Her routines weren't super challenging, and thus they didn't intimidate me too much. After attending her class for several weeks, I faced my anxiety again, and tried two other Zumba settings. Now I go every Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday morning. The three groups all have their own style and set up and it keeps it fresh and interesting. It's a great way to start the day. 

• Tuesday, the class is still with my original instructor. It's a bunch of white ladies who can't dance. I really like it though, because it isn't very crowded and at this point, I'm fairly familiar with the routines and steps.
• Wednesday ... it's kind of crazy. It's a largely Polynesian group and they whoop and holler and call out and laugh. It's gets pretty packed! They have several instructors on the stage. I do like that. It's nice to see how different people can customize the steps; some higher energy, some lower impact. Some with perfect grace, some with so much personality.
• Thursday is lead by several Latin ladies. They have the moves ... often moves I can't master. They alternate through several instructors (my Tuesday teacher is there and leads a couple songs, I'm always happy to have a couple songs/steps that I feel I can follow). 

I grabbed some snapshots from yesterday's (a Wednesday) session. I guess it was dress-up day. Bright colors, headbands, tights, legwarmers ... even a couple tutus! It was actually fun to see and added to the energy *Ü*

I do find I have definite preferences for instructors, moves, songs. I also realize I rarely like a routine the first time, that familiarity leads to liking for me *Ü*  I've come to the conclusion that I have ...

Zumba Brain. 

I'm always humming the songs ... and I don't really know the songs! I don't speak Spanish, so it's a lot harder for me to actually sing along and memorize the music. I usually only remember small portions, and I'll run those over and over in my head until I drive myself a bit crazy. I also envision Zumba moves to almost all music. I choreograph stuff in my mind (I'm NOT saying it's any good, just that it is happening). Again ... I drive myself a bit crazy.

 

I wear my PolarFT heart rate monitor, and I also start the timer on my Fitbit. After class, I pull off the two gadgets and snap some pictures so I can easily remember and compare my stats. Sometimes the two estimates are quite close, other times they are off by over 100. Whichever I go by,  I don't get the crazy burn (600+ calories an hour) that some people post. I keep all my picture stats in an album on Facebook (here). Some days are definitely better than others! It can really vary. Sometimes I'm surprised by the burn (or lack thereof) and other times it's pretty much what I expected. It's good to get some feedback tracking!

It's Thursday, and Thursday's are for Thinking Out Loud.  

I've got a lot of Zumba on the brain ... I thought I'd let a little spill out.

What are YOUR thoughts on Zumba?

And seriously, my title of the post? In my head, I need to think of Zumba spelled "Zoomba" so that I say it right. Otherwise, my ol'American pronunciation sneaks in and I see and say the "u" like "under" "umbrella" and "up" ... and that's just DUMBA. I do really feel Zumba is an NSV for me. I really feel more confident, not like the meme I presented at the top ... I still don't feel like a dancer, but I feel better about myself. I always get quite a few steps in, and I just look forward to Zumba. It makes me happy.

Take The Stairs

Don't stare up the steps,
step up the stairs.

~ Zig Ziglar

I've always loved that quote *Ü*

I've had my Fitbit for a few years. I started with the original Ultra, then upgraded to the ONE about a year ago. There were a few new features, but an interesting addition was the ability for the Fitbit to now track changes in elevation.

It was about eight years ago that I changed from being an overweight, stationary couch potato, to an active and fit individual. I do find ... I take the stairs a LOT more often now.

When visiting the doctor or dentist, I've found that taking the stairs will often actually get me to the top faster than waiting for the elevator (I'm usually only in a building with only a few floors. Often the kidlets will race me, I take the stairs, they take the elevator). When we went to Disneyland a few years ago and our room was on the 10th floor ... yes, I went ahead and took the elevator *Ü* (although in truth, my little boy and I DID take the stairs a few times, as elevators were one of his many phobias ... one he managed to overcome during that trip!)

I'm a homebody, so I don't come across stairs that often. We live in a rambler. So the main rooms are all on one floor. My gym IS in the basement though, and I do hit it a number of times a day. The default goal is 10 flights of stairs in a day. I have left that as my goal and I almost always hit it. Many days I get more. Here's a look at my stairs from the past thirty days. 

The one spike, was my big Monday last week. I DID do some extra stairs that day. Up and down at home, and actually running the stairs a few times at the gym during the basketball practice. But ... I don't know if I was actually that high. It was a weird weather day, lots of wind ... and unfortunately changes in air pressure can mess with the altimeter readings. Customers have also mentioned that driving (and the ups and downs there) can skew the stairs results. Fitbit does not credit extra calories for stairs; so an incorrect stair reading won't affect your daily burn ... the stair count is mainly there for motivation and fun.

My 14-year old son spent the day at the university for a basketball tournament last spring. As they waited between games, he and his buddies ran the bleachers. When he got home exhausted that night, he was at 89 flights of stairs ... similar to me and my 40K Day, he wanted to earn a new Fitbit badge. He ran up and down the stairs in our home until he hit 100. He's only been challenged by Grandpa, who wears his Fitbit on long hikes up the mountain (Grandpa has also hit 100 flights of stairs in a day).  I'm not sure if I'm quite up to that challenge. I have heard there are actually "elevation" races that take place in office buildings! My brother also runs "mountain challenges" ... but I'm probably just going to stick with the stairs in my home.

It does make a difference here at home though. In the past ... I'd gather items that needed to go downstairs and lay them at the top of the stairs. When there were enough items in the pile, I'd make the trek (or tell the kidlets to do it). Now ... if something needs to go downstairs, I take it. I don't wait, I just do it. More steps on my pedometer. Another flight of stairs for me. At one point, I'd even sort the boy's laundry upstairs, and then take multiple trips to put things away, rather than just taking the basket down the stairs in one trip.

If you make it fun ... you're more likely to do it.

That was the theory behind and experiment done a while back.

Have you seen this video?

It is worth watching!

So whether or not you have a Fitbit (or I know the new WiiU also tracks elevation ... I'm not sure on the other fitness trackers out there) and are actually tracking your stairs, try to add a few to your daily routine!  Remember ...

That's my Tip Tuesday ... with Lisa and Kristen.

TV Time = Exercise Time

As I've read my magazines, internet articles and blogs, I've come across some conflicting advice regarding TV time & exercise. Some recommend turning on a show or movie to keep you entertained during exercise (and gyms have tvs and even theaters for this purpose). Other schools of thought say that distraction will make your workout less effective.

What do YOU think?

I can see the point of both ... but which one gets ME exercising? The former, most definitely. 

Watching television programs is a HUGE part of my exercise routine. It wasn't always the case. I recall sitting down and watching a show, or having something on while I puttered around the kitchen. But then it all changed.

I had the series "24" on DVD, borrowed from the local library. It was due back, so I figured I'd get double duty done ... watching my show and getting my workout in (previously, I had been working out to music only). As Jack Bauer rushed around saving the world, I couldn't believe the adrenaline rush that passed from the TV to me. I mean, here Jack was, running and fighting, and all I needed to do was put one foot in front of the other on the treadmill.

From that point on, I stopped watching TV anywhere but in my gym. Well ... the hubs and I do have some snuggle time before bed, and I make an exception to watch something with him as we wind down. But during the day? If I'm watching, I'm working out. Not just during commercial breaks, but for the entire program. I do NOT work out for hours at one time, I'll do 20 or 30 minute workouts, simply pausing my programs and coming back to them. This is incentive in and of itself. I need to finish my show each day! It's a common statement from me to hubs ... "I've got 10 more minutes on my show, I'll be back."

I know I'm spoiled, with my home gym, and a television setup in my complete control ... I never take it for granted. It is a HUGE motivator to me! I like action shows the best ... the ones that can't help but pump me up. I love serial shows, where the story carries from episode to episode, making me want to hit the gym just one more time to find out what happens. I watch all sorts of things ... in my Streaming vs DVDs post, I went into some of the technology that makes watching in my gym possible (Roku, PlayOn, Netflix).  I've discovered quite a few great songs, background music on programs that suddenly make me lighter on my feet (I try to keep my iphone handy to Shazzam songs as they come up).

When I first started blogging, one of the first link-ups I participated in was Let's Talk TV.  As I am a little OCD, I do like to keep track of everything, you can check out What I'm Watching. I actually have it all in an excel file, so I can sort it alphabetically, by when I watched it, by type of show, or my rating (just a little OCD).  I do keep up with some current shows (I watched The Biggest Loser for the first time this past season), but I'm finding I prefer to wait, and watch entire seasons back to back, rather than waiting weeks/months in between episodes.

So while I don't watch ANY television live, when it airs ... I watch a LOT of TV. But I'm walking, jogging, ellipticalling (I know that's not really a word), riding the stationary bike or doing my own cardio or weights the entire time. And I love it!

That's MY tip this Tuesday.

Linking up with Lisa and Kristin.

Check them out for more tips, and link up your own!

AchieveMint Update

(Be sure to check out the most recent Achievemint Update too)

Join Achievemint now ... get 250 points for simply signing up!

A while back, I did a post about the various reward sites out there (Reaping the Rewards). Programs I could simply link my Fitbit and forget about it. I am going to be exercising anyway, I might as well earn a little something if it's being offered. I did a review of my experience with Everymove (EveryMove Update), and now it's time for my AchieveMint Update.

Honestly, I've been putting this one off for a bit, because I wasn't sure which way the review was going to go. I'll admit to some frustration with this company. The other program's rewards were often simply discounts in disguise, so I could see how they worked, receiving sponsor ships and such from participating companies. THIS program however promised a cash reward! $25 for 25,000 points.

Now granted, it does take a while to achieve that many points. But I'm pretty active, and with  my Fitbit and Aria scale, I was also getting points for tracking sleep and weighing in, in addition to my exercise. I joined back in May or June, and by the end of August, I had hit my goal. I could cash in, or roll over, earning and extra 5000 points if I continued on toward 50,000 points and a $50 payout.

I chose to get my reward ... because I wanted to see if I would actually get my reward.

I didn't get my reward.

I emailed customer service and they said they would look into it. I got an email asking me to update my name and address so they could process it. Still waiting. I posted on their Facebook page that I was still waiting (weeks after)  and again got the response that they were looking into it. 

At this point ... I kind of gave up. I mean, I hadn't invested anything. I hadn't paid anything out, my activity had been for me, not for this reward. But it would have been nice. I anticipated doing this update and telling people it just wasn't paying out.

I didn't disconnect my account, and every once in a while I'd get email updates, and what do you know... I earned the $25 reward AGAIN. I hadn't received the first award earned back in August, but yea! I did it again.  Again I was offered the roll-over or the reward. Again I chose the reward.

Is my reward on it's way?

Is it really?

I decided to follow up one more time ... I may or may not have mentioned I was going to review my experience on my blog. I got an email back apologizing for the delay/mixup/what not and an assurance that all rewards to others had been paid out without a problem.

I did receive my reward. $50, plus they threw in an extra $25 for my trouble. A $75 payout ... not too bad for simply linking up my Fitbit account several months ago. That's almost what I paid for the Fitbit!  Now a couple extra notes on the payment. It wasn't a check, it was a "Virtual Visa" debit card. Being the skeptical person I am, I HAVE made a couple purchases online and they went through fine. There was some fine print (you have to be 18 years of age, which I don't believe I read before ... my 14 year old has an Achievemint account, and has hit his first 25,000 points but we did go ahead and roll his over, but now I'm wondering about his payout). The Visa has a limitation that you can't apply it to anything over the credit amount (I mean that is obvious, but it seem you should be able to pay with it then with another form of payment), so it's probably a bit tricky using it up entirely. It must be used only for online/phone orders, not where an actual card is required. Rewards are limited to residents of the United States (sorry my peeps out of the country!)

I was wondering if there was a limit to the rewards (one per person, etc.) but I can't see that being the case. I'm not sure HOW this program is funded ... but I'll stay connected and see how it goes. 

**  I included my recent experiences with this program in my Fitness Rewards Update (06/2014) and Another Achievemint Update (07/2015) so check those out for more recent information *Ü* At one point they had a waiting list for people wanting to join, and did limit rewards ... once you earned it once you were done.

**As of May 13, 2016 ... Achievemint revised it's points plan (earning is a little slower now) but also removed the threshold limits (which had vacillated between as much as $100, which I earned, and $25 for recent members).  I had some points piled up, so I've hit the "redeem" button on my account and I'll update again when/if I receive my latest reward.  Check out my Achievemint Update ... Update post *Ü*

I do absolutely give Achievemint a thumbs up recommendation at this point!

Follow this link to join and receive 250 points to start you off!

Calendars & Keeping Track

 As 2013 was winding down, I started keeping my eye out for some calendars for the new year. I knew I'd have one for the kitchen (an annual family photo calendar is created each Christmas) but I want one by my desk, and one in my gym ... I always forget the date when I'm writing up my daily workout notes.

I've always loved calendars. I'm picky with my pictures, but I'm always able to find something I find beautiful or inspiring. Through the years, I've used calendars and day planners to write down my days. I think I like calendars more for looking back on, then for planning. I have a big box with all my old calendars. I can pull one out, glance over it and remember what life was like at a glance.

Because I have these calendars hanging on a wall, sometimes writing on them is a little tricky. So for several years now, I've printed out a simple calendar and I use that to record our "life". This isn't really for planning, but to provide a visual of the month. I keep it color coordinated for the different activities. These are small, clean and easily scannable to keep a back up on the computer as well. (BBP/BBG are basketball practice/games, just in case you were wondering *Ü*) 

I keep track of my workouts in an excel file. I also have my "streaks" calendars, but this year I thought I'd also try keeping track of my activity on a simple calendar, where I could see everything at a glance.

Here's the year so far ...

Does a calendar/keeping track help motivate you?

Motivational Monday & Me

If you've followed my blog at all, you are probably aware that I like link-ups (see my I Like Link-Ups post) and I like Mondays (the return to the routine after the "wicked weekend"). So when Wendy at http://www.dailydoseofdelsignore.com/ said she was looking for some new members for the Motivational Monday team, I sent her an email to know I was interested. I've been participating in the link-up most weeks anyway, but being part of the team will motivate me even more.

So starting tomorrow, YOU can link up on MY site, as well as any of the other gals on the team (I've posted all their links in my sidebar there on the right. Keep going, it's there, just down a little *Ü*). Each week there should be at least ten different blog posts to peruse, plus many more as additional people link up. Wendy came up with a themed schedule to jumpstart ideas, but you can post about anything that motivates you or that you would feel could help motivate others.

So remember to come back every Monday and get motivated! 

Let's all be fit and healthy in 2014!

I am SO excited for tomorrow ... the first "official" day back to the routine for me. Back to work, back to school, back to basketball, back to the routine. The holidays are over. Birthday and baptism completed and cleaned up. No big disruptions in the near future. I'm over my sickness ... NO EXCUSES.  I'm ready *Ü*

Insurance Issues

Healthcare has been a hot-button topic lately. A few years ago, hubby went to a small company that didn't have health insurance as a benefit. Trying to find insurance on our own was such a stressful ordeal! Filling out tons of paperwork, and then the hubs was denied, as he had gone to the doctor to have his blood pressure and cholesterol checked. It had been high, and through diet and exercise he had gotten it under control. We appealed the decision, including his current reports and they finally did accept him on the plan with the rest of us. Our "wonderful" insurance had us paying almost $400 a month, although the $10,000 deductible meant it was basically just for basically catastrophic care, almost everything else was out of pocket.  Luckily, we are pretty healthy, despite a few broken bones, we got through the years without too many issues. We set up a pre-tax health savings account in which we tried to build a buffer of some savings for medical bills.

With the current health care changes, we received this letter (pictured above) ... under the new ACA, our premiums more than double from $381 a month to $835! I have to admit, I've been intimidated by our previous insurance application experience, and all the negative reviews on the "healthcare marketplace" so I have not checked  to see what our options would be there.

Hubby has recently changed jobs ... one of the things we took under consideration in making this move was medical insurance. We went ahead and signed up with the new company. It's still expensive (about $600 per month), and I am a little worried about the impact to corporations with government regulations this coming year. I am very afraid we'll be impacted again. But for now, I just need to figure out a new insurance company, new plan, new doctors ... it is a little better coverage (copays instead of just a deductible, which will hopefully help out. There were times in the past that I should have gone to the doctor but didn't because I didn't want to pay $150 out of pocket for a simple visit). 

So much of my journey for weight loss is to look better and feel better ... but I also do want to be healthy. While there are no guarantees, the steps I'm taking in fitness and food should help with health. I'm very glad hubby is back on board too (here). Wouldn't it be nice if there WAS a guarantee? If people ate right and exercised they would be assured of good health? I do wonder still, how many people could adapt to a healthy lifestyle even then ... 

Have you been impacted by the recent healthcare over haul?

Linking up with  two new ones this week ... 

Motivate Me Monday
Motivation Monday

... and also my usual Motivational Monday link-up as well.

Wendy @ Daily Dose of Del Signore

Tiff @ The Fit Train Katie @ The Carb Monster Alisha @ Coily Locks

How can you NOT be motivated on Monday with all these Motivational Monday blog posts going around? Monday is actually usually not a day I'm lacking in motivation ... I'm always ready to get back at it after my "wicked weekend".  This past weekend was ok. I went over calories Fri-Sun, but did manage to keep the activity up, so I didn't really go over too badly. Weight was up a bit this morning, but not as bad as I expected. Well, off to hit the elliptical!

My Biggest Fan

I wanted to dedicate this post to my biggest fan ... pictured above. No, I'm not my own biggest fan, I'm referring to my actual FAN. He blows me away.  Seriously, it makes such a huge difference in how I feel during my workout. I usually don't start with the fan on, but after about 10 minutes in ... I need it. Just that little bit of air movement can cool down my heated up face and give me the energy to keep on going.

My BIG fan is positioned to where I turn it toward me while I'm on the bike. I can turn it toward me while I'm on the treadmill (but I also have a fan on the treadmill which hits my face a little better). When I'm doing a weight workout or one of Jillian's programs, I'll turn the fan so it blows in that direction.

I have a smaller clip fan attached to my elliptical as well.

Again ... I'm totally spoiled with my home gym. I guess if you GO to a gym, you don't have as many FANtastic options (although I'm sure some of the equipment has a built-in fan, like my treadmill). When I'm jogging the track at the rec center (Two Tracks) ... they have a couple fans positioned strategically along the track and I love that small breeze as I jog by.  

So just my little Tip and Trick for the day ... if you can, invest in a fan!

Check out Tips and Tricks Tuesday for more ideas, and share something of your own!

Feeling It

Last Work-Out Wednesday, I posted my full body weight workout.  Sometimes, I do get that sore feeling the next day, other times I don't.  I actually enjoy a little stiffness. It's a reminder that I did put in a good workout. If I do NOT feel sore, sometimes I wonder "did I workout hard enough?"

I did my weight workout as usual on Monday, and yesterday... I could feel it. I actually posted on my MFP wall  "Just the perfect amount of soreness, enough that I know I did something, without it interfering in my day to day :)"   But as the day progressed, so did the soreness! By the end of the day, I was hobbling a bit.  Now I managed to work through it all yesterday (10miles on the elliptical, 3.5 miles on the treadmill and 10 miles on the stationary bike) but I am still feeling it this morning. I had some Jillian planned (Ripped in 30) but I'm not sure I'm up to that.  I do still plan on getting in my elliptical, but other than that, I might take it easy.

I've also been struggling a bit with some hip pain. I'm trying to remember how long it's been going on. I remember examining my hip a while back, looking for some visible bruising (wondering if maybe the hula hoop had caused some damage). It's just been a minor, nagging pain. But recently it's gotten a lot worse. It's my left hip, and it's really only a problem as I attempt to get out of the car after driving (it doesn't seem to happen when I'm a passenger). It's gotten so bad that at times it is taking me a full five minutes and grimaces of pain to make that move.  After a few steps, it seems to work itself out and it doesn't really impact my exercise at all ... but I do dread getting out of the car!

... add to that, I'm just in a bit of a funk. I was all weekend, although I did manage to stay on track and not fall into any emotional eating. It was actually a pretty good weekend as far as calories were concerned.  I've been keeping calories in check, I've been getting in my exercise. I have been hoping to see something on the scale to reflect ... but instead, it just inches up. Not by much, nothing like the five pound jump after last weekend, but still, it's a bit discouraging when I've had deficits every day. Weight this morning was 154.2 compared to the 152.7 from Friday. 

Don't worry ... I'm not obsessing over it, I'm not throwing in the towel. I'll keep plugging away. 

How does muscle soreness affect you?  

Linking Up with

Workout Wednesday & Weigh In Wednesday 

Everymove Update

A while ago, I did a post about some of the various reward sites out there (Reaping the Rewards). Organizations that allow you to connect to your exercise trackers (Fitbit, BodyMedia, Runkeeper, even MFP) and earn rewards for your activity. I thought I'd do some follow up posts about my experience with these various organizations, starting with the one I have been most impressed with ... Everymove.

Everymove has the largest selection of "connections" of any of the reward sites.

Do you see something you use? There are even more than what is pictured here above ...  I connect with my Fitbit  and it auto syncs all my data. I get a weekly email update (pictured above), I can check in on the webpage, or they have an app as well.   I choose my reward and earn points based on my daily activity. Now granted, most of the "rewards" are really just discounts in disguise. I haven't signed up to earn anything I'd have to pay out of pocket for. Usually I just select a $5 donation to the Make-a-Wish foundation as my reward.  Here's a quick recap of what I've "earned" these last few months...

Of course I adore the Amazon gift cards ... they don't come up as a reward very often, but I was happy to snag them a couple times. I was very impressed with how quickly I received an email with my Amazon code once I earned my reward. Make-a-Wish is a good organization (did you see the Bat Boy story in the news?  It was one of my links in my last Saturday Spotlight) and I'm happy there is a charity option to choose.  I went ahead and signed up to earn a t-shirt/water bottle for my last reward... I admit, it was partially a test to see how quickly I would get my reward when it required actual work on their part (shipping and mailing) and again, SO impressed! I got my t-shirt and water bottle this past weekend. 

Ok - so it's orange (not blue, like in the picture) and I ordered it too big (I said extra large, I do still need that in some shirts, although in others I can wear a large or a medium ... maybe it will shrink).  I had to laugh when my son walked in and saw my swag. He burst out "You got a t-shirt? And a water bottle?" I asked if he would like me to switch HIM to earning such a reward and he said ... "no." 

Last week, I mentioned how several family members have a Fitbit (A Fitbit Family). Since then, we've added another (my SIL) and another SIL was also asking about it. We're all friends on Fitbit, and also on Everymove. One benefit of being friends on Everymove, is that you can earn bonus points for an active day, and you can give points away to your friends.

So if Everymove is new to you, I do think it is worth looking into. 

I don't know that it motivates me to move more than I would be already, 

but I'm glad to be part of the program.

Check out my Saturday Spotlight #14, 

where I spotlight the cute shirt I earned with Everymove.