@FitBit Ultra vs. @Jawbone UP

For a couple of years now I've had my FitBit Ultra.  I bought it used off of ebay as I couldn't afford it new and wasn't sure it was what I really wanted any way.  I loved that I could plug its receiver into my computer and have it receive data from the device and have it all sync into MyFitnessPal.  It made a great way to keep track of my exercise and eating habits.  I used it a few times to track my sleep, but I already know my sleep habits are bad.  So I didn't bother with that much.  My only problem with it was that if I wasn't careful, it would pop off of my pants, or if it got wet.  I've also forgotten to take it off of my pants before tossing them into the laundry.  Not good!

Then the Jawbone UP was announced.  It would sync directly with my phone. It was worn on the wrist and was water resistant.  The biggest draw, though, was that it would do the same basic things my FitBit would do, but be more convenient.  Not wanting to pay too much for (yet another) gadget, I waited until I could find it discounted on ebay.  (I really like ebay.)

At any rate, I've worn it around and had it track my exercise.  Eventually, though, I ended up drawing comparisons between the new UP and my old Ultra.  This was what my comparisons came up with.  Note: I'm using an iPhone 5 with these trackers.

FitBit Ultra	Jawbone UP
tracks steps and stairs	doesn't differentiate stairs from steps
tracks sleep	same
syncs with wired USB receiver plugged into computer	plugs into headphone jack on phone (won't work if you're using a Life Proof case, you have to remove the case)
charges on same wired receiver	USB plug adapter for charging
clips onto pants/bra	wear on non-dominant wrist
Not water resistant	water resistant

I wore both at the Disney 1/2 Marathon earlier this month and wanted to show you the difference in the displays. I had them both on the same amount of time, so I can only figure the distance travelled is related to where the tracker is kept on your body.  Getting the information from the FitBit was easy as the dashboard is already on my computer. Getting it from the UP requires sharing to facebook or twitter from my phone and snagging it that way.

FitBit:

Jawbone:

As to which is better, that depends on my mood and what I'm putting up with. I found it hard to wear the JawBone with a watch or bracelet. I also have very thin wrists so at times it rubbed just wrong and was annoying. I also prefer to have my phone in a LifeProof case when working out. If it's in that case, I can't sync it with my phone as it won't reach all the way into the socket. On the other hand, if I'm wearing the FitBit Ultra, I have to worry about it being knocked off or getting wet. I also have to be near or at my computer for it to sync as it won't talk directly to my phone. I'd love to get one that talks via bluetooth to my phone, neither of which I have will do so. I don't have the money to keep investing in new toys, so I'll alternate between these two as both of their apps will sync with MyFitnessPal as a single contact point.

Friday Fitness Update @FitnessRebooted

I'm going to break away from the Month of Mom challenge today as I really have no idea what I'd put for 'baby'. So, I thought I'd update what's going on here.

Kat has started a new 8 week challenge on Fitness Rebooted for us. It includes hanging leg raises. I'm apparently odd in that my hands/elbows hurt when hanging, so she recommended some straps to help me out. Remaining true to my odd self, I don't fit them right unless I'm holding on to the strap instead of the bar. Even then, if I'm not careful, I lose circulation in my arms. If you want to join us it's not too late (yet). The challenge will run through June 30.

As of the end of the last challenge, I had lost 3 pounds total (including the 1 I put on just before the start of the challenge). I fluctuate about .5 pound on any given day if I weigh myself. Having an intestine that doesn't always cooperate, I can pretty much guess what days I'm heavier than others. :/

I had a physical on Wednesday as well as a mammogram (my doc scheduled it for me when she saw I was due for one, thank you Kaiser).

Thursday was my last day of yoga, but I missed for a GSMM event. I've been trying various yoga videos from the library, not really caring for the ones I've found there. The exercise videos I've liked best has been Jillian Michael's 30 day shred or Billy Blanks Taebo. I like my daughter's Just Dance Wii games, too. ;)

Saturday (if it's not storming) I'll do the Electric Run with my family. They're not caring for my "costume" designs, but they'll wear my creations to make me happy. If they argue, I'll just pull the Mother's Day card on them. (So cruel).

Fitness Friday

Not a huge update this week. My weight is about the same, my measurements are about the same. My body seems to want to keep me at between 145-150 in weight, I'd like to seem me closer to 145. I fell off the "diet wagon" a little this past weekend, though not to any extreme. I'm still following a workout plan from Kat (Fitness Rebooted) and we're getting ready to start a new challenge. I'm supplementing with a few more videos I've checked out from the library. I'm not a single workout type, I really have to mix it up both to keep my body challenged and to not get bored.

For me a "diet" is simply watching what I eat, making sure it's a fairly balanced meal.  I do watch the calories (if you're on myfitnesspal, my diet is publically viewable).  Diet by itself will never be a way for me to lose pounds or inches.  I'll always have to work out to keep it where I want it.  This isn't a bad thing, I just have to make sure I put the effort in by setting goals.  For now, my goals are the various runs I'm doing.  In the future? Who knows, I'll come up with something.

Friday's Fitness Update #Fitfluential @FitnessRebooted

I'm excited to be getting ready for the Dirty Girl Mud Run tomorrow.  Looking forward to getting dirty with my fellow mom bloggers.

Just a general update today.  I'm still at 2 pounds down (that fluctuates on a regular basis, so I may have a pound back by next week).  HOWEVER, I'm down about 2 inches in the waist and 3 in the hips.  I'm not complaining there.  I feel stronger too, which is a wonderful thing.  I'm still not to the point where I'll be comfortable in a swim suit yet, though.  I still have until June for that one, so if I stay on target I'll get there.

As to exercise, cardio is usually walking/running with the dog (as long as she isn't attacking my feet while I run), Choi and one of the various DVDs I borrowed from the library.  For reference, I borrowed Jillian Michael's 30 day shred and Billy Blanks TaeBo AMPED Cardio.  For strength I'm following Kat's suggestions on FitnessRebooted.  I'm also doing Yoga once a week through Kaiser and am trying to follow up with that at home.  I really need the flexibility to help me with my kicks in Choi.

@FitnessRebooted 2 Pounds Down!

MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

I have to take the weight loss with a grain of salt as it comes on top of my having been sick last week. I'm hopeful that it'll stay off, I'm certainly doing my best to keep track of my food/exercise on MyFitnessPal and still using my FitBit to track steps. This was my last week of Zumba, I start yoga next week via Kaiser. I really need to work on core strength and flexibility. My kicks in Choi are rather wimpy and I really want to improve that.

My son had been asking for a chin-up bar for his doorway for a while. I broke down and purchased a kit that was on sale on Amazon. It came with the bar, a digital jump rope, and push up platforms. I've been playing with doing chin-ups on his bar and listening to my elbows pop loudly. I'm going to try doing them randomly to see if I can at least get that to stop. I do like the digital jump rope though. I can jump rope in my den without hitting anything with it and it tells me how many times I've jumped. It also times me for duration. It has definitely been a long time since I've done that exercise.

My daughter and I have the Color Run coming up in a week. I'm trying to convince her to wear a tutu with me, so far no go. At least she'll be doing the run itself. From there I do the Pretty Muddy and I'm going to register the family for the Electric Run in May. I was given a slot at this year's Peachtree Roadrace too, so now I have a 10k to work toward.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with my progress. It's slow, but it's finally starting to make a difference.

#Fitfluential Friday Fitness Update

I've joined a challenge called Fitness Rebooted. The goal is to lose 10 pounds by May 1st. What I have to first admit to myself is that I managed to gain 2 pounds in January after I got my fitbit. I have since lost .8 of that. So, I'm going to work on getting my weight down and see if it can be achieved. With someone pushing me, it should make it that much easier.

Created by MyFitnessPal - Nutrition Facts For Foods

I also gave up and purchased new shoes. I love my Brooks' shoes, but the ones I have have gone "flat" from the walking I've done (a couple of 5ks and a half marathon, plus training and general wear). Those should be in soon. I also experience a very tired feeling in my ankles/calves when walking any sort of pace. I had compression socks recommended to me last year at an expo, but didn't follow through. I've since gone ahead and purchased a pair to see if it helps any.

My knee is feeling the effects of the working out I've been doing. With Choi twice a week and Zumba class once a week, I added on doing Zumba on the Wii once a week to balance it out. I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of the latin music on my game. The class uses it too and while it has a great beat/rhythm to follow, but it just doesn't "move" me. I think if I could find a Zumba that uses music I like (Bon Jovi/Aerosmith/etc) I'd be good. At any rate, it's all made my knee prone to swelling slightly by the end of the day. I really have to watch out for that.

I'm looking forward to the Color Run on April 6th with my daughter. I've joined a team of blogging moms, so she and I will have plenty of company on the run. I really want to get a pair of muddbuster shorts from sparkleskirts soon. I may end up doing the Dirty Girl run after all in April with another group(some of the same) of blogging moms and they'd be very handy. I love my Wonder Woman Skort I have from them. My daughter has the matching skort, so I may talk her into wearing that at Color Run.

#Fitfluential Fitness and Exercise #Zumba style

I reached new heights this week with exercise. With my kids paging at the capitol, I had time to walk around and up/down stairs. By the end of the day I wasn't sure why my knee was tired and somewhat sore until I plugged my fitbit in and uploaded the data. Turns out, I climbed 18 flights of stairs during the course of the day. That answered the question for my knee fairly easily. Of course, it just means I need to do more stair work.

I decided I needed to do more with myself at home, so I went with the idea of the Zumba class to get moving. I was out running errands and stopped into GameStop (my kids' favorite store) to look for something for my son. I came across my next fitness thing.



I've played it once. I'm not sure I like it as much as I do the exercise side of my daughter's Just Dance games. I'll play it a while longer before making a final decision. I don't have a verdict yet on my Zumba class either. My first class there was only 2 students (including myself) with the instructor. Last night's class there were considerably more. I suspect this is one of those classes that is more fun if there were more people. The class runs through March, so I'll give it a rethought then. I've already signed up for my next class after this one is over, but it's not Zumba.

#Fitfluential Basic Changes & Future @active Runs

I've made some basic changes here at home. A co-worker purchased one of these:

Stamina 55-1610 InMotion E1000 Elliptical Trainer

to put under her desk. This way she'd be able to work out while working and she plans on making it a tax deduction as it's part of her home office. I wasn't sure I'd use one like that very well, so I started smaller. I have an exercise ball that I work with on occasion, but it's really too small to use while at my desk. So, I purchased a bigger one and have swapped out my desk chair (which wasn't hugely comfortable anyway) and have put the exercise ball in.

I like to walk and I used to walk with weights on my ankles. I don't find that comfortable any longer, so I purchased a weighted vest instead. Now that the weather is looking better (well, except for rain), I'll get out and walk the dog more. I'll add the weighted vest for the extra resistance and see how that does too.

Zumba started last night. One night is not enough to judge by, so that update will wait a while longer.

My dad has decided (effectively) that he wants to do one more 1/2 marathon in January at Disney. To the point that he's already made reservations at an on-property resort with 2 bedrooms so that I can join him. So, now I have to plan my upcoming runs to work out so that I'm ready by January. I'm already signed up to do the Color Run (5K) in April. So I'll look for a 10K (or two) during the summer and a 15K Oct/Nov. If you care to join me, just let me know. As I figure out which runs I want to do, I'd be happy to have someone along.

Friday Fitness Update

Source: weightlossandcorinne.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I find this very true. I noticed on monday that I'm not "lopping" over my belt line quite as much as I was. It may be my imagination, but I doubt it. I've also noticed that my pants fit better, which is a relief. So, no big changes yet, but I'm finally seeing something.

Friday Fitness Update

I have a complaint (of sorts). I've been trying to log my meal plan in to both the Fitbit dashboard and the MyFitnessPal app on my phone. I figure this way I'm accountable to multiple friends. What I want to know is why they're so different on my calorie count. I've been under on Fitbit and over on MyFitnessPal. Supposedly, MyFitnessPal makes adjustments based on what the fitbit syncs to it. So, in theory, they should be much closer than they are. So, I'm averaging them out and ending up right on my calorie count just about every time. Huh. Guess I can take that.

Anyway, I'm averaging just under 5000 steps a day, so I need to up that. I'm also around 7 floors climbed daily. That just shows me how often I'm up and down the stairs at home. I never really figured I was doing that quite so much. I don't think the fitbit is registering the Choi quite right, but that's ok. Some days we do more than others, so it should average itself out.

I did give in and buy myself a new scale. No weight updates at this point. I figure it's still too early to worry about weight yet. As long as my weight isn't going up, I'm doing ok. I will say, though, that something is working as my pants are a bit more loose than they were. Small steps.