Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

If you have been thinking about buying a pedometer, either to replace that free one you got with your McDonald’s salad last year or to start logging your walking, Product Dose has a good introduction to pedometers and how to choose one:

• Pedometer Primer | productdose.com

At its most simple, the Nike+iPod is just a pedometer with style. I find it interesting that it wasn’t mentioned in this collection, especially since it only costs $20 if you already own an iPod.

The most important thing to remember is that a gadget won’t make you thin, healthier or fitter. YOU are the one that makes yourself thinner, healthier and fitter by using it. If having the gadget motivates you to get out there, then it’s worth the money. In the end, though, you don’t need fancy pedometers to lose weight. You can do it on your own just by getting out the door every day.

By the way, if you DO have a Nike+ iPod, come join the Starling Fitness Weekly Challenges. Run against other runners at your same level and compete for the challenge trophy every week. You can sign up for the challenge here:

• Support Forums : Starling Fitness Weekly Challenge

Make sure you tell me which level you want me to add you to:

Level 1.0: 0-5 miles a week
Level 1.5: 5-10 miles a week
Level 2: 10-20 miles a week
Level 3: 20-30 miles a week
Level 4: 30-40 miles a week
Level 5: 40-60 miles a week

Running outside in Salt Lake City has become impossible for me because we are experiencing an inversion and the air quality is worse than L.A. on a hot summer’s day, but if you are able to run outdoors, I’m sure you would appreciate these Ear Warmer Headphones from 180s. They look nice and warm and also let you listen to your tunes. I actually like them better than the Walkman Beanies that I saw at CES last month.

My only question is that if this is a “behind the ear” design, how does it stay on your ears? If I run, will it fall off? This is one reason why I hate shopping for headphones. You really can’t know how they’ll work when you exercise unless you take a run with them and get them all sweaty.

Gadgets like these can’t make you thin, but they might make the difference between going for your walk outside and skipping your exercise for the day.

Via: 180s Tec Stretch headphones – The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

The folks at Motion Lingo were nice enough to send me an Adeo GPS Training Device to review on Starling Fitness. I worked out with it until it got too cold and polluted in Salt Lake City to run outside. I don’t know which will clear up first, the air quality or the freezing temperatures. Either way, I am stuck indoors.

The Adeo is a very simple gadget that you plug your iPod (or ANY MP3 player) into and you plug your headphones into it. You can hear your music, but a voice will give you updates about your run. Similar to the Nike+iPod, it’s actually a very cool gadget. Here is a list of its best features:

• It measures everything, not just running: The disadvantage of gadgets like the Nike+iPod is that they only track your runs. The Adeo can track your runs, your bike rides, your ski runs and your hikes (with elevation tracking). Their software tracks all of your workouts in one place.

• The MotionTrak Software doesn’t need to be online: My biggest beef with the Nike+iPod setup is that all my stuff is online. I can’t just save all those cool graphs and charts on my own computer.

• It gives you updates how YOU want them: Using their MotionTrak software, you tell the Adeo how often you want updates and what kind. If you want to hear how far you’ve run every two minutes, you can set it. I have my demonstration unit set to give me a different update every few minutes: total time, distance run, time of the day, current speed, etc. Also, you can tell it to stop telling you things. I don’t care about my elevation on my runs because it doesn’t change, but if I was skiing or hiking, elevation might be pretty important. You can set up different update modes based on which activity you are doing.

• It works with any MP3 Player: I really like that I can use any MP3 player with the Adeo. I tried it with my Treo, and it worked just as well with it as my Nano. This is not just another iPod accessory. It works with any music player, even your old cassette player or CD player. That’s a far cry from so many products who are jumping on the bandwagon to work with the iPods. The Adeo is completely backward compatible.

• It’s more accurate than accelerometers: Running shoe pods like the Nike+iPod depend on accelerometers and other devices to measure the distance. For some people they can be horribly inaccurate. Once the Adeo locks onto its satellites, you have a perfectly accurate measurement of the distance you ran (or rode your bike, etc.).

• You don’t have to look at anything: Since the totals and the updates are spoken over your music, you never have to check your watch or iPod to see how far you’ve gone. This is especially cool if you are skiing and couldn’t possibly check your watch even if you wanted to.

There are some disadvantages to this unit:

• It’s kind of big: Seriously, it’s amazingly small for what it does, but it is a little big to carry around. I worked out using the Adeo in the fall, so I had a coat with many pockets to stuff it and my Nano into, but during the summer, I’m suddenly pocketless and I would have to carry it in my hands.

• It takes about five minutes or so to lock on to the satellites: You can’t start locking onto the satellites while you’re in your house, so you have to go outside and just stand around waiting for it to fall into its routine. If you start running before it gets a good lock on the satellites, it won’t be an accurate measurement of your workout. I don’t spend five full minutes stretching before my workout. Do you? Even if I did, I don’t like to do those stretches outside. So, I just ended up standing like a fool outside just waiting for it to do its thing with the satellites.

• It doesn’t work on a treadmill: This is a no-brainer. Since GPS systems track how far on the Earth you’ve moved, they really are useless if you’re running on the treadmill. To the Adeo, it just looks like you’re running in place because you are. For some people, this isn’t an issue, but there are a good six months every year where I’m not going to run outside. It’s just not going to happen, especially when I have a comfortable treadmill calling to me. None of those treadmill workouts are recorded on the MotionTrak software.

• You can’t look at anything: You ONLY get updates spoken over the music, so if you want to hurry and check your mileage, you really can’t. You have to wait until the next pre-measured update. It would have been really helpful sometimes to have a screen to glance at. Auditory feedback isn’t enough sometimes.

I didn’t know the cost of this unit when I was testing it. I had assumed it was about three hundred dollars because that’s the going cost for a good GPS tracking device. When I saw that the Adeo was only $150 at Amazon, I was shocked. Suddenly, all those little complaints I had for it went right out the window. At $150, you’re getting way more than your money’s worth.

On the whole, the Adeo is a great gadget. If you already own a iPod Nano, then the Nike+iPod Sport Kit is a cheaper option for you and almost as accurate. If you own ANY other MP3 player, including a Video iPod, then you should definitely go with the Adeo instead of buying a Nano just to run with. It’s not only cheaper, but you get more accurate readings. Just make sure you have running shorts with pockets.

I really don’t know how to classify this entry. Is Flavor Diet Spray a gadget? Is it a diet supplement? Is it something we should be wary of? I have no idea. This product was featured in Time Magazines Amazing Inventions of 2005. I never heard of it, but it’s still available today via their website.

• Flavor Diet Spray

A big problem I have with the way I’m tempted to eat when I’m in the dieting mentality is my attraction to fake food. Because I don’t allow myself real food when I’m dieting, even in small portions, I tend to resort to fake foods. I think I would classify this Flavor Diet Spray in the fake food category.

Watch out. If this product looks appealing to you, it’s because you have limited your diet too much. Whichever spray sounded good to you, allow yourself a small portion of the REAL thing this week. Don’t settle for fake food. Find a way to work the real thing into your lifestyle without damaging yourself.

When I played Wii Sports, it was a fun diversion, but my heart rate rarely got higher than when I was sitting on the couch. I thought it would be fun to play, a good way to be a little more active, but not really an option for losing weight. It looks like I’ve been proven wrong. Read about the Wii Sports Experiment here:

• Wii Sports Experiment, Results!

His plan was simple:

Six weeks ago, I began what has become a huge obsession of mine. It is called the “Wii Sports Experiment” (Read my original announcement of this from Early December ‘06). I outlined a 6 week game plan for myself, the idea being that I would continue ALL normal activity and eating habits, and simply add 30 minutes of Wii Sports to my day. For the past month and a half, I’ve stuck to these guidelines very strictly.

What were the results? Shocking! In six weeks, he has lost nine pounds, his BMI went from 25.2 to 24.0, and he is noticeably thinner. He tested his calorie expenditure while playing and here is a list of the sports in order of expenditure:

• Boxing: Highest calorie burner
• Tennis
• Bowling: Lowest calorie burner

He didn’t test baseball and didn’t even mention golf. It’s quite obvious when you’re playing that Boxing is the highest calorie burner. It was the only activity that got my heart rate up into the cardio zone.

So, I’m wrong. If you play Wii Sport religiously for 30 minutes every day, you could lose weight. Now, you just need to get your hands on a Nintendo Wii.

Via: Lose weight by playing Wii Sports (kottke.org)

Qmotions has been on my radar for a couple of years now, but I’ve never written anything about them. When I looked at their website, the products just looked like easily breakable gadgets that wouldn’t really work. Especially the Xboard. I think the problem is the picture that they used for it on their website.

This photo, in particular, made me think that it wasn’t worth 90 bucks. There was no way that I was going to spend ninety dollars on a piece of snowboard shaped plastic connected to a controller.

Of course, that was before I tried it at their booth.

I am avid fan of SSX3. It’s a snowboarding game that I play on my Xbox. I did ONE run with the Xboard and suddenly a game that I was so good at that I was pretty much sick of it became brand new to me. I finished the run in twice the time it would have taken me with the hand controller, which should have been discouraging. Instead, it was invigorating. Suddenly, I felt like I was really snowboarding down that hill!

Add to it that you can now find the Xboard on Amazon.com for about 60 bucks, suddenly, I was SOLD!

• Qmotions Xboard for PlayStation 2

I got my Xboard in the mail two days ago. I had to buy SSX3 for the Playstation 2 because they didn’t have a controller that worked with Xbox. I was able to find the game used for about $7, so I didn’t feel too bad about buying it again. Additionally, it was kind of nice starting my character from scratch instead of trying to beat my old hand controller scores.

The verdict: Playing SSX3 with the Xboard is HELLA fun, but it isn’t aerobic exercise. It’s more of a core workout, because you balance on the board and try to move by moving the board. The highest my heart rate has ever gotten on the board is 114 bpm, which is in the medium intensity range, but not high intensity.

The muscles that will kill you the next day (in order of pain intensity): calf muscles, shin muscles, the arch of your foot and your abs. Mostly just your calves, though.

Qmotions makes golf simulators, baseball simulators and something called Fun Fitness, which connects to your exercise bike and works with racing games. They are also coming out with a new product that straps to your ankle. You can play while riding your bike, walking on the treadmill or even just running in place. They were demonstrating it at CES, but it’s not available yet. For now, I’m happy with my Xboard!

There are so many things at CES that you just can’t get yet. These Bluetake Walkman Beanies are a good example. Aside from the unfashionable name, these hats would be great for exercising this winter, but they aren’t available this winter. At least not on their website:

• Bluetake USA

The idea of having my headphones and my hat all in one package is appealing to me because when I try to wear my headphones with my winter hat, things get all wonky. The hat moves the headphone away from my ear. The hat isn’t quite big enough to cover my head with headphones. This sounds like a good product.

The advertising for it is a little interesting, though:

• Bluetake Walkman Beanie Advertisement

Quoting from them makes the words feel like gravel in my mouth:

“Feel like a Rock & Roll Hip Hop professional as soon as you wear this newly designed beanie.”

“Even on campus, the ordinary color design keeps a low profile but still fashionable.”

“With a simple shape, double-ring totem and invisible earphone, this simple style beanie makes you graceful.”

How does it make me graceful? I’m pretty damn clumsy. If anything can make me graceful, I’m all for it.

You might not be able to purchase Walkman Beanies right now, but the idea is something that might help you. No matter how cold it is outside, there is a way to work around it and still be comfortable. Humans have lived in the elements for centuries. Don’t hide away from your exercise routine just because it’s cold outside. Make yourself a Walkman Beanie and get out there!

In honor of CES, this week’s question of the week is about gadgets:

What weight loss or fitness gadgets have you purchased in the past?

Did they work the way they advertised?

Did they help you lose weight or get stronger?

Which gadgets made you feel ripped off?

Which gadgets were totally worth the money?

It’s impossible to “buy” fitness. If it were, I would have by now. I talked about this in the past:

• Starling Fitness » Can’t Buy Me Fitness (Part 1)

• Starling Fitness » Can’t Buy Me Fitness (Part 2)

You are looking at the largest exergaming crowd on the Sands Convention Center at CES. The Sands is usually not very crowded at all, but what people who were there, were watching the Launchpad Golf Simulator for the Playstation 2.

They were playing Tiger Woods on a Playstation 2 with the Lauchpad controller. The difference between Launchpad and most other golf controllers is that you can use your own golf clubs, not some silly imaginary golf club. The only problem with it is the golf ball. It doesn’t move like a real golf ball because it connected to the controller. It’s just close enough to the real thing to throw off your game in the real world.

Of course, all the exercise of golf in the real world is walking the courses with thirty pounds of golf clubs on your back. Take away that aspect and you can barely call this exergaming. There were so few exergaming options, however, that Launchpad drew a big crowd.

Launchpad is available for the PC and Mac computers and Playstation 2 on Amazon.com right now. Unfortunately, it’s a little pricey for what you get, which is a controller for only golf games. If you are obsessed with golf, then this might be a fun option to while away the winter days. If you are looking for serious exergaming, however, keep looking.

Last year, the Xavix booth was at the North Hall in the Las Vegas Convention Center. They took their place next to Epson Printers and Kodak Cameras. This year, finding Xavix was like following a treasure map. I showed up in the North Hall, expecting Xavix and their team of demonstrators to wow me with their newest technology, but they weren’t there.

That night, Mike looked them up on the CES website while I fretted, “I told all the readers on Starling Fitness that I would check out the Xavix booth and I didn’t even check to see if they were exhibiting.”

“No, they’re here. They’re in the Hilton,” Mike wrote down the booth number and I sighed a breath of relief.

Then next day, the entire team from The Gadgets Page (Matt, Christy, Mike and I) showed up at the Las Vegas Hilton on a quest to find Xavix. After looking at every booth on the Hilton floor, we were confused.

“What was the booth number for Xavix?” I asked Mike.

“1469.”

“Well that’s a totally different number than these booths.”

“Let’s talk to the information desk.”

The lady at the information desk was calm and clear, “1469, that’s a suite.”

She rattled off directions to the hotel elevators and the four of us followed the CES signs to the hotel elevators.

Matt, chimed in, “Did you ever see that episode of Battlestar Galactica where they go to the planet that’s like Las Vegas and there are big insect aliens in the basement?”

We shook our heads and I felt a little wary as we walked down the hotel room halls. There were many exhibitors who had suites, but their doors were open and they were waiting at the door.

When we arrived at room 1469, the door was closed. Sure, there was a sign on the door, but there was no friendly person inviting us in. I knocked on the door. We heard scrambling inside and they finally came to the door. “Do you have an appointment?” The four of us shook our heads and I recovered enough to try to explain.

“We write for Starling Fitness. We saw your booth last year and it was so cool, so we were looking for it this year. I didn’t know we needed an appointment…”

They recovered quickly and let us into the hotel suite.

They were exhibiting all of the Xavix games in their suite, but I had covered them in detail last year. The only new product that they had was the Xavix Lifestyle Manager. It was pretty cool. It can store almost two weeks of weigh-ins for four people, but the scale that hooks up to the Xavix machine is only half the story. It also provides a daily check-in for behaviors that you might be trying to adjust. It actually is very similar to the Starling Fitness Journal Pages, except it added other healthy behaviors like limiting alcohol and cigarettes (which I didn’t even think about).

Sadly, they were demonstrating the Lifestyle Manager projected on the wall, so none of the pictures of the screen shots turned out. The Lifestyle Manager is a cool product and if you already own a Xavix, it might be a good addition. Based on the fact that they were showcasing it in a nearly unattended hotel suite, however, I wouldn’t recommend anyone to invest in a Xavix console.