My gym is cheating on me I tell you! It's busy wooing new customers gung-ho on their "I will lose 90 pounds in two days!" post-holiday resolutions. There are signs everywhere promising less pounds, more toned muscles and a better life. And they are coming in droves, these flabby, resolved newbies. They have taken over my favorite treadmill, the one right by the window where I can look out into the carpeted abyss that separates Bally's from Gordman's at our strip mall. Then they hogged all the ellipticals making it impossible to get my pre-PT cardio done the way he likes it. They fill up bikes in my spinning class, weight machines and stretching mats. It's like an invading Viking hoarde!
Yes, I am a grinch. I should be supportive of these people seeking change in their lives. But I want my gym back! I want machines to choose from! And I just want to scream at these people "90 pounds doesn't go away in 2 days!!!!" and "If you only buy a gym membership and never use it after February 1st you'll never get anywhere!". But I bite my tongue and turn my iPod up instead. Who am I to crush their well intentioned hopes and shattered their vivid dreams of flat abs and a nice ass?
I hate resolutions. I hate that they drag us off on these fool's errands, with no hope of ever attaining our goal. They just sound good. They are things we think we need. They will make us happier. They will make us healthier, thinner, smarter, better, richer. But they are, at the end of the day, just words. And I hate that these words woo us into a false sense of satisfaction that we are actually 'doing' something. I mean really, who needs more empty promises in their life?
Sigh, somebody smack me now. I'm taking myself too seriously. And yes I know my last post involved many things that suspiciously looked like resolutions, but oh dear reader, they were really 'guiding lights', if you remember! But enough of my moaning!
Time for an FGS Gear and Gadget Review:
Okay, I have been coveting one of these for quite a while now for no good reason since I run -- but I'm not really a runner. I aspire, though, I aspire.
Anyhow, I got one for Christmas and wow, was I suprised. I admit this is a bit of a half-assed review since I've only used half of the features. I am still on vacation and haven't uploaded my workouts yet to see how fun that data is. One of the things that surprised me about this gadget was that it seems to work just as well when you are walking. It keeps track of the distance you've covered and your pace and gives you a calories burns total. Um, can you say better than a pedometer?
I took the dog for a walk and tried it out. Great results. I actually had underestimated how far I had been walking her so I was pleasantly surprised. Then I tried it at the Bally's near my mom's house -- I say near, but that is a lie; it is like 35-40 minutes away (just a wee aside -- if I lived in middle of nowhere NY, I would weigh 900 pounds by now! So, you read it here first, I'm GLAD I live in Denver!). I ran my usual 3 miles at my slow 5.0mph pace. Actually, I'm dang impressed I did run that because I've been sick and taken a week off. Anyhow, it was sooooo cool. The stupid machine kept stopping after 20 minutes (despite the fact I pushed manual!) and I was very glad I had this gizmo keeping track of my run. The calorie count at the end was about 300 calories off from my heart rate monitor -- but I suppose that is to be expected since it has no way of measuring your exertion. I was between 160 and 180 for a majority of the run (I knew I was tired and my heart rate confirmed that) so I was working hard.
As for measuring my pace, it did say that I was running faster than the pace I had set the treadmill for. This may because I have a short stride. I am looking forward to calibrating it to get a more accurate reading -- but I think I will wait and do this at home.
Do I need a Nike shoe?
NO!!!!!!!! Thanks to little inventive elves, you don't need to run in Nike shoes! There are a few different adapters out there. I bought a simple pouch for my shoe which slips around the shoe laces until I can get the adapter I want. I really want a SwitchEasy Runaway or a Marware Sportsuit Sensor+. Both would make sure that the sensor wasn't moving around too much providing inaccurate readings. The cool thing about the Runaway is that is doubles as a storage case for the part you plug in to your iPod. Check out this great blog for other ideas to hack your shoes!
Will it fit with my current sports case?
Mine didn't -- it sticks out the end and doesn't allow for the velcro closure to secure the pod in the case. This worries me a bit. I clicked the clip on the back, allowing the iPod to be upside down in hopes of preventing any flying iPod incidents. I know that they do make cases to fit these sensors -- but I'm not there yet!
Verdict: I love it! I'll let you know how the other features work as soon as I can upload the data!
UPDATE: The price for this gadget is a mere $29.99.
So this is a bit of a crabby blog. Can't really help it, I guess. Oh! Funny story about my trip to the gym yesterday! That will cheer me up. I get the biggest kick out of the Bally's here. It also reminds me just how far I've come! At home, the Bally's is big and light and spacious and one big room. The Bally's here has a 'women only' section. Go figure. Once upon a time, I would have gladly entered the pinkness (complete with neon pink and purple lights) that was the 'women's only' side. Not now. Not after my sessions with PT. Oh no, I can lift with those big hulky (and incredibly hairy) men. And I did. And you should have seen the looks on their faces when I waltzed right in and just started lifting. Ha! I am woman hear me roar! A big thanks to PT for giving me the confidence to not care if I look like an idiot in front of big hulking men. And for teaching me how to work out properly -- ie. by using two machines to work opposite muscles instead of sitting around waiting between reps on the same machine. I suppose, now would be a good time to mention, I've come a long way baby. Nah, I think I'll save my year in review post for tomorrow.
Keep it realz,
FGS
1 comments:
"...but I'm not really a runner. I aspire, though, I aspire."
Grl, you just wrote a review on a runner's toy, have a favorite TM, and consider 5.0 a "slow" pace.
You're a runner when you say you're a runner.
<----jealous of your toy!
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