Monday, January 4, 2016
Winter is here!
Holy smokes it's 14 degrees out with a nice little breeze! YOWZA! It's darn cold out. I think winter is finally here!
Friday, January 1, 2016
Technology
I'm baffled by this Fitbit and technology in general. It's amazing and I'm in the wrong line of work.
The goal on my Fitbit is set for 10,000 steps a day. This past week I only hit that goal once which is fine since I'm off from work and there are days I just want to hang in the house and chill. Right now I'm still enjoying watching the number of steps I take and Cody is too. So a few months ago, I signed Cody and I up for the Ringing in the Hope 5K race. Part of me likes to run these races. All the people that you don't know all getting together to run for a cause. (In this case, ringing in the hope is supporting the local charities and the people they serve in your community.) I like the thrill of wondering how fast/slow I'm going to run the race and I do love getting Cody outside, away from electronics and get his blood pumping as well.
Cody was really excited for the race. The last race he did a few months back he ran it in 31 min. He was determined to beat his goal so to me that was really impressive. I myself would be happy too if I could beat 34 min but I'm doing this race cold turkey again so I'll be happy if I tie my time.
Here's our race results from last year:
Jen: 39:54 chip time (12:52 min/mile) 215th place (women)
Cody: 39:50 chip time (12:51 min/mile) 176th place (men)
Last year Cody stayed with me. This year he and his buddy took off. But I wasn't too far behind them. I could actually see them and I actually caught up with them at one point which totally didn't happen on the last run in the fall. I think the boys were goofing off a bit in the beginning before the race started so they blew some energy out. Then I think since they were together they sprinted at the start and started to peter out as the race went on. I told Cody always pace yourself. But does he listen? NOPE!
So to get to the point of my post on technology. My Fitbit must have picked up a significant amount of heart rate spiking as I was running. Because when I checked my Fitbit this morning, not only did I pass the 10,000 steps (which I knew since it buzzed when I reached my goal) but it actually listed a new category on App which was RUN! I was amazed. I guess I didn't read up on my Fitbit like I should have but it was a cool surprise this morning to see that it picked up my 5K run.
So on December 31st at 1:01pm I ran for a duration of 36:13 min (which sounds about right and if so, totally blew my previous race time back in September) and I had 6,025 steps. So this little gadget has peaked my interest and is actually seeming to be motivating me to beat these goals. Like I said Technology! Very cool.
And to top it off, last night I was showing my friend Dance 2015 and 2016 not thinking anything of it. I told her that this game is cool cause you're dancing but yet exercising at the same time but it's fun so you're not thinking about it. But it's so incredibly exhausting for those (like me) who are a bit out of shape.
Low and behold, when I looked at my App this morning, there was a history of an aerobic exercise which again blew my mind. I started it at 10pm which was right and in the process completed 1,103 steps and danced for a duration of 18:57 minutes. Which again blew my mind because I was having fun doing it and never realized that I was doing it for almost 20 min.
I also can see where my heart rate is during both activities and during the run I averaged 165 bpm and during my aerobic activity I averaged 117 bpm, and while I'm tying this post, I'm at 76 bpm.
Dare I look to see what's a normal range and what's not? Nahhh.....no need to scare myself right yet.
So as I said earlier, I'm baffled by this Fitbit but I think I can understand how it does what it does. I sit here and wonder why I never thought of this? I guess I wasn't meant to be a millionaire.
But I am enjoying it and so far it's motivating me to keep up the good work!
By the way, the race times aren't posted yet for this years race. Looking forward to seeing our times.
The goal on my Fitbit is set for 10,000 steps a day. This past week I only hit that goal once which is fine since I'm off from work and there are days I just want to hang in the house and chill. Right now I'm still enjoying watching the number of steps I take and Cody is too. So a few months ago, I signed Cody and I up for the Ringing in the Hope 5K race. Part of me likes to run these races. All the people that you don't know all getting together to run for a cause. (In this case, ringing in the hope is supporting the local charities and the people they serve in your community.) I like the thrill of wondering how fast/slow I'm going to run the race and I do love getting Cody outside, away from electronics and get his blood pumping as well.
Cody was really excited for the race. The last race he did a few months back he ran it in 31 min. He was determined to beat his goal so to me that was really impressive. I myself would be happy too if I could beat 34 min but I'm doing this race cold turkey again so I'll be happy if I tie my time.
Here's our race results from last year:
Jen: 39:54 chip time (12:52 min/mile) 215th place (women)
Cody: 39:50 chip time (12:51 min/mile) 176th place (men)
Last year Cody stayed with me. This year he and his buddy took off. But I wasn't too far behind them. I could actually see them and I actually caught up with them at one point which totally didn't happen on the last run in the fall. I think the boys were goofing off a bit in the beginning before the race started so they blew some energy out. Then I think since they were together they sprinted at the start and started to peter out as the race went on. I told Cody always pace yourself. But does he listen? NOPE!
So to get to the point of my post on technology. My Fitbit must have picked up a significant amount of heart rate spiking as I was running. Because when I checked my Fitbit this morning, not only did I pass the 10,000 steps (which I knew since it buzzed when I reached my goal) but it actually listed a new category on App which was RUN! I was amazed. I guess I didn't read up on my Fitbit like I should have but it was a cool surprise this morning to see that it picked up my 5K run.
So on December 31st at 1:01pm I ran for a duration of 36:13 min (which sounds about right and if so, totally blew my previous race time back in September) and I had 6,025 steps. So this little gadget has peaked my interest and is actually seeming to be motivating me to beat these goals. Like I said Technology! Very cool.
And to top it off, last night I was showing my friend Dance 2015 and 2016 not thinking anything of it. I told her that this game is cool cause you're dancing but yet exercising at the same time but it's fun so you're not thinking about it. But it's so incredibly exhausting for those (like me) who are a bit out of shape.
Low and behold, when I looked at my App this morning, there was a history of an aerobic exercise which again blew my mind. I started it at 10pm which was right and in the process completed 1,103 steps and danced for a duration of 18:57 minutes. Which again blew my mind because I was having fun doing it and never realized that I was doing it for almost 20 min.
I also can see where my heart rate is during both activities and during the run I averaged 165 bpm and during my aerobic activity I averaged 117 bpm, and while I'm tying this post, I'm at 76 bpm.
Dare I look to see what's a normal range and what's not? Nahhh.....no need to scare myself right yet.
So as I said earlier, I'm baffled by this Fitbit but I think I can understand how it does what it does. I sit here and wonder why I never thought of this? I guess I wasn't meant to be a millionaire.
But I am enjoying it and so far it's motivating me to keep up the good work!
By the way, the race times aren't posted yet for this years race. Looking forward to seeing our times.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Yesterday's info
Maybe this is a temporary thing but I'm digging this Fitbit.
Steps: 10,942*
Miles: 4.56 miles
Calories: 1928
Steps: 18 floors
Sleep: 7 hours 8 min and an additional 1 hour 15 min with some restlessness involved.
*Not my total steps. I showed my watch to Cody and he wanted to try it out. So for about 10 min he ran around the room like a madman testing out the steps. He did get me over the 10,000 mark and then some. So once I realized that it would mess up my tracking, I got the Fitbit back.
I may get him one like grammy's in the near future but he's a kid and I don't really think he needs to track his steps yet.
Steps: 10,942*
Miles: 4.56 miles
Calories: 1928
Steps: 18 floors
Sleep: 7 hours 8 min and an additional 1 hour 15 min with some restlessness involved.
*Not my total steps. I showed my watch to Cody and he wanted to try it out. So for about 10 min he ran around the room like a madman testing out the steps. He did get me over the 10,000 mark and then some. So once I realized that it would mess up my tracking, I got the Fitbit back.
I may get him one like grammy's in the near future but he's a kid and I don't really think he needs to track his steps yet.
Monday, December 28, 2015
Fitbit
Got a Fitbit for Christmas. Not sure if I would like it or not, but turns out I do. It's actually more interesting than I expected.
After getting past the initial set up I was a little skeptical. I have to wear this all day? My mother in law got a Fitbit too but her's was just a small one that she attached to the waist of her pants. So at first I was a bit envious. Thinking that hers was way easier than mine to understand but it turns out after wearing mine I had just a tad more options than she had. And it was neat to see the steps add up to miles. It was also neat to see my heart rate and how many stairs I climbed.
So for example, I walked 3,405 steps yesterday and burned 1,460 calories.
My Fitbit also monitors my sleep patterns. So I'm really interested in seeing how well I sleep at night. Sometimes I wake up so tired in the morning and I wonder how well I slept that night. So hopefully it will give me some insight.
So let's see how this goes. I'll keep you posted.
After getting past the initial set up I was a little skeptical. I have to wear this all day? My mother in law got a Fitbit too but her's was just a small one that she attached to the waist of her pants. So at first I was a bit envious. Thinking that hers was way easier than mine to understand but it turns out after wearing mine I had just a tad more options than she had. And it was neat to see the steps add up to miles. It was also neat to see my heart rate and how many stairs I climbed.
So for example, I walked 3,405 steps yesterday and burned 1,460 calories.
My Fitbit also monitors my sleep patterns. So I'm really interested in seeing how well I sleep at night. Sometimes I wake up so tired in the morning and I wonder how well I slept that night. So hopefully it will give me some insight.
So let's see how this goes. I'll keep you posted.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
70 is perfect!
I can't believe how awesome today is....70 degrees in December....in VIRGINIA?? Simply AMAZING and I'm thrilled about it. In fact, here's a little secret...Virginia is actually warmer than Arizona right now which hardly ever happens. NO complaining here, I'll take it for as long as I can get it.
Of course people are saying, "It doesn't feel like Christmas. It's too warm." I don't think about it that way. Yes it's a tad warm out but when I'm in the house and the Christmas trees are up. Do you really know what the temps are outside? No, not really. So just enjoy the warmth while we have it.
Of course people are saying, "It doesn't feel like Christmas. It's too warm." I don't think about it that way. Yes it's a tad warm out but when I'm in the house and the Christmas trees are up. Do you really know what the temps are outside? No, not really. So just enjoy the warmth while we have it.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
My Underarm
Thanksgiving is over and the fun begins. This Saturday and Sunday I dedicated myself to putting up all the Christmas decorations which includes putting up 3 trees. Yes, 3. Luckily Cody and I already put up one tree (his tree) so I only have two to go. Of course those are the two big trees - 9 feet tall each. My favorite one is the skinny tree and the other one is a regular sized tree and let me tell you, the regular sized tree is super heavy and a tad hard to decorate. It has that authentic look so when I put bulbs on the tree I have to make sure the hook is tightened around the branches otherwise pop goes the bulb right back on the ground. Luckily I mostly have plastic bulbs but there are a few glass ones that proved they break very easily when dropped several feet.
So I was determined to get the job done. My original plan was to put the trees up Saturday and work on my Christmas cards on Sunday. But....I forgot how tiring it is to put the trees up, garland, stockings, decorate the mantle and the entertainment center. It's EXHAUSTING!
I probably should have asked Ken for help but I didn't until I just couldn't get the big tree put together. I just didn't have enough strength in my arms. I really didn't notice it at first. I was so busy decorating but this morning when I got up to finish decorating I noticed I couldn't really lift my arm up that well. And now it's tender in my arm pit. Could it have truly been from lifting that tree?
I admit that I'm a little nervous about the tenderness. I don't like anything abnormal feeling on my body. I'm going to continue to monitor it so I can talk to the doctor if it doesn't go away. Just not sure if this is something I need to be concerned about.
So I was determined to get the job done. My original plan was to put the trees up Saturday and work on my Christmas cards on Sunday. But....I forgot how tiring it is to put the trees up, garland, stockings, decorate the mantle and the entertainment center. It's EXHAUSTING!
I probably should have asked Ken for help but I didn't until I just couldn't get the big tree put together. I just didn't have enough strength in my arms. I really didn't notice it at first. I was so busy decorating but this morning when I got up to finish decorating I noticed I couldn't really lift my arm up that well. And now it's tender in my arm pit. Could it have truly been from lifting that tree?
I admit that I'm a little nervous about the tenderness. I don't like anything abnormal feeling on my body. I'm going to continue to monitor it so I can talk to the doctor if it doesn't go away. Just not sure if this is something I need to be concerned about.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Thinking about Virginia
I think of Virginia every single day. I can hear her voice and it always puts a smile on my face. I can't help but look up to the sky on a beautiful sunny day and wonder if she's looking down. Her children are growing so fast and changing every time I see them. Her husband posted a sweet comment from the other day: Mommy went "to the clouds with the Angels" as Evan says. Isn't that amazing? My heart goes out to her kids and I just want to hug them all the time.
So I got an email invite for Quinten's birthday party and I so want to go. I missed Evan's earlier this spring but did get a chance to visit once over the summer and once for Lilly's party. And now I'm hoping to make it to Quinten's party. I always wanted Virginia and I to celebrate the boy's birthdays together since of course we have the same family members but we never had a chance to set something up. And that's okay.
So I got an email invite for Quinten's birthday party and I so want to go. I missed Evan's earlier this spring but did get a chance to visit once over the summer and once for Lilly's party. And now I'm hoping to make it to Quinten's party. I always wanted Virginia and I to celebrate the boy's birthdays together since of course we have the same family members but we never had a chance to set something up. And that's okay.
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