Workout Wednesday

Time for another edition of

As I mentioned last week it's a weekly round-up of my posts from my fitness blog, workoutwithdi.com so here is this weeks recap:

Fitblog - healthy hodgepodge
low energy linked to magnesium deficiency
fitblog - workout wonder
instructors get tired too
5 minute fitness
6 things to know for your first exercise class
fitblog chat

Remember to stop by the fitness blog for health & fitness updates, articles, workout tips and more! I have LOTS planned in the New Year including video's, reviews and so much more!

Di

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Review: EatSmart Bathroom Scales

As a fitness professional I know I shouldn't care about my weight, I realize it is just a number and does NOT define who I am. I also know that number is not what's important because I have more muscle than the average person my height, etc etc BUT I am still a girl! Which means I DO still care about that number. I don't get upset as it goes up/down but merely use it as a measure of my healthy range, or where I am on my desired range. As such yes I own a weight scale. Recently I got the opportunity to try the EatSmart Digital Bathroom Scale and decided to to do a little review for my blog readers.

The package arrived just before Christmas so I've had two weeks to review the product, I always like to wait to do my reviews so I can give the product a thorough testing. One thing I like immediately about the product is that there was no unnecessary packaging. The outer box was only a little bigger than the product box, good news for the environment! Upon opening the box I was immediately greeted with a message!

Wow, batteries included! Novel concept! And one I wish more and more manufacturers would make!!! Especially over the holidays. Sure enough I took the package out of the box and flipped over the packing to find 4 AAA batteries :) Genius move for EatSmart, product is ready to go right out the package!

I know for some people being green is very important so thought I'd share some notes on the packaging. The product comes with an instruction booklet and wrapped with the batteries (above) in polyfoam packaging with a celophane type bag over the scales which as you can see from the green image is recyclable. I've yet to find anywhere that takes the polyfoam packaging for recycling but for overall packaging pretty well done. The cardboard outer box is recyclable too.

I was drawn to these for their minimalist design. I like clean and simple look and these are very streamlined. They look better on my bathroom floor than wooden office floor though! The blurb in the booklet tells me that the scales have:

• 4 high precision sensors allowing for consistent and accurate measurement of up to 400 lbs or 180 kgs every time;
• Graduation increments of .2 lbs. / 3ozAuto Calibrated;
• Auto Power-Off;
• Runs on 4 AAA batteries (included);
• 100% EatSmart Satisfaction Guarantee
• 12" x 13" platform
• EatSmart "Step-On" technology - No more tapping scale to turn on. Step on and get instant readings!
• Large 3.5" LCD display with blue backlight - Easy to read from any distance
• 
  

I have a few things I love about these scales, number one is the: EatSmart "Step-On" technology - No more tapping scale to turn on. Step on and get instant readings! My previous scales you had to "tap" and wait 5 seconds for them to turn on. Doesn't sound like it would be annoying but it's one step I could really do without. I love that I just step on, see the weight and DONE!

My favorite thing about these scales aside from the beautiful design and step on technology is the display! Now if you're bathroom has windows and brightly lit you may not appreciate this as much but our scales sit in our main bathroom. The en-suite has windows but the main bathroom does not. Sometimes it's pretty dark in there, especially if you choose not to switch on the light and the EatSmart Digital Scale display is BRIGHT! Perfect for our bathroom! As you can see below it read my weight at 125 over the holidays which considering I wasn't working out as much and eating a lot was a little heavier than I normally am, but probably right. It now reads a steady 122lbs.

One thing that I haven't seen anyone else mention is the ease of cleaning of the We had two sets of scales previously. Each had a surface that was textured, and honestly a pain in the butt to clean. Dust and dog hair seemed to just get moved around the surface. With the EatSmart Digital Bathroom Scale the tempered glass surface is totally flat, and easy to clean. We keep surface wipes in the bathroom cabinet and a quick swish with a towelette and clean up is DONE! Love that.

All in all I am VERY happy with these scales! Definite improvement on our previous scales and if you are looking to purchase a set of bathroom scales I can totally recommend the EatSmart Digital Bathroom Scale as a great product! You can purchase them from Amazon for $28.95 (regular price $49.99). You can also find more information on Eatsmart at their website and on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclaimer: EatSmart sent me these scales for free in exchange for an honest review. As with all my reviews the opinions herein are my own honest and true opinion. The fact I got this product for free did not alter my opinion whatsoever, each review I post will reflect my opinion good or bad - I keep it real like that!

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Workout Wednesday

Time for another edition of

Low energy linked to magnesium deficiency
Spinning playlist January
My fitness goals for 2011
Setting goals for 2011
New Year, New You!
Things to look for when joining a gym
Jane Fonda makes a comeback!
Too much choice zaps energy levels

Remember to stop by the fitness blog for health & fitness updates, articles, workout tips and more! I have LOTS planned in the New Year including video's, reviews and so much more!

Di

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Workout Wednesday

Time for another edition of

As I mentioned last week it's a weekly round-up of my posts from my fitness blog, workoutwithdi.com so here is this weeks recap:

too much choice zaps energy levels

healthy fats can lower cholesterol

Happy Holidays

Christmas dinner calorie countdown

5 healthy tips for the holidays

don't sign up for that gym membership yet!

Remember to stop by the fitness blog for health & fitness updates, articles, workout tips and more! I have LOTS planned in the New Year including video's, reviews and so much more!

Di

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Workout Wednesday

New feature on this blog will be a weekly round-up post of all the goings on at my new health & fitness website WorkOut with Di. Each week I'll just post a small recap of posts and topics that I covered on my fitness blog, links to any videos, and a quick facebook/twitter plug.

If you are looking to lose weight in the New Year, get in shape, get healthier, get fitter and simply just get moving then check out WorkOut with Di! Posts will be packed with inspiration, motivation, workouts, exercise info, nutrition, healthy recipes and so much more!

What the Biggest loser finale tells us about weight loss
Biggest Loser Finale - season 10
Coming Soon

Make 2011 the year you commit to get fit!

Di

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More health & fitness flashbacks

Back when I worked in the fitness industry in England during the 1990's I decided to hold a charity event, a step-a-thon. 5 hours of sponsored step for the Starlight Foundation. I coordinated with the managers at Queen St Leisure Center in Derby, and they gave me the downstairs function room to hold the charity event. And so I marketed my event, got lots of sign ups then set about planning the details. It was a lot of work but very enjoyable! Each participant got a certificate for completing the event and a t-shirt =)

It's awful that looking back now I cannot even remember the year, let alone the month! I wasn't as good at documenting stuff as I am now and this was the days before blogs (yeah there was such a time, weird to think now huh?). For the timeline I would estimate this at around 1998 -1999. I did the whole 5 hours with a knee support on my left leg as I was having lots of body wear & tear issues during this time, but that's another post for another day!

As I recall there were approximately 20 of us signed up for the event, including my mother! She didn't do the whole event due to health problems but we planned on her doing 3 hours I think, and I remember she completed the whole thing! Go Mom! Many of these girls were class members of mine from Queen St Leisure Center, Springwood Leisure Center and Lady In Leisure all in Derby, UK.

It's funny to look at the photo's of me during this time. This was at my career peak. I was teaching 22 classes a week plus I had a few personal training clients also. Looking at these photo's though and looking at me NOW over 10 years later, I look MUCH better now. Sure I'm not teaching as much but I work out a lot still. The difference is that I don't go crazy EVERY class! I TEACH & I INSTRUCT and I have a better diet. Again all things for another post another day!

In every class, and usually always in step. there is one gal going the wrong way. I love how this gal got caught on camera but totally didn't care! To me this is fitness classes. Just ENJOY it! No-one cares if you go the wrong way, or are out of step. Just enjoy it, have fun and feel successful! Life is way too short to get caught up in the synchronized step classes mentality.

Have you done any charity fitness events?

Step-a-thon? Sponsored event? Ran a marathon for charity?

Share your experience!

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Holiday Gift Ideas - fitness edition

So I did a top 5 gift ideas for techies recently and thought it would be a good idea to continue the series of posts asap as the holidays approach. Instead of a top 5 for fitness I decided to go for a top 10 as everyone's budget and focus varies. Most of these are products I use at home or items on my wishlist :) It's important to remember that for fitness/health gifts please be sure that the individual WANTS to get fit or lose weight before gift giving or you are going to offend the recipient!

1-Heart Rate Monitor

A Heart Rate Monitors is an excellent way for anyone to know their true calorie expenditure during exercise. Personally I own a Polar F4 (below). I totally recommend a chest strap version! You'll pay a little more but they are more reliable.

A Heart Rate Monitors is one of the best investments anyone embarking on a weight loss or fitness journey can make. This way you will KNOW the exact number of calories YOU are expending depending on your age/weight/duration/intensity (heart rate). This number varies so much from person to person and it's easy to overestimate the calories burned, especially if you are going by one of the cardio machines at the gym! For example Bob and I both have Heart Rate Monitors and when walking the dogs he burns almost twice as many calories as I do! Just because he weighs more and I'm fitter. Not fair ;)

2- Garmin GPS

For a year I used my Polar F4 everytime I ran, then I got more and more into running and decided to invest in a Garmin forerunner 305. This has all the same features as the Polar F4 but with the added GPS function so it can track your runs, distance, terrain (incline), etc. It has so many features too many to mention here, go look on Amazon for a full description. I don't run outdoors without this now! Personally my favorite feature is lap times, knowing how fast I ran each mile/lap on my 1/2 marathon. Or knowing when I am dropping below my desired pace helps me kick things up a notch! The only downside to these is they don't seem to work well when you aren't moving, so I kept my Polar F4 for indoor/treadmill workouts.

Bob also has one of these, not that he runs outside often but he does cycle. He got the added bike cadence sensor and mount. These are two purchases I am looking into as I get more into cycling outdoors. Basically if you know an outdoor runner that doesn't have a Garmin this would be a GREAT gift idea! These things ROCK! Seriously!

3-P90X

I've talked about it before but it still remains one of my favorite home workouts. If you are looking for a weight loss, fat loss, muscle building all round fitness system then this is it! I used it during 2009 and still turn to it occasionally for workouts when I need to switch my own brain off.

The only thing with P90X is you need a few pieces of equipment which you'll need to purchase separately. A pull-up bar, and either weights or bands. These could be purchased at a later date though. Honestly I loved this workout system and you get a full program of what DVD to do when, and a nutrition plan.

4-TRX

If you want an alternative home workout to P90X then I suggest TRX. I'd really suggest going to a class first to make sure this is the workout for you, but I do this and LOVE it! Nothing has working my core more than TRX. In the new year I will be teaching this in one of the gyms I teach at so that tells you that I am smitten by the TRX bug!

TRX is suspension training, so you are going to need room to hang this, and something to hang it from, though they do sell mounts and door anchors, but my favorite is an overhead bar or beam. If outdoors you can use a tree or kids climbing frame!

I LOVE TRX, it's the one workout I ache from EVERY SINGLE TIME! Even if you do other exercise a TRX class is a great way to add variety to your routine.

5-accessories

I lumped these all together cos they are personal choice. For example I prefer Brooks running shoes, but for clothing I tend to go towards Nike and champion. Whereas others may prefer Reebok shoes, or Adidas cltohing. Personal choice. The key I find is to get fitted properly for your shoes, by a professional running store! Not a department store, go to a running store and get analyzed for your size, foot pattern, strike and gait. For clothing you can wear anything sure, as long as it's comfortable but for maximum comfort go for the tech-dry stuff that wicks away sweat. I love Nike Dri-fit and the Champion equivalent which I believe is called double dry. That stuff works!!!

Bonus

When all else fails you can't go wrong with a gift card. Whether it's a membership to a local gym (I can recommend Gold's), personal training sessions, your local sports store or Amazon.

Di

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Reminiscing health & fitness

I've been busy the last few weeks with my fitness website and blog playing with the template, making plans for posts and running with ideas. One thing I decided is that I'd dig out my old photo's and memorabilia from my fitness career in the UK. 

Before we left England to set up home here in California I had a pretty successful career as a fitness instructor and personal trainer in the UK. I passed my first fitness certification in Summer 1996, and quickly started teaching classes at Breadsall Priory and Lingfield Health Club (now LA fitness). With just 2 months teaching experience I got asked to lead a session for Lingfield during a demonstration event at the local shopping center.

Super fun to see my name on the advertising materials! Especially considering this was in the local newspaper the Derby Telegraph. Sure got thrust into the spotlight in a short amount of time! Pauline kicked us off with some step. I love step so this was no problem for me :)

In case you can't tell I am the one in long leggings in this shot! One size fits all t-shirts suck!

After a few minutes break we were back at it, and I led an aerobics session. Remember this was me at the front, of the class, leading a fitness session in the middle of a shopping mall! I think at this point I'd been actively teaching for just 6 weeks!

I also have photo's of Slide workouts with Rachael. I don't even remember Rachael and look at me (back center)! This was the first time I ever did slide aside from a quick 5 minutes at the club the day before. Crazy time! I  enjoyed slide though and used it in circuit training later. Anyone else remember slide?

After slide we did another few workouts then hit the rebounder! I had one of these at home and loved it. Just brought back childhood memories of trampolines. Nicky led this session and it was the first real rebounder class I'd done. Anyone else remember rebounder/bounce classes?

So fun to have these photo's to look back on! This event is on my list of things to scrapbook so I hope to share that layout soon!

Di

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