Hack Your Fitness: The Hidden Ecosystem Posted by Steve on March 1, 2013 No Responses » Mar 012013 Activity trackers, heart rate monitors, wifi scales, calorie-intake trackers/food diaries, GPS watches, goals, and achievements are just some of the many things we can use to keep track of our fitness. The trouble is that even though we have all of these great technologies to help us along our path to become better athletes or shed some pounds, it’s difficult to find a single place to store all of that data. Sure, there are plenty of sites that aggregate a few things into one place, but, unfortunately, nothing seems to be all-inclusive, yet. That said, Meagan and I have found that the Fitbit interface does the best job at “everything tracking” of the sites/apps we have tried thus far. So, in this week’s “Hack Your Fitness” I’m going to explain how to use your Fitbit account as a tool to gather data from (most of) your fitness devices into one spot. Supplies needed: Fitbit – ranging from $50 to $100 – This is the only device you need to have for this “hack”. Everything else is up to you. Level of difficulty: Medium – This one doesn’t take any scripting, but the process of linking everything up can get a little confusing. Continue reading “Hack Your Fitness: The Hidden Ecosystem” » Technorati Tags: fitbit, garmin, gps, hack, HRM, loseit, nike plus, Nike+, wifi scales, Withings
Hack Your Fitness: Garmin Fans Rejoice! You Can Still Use Nike+. Posted by Steve on February 13, 2013 No Responses » Feb 132013 I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, how could this be possible? Why would Garmin allow this? Better yet, why would Nike allow this? Well, for all of you Nike+ users who have hundreds of miles logged on your account, but have now purchased a Garmin GPS (which has its own website, Garmin Connect, for uploading running data files), boy do I have a surprise for you! You don’t have to give up on your Nike+ account! In this hack I will show you how to easily connect your Garmin GPS/Heart-rate Monitor to Nike+. Supplies Needed: Garmin Watch – Ranging from $130 to $450 Nike+ - Free Level of Difficulty: LOW – I considered making the level of difficulty “monkey”, but decided that was too insulting to monkeys. Seriously, if you have a Garmin and a Nike+ account, you should have no trouble figuring this one out. Continue reading “Hack Your Fitness: Garmin Fans Rejoice! You Can Still Use Nike+.” » Technorati Tags: garmin, garmin connect, garmin gps, hack, Heart Rate Monitor, HRM, nike plus, Nike+
2012 All Stars Posted by Steve on December 24, 2012 No Responses » Dec 242012 The year is nearing its end and after getting 15 inches of snow in a 24 hour period, the TR Crew is gearing up for another Wisconsin winter. More than that, the world didn’t come to an end on Friday. So, we wanted to make sure we took a moment to share with you some of our favorite products from the year, offer some last minute ideas for the holidays (for those of you who didn’t do your Christmas shopping, yet, because of the impending apocalypse), and give shout outs to some of the other great gear, apps, etc. we’ve gotten to test out. Enjoy! Continue reading “2012 All Stars” » Technorati Tags: barefoot running shoes, barefoot shoes, fitbit, Fitbit One, fitness gadgets, iOS, Merrell Bare Access Arc, Merrell Barefoot, minimalist shoes, New Balance Minimus, Nike Running, Nike+, ON Cloudracer, On Cloudrunner, running, Skora Form, sockwa, xero shoes, zombies run
How to Survive a Horror Movie: Be a Runner! Posted by Meagan on October 31, 2012 No Responses » Oct 312012 Happy Halloween, readers! Steve and I watch a lot of scary movies. We’ve been revisiting some of our favorites this month, and I just can’t help but realize how many victims would have survived if they just would have been runners (and worn proper footwear)! Classics like Halloween and Friday the 13th are two of the worst culprits when it comes to a slow-moving villain somehow catching a victim who is running away. Although “running away” is really the wrong phrase, because the victims are usually tripping over their own feet and spend most of their time crawling on the ground. But what would the outcome have been if they were runners? Continue reading “How to Survive a Horror Movie: Be a Runner!” » Technorati Tags: Halloween, horror movies, Nike ad, Nike+, running, running tips, scary movies, Suzy Hamilton, Why Sport
Nike Plus SportWatch GPS Review Posted by Steve on October 1, 2012 1 Response » Oct 012012 Before I begin to bury everyone in stories and specifications of the Nike Plus SportWatch, I want to explain my decision to try out a Nike HRM/GPS watch rather than a more popular Garmin Forerunner or Polar. Anyone who knows me would be able to explain my passion for electronics and my obsession with reading product reviews, along with doing tons of research on a product before making a purchase. With that said, you can understand the trouble I had when choosing a product that meshes two of my favorite things, technology and running. This decision can be explained by one important word: ecosystem. Apple has it, Google has it, Amazon has it, and Nike has it. Other watch/fitness competitors are trying to build similar communities for the fitness world but, unfortunately, no one has it quite like Nike. The recent Nike Plus website rebuild is one of the best examples of a company realizing a major flaw in a major market and turning it into something that could ultimately become Nike’s biggest selling point. From what I have seen, no competitor has a similar community to Nike Plus and with as many miles as I have logged on their website, I wouldn’t dare leaving it without something amazing on the other end. Continue reading “Nike Plus SportWatch GPS Review” » Technorati Tags: Heart Rate Monitor, HRM, Nike Running, Nike SportWatch, Nike+
Nike: Find Your Greatness Posted by Meagan on July 31, 2012 1 Response » Jul 312012 I have to admit that Nike has been hitting it out of the park with their recent advertising campaigns. For me, it started with the very cute “I Would Run to You” ad for the new Nike Frees. They have caught my attention again, though, with their “Find Your Greatness” campaign, specifically the new ad featuring a young, overweight jogger making his way slowly, but surely, down a deserted, country road. And yes, you read that right–I did say an overweight jogger in a Nike ad. So refreshing when you consider the usual bodies we see in fitness ads, which, for most, are unattainable, and likely discouraging, ideals. The ad, included after the jump, is remarkably simple, but has a very powerful message. It stars Nathan, a 12-year-old boy from London, Ohio, and, as the title suggests, emphasizes that there is greatness in all of us. Continue reading “Nike: Find Your Greatness” » Technorati Tags: advertisement, advertising, Find Your Greatness, jogger, jogging, Nike ad, Nike Running, Nike+, running, running ad
Nike+ GPS Goes Running Posted by Steve on June 27, 2012 2 Responses » Jun 272012 For those of you who have been following us for a while, you know Meagan and I both are long time Nike+ users and have been following the system since its beginning. Meagan has compared the Nike+ GPS app to the Nike+ iPhone sensor app, and covered the release of the Nike+ FuelBand, while I have covered Nike’s updates and major software announcements. You can imagine our excitement, then, when we saw the recent update to Nike+ GPS waiting for us in the app store last week. Nike has finally delivered on their promise to update their deteriorating Nike+ system, and we’re here to tell you about the many changes to both the app and website. This year, we will remember June 21st not only as the summer solstice, but also the day that Nike delivered a stellar product to the masses (including the masses of Android users who are finally able to use Nike+ on their phones!). The release of version 4.0 of the Nike+ GPS app is an exciting, and very much needed, update to everything Nike+, and it all starts with its new name: “Nike+ Running”. Application pictures after the break! Continue reading “Nike+ GPS Goes Running” » Technorati Tags: Nike + iPod, nike apology, nike plus, Nike Running, Nike+, Nike+ Fuelband, NikeFuel
Nike Announcement: The Nike+ Relaunch Posted by Steve on February 22, 2012 No Responses » Feb 222012 So, is it just me or does Nike have some sort of announcement quota they are trying to hit? Whatever the case, they are definitely doing a good job sparking my interest. Just to bring you up to date since September 2011 (when they sent out their apology letter, which I attached below) Nike has updated the Nike+ app for iPhone to version 3.3, which introduced Facebook Timeline integration and route posting (12/21/2011), they announced the Nike+ Fuelband (01/19/2012), updated the entire Nike+ infrastructure (02/2012), announced their new material “Flyknit” (02/21/2012), and tonight (02/22/2012), they have announced some of the major changes coming in the “relaunch of Nike+ running”. Continue reading “Nike Announcement: The Nike+ Relaunch” » Technorati Tags: ipad, iphone, nike apology, Nike Flyknit, Nike Running, Nike+, Nike+ Fuelband
Is Nike Going Full-Minimalist? Posted by Meagan on February 21, 2012 6 Responses » Feb 212012 It looks like one of the wishes on my “Minimalist Wish-List” might be coming true. Today, Nike announced their newest technology, Flyknit, and the associated shoe, the Nike Flyknit Racer. I am intrigued by the video for this shoe, as it seems to suggest that the Flyknit Racer will be a minimalist shoe. The video begins by showing the bare footprints of the runner, and then slowly “builds” the person’s foot, clearly showing their midfoot form. The shoe is then constructed around the foot, allowing the runner to maintain the mid foot form. So, what does this all mean? Is Nike going minimalist? Beyond a few photos and the video included below, they haven’t released too much information, yet, about what exactly this shoe is meant for or details about its construction. Here’s what we think we know or have seen so far: Continue reading “Is Nike Going Full-Minimalist?” » Technorati Tags: Flyknit, minimalist shoes, Nike Flyknit, Nike Flyknit Racer, Nike Running, Nike+, running
Running Wired or Wireless Posted by Steve on February 20, 2012 2 Responses » Feb 202012 Heart rate monitors, sport watches, iPhones, and Nike+ are just some of the technologies we choose to run with. Recently, I began to wonder how these tools are affecting our runs and whether or not all of their effects are of a positive nature. How do tech-based tools help? In an article from Runner’s World by Bob Parks, he asks four runners to test HRMs (heart rate monitors) and GPS watches to see how their training was affected. In “Why Monitors Make Us Fitter”, Parks says that various training monitors help to: 1. Stop Overtraining Many runners don’t do easy runs easy enough and this hurts their fitness in the long run. Professional triathlon coach Hank Lange says, “Watching your beats per minute can serve in a terrific governor role to keep you from overdoing it.” 2. Stop Undertraining Likewise, you can’t get the full benefit of tempo runs if you don’t work hard enough. Barker finds that monitors help hard workouts designed to improve your lactate threshold. 3. Get Feedback on the Fly Sometimes it’s hard to gauge your effort level on your own. It could be the wind, fatigue, the hills. In any situation, a monitor provides a pretty good picture of how hard your body’s working. 4. Monitor Your Fitness Beyond furnishing the basic pulse rate, many monitors also tally the time you spend at different training intensities. This data can help you assess how your fitness is progressing and adjust your training plan as needed. Continue reading “Running Wired or Wireless” » Technorati Tags: barefoot, fitness, Heart Rate Monitor, HRM, iphone, minimalist running, Nike+, Polar FT4, running, running wired, running wireless, wifi running, you are the technology
