Everyone that knows me knows that I need to be constantly motivated to accomplish anything. I’m becoming more and more self motivated these days but, when it comes to working out for the sake of working out well I’m just lazy.

Recently I took the plunge and bought a new pair of Nike Moto 6’s. I absolutely love running with them on, they are very comfortable.

When I first bought them I noticed that they were nike plus “ready”, which basically means that the right shoe has a specially designed hole under the insole that you put a Nike plus sensor into.

The Nike Plus Ipod Running Kit

For those that don’t already know, Nike and Apple have teamed up and produced the Nike plus ipod running kit. The kit consists of the sensor that fits in your shoe and the receiver that you attach to your Ipod touch, Ipod Nano or Iphone.

Once you attach the receiver to your Ipod a new section appears on the main screen called “nike+ipod” were you enter your weight, age etc.. under the settings section. This allows you to track the number of calories you burn during your workout, among other things.

This kit costs $39 (Canadian) so after spending $90 on the shoes I was a little hesitant to buy it. After a few conversations with some friends that bought it already I decided to pick it up and try it out.

Is it Worth it?

I have to say that I am very impressed with it so far, more so than I thought I would be. It’s not the kit that is impressive but the tracking and charting information on the Nike Plus website that gets me motivated.

Below is a sample of one of my runs (Note that I have a weird running style and I need to calibrate my settings for running on a treadmill)

As you can see the Nike plus sensor and receiver record the total number of calories that you’ve burnt, the average pace per kilometer, total distance and a bunch of other data.

All this data is transmitted to your Nike plus profile once you connect your ipod to your computer.

Setting Goals

One the best features of the Nike plus website is the goal setting feature. Weather you are new to running or a expert runner the goals section will keep you motivated. There are 4 main types of goals that you can set.

1. Run More Often
2. Run Further
3. Burn More Calories
4. Run Faster

You can select how many times a week, or month that you run. There is a chart that lets you know how far ahead or behind the goal you are.

On top of the goals menu, you can select a pre designed workout program that will help you learn to run, train for your first 5K, 10k, Half Marathon race or all the way up to running a full marathon.

Challenges

Bored running against yourself? Maybe you are ready to see how fast you are compared to the rest of the runners in the world? This is were the Nike Plus challenges come in. There are literally hundreds of different challenges you can enter for all different running levels.

You can create a challenge and invite just your friends, or join a challenge already created and opened to the public. I personally enjoy the beginners challenges as I actually have a fair chance at winning (or at least place in the top 10).

There are also team challenges that you can join. Like the Canada vs U.S.A one that is currently going on. If you happen to win a challenge you are awarded a trophy….yeah.

The challenges are a great way to keep you motivated and encouraged. Once you join a challenge you can post comments on the challenge wall. You can either encourage your fellow runners or trash talk them, most are encouraging….most.

The Forum

The only thing I can find wrong with the Nike Plus website is the forum. It seems like a great idea but in my opinion it’s useless. There is no real sense of community or helpfulness or encouragement there. Sorry forum members but it’s true.

If you’re interested in joining a really great running form, I highly recommend joining Running Mania. Awesome group of runners from all levels there.

Nike Friends and Foes

Nike Plus has a feature that lets you add friends (or rival runners known as foes) and view the runs that they’ve tagged. You can also invite friends to join private challenges. If you are interested in adding me as a friend or a foe, my user name is mclintst or check out my twitter updates at @Steve_wlw

I am only accepting a maximum of 5 guests posts so get yours to me quickly.

Weight Loss and Fitness Article Directory

I am in the process of setting up a new weight loss and fitness article directory at weightlossweapons.com. So stay tuned for upates on when it launches and how you can contribute to it. (it will be a do follow directory). There is just too much crap posted out there and this directory will only be accepting high quality articles.

Talk to you soon
Steve

I recently received an email from an obvious online marketer promoting the wildly popular fat loss 4 idiots diet program, which is based on the theory of calorie shifting. I didn’t bite but I’ll admit the promises are very enticing.

Claims like “Lose 9 pounds every 11 days” always spark my interest and curiosity. So I wanted to share my thoughts, research on calorie shifting and how it is done. (without you paying $39 for it)

What is Calorie Shifting

Calorie shifting is a method of eating that involves you having 4 meals a day and following a meal plan with foods that supposedly burn fat more effectively (mostly high protein foods and very little vegetables) That is how the commercial programs do it anyway.

You are constantly changing the total amount of calories you eat in any given day, “shifting” your calories up by 400 one day and then down by 300 the next day and so on.

Things to Note Before Starting a Calorie Shifting Plan

Below is an example of a typical calorie shifting plan. In order for this to work there are a few things you should note before you can see the 9 pounds in 11 days claim.

1.) You should establish a calorie baseline that your body has become accustomed to for at least 21-28 days. For this example it is assumed that a daily calorie intake of 2000 calories or very close to it has been maintained.

2.) Your current diet should be pretty bad already. If you have been eating well (lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats and whole grains), exercising regularly and getting plenty of recovery time this most likely won’t work for you. This is something the programs don’t mention as they assume you are already in bad shape to begin with.

A Calorie Shifting Plan Example

Day 1 -1700 Calories
Day 2 -2200 Calories
Day 3 -1600 Calories
Day 4 -2300 Calories
Day 5 -1900 Calories
Day 6 -2500 Calories
Day 7 -1700 Calories
Day 8 -2100 Calories
Day 9 -1500 Calories
Day 10 -2200 Calories
Day 11 -1600 Calories

Notice the up and down swings in the total daily calories. This is designed to confuse your body’s metabolism and supposedly burn more calories.

Is Calorie Shifting Effective?

For some people this can actually be an effective short term plan. But just like any other diet program/ plan it all depends on the individual as everyone’s metabolism is different.

Just be clear that once you return to your normal eating patterns you will most likely regain some of the weight.

Do I Recommend Calorie Shifting?

If you are looking to make a lifestyle change and improve your overall health then I don’t think a calorie shifting plan is the right way to start. These plans exclude many fruits and veggies which I think are essential to your health.

The other thing I dislike about calorie shifting plans is that they require no exercise. I understand that many people hate to exercise and this “no exercise claim” can seem appealing but trust me when I say that food alone is not enough. Please don’t discount the benefits of regular exercise.

Keep in mind that this is calorie shifting as I understand it and there are many variations in the calorie shifting theories and programs.

What is your opinion of Calorie shifting?

Just a quick post to let everyone know about some big savings on fitness, weight loss and workout DVD’s at Amazon.com going on now until January 24th.

There are over 200 fitness titles on sale for up to 50% by some of the biggest names in the industry. I have listed them by groups and a few titles that I like. They are only on sale for another 13 days or while supplies last.

You’re saving $6-$10 per DVD and you don’t even have to dig through the discount DVD bins at Wal-mart (Come on I know I’m not the only one who’s done that before)

The Biggest Loser Workout DVD’s
-The 30 Day Jumpstart
-Power Sculpt
-Cardio Max
-Bootcamp
-Weight loss Yoga
-Last Chance Workout

View all Biggest Loser DVD’s on Sale Here

Jillian Michael’s DVD’s
-30 Day Shred (Excellent)
-No More Trouble Zones
-Banish Fat, Boost Metabolisim

View All of Jillian’s Titles on Sale Here

10 Minute Solution

There are over 21 titles in this series on sale here are just a few:

-Fitness Ball Workouts
-5 Day Get Fit Mix
-Blast Off Belly Fat
-Rapid Results Pilates
-Fat Blasting Dance Mix
-Target Toning For Beginners
-Kickbox Bootcamp with Keli Roberts – (I could take her )
-Quick Tummy Toners
-Plus 13 other titles. One thing is for sure, the producers of these videos are not fond of fat!

View All the 10 Minute Solution Titles On Sale Here

I’m not going to go into anymore detail, you get the idea. Great titles, Big savings and they are all eligible for free shipping (if you spend $25 I think).

Check Out All the Fitness DVD Titles on Sale (Including Denise Austin and Kathy Smith) Here

Please note that these link to amazon.com and I receive a small commission from any items that you purchase, just so you know

It’s that time of year again! Time to reflect back on what you have accomplished over the past year and set your goals for the New year.

First off, yes I know it has been a looooong time since I put up a post here, and guess what? One of my resolutions for 2010 is to post at least once per week (even if they are short but direct to the point posts)

Why You Need to Make Resolutions

In the past week I have received 8 emails from various sites (Prevention etc…) all saying not to make a resolution for 2010. I think that is total BS.

I make resolutions every year and while most don’t stick I do benefit from everyone of them. Sometimes failing at something is the best thing for you.

Not resolving to change or improve on something in your life to me is the same thing as not having a dream or goals (resolutions are really just broad goals for the year). What is the point of living if aren’t working towards a better life for you and your family/friends?

Resolutions For 2010

Weight Loss

Weight loss, improving my overall health and fitness is always at the top of my list. This year I am mixing things up a bit though. I have followed a lot of commercialized diets and weight loss programs in the past. While I did see results with most of them, nothing really stuck. The weight came back.

I have enough knowledge and experience in losing weight that I have come up with my own eating plan. I have it all ready to go and starting on Jan 1st I will be following it strictly which should be fairly simple since it is tailored around my 9 to 5 lifestyle. I am still following the big workout plans, starting with Tony Horton’s 10 minute trainer as a fitness kick start which will be followed by the restart of P90X. (stopped early due to injury earlier this year)

I plan on turning the eating plan into a downloadable ebook, but only after I see the results for myself.

My goal for 2010 is to get under 180lbs and 17% bodyfat. Very achievable I think.

Run a Half Marathon

It has always been a dream of mine to run a full marathon. I have no idea why I hold that as my fitness holy grail, as I don’t always enjoy running. I’ve ran a bunch of 5k races and a few 10k’s over the past few years. But for some reason I have never committed to taking the next step and training for or running a half marathon. September 2010 I will complete my first ever half marathon. (either the Toronto half marathon or the Scotia waterfront half marathon)

Those are my 2 weight loss and fitness resolutions.

Just a couple of quick non health/fitness/weightloss related resolutions for 2010:

1. Increase my online income to $2000 a month (shouldn’t be too difficult)

2. Become consumer debt free (again). 2008 and 2009 were bad year’s employment wise for my wife and we had to stay a float with credit. The end of 2009 has been great and things are back on track 2010 will be even better financially.

I actually have a great system for dealing with debt and without it things could have been much worse than they were.

3. Increasing my online presence. Over the past few months I have fallen right off the map. Few posts if any, no commenting on my favourite blogs and I haven’t responded to comments on this blog for a while. I haven’t created any new sites/projects in a looooooong time either. 2010 that all changes.

What About You?

What are your resolutions for 2010? Are you even going to make a resolution?

Let me know what you think, I will be responding to all comments.

Steve

Living in Canada I get the full effects of the 4 seasons. From the bitter chill of winter to the hot and humid summers. Since I’m not a huge fan of spending all my time in the gym, I need to get outdoors and that means I have to deal with the elements.

Reviewing the past few years of my weight loss journey I wanted to see which season has been the most effective for losing weight and why? Here are my thoughts on Winter weight loss vs Summer weight loss.

Summer Weight Loss

These are some of the positive activities that I can do during the summer time (May – August, Yes I know summer starts in June)

Running

I’m an avid runner, 5k’s and local runs around the neighborhood are what I enjoy and in the summer time it’s fairly easy to get 5 runs a week in. The nights are comfortable and with the sun setting after 9pm I’m able to finish my runs before the sun sets. This is a huge psychological boost for me plus I’m able to burn a ton of calories and I’m not sitting in front of the TV.

Team Sports

Softball and Basketball are 2 team sports that I love to participate in (despite injuring my knee playing basketball that sidelined me for 3 months). Basketball in particular really gets your heart pumping and utilizes muscles you forgot you even had. Outdoors courts are everywhere and you can even get a great workout playing alone.

Softball is not considered a big calorie burner as half the game you’re sitting on your butt. But I like to play in Tournaments that go all day. I end up playing 4-5 games in a day and that eats up a lot of calories.

Yard Work

I don’t have a huge yard but it is big enough to keep me busy all summer long. Cutting the grass, gardening, trimming, pruning and pulling the damn weeds (Canada has a ban on pesticides for use on lawns and it’s killing me).

Golf and Mountain Biking

Golf is expensive but a great workout, as long as you are walking the course and carrying your clubs you’re burning a ton of calories. (I skip the carts, including the beer cart….most times )

I’ve recently gotten back into mountain biking and wow did I miss it. Trail riding is a huge calorie burner, especially if you have a crappie Walmart brand bike like mine (seriously it only has half the gears it used to have and the remaining ones slip, Hint hint @TrekBikes please send a new one my way ) Trek Bikes are the Nike of mountain bikes.

Outdoor Time With The Kids

My kids are at the age where they want to spend all their time outside riding bikes, playing at the park, going for walks, playing soccer, frisbee etc.. my point is we are always out side during the summer. Weight loss and burning calories aside spending time with my kids is the most important part of my day.

Winter Weight Loss

These are the positive things about trying to lose weight during the winter months (November to March)

Clearing The Snow

We get a lot of snow (the last 2 years almost broke the all-time records) and clearing it is no easy task. Shoveling 6-10 inches every few days is great for burning calories if you’re doing it properly. Plus on my street once you’re done your driveway you help your neighbors finish theirs.

Playing in the Snow

Once you’ve piled the snow it’s time to play in it, with the kids of course. Building snowmen, snowball fights and tobogganing are what make winter and all that snow worth having. Packed snow is heavy and toboggan hills are steep and all that lifting and incline walking help to burn off the excess calories.

Skating

While I’m not a great skater, in fact I can’t even stop, I do like to get out on the outdoor rinks and ponds for a few hours of skating and shinny with friends and family. Plus holding the kids up while teaching them to skate really works the back.

So Which Season is the Best for Weight Loss?

Now while I have to admit I am way more active in the summer time outdoors than the winter time, looking over my weight charts it looks as though Winter is when my weight. BMI and body fat% drop to their lowest points of the year.

There could only be 1 reason for this: FOOD.

Our summers are filled with barbeques, steaks, burgers and hotdogs and drinking with the neighbors. We tend to eat out more often (patio season) and with all the activities I do I tend to eat a lot more than I normally would.

One of my vices has always been nighttime eating, in fact I still struggle with this today and in the summer time it is so easy to hop in the car and hit the drive through or the convenience store for a bag of chips.

I hate the cold I mean sometimes it gets so bad that I feel like moving to Florida or California. The cold is a huge deterrent for my nighttime eating habits and the snow gets in the way of that as well. Unless I’m going outside with a strong purpose and I’m properly dressed for the cold, I stay inside. This gives me time to prepare better meals and plan ahead for the next few days, plus I have an excuse to use the treadmill in the basement.

What season do you lose most of your weight in? Let me know what you think.

Many people get bored while running and have a hard time keeping their minds “occupied”, myself included. A great way to fight this is listening to music and singing along with it. (if you are at the gym keep it in your head, lol )

Just google “running music” and you’ll get thousands of sites offering different mixes and playlists, most are listed by BPM (beats per minute) which is convenient if you are looking for pace based workouts. I look at it differently though.

My Ipod is filled with different playlists organized by genre and not BPM. Each genre is best suited for my different moods and how energetic I feel before I workout. For example If I’m in an angry mood or just feeling pissed at myself for missing a previous workout, eating too much etc.. I put on the Hip-Hop or more specifically the Gangster rap. I generally don’t like the content but the beats and over all tone of the music just gets me pumped. (P.S I’m the whitest guy you’ll ever meet).

Tonight I was in a good mood, had a good amount of energy and just wanted to enjoy the run. For that kind of mood I go with either the Dance/techno songs or the Classic rock. It was classic rock night.

Great Songs for Running

Here are just a few of the songs that got me going and yes I know most of these are from the Rock Band games.

Mississippi Queen – Great for singing along with, 3 minutes gone and didn’t even notice it.

Hair of the Dog (Nazerth) – I like to visualize myself gaining on people while running a 5k and saying “now your messing with a son of a bitch” that and I like making the guitar noises half way through the song

Spirit in the Sky – I’m not religious, I just like singing “gotta have a friend in Jesus” or Allah as my Muslim says. I dare you to singing it without smiling.

Stranglehold – Ted Nugent – The drums and guitar just put me in a better mood, that and I like to imagine me getting my fat self in a stranglehold and giving him crap for not doing more to get the weight off sooner.

Won’t Back Down – Tom Petty – Great song for the last 5-10 minutes when you’re tired and feel like hitting the stop button. The line, “hey baby there ain’t no easy way out” is perfect and fits with my whole weight loss philosophy.

Spoonman – Soundgarden – Not exactly “Classic rock” but it has a great beat, plus I kick ass at rock band on this song and have the rhythm down perfectly. I literally finished my cool down listening to this while playing the air guitar and air drums.

Those are a few of my favorites I have a ton more of 90’s rock, Dance, Techno, etc… sorry no R&B or Country music on the ipod I rather listen to a 45 minute track of screaming babies over that stuff

The whole point of this is that I had fun while exercising by singing along and getting into the music the 45 minutes flew by. It was actually more like 50 minutes because I wanted to hear free falling one last time.

So I want to know what is in your Ipod and what are your favorite running/workout songs. Maybe I can add some new stuff.

You know when it comes to losing weight, eating healthy or doing exercise sometimes it feels like I am 2 different people. There is morning Steve, always tired but very motivated and hopeful for having a good healthy day, no junk foods, lots of walking breaks at work, drinking lots of water and looking forward to working out at night/evening etc.. I like this Steve.

Then there is night Steve or more specifically after the kids are in bed Steve. He craves the junk food and does whatever he can to get it. Night Steve is also tired but only when it comes to exercise or meal planning or making lunches/snacks for the next day. For all other activities like working on the computer until 1am, watching movies or driving to the store to get junk food he has boundless energy.

Obviously these 2 personalities clash and for some reason at night after the kids are in bed and it’s Mommy and Daddy time I forget about all the good intentions I had started the day with.

So Simple it Seems Stupid

What I do is this, in the morning before I leave for work is I write myself a note, nothing too elaborate usually just a sentence or a word.

For example yesterday’s note said this “Before turning on the computer run for 30 minutes on the treadmill, you’ll feel great” . I left this on my computer monitor, sure enough last night I came down stairs ready to hop on the computer as usual. I saw the note and immediately it brought me back to when I wrote it that morning.

45 minutes later I had run for 35 minutes and burnt 365 calories. Best of all I did feel great afterwards and I was able to work on the computer guilt free.

The key for me was not to think too much about what else I had to do that night or what else I could have done. Basically not talking myself out of it. I was listening to my motivated self and did what I knew I really wanted to do.

I Don’t Have Short Term Memory Loss

Maybe “forgetting” is the wrong word for my not following through with my good intentions, as I do not have short term memory loss. It’s more like wilful ignorance and I know I’m not alone on this.

My wife thinks it’s funny that I do this and has posted notes around the house with things like “unload the dishwasher” and “change the laundry” mocking me it seems. (Doesn’t work like that honey )

Before you just blow this off as silly or stupid, give it a try first. When you’re motivated in the morning (or anytime you’re feeling motivated) write to yourself and leave the notes somewhere you’ll be most likely to read it or need to read it. (on your fridge,TV, bathroom mirror, in your car etc…). Hopefully this will help you stay motivated or at least remind you of what you really want to do, when your motivated that is.

The never ending task of losing weight is daunting to so many people. You can feel as though, in spite of your best efforts, you can’t seem to shed the unwanted pounds.

One key to losing weight is to boost your metabolism.

People search for ways to boost their metabolism and some of them are rather unnatural or undesired, so it’s important to focus on the healthiest ways to do so. In order to boost your metabolism, you need to focus on a few important factors.

1. Weight Training: We all know that exercise is an important way to lose weight. However if you are looking to boost your metabolism for a longer term method to lose weight, you need to focus on weight training. Lifting weights helps to boost your muscle mass and this in turn burns more calories. The more muscle that you product, the higher your metabolism will get and the more weight you can drop. It’s that simple!

2. Eat More Protein: Yet again we see how focusing on building up your lean muscle helps to increase your metabolism. This time it has everything to do with eating the right foods, this time in the form of lean proteins. Eating protein will help your body to burn calories faster, keep you full longer, and ultimately increase your metabolism overall.

3. Drinking Lots of Ice Cold Water: As your body temperature tries to accommodate the ice cold water, it is burning calories in the process. This helps to burn calories and ultimately will increase your metabolism. Not only is water good for your health and your weight loss efforts, but it can play an important role in boosting your metabolism.

4. Fluctuate Your Calorie Intake: Rather than sticking with a set or limited number of calories each and every day, fluctuate the levels a bit. If you eat more calories one day and less the next, your body has to work to adjust. You don’t want to go for dramatic differences, but this minor modification can help to boost your metabolism.

5. Eat More Often: Rather than sitting down to three square meals a day, space out your eating. Eating smaller meals more frequently helps to boost your metabolism in the most natural way possible. This also keeps your blood sugar level up and helps your body to operate more efficiently.

6. Eating After a Workout: Your body is still working and burning calories even after you finish a grueling workout. This means that your metabolism is rather high and therefore makes an excellent time to eat. This means that your body will still be burning calories and help to boost your metabolism, even as you eat.

7. Eat a Well Balanced Diet: Try not to ignore any one food group as a well balanced diet will help to boost your metabolism. It’s important to include food choices from each food group such as lean protein, low fat dairy, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables to properly boost your metabolism.

Boosting your metabolism is one of the most effective ways to lose weight. By doing that in a healthy way—ways that are relatively painless, as the above all are—you also set the stage for not only increased metabolism and higher rates of calorie burn, but also for a lasting, well-managed diet and nutrition routine that will continue to do you good.

Mary Ward writes about various health care career topics, including how to choose among surgical technician courses.

Just a quick update on what I have been up to lately. As you can tell from my post frequency that I haven’t been very active online, or offline for that matter. After injuring my knee 10 weeks ago I’m now just able to bend my leg enough to start running in short bursts. This is very encouraging and I’m using that progress as motivation to restart a serious weight loss program.

Over the last 10 weeks I have done everything perfectly in order to GAIN weight. I’ve consumed way more calories than I’ve burnt, exercise has not been a part of my routine at all and my stress level has shot through the roof. Add all that together and what do you get?……..FAT and lots of it.

I have been receiving comments about how much weight I’ve gained and to top it off I need to buy a new pair of suit pants tomorrow for a wedding, since I can’t even get my old ones done up anymore.

Now this may all sound negative but I don’t see it that way. Sure it’s been frustrating and at times depressing but I look at all of these things as lessons and motivation. For example:

1. Not being able to run/walk until now has made appreciate how enjoyable it is just to take a nice slow walk around the neighborhood with my family.

2. Having to buy new pants, give me an actual physical target goal to strive towards. (Fitting into the old ones again).

Most importantly this whole experience has reinforced the principals of weight loss, that diet and exercise are both equally essential to maintaining and dropping the excess fat. Neglect one and the weight comes back slowly but neglect both and weight gain is very rapid.

So that is basically what I have been dealing with over the spring and first half of the summer. I feel that I’ve regained my focus now and I’m looking forward to big changes in the second half of the summer. Also look for more regular post updates as that is part of the plan.

Finally, I turned 32yrs old last week, great time to re-evaluate my goals!!