I’m not much of a fan of insects.  In fact, last night a tiny little spider descended from the ceiling directly in the path of my travels, and I sent the dog over to take care of it for me.

You’d never know he’s a spider killer in disguise based on that bonnet.

However, when I was making decisions a couple of weeks ago about whether to stop using the Weight Watchers PointsPlus program, I started looking at other options.  Less “diet-y” options.  It was at that point that I came across the Body Bugg, and I made an exception on the “no bugs allowed” rule.

The Bodybugg is basically a gadget that you wear around every day, and it keeps track of the amount of calories that you burn.  In addition to wearing the gadget, you also log the foods that you eat each day online, and the gadget interfaces with the Bodybugg web program to determine whether you have burned more calories that day than you consumed.

If you want to know even more nerdy information, you can read about the science behind the gadget.

It’s pretty cool, you guys.

Bodybugg doesn’t sell their product direct, so I clicked through the Bodybugg website and bought mine from 24 Hour Fitness.  It arrived by UPS about 5 days after I ordered it.

Prior to ever wearing the Bugg, I went through a pretty elaborate setup process in the Bodybugg program, by way of a questionnaire about me, my lifestyle, my food preferences (Meat/No Meat/Lacto Vegan), my medical conditions, etc.  At the end of the program, it asked me what type of nutrient allowance I wanted for protein, fats, and carbohydrates.  I thought this was a nice feature, since everyone’s body processes nutrients differently.

Since I know from past history that my body functions best at a 40%/30%/30%, but this option was not offered, I chose the 45%/35%/20% option.  I’ve only been using it now for a few days, but I’m feeling pretty happy about it.

The only problem that I ran into was that since I have a Mac, I needed to open the Bodybugg program using Safari instead of Firefox.  After reading the package (and emailing Bodybugg’s tech support team), I realized that it was a simple fix and I was just using the wrong browser.

I’ll keep you posted.  It’s only been a few days, but I think this one might be a keeper!  I’ll just try to keep the dog away from this Bugg.

]]> http://www.joggerslife.com/2011/the-only-bugg-ive-ever-liked/feed/ 4 http://www.joggerslife.com/2010/trx-suspension-trainer/ http://www.joggerslife.com/2010/trx-suspension-trainer/#comments Tue, 07 Dec 2010 18:39:59 +0000 http://www.joggerslife.com/?p=4312

I’ve talked to no end about how much I love my TRX Suspension Trainer.  We are a TRX family–The Mister can often be found in the middle of our neighborhood, hanging from various fixed points on the playground.

[incidentally, that head band still cracks me the hail up.]

I don’t lie when I tell you that I only try to hawk you stuff that I really believe in.  I have many grunting, snotty pictures of me hanging from one of our TRX trainers.  Most of them don’t even look this good.

Which tells you a lot about my skills at being photographed.  I’m the worst.

Luckily, that’s not a requirement of using and loving  the TRX.

If you have ever, for a split second, thought to yourself that you wanted to buy a TRX of your very own, now is the time to do it.  Fitness Anywhere, who makes the TRX Suspension Trainer is having a holiday sale.  This almost never happens.  If you buy a TRX between now and 12/12, you get 20% off plus free shipping.

And, if you’re still not ready to make the commitment, just sign up for my TRX Try It Program, which is pretty much commitment free.

[p.s...if you're on the TRX Try It waiting list, I'll be sending you an email update shortly.  I had a slight TRX backup, but we've purchased another and I should have one available soon!]

Disclosure: Actions you take from the links within this blog post may yield commissions for joggerslife.com. See Jogger’s Life’s disclosure statement for more details.

Rachel is the first person to receive a TRX Suspension Trainer as part of my TRX Try It Program. What, you don’t know Rachel?! If you don’t, you really should.

Here’s some details about Rachel and why she wanted to try the TRX:

Residence City/State: Houston TX

Blog Name: Rachel Wilkerson’s Blog

Blog Address: www.rachelwilkerson.com

Fitness Goals: Lose the 5ish pounds I gained over the summer, and then some. Really, I just want my jeans to fit well and my legs to look sexy in my Halloween costume.

Current Fitness Routine: Cardio (spinning, walking/running on the treadmill) ~4 days a week; one hour Core Fusion 4 days a week

Tell Me a Little Bit About You: I like getting it — in every sense of the word. I also like giving it. And owning it. Okay, actually, I just like all gerunds.

Well friends, she tried my TRX for the first time!

I knew that Rachel would put a fun (“TRX-Rated”) twist on a badass piece of workout equipment, and I’m glad that she’s having fun with it.

[but don't have too much fun Rachel...I need that thing back...]

So, go read about losing her TRX Virginity, and all X-rated jokes aside, you should also sign up for the program. It’s fun. I promise.

It should come to you as no surprise that I love the TRX. I’ve talked about it several times, most recently when I nearly passed out while using it in 90 degree weather with 489% humidity.

I am also part of the TRX affiliate program. Admittedly, I receive a commission if you click on my TRX affiliate link and buy any of their products through that link. However, I’m not one to slap ads all over my blog just because I’m trying to make some moolah. That’s not why I blog, but it is nice when I make a sale and I can offset some of the expense of managing my websites.

I advertise TRX’s products because I love them. Plain and simple. I use the TRX a minimum of once per week in my real life, and I believe in TRX’s products. My Gazelle loves the TRX so much that he took a class to learn how to effectively teach people how to use the TRX, and he is now gearing up to do his first TRX Bootcamp next month.

We’re definitely a ‘TRX family’, and part of the draw for us is the TRX Suspension Trainer is something that both of us can use. We now have 4 suspension trainers (so that he can train multiple people at once), and we are both able to work out together, adjusting the intensity based upon our own level of strength and conditioning.

I’m excited because tonight is our weekly TRX workout, and our friend James will again be joining us for the second week. He loves it too!

I’ve received a lot of positive feedback on my TRX posts, and I realized that many of the people who leave comments mention that they would love to try a TRX Suspension Trainer, but haven’t had an opportunity. My guess is that due to the cost of a TRX Trainer (prices start around $190), people are afraid to make the initial investment just in case they don’t enjoy using it.

(cue my eternal need to be a middle child and help everyone)

I want to be a middle child and help you.

I’m going out on a limb here, and I might end up losing $200 in the process, but that’s sort of how I roll.

I want you to be able to try a TRX Suspension Trainer without the initial $200 investment, just in case you hate it. Now, keep in mind that I’m working on the honor system here, and I know that there are snaky people in the world, but I’m just going to throw caution to the wind.

You can try out a TRX Suspension trainer for 30 days, and you will only pay as much as it costs you to ship it back to me after your 30 days is up.  If you buy a TRX Suspension Trainer through my link after you return the one you borrowed, I’ll even refund that cost back to you via Paypal.  Just send me a copy of your TRX store receipt, a copy of the receipt for returning my TRX, and your Paypal address, and I’ll show you the money.

Program Requirements:

1. You must be a real person living in the United States or Canada.
2. You must have your own blog that you regularly write on.
3. You must commit to use the TRX regularly as part of your current workout routine.
4. You must commit to blog about your experience A MINIMUM of once per week for 4 weeks (sending me the weekly link to the post), AND be willing to have your experience posted (or linked to) on Jogger’s Life.
5. You must commit to link back to www.joggerslife.com in your blog posts.
6. You must return all of the equipment after 30 days.
7. If you decide that you want to buy a TRX Suspension trainer after your 30 day trial, purchase through my affiliate link: http://cot.ag/atdAVU
8. You must NOT already own or have access to a TRX Suspension Trainer.

Are you up to the challenge?

Contact me with the following info:

The form will require that you provide your Name and Address, then please copy and paste the following into the Contact Form with your information added:

Residence City/State:

Blog Name:

Blog Address:

Mailing Address:

Fitness Goals:

Current Fitness Routine:

Tell Me a Little Bit About You (excerpts of this may be used on the JL website):

Obviously, this program and the requirements that I’ve laid out are going to be on the honor system. I’m not going to crucify you if you don’t follow all of the rules (save the one about returning the equipment), but I will be linking to your weekly posts, so everyone will know if you’re not doing your thing. No pressure.

Obviously, if you want to buy your own TRX, I’ll make a small commission on it. Like I said, that commission will help to offset my costs, but it is not the main objective. I just want you to be able to step outside of your fitness “box”, and go out on a limb of your own.

It’s fun out here on the limb. Join me.

A few months ago, knowing that I sweat a lot, My Gazelle bought me two Halo products: the black Halo II Headband,

and the black Halo Visor

I sweat like a dude. There’s no shame in my game. I work hard, and I sweat. Hell…sometimes I sweat like a man while standing still. What I’m trying to say is that when I’m running or biking, I spend a lot of time wiping sweat out of my eyes. Since I wear contacts, this turns out to be a huge pain in the ass, and usually leads me to have to give my contacts a complete rinse down when I’m finished working out.

My sweat is not easily tamed by any headband. Luckily, Halo does not make just any headband. Halo headbands are designed to move sweat away from your eyes with a magical yellow sweat re-routing thingamajigger.

Prior to wrestling with the seaweed monster at my first triathlon on Sunday, I had tried the headband a few times under my bicycle helmet on practice rides, but didn’t even take the tag off of the visor yet.

I decided to use them both during the triathlon.

OH! See?! Hi! There I am wearing my visor at the finish.

I normally don’t wear hats when I run. Don’t get me wrong, I love hats. I think that hats are adorable, and I’ve tried wearing various hats several times. The problem is that I always get completely overheated, or I feel like my head is going to explode from the pressure of the hat. The hat always comes off and gets attached to my fuel belt around mile 1.

Did you see me up there, wearing the visor at the finish line?

I was pleasantly surprised that the Halo visor did not cause any discomfort at all, I didn’t have to adjust it at all, and it made it through all 3.4 miles. At one point, as I was dumping water on my head at an aid station, I became very thankful that I wore it. The water (and sweat) honestly, magically, completely circumvents your eyes. There is no wiping, and no losing a contact lens.

The verdict: Jogger approved! I love them both. At a price of $12.99 for the headband, and $27.25 for the visor (both through the links above), they are both completely worth the investment.

And no, I’m not referring to the smell of my gym clothes.

BLUE BETTY IS FIXED!

(***confetti***happy dance***confetti***)

To celebrate Blue Betty’s recovery, a Funky Friday tribute to her.

Thanks to Arrow Bicycle in Hyattsville, Maryland, my girl is all fixed. It was quite a fiasco because she was chilling at a local bike shop that wasn’t able to fix her. Yesterday, I used my 15 minute afternoon break to go to the “other” bike shop and pick her up. After work, I drove the 16 miles (which took 40 minutes thanks to DC traffic) to Arrow Bicycle, and they had it fixed for me in TWENTY MINUTES.

I’m sure that I literally SKIPPED all the way back to the car with my bike. I’m also sure that at least one person muttered “crazy white girl” under their breath as I skipped on by.

I don’t care, people. MY BIKE IS FIXED.

I also have to report that MY EYEBALL IS FIXED!

This means that my little bike and I are driving to New York later today, and we get to do a brick with My Sista. All is not lost, and my ‘no good, very bad week’ is now officially repaired.

Unlike Sunday, today is a good day.

These, my friends, are the Sony NWZ-W252 Walman MP3 Player. They are very lightweight, wireless, water-resistant, reasonably-priced ($60), and hold approximately 270 songs (2GB). The best part is that you can move music directly from your iTunes library onto the device. When Sony offered these up for a free, I jumped at the opportunity. However, since I’m a slave to my iPod, I decided to let My Gazelle do the reviewing this time. It’s only fair…what’s mine is almost his, right?

So, here is Rizzle Dizzle’s review of the Sony NWZ-W252 Walkman MP3 Player.

________

Giving these headphones to me for a product review was the right thing to do. My workouts are sorta acrobatic to say the least!

The first thing I noticed when I turned on the player was that the sound was not as clear and crisp as on my iPod.

However, the headphones did fit snugly over my ears, and there were no cords to wrangle.

I decided to try the walkman with a medium-intensity workout and an extremely fast paced, high-intensity workout. When I used the headphones with the medium-intensity workout (consisting of running on the treadmill and lifting weights in a circuit), they worked like a champ. They never fell out of my ears, and I loved the fact that they were cordless.  One of the most annoying things for me is trying to figure out where to put my headphone cord while I’m working out.

For the intense workout, I did circuit weight training and plyometrics for an hour and a half.  This workout even included me hanging upside down from the  pull-up bar doing sit-ups, reverse crunches and back rows (Note from your girl: I hope our children get your genes…just sayin’).  Unfortunately, I found that the headphones were hard to keep in my ears when I working out, and at one point they actually fell out when I was hanging upside down. However, I understand that this is the extreme case.  If you are a regular gym-goer or runner (who doesn’t hang upside down like I do), these headphones would be great for you.

The Pro’s:

• The headphones are comfortable to wear (like a Bluetooth headset).
• Keeps your arms free while lifting weights or running, and there are no cords to get tangled up.
• Very easy to operate while you are engulfed with your workout.
• Inexpensive.
• Portable.
• Fits snugly in the ears during most exercises.

The Con’s:

• The sound is not as crisp as an Ipod.
• When the player is in shuffle mode, it makes a weird noise that lets you know that the next song is coming.
• If you’re doing hard-core workouts, they might fall out of your ears.

The conclusion is that I’ll still wear these headphones because I love the wireless feature, but I’ll bring my iPod when I plan to hang upside down!

I’m taking a break from my standard “Flashback Friday” in order to mention something important.

Today, I woke to the news of McDonald’s doing a voluntary recall on 12 million Shrek drinking glasses because they contained cadmium.  This is actually kind of ironic, because the only thing that I watched on TV last night was a documentary on the presence of cadmium in millions of pieces of jewelry made in China (and imported into the United States).  Beware of cadmium, people!  I’m sure that I’ve purchased jewelry for my niece before that was made in China, and it no doubt contained this harmful metal.

Some of you who have been around for a while (or know me in real life–HI KARIE!) know that I’m more concerned than the average person about chemicals residing in everyday products. I try to keep things in my universe pretty natural, and I also try to avoid eating foods with added chemicals and such. I clean my house with peroxide rather than using artificial chemical cleaners, and I also use peroxide in the laundry in place of bleach.  Maybe I’m paranoid, but what began as a way to keep my asthma at bay has now turned into a genuine issue with harsh chemicals.

There’s no shame in my game.  I’m paranoid.

I keep my eye on the news when any updated information comes out regarding potentially harmful chemicals in our environment. The Environmental Working Group just recently released their annual report to consumers. In this report, they stated that Many Sunscreens May Be Accelerating Cancer.  Although there has been debate for years on whether the harsh chemicals used in sunscreen are safe, the issue with cancer acceleration seems to be the addition of Vitamin A and its’ derivatives (isotretinoin, tazaroten, adapalene and tretinoinas–or any retanoid) as antioxidants to prevent skin-aging.  Apparently, the FDA has known about the risks of sunscreens which contain Vitamin A for at least 10 years, but has not notified the public.

Way to go, FDA. You’re awesome.

As a result of that fantastic article, I threw away all of the sunscreen that I had (because all of it contained Vitamin A), and I started searching Amazon for an organic, Vitamin A-free version. There are a ton of options, but I finally decided on Loving Naturals Organic SPF 30*, which contains the main active ingredient zinc oxide, as well as a number of other natural oils and moisturizers.  Although most zinc oxide used commercially is synthetically produced, zinc oxide is a compound that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust.  Call me crazy, but this makes me feel a little more safe than all of the random chemicals that standard sunscreens are chock full of.

Prior to the past couple of years, I never worn sunscreen.  I don’t remember wearing it as a child, and we were outside all the time.  These days, I slather the stuff on before I go outside to run or bike.  It’s been especially hot these days, so sunscreen is a must.  Not only am I paranoid, but I’m also fair-skinned.  I am the queen of sunless tanning lotion to try to mask the fact that I’m not a blue-eyed, fair-skinned girl of Scottish decent, but trust that I am Casper-white under all of this Mystic Tan.

Do you use sunscreen?  Did you hear about the article I mentioned?  Did you make changes to your sunscreen choices as a result of the article?

*Yes, if you click on this link, it’ll take you to my Amazon store. If you buy anything in the store, I will make a small commission on it. Of course that would be nice, but it is not my primary intention to try to hawk sunscreen (or anything else) on JoggersLife. I really just wanted to warn you about sunscreen. =)

I’m glad that everyone liked my PACOS yesterday! I never thought that POM would pair nicely with chicken tacos, but it definitely did! My lunch leftovers yesterday were even better than the original!

Alicia asked yesterday how My Gazelle acquired that name. So, for anyone who missed that moment in history, you probably want to read the story of how he effortlessly smoked me in a 5K. When I discovered him after the race, his sweat had completely dried. He was sipping water and chatting with an old friend.

It was actually fun re-reading that post, because at the time when I wrote it, he was still my boyfriend (now he’s my fiance), he was only attending his martial arts class twice a week (Ha! That would be a treat…he’s in black belt cycle now!), and he did a 5K in 24 minutes (he squashed his most recent 5K in about 20 minutes). I still want to kick him in his shin.

Speaking of sweating, I love asking questions on Twitter. I love the fact that I can throw a question out into the Twitterverse, and I get back several different opinions, many of which I would have never considered if left to my own (Twitterless) devices. Yesterday, I asked this question:

To me, this is a very important question. I love fitness stuff. I love trying things out, and I wanted to see if I’ve missed the boat on anything over the past year! This is what the Twitterverse answered:

Clearly, everyone loves their Garmin!

So how about you? What’s the best fitness-related item that you’ve purchased in the past year?

I’ll be featuring some of these products in an upcoming post so that everyone can be in the know!

Almost a year ago, My Gazelle and I were on our way out the door to go to the gym, when we realized that we were trapped inside our condo development. Street fairs be damned, we were still going to get our workout in for the day. Thankfully, we had this contraption around.

I really can’t say enough nice things about the TRX trainer. It’s seriously one of the only all-in-one systems that is entirely portable and works your whole body. You can alter the exercises to fit your own ability level, and I was even able to still use it when I was recovering from my knee/leg/calf (IT Band) injury.

I tried to find you a coupon code for the TRX, but no dice. I even searched on my affiliate site, and there are no special deals at the moment (Dear TRX: how about a coupon code?). However, they do offer free shipping on all orders over $150.

Full Disclosure: Yes, I have a TRX Affiliate account (that nifty TRX ad that you see on the left takes you to my site), but this review was done WAY before I ever knew what a ‘TRX Affiliate account’ even was. The review is unbiased. But if you want to buy one, help your girl out and click through to my store! I mean…you’re gonna buy it anyway, right?

p.s…don’t forget to enter my contest for Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss!

_____________________
Originally Posted May 12, 2009

My Gazelle loves the TRX Suspension Trainer.  This past Saturday, we were being held hostage in our development due to a street festival, thus foiling all previous plans of us making it to the gym.

What is any logical person to do?  Well, take their TRX outside, wander around the neighborhood, find a huge telephone pole, attach the TRX, and proceed to get in a suuuurious workout.

If our neighbors didn’t think we were strange before, they definitely do now.

Here is My Gazelle’s full review of the TRX Suspension Trainer, complete with sweaty hawt boy pix.  And there’s one of me.  I’m sweaty, but not hawt.  I only allowed that one picture of me to prove that the best part of the TRX is that anyone with a basic level of fitness can use this piece of equipment.  Better yet, My Gazelle and I used this together, with very few modifications.

It was quite the romantic afternoon on our TRX.

And now, My Gazelle, with the occasional picture and commentary from moi…

____________

After seeing a lot about the TRX suspension trainer on the internet, I had to see for myself what the talk was all about. I’ve been training in Street Combat (martial arts) for the last 8 months, and I’m always interested in ways to get stronger without weights.  I like to be strong but not bulky, because it makes my martial arts training more effective.  I decided to buy the TRX Force Kit. Thanks to my frugal girlfriend (who found a $30 off coupon online), I paid $179.95 for the kit.  It comes with an instructional DVD, training manual, TRX suspension trainer, door anchor, and a carrying bag.

The first workout with the TRX that I did was while watching the “Day 1” DVD workout (34 minutes long).  It was basically a leg workout with a lot of core work.  I had NEVER done a thirty-minute workout and sweated my tail off like that! The single leg squats and suspended lunges are my favorite leg exercise, and the suspended crunch is my favorite core exercise on the Day 1 program.

The Day 2 program is all upper body and core exercises, and is very challenging!  The first exercise for day 2 takes a lot of strength. It’s called the Suspended Incline Press. If you have ever done a jack knife push-up (Chinese pushup), imagine raising both legs on an incline and then trying to do a pushup. If its sounds difficult, that’s because it is!  I only can do 5 at a time without killing my shoulders and abs.

This exercise (as with most of the TRX exercises) can be modified so that they are easier at first.

The “Day 2″ workout brings with it Atomic Pushups.  This exercise is for your chest and core stabilization, and is also one of my favorite exercises. You face away from your “post ” (the structure that your TRX trainer is anchored to), place your feet in the straps, and get in a push-up position.  The exercise involves performing a standard push-up, then bringing your knees to your chest.  It’s no joke.

I have never used any type of equipment like this before, but now I’m addicted! If you’re looking for a piece of equipment that will work your entire body with every exercise, but is not too hard to install, this is it!

(“Don’t arch your back, hot stuff!”)

Huh?

(“Oh…just do that back row thing instead…”)

This one?

(“Yep, yep…that’s the one…lookin’ good…great form…wait, hold it right there…one more picture…”)

The TRX suspension trainer is amazing and you will see a difference in your overall strength if you continuously use it.  I definitely recommend the TRX, but when you first use it I suggest starting off by using the DVD in order to learn the exercises and form.

______

So, there ya have it. My Gazelle says it’s great, and I even love the thing.  I’ve used it a few times besides this impromptu neighborhood session, and I plan to add it to my weekly workout plans in addition to running and cross training.

Here’s an actual video of cool people using the TRX.  They’re better at it than us:

If anyone has any questions about the TRX, ask away!  I also have a ton more pictures, and I can post videos as well.  Ask and you shall receive!