ntipton's blog

Cell phones aren't just for calling people anymore Not only can you play games, surf the web, get turn-by-turn directions, and listen to music you can now do "medical monitoring" on a gadget that you carry around in your pocket or purse.

I just came across this podcast and it is so cool, I had to share it. Coolrunning.com has had a "couch-to-5K" running program for some time.

It takes a sensible approach to running and is really amazing.

Everybody's Irish on St. Patrick's Day.

This year, why not pledge to earn those empty green beer calories.

If you can't take part in any of the events listed at active.com , you can join the virtual community at Nike + where every 200 calories burned get you a "beer" in the Shamrock Beer Burn.

We have come a long way since the first Observation Workout seven weeks ago.

We're in the last week of Heartzones 101 . For those of you who have been following the program, congratulations on getting through the class and making it to this final week.
For the rest of you .... what are you waiting for? Become a fitPod member and start this week to pay attention to your most important muscle -- your heart.

This week puts together the final three pieces of the HeartZone training plan -- Do it, log it, revise it.

From the looks of things around here, it might as well be Jan. 1.

People are popping up everywhere, running, cycling, walking. In other words, shaking off the the winter blahs and getting outside as the days become longer and the temperatures moderate. Bears aren't the only mammals to come out of hibernation in the spring. But unlike those furry creatures, humans don't lose weight when they hibernate -- they store it. OK, maybe you're a little overweight and creeky in the joints.

HeartZones 101 Week #7 -- Planning!

Well, we're up to week #7 of our introduction to HeartZones. You've learned a lot. You've learned how to find your maximum heart rate, what "Zones" are and how they feel.

You should be feeling better and more confident as well as we come to the end of my planned training for you. There's some fun workouts this week, along with an idea that just might help you squeeze in your workouts without even knowing it -- it's called Workout to Work and involves getting to your job under your own power.

HeartZones: 101 Week Six

One of the best ways to get fitter is to constantly take small fitness steps. One of these systems is called Kaizen, whcih means (loosely) small constant change.

"Kaizen" is a Japanese expression for constant small improvements. In other words, there is a great deal of value in a program that makes a 1% improvement 100 times, resulting in more than a 100% improvement.

Every trainer has their rules. At Heart Zones, we have one-liners that guide us in our training. This week, Heartzones 101 in in our 5th week and the workouts are posted here.

If you haven't become a member of fitPod, do it now and get started on our 8-week program to get started training with Heart Zones (and eight weeks to knowing yourself better as well) You can start any time, just start at Week #1; we'll keep all the workouts posted.

Would you consider training in shoes that don’t fit you? That should also be true about the way you train. You should train based on YOU. Training is personal. It must be designed around you, your time, your fitness level, your goals and a bunch of other things. So, if the shoe doesn't fit, don't wear it. Design your own program.

We're in week #3 of our 8 week training called Heartzones 101 ; and this week's focus in on GOALS.

It sounds easy to say, “set your goals” but taking some time to think through your goals will pay off in the end. As a framework for making choices, start by making sure that your goals meet the following criteria: Specific, Measurable, Action plan, Realistic and Timely. That’s an acronym for S.M.A.R.T. goals. More on goals on Thursday.

OK, kids, workouts for Week #2 are now posted at Hearzones 101.

If you're like most people, you learned a lot about yourself and how you work out in Week #1. I remember a few years ago, when I did sub-max tests on participants in our health club's studio cycling program. One of the, whom I'd known for years, came up to me after the class and said "Gee, my max is a lot higher than I thought." It turned out she was working with a age-based formula number that had her some 20 beats below what it should have been.

You are about to start on a journey that can change the way you train forever. We're calling it Heartzones 101, and it's an eight week program designed to introduce you to training with a heart rate monitor, no matter what level of fitness you are coming from

For the next eight weeks, we're going to work out together, getting to know our bodies and our heart from the inside out.

Many of my studio cycling students have asked me to recommend a heart rate monitor. And, up until a couple years ago, I always recommended the one I was using at the time.

However, just as I had "evolved" in my use of a monitor, I realized that no one tool is right for everyone. I've owned literally a dozen heart rate monitors over the past 12 years or so. And, I can honestly say, each one of them met my needs at the time.

If you're like many of us, you threw out the last of the cookies and chocolate candy this morning and your body seems to be craving vegetables. My advice, go with it.Hope you're having a good start to 2007 and that you have those new heart rate monitors figured out. If you didn't get a new HRM from Santa, go buy yourself one as a New Year's present because we're going to put them to good use during the next eight weeks. Go to howtobefit.com for a great primer on Polar HRMs (the best I've found in my experience)

In this very emotional time of year, I'm here to remind you that your heart needs not only physical activity to keep it strong, but mental activity focused on the heart as well.

In the Heart Zones family, we have Dr. Dan Rudd, also known as "Dr. Love," who constantly reminds us to listen to our hearts in all aspects of our lives.

As you count your blessings this year-end, think about your "Heart Light" and what it does for you. Here's some tips from Dr. Love to start you on your Emotional Heart Zone journey.