karen | Living Amped

Why Personal Trainers Should Use Fitbit

by karen | Sep 15, 2017 | Coaching Tools, Has Affiliate Links

Here is why I think Personal Trainers & Coaches should jump on the FitBit bandwagon.

Page contains affiliate links to a product I have review and currently use

You might have read a few post back about my discovery of FitBit (click HERE if you missed it), but since then so much has happened. Not only am I on daily challenges with friends, but a lot of my athletes have joined in and they have invited their families to do the same! The connection that I have made with my clients/athletes/victims even after years of training is pretty cool too! You can read my detailed review HERE, but don’t just take my opinion, see what my athletes/victims/clients have to say. I’ll add the reviews as they come in!

Pam (Client/Athlete of 7+ years)

I guess I am middle age, I know I have to exercise to be happy. I have Two kids, Two dogs and One husband. I’ve known about Fitbits from friends who have them but never had a real interest in owning one. UNTIL, one day my crossfit coach, KP showed me her Fitbit app and mentioned that she was in a group with one of our gym mates. It looked like fun and I didn’t want to be left out of the competition. It also seemed like it would be the easiest workout I’d ever do. There are several facets of the Fitbit that attracted me over my Garmin watch which up until now was how I tracked my steps. The Fitbit has the capability of tracking steps in more activities (running, spinning, crossfit, pilates), more accurately than my watch. I also use it to track my sleep. I love the motivational messages that you get on the app when a goal is accomplished. The Fitbit is light weight and fits comfortably on my ankle. The only con that I have is that I found inputting food was cumbersome and just took too long. I might use that more if it was easier because I like the idea of monitoring macro nutrients I thought the price was reasonable. I didn’t shop around so I am not sure if there is a better deal available than what was offered by Amazon. I have had my Fitbit for about two weeks and have had no issues with it or the app. I am an active person so for me the Fitbit does significantly increase my level or time of exercise. Honestly though I do feel guilty if I don’t get my goal steps in. Having the Fitbit count your steps makes it a lot more fun to exercise and you have a real time idea of your accomplishment. It’s great to get a pat on the back and little words of encouragement from the imaginary Fitbit man. I love the group challenges. It is a great way to get to know people and give each other encouragement or friendly ribbing. One of these days I may beat Gary and get a trophy.

Jeannie (Client/Athlete of 10+ years)

1. I’m a senior widow. I’ve been walking or jogging for pleasure and exercise for 40 years.

2. I just heard about it when it became popular. Never had much luck with pedometers.

3. It was given to me.

4. It’s also my watch. It seems to be pretty accurate. It’s falling apart so I will have to purchase another pretty soon.

5. It was free

6. It brings into focus how much or little I’m moving.

7. I think it’s fun but I don’t feel any competition because I really don’t want to walk as much the others in the challenge

I’m going to put a personal note here. Jeannie and I have been training together for over ten years now. She is amazing and a super tough woman. She had her fitbit wall before any of us did, but started paying attention to it more now that she joined our challenge. Jeannie was far from a couch potato, but since this challenge she now hikes twice a week with a friend and then walks 1 a week with a neighbor IN ADDITION to training with me twice a week. While she says she isn’t competitive, we do talk a lot about how others are getting their steps in during our session 🙂

Kim (my sister who started it all)

Please give me a little background on yourself. Recently quit my job to be a stay at home mom. Enjoy biking and walking.
How did you find out about Fitbit? What interest you in it? Found out about it from a colleague. Originally used it to track walks at work. My walking buddies and I used it in conjunction with weight watchers. At the time I didn’t know you could challenge. We mainly used it to help us reach our step goals for the day.
Why did you feel like you needed to purchase it? My First Fitbit was given to me by a Work colleague/ walking buddy. My Second Fitbit my mom found on amazon. I purchased my 2nd Fitbit bc it was thinner, water proof, a my sister in law showed me how to use it to do challenges.
What are the positive and negatives of your Fitbit? Positives: I love that it tracks my sleep and steps. I thought I walked a lot before I got a Fitbit, but it really challenges me to move more and more often. Love my Fitbit community. I’m addicted to the challenges. Negatives: I wear mine on my ankle bc it doesn’t track very well on my wrist. If I’m carrying things in my arm such as baby etc or pushing things such as grocery cart or stroller then it doesn’t track steps. It also doesn’t track sleep well on my ankle so I have to switch it to my wrist at night
What was the price? What do you think of the price? Is it a good value? I got it on sale on amazon. I thought it was a good price/value.
How did Fitbit improve your life? What are the benefits? I notice I have more energy the more active I am.
What do you think the group/challenges with our Fitbit? Love the group challenges. Even though I am a stay at home mom it allows me to stay connected to my husband that travels, my parents, sister, and sister in-laws that live in other cities, and my previous work colleagues. I love that we can watch each other’s progress, as well as, chat back and forth as a group.

Emma

1. Emma Myers. Born and raised in Austin, TX. Studied Industrial Engineering and Economics at Northwestern University. Living in Columbus, OH working in technology at JPMorgan Chase. My sport is tennis. I try to vary up my exercise so I use different muscle groups in different capacities (which is good and bad).

2. My mom sent me a fitbit because you (Karen) and Jeannie were talking about fit bits along with her sister Karen and Darragh. She said that it sounded fun. My mom is always down to try something new and hip. (One of the many things I love about her.) So, she decided she would get one to see what everyone was talking about.

3. Felt it was a good way to connect with my mother. Another item we could text/talk about.

4. Positives: (1) Makes you aware of how active/inactive you are and gives you a numeric value as a metric

(2) Pushes you to get to your 10,000 steps if you didn’t already

(3) Gives you a community of support and to hold you accountable

Negatives: (1) I could see how it could be addicting if you are competitive.

(2) I don’t get any steps when I do crossfit or pilates which makes it frustrating. I promise I am working out!

(3) It’s scientifically proven that people think they can eat more when they get to their 10,000 steps. This isn’t true. It has been shown that people who use fitbit actually gain weight once they start because they think they are burning a ton of calories (which isn’t true with just walking 10,000 steps).

5. My mom paid for it, so I can’t complain. She spoils me! But i bought one for my friend since it was on their wedding registry. I honestly don’t think the price isn’t that bad. I wish they had more fashionable bands though. They do have ones for work, but they are expensive. Plus, I don’t think i would want to switch bands so often.

6. I don’t know if fitbit has improved my life significantlly because i don’t take it too seriously. If i make my 10,000 steps, wohoo! If i don’t, no worries. I’m not measuring my self worth on it. My health metric usually relies on “did i make it to my workout today?” I recognize that fitbit doesn’t account for all of my workout methods, so I don’t fret too much i worked out but didn’t hit my 10,000 steps (which honestly is a more days than not).

Side note: It makes me feel like a convict under house arrest when i wear it on my ankle. Maybe that has given me more attitude?

7. I think the group challenge is super fun. It’s my favorite part of the fitbit. I honestly probably wouldn’t be as consistent with wearing my fitbit if it wasn’t for the group challenge. The ones with the hiking paths are the most enthralling. I think the point to remember with the group challenges is that you should try to be in a group where you can win and lose sometimes. It’s no fun and demotivating to be in a group where you always lose. (I like our group. I just sometimes feel bad for jeannie because i feel like she never has a chance against gary).

Bands + Butt Stuff

by karen | Sep 14, 2017 | Coaching Tools, Has Affiliate Links, Move

Here is WHY and HOW you should use bands with your clients (and yourself)!

Post contains affiliate link of a product I use and support.

There are certain movements to help activate your glute muscles that will greatly assist you in things such as my favorite, squatting. Lets have an anatomy lesson. The glute…aka your butt cheek…is technically made up of 3 muscles, (1) gluteus maximus (2) gluteus medius (3) gluteus minimus.

Each of these muscles play a vital role and together they are responsible for the movements of the hip and thigh. They extend your hips and create stability for your pelvis and your knee. The glute fires every time you raise your thigh to the side (abduction), rotate your leg (internal and external) or thrust your hips forward. So why is it important that we strengthen and/or use our glutes? When you have weak glutes you have an unstable pelvis which can lead to muscle imbalance and risk of injury. When you don’t use your glutes to lift or move then other muscles take over, such as the ones in your lower back causing a lot of pain.

To the left, is a video of a circuit you can do using the small band (its also in text below). It is great to use on a personal level but I like to use it between resistance training circuits with my clients/athletes/victims. The best is if you can do some of these movements in the warm up to initiate their (your) glutes firing at the beginning of the session.

However that doesn’t always happen so I might do a superset of a push and pull (DB bench press & DB bicep curls) then 1-2 glute exercises below with my client before moving to another circuit. I want them to learn to use their glute muscles to keep them injury free not just when they are doing stuff in the gym, but outside of the gym such as unloading luggage from a vehicle or picking up small children.

Seated Abduction – keep your feet in line with your hips. I got this from The Glute Guy’s Instagram. Lateral Stepping – make sure your knees are slightly bent and your toes are turned in, leading with the outside of your heal. This can also be done with the band just above the knee. Forward & Backwards Walking – slight bend in the knees and toes facing forward keeping feet about one foot apart. This too can be done with band just above the knee. Circle Step – When walking forward bring heel to arch then step wide every time you step. Repeat the same when walking backwards toes stay facing forward. Glute Bridges – toes face forward and feet are no wider than your hips. drive heels in the ground, raise your hips and squeeze Frog Bridges – knees drop open and soles of feet face each other. Raise hips up and squeeze. I also give credit to The Glute Guy for this one. Jane Fondas – lay on your side with band just above knee. hips stay stacked (don’t lean back). Soles of feet should be in line with back side. You can also set up against a wall to make sure of this. The movement is small. It can also be done without band. Banded Squats – with the band around the top of your knees, push against the band (driving knees out) as you squat.

I have ordered these bands from a few places over the years and here is what I found. If you are coaching a bootcamp style class or you have a group training session and you are required to provide your own equipment I would recommend ordering a pack of medium – heavy ones from Perform Better. This way if one breaks (because they do) then you have back up. I have also ordered a multi resistance pack from AMAZON and they are great, but I end up just using the medium or heavy ones so I do not think the whole pack was necessary. I should of just bought a pack of the same resistance that way I could extra when they break or disappear (that also happens). All in all I think they are a great if not vital tool to have when training yourself or others. I highly recommend them!

CRICUT SALE!!!

by karen | Sep 12, 2017 | Has Affiliate Links, Non-Fitness, Product Review

CRICUT STUFF IS ON SALE EVERY WHERE!!

YOU NEEEEEED ONE, TRUST ME! 🙂

Post contains affiliate links of a product that you can see I LOOOOOOVE!

If you follow me on social media (mostly my instagram story) or have read my post in the past (Carol’s New Favorite Toy and Carol’s Crafting Christmas) you know how much I LOVE my Cricut Explore Air (they just came out with a newer version and one that cuts fabric plus some other cool gadgets). This thing has allowed me to many so many personalized gifts with it. I have made labels and monograms for many gym water bottles, Yetis or RTIC. I have made cards for all occasions. If you give me something with food, there is a good chance I’m going to return your container with a “more please” label. I did a tutorial on my Instagram a while back with a step by step incase you are wondering how this things actually works to make a sticker. Don’t hate me for saying this, but there are a TON of ideas on Pinterest and Etsy. I have even started a Cricut Pinterest Board.

But don’t just take my word on it. It didn’t take much, but I convinced my sister (mother of 2 adorable boys) to get one, and here is what she has to say about it when I asked her to write a review: Please give me a little background on yourself. I have a degree in architecture and am a stay at home mom. How did you find out about Cricut? What interest you in it? Why did you feel like you needed to purchase it? I have the cricut air 2. Found out about it from my sister. I was coming up with lots of projects for her to do for me so the next logical step was to get one of my own. What are the positive and negatives of your Cricut? The Cricut allows me to monogram and DIY to my hearts desire. It does a pretty good job. So far it does a great job writing, but lacks precision on cutting. Cutting out invitations it is hit or miss. Almost every other invitation didn’t cut all the way through even though I have it on the cardstock setting. Still, the ones that cut are amazing. I never could have created layered invitations that looked this cute on my own without the Cricut. It saved a ton of time too. What was the price? What do you think of the price? Is it a good value? I got it as a bundle on sale and still felt it was on the expensive side. Or rather just an expensive hobby. Everything adds up really fast. How did Cricut improve your life? What are the benefits? I wish I had the cricut maker in architecture school. I could have used it to make models from the ground up. Currently, I’ve gone from only DIYing my child’s invitations to now DIYing the entire party (invitations, placemats, cups, garland, centerpieces etc.) I’m able to pull ideas straight from Pinterest and make them a reality. I never would have tackled this on my own before. I can now personalize cards for any occasion on a whim, make labels to keep me organized, monogram mine and my kids things to my hearts content, create pieces of artwork, add personal touches to gifts, and design wraps and emblems for my husbands drums and guitars. I have to say I see it probably being more of an addiction than a hobby. It’s nice to create something that starts out as a fun DIY, but the finished product looks like it could be sold in stores.

If you are going to be giving this as a gift might I recommend the Everything Starter Set? Men, if your wife/girlfriend/sister wants one, now is the time to buy it these sales don’t happen that often. PLUS if you get the bundle, the accessories make perfect stocking stuffers….think about it! What To Give If They Already Have A Cricut: Bags & Totes – I have the small one and it is great for going to visit my sister I can bring my favorite vinyles and accessories and use her machine. Tool Pouch – I use this to hold my pens because I have more of them than tools, plus the machine has a place to store tools. Cricut Access Premium Membership – till will give them access to a lot of pre-made designs they can use in projects. 12×12 Standard Cutting Mats – you can never have too many. I have 4. Pens – Any set would be fine…they are all great! Vinyls – there are so many to choose from! Really anything from The Most Popular Products list will make you look good!

Sales & Deals Worth Checking Out on the Official Cricut Site: $70 off the Cricut Air 2 Mint Machine! Originally $299.99, now available for only $229.99! (valid 9/13-19) Stock up on essentials and save 30% off cutting materials (valid 9/13-19) Receive 10% off the Cricut Air or Air 2 Machines (bundles included) with code AUTUMNAIR at checkout! (valid 9/1 – 9/30) Free Shipping on all US & CA orders with code FALLSHIP at checkout! (valid 9/1 – 9/30)

Mom’s FINAL Check IN

by karen | Sep 12, 2017 | Move

Four weeks ago my mother started her Project X 4 weeks ago, and these are her results!

My Mom started her Project X Journey 4 weeks ago. At her 2 week check in she made great results (which you can read about HERE along with her opinion of the program). During weeks 3 and 4 Hurricane Harvey came in and about took out Beaumont and its surrounding areas. However my mother, even without water some days still manage to get results! Drum roll please….

Weeks 1-2 she lost: 7# & 7″

Weeks 3-4 she lost: 2# & 9.25″

TOTAL Loss: 9# & 16.25″

Needless to say I’m a PROUD daughter/coach. Not so much about the number results but for her setting a goal and sticking with it! Was it perfect at times? No. But I know she made some behavioral changes and even created some good habits! I’m really proud of this woman I’m lucky to call Mom!

Recap 9/4-9/10

by karen | Sep 11, 2017 | Non-Fitness

Hi Folks…here is a recap of all the post from the previous week. Links are attached to the images! As always thanks for reading!

I also created a recommendation page where I can have a place for all the products, brands, etc of things I like and you should try! I’m in the process of getting all my product reviews written for them so you can know in detail just how much I like the product/service. Click on image for link to page!