Getting Up and about

I always like things that help you learn more about yourself so when I was asked if I'd like to try some fitness equipment I fell up the Jawbone Up tracking wristband and I was intrigued. Not only did it track your activity, but it also tracked your sleep, your food, even your mood. So I thought I'd give it a go.

I've had it for just over two weeks now and it's quickly become a part of my life. The band is slightly big for my wrist but doesn't get in the way. I can wear it in the shower (but not in a swimming pool) so you can add your efforts to get clean to your daily movement. After a while, you do honestly forget you're wearing it. Because it's on your wrist, you won't lose it easily so it's almost a case of fit and forget.

The idea of it is it's like a pedometer that senses movement. You set yourself goals for a number of steps per day, hours of sleep and it measures movement like an accelerometer on a phone. If you are active, but don't necessarily do running or walking for your exercise, you can time an exercise or you can add it afterwards. This is good for me as classes like Body Pump don't need much horizontal movement. Even interval training using bodyweight exercises may not register in the same way as a step.

At night time, when you go to bed, you set it into sleep mode by pressing the end of the band until it buzzes. Then it picks up the movement of your arm to assess what level of sleep you are in - awake, light or deep sleep. As an extra, I've set alarms so that it wakes me within 20 minutes of a target time, the theory being that it wakes you when you are sleeping lightly and therefore wake more easily. It wakes you by vibrating on your wrist which is gentler than a loud alarm. However, I find I'm nearly always already awake, such is my body clock. I find looking at my sleep cycles fascinating although I seem to have developed a habit of longer night time wakings which might be related or entirely coincidental.

In order to look at your data, there are accompanying free iOS and Android apps. I have used both, since I have an Android phone and an iPad. They work pretty much the same way and are very easy to set up. You sync your band by plugging it into the microphone socket and it's updated in seconds. I have a slight preference for the iOS app, purely because it gives you an overview of what you've just uploaded since last sync. I find it easier to mess around and view things too but I am conscious I am using a bigger screen. It's easy to look back at your data and you've always got a running total for the day in terms of sleep and steps moved. At the top of my "feed" every day are interesting snippets called Insights that are interesting topics related to fitness or your data in general.

There are many things I love about it. It is easy to use, and the battery genuinely does last for days and then only takes an hour or so to charge back up (which you do via a USB adaptor). It's simple and it's really effective at making you consider how active you are even by just adding a few steps here and there, they all add up.. In particular, understanding about your sleep is really interesting and it does genuinely make me try to get to bed at a reasonable time most nights. I still have not reached my sleep target though!

There are some things that I do not like. I set idle alerts to remind me to move if I've not moved in 30 minutes during the day but if I'm standing and moving gently (like cooking and doing stuff in the kitchen), it doesn't seem to register and the alert will buzz on my wrist whilst I'm standing up. Annoying. And I tried to log food intake with it and found it horribly complicated - although you can add as much detail as you like. I've stopped using it because it should be intuitive and easy; I found it to be neither. I also think they missed a trick not to have added some way of tracing your heart rate or pulse so you can get more information about how hard you are working or have worked when working out. Steps are not everything and adding an activity isn't a perfect solution.

Something I haven't got around to is adding friends as the community is relatively limited in size so far. You can also connect Up to various health and fitness related apps like MapMyFitness but I don't use those. It does link to MyFitnessPal but I've gone off that a bit recently.

On the whole, I do love the Up band and I think the more you use it, the more you will get out of in terms of understanding your lifestyle and improving your overall health and fitness levels. This could be a great Christmas present for a special someone who is planning a serious January health kick but wants to build a genuinely active lifestyle. It's not uber cheap at £99.99, but I think it's good value.

This post is in association with Argos. I have not been paid a fee to write this post and all opinions are my own. 

My Fitness Story... - Sharon

It's Thursday and there's a post so it must mean I have got myself some more contributors to My Fitness Story... Thanks for everyone who read my post last week and offered to help. I always need new contributions so please don't think your story is not worth telling - be brave! 

Anyway, my willing volunteer this week is Sharon, who blogs at My lot. Sharon always seems to be out running - but it wasn't always the case. Here she shares her story of how and why she came to start running and complete her first marathon, the first being the hardest of course. 

So, without further ado, here's Sharon's story. 

My Fitness Story... - Garry

Welcome to the My Fitness Story... series, which has now become a regular Thursday feature on this blog. Today's contribution is by Garry AKA Him Up North, who is a good Twitter friend and blogs at The Blog Up North, which is always a fantastic read. Garry also designed the badge for this series as he has the ability I lack in design! I knew he had a fitness story to tell, so I asked him if he would write a post for this series. He took a bit of persuading that his story was worth telling but, as I have said before, this series encompasses the full range of experiences that people have with diet and fitness. The fact that he has a personal experience means he has a story to tell, so he wrote it, and as always, it's a great read. Garry had to lose weight for medical reasons, having never been on a diet in his life so he had to work out how to lose the weight. Here is his story. 

Two years ago, a doctor told me to lose weight. I had a health problem which was being exacerbated by carrying a bit too much timber. “A stone or a stone and a half,” he said.

Okay, I thought. Which limb do I cut off...? Seriously, I was at a complete loss.

I’d never tried to lose weight. I wasn’t a gym type. My story, like many men, was one of gradual middle-age spread (ie my age was spreading to my middle). But my choice was clear. Lose the weight or face surgery and quite possibly pain. Lots of pain.

So I assessed my lifestyle and realised I was doing many things wrong:

• I was eating the wrong things, often at the wrong times. Working shifts meant I was relying on convenience foods (so called because they belong in a convenience) and eating at odd times of the day.
• I was far too sedentary. I drove everywhere, even short journeys such as the school run, and got virtually no exercise. Because my job is a) desk based and b) has no long break that also reduced scope for activity.

As Gandhi would have it, I had to be the change I wanted to see. Pretty obvious, really.

So my plan was a simple one.

My diet became more virtuous. I cut out bread altogether because up to that point, what I ate had been something of a yeast feast. I reduced my calorific intake by cutting out snack foods and sweet things.

It was bloody hard – I was a grazer – and the lure of the biscuit barrel was great. But I had my motivation – threat of pain – and gradually “educated my appetite”. I could eat little without feeling hungry.

My lifestyle became more active. I left the car behind for any trips around town. Much to the kids’ chagrin, we started walking to and from school (which just happens to be up a steep hill – cue much redness and sucking of air in the early days).

Okay, I didn’t take up trampolining or orienteering. But I did start walking just for the exercise; a four and a half mile route with hills and stuff became my workout.

Because my target was a statistical one, I weighed myself regularly. To my astonished delight I found I was actually losing weight. It was slow and gradual. There were times when I lost nothing or actually went back up. I realised my metabolism meant it was a high wire act with very little margin for failure.

But I had my target and I knew my changed habits could work. I was down to my target weight in about ten months. My regime, such as it was, had become normal. By the time I saw my consultant, my weight was no longer a contributing factor and I avoided the surgeon’s scalpel. Phew.

However, with the threat went the motivation. I played fast and loose on that high wire, choosing to dive into the safety net too often (or the crisps stash as it’s known). Some of the weight is back and I’m verging on disliking it all again.

I realise getting fitter and losing weight was and is very much a journey without end. Just a series of signposts. It may be time to embark upon it again.

Many thanks to Garry for telling his story. I'm sure men can end up feeling a bit inadequate when they see magazines like Men's Fitness which show men with bulging six packs (in the right way!) that give the impression that you have to do lots of exercise in order to get and stay fit. It doesn't have to be that way if it's not for you - simple changes that you build into your lifestyle are more effective for many as they are easier to keep doing when they become part of your normal routine. 

Please share any experiences you have in the comments below. Alternatively, if you have a fitness story to tell, then get in touch with me on Twitter or via the email address on the About me page. I will link back to any blog you write if you wish, or you can remain either partly or fully anonymous.

Is Nutella the root of all evil?

Judging by the comments on this post, some people obviously think so. It was written after Nutella held a bloggers' event last summer and when they invited me to a more northerly version of the same thing at Stockley Farm Park in Cheshire, I decided to go along.

As I have previously discussed before on this blog, eating any breakfast is better for children than none at all - and that's probably true for adults. Some people think that giving your child Nutella at breakfast time automatically puts you in the "bad parent" category. I realise that some people will think that whatever information you present them. But is it necessarily the case?

A standard portion of Nutella is 15g. That's actually a generous portion. I did some experiments at home and even spreading it on thickly on a standard piece of toast came to 10g. Yes, I am that sad, before you ask. I also looked at some of the comparisons on the Nutella site and weighed my own versions out. So let's compare a few things you typically put on toast for breakfast:

Nutella (standard 15g portion)               80 calories, 8.3g sugar, 4.7g fat (1.5g saturated)
Nutella (my 10g portion)                        53 calories, 5.5g sugar, 3.1g, (1g saturated)
Jam and butter (standard 15g/10g)       114 calories, 7.2g sugar, 8.2g fat (5.2g saturated)
Jam (15g) and butter (my 15g/7g)         92 calories, 7.2g sugar, 5.5g fat (3.5g saturated)
Peanut butter (15g)                                90 calories, 1.5g sugar, 7.5g fat (1.7g saturated)

Out of those options, Nutella is not bad. It's not brilliant either but it's not the worsy and my option has the lowest calories and least fat. It does have a lot of sugar added (and vegetable oil), but it actually has a low GI of 33, lower in fact than the bread it's likely to be spread on.

A few years ago, the ASA upheld a complaint against one of Nutella's adverts which claimed it could be considered part of a balanced breakfast. Nutella are no longer able to claim that and the phraseology used now is that it could be part of a "tasty breakfast". The issue is of course with the amounts of sugar and fat in it, but anything sweet is going to have sugar in it and no sugar is particularly good for you. Just ask the parents of children whose teeth have decayed because they ate lots of fruit or raisins. The sugar is there to make eating the toast more enjoyable but that's also true of jam (and some peanut butters have lots more added sugar than listed here).

I don't ban foods from my children's diet. I don't ban them from my own so how can I? One of the speakers at the event was Professor Karen Pine who said that the mother's diet was the single biggest influencing factor over whether a child was a good eater or not. (I suspect it would be the diet of the main carer if they had a bigger role in the child's care than the mother, if for example, she worked full time or she was absent for some reason). Mothers set their children an example by what they eat and what their children see them eating. If you've ever wondered why you cook your children lovely healthy meals and all they want is the chocolate biscuit or crisps you're eating, that's why!

I don't ban things because I learnt about something called the reticular activating system a few years ago. You know how you think about red cars and there suddenly seems to be red cars everywhere? That's your reticular activating system in your brain kicking into gear. If you ban things, it doesn't understand the "no" bit, it just thinks about the thing you've banned and you crave it even more! In other words, banning things is futile, it just makes an issue out of it - whether you're a child or an adult. Banning it makes you want it more. Lots of adults who had sweets and junk food banned by their parents during childhood grow up and faced with freedom of choice, opt for the banned food - and go totally the other way, having a worse diet overall. I want Monkey and Missy Woo to learn about moderation which they don't learn if certain foods are denied them. Instead, I try to control the frequency they have less healthy foods and just make sure that their overall diet is healthy.

We're all living reality. Mornings can be fraught in any household, let alone one with children in it. There may be time to make or prepare the perfect breakfast, but that's unlikely if you have a nursery or school run to do. If your children are reticent eaters, why not give them something like Nutella on toast? And even if they're not, what's wrong with that? I don't mean every day - when we have some in, the children will have some every few days and I don't rush to replace an empty jar. I wonder if we overthink this in the UK - French children seem to have Nutella for breakfast quite a lot and no-one seems to mind, nor does it seem to do the children much harm.

If the judicious use of Nutella makes me a bad parent, then I am guilty as charged. Just as often as they eat sweets, crisps or other things like Nutella, my children choose healthier options as well. At the Nutella event, Missy Woo (who had come along for the ride) was offered some breakfast. She said no thanks because she wasn't hungry and had eaten at home. One of the options was Nutella on toast, one of her favourite breakfasts.

Missy Woo with friend (Amy's 5yo) "helping" to make a smoothie

We had a great time at the briefing, which ended with bloggers and children doing a cookalong of some Nutella recipes with Alan Coxon, the TV chef. It was a lot of fun although Missy Woo called Nutella "chocolate spread" loudly, which caused a few eyebrows to raise. (It's actually about 7% cocoa and technically more a hazelnut spread. Oops.) After the briefing, we had a lovely trip around the farm and even had a tractor ride - hence my  Silent Sunday picture this week.

You might think this obliges me to write good things about Nutella. They haven't asked me to write anything about them. I probably wouldn't go to an event for a brand I really don't like. I went with an open mind. I still don't think that Nutella is a perfectly healthy and nutritional food - after all, it contains a lot of sugar and fat. But if the worst thing you do is allow your children to eat Nutella as part of their breakfast, I don't think you'll have much to worry about. I certainly won't be after you.

(I have not been paid to write this post. I attended this event with my daughter. Nutella gave us a goody bag to take away containing promotional items and samples, and sent some homemade bread and Nutella to my home beforehand. I have not received any further payment and the opinions stated here are my own.)

Thanks to Amy from And 1 more means four.... and 1 more for giving permission for me to publish the photograph of her daughter with Missy Woo. 

My Fitness Story... - Corinne

Today's story is a truly inspiring one. It's by Corinne Ellison, who decided she wanted to do an Ironman, started training, but was then diagnosed with a heart condition requiring open heart surgery which she underwent in June 2010. When I first read the post, I was struck by how positive Corinne has remained throughout, even when she has been experiencing tough times. Over to Corinne to tell her story, which she has chosen to call..

Heart Surgery to Ironman

My story starts with a desire to complete an Ironman. To those who have not heard of Ironman, it is a long distance triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles bike and 26.2 run (a marathon) – one after another!

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not an experienced triathlete. In fact, when I entered my first race, I could only swim 2 lengths and bike round the block! I finished my first triathlon in 2009 and came third….from last! I had been ‘keeping fit’ for a couple of years but I didn’t seem to be improving as I should. I began to become suspicious that something was wrong but put this niggle to the back of my mind. Eventually, I went to see my doctor, complaining of shortness of breath and chest pain - within two weeks I was diagnosed with a large hole in my heart.

This leads me to the motivation behind finishing an Ironman. Facing the prospect of never being able to exercise again scared me immensely. Doctors warned me that I would never be an elite athlete (I wasn’t planning on this!), that I wouldn’t be able to take up my marathon place that year and I facing open heart surgery.

As a woman in my twenties, I felt like the natural concern should be the physical aspects of the surgery – pain, the anaesthetic and the scar. Open heart surgery usually means a vertical scar of around 12 inches down the centre of the chest. This did not concern me, my only focus became ensuring I got back to health as soon as possible. After getting over the initial shock of diagnosis, I had to stop exercising completely as my heart was at the beginning of failure. Whilst I had my long term fitness dreams still burning away inside, I felt unsure about the timescales for achieving them. Over the next few weeks, I began to switch off from sport – I couldn’t talk about it with friends, I stopped going to my club and couldn’t read magazines. The pain of not being able to exercise meant that I had to shut off for a while, focusing only on the here and now.

I was feeling pretty vulnerable whilst waiting to have the surgery and initially afterwards. I was frustrated at not being able to exercise. Doubts started to set in and I was concerned about my ability to ever run again. I needed a positive boost of confidence. This is where the Ironman goal came in. My fixation with achieving of the ultimate physical challenge was cemented. My journey from heart surgery to Ironman began; I fully committed to this goal and used it as a distraction from my fear.

Obstacles in recovery were overcoming the post-operative pain to get out for my first shuffle round the block – a miniscule 7 minutes on my first day! Mentally and physically, I felt fragile but was determined to keep up with the training prescribed by the physiotherapists. Everyday, I pushed myself a little further and soon was walking up to 4 miles a day. My love of exercise began to return and I soon felt the benefit of the fresh air.

What I learnt from the experience was that when something is taken away from you (in my case the ability to exercise and potential ability to race in the future), you want it even more. Scarcity is powerful and I found my determination grew. Ironman became a possibility after a discussion with my cardiologist. He inadvertently told me that as my heart was so ineffective pre-surgery, I should be able to achieve much faster times with my fixed heart. An hour off my best marathon time was jokingly mentioned – I committed this to memory and set my goal then and there. The benefit of having heart surgery, aside from improved health, was that I now appreciate the true value of exercise and how it improves your emotional and physical well-being. Going through a test of character and coming out the other side has given me confidence in myself.

So, where I am today? Almost 8 months after my surgery, I am back to all the sport I love and getting ready for my first race – the Brighton half marathon. A succession of races follows for the rest of the year, with the ultimate challenge of Ironman in November 2012 – the month I turn 30!


Huge thanks to Corinne for sharing her story with us, and good luck for all the races she's running - the Brighton half marathon is actually this Sunday so I will be thinking of her then. Corinne also has a Just Giving page to raise money for GUCH (Grown Up Congenital Heart Patients Association) when she runs the London Marathon for the third time in April. You can also find her on twitter here.

If you'd like to tell your fitness story, please get in touch with me, either on Twitter or via the email address on the About Me page.

My wish for 2011

Photo credit foobean01

I've not blogged at all this week. I kind of gave myself some time off and told myself I would only blog if I really wanted to. I haven't wanted, partly because I have not been well and not felt like it. Thankfully, I'm better now and have time to do my end-of-year post.

Everyone that has been blogging has been doing so about plans or resolutions for the new year. I am not going to do that. Technically, I'm still working on my 2010 resolution - which was to regain my pre-pregnancy size and whilst I am not there yet, I am a hello of a lot closer than I was a year ago. I am doing the same things as before, and as a resolution feels like a change, it feels odd to set one. I'll just carry this one over.

Instead, I've given some thought to my wish for 2011. What I want most in the world. I asked the good folk of Twitter what their wishes were and got a range of responses from holidays abroad to football teams winning trophies. Some were prosaic, others were more intangible and incredibly kind-hearted. Cures for cancer, good health and good fortune to those in need.

It made me think. The end of the year in our family has been one marked by ill health or ill fortune to relatives. My father-in-law is still in hospital in a high dependency unit, two weeks after keyhole surgery turned into major surgery to remove a bowel tumour. We're confident he'll be OK but obviously, it's a worrying time and the children have missed seeing him over Christmas. Others in the extended family have health problems and our thoughts are also with them. My sister, who got married in November, was made redundant in the middle of December. Great timing.

With these things in mind, I've decided on my wish for 2011. I wish for peace, happiness, health and wealth (material and spiritual) for those I love and those that they love.

And with that, I wish you a Happy New Year. See you next year.