Body Media Fit Review

Say good bye to guess work and hello weight loss!

I started using the Body Media CORE Armband on for 35 days have lost 8.6lb’s!

(GGS note:  The guest writer is a male, which males tend to lose weight quicker than us female types.  The writer lost approx. 2 pounds per week.) 

This wearable weight loss and activity monitoring system is easy and simple to use. The armband secures easily with a Velcro strap,  like wearing a watch around your bicep with the monitoring device rests on your tricep muscle. The monitoring system then measures motion, heat flux, skin temperature and galvanic skin response to track calorie burn, physical activity, steps taken, sleep duration and sleep efficiency. So you can measure how many calories you burn doing your daily routine.  By syncing your armband with the easy to use on line Activity Manager, you can then view your daily results. You see your daily calories consumed and burned, your calorie balance or deficit, track your physical activity pattern and total steps taken throughout the day and monitor your sleep and rest duration. 

To get started you set up your personal profile of current weight height etc., and then create your goals based on caloric consumption and activity level. I chose the daily calories needed for my goal weight and then picked my desired activity level which is a combination of daily moderate and vigorous activity and steps taken . This creates daily caloric intake and activity goals to measure your progress by. You also choose up to ten nutrition categories such as protein, calories, carbohydrates , alcohol etc., and this categorizes your daily food intake and allows you see the percentage break down by category of your daily consumption. You can also activate a Fit Coach, where you will receive tips such as better eating or physical activity strategies. You can even program an important daily reminder, this is meant to critical to your health such as daily medication. Another cool feature was the exercise calorie calculator, you simply choose your activity which can range from cutting the lawn to playing ice hockey, then choose the intensity level and duration. The calories for that specific activity are then calculated for you. I found this an excellent guide to determine what activities gave you the most calorie burn and just how many you could by cutting the lawn and cleaning the house!

The food log was easy to use and tracked frequent foods that you had logged, so instead of typing in names of foods and scrolling to find your choice, you simply click on Frequent Foods, a short list of your foods is populated and you can click on your selection. 

The FIT CORE Armband is so simple and effective to use! Once your profile is created and goals selected, you just wear it and go! To sync the monitoring system you plug into your computer the device immediately starts to sync that day’s activity levels to your user profile, once complete it then takes to you summary page. From that point log in your daily meals, you then see accurate to the minute results of your daily progress towards you’re eating and exercising goals.! You will see summary of” target to actual” results for calories burned, calories consumed, your calorie balance, physical activity, steps taken and sleep duration. Each category can then be further broken down for more detailed information such as peak activity periods, when your burning the most calories and the nutrition break down of the foods you eaten. 

The system also notifies you when have achieved a new “Personal Best”, such as highest every calories burned in a day, the most steps taken, longest period of physical activity. I found these messages to be inspiring as I would then challenge myself to beat my new best record! It really helped me make the right food choices and keep within my daily calorie requirement and motivated me to keep active and moving throughout the day!. It is great to see my weight loss, but more so is understanding what actions produced the positive results. In this way, I not only lost weight but realize how to maintain my new weight going forward. 

The BodyMedia FIT CORE Armband retails for $179.99 (on sale right now for $99)and there is a monthly website subscription cost, as well you can purchase replacement Velcro straps at $13.00 each. 

In my view the cost to benefit analysis of purchasing the FIT CORE Armband is clear, the FIT CORE Armband is well worth the investment! If you are really serious about healthy choices, keeping fit a and maintain a desired weight, the FIT CORE Armband is an excellent tool that will help you get reach your goals.

Reviews on GirlGetStrong.com reflect the personal opinion of the writer, whether it is good, bad or ugly. We tell it like it is. No compensation was accepted by the writer or GGS Media Corporation for this review. This product was sent to us for review.

I have this dilemma all the time.  I am always on the lookout for a comfortable pair of walking shoes that are not sneakers.  Something a little bit dressier than sneakers but flat and comfortable for running around with my kids.  Well, 2 great pairs of casual, comfortable shoes have landed on my feet.  The first pair is  Jackie by Ahnu made with Nappa leather .

The Jackie is Ahnu’s celebration of today’s woman and the many roles she plays as a true “Jackie of All Trades.” This low profile slip-on is an effortless choice that compliments every woman’s unique sense of style with all day, go anywhere comfort so she can focus on the things she loves most.

• Designed for:
• All-day walking comfort
• Easy to wear and easy to pack
• On-the-go lifestyle

These shoes are beautifully crafted with such detail to design.  The Jackie is so comfortable and roomy at the front.  These shoes have given me no trouble at all breaking them in.  Comfortable from the get go. I have received so many compliments about these shoes.  They look great with my jean capri’s.  Also another huge bonus is that they come in so many funky colors. My only complaint with these shoes is that when worn without socks, your feet have a hard time breathing so my feet got very sweaty.

The second pair is also new on the market and that is the truWALKzero by Rockport.    These shoes are claiming to be the lightest and most flexible shoes on the market today.  And that they are. 

We think you’re looking at the greatest breakthrough in shoe technology since the invention of laces. A system that started by taking a good look at the human foot and ended with a shoe that creates the perfect stride. We call it truWALK and only Rockport’s got it.

• Full Grain Leather that is durable and easy to clean
• Rubber sole provides a durable grip
• Padded collar and tongue for comfort
• EVA provides lightweight shock absorption to reduce foot and leg fatigue

These shoes are super comfortable, very unique, light and very flexible.  Once again, these shoes gave me no trouble breaking in, comfy from the get go.  My only complaint about these shoes is that because of the way the soles are designed, little rocks frequently got caught in the soles. 

BONUS: Check out the stunt that was created in New York City to promote the Rockport shoes on our Facebook Page.  A random winner will receive a Yoga Gift Pack if they tell us in the comments on how you think this clever stunt was created.

Reviews on GirlGetStrong.com reflect the personal opinion of the writer, whether it is good, bad or ugly. We tell it like it is.  No compensation was accepted by me or GGS Media Corporation for this review. These products were sent to us for review.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of CloSYS for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

The mouth is a window to your overall health. Problems inside your mouth, such as with your gums, teeth and/or tongue, can all be indicators that serious health troubles are lurking beneath the surface. It’s critical to pay attention to any and all signs or symptoms of oral problems.

To help prevent any mouth problems before they become an issue it is important to practice proper mouth care, such as brushing, flossing and using a good oral rinse.

For my family, I don’t let my kids use the regular mouthwash you buy from the store. I know that it is not good if you swallow the stuff because of all the alcohol added and the colorings that are used to make it that pretty green color. So up steps a new product I was introduced to called CloSYS  Oral Health Rinse.

The site states that CloSYS:

• Kills 99.9% Of Harmful Bacteria In 10 Seconds
• No Alcohol To Burn Your Mouth
• CPC-Free (Cetylpyridinium Chloride) and Gluten-Free
• Works Gently But Effectively
• Long-Lasting Breath Protection
• A Refreshingly Clean Taste

The mouth rinse comes with a mint concentrate flavoring you can add if you desire. I added the whole bottle because I really like the mint taste. Plus, if I rinse my mouth with mint after dinner, I won’t do any late night eating. Now to put the Health Rinse to the test with the whole family. Both my kids really liked the clean feel they got after trying out the rinse. I really liked how there was no burn in your mouth compared to the regular mouthwash. 

This Health Rinse does not have that burn at all. It almost feels like the mouthwash is not working but this Health Rinse has a powerful, patented ingredient that kills 99% of harmful bacteria in 10 seconds. I love knowing my teeth and my kids teeth are bacteria free throughout the day!

Be sure to like CloSYS on Facebook to keep in touch! 

Guest Reviewer -Adrianna, Toronto Canada

I have been working out for years and consider myself a decent athlete. I have run several marathons and workout 4-5 times a week, not including running. This workout delivers exactly what it promises.

Included in the set are 8 workouts on 8 DVD’s. Each workout demonstrating a difficulty level from 1 (being easy) to 4 (being advanced). There are four participants in each video and each participant is demonstrating a different level of difficulty.

The workouts themselves are well constructed workouts and extremely challenging at the most advanced level. You complete up to 6-7 workouts each week as dictated by the training guide included with the program. This is a no-nonsense program, in order for you to get the most out of it and the results you want, you will have to stick to the schedule of workouts as closely as possible. If you do this, it is virtually impossible not to get some pretty amazing results.

Each DVD also includes a feature to mute the music, which I like as it became a little repetitive. I would use my iPod to provide my music and still be able to hear the instructors voice over.

The Results:
I have been using the program for about 16 weeks and have made a huge difference in how I look and feel. As I mentioned, I have been working out for years and run 3-4 times a week. I have been using X-TrainFit on the schedule the guide dictates and am the most toned I have ever been. The stretching DVD has really helped with my flexibility and my running has benefited as a result also.

This is a great program for anyone wanting to lose weight, get in shape or add some cross training to their running or biking.

What excuse do you use not to get your fitness in?

• I’m too tired
• No one can look after my kids
• I can’t afford a babysitter
• Yoga DVD’s can get very boring at home
• I have no one to workout with
• I’m too busy
• I don’t want to sign a gym/ yoga studio contract
• I don’t know what to do or how to exercise
• I can’t get motivated

The list is endless and so are your excuses!

Well, be gone all of the excuses you can think of because there is a new motivator in my town. We are super excited to introduce you to MyYoga OnLine.

My Yoga OnLine is a streaming video subscription designed to reach those who want to do their fitness at home. Heck, you don’t even need to be at home. My Yoga OnLine streams the video to your laptop, iPods or smart-phones. Which is great for traveling and when you don’t have anyone to look after the little kids?  I just got back from Hawaii and guess what I was doing before the kids woke up?  Yoga on the beach – it was lovely!

My Yoga OnLine has hundreds of hours of online yoga, Pilates, Dance, Meditation and even a workplace wellness videos. It’s like Netflix for fitness. You do not need to be a computer expert because it’s super easy to set up and use.

It’s not all one size fits all either. You can customize workouts for the level you want to do, length of video depending on your time,  world known studios you would like to try out plus you can pick from professional top instructors that you adore.  

You can join the Whole Health Program, on top of all the access of videos you have, to help you stick with your goals.  Some examples are:  Engergy Boost, Yoga for Beginners, Sleep Well, Get Lean and Healthy just to name a few.

The Whole Health Program arrive in your e-mail inbox at the times you would like to workout.  Monday and Wednesday night when the kids are at swim lessons, you got it.  You get to customize your wellness schedule that suits you.  The emails remind you of your schedule plus they are packed with tools to help you reach your whole health goals:

• Essential tips
• Expert insights and Q+As
• Yoga, wellness, and fitness videos

All this is super affordable at $9.95 per month with access to unlimited content 24/7. There’s no contract, no strings attached, you can cancel at any time.

Sounds good? Well it gets even better because My Yoga OnLine is offering a free 14-day trial for YOU to try!  Click here to get started right away!

Here’s to “No more EXCUSES” to be fit and healthy in 2012.

This post is sponsored by My Yoga OnLine. I received monetary compensation for my participation, but my review and opinions are my own.  I tell it like it is.