My love for fitness has been a on again off again romance over the last 15 years but the one thing that has held true is my geekdom and love for anything that has a button or blinking lights.  If a new gadget is released then I want it (I’m looking at you iPhone 5).  So to help bridge the gap I thought I would bring you some reviews of the websites I use to keep track of my Nutrition and Fitness.  These are very basic and general overviews but they should be a good start in helping you make a decision on where to invest your time and energy.

RunKeeper.com

I have been a fan of this website ever since I purchased the runkeeper pro app for my iPhone.  You can use just the website but it really comes to life when you use the RunKeeper app on your phone.  Now with GPS enabled smart phones they can track exactly where you are running.  One the website you can then examine your route and see the elevation and distance.  If for some reason you did not take your phone you can login and manually enter your route.  It uses Google Maps so you can either see the Satellite view and the normal map view.  Of course with most websites you can share your activity with your Facebook and Twitter friends.

One of the items that I have yet to try is the Fitness Classes.  RunKeeper has partnered with different running coaches that have put together training programs to help your prepare for a race.  If you want to run a Marathon in under 3:30 or you would just like to finish a 5K then they have it.    You can also join the RunKeeper Elite program and as your running you can send realtime tracking data so your friends and family can watch you during a race.  If you are a runner or would like to start running then runkeeeper.com is a great place to start.

Myfitnesspal.com

Myfitnesspal.com is a website that you can log your food and find out how many calories you are consuming.  You can also log your exercises but unless you know exactly how many calories that you burned then an estimate can be very inaccurate.  My suggestion is to use the site just for calorie tracking.

When you login you will need to setup your goals.  This will give you an idea of how many calories you need to consume during the day.  The first thing that I do is to readjust the “Macronutrients”.  These are the Carbs, Protein, and Fats.  The general rule that I follow if 40% Carb, 30% Protein and 30% Fat.  I could talk forever about the different foods and how eating quality food  is very important but for this post I will leave it here.

Once you have your settings plugged in you can start entering you meals.  The first time that you log your food it will take awhile because you will need to search for each ingredient or meal that you ate.  Once you enter your meals and a pattern will appear and you can then just click on the common foods that you consume daily.  If you want to know why you can not lose weight or gain muscle then start by logging your daily for 2 weeks.  It is not the most fun thing to do but this small daily act will open your eyes and with the help of myfitnesspal.com you will see how many carbs, proteins and fats you are consuming.

There are several other websites like fitday.com, dailymotion.com, nikeplusactive.nike.com and many others that I did not cover.  I have used Runkeeper and Myfitnesspal and they have worked very well for me.  I would like to know what website do you use to help you in your fitness journey.  Leave a comment below.

We ran a 5K race this weekend and my wife Jenda told the story much better than I could.  Enjoy!

–Matthew

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Several weeks ago, my family decided we would run a 5K together.  We invited some family friends to run with us, and they excitedly accepted the invitation.  As time drew nearer, the excitement of the run lessened, however, both families thought the other family wanted to run and didn’t want to back out.  So, there we were…all 9 of us, registered for a race that we weren’t really pumped about.  (Granted, as far as I know, no one dreaded the race, we just would not have registered had we not already committed.)

Race day came and everyone partnered with their “running buddy”.  The course was nice and flat and the weather was as nice as it could be for an Alabama summer morning.  I was so excited to have Matthew and the kids join me for a run.  I love to run and I love my family, so to have the two together was simply perfect for me!  I look forward to the time when Scott (my 3 year old) joins us too!

We all finished in great time!  We all had a great time!  It was so fun!  This was very possibly the best race I had ever run (probably because of my awesome running buddy)!  And to top it off, Emma Grace won 3rd place for female 0-9 years and Clay won 3rd place for male 0-9 years.  They both received medals!  This was soooo cool!  Ryan’s friend Dylan came in 4th for male 10-14 years and Ryan was close behind him in 5th place.   The race no one wanted to run quickly turned into the race we couldn’t wait to run again next year!

How about you?  Have you ever wanted to run and didn’t know where to start?  Do you think you’re too out of shape to run?  Have you just decided that you could never run any number of miles, so you aren’t even going to try?  Well, I am here to tell you that if I can do it, so can you!!!  When I first began training 3 years ago, I could barely run 1 minute.  Really!  I would run 1 minute and walk 3 minutes…and that 1 minute was extremely hard for me.

Here are some tips to help you get started!

Walk it out! – If you feel you are not ready to jog or run, you can walk.  Begin walking for 3 days each week for 20 (then 30) minutes, at a pace that gets your heart rate up.  Continue this step until you are able to maintain a fast pace walk for 30 minutes.

Walk/jog intervals – Once you are able to maintain a brisk walk for 30 minutes, you are ready to begin intervals.  Walk quickly for 5 minutes to get your heart rate up.  Then, jog 2 minutes and walk 3 minutes.  Repeat for 20 minutes, then slower the pace and walk 5 minutes to cool down.

Increase/Decrease intervals-  Decrease minutes walking by 1 and increase jogging by 2 minutes until you can comfortably jog 4 minutes and walk 1 minute for 30 minutes.  At this point, I believe you will be ready to begin the Couch to 5K running program.

Couch to 5K – This is a 12 week program that will prepare you to run 3.12 miles.  http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

The first step to solving a problem is admitting that you have one.  So today I come to you and tell you I am a lover of GADGETS!  If it has a button or lights then I love it.  My family knows this and they try and surprise me with the next cool gadget but I have been known to purchase it before they can and ruin the surprise.  This year I came across the Nike+ SportsWatch GPS at our local Fleet Feet store in Huntsville.  I had been looking for a new watch and this one fit the bill with the way it looked and the nice GPS functionality inside.  The only problem is that they only had a demo model because they were selling out of them so fast.  This of course only made me want it more but there was nothing I could do.

I went home to tell Jenda of my new find and but I resigned myself to try and find one after I got back from the Beachbody Summit in LA.  I packed up and headed to the airport for LA and when I got out my oldest Ryan called out and said “Hey Daddy you forgot something!”  I looked around and I had all my bags but when I looked back to him he was holding the Nike+ SportsWatch GPS!  I gave everyone another quick kiss and hug and headed off to my flight and to play with my new toy.  Jenda and the kids also gave me a card for Father’s Day inside the bag.  (It’s hard to be manly with tears in your eyes while reading a Hallmark card, but that is just fine.)

Upon opening the box I found the Nike Pod that will connect to an iPhone or Ipod touch and the watch.  The first thing I did was try and set the time on the watch but quickly found out that you can not change anything from the actual watch.  This was a problem since I did not have a laptop with me but I was able to fix it later when I arrived in LA.  I do wish there were more options to configure on the watch itself but I understand thence wants to make this watch dead simple to use without configuration clutter.

I have since made this my everyday watch and I have used it for a few runs and even a duathlon race.  The accuracy is excellent and in every situation the watch is very comfortable.  The Nike+ SportsWatch GPS is strictly a running watch and give you the basics like Pace and Distance but there is no option for training programs or other sport activities.  Do you have a GPS watch that you use for running or cycling?  Leave a comment and let me know.

Matthew Hillis is a father of four that was letting life go by while he laid on the couch until one day he decided to change.  He was able to lose 30lbs in his first 90 days of working out with P90X.  Matthew has kept that weight off for 2 years and has helped hundreds of people just like yourself to achieve their own fitness goals.  If your life is busy and you believe there is just no time to workout then allow Matthew to help tailor a fitness plan to you and your life.  Together we are better!

There is an epidemic in this country that I am sure you are aware off and that is the trend of obesity with our kids.  Yes the adult population has also grown in girth but the scary statistic is what is happening to our kids.  Think back to when you were a kid.  I am not blaming anything or anybody but ourselves.  Yes outside forces can have an impact on us and our kids but I am responsible for me and you are responsible for you.  Our kids however do look to us and our actions in how they learn to live and take responsibility.  So I want to give you some fun examples and ideas on how you can make activities for your kids fun.

This past weekend I ran my first individual duathlon.  A duathlon is were you run, bike, run.  This particular event I had to run 2.5 miles, bike 10 miles, and run 2.5 miles again.  While I was training for this event my oldest son Ryan (9) and his friend wanted to do the race too.  We learned that you can also enter a duathlon as a team.  So my wife Jenda jumped in as the bike leg of the event.  They were called the speedy 3 and even worked on t-shirts to wear while they ran.  They had a great time with all the excitement of the race actives and getting to cheer on the other members of the team.  Your child might not be ready to run 2.5 miles but there will be other local events you can all do as a family.  If you are looking for Duathlon’s and Triathlon’s in your area go to www.trifind.com

We ran the duathlon on Saturday and on Sunday I took my oldest boys Ryan and Clay to my favorite indoor rock climbing place in Birmingham 1st Ave Rocks.  I had purchased a livingsocial coupon a few months ago and it was going to expire today so we got in the car and drove down to have some fun.  The particular type of rock climbing is called bouldering.  I am by far no expert but I do know that is is a lot of fun.  I am amazed by how fast my boys can climb to the top before I even get my shoes on my feet.  Bouldering walls are only 12-14 feet and there are very large crash pads that you can fall on so there are no harnesses.  The challenge is to follow the colored tape to the target at the top without touching any other holds that might have different colors.  The difficulty levels go from climbing a ladder to turning sidewise upside-down while holding on by your pinky.  It is not a fast paced activity because everyone takes turns watching and helping others figure out how to best climb.  Look for a local indoor rock climbing gym in your area and give it a try.  It is so much fun.

Organized sports are great and I played them throughout my childhood but they were not my most memorable.  One game that I learned to play in College is called Ultimate Frisbee.  To play all you need a a frisbee and an open field.  The official rules call for a football sized field and each team to have 11 people.  You can also play with just 3 on 3 and make the field smaller if needed.  The rules are that  you have to pass the frisbee within 10 seconds of catching it and you cannot move while you hold the frisbee.  To score you will need to pass the frisbee to a person while they are in the endzone.  Ultimate Frisbee is like soccer and football thrown together with no tackling.

If you have very young kids like I do then just getting outside or going to a park to roll a beach-ball around is a lot of fun.  Kids know how to naturally just go outside and run.  Go with them and run and play like they do.  It is tiring to play as hard as a 2 or 3 year old but oh so fun.  It is ok to act like a kid again.  I figure as long as I play like a kid then that’s how I will feel.

There are a few times in life that you get to learn with such great intensity that it can seem overwhelming at first. This was one of those weeks while I was at the Beachbody Summit. It was a time to meet with all of the great people that I have met over the past 2 years and learn about the new tools that are available. I am very excited to share all the exciting new things like the new P90X2 and the exciting opportunity for Active Military and their families. Stay tuned this week as I cover what has been released. I am currently tracking back home so check back Thursday for a video and blog post about how you can be the first to purchase P90X2. Here is a video I took after Shaun T workout at this year's Beachbody Summit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePEBWT42lzA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Matthew Hillis is a father of four that was letting life go by while he laid on the couch until one day he decided to change.  He was able to lose 30lbs in his first 90 days of working out with P90X.  Matthew has kept that weight off for 2 years and has helped hundreds of people just like yourself to achieve their own fitness goals.  If your life is busy and you believe there is just no time to workout then allow Matthew to help tailor a fitness plan to you and your life.  Together we are better!