Limited Time: Free FinishSafe Finish Tags
2011/04/15 at 10:14 pm | Posted in Exercise, Health, Product Review, weight loss, weight loss blog | Comments OffTags: cycling, finish tags, finishsafe, free, joggin, lifepin, running, weight, weight loss, weight loss blog
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about my Road ID, my Christmas present from last year. I even included some $1 off coupon codes in case anybody was compelled to order one.
Today on Facebook, however, I came across something that is similar to the Road ID product but is sans the stylish band.
They are called FinishSafe Finish Tags and are designed to conveniently attach to your person so that, much like Road ID, you no longer have to worry about carrying your wallet or legal ID while you are out running, cycling, or participating in any kind of activity.
What makes this product different is that all of the information your provide is stored online and should you ever need medical attention, it is easily accessed by emergency personnel. By either calling an 800 number, texting, or entering your LifePin on the FinishSafe Web site, they will see everything they need to get you immediate and proper medical attention.
The cost to store and update your information online is free. By comparison, Road ID is free for the first year and then charges $9.99 every year thereafter for their Interactive service.
Perhaps the best thing of all is that, until April 30, 2011, you can get your very own set of FinishSafe Finish Tags for absolutely free (a $9 value). The offer is limited to the first million people who sign up before April 30th so if you want to get in on this deal, I’d suggest you do it now.
More pictures and information is on their Facebook page and should you order one after reading about it here, Like them and mention you saw it on 200by40.com so we can both benefit from the exposure we both so truly deserve 
Free is always good so what are you waiting for? Those things won’t order themselves. Get busy!
The Scale
2011/04/13 at 6:56 am | Posted in Discipline, Exercise, Life, lifestyle change, weight loss, weight loss blog | Comments OffTags: Exercise, Health, scale, weight, weight loss, weight loss blog
I have decided that I will go until the end of the month without using the scale. This should give me time to get into some good habits and carry them into May.
Good idea? Any thoughts?
I’m feeling pretty good today knowing I’ve been on track and eating right. All of my meals have been planned so I should be okay for the entire day.
Tonight is an exercise night so it’s either outside for a 3-mile walk/jog or indoors for crunches and weights. I’m thinking since I made my tuna salad for lunch, I might go out for a walk but who knows what I’ll decide.
And honesty, either would be fine with me
Where I Stand
2011/04/11 at 10:13 pm | Posted in Health, lifestyle change, weight loss, weight loss blog | Comments OffTags: clif, Health, lifestyle change, weight, weight loss, weight loss blog
I was recently chosen to participate in a study about health and nutritional habits. It was a completely random phone call that, once completed, earned me a check for a cool $10. I rule!
What’s more, the study went further than just a bunch of questions over the phone. I was also asked if I would like to put my name in a pool of potential participants for a more in-depth study that included taking my weight, height, etc. I gladly submitted my name and just last week, I was called for the tests. In return, I would be rewarded even more money: a $50 Visa gift card. Sign me up!
The results were as follows (according to my memory of the event):
- Height: 5’ 10” but that hasn’t changed in years.
- Weight: 209. Yeah that’s right, it looks like I gained a little back but keep in mind that I was also wearing shorts and a shirt so chances are that this threw it off a bit. As a matter of fact, my weight this morning was 206 so all things considered, I’m staying at a reasonable weight – but still not entirely happy about the gain. Read on.
- Waist Measurement: 40”
- Hip Measurement: 42.5”
- Blood pressure: they took three different measurements at five minute intervals. The average between all three was about 100/65. Not too bad.
So after all of that, I was given two $25 gift cards and both of them went into our gas tanks. Pretty sad if you think about it…
At any rate, my weight. It’s been creeping up here and there and I’ve been having difficulty in maintaining myself at around the 200 lbs. level which is where I’ve been averaging since meeting my goal.
It seems my exercise habits sort of fell apart over the past few months and I simply got a little lazy. Hey, you have to admit that after years of following a strict routine of nutrition and exercise, it would get a bit tiring. And that’s pretty much where I landed.
But thankfully, lately I’ve been kicking myself into doing what needs to be done by doing either of the following on alternating days (and taking one day off somewhere in the week):
- Walk or run a 5k or at least 3 miles
- Weightlifting, ab crunches, and punching bag
And what exactly do I do on my nights off from all of that? Blog about it, of course
For a change of pace, I started to head out for early morning bike rides as well. As a matter of fact, I rode some 20 miles on Sunday:
As you can see, the beach is a only about 8 miles from home and it’s the one place I love to ride to, take a break, enjoy some “me” time, and re-energize with a CLIF Shot Energy Gel (Mocha, please).
So now that I’m trying to get back on track, what’s next? Here’s what’s next.
As you know, I’ve been trying like heck to hit that elusive 190 lb. goal and I just never seem to make it for whatever reason. That’s why I am now making this proclamation:
I will reach 190 by September 27, 2011, the 3 year anniversary of meeting my goal of 200 lbs. or less.
That gives me 169 days to lose 16 pounds or about .5 lb. per week. With the way things have been lately, it will be tough but I’m committed to make it happen.
I guess that means I will have to buy some new batteries for my scale which was something I was trying to avoid because I wanted to conduct an experiment of sorts.
Keeping in mind my weight the day that the batteries died, I wanted to see how far I could go without weighing myself and seeing if I would lose anything.
In only one day, I noticed a significant change in a few things. First, I wasn’t so obsessed with jumping on that scale and preparing myself for some kind of disappointment as things have been lately.
Second, I was making smarter food choices with every meal and snack knowing that I wasn’t going to let the scale dictate my meals for me; I had to do it for myself.
Finally, I felt better about myself overall and a little lighter the following morning. Not relying on the scale made me even more accountable for my actions which is something that is necessary when you are trying to lose weight.
So with that, it seems on back on track. 169 days until I reach my goal.
Will I make it? Stay tuned and find out!
My Entry for Automattic’s Worldwide WP 5k
2011/04/06 at 10:18 pm | Posted in Exercise, Health, Life, lifestyle change, weight loss, weight loss blog | Comments OffTags: Exercise, lifestyle change, weight, weight loss, weight loss blog, wwwp5k
Hello, WordPressers! My name is Dave and this is my blog entry for Automattic’s Worldwide WP 5k dealy thingy. Before I begin giving you the details of tonight’s run/walk, allow me to elaborate on a few things.
If this is your first time visiting 200by40.com I want to welcome you. The short story behind this blog is quite simple: I had set a goal to weigh 200 lbs. by my 40th birthday in 2009. With about 50 lbs. to lose, I decided that I would blog about everything that was going through my mind during that time, and I mean everything. Whether it was frustration with pounds not coming off or a review of a food item or weight loss aid (be it a gadget or otherwise), I wrote about it. I also took progress pictures so readers could see how a normal guy like me went from nearly 300 lbs. and lazy to 193 lbs. (my lowest point) and running, cycling, and just enjoying life.
All this by eating right and exercising without feeling sorry for myself. Like I’ve preached from the beginning, make no excuses and have no regrets. Just turn the switch to ON and don’t let anybody stop you!
It was also my intention that this blog serve as an inspiration to those who may be having trouble losing weight after trying everything short of lap-band or gastric bypass surgery, which I have a strong opinion against.
While I don’t blog here as often as I used to, go ahead and look around and see what it took to lose over 100 lbs. Sure, I’ve gained a few back over the years but I am working on that at the moment and look forward to reaching the elusive goal of 190 lbs. sometime this year.
Okay, so the Automattic Worldwide 5k. I am subscribed to a bunch of RSS feeds with Google Reader with WordPress being one of them. I read about this and figured since I already run or walk nearly 5k every other night, I might as well go for it.
First things first, WordPress is suggesting the Android app MapMyWalk as a tool to help participants track their time and distance. I chose not to since I am already a faithful Endomondo user and even wrote a post about it not that long ago. I figured since I have been uploading all of my stats there that I might as well keep on using it for this event.
So here are the stats from tonight’s run, courtesy of Endomondo:
While I had the app set for Running, I sort of went back and forth between jogging and walking. Either way, I got it done and will take a day off tomorrow and do my alternative exercising: ab crunches, weightlifting, and the punching bag. Gotta have a little variety. And if you’ve never done 5k and are interested in seeing exactly how far it is, here you go:
The numbers represent the mile markers and the other dots are where I started and finished the jog/walk. It may look like a lot but once you get used to it, it’s really nothing. When I was unemployed, it wasn’t uncommon for me to walk 5 miles at a time. Not only was it great exercise, it gave me some peace and quite during a tough time in my life.
Unless I take my dog with me, my walks tend to be uneventful. He makes them as…well, difficult as he possibly can with all his pulling and tugging. (For the record, he failed obedience class 
.) But tonight I decided to go dog-less and actually came across something interesting.
There is a stretch of dirt pathway that starts a little past the 1 Mile Marker on the image above and since I do this at night, I always have a mini flashlight with me.
I hit the path and came to a point where I felt the need to slow down and drink some water. As I did that, something in the darkness caught my eye. I grabbed the flashlight and pointed it in the direction of what appeared to be a white piece with a hand-written message on it. This paper beautifully and conspicuously placed between two chain link fence segments, its creator obviously wanting people to stop and read it.
Here’s what it read:
“The world is full of shipping clerks who have read the Harvard classics.”
– Charles Bukowski
I had a moment of deep, meaningful thought as I took a sip of water. Then I continued on my way home.
No, this isn’t a picture of me at the finish line as the rules suggest but hey, I thought it was interesting enough to include for this little entry – and possible Freshly Pressed status
At any rate, that’s what I’ve got for this challenge. I’m sure I will run or walk 5k at least a few more times before the April 10th deadline and I hope that you do, too.
And if you haven’t, make now the time to do it and let it be the start of a healthy habit that lasts a lifetime.
Take it from me, that guy who used to eat 3-item combos from a Chinese food restaurant at least 3 times a week and where they knew my name. I haven’t been back since (but still do enjoy Chinese food in moderation, of course).
I also hope you’ve enjoyed your visit here and maybe even found a bit of inspiration to change the way you live and be the thinner person you’ve always wanted to be. Let’s just say that while I still have a pair of size 48 pants somewhere in the house, I definitely enjoy wearing 36 and 38 instead!
Thanks for stopping by and hope you come back!
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Endomondo App for Android
2011/03/29 at 10:38 pm | Posted in Product Review | Comments OffTags: android, endomondo, Exercise, technology, virgin mobile lg optimus v, weight, weight loss, weight loss blog
Since I first got my iPod touch, I was a fool for the Nike + app. Heck,if not for that, I would have never won that nifty iPod nano!
Then, for whatever reason, I just stopped using it. Maybe it’s because I stopped running in general since doing the treadmill thing night after night got quite boring (and I wasn’t quite ready to jog outside just yet).
Flash-forward to September 2010 and the release of the Nike + GPS app which did everything the original app did plus tracked your runs, let your Facebook friends cheer for you, etc. It was definitely a cool idea that did get me back on the treadmill but in order to get full use from the app, owning an iPhone was almost a requirement.
I don’t do iPhones. Too expensive.
So now we go to February 2011 when I bought my first smartphone, Virgin Mobile’s LG Optimus V which is downright incredible for the price (original MSRP of $149.99) and service ($25/month for 300 minutes and unlimited everything). I immediately downloaded the MyFitnessPal app since I knew it was going to be used most often and since I was now connected all the time, I could sync all of my data anywhere (unlike my iPod, where I have to be near a wi-fi connection).
I also started to search the Android Marketplace for more ideal fitness apps and while most were just okay, I came across one that looked interesting so I thought I’d give a shot: Endomondo Sports Tracker.
Despite it’s silly name, Endomondo is has become my new and most favorite fitness app. It’s basically like the Nike + GPS app but for Android devices and offers a wealth of cool features such as distance, average moving speed, average overall speed, and perhaps the most interesting (and maybe alarming if you like your privacy), live GPS tracking. Provided you want to, it will also post a link to your live progress on your Facebook Wall or Twitter account.
Whenever you track an activity, it is posted on the site and on your calendar with the appropriate icon. You can choose to keep your calendar private, public, or only visible to friends:
The gaps between workouts can be attributed to the unseasonably wet Spring we here in Southern California have been having. They put a damper on my activities which is why I’m now getting back into working out.
To give you an idea of what it does, here’s a screengrab of my run from tonight (click to enlarge):
As you can see, it’s pretty thorough.The numbers you see on the track are mile markers and while not visible on this picture, it will also tell you your quickest and slowest lap on your device (represented by a turtle and rabbit icons…how cute…!).
Perhaps the best thing is that Endomondo isn’t limited to just running or walking. Here’s a screengrab of my test of the app which I did while riding my bike:
As indicated on the Notes, I never reached the Max Speed of 35.1 MPH (see the Speed Graph) so that’s a sign that while neat and all, it’s not entirely without its faults. In fact, I had to re-start my run tonight after I realized that the clock was ticking but no distance or calories were being recorded.
However, even with its few faults, I’ve come to really dig Endomondo and use it for every run, walk, or bike ride I do.
Both the basic app and joining the online community are free. There is a Pro version of Endomondo but it doesn’t offer many more features than the free version so if you want to give it a shot, stick with the free one.
Well, these last few posts have been a little out of the ordinary for this blog but I figured I’d shake things up a bit for everybody, and hopefully give you guys some insight on products you might want to try out.
Stay motivated, everybody 
Related Articles
- “Some of the Best Android Apps for March 2011″ and related posts (androidauthority.com)
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