Not into running…
I do not run. Ever. Well, I probably would if a bear or a lion started chasing me, but what are the chances?
The last time I ran… well, I am not too sure actually. Seriously. I can probably guess that the last time I ran was to catch a train, but again, that was probably a brisk walk. I just look ridiculous when I run.
Do you remember the opening credits of Baywatch, in which all those glamourous, tanned lifeguards run with style, muscles contracting, shiny blow dried hair flickering in the wind… definitely not me! Have you ever wondered where they were hiding the chubby ones, ugly ones, clumsy ones and spotty ones in Baywatch?
In France, you have to study (and take exams in) all subjects at A-Level. Physical Education was not my forte (serious understatement). We had to choose three sports: an individual sport, one in pairs (is that even what it is called?) and a team sport.
I chose running, badminton (I ended up last in my class), and for the team sport, drum roll… circus skills! I know! I had so much fun! Can you imagine all the people who avoid any form of exercise all together in one room? It was amazing! I was useless at juggling, did not even attempt going anywhere near the unicycle, but I loved the diabolo. I could practise for hours! My ‘team’ and I were really proud of our finale as ABBA was resonating in the sports hall: a choreography (pretty awful!) that ended with a human pyramid (not a very stable or gracious one). Enough said.
Sorry about the digression. Don’t you love memories that come back to the surface when you least expect them? I was quite good at running when I was younger (not that I ever chose to do it in my spare time). In my first year at secondary school, my PE teacher was shouting at us to run faster around the football pitch, cigarette in hand (truth!). If I remember well, I got an A* for running at A-Level. I have not run since.
When I took part in the Race for Life in 2008, I was eight months pregnant with Crevette, so that was a pretty good excuse not to run. I just found a photo of me as the race was about to start. As all participants were stretching, I was eating an ice lolly! I really enjoyed my 5K walk. If I were to do it again this year, I would definitely prepare for it, as I would probably attempt running.
This week, a couple of things have made me want to run (OK, walk quickly).
The first one that has motivated me to start exercising more is a fab initiative that has just been launched in Hertfordshire. The children came back from school really excited last week, as they mentioned Beat the Street. I am always amazed by the number of creative ideas and improvements going on daily in my local area, but this is my favourite recent one! “Beat the Street Hertfordshire is designed to encourage and inspire communities to walk to school, to work and to the shops rather than by car. It will run from 3rd June until 15 July 2015.”
The children were given a ‘Beat the Street’ fob and card each. A lot of momentum was put on it at school and the children are desperate to earn points for tapping ‘Beat Boxes’. So am I. Their enthusiasm is catching! On Saturday, my four little ones and I walked around town for an hour and a half looking for ‘Beat Boxes’ and we were a tad disappointed to find three only. Yesterday, we were out for an hour and found three again. They came home with a map after school today: ideal! I am actually considering taking just Crevette and Beanie next time, on their bikes, and to run alongside them. How crazy is that?
The second thing that is motivating me to start running is the fact I got a Fitbug Orb. I have wanted to try a Fitbug or that sort of activity and sleep monitor for ages. I hate exercising, but I feel quite fit and I am really active. I also walk everywhere. I just want the little machine to tell me I am doing fine. I hope it does not say, “Start spending 30 minutes a day doing abs and 2 hours running.” I would be devastated. I am also curious about the sleep monitor thing. I know I am not sleeping enough, so I am not sure what to expect, but I am hoping it will make me go to bed at a more reasonable time.
I love the fact that the Fitbug Orb tracks your steps, distance walked, calories burned and sleep 24 hours a day!
Really useful little gadget! I would love one!
How about the app lovely?
I think the weekly health and motivational tips they send out would be helpful and keep me ‘motivated’!
Same here!
I really like the recipe suggestions as part of the app!
Hi there -thanks for mentioning Beat the Street! here’s a link to the maps to make finding Beatboxes a bit easier! Many thanks! Margaret https://herts.beatthestreet.me/rules#printmap
Hi Margaret, thanks a lot. I will add the link right now. The children were really excited to come home with the maps yesterday.
Great! Please let us know how you get on with Beat the Street! I’ve sent you a message via your FB page about it (might be in others). Many thanks! Margaret https://herts.beatthestreet.me
We are loving it so far!
think the workout videos would be the best for me. Useful to see what you need to do (and watch someone doing it properly!)
They are really easy to follow, and the demonstration makes it really clear exactly what to do.
great for monitoring fitness
It is, isn’t it?
The fact that it gives me targets each week giving me the incentive to improve
Definitely!
I would find the walking feature great for me as i do alot of it
Same here!
recipe suggestions sound like a brill idea, im always having trouble thinking up new ideas
Health tips and something to keep me motivated would be fab, as soon as i have my baby in October , i want to start slowly getting back into shape x
I like the recipe suggestions too, I always get stuck in a rut.
I like the workout videos part of the app. I always find it easier to follow along with someone else.. and in the privacy of my own home.
Definitely! Gives you flexibility and no one is watching!
The walking feature would be most useful
it would be so handy as i really want to watch the calories i eat and this would be fantastic and i love that it counts your steps too xxx
This is the gadget everyone needs looking at your write up. Hope this ones got my name on it 🙂
Ha ha! What feature of the app would you find the most useful?
I would find the varied workouts beneficial so don’t get bored of doing exercise
love this xx
This looks fab! love the recipes 🙂
the walking feature – love walking so it would be really useful
the facet that it tracks calories and how far you have walked i walk all day at work so would be interesting to see what i do
I like the fact you can make targets to aim towards
I like the personal trainer aspect of it- I need that extra motivation!
I love the fact that it progresses slowly and at a steady pace so even as a beginner it doesn’t seem to daunting! xx
I know! Ideal for me, too!
It Is easy to use to get fit
OMG that pic of you eating a lollypop while everyone else is getting pumped for the race is GOLD!! (But seriously good on your for taking part anyway!!) I’ve been meaning to get one of those watches for ages. Wish I could enter your giveaway! 🙁
Oh sorry my lovely. If you have friends in the UK, they could enter on your behalf!
I think I would find the health motivational tips useful as I do need motivating
Health and motivational tips sound good. I like the fact you aren’t rushed so get fit at a pace to suit you
I like the targets aspect of it; you can monitor your progress on the way to the goal.
I really need to get fit and lose a few pounds so the features I like are that it tracks your activity and the calories you have burned. I also try and walk 10000 steps a day so as this would count steps is a massive benefit to me as I am always losing my clipon pedometer
I think the personalised targets are great
The steps tracker and calorie counter x x
I love the idea of weekly health and motivational tips and prgress report – I also love the different plans idea like Goodbye Baby Bump x
The sleep feature, haha
You’re funny! Me too!
I like the fact that it sets your goals. I would be inclined to cheat a bit if left to my own devices!
The Recipe Tips sounds great!
tracking steps is great
The Walking Feature sounds useful.
Setting goals, as I run everyday and have no idea of speed, time etc and it gets a bit boring, would be nice to challenge myself!
Targets to aim towards
I like the walking feature because it is an interest of mine – I walk several miles a day
Tracking calories burned!
I love the idea of beat the street, It’s a shame the don’t have anything like it up here. That said, Josh has just started to insist on walking everywhere which involves either running as fast as he can, refusing to move, or insisting we walk in the opposite direction to where we need to get to, so I’d probably go crazy with it pretty quickly!
Can’t believe you were 8 months pregnant in that picture, you had a dainty bump. I was massive at that stage.
Disappointed there’s no human pyramid picture!
I was massive towards the end of my 2nd pregnancy! I think I have a videotape of the ‘show’ (the term should be used loosely in this case), but no player, he he!
I think I’ve got one in a cupboard somewhere!
Really? Don’t you use yours?
I may be behind the times, but I’m not that far!
Interesting recipes would be great.
I think I’d find the nutrition bit and the motivation the most useful. I already use a “fitness tracking” app and like the nutrition but the best.
I would find the recipe section interesting
Recipe suggestions and workout videos would be great!
The motivational tips would keep me going!
The weekly tips would help to motivate me …
im really into cooking and baking right now so recipie ideas are welcome x
The walking feature and recipe tips
I like the targets so I can consistently work to get better.
Recipes for me, yummy! 🙂
The Recipe Tips sound nice as it’s easy to get bored with healthy food.
Je ne courre plus depuis un moment ! Maintenant je préfère la marche à pied. Ta photo avec la glace est super sympa 😉
Has to be the calories burned – need to know when I’ve used up that chocolate xx
I think for me it would be the step and nutrition target setting. I like something to aim for to keep me motivated.
videos and motivational tips would be great!
The workout videos suit me best at the moment, but I also like the recipes
I like the way that it keeps you motivated and on track. I loose interest quickly and this would be great as it would nudge me and remind me to keep going.
The calorie counter and the goal tracker!
I like how it sends you weekly goals.
The weekly motivational tips because I get bored quickly and then give up. I need gee-ing up a bit.
The sleep function sounds intriguing
I love the Personal Trainer aspect, as I’d get a bit lazy so this should stop it!!
I like you can track your results and see how you have progressed
I like that you can calculate the number of calories you eat, I always round it down when I add it up!
I love a good walk!
the recipes tips are good
the targets would be a great incentive for me as setting goals helped me to stop smoking, also the recipes as i love to try new things
Sounds like a brilliant device to help me get fit. 🙂
The Weekly workout videos sound useful 🙂
I’ve been thinking about getting something like this for a while, would love to win one.
Health and motivational tips sound great x
It giving me targets would really keep me focused
the targets so that it increases motivation
The Easy-to-make recipes and nutritional advice section
The targets would really help me x
The recipes for me
I’d be really interested to monitor my sleep patterns as I’ve a snoring partner , so it would be good to see how he affects my sleep!!
Ha ha, great point! My mum is with us at the moment and she snores so much she woke my little man up in the middle of the night yesterday!
I like that you can set yourself targets x
I think the recipe suggestion would be extremely useful to have!
Thanks for the giveaway 🙂
I would find the recipes and health tips most useful.
The recipes sound really good
I would love to know how many calories I have burned
I do zumba so I would like to win this so I can keep track of what calories I am burning x
i think the sleep tracking is the thing that most intrigues me. Id love to know how ive slept!
The walking feature would be handy for me as I walk to work and back every day.
I have been looking at activity trackers for a while and I love that they count steps as well as monitoring your sleep. I just need to save my pennies 🙂
the fact it is secure – I have a clip on pedometer that I keep losing and suspect is not very accurate anyway
The recipes and nutritional advice would be useful to me
Definitely the targets as I like having something to work towards
the workout vids look useful x
I like the idea that it sends you weekly running (or walking) goals. I’d need that to help keep me motivated.
the recipe suggestions are a great idea
I think tracking my progress… and hopefully the improvement 🙂
workout videos would be really useful xx
The calorie counter would be extremely useful.
The sleep tracking would be really intriguing.
Like the targets
the recipe ideas
i think this would give me the motivation i need to get moving!
I like the targets that are set to keep you motivated
For me, it’d be the motivational tips along with the recipe ideas. I struggle with having good, creative ideas for dinner times so this would really give me the kickstart I need.
GREAT GADGET
I need motivation! On those dull wet days when i just want to do nothing!
Tell me about it!
the recipes suggestions would be really useful
I like that you get targets to reach each week
Tracking calories burned.
It all sounds good…I like that it sets you goals, that’s always my downfall when it comes to keeping fit. Nutrition advice is great as well 🙂 xx
It really sounds pretty good. I just set up my Fitbug Orb and I’m a tad worried about what it might say about my sleeping habits (or lack of!). x
I like that it tracks steps.
i use to step 10.00 steps aday
Training tips
The differentiated workout
The bit that monitors fitness
It’d be great to really understand how much exercise I’m ACTUALLY doing.
It all looks really good, I think the sleep tracker looks really inset resting, I’d be intrigued to know my quality of sleep and if I’m getting enough
That’s my favourite feature! I’ve only been using it for three days but I love it already.
I was never any good at sports but I found that signing up to some kind of challenge spurred me to do something about exercising. Race For Life was probably the start of it and then a half marathon and a 10k. Not all in the same year (or decade for that matter) but I did it. A few years ago I signed up for a local charity to do a bike ride to our twin town in Germany and back. That changed a lot of things in my life. I have since done the ride 4 times (it’s only done every other year)and I help to run a disabled cycling club for the charity. I also do the local park run (5k) which is brilliant for any level, age, speed or size. There are people ranging from 16 minute finishers to those that walk on crutches, or push buggies with their little ones in, even a chap who did it pushing his wife in a wheelchair.
Oh wow, you do a lot! I would definitely one of the people having a chat and a nice leisurely walk at the back!
After all that I forgot to say what feature on the fitbug would be best for me. It would be le.the target setting as I am actually a very lazy person and try to get away with as little as possib
Tell me about it!
I think the motivational tips would really help me. I get a bit lazy but that would spur me on!
Workout videos, it is so easy to do exercises wrongly.
calories burned x
like the idea of it sending you weekly updates, keeps you motivated
the health and motivational tips
The recipe suggestions are a great idea
I like that they will send workout videos so you can actually see someone doing the moves.
The recipe suggestions, I never know what to cook!
the recipes would be a boon xx
The sleep tracking
The work out videos
the sleep tracker sounds interesting 🙂
The walking feature. Perhaps this would help motivate me.
Having motivation is essential when working on a 12 week goal !
Definitely! I generally have motivation for two or three days and then life takes over!
The regular motivation & health tips, they’d keep me going!
I love how it tracks your sleep I always feel as though im not getting enough sleep
Tell me about it!
The sleep tracker is great
I love the step counter and calorie burner
I’d love the sleep function as it my be able to help me sort out my bad sleep patterns.
I like the weekly targets
the sleep function, I’ve always wanted to track this
I would love to know how many calories I’ve burned
Love the calories burned, distance walked features,.
The recipes is a great feature
motivational tips
The calorie tracker would be really useful
I would love to use the nutrition part of the app my diet is awful and I find myself lacking inspiration to make healthier choices
Vary those woprkouts adds variety and minimises boredom!
tracking the calories burnt
great way to count my steps
Workout videos 🙂
the weekly targets as i work best to targets helps my motivation
For monitoring my fitness
Has to be the sleep function
The calories burnt would be a useful guide!
It all sounds good, but the weekly targets and recipes are my favourites!
I love that it tracks how much you walk so I can target to do as much on my days off as I do at work!
The recipe suggestions as I always struggle trying to stick with healthy balanced eating.
Health and motivational tips would be really useful.
Motivational tips would keep me going
The recipe suggestions!
@smeethsaysfashn on twitter
I reckon the workout videos – I never know what to do at home, so this would be so helpful!
The workout videos would be really useful
I like the walking feature as thats my main form of exercise as i have two dogs, also the sleep function!
the sleep side of things, would like to see how well I sleep and how long for, as it never feels enough
The tips sound good for keeping me motivated 🙂
i think having something to spice up my exercise routine would be great
I love that it is a tracker of walking and sleeping but also does so much more. Especially like the idea of the recipes x
either the work out vids so I can do stuff at home behind closed curtains with the fan running! or the recipe suggestions as I am always left thinking what to cook and often resort to take aways to avoid having to think about cooking!
the weekly targets 🙂
The weekly running (or walking) goals
Excellent stuff I would love one
I think the workout videos would be super helpful
i think all of it as a whole sounds great! i really lack motivation so seeing my progress plus tips and recipes would really help me stick with it.
It would be great for tracking how much I move in a day
The extra motivation of having a ‘personal trainer’
I think its fab that it tracks your steps. Think that would motivate me to try and walk more than the day before. x
Traking steps and distance would be i think
The motivational tips!