DC Rainmaker's 2016 Recommendations

If you need a fitness gadget, I'd start with DC Rainmaker's 2016 recommendations.

Garmin Vivosmart HR Deal

So I generally like my Garmin Vivosmart HR. I'm surprised that I don't look at the data (sleep and heart rate) as much as I thought I would. I really like the smart phone notifications.

But, if you are interested, this is a great deal. I paid $130 for mine, so this saves you $30.

The links above is for the non-GPS version. For a running/GPS solution, I must say I am extremely happy with my Garmin 235 GPS watch. It would be close to being my single device solution except I don't think it would be as comfortable to sleep in.

Vivosmart HR Update

So after about a week, I can't say that I love my Garmin Vivosmart HR fitness tracker. It just doesn't seem to be that accurate.

Sleep
It says I got 10 hours of sleep last night. Ha. I went to bed at 11:30 PM and got up at 5:00 AM to run. I took it off around 8:00 PM to wash some dishes and somehow that was recorded as sleep.

Heart Rate
I thought it was reading high on both my resting and running heart rate. I did a track workout yesterday and it had my heart rate at 200 bpm for a lot of it.

I'm going to try some of the recommended troubleshooting (tighten the band, swap arms, move it up the arm, have it face the inside the wrist, etc.), but I really wanted it to just work.

Phone Notifications
The phone notifications are a nice. I didn't think I would care, but there is some value in being able to glance at my wrist and not pull the phone from my pocket.

Vivosmart HR Plus GPS

Timing...

So, I just bought the Vivosmart HR and today they announce the Vivosmart HR+ - basically the same fitness tracker, but now with a built-in GPS. I'm not sure if I would want to spend the extra $100 to get the GPS functionality. I'd have to think about it, but, shooting from the hip, I'd save that money to spend on the Forerunner 235.

If you want the Vivosmart HR+, you can pre-order it at Amazon.

Workouts

After my last post, many* of you asked about my workouts. Here are a couple of examples:

Finish off the morning workout with high knee incline runs at 19.5mph . @robert_paulele

A video posted by Jalen Hurd (@jayhurd1) on May 2, 2016 at 9:36am PDT

* Many = none

Fitness Friday

Lots of things in the fitness arena converging today...

Running
Bad news for us older folks... the data shows a strong correlation between age and decline in speed:

By age 35, the rates of decline are so predictably linear that this calculator by a Yale economics professor maps out just how slowly you can expect to run the same distance as the years run by.

https://fairmodel.econ.yale.edu/aging/runoth.htm

The good news is that I don't think I've hit my peak yet, so I hope to keep seeing improvements for some years yet.

Cross Training
I've built a fairly large collection of dumbbells that my wife and I use to workout at home. I think something like these Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells would be a good supplement to our home gym. It would keep us from replicating all the weights and definitely would save space. (Our family room is also our gym.)

Fitness Tracker
I bit the bullet and after a small USPS delay, I have a Garmin Vivosmart HR fitness tracker. It monitors the usual steps and stairs, but I bought it for the heart rate monitor and sleep tracker. In addition to tracking my heart rate throughout the day, it will link to my Garmin GPS watch and share the heart rate information. I've only done that once - it's a little more awkward wearing the two devices than I expected.

The sleep monitoring is cool. I feel like I don't get a lot of quality sleep and I know I get up a lot. I'll have the data to back that up now.

Fitness Tracker Security

Fitness trackers aren't the most secure devices around (PDF).

And this one can be jailbroken...

Jailbreaking the Microsoft fitness band https://t.co/Q5GYFsKSqw #IoT #exploitdev #reversing #hacking #infosec @b0n0n pic.twitter.com/jiGC8yZxaS

— Ptrace Security GmbH (@ptracesecurity) April 20, 2016

I'm in the market for one - didn't realize I was going to need to do a security audit as part of my evaluation.

As always, DC Rainmaker is the place to go for the feature and performance evaluations. I can't decide if I want the Vivosmart HR or if I should just upgrade my running watch to the Forerunner 235. I have the Forerunner 610 and would like to stay in the Garmin ecosystem.

Tech Fatigue

People are getting tried of keeping up with all the changes or maybe most things are good enough.

In the last year, I went from an old 42 inch HDTV LCD to a new, thin Vizio 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart TV. I upgraded to an iPhone 6. I've had an old iPad Mini for years that I rarely use. I don't have a smart watch. I've had my Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostats for a while. I'm not really interested in a drone.
I might upgrade my Garmin GPS running watch or add a fitness band. I geek out over the data, so I'd like to have the heart rate and sleep information that something like the Garmin Vivosmart HR would provide.

Drinks at Splash Contry

Bloomberg would have fits if he saw the gigantic, unlimited refill cups they use at Dollywood's Splash Country. I'm not sure how big they are exactly, but they surely exceed the Bloomberg limits.

"Refresh yourself all season long by purchasing a Dollywood's Splash Country "Fill & Chill" Mug. With the purchase of this special mug you receive free refills all day long.

If you are splashing with us for the day, purchase a Dollywood's Splash Country Day "Fill & Chill" Mug for the day of your visit. This special mug allows you to receive free refills for the entire day at Dollywood's Splash Country.

For the best value, refresh yourself all season long by purchasing a Dollywood's Splash Country Season "Fill & Chill" Mug. With the purchase of this special mug you receive free refills all season long."

I think the Season "Fill & Chill" Mug was almost $30. Yikes. Forget the calories, my wallet couldn't take the weight loss.

I did find the technology surrounding these cups to be pretty cool. They must have a RFID chip in them as people were using self-service stations. If you had an authorized cup, it would let you refill it with any of the fountain drinks. If not, alarms sounded and the Dollywood SWAT appeared to haul you away.

20 Mins a Day Will Keep the Doc Away

I guess my three hour marathon training runs are overkill then.

Lifehacker: 20 Minutes a Day to Get Fit

Of course, twenty minutes may not be enough if I want to live to be 115.

The Flu is for the Avians

The day before the flu hit me, I ran 11 miles at a sub 9 minute pace. More than two weeks later, I ran just 7 miles and I was almost 40 seconds per mile slower.