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Runtastic Orbit Review - the activity tracker that will get you moving!

8/26/2014

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This Runtastic Orbit review is sponsored by Runtastic and Sweat Pink; I received an Orbit in exchange for a review.  All opinions are my own.
I often get asked from my Challenge Group members, class participants or readers - which fitness tracker is the best? Unfortunately, up until a few weeks ago, I never owned/used a fitness tracker, so I wasn't even sure what they did, let alone which was best.  I know that when I set myself a big health and fitness goal, I have to start tracking my workouts and nutrition, but as far as my movement - I never took the plunge.  I was always a little curious, especially when it came to tracking my sleep, which was why I was so excited to receive he BRAND NEW Runtastic Orbit to try out!
Runtastic Orbit Review - the activity tracker that will get you moving!
The Runtastic Orbit is a wearable activity, fitness and sleep tracker that can be worn on your wrist like a watch, or as a clip. It tracks movement, sleep and mood (double tap the button when you're happy).  It also has a screen where you can view your daily progress and is waterproof up to 100 meters!  It displays the time and also will tell you when you're 50% towards your goal, when you haven't been active in 60 minutes and when you've reached your goal.  The first time I wore the Orbit, I wore it in the shower because - why not? - it's waterproof!  I also hit 50% of my step goal, which causes the device to vibrate, right as the water turned on.  For a split second I thought I was getting electrocuted, but rest assured, the Orbit is indeed waterproof!  The information collected on the Orbit will sync with the new Runtastic Me app, which you can download to your smartphone.
BUT, perhaps one of the coolest features is that the activity tracker also syncs with all of the other runtastic apps (run, bike, swim, etc.), so it will combine your data into one place.  Unfortunately, I am not running or biking right now and never was a swimmer, so I didn't get to use this feature, but how awesome is that?
I decided to wear the Orbit for a week on the wristband and a week on the clip.  My weeks are pretty routine, so I thought it would be a good way to compare the two options.  On my first day I wore the Orbit, I was happy to see that I was taking well over 10,000 steps without even trying.  Just my normal Tuesday routine (walking to and from the train station, to and from the gym and teaching my Bodypump class) clocked in at just over 15,000 steps!  On Thursday, when I teach step aerobics, I almost reached 20,000 steps!  I think there may have been some over-counting, but it was really exciting to be able to see my daily movement over the week.
Runtastic Orbit Review - the activity tracker that will get you moving!
Tuesday
Runtastic Orbit Review - the activity tracker that will get you moving!
Thursday
Runtastic Orbit Review - the activity tracker that will get you moving!
When it came to looking at my sleep, there were some good days and some bad days.  The green represents "deep sleep", the yellow is "light sleep" and the red is "awake".  At some point while testing out the Orbit, I started sleeping with a body pillow (hello 30-week baby bump), which restricted my movement while sleeping more, but didn't really facilitate more sleeping, so I think that affected the tracking.  I'm not sure exactly how it judges the "efficiency" of your sleep, but I typically fell between 95% and 98%.
Runtastic Orbit Review - the activity tracker that will get you moving!
Runtastic Orbit Review - the activity tracker that will get you moving!
When I switched over to the clip, I did notice that it seemed to be more accurately counting steps, but the problem with the clip is I would constantly forget it.  I would leave it on the t-shirt I slept in or the pants I wore to work and would miss entire days of tracking.  It also once fell off my clothing, hit the floor and reset the device, so I lost all of the data since the last sync.  So while wearing the clip might be more accurate for measuring, it wasn't the best wear-method for me.
Runtastic Orbit Review - the activity tracker that will get you moving!
It was fun for me to track my movement and sleep, and while I don't have any other wearable fitness tracker to compare it to, I was satisfied with the Runtastic Orbit.  I can't wait to use it once I start running again!  The Runtastic Orbit is available for $120, which is comparable to most wearables on the market and includes 2 color band options (black and blue) along with an easy-to-use USB connection to charge it. Additional color options for the wristband are sold separately: orange/yellow/red and green/white/steel.
Do you currently use a wearable or track your daily fitness?
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FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary

6/20/2014

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FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary
Tomorrow marks the first day of summer, which is also my 1-year Blogiversary (check out my first blog post ever)! Although my blogging has been a little sporadic lately, I thought I'd update you all on how things are going over here at FitYaf!  I first started this blog after running a "100 days till summer" Challenge Group.  There were so many great things that came out of the challenge - I wanted a place to share it beyond my group.

What has my fitness been like lately?

When 2014 rolled around, I set myself some fitness goals for the year.  I was very happy with everything I achieved in 2013, and was looking forward to what 2014 had in store.  I also had some personal (non fitness related goals), and if you follow be on Instagram or Twitter, you might already know that my husband and I are expecting our first child in October of this year! While I planned to be (and to this day still am) very active throughout my whole pregnancy, I quickly decided that maybe this year was not the year for these goals.  After talking to my doctor, I got the go ahead to continue exercising (and teaching fitness classes), but as far as pushing myself beyond my current fitness level - I just didn't feel comfortable doing that.  I did manage to hit one of those goals about a week before I got pregnant, so I can check off "run a 5k in under 25 minutes".
FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary
FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary
Once I found out I was pregnant, I was a little scared to keep up with my workouts, specifically running.  My running workouts were typically completed in the early hours of the morning, and while I was very lucky in the "morning sickness" department, I still didn't feel great in the mornings.  At first I did try to keep up with my "1000 miles in 2014" goal, running 91 miles in January, 84 miles in February and 74 miles in March, but tracking the miles was putting a lot of pressure on me, so I decided to save this goal for 2015.  As it turns out, at around 14 weeks, I developed some pelvic pain that has pretty much stopped all running for the time being.  I was able to run the Philly Love Run in March, and although I didn't train to hit my "under 1 hour and 50 minutes" goal, I finished the race (came in at about 2 hours and 10 minutes) and felt AMAZING!
Not running has given me more time to try out other workouts, or spend more time doing the workouts I was already doing. I'm spending more time with Insanity (about 2 times/week) and Melissa Bender workouts (about once/week).  I've also been able to continue teaching 3 classes/week (boot camp, Bodypump and step aerobics).  Sometimes it takes a little extra creativity to motivate the class when my own energy is dragging, but I'm up for the challenge.  I'm also BEYOND excited to start Chalene Johnson's BRAND NEW AT HOME PiYo workout program.  I just ordered mine yesterday, and I think it's going to be a great way to add some variety to my fitness.  PiYo is an amazing workout that previously was only available in select gyms, but now you can order your own at a HUGE discount (while supplies last).  This program is a mix between Pilates and Yoga and helps build lean muscle!  Think - fast hot yoga but with the air conditioning on and awesome music playing!
 
FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary - PiYo
FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary




So for now, I'm still working out about 6 times/week and loving this whole pregnancy journey.  I'm taking it day by day without any expectations.  I'm trying my best not to worry about every workout or every pound gained, and I look forward to revisiting my 2014 goals next year!

What have I been blogging about?

Over the past year, my blog posts have covered topics from recipes to healthy habits to workouts and more!  Below are my top 5 blog posts:
  1. Confessions of a group exercise instructor
  2. Everything you need to know about P90x3
  3. Friends of FitYaf - How I Became a Fitness Blogger: Melissa Bender Fitness
  4. Working out with friends & 7 other habits of highly fit people
  5. FitYaf's Fitness Friday Low Impact HIIT Workout
FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary
My readers come from all over the world, but here are the top 5 cities where people love FitYaf:


  1. Philadelphia
  2. New York
  3. Chicago
  4. Minneapolis
  5. Los Angeles
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And finally, here are the top 5 blog posts that people find through searching on Google:
  1. Everything you need to know about P90x3
  2. Philadelphia Art Museum Workout
  3. FitYaf's Fitness Friday Low Impact HIIT Workout
  4. Life Fitness Synrgy360 Training @ Pottruck - training in all planes & asymmetric loading
  5. FitYaf's Fitness Friday BOSU workout

What is coming in the future?

In the immediate future, I have two Challenge Groups starting soon: a Shaun T boot camp and a PiYo boot camp.  You can email me if you have any questions or if you're interested in joining on of these.
FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary
I do have some exciting product reviews, giveaways and recipes, coming your way this summer, and I'm going to be posting some more Fitness Friday Workouts.  I'm not signed up for any races, and I don't plan to race again until next year.  I look forward to the second half of my pregnancy and of course meeting my baby fitness guru in October!
What do you want to see more of on FitYaf.com?  Have you had experience working out through a pregnancy?
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    Jillian [FitYaf]

    fitness enthusiast.
    coach.
    marathoner.
    bioengineer.

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