We all know it’s not easy thinking of a gift to give Dad, especially since you want to make it a special one for the man who’s been there for you, every step of the way that you took on your own. Even if you may not have caught him checking on you, or your progress through out your life. But he’s always been there for you and now its time to say a big Thank You to Dad on this Father’s Day!

But what to get him? If your lucky, your dad has taken on the responsibility of keeping himself in good shape, both physically and mentally. A good tip may be to help him stay in shape, and if he’s not, then now is a good time to offer a little “nudge” in the right direction so he gets off the couch, putting down that bag of buttery popcorn, along with that sugar soda beverage.

Whichever type of father you have, athletic, couch potato, or one who wants to test himself by taking on a triathlon event, there are plenty of gift possibilities out there, you just need to decide which one is the best fit for YOUR Dad!

No matter what condition your father is in, a good way to help him get in better shape, or add a couple of miles onto his run is a good smartwatch! One that ranks right up there with the best is the Garmin Forerunner 245 GPS Running Smartwatch  Your dad can run, walk or jog safely with the Garmin Forerunner 245, because of its advanced safety and tracking features, including incident detection, which can send your real-time location to emergency contacts through your paired compatible smartphone!

And while your dad is out there, putting himself through the paces he can track his progress, the 245 Smartwatch evaluates his/yours current training status to indicate if he’s undertraining or overdoing it. And he won’t feel like he’s doing it alone either, because he can get free adaptive training plans from Garmin Coach, or create your own custom workouts on our Garmin Connect™ online fitness community. While providing advanced running dynamics, including ground contact time balance, stride length, vertical ratio and more (When used with Running Dynamics Pod or HRM-Run™or HRM-Tri™monitors (sold separately).

And not to have him feeling daunted, this smartwatch is easy to use and can provide him with all the stats he’s ever going to need to up his game as far as fitness goes. All he needs to do is put one foot in front of the other and rely on the Garmin Forerunner 245 to keep him on track with his distance, pace and calories he’s burning!

This makes it even a great incentive for your father to get moving, even if he’s never taken his health and fitness seriously! It’s a great easy to use a smartwatch, even for a beginner to fitness. But it’s just the kind you want if you want him to take his fitness seriously and its all he’s going to need as he progresses and gets the fitness bug and wants to test himself again and again!

So what are you waiting for, after all, Father’s day is just about here, so why not click on the link below to go to HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com and order one today!

With their Free Shipping on a purchase like this, you can put a smile on your Father’s face knowing that he’s getting what he really wants, and not just another tie!

Now that Spring is beginning to make itself felt across the country, you can now get outside and begin working on getting more activity, while enjoying the sun and warming weather. People that know they need to become more active because of yearly visits to their physicians who warn them that their current lifestyle is not providing enough physical activity to get their blood pressure under control. If you don’t know what your numbers are, you should not wait to find out after you’ve experienced a medical incident. Make an appointment with your physician and get an overall physical and let them tell you the results of how you fare and what if anything you need to be aware of.

High blood pressure or hypertension (blood pressure greater than 140/90 over a period of time) affects nearly 78 million Americans. Although it’s the leading cause of death worldwide (13 percent), about 30 percent of adults don’t even know they have high blood pressure. Many of those who are aware aren’t taking control of their disease. If left untreated, hypertension can increase your risk for heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral arterial disease (decreased blood flow usually to the legs and feet).

If after visiting your physician and you are told that you indeed are part of those 78 million you need to not only work at getting your blood pressure under control but you also need to monitor it so you can react if your blood pressure rises or falls so that you can take necessary action.

Using a home blood pressure monitor is a good idea so that you can track your blood pressure on a regular basis. Your doctor can advise you how often you should check your pressure and what to do if it rises or falls. One such monitor that can easily be used is the LifeSource UB351 Automatic Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor  It is a wrist based monitor that will alert you of the presence of an irregular heartbeat and provides blowrist-based and pulse rate measurements even if an irregular heartbeat occurs. It can also calculate the average of the total readings stored in its memory; a convenient way to get a snapshot of your measurements over time and provide you with an average of just what your blood pressure is over a specific timeframe.

How to use a home blood pressure monitor
Be still. Don't smoke, drink caffeinated beverages or exercise within 30 minutes before measuring your blood pressure. Empty your bladder and ensure at least 5 minutes of quiet rest before measurements.

Sit correctly. Sit with your back straight and supported (on a dining chair, rather than a sofa). Your feet should be flat on the floor and your legs should not be crossed. Your arm should be supported on a flat surface (such as a table) with the upper arm at heart level

Measure at the same time every day. It’s important to take the readings at the same time each day, such as morning and evening. It is best to take the readings daily however ideally beginning 2 weeks after a change in treatment and during the week before your next appointment.

Take multiple readings and record the results. Each time you measure, take two or three readings one minute apart and record the results. If your monitor has built-in memory to store your readings, take it with you to your appointments. Some monitors may also allow you to upload your readings to a secure website after you register your profile.

So just what are the numbers to be aware of? We have them listed Below:

NORMAL LESS THAN 120 and LESS THAN 80
ELEVATED 120 – 129 and LESS THAN 80

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
(HYPERTENSION) STAGE 1 130 – 139 or 80 – 89

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
(HYPERTENSION) STAGE 2 140 OR HIGHER or 90 OR HIGHER

If you get a high blood pressure reading:
A single high reading is not an immediate cause for alarm. If you get a reading that is slightly or moderately higher than normal, take your blood pressure a few more times and consult your healthcare professional to verify if there’ s a health concern or whether there may be any issues with your monitor.

If your blood pressure readings suddenly exceed 180/120 mm Hg, wait five minutes and test again. If your readings are still unusually high, contact your doctor immediately. You could be experiencing a hypertensive crisis.
If your blood pressure is higher than 180/120 mm Hg and you are experiencing signs of possible organ damage such as chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness/weakness, change in vision, difficulty speaking, do not wait to see if your pressure comes down on its own. Call 9-1-1!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the American College of Sports Medicine all recommend at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of both for adults.

Intensity – Exercise at a moderate level. Use the “talk test” to help you monitor. For example, even though you may notice a slight rise in your heart rate and breathing, you should be able to carry on a conversation while walking at a moderate pace. As you walk faster, you will begin to breathe faster and have difficulty talking. At that point, you’ve achieved moderate intensity or “somewhat hard.” Vigorous exercise causes a large rise in heart rate and breathing. At this intensity, it would become difficult to talk. Most people would rate this as “hard to very hard.”

Time – Exercise 30-60 minutes per day. You can do it all at once or break it up into a few sessions of at least minutes each.

Type – Do rhythmic exercises using the large muscle groups. Try brisk walking, cycling, and swimming. Choose activities you enjoy and will do regularly in your new, more active
lifestyle. Add variety depending on the day or the season to keep your program more enjoyable.

Start by exercising on your own. Begin walking or another form of activity that you can integrate into your daily routine.

Do rhythmic exercises using large muscle groups:
Try brisk walking, cycling, and swimming. Choose activities you enjoy and will do regularly in your new, more active lifestyle. Add variety depending on the day or the season to
keep your program more enjoyable. All you really need, though, is a good pair of shoes
to get started walking. Use a Pedometer or other activity tracker to monitor your progress. Slowly work toward a goal, like maybe 10,000 steps per day.

If you have been inactive for a long time, start with short sessions (ten to 15 minutes). Add five minutes to each session, increasing every two to four weeks. Gradually build up to being active 30 minutes a day for most days of the week. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids before, during, and after exercise, especially if you plan to exercise on a hot day or for a
long time. Always cool down slowly.

If possible, measure your blood pressure before you exercise. Do not exercise if your resting systolic blood pressure (the top number) is greater than 200 or your diastolic blood pressure
(the bottom number) is greater than 115. Contact your doctor!

So, getting back to where we started, now that you have some beneficial information about how and why you check your blood pressure. It's important that "Knowing" your numbers and keeping them in line will allow you to help yourself by being more active and getting your body in better shape.

And what better time to get started then in the Spring of the new year? By walking at a brisk pace,  eating healthy, lowering your stress all these things combined can help keep you living a more healthy and active life for years to come!
 

Sum, Sum, summertime is here and we are loving it. But with the summer heat also comes the humidity. Those of us that have embraced a healthy lifestyle and take every chance we get to get our runs or even a fast jog in can sometimes get into a little trouble with the dense air (Humidity) that sometimes ushers in with the jet-stream. Exercising in hot weather puts extra stress on your body. If you don't pay attention to your body, when exercising in the heat, you risk the chance of becoming seriously ill. Both the exercise itself and the air temperature and humidity can increase your core body temperature. To help cool itself, your body sends more blood to circulate through your skin.

Most of us, who like to run, make it a point to hit the open air trails instead of the fluorescent interior of a gym, the downside to this is there is NO air-conditioning. But we feel the need to move horizontally when we exercise… and if you’re like me, I exercise a lot. I need to run on the trails to get into that meditative state so many runners crave. But in the early summer months, my training schedules change to adapt to the heat and humidity of the Northeast. Yours should too!

You need to remember, that running or cycling in 90-degree weather is not the same as running in 50 or 60-degree weather. Your blood volume is lower than it needs to be and other systems within your body are simply not ready to take on the heat, much less the dense moisture laden air on a humid day. For many runners and cyclists, properly adapting to exercising in the heat can improve their performance in more temperate conditions. But you need to be aware of your body's strengths and weaknesses. One way to stay on top of your body's signals is with a good Heart Rate Monitor watch, especially one that tracks your V02 Max data. VO2 Max is the measurement of the maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can utilize during intense, or maximal exercise. It is measured as milliliters of oxygen used in one minute per kilogram of body weight. It's one factor that may help determine an athlete's capacity to perform sustained exercise.

Since most of us that like to get out and run on trails off the beaten path. An activity watch with a good accurate GPS function is a must. And as long as you’re going to maintain your fitness routines by getting out and enjoying the fresh air and scenery, having a Multi-Function monitor that doubles as both a heart rate monitor and one that does monitor your VO2 max data is a win-win. The one that I have found fits all my needs is the Garmin Fenix3 MultiSport Strapless Heart Rate Monitor (https://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com/products/garmin-fenix3-strapless?variant=15691645254). It keeps track of your heart rate, counts steps while walking and monitors sleep. The watch monitors your heart rate and provides precise information of the calories burned during your intensive sweat sessions. By keeping a record of these factors, you can check the quality of your workouts and improve it to get better results. Based on your VO2 levels and max number, it monitors your running speed and heart beats per minute. This is used to calculate the estimated volume of oxygen you can consume per minute.

Running in the heat and humidity takes a lot more effort than running in cool crisp weather. Your VO2 max or your ability to use oxygen to create energy diminishes. You will dehydrate much quicker which not only will further diminish your VO2 max, it can create electrolyte imbalances too. Heat Exhaustion, which can lead to Heat Stroke, where your body temperature rises to dangerous temperatures is an ever-present danger and can be fatal if untreated promptly. That is why knowing your VO2 max is an important tool once those dew-point levels climb up into the higher 60's too that oppressive 70 %!

Running in the summer, or even a good jogging pace can bring on the summer sweats. Sweating is the bodies’ way of trying to control your temperature. Under most circumstances, it works very well. In high heat/humid settings, it can sometimes work to your disadvantage if you are not prepared. In very dry, or very humid conditions sweating can lead to severe dehydration. Any experienced runner knows that they need to hydrate, and hydrate a lot! During an extended period of time can have you losing a few liters of fluid. In high heat, but low humidity conditions, the sweat is evaporated rapidly. You may feel like you’re not losing a lot of fluid, but you are! In high humidity environments the sweat does not evaporate nearly as rapidly, therefore your body’s response is to sweat more as it attempts to cool you down. The volume of fluid in your blood vessels might only be 3-5 liters. If you sweat or exhale 3 liters of fluid during exercise and do not replenish it your body will draw fluid away from your muscles, and other organs to maintain the fluid level in your blood vessels. That is why dehydration can affect all your systems in your body. The key rule to remember is to drink often if you wait till your mouth is dry, you’re waiting too long!

Water is a great restorative, especially when it's that hot and humid. But sometimes it’s best to get those lost electrolytes replenished as well. One product line that we like is the Nuun Active Electrolyte Supplement  Nuun active, is a sports drink, packed with electrolytes and low-calorie clean ingredients to help you stay energetic during your intense sweat sessions. It will help you get rid of cramps and improve muscle function. It also aids efficient distribution of energy.

But in order to tote that energy/electrolyte packed drink on your run, you need a good, insulated bottle. One great item that is always at my side, (literally) is the Camelbak Delaney 21oz Podium Insulated Chill Bottle  This insulated bottle is just about hands-free, and since it comes with its own waist hugging adjustable pack it does not get in the way and is easy to use. The pack itself provides enough storage (without being bulky) for energy bars or gels, keys and even my phone. So don’t start off on the wrong foot by NOT carrying the right water container and remember to take any opportunity while you’re out on the trail to refill it. You never know what may happen as you get farther out on a trail that you’re not familiar with!

If you’re running consistently, your body is already working on getting used to the summer heat and humidity. It usually takes about 2-3 weeks before your body adapts, so listen to your body as the temp. begins to rise. Your body will increase the volume or amount of fluid in your vessels to ready itself for exercise. This is likely due to sodium and protein retention. Many other adaptations take place. Our sweat glands become more efficient too. You will sweat more often and more efficiently. You will begin to notice that your body is getting used to exercising in the heat when your heart rate decreases despite running at the same pace. You will also notice an increase in your endurance and your VO2 max.

After your body adapts to the stress of exercising in the heat and humidity you should be able to return to your normal training schedule. Remember, all this above assumes you are a healthy well trained athlete to begin with! If you are just starting out or you have chronic heart, lung or other illnesses you should definitely talk to your physician first, before doing ANY stressful exercise!

Not doing so is beyond being foolish, so make sure if you’re a rookie that you have your physician sign off on your being able to not only run, but being able to run when the heat index starts to climb.

Is this you?  I know, I know, you've probably read or have seen posts about this a lot, but you'd be surprised how often this topic comes up, in the gym, the office, even the grocery store.  Some people use the simple formula of just eating less and getting themselves more active. Now that's a good equation, and I follow that all of the time. But you have some people, and unfortunately, there are quite a number of them that think "More is Better" and they tend to swing too much to the far end of the pendulum and really cut back on their food intake thinking that they will drop more weight, faster.  Well, they soon find that even though they have continuous hunger pains, the weight seems to have stopped dropping off.  Then they think they need to cut back on their calorie intake even more. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

These people are not only stuck in park, but there are other unforeseen consequences as well.  Your body enters what is commonly referred to as the "starvation mode" when you don't eat enough to sustain your bodies regular processes, which can cause slower than expected weight loss and plateaus.

For simplicity sake, we can explain it easier this way. Your body uses a certain amount of energy each day. We get all the energy we need from food. When we take in either more or less energy (food) than the body uses each day, our weight changes (increases or decreases). For example, an average man needs about 2,500 calories per day to maintain his weight (women need a lower amount). If he were to eat 3,000 calories in a day, the body would have to deal with a calorie surplus (too much energy) of 500 calories (the body would need to find something to do with the extra 500 calories coming in from the diet). The way the body deals with a surplus is by storing that extra energy as fat causing weight gain.

 If that same man were to eat 2,000 calories in a day, the body would now have to deal with a calorie deficit (not enough energy) of 500 calories (the body would need to find non-food sources to make up for the shortfall of 500 calories coming in from your diet). The body deals with a calorie deficit by drawing on fat stores for energy causing weight loss.  That is why there needs to be a balance of how much you need to eat when you are trying to lose weight, and it is also necessary to eat the "Right Combination" of food groups, fats, good carbs, and lean protein!  And yes, that will be a topic for another day!

This "starvation mode" kicks in when your calorie intake drops too drastically. If your body needs 2,500 calories per day (to maintain weight) and you start eating 1,000 calories per day, you would expect your calorie deficit to be 1,500 calories leading to substantial weight loss. The problem is that if you cut your calorie intake to 1,500 below what you burn, your metabolism would slow (starvation mode) and burn a lot less than 2,500 calories. Your calorie deficit would turn out to be a lot smaller than 1,500 calories. 

Remember the amount of food you eat affects your metabolism. Our bodies have a built-in protection from prolonged periods of reduced calorie intake, if taken to the extreme, (starvation). Today it easy to acquire food such as in a grocery store, vending machines, and fast food restaurants. Today food, luckily in the US. is widely available. Back when our ancestors used to hunt and gather food, they would go long periods of time with little energy intake,(food). To help us survive, our metabolism would slow down in order to conserve the little energy we had left. This can be compared to driving slower when you're almost out of gas and are unsure of the distance to the next gas station.  

 If you want to lose weight, the right way, all you need to do is bring the level of your food intake under your level of energy use, but NOT drastically. Consistently eating less calories than your body burns will force your body to draw upon fat stores for energy causing weight loss. You have two opportunities to influence this energy balance equation: food and energy use.

In addition to eating less, you can also expend more energy (exercise) which will widen the gap between how many calories you burn and eat. This balanced approach of eating less AND moving more will yield the best, healthiest and longest lasting result. Problems arise with weight loss strategies when dieters rely too much on cutting calories rather than also exercising more.

A key factor that helps determine how your body burns your fuel,(food) is called your metabolism

Your metabolism can be described as the sum of all the energy needed in the body. Your body needs the energy to digest & absorb food, support the brain, heart, liver, kidneys and other organs, repair damaged tissue, move your blood around, by having your heart pumping and you're moving around (physical activity). Even without exercise, your body still has a need for energy to simply keep you alive. Your metabolism or daily energy needs are not set in stone. Instead, your metabolism is fluid and can speed up or slow down based on inputs such as the amount of food eaten and exercise performed.

Cutting your calorie intake drastically is a bad weight loss strategy for a number of reasons. The main reason is that cutting calories drastically is not sustainable. The changes you need to make to cut 1,000 or more calories from your daily intake is too much for you to handle. Taking this path might last a few days or even a few weeks but eventually, your diet will prove too much and the changes you have made will lead to a failed diet. Once you go back to your old ways, the weight will come right back on. Remember hearing the term sea-saw dieting, this is it.

Another reason that a drastic calorie cut is a bad idea is nutrient intake. Your body needs a certain amount of vitamins and minerals each day to support normal bodily functions including energy metabolism, immune functions, and tissue repair. The typical American diet is already deficient in many nutrients. Reason being, most of our foods that we eat in the old US of A, are processed. This means they've been white-washed. Or cleaned up for us to eat. This has been done over the years by companies, and even farmers who use different treatments to first the soil, then in the processing, packaging the food so that it lasts longer on the grocery shelves or in the meat cases. Because of this, we are getting less, raw nutrients with our food.  Eating less, on a crash diet, will further decrease your intake which can lead to some inconvenient if not serious health issues. Slower, more sustainable weight loss options that include exercise will lead to healthier and more long lasting results.

Losing weight by moderately cutting your calorie intake and increasing your physical activity will yield the best results. Moderately cutting your calorie intake will not have the same negative consequences (starvation mode) involved in drastically cutting your calories. While cutting calories can negatively impact your metabolism, increasing your physical activity level can do the opposite.

Exercising burns calories because moving requires energy. The more you move, the more calories you burn. In addition to the calories you burn while exercising, your metabolism is also increased for 24-48 hours after you stop exercising. Physical activity speeds up your metabolism even after you stop exercising due to the recovery phase of the exercise. The recovery phase of exercise involves repairing damage sustained to the muscle fibers while working out and replenishing energy stores used up during exercise. All of this burns calories.

So, the key word here is "Balance", it seems a little funny doesn't it, that word "Balance", If we really think about it, having a balance in our lives can solve almost all of our problems. From keeping your work stress in "Balance" to balancing your time so you spend enough of it with your family.  Keeping your eating, and physical activity in balance with one another will create the right combination to make sure that you Will lose weight, the right way!

Welcome to the Garmin Forerunner 935 Multi-Sport GPS Watch!

Both Spring, and Daylight Saving’s Time has finally arrived. And for those serious fitness buffs that means finally getting out and tackling those roads or mountain trails. If you’re like me, you were already out when there was ice on the lakes and branches because you need to run. Now that the sun is starting to rise a bit earlier and staying out a bit later each evening, that means more time to fit that run into your busy day. Whether it’s a morning run or after work, evening run or jog the time of year is finally cooperating.

Most of us who run, have our own set goals in mind as to why we do it. Why put up with the cold, the rain the dark of night? Sounds like the old postmen, doesn’t it?

The one thing those that run, jog, mountain bike or just plain enjoy being active outside and pushing themselves past their set goals is being able to track that progress accurately!

Garmin, just put out their new Forerunner 935 Multi-Sport GPS Watch  running and triathlon watch, with new performance monitoring tools and Elevate™ wrist-based heart rate technology.  In addition to 24/7 heart rate monitoring, the Forerunner 935 includes new training features, allowing users to fine-tune exercise and recovery to be a better athlete. Easily paired with the new Running Dynamics Pod2, Forerunner 935 users will now be able to see all six running dynamics without the need for a chest strap. At only 49 grams, every detail in its lightweight, comfortable design was chosen with the athlete in mind. This watch has everything a true fitness enthusiast wants and more! The Forerunner 935 is catered more towards athletes focused on performance and results. Which suits us well, especially when reliable data is what we’ve been asking for.

At only 49 grams, every detail in its lightweight, comfortable design was chosen with the athlete in mind. This watch has everything a true fitness enthusiast wants and more! The Forerunner 935 is catered more towards athletes focused on performance and results. Which suits us well, especially when reliable data is what we’ve been asking for.

And since I lean a bit more to the running side, this data gathering is a must for me. But this is also a multi-sport dynamic watch, running, cycling, and swimming, it's the best for all of these sports for those that want to push themselves and be at the top of their game.

So go ahead, treat yourself to sports watch that will not only keep you at the top of your game but with its data upload features to Garmin Connect and also making use of the Strava Live Segments, which automatically sync with the Forerunner 935 for live feedback during an activity.

Go ahead, what are you waiting for? Just click this link . And then I’ll see you at the top of the mountain!