For those of you who don’t know, I work for a sports events company! We organise triathlons, duathlons and half marathons! This weekend was our biggest event of the year, the Outlaw Triathlon! Which is a 2.4 mile swim, 112mile bike and 26.2 mile run! 

Now I am not saying that watching the athletes take part and cross the finish line has inspired me to complete an outlaw, but it really has inspired me to get back to training and entering events.

I know it sounds cheesy but watching people who have spent months and months training and preparing their bodies for the event and finally crossing the finish line is really inspirational. Even though they all look like they’re in agony it really made me want to push myself again and have that feeling.

So far I have completed the London marathon, the Humber Bridge half marathon, a couple of 10k’s, a few 5K’s, and two sprint triathlons. 

I would love to do another half marathon, and as many triathlons as I can! I am actually quite tempted to increase the distance and try to complete a standard distance tri.

So, with that in mind I’ve got a little bit of research to see what races are left this year and at the start of next year. This is what I found:

https://www.thehullmarathon.co.uk 

http://www.tape2tape.co.uk/events/gruesome-twosome/

https://www.sportsystems.co.uk/ss/event/LunacyRun

https://racebest.com/races/gunpowder-plot-10km

I would like to know what you’ve got on your Race calendar for the remainder of the year  and what you’d like to take on next year

Staying fit and healthy would be so much hard without a little bit of help – I don’t pay for a trainer or a nutritional advisor but I do use a lot of Apps to keep me motivated and on track. 

So I thought I would write a little post about the main ones I really couldn’t without:

TomTom My Sport

I have a fitness tracker watch, which I wear all day everyday, except when I need to charge it! and this has an app on my phone which allows me to see everything from the watch. It tracks my daily steps, my heart rate, how many calories I have burnt and things like that. When I go for a run, bike ride or a swim the watch will also track that and log distance, pace, elevations and a map of the route. 

The watch connects straight to my phone so I can see exactly how things are progressing. 

Calm/Headspace

I am pretty new to the meditation world, but I am really starting to enjoy it. I started using the Calm app which I would simple breath with. It encouraged you to take a big breath in and hold it for a second and then let it out. It is so simple but it really does make you feel so much better if you are having a moment. 

The Calm app also has a few other features which include stories to help you sleep, sounds to help you relax and a meditation course where you are talked through different sessions. The free version allows you access to quite a few sessions, but you can pay to gain access to all of them. I only have the free version and think it is really good and more than adequate. 

I have also just started to use the Headspace app, this app is helping me learn to mediate. So far I am on session 7 of the take 10 series. This is a series which encourages you to take a little time each day to stop, breathe and allow your mind to accept thoughts, sounds and distractions but to bring your focus back to the breath, This is an app that you have to pay for but if you have a premium Spotify account, you get one year free.  

YouTube

I know this isn’t just an app, but I love YouTube and I really do use it all the time for workouts and watching my favourite foodie and fitness vloggers. 

Clue

This is a bit of a weird one, typically people use a cycle app when they are trying to get pregnant – and that is certainly not what I use it for!! I really like being able to see how I am feeling on in the run up to my period. 

What apps do you use to keep you motivated and on target? 

I do love a bit of technology when it comes to fitness, I think if it is used correctly it can be really helpful. It allows you to push yourself and your training into another level which you wouldn’t be able to do on your own. I think making tracking your activity and progress really easy enables you to stick to your goal and really understand what is working for you and what isn’t.

The iHealth smart scales track 9 different aspects of your body composition, including weight, body fat percentage, BMI, water weight, lean mass, bone density, visceral fat rating, daily calorie intake and the temperature and humidity of the day.

The scales connect to your Wi-Fi and then automatically upload any new results on to your phone via the iHealth app. You can have multiple people using the scales and check them separately, which is pretty cool, as then your whole house hold can get in on the action.

The app allows you to set a target with your weight, your BMI and your body fat and then you weigh yourself regularly, while the app keeps track overtime on a graph. The graph allows you to really see exactly how you’re going with your goals and makes it really visual. 

The scales are white with four silver circles on, the overall size of the scales are quite large, but they are not too bulky and they can easily be packed away. The app is a little bit old school and a little bit clunky but it really does what it says on the tin. Once you’ve connected your scales to your Wi-Fi and downloaded the app there isn’t really much more you need to do other than to set your goals, and weigh yourself as often as you would like to.

I’m not a big believer in weighing yourself every day get hung up on your weight, however with the scales it shows the different elements as well so your BMI and your body fat. I have no idea how to calculate your body fat from standing on a scale but it seems pretty accurate.

Since I received the scales I have managed to put on weight, but my body fat has stayed the same, so I am taking that as a positive! 🙂 The scales can be ordered online from iHealthlabs.com and cost $129.99. 

Do you use any smart scales or bits of technology to help you keep on track? 

** These products were gifted to me by iHealth but the opinions and pictures are my own.