Paying attention to what you eat and how much you sleep

So.... I've been starting to pay closer attention to what I eat and how much I sleep in addition to how much I'm moving. While the winter weather has been better than last year (thankfully!), I've actually found it hard to stay motivated to be mindful about what I eat and how much I move.

That being said, I've committed myself to trying to lose 10 lbs in 2 months on weight watchers. It worked just under a year ago, so I'm hoping that I can keep at it.

I'm also excited to let you all know that I'm trying out the entire Withings suite of health monitoring devices so I can give you my take on it all! Over the next month, we'll be looking at the Withings Blood Pressure Monitor, Aura Sleep system, SmartBody Analyzer/Scale, Home Security Camera/Baby Monitor and then a few other surprises.

Stay tuned...

Withings Pulse Activity Tracker

I’ve had the chance to review the Withings Pulse Ox activity tracker since last fall and I’m happy to say that this little gem is a great way to keep track of your daily activity and their app has come a long way in development since then.

When we received the Pulse, the box displayed the tracker and included wrist band or belt clip which you could use. We found that it’s a bit small which is both nice as it’s unobtrusive but also a little dangerous since we certainly have misplaced it a few times.

What’s great is that it has an embedded lithium-ion battery which will last just under 7 days, so we don’t need to charge it every night. Setup was a breeze as you download the app from the iTunes App Store on your iOS device and then it will prompt you right away to pair the iPhone with the Pulse. There have been a few software and firmware updates for the tracker which are delivered through the iOS app.

What really sets this device apart from its competitors is that it is actually a Pulse Oximeter which measures the oxygen saturation in your blood as well as heart rate. It’s something that you don’t usually see in an activity tracker and is a pretty neat feature!

The iOS app will integrate with other online tools, like Apple's Health app using the HealthKit technology and RunKeeper, which is an activity tracking app as well.

It will track your steps and calories burned, minutes of activity, elevation and will even track your sleep if you choose to wear it to bed! You can take it off to track heart rate or blood oxygen level. Such a useful tool!

NOTE: We were provided with a complimentary tracker for the purposes of reviewing it. There was no promise made of a positive review. All opinions are our own.

The Harvard Pilgrim Finish at the 50 - 5 and 10k - THIS FRIDAY!

Hey everyone!

I'm happy to report that my weight loss is going well. I'm now just over 17 labs lost overall since I started this journey. It's been a while since I"ve seen the scale below 210, but it's now there! I hope I can keep going in this direction.

To that note, Emily, Lily and I are all still preparing for the Harvard Pilgrim Finish at the 50 5k this Friday at Patriot Place. Tonight, I went for a run in the misty weather and it was quite refreshing. Now, I can run for 5 minutes straight without getting winded. That wouldn't have happened just a month ago!

If you'd like to join us, you can register online through Wednesday, July 1 at http://www.finishatthe50.com

There's a great Kids Fun Run starting at 3 pm, where the kids can all run around the stadium field and finish at the 50 as well. They will get a special finisher medal, too!

There's also great deals available for runners throughout Patriot Place and you can also browse the Fitness Expo each day. There will also be some great fireworks right at dusk.

NOTE: We have been provided with complimentary entry to the Finish at the 50 5k. There was no promise made of a positive review... Can't wait to see how we do!

OK so maybe what this blog needed was a little refresh ;)

As an of our regular readers will know we have been focusing this blog on our take of parenting over the past few years and reviewing various products and restaurants that are parent-friendly... Well... one aspect of parenting that's really important is taking care of yourself so you can be there for your child!

That's one aspect of my life that I have been working on. That being said I realized that what I have been doing so far isn't working the best, so that's why I joined WeightWatchers and after the first week it is going in the right direction... It's a great start! Who knows... maybe it's also because I'm now addicted to these OP Smoothies and am having one for breakfast every day - much healthier and filling than what I used to eat!

I'm also happy to say that after writing the post about the Boston Marathon and getting some Stonyfield samples and enjoying them, I reached out to the nice folks at Stonyfield and they agreed to have me host a giveaway for $20 worth of free Stonyfield coupons to one of our readers! So guys - enter away!!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
NOTE: There was no compensation provided in exchange for this post. After talking with the cool people at Stonyfield, they graciously offered to send coupons worth $20 to the winner of a contest on our website. They will be handling all of the mailing and such so the only thing we're doing is putting up a contest form, having you guys enter and win and they are doing the rest. Simple as that!!

Dave is on a journey... of health and wellness.

Well, I woke up a week ago and decided right after watching runners in the Boston Marathon that I would use this year as a year of health and wellness. I am trying to become more mindful in my approach to life and why not put that towards eating as well. I also found that it really helped getting a few samples of healthy food at the Marathon as I have been having a smoothie every morning!

In any event, I committed myself to starting to eat healthier, getting more exercise, and being more present. To that end, I joined WeightWatchers at the suggestion of a friend of mine. I joined last Wednesday (4/22) and my starting weight was 227 lbs. I saw that number and was shocked but said to myself "hey... we all have to start somewhere."

I then went to my first meeting on Thursday morning 4/23 and it was great! I found out that it was led by a blogger whom I have been following for about a year and she is really energetic and fun! It's crazy when worlds collide like that!

I committed to walking every day and trying to reach my goal of 10,000 steps using my Withings Pulse activity monitor (more on that later). I am happy to report that over the past week I have walked 63,773 steps! That is the most I've walked in a week!!!!

• Sun 4/26: 12,656
• Sat 4/25 13,610
• Fri 4/24 12,130
• Thu 4/23 13,470
• Wed 4/22 10,162
• Tue 4/21 7,629
• Mon 4/20 10,121
• Sun 4/19 9,714

I also didn't realize but I would be missing my second meeting this coming Thursday so after an amazing week of walking I went to weight in this morning and weighed 224.2 lbs. I had lost 2.8 lbs after my first week. Pretty proud of that one... Hopefully I can start a trend here...