Hey... happy Monday!
Going to kick this week off with a review of a cool gadget from MIO! So, what does MIO make? Well, their most current product is the MIO Alpha heart rate monitoring watch. I received this watch several months ago, but have only recently begun to really use it. I also have an HR strap that works with my Garmin that I had used a few times, but am using it more now as well.
Why? Well, I've made the change over to doing some heart rate (HR) based training. I became interested in this when Mark over at Paleo Runners started a tracking/training exercise on Facebook and also wrote a great blog post about HR training. Click HERE to check it out.. and then come right back :-)
Back? ok.. so I did a MAF test a few weeks ago, and am going to retest later this week to see if I can see any improvement. During these few weeks I have been limiting my HR to the threshold rate (for me 132-142). At first that meant a lot of walking.. but I'm slowly building up a better pace at this fixed HR... pretty cool!
Anyway, so this is where the MIO Alpha comes in. What makes the Alpha so cool is that it doesn't require wearing a chest strap (which can be uncomfortable, and more so for women runners is my guess).
Instead, the MIO Alpha uses an optical sensor in the base of the watch to gather HR data accurately and easily. When comparing the data from the Alpha and my Garmin chest strap, I found that they were pretty much in synch, with the Alpha reflecting a more stable count than my Garmin, which bounced around once in a while. Also, my Garmin strap doesn't monitor very well until I get a little perspiration going, then it seems to settle down.
The MIO Alpha is really easy to use. Once you put the watch on (snugly), and hit the button, it takes anywhere from 20-40 seconds to find your HR. And once it does, it stays locked on pretty well. The only time I experienced any issues was when it was well below freezing and my arm was exposed. (After looking at the specs, the operating environment is 41F to 113F, so I guess I should keep my arm warmer :-) ).
Other features include a visual cue for your HR tracking while exercising. The blue light you see above will pulse blue when you are below your set HR threshold, green when in the range, and red when you go over your max threshold (that you can set to whatever you choose).
Beyond that, the watch will track elapsed time and time of day as well.
Now, as far as other features go, this is where I think the MIO Alpha is a bit challenged. The model I tested is Bluetooth Smart (4.0) compatible, which means it can talk to a several smartphone fitness apps like Strava and Wahoo Fitness. My problem is I don't own or run with a smartphone. Yes, I realize I'm probably one of the last few people out there that haven't made the leap! So, without that connectivity, I don't have anyway to track my HR stats against a workup, which I can do with my Garmin. For me however, I am not as concerned about that, as my primary need is a way to accurately know where my HR is so that I can slow down or speed up accordingly. For this purpose, the MIO Alpha works outstandingly well.
The only negatives I can offer about this watch would be the potential connectivity issue AND it has no backlight!! That really drove me crazy.. especially when running in the dark. Finally, when you couple that with a $199 price tag (more than I paid for my Garmin 410 which is a full featured GPS and HR), it may be hard to justify a purchase. That being said however, there is no question that the technology is amazing, accurate and easy to use. The watch is really comfortable, and I think it looks great too! If you can't use a strap, or hate using them, and run with one of the compatible fitness apps.. and you are focused on HR training.. then this could be a great fit.
If you want to see more info and specs, check out MIO by clicking HERE . And, if you are interested in reading more, check out this be all/end all review from the master gadget reviewer DC Rainmaker by clicking HERE.
Happy Trails!
Jeff
http://barefootinclined.com
INTERNATIONAL CONCEPT OF WORK FROM HOME
ReplyDeleteWork from home theory is fast gaining popularity because of the freedom and flexibility that comes with it. Since one is not bound by fixed working hours, they can schedule their work at the time when they feel most productive and convenient to them. Women & Men benefit a lot from this concept of work since they can balance their home and work perfectly. People mostly find that in this situation, their productivity is higher and stress levels lower. Those who like isolation and a tranquil work environment also tend to prefer this way of working. Today, with the kind of communication networks available, millions of people worldwide are considering this option.
Women & Men who want to be independent but cannot afford to leave their responsibilities at home aside will benefit a lot from this concept of work. It makes it easier to maintain a healthy balance between home and work. The family doesn't get neglected and you can get your work done too. You can thus effectively juggle home responsibilities with your career. Working from home is definitely a viable option but it also needs a lot of hard work and discipline. You have to make a time schedule for yourself and stick to it. There will be a time frame of course for any job you take up and you have to fulfill that project within that time frame.
There are many things that can be done working from home. A few of them is listed below that will give you a general idea about the benefits of this concept.
Baby-sitting
This is the most common and highly preferred job that Women & Men like doing. Since in today's competitive world both the parents have to work they need a secure place to leave behind their children who will take care of them and parents can also relax without being worried all the time. In this job you don't require any degree or qualifications. You only have to know how to take care of children. Parents are happy to pay handsome salary and you can also earn a lot without putting too much of an effort.
Nursery
For those who have a garden or an open space at your disposal and are also interested in gardening can go for this method of earning money. If given proper time and efforts nursery business can flourish very well and you will earn handsomely. But just as all jobs establishing it will be a bit difficult but the end results are outstanding.
Freelance
Freelance can be in different wings. Either you can be a freelance reporter or a freelance photographer. You can also do designing or be in the advertising field doing project on your own. Being independent and working independently will depend on your field of work and the availability of its worth in the market. If you like doing jewellery designing you can do that at home totally independently. You can also work on freelancing as a marketing executive working from home. know more, email us on workfromhome.otr214427@gmail.com and we will send you information on how you can actually work as a marketing freelancer.
Internet related work
This is a very vast field and here sky is the limit. All you need is a computer and Internet facility. Whatever field you are into work at home is perfect match in the software field. You can match your time according to your convenience and complete whatever projects you get. To learn more about how to work from home, contact us today on workfromhome.otr214427@gmail.comand our team will get you started on some excellent work from home projects.
Diet food
Since now a days Women & Men are more conscious of the food that they eat hence they prefer to have homemade low cal food and if you can start supplying low cal food to various offices then it will be a very good source of income and not too much of efforts. You can hire a few ladies who will help you out and this can be a good business.
Thus think over this concept and go ahead.