Sam on Maui

A year or two ago I was a member of Weight Watchers. As a member, you could access their web-tools online; food lists, calculators, trackers and more. There was also a pocket calculator that you could buy in case you didn’t sit around a computer all day or have a smart phone. But, for most of that time, there was no native Windows Phone 7 app. There is now, but its tied to your active membership. If you stopped going, or had to quit due to finances, you might want another option. Two I’ve got right now are PlusPoints by HopNet Software and Diet Points Manager by johnmarkdyer. What are my impressions?

The two worst tendencies I’ve come across for myself are the desire to over complicate things, and the desire to skip ahead. This can affect many areas of life, and one of the more practical things it sabotages is my health. Be it diet or exercise, these two things are more than capable of robbing one of results and motivation. So, simplify, simplify. Paul “Coach” Wade’s Convict Conditioning is simple and straightforward. Wade, a former inmate of the U.S. prison system, learned and taught calisthenics during his over 19 years of incarceration. Over the years he got the nickname “Coach” for teaching other inmates, and has since systemized his program.

"Slow and steady wins the race" is a rather famous proverb that has gone onto cliche status. Its said and said and said, but in a moment of understanding, I think I'm getting the deeper meaning of it. "Slow and steady" might be more accurately phrased, "patient and disciplined." For instance, right now I'm starting a very basic calisthenics program. The book warns about skipping ahead because you'll lack the necessary foundation for later exercises and programs. Is that necessary? Yes, I think it was a well needed part of the book. Its so simple and "easy" that the temptation to skip ahead is definitely there. Could I? To an extent. However, since I'm basically starting from scratch, its actually a very poor idea. The last time I got injured doing any sort of exercise it was because I skipped ahead. I hadn't worked out in a while, and went back to about where I was before rather than starting at a lower-level. Well, ...

IUGO Mobile Entertainment recently released their iPhone title, Implode! , on Windows Phone 7. I downloaded the demo, buying the game the same day. Obviously, my impression of the game is positive! But, obviously, I'd imagine you'd want more details than that.

Compiled Experience has come up with a handy new app for Windows Phone 7 called Left to Spend . I’ve been using it for the past week and find that its something well worth trying out. Starting the app takes you right to totals page. While the app looks very well Metro, there’s no other pages to swipe to, and that really speaks of how to the point it is. At the top will be your current, remaining total of spending money and how often its replenished. Below that it’ll show the period of time it spans, date-wise, and the purchases entered are listed below. Clicking on the gear icon on the bottom will bring up the settings screen. Here you can set how much you’re giving yourself and how often. For instance, you do like I do and set it for every paycheck to receive $x in spending money (my entertainment budget). Because you can set the amount and choose between daily, weekly, fortnightly (every two weeks) or monthly, you can really use it in the most practical means for you. The last op...

Okay, first night with weights. Very simple, and very low weight, but I'm basically starting from scratch again. Better safe than sorry!   So, I've got two adjustable dumbbells at 20lbs each, and two plain dumbbells at 15lbs each. Given that I can't even get my 16k kettlebell (about 35lbs) up to do even start Turkish half-get up? Yeah, starting lower. Much lower. I'll need to see if we have enough plates to make it 25lbs or even 30lbs in the future - I do know we've got some big ones (25lb plates), but that'll be a while from now before I can use those.   I would like to find an Olympic bar for bench presses, but so far the stores I've seen only have standards. While the exercise machine/station thing has a bench press function, I'd much rather use free weights than that. More natural. I'll also do deadlifts with it, but first things first. I will likely use my kettlebell for weighted face-the-wall squats in the meantime.   Need to fire up the 360 at...

A few days ago I was having to decide between buying my Myoplex locally from GNC versus buying online for $10 less. Well, I made my choice, and went locally. I had a quick stop to Queen Ka’ahumanu Shopping Center, walked to GNC, presented my Gold card, and got the $50 box for just under $42, including tax. That’s a work-month worth of meals at about $2.10 per serving, which isn’t too bad. Having thought about it a bit more, I did think of some other benefits to having bought it locally. By spending it here, I paid local sales tax. The business itself pays local taxes. The employees will get more money (I’ve heard GNC has commissions), so that’s income tax plus them spending money, which will be sales tax. With tourism still recovering plus the expectation that Japanese visitors will be declining in number while they rebuild, that’s important right now. The state and county definitely need the money. While I’m not a fan of everything the government does (federal, state or local),...