My Nike+ Review | A Great Tool

I'm motivated by numbers and statistics.  When I played volleyball in high school, I would spend hours evaluating my game tape.  I'd look at kill percentages, how sets were dispersed, digs, blocks and errors.  I'd count all the stats.  I'd keep track of myself, and my team.  I can tell you that in one of my last games, a critical loss in a state tournament myself and my friend both had 17 kills and that my hitting % was on the money until the last seven points of the game where the other team tripled up on me, made some killer digs and I made three pretty critical errors (I tried to do way too much...major fault of a young ambitious athlete).  With that, my buddy Kamana edged me out in hitting % and won king of the court (and we loss the game on my inability to close out).

I think that I'm motivated by numbers and statistics because they tell a story.  They are an objective evaluation of performance, not tainted by personal bias.  Now, I will tell you that I will always be one to argue for the intangible and non-measurable, however I still enjoy the view that statistics give you.

Stats is one of the big reasons why I love Nike+.

Nike+ gives me a little visibility into aspects of my fitness habits; running and cardio (I'm going to admit to using it on the elliptical machine).

Most are familiar with Nike+.  If you're not, check out the Nike+ website.  It will give you a much better idea than I will.  Nike+ is turning 5, and I think that it is an amazing case study in the effect that technology and the social aspect of media can have on fitness.

A quick rundown for those of you not familiar with Nike+.  Using sensors that you place in your shoe, and/or GPS capability of your phone, Nike+ keeps track of your runs.  You are able to upload them to your Nike+ profile, where you can see a snapshot of your activity, compete with friends, set goals and much more.

I used Nike+ for a while with the Nike+ wristband.  It unfortunately got crushed while moving some things one day (even as an adult, I still haven't learned to put away my toys), and I went without for a while.  A few months ago, my wife bought me the iPhone4, and I've been using Nike+ on it since.

I love the ability to keep track of my "running stats", even if they aren't very impressive.  I am able to see best times, keep track of total miles run, see trends in distance and time, etc.  It's not nearly as fun as watching my volleyball games over and over again (said with a tad bit of self-gloating-sarcasm), however, it gives me the same objective visibility into an aspect of my personal fitness.

Here are some of the things that I love about Nike+.

desktop interface for Nike+

Design and Desktop Interface:
Let's be honest, nearly everything that Nike+ designs looks awesome.  What I love about Nike+, is that it is also a fun interface to use.  You can see from the screenshot to the right as well as the one above, that it's pretty slick.  Everything from the color scheme, to the statistics, and the videos help you understand your progress.

On the interface you are able to connect with and challenge other runners, join challenges, get running tips, set goals and view progress.

Mobile Application:
I spoke in my review on loseit.com that mobile usability is important to me.  I think no matter what the device, my iPhone, the iPod Nano, or the wristband, the interface is simple and useful.  Depending on which device you're on, the usability changes, however for "mobile" purposes, here are some screenshots of the iPhone app.  It keeps track of the following (among other things):
1. Records - best time, best mile, best 10K, etc.
2. Past runs
3. Lifetime (lifetime of the device) totals
It also allows you to control your music, connect to various social networks to share results and...it looks pretty.

 

Toys and Gimmicks:
When Nike+ started, you could only use it on the Nano.  Now, there are multiple ways that you can use it.  I think that they are all pretty awesome.
1. The Nano.
2. The iPod Touch
3. The iPhone4
4. The Wristband
There may be a couple I'm not aware of.  If there are, please forgive my ignorance.  Point being however depending on your preference, what hardware you may already have and what you're willing to pay,  that there are multiple ways to use the tool.  See below for more information about pricing and additional information for some of what is available (for the record, most probably won't buy iPods from Amazon, but it's an easy link to get more information).
    













There are many other tools out there that help you track your running activity.  This is just one of them.  Whatever you decide to use, I think that it's a good idea to track results.  Similar to my statistics crazed senior year of volleyball, now I'm able to look back and identify progress, trends, strengths and even weaknesses.  I think that having the ability to evaluate how you're doing is important in reaching fitness and health goals.  Nike+ provides some visibility to do just that.  I personally love Nike+ and hope to be able to log many more miles on it in the future.

Lose it! | Weight Loss Tool

my loseit.com account

At the beginning of the year, I decided that I would try the Loseit.com weight loss app.  I downloaded it onto my phone and began using it.  You all get the gist, right?

1. You give basic information about you - weight, height, age, sex, etc.
2. You set a weight loss goal
3. The app sets a daily caloric allotment goal
4. You track what you eat daily

Simple concept, yet not so simple in implementation and practice.  I was pretty diligent for about a month and a half, and during that time I lost about 10 lbs.  It wasn't easy to remember, and sometimes not easy to figure out portions and such.  It got easier over time, and it was neat for me to see and understand what I was putting into my body, how my exercise had effect and related (loosely) to my diet.  It was cool to track and understand my progress.  I'm a fan of visibility.

I stopped being faithful with the app (for various reasons) and I haven't really lost much weight since.  There are a lot of factors that have played into that (one of which is that a change in workout routines has allowed me to put on muscle and cut some fat without changing weight).  However I realize that I am not as diligent and conscious about my diet as I was then.  To me, simply being conscious of your diet is what's key.  I think that consciousness yields personal accountability.  To me, that personal accountability helps you regulate yourself without needing to be fanatic or make drastic changes.

I decided yesterday that I'm going to start being diligent with the app again.  Hopefully it will help my begin trimming down more.  There are many tools like Loseit out there.  I've only used a couple, so I don't claim to be an expert on them.  However, here are some of the things that I like about this weight loss tool:

Mobile Interface - I'm on my phone A LOT.  That is where I do most of my Facebooking, Tweeting, personal email checking and game playing.  A useful and easy mobile interface is important to me.

My Meals and Foods - The app does a great job at tracking foods that I commonly eat.  It also allows me to quickly pull up previous meals and add them to my current day.  I didn't realize that I had that usability at first.  Finding that out was like finding the hidden stash of candy in the pantry (ironic comparison, no?)

Goal Tracking - Less is more for me in this one.  Instead of tracking BMI, body fat %, waist size, etc. the goal tracking is simple, "what weight by when."  I like that simplicity.  It's easy for me to chew on.

Desktop Usability - The desktop interface is extremely intuitive and makes for quick logging while I'm at work.

Social Aspect - I'm a friend fiend.  There is a social aspect to this where you can add friends and share progress.  I feel more accountable knowing that others can check up on my progress.

Quick and Useful Database - The app itself has a database of common foods, popular restaurants, and common exercises to choose from.  It's not flawless and perfect by any means, however it does make logging food and activity a bit easier.


Some screenshots:

I think that we're spoiled by technology, but am grateful for the usability and ease that it sometimes provides.  I'll update you in a few weeks on my progress.  Are there tools that you use?  I'm always up for a good recommendation.