Learn To Get Healthy

So every year we all make those resolutions about losing weight, exercising more, and eating less you know the ones. Two weeks later we drive past the Fitness Club, hang our clothes on the work out machine, and not remember what we said after all it is too grueling a task.

For me, I am one of those persons who, needs to know, has to assess things. To know I am making progress and although stepping on the scales once a week is the ultimate test how can you analyze activity during the week to make sure you’re getting enough exercise? I determined I needed to track how far I walked each day as a evaluation of my activity level. I also knew by setting myself a target I would compete with my ego to beat it.

Last year I tried out one of those ultra-cheap (can’t get any cheaper) pedometers that was being giving away and found it was utterly useless. It only recorded about half the steps I took, but counted every single little bump I hit when driving my car. An enticing, but ultimately futile experimentation.

Over the months I reviewed a slew of pedometers, and decided to go up-market and settled on the Omron HJ 112.

Whats Included The Box

The unit comes with the following:

Main Unit CR2032 battery Mini-Screwdriver for battery insertion 6 strap Clip for strap Belt holder Instruction Card Warranty Card

Features of the Omron HJ 112

After setting the date and time you need to input your weight and stride distance. Your weight is used for calorie calculations and your stride distance for calculating actual miles walked ( The conversion from steps to miles). Based upon these settings the device can then measure and calculate the following.

Steps Taken Aerobic Steps taken Miles Traveled Calories Consumed

The Aerobic steps taken is an attractive addition as it tracks steps taken when you have exercised continuously for more than ten minutes at a rate of greater than 1 step per second.

The HJ 112 keeps track of historical data for seven days, so by pressing the memory button you can compare today’s achievements to the preceding week. A very useful feature if you in fact want to keep a diary or log of your activity. You should also notice that the unit automatically resets to zero at midnight, so you don’t have to remember to do it yourself in the morning.

Using The Pedometer

Although you can slip the pedometer into a pocket or a purse (as long as you keep it moderately upright) Ive found the best stance for it is either clipped to my belt or to the inside of my pants pocket. The item in fact has two different motion detectors, so unless its positioned parallel to the ground or swung around like a pendulum you will get an genuine analysis. The actual clip is small very small, so if you bend over you can knock the pedometer off the belt. Since there is also a safety strap you should fasten that as well to keep the HJ 112 safe and secure. It has never completely fallen off during exercise.

One added benefit, especially if you’re using it during the course of the workday, is that it is completely silent.

Accuracy

The device is amazingly accurate ” Ive tested it walking, on a treadmill , going up and down stairs and jogging ” and every time it has been accurate to within one counted step. There is a maximum settable stride length of four feet ” so if you have long legs and are a serious runner it may not track the distance accurately ” although rest assured it will track every single step you take.

Motivation

As mentioned in the prior section I keep the device mainly on my belt ” even at work. The HJ112 is a stylish burnished metallic unit, about 2 height by 1 wide and at first glance could be mistaken for a cell phone.

I set my particular goal to 10,000 steps a day ” which is a challenge unless I work out every day on my treadmill or walk the dog several times. I have found that the feedback helps me add steps into my everyday routine. By not parking in the closest parking spot, taking the stairs and so on I can add almost 2,000 steps a day. 2,000 steps is about 1 mile which equates to just over 100 calories. Do that every day and that’s equivalent to losing a pound a month just through incremental exercise!!!

What Do I Think?

If you are at all serious with reference to purchasing a pedometer the Omron HJ 112 is worth a serious look. It is rated the number one pedometer by consumer users and is definitely a great fit for me!

Golf is a carefully balanced game of rules and etiquette, and it’s very important to know the basics of golfing etiquette before you go on the course to play your first game of golf.

Whether you are playing on your own, in a twosome or a foursome, the first rule of golfing etiquette is that you must always wait your turn. You must stay aware of the group on the next hole and wait until they are well ahead of you before hitting your ball.

Golfing etiquette also says that it is never cool to “push” the group in front of you. If you are playing with others, wait your turn to hit the ball and never hit at the same time as another player.

While you are waiting for your turn, go to your ball and determine what club you will need to use and how you are going to hit it. This is called “ready golf” and keeps the game moving along. Don’t rush anybody, just be ready.

Another useful piece of golfing etiquette, especially for the beginner is ‘playing through’. For example, if your team is holding up the players behind you, say because you are playing consistently over par, let them play through. You would simply wave them through, or if they are near enough to you, just ask them if they would like to play through. You will never make enemies by doing this!

When someone is making a shot, you should be behind them and you shouldn’t make any noise! It is so distracting to be just about to to tee off and just as you pull back, someone decides to jingle loose change in their pocket or noisily unwrap a sweet.

Replacing your divots. Say you are on the fairway and you hit the ball and a clod of dirt and grass goes flying, golfing etiquette says you should replace it. On some courses you just put the clod back and step on it to press it down, but on most courses, there is a sand/seed mixture on the course to put into the divot. If your ball makes a deep impression when it lands on the green, you can use your divot tool to repair it.

As soon as you have completed a hole, replace the flag and leave the green as quickly and quietly as possible there may be another team teeing off at the next hole) so that the next players can play that hole. Count your score and write it on the scorecard as soon as you get back to your trolley.

Of course, there are many more rules of golfing etiquette, but these simple ones will enable you to get through the course without making anyone annoyed. If we all keep to golfing etiquette we will keep the game dignified, right?