REVIEW: Misfit Shine - Activity Tracker & Cute Accessory

"Oh hey I can see your activity monitor attached to your bra through your shirt?" "Well I can tell you are tracking those steps with that tracker bulging out of your pocket?"

"Wow! You really make that activity tracker match the fancy outfit of yours ... or not!"

Has anyone thought or said any of these comments to you?

Well I have had one or all of them mentioned to me in passing.

So sorry that even at a wedding I want to track my activity! You know I can get some serious steps with my dance moves. ;)

What is a fashionable girl to do? C'mon folks let me pretend I am fashionable for at least one post. M'kay!

Misfit heard my pleas and produced the Shine (value $99.99).

(Note: I received the Shine free for this review, but all thoughts and opinions are my own - ain't nobody got time for lying!)

The Shine is an activity monitor that tracks movement and sleep: calories burned, steps, distance and sleep quality and duration.

The Shine can be worn anywhere. This is a HUGE help when trying to wear a tracker and not have it seen by the world.

Since the Shine is so thin it doesn't look bulky when on your bra or waistband (or your underwear band if you are wearing a dress ;).

The small size of the Shine can unfortunately backfire as well. I lost mine transitioning it from my shoe to my sports bra after a Spin class. It must've slid off my bra while I was putting my backpack on and I didn't notice.

It stays on by magnet - one on the clasp and one in the Shine.

Luckily, Misfit has great customer service and they sent me a new one.

Syncing your Shine is simple. You just place the device on your iPhone/Android and tap the sync button.

Quick and easy. Hello instant gratification! I hate having to wait until I get home to sync a tracker. I want to know right after the run happens where I am at.

Additionally, you can double tap the Shine to see what sort of progress you are making by a series of lights lighting up.

Activity Tracking

Use points to easily measure all your activities, such as walking, running, swimming and cycling.

While the Shine sets your goal at 1,000 points a day, you can change that to whatever you want whenever you want. I love how it breaks your goal down for you via walking, running or swimming. Those are definitely just examples and suggestions if you are wondering how to hit your goal for the day.

But the Shine tracks more than points as I mentioned: steps, calories burned and distance are also noted.

Now I don't know how accurate the information is as I do not track/record calories burned, but I like using it as a guide from day-to-day. I can compare a rest day to a day where I was constantly moving. 

I appreciate the graphs broken down by hours of the day so I can see when I was most active and when I hit my points goal for the day!

You can also set an activity: running, swimming or biking. When you set the activity to say biking, if you tap on the Shine three times it will you know you are beginning a session on your bike cycling and will record the activity appropriately. You can change the activity (out of those three options) at any time.

Track your progress

Tap your Misfit Shine to see how close you are to reaching your goal.

You can set activity, sleep and weight goals on the app.

Have fun with friends

Find your friends and view each other's accomplishments.

You know I have a little competitive side so this feeds right into that. :P Who doesn't love a friendly little competition?

Sleep Tracking

This is something I was VERY interested in since I never feel like I get a good night sleep... Ever!

You know what. I was right. I consistently see gaps in my sleep tracker. I figure I am either tossing/turning or taking bathroom breaks during those times.

It is upsetting to see, but I am happy I now have the proof. Next step becomes figuring out how to fix it.

Weight Tracker/Food Journal

You do have the option of hooking up your MyFitnessPal to your Shine. I do not use that site so I don't have it connected. But I do update my weekly weigh-ins in my account.

So for those that do count calories this seems like a great feature for you.

***

But what sets it apart from other activity trackers that offer the same information?

It is waterproof (aka I can safely wear it while swimming) AND it is stylish. That's right. I can wear it to a wedding without anyone being the wiser.

How?

Also Misfit offers some cool accessories including necklace, metal mesh band, leather band, sport band or metal band.

Bloom Necklace Holder

Deceiving right? You wouldn't even recognize it.

Now the accessories are great they can be quite pricey. The Bloom Necklace Holder rings in at $79.99, while the metal band is $49.99. So if you want more than the sport band and clasp that come with the Shine, you will be forking over some $$$.

***

Overall the Shine is a great deal for $99.99 in my opinion.

Wins

^ Runs on a battery (lasts 6 months), which means no waiting to charge the device

^ Waterproof so I can wear it swimming

^ Able to adjust to wear it all over my body

^ Offers graphs for both activity and sleep breakdown

^ Coin sized so unnoticeable to people

^ Stylish and comes in many color options in case you do want to show it off

^ Easy to sync while on the go

Losses

^ Not sure how accurate the step/calories burned feature is

^ Accessories are quite pricey

^ Slips off easily from my tank top when I am sleeping

^ Offers a watch feature, but is confusing to read/understand

***

Have you tried the Misfit Shine yet? What is your favorite feature?

Monday Musings: Weekend of Workouts & Wedding Wonder

Weekends this summer have been full of workouts, laughs, love, friends and family ...but not a ton of rest! So you can imagine this past weekend was right along those same lines. ;) My wife actually got up early on Sunday to get her 4 mile run in before we walked over to my 5k race and she quipped later that day: "Wow, I don't know how you do this getting up early to workout thing all the time."

It made me smile to myself. Now she appreciates the early mornings I put in so that we can have more time to spend together. :)

Sunday marked just two weeks until the Pumpkinman Half Ironman. Wow September 7 will be here before I know it. This weekend I needed to really buckle down and focus.

The workouts started bright and early Friday after a great weigh-in. Did you hear I am happily back in the 150s?

My goal on Friday was to get 4 hours in on the bike, but that didn't happen. Between a Recycle Studio Spin workout and a bike tide out to Bedford from Somerville - I spent about 3 hours in the saddle.

But I still haven't gotten 56 miles in on the bike and I need to do that before the race just to show myself I can do it. So guess what is on the docket for this upcoming week?

The bike is so mental for me. My body knows it can do it, but the mind gets nervous and overwhelmed. Time to shut the brain down.

The rest of the Friday called for relaxation and blogging. Isn't that what all the cool kids do on a Friday night? :)

I had an early morning on Saturday. I wanted to hit up the 8am Weight Watchers meeting and claim my Ace Your Summer Challenge bling for having attended 10 of the last 11 weeks of meetings. Woo!

It is such a nice and welcoming group. I am happy to attend their meetings and occasionally sub before I return to long run Saturdays this Fall.

I was smiling from ear to ear as members of the group talked about the fun they had attending the Nike Run & Walk Club that I have been helping to host. They talked about feeling welcome without thought of pace or fitness level. Exactly the kind of group I have been trying to create. :)

Full of motivation and inspiration, I headed to the pool to get my 1.2 mile time trial swim done.

During the entire swim I felt strong and like I could keep swimming for days. :) I guess that training is paying off. :P It was a great morning in the pool full of entertainment from the kids' swim classes going on on the opposite side of the pool from me.

Once I was out of the pool, I had to race home, quickly change and head to my cousin's wedding dress appointment. How cute are the cards our friend Lauren made to judge the dresses?

They are so my cousin. :)

Since I never did the wedding dress shopping thing myself (maybe some day), it was a complete learning experience. It really is a live version of Say Yes To The Dress. My cousin found a style she liked, but didn't say yes to a dress at the first location.

My cousin & I working the duck lips

She inevitably found her dress at appointment #2 of the day, which I wasn't able to make.

While my Saturday afternoons were canceled last minute, I wouldn't waste the time by getting in my BRICK workout with my #1 supporter the wife by my side.

She humored me while I blabbered on about nothing for two hours on the bike trainer and then jumped on her bike while I knocked out a quick 5k (26:34) to shake the legs out.

She also listened to me curse out the wind for blowing in my face for the entire run. Not sure I could've said: "Are you serious wind?" any more than I did. Haha.

We decided to cook in on Saturday night and enjoy a lovely meal outside in the backyard, while the pups played.

Please note: it is the wife who is drinking Pumpkin beer in August. #TheShame 

The wife made Skinnytaste's Weeknight Skillet Sazon Chicken Tenders and it was delicious!! We paired it with our once a month treat of yellow rice (yum) and steamed broccoli.

After a fantastic dinner outside, we finally watched Muppets Most Wanted. It was cute but not nearly as good as the Muppet Movie from 2011.

Now while the wife got up early on Sunday to run I slept in until 7:15am - woah! Late I know. ;) But it was great to lounge around and snuggle some pups until she came home.

The Race To The Row 5k I was running on Sunday didn't start until 9:30am AND was located across the street from my house which meant a late departure time. Boy I wish all of my races were that close.

It was a fun morning with lots of friends. I will post a recap of that race shortly.

I wasn't sure how my body would handle the race since I had done a 1.5 mile swim, 30 mile bike and 5k run the day before.

But as you can see it was pretty speedy. I ended up 79th overall and 10th in my division. Woo! I never reach the top 10 in my division so that was exciting.

Following the race I had a couple of hours of downtime before we headed to a wedding celebration for my friend Nicole and her partner Melsen. It was a lovely afternoon in Brookline with friends.

They had a great spread and a make your own burritos area, which totally was up the wife's alley. I ate most of the large salad they had available. :P

Our crew has gotten older and maybe more mature? Okay not at all more mature, but it was fun to come together to celebrate love and friendship.

With a busy weekend in the books, it was great to come home and just vet out for the rest of the evening.

I went to bed Sunday night with a happy heart, a complete Weight Watchers food tracker and renewed energy for the week ahead.

***

Since we know I am - for now - just enjoying adult beverages on the weekend, here are a couple of the local brews I tried:

Berkshire Brewing Company

Tap Brewing Company (Haverhill, MA)

Both were full of hoppy goodness...

***

Two other notes for this week:

1) I have a $10 off discount code for the Max Performance Buzzards Bay Sprint Triathlon on September 14.

Use code: WOMSBUZZ14 (code expires Friday, August 29)

2) I am holding a giveaway for a free entry into the inaugural South Shore Half Marathon in Norwell, MA on November 2.

Feel free to enter here.

***

How did you stay active this weekend?

Truth Tuesday: Can I Do It?

Monday night is Spin night. I attend the 7:30pm class at the BSC (Boston Sports Club) near my house (Wellington Circle location) with my friends Lindsey and Beth. I look forward to it each week. The instructor Kim is amazing and has become a friend. Plus, she plays Willow Smith's Whip My Hair Back And Forth whenever I request it. I love that song and make sure to wear the hair in a ponytail rather than a bun for those classes.

Yesterday was Monday, which means last night was Monday night ... and Spin.

I counted down the hours til Spin all day long.

I clipped into the bike at 7:30pm and was ready to rock. Class started and the legs felt dead. You know you have those days, right?

Well it got into my head. As we are pushing through some jumps on a hill (thanks Kim! :P), I sat down from a jump, cranked the resistance up, put my head down and just pushed my legs as steady as I could.

The mind was wondering so I needed to work through what was happening.

As the legs felt heavy, this question popped into my head:

Can I Do It?

You may be wondering: was it the royal it or something specific?

In that moment in time, it was that little Half Ironman in September I signed up for - The Pumpkinman Half Ironman on September 7.

If I was having trouble focusing and pushing through a Spin class, how could I expect myself to get through that athletic feat.

It sets off a domino effect of questions:

*Why did you sign up for it?

*Why did you think you were strong enough to even consider attempting it?

*How could you waste so much hard earned money?

*Why does it feel like your friends have such an easier time with the training than you?

*If you are having a hard time waking up for runs now, how will you feel when the workouts double?

*Do you really expect to complete the feat?

*Just... why?

So this inner turmoil/debate is happening in my head during Spin class, the sweat from the intense intervals is mixing with tears. Was I seriously crying in Spin class? Why yes yes I was.

Cool kid award can be sent right here!

Now I wish this inner turmoil could just go away! Clearly me writing about it is my way to try and work through it. Since hey it rears its ugly head every time I sign up for my next big fitness goal.

But I own the fact that I am working on this and that it won't go away over night. It has been around for as long as I can remember.

That bugger named

When this little voice creeps in I just wanna yell: you're wrong!

It is a liar. I know I am nervous and anxious about tackling something so outside my comfort zone, but here's the thing - my comfort zone keeps expanding! I HAVE to keep looking outward or I will get stuck and complacent.

It's like the "old me" mindset is battling the "new me" mindset.

My $$$ is on the latter.

But in the meantime, I have to recognize the voice, allow the self doubt, but not let it take down my spirit or my drive.

There must be something in my subconscious that knows I will tackle any hurdle since I hit the "submit" button on the entry. :P

It is the same little voice that:

*pushed me through the door at Weight Watchers in November 2009

*understand I was worth happiness

*told me I needed to start this little slice of the internet

*I needed to share my story

*I could poke through the balloon that was my original comfort zone and keep expanding it

*moved my hand to sign up for 4 marathons (almost 5), half marathons, Dopey Challenge and my first triathlon

The little voice is there and getting louder. I just need to recognize that it is a process and I will have times where the little voice freaks out and the tears flow in the middle of a Spin class.

But in the end, the little voice won't lead me astray. It will lead me to the Finish Line ... and beyond!

Weekly Workout Wind Up (9/5-11/13)

In a rare (and much needed ) turn of events, I had two rest days this week. I think my body was appreciative of the extra downtime. There are many people that say you can overtrain and I am really trying to avoid that. So I think this week happens to be a lower mileage week in the #DopeyChallenge training and it is coming at the right time. I am really hoping that after this week, I can start adding the variety back in to my workouts that I had earlier in the summer. But between work, blogging and life I haven't had time to add the variety recently.

Hi Excuses! My name is Dani.

But as my schedule changes at work, I need to get creative to add in the runs I need plus some other fun stuff.

I will make it work!!

Plus, I think I am going to get a bike trainer for the fall/winter since we all know the bike is my weakest part of the triathlon so I need to work extra hard at it this offseason.

Thursday, September 5: REST DAY

Friday, September 6: 8-Mile Run

Saturday, September 7: 6.3-Mile Run

Sunday, September 8: Women's Sprint Triathlon (1/2 Mile Swim, 12 Mile Bike, 5k Run)

Monday, September 9: 4-Mile Run and 50-Min Spin

Tuesday, September 10: REST DAY

Wednesday, September 11: 4-Mile Run

Bring on the Rock 'n' Roll Philly Half on Sunday! :)

Women's Triathlon In Less Than 24 Hours

I am sounding like a broken record because I keep saying "I never thought x, y or z would happen." Yet here I am again. :P I am once again less than 24 hours away from a Sprint Triathlon.

Obviously this isn't my first one - Boston Triathlon holds that record.

Many of my friends told me after that first triathlon I'd be hooked.

And gosh darn it they were right. Ugh - I hate when my friends are right.

As soon as I finished that first Sprint Tri in August 4 of this year, I was looking for more.

But I couldn't find anything that would fit into my schedule.

Then I connected with the Hartford Marathon Foundation (HMF) which puts on the Women's Triathlon - an all female Sprint Triathlon on Sunday, September 8 in Hartford, CT.

They offered me a complimentary entry and I couldn't pass it up.

Now my problem is I accept these things before I think about the logisitcs. :P Hartford is a good 1.5 to 2 hours away from Boston, where I live. The race kicks off at 7:30am.

Yes you guessed it. It will be one early morning at the Holmes-Kirk household.

I also haven't been out on Roxie (my bike) since the Boston Triathlon (over a month ago) and only swam (1/2 a mile) once since the triathlon.

Sooo to say I am undertrained is an understatement, but I am excited to get out there and take part in such a meaningful event.

The Sprint Tri is 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike and 5k run.

I got the swim and run covered. I have biked as high as 23 miles so I know I can do the distance - I just hope I can keep a decent speed.

I know in my heart of hearts that I can complete all 3 parts and the race itself. I am just trying to STOP putting pressure on myself to finish in a certain amount of time.

Why?

Because self-imposed pressure is unhelpful.

Plus, as long as I finish it is a PR since this is a new Sprint Tri distance for me ... so there self. :)

After filming the latest Dani Dishes vlog about women being unsupportive of other women's exercise choices I hope to have my faith in women restored at this race.

So anyone out there racing it with me, don't disappoint.

When I sit down and think what my objectives for the race are they are as simple as the first triathlon:

1) Have fun!

2) Finish

3) Don't fall off the bike

It seems like I am giving myself tangle goals here, right?

OOHHH and guess what? guess what?

Okay no! You are all wrong. Silence is incorrect.

After the race I get to have lunch and beer with my boy Martinus from 300 pounds and running!! Ahhhh! I haven't seen him since Fitbloggin' in Portland in June! :)

***

Will I see you out on the course at the Women's Triathlon tomorrow?

Weekly Workout Wind Up (8/29-9/4/13)

At least I got one swim in this week since I do have that Sprint Tri on Sunday! Oops! ;) In an attempt to get ready for #DopeyChallenge, I ran a 5k then 10k then Half Marathon over three days. On the fourth (which would be the marathon) I did run 5.2 miles. I legs didn't feel as tired as I thought, but the thought of adding 21 miles to that final run is kind of daunting. But I know with more training I will be ready!!

Thursday, August 29: 1.5-Mile Run

Friday, August 30: 5k-Run, 30-Min Stairmaster and 20-Min Elliptical

Saturday, August 31: 10k-Run

Sunday, September 1: 13.1-Mile Run broken into 9.1 and 4.0 mile runs

Monday, September 2: 5.2-Mile Run

Tuesday, September 3: 5-Mile Run and 1,000-Meter Swim

 

Wednesday, September 4: 5k-Run 

Bring on the Tri! :)

KIND Snacks Giveaway

Annddddd the winner IS:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CONGRATS!!!! Thank you to everyone that participated and big thanks to our Sponsor!!!

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There’s healthy. There’s tasty. Then there’s healthy and tasty. At KIND, we believe you deserve both—we call it our brAND philosophy. That’s why you’ll find all of our snacks are pretty much the nirvana of healthful tastiness. What began with just 8 bar varieties in 2004 has grown to over 22 bars and 6 Healthy Grains snackable clusters, and a multitude of new recipes being perfected and refined to our standards in the KIND kitchen.

Well KIND snacks pretty much sold me with that introduction to their company.

KIND snacks has been around since 2004, but didn't enter my radar until last summer. Yes I know I am behind the times. What else is new? ;)

I kept seeing their product at local races. Now, I am ALL about the free products at a race so I would pick one up and not really think anything about it until...

... I actually chatted with lovely ladies working the booth. I mean it took me long enough to say Hi to Lauren - I've seen her at pretty much every local run since moving back to Boston. It just took me time, okay? Okay.

Lauren was super sweet and told me a lot more about the message of KIND Snacks AND that it is more than just those yummy bars - there's granola too! Oh my!

KIND has started a movement on social media by using the hashtag #KINDAwesome. Have you seen it on Twitter or Instagram? They are encouraging folks to use it to capture the kind moments in life. It is really inspiring if you sort by that hashtag.

Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind. —Henry James

After seeing Lauren at yet another race - VERT Sasquatch in July - we finally decided it was time for a little KIND giveaway here on the old blog. I'm looking out for you all. :)

So one day in early August, I came home from a tough Spin session to find this awesome sight on my porch.

Amazing message right on the bag

Aahhhhh!!! Glorious right?

But, it got better.

OOhhh yeaah!

As you can see as soon as I emptied out the KIND Healthy Snacks Mixed Case (Value $107.50) with a surprise treat of granola in there as well, I put the Weight Watchers PointsPlus Values on the packages. The bars on the right were all 5 PP each, the boxes on the left were all 6 PP and the granola for a serving (1/3 cup) was either 3 or 4.

Now my Weight Watchers friends may think these are kinda high PPV for a granola bar, but let me tell you they are WORTH IT!

I have been finding all sorts of ways to fit KIND bars and the granola into my plan.

*KIND Bars have been good for pre OR post workout fuel (biking, running, weight-lifting, swimming, prancercizing, etc). Now that I have started "running" the Harvard Stadium stairs at 6:30am on Tuesdays I need a good source of fuel beforehand that will keep me satisfied, but not weigh me down. I am one of those people that will get sick if I eat too much before a workout. Plus, I don't want to wake up at like 4am just to have something to eat and not get sick for a 6:30am workout. Who is with me?

Sooo instead I will pop a KIND Snack bar in my bag and I'm off.

I couldn't wait to take a pic of the yummy PB & Strawberry Bar (5PP) after doing a hill workout Wednesday so you just get to see half of it. ;)

*KIND Granola is actually an AMAZING bang for your buck when it comes to Weight Watchers PointsPlus Values or calories or just taste! ;)

You can have 29g (1/3 cup) for 3 PP of the PB Granola.

I. AM. OBSESSED!

I seriously don't think I will ever eat yogurt without it again.

Yup - that good. :)

So do I have your mouth watering yet? Well, I am currently snacking on a Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate bar (6PP) that is heavenly.

Oh you want your own now? Getting excited that you can actually pronounce all of the ingredients on the KIND Bar label? Loving the #KINDAwesome mentality?

Well, alright alright. Let's bring on the giveaway. :) You all deserve it.

***

So here’s how to enter to win your OWN KIND Master Mixed Case like mine:

The giveaway will run from Tuesday August 20 (10am ET) through Tuesday August 27 (9am ET)!

The winner will be selected and announced on Tuesday!

Dani Dishes 8-26-13

On this episode of Dani Dishes, I drop TWO HUGE announcements on you guys regarding my next fitness goal for 2014 and new sponsorship!! :) :)  

Weekly Workout Wind Up (8/1-7/13)

Well the triathlon FINALLY happened!! YAY!! It was absolutely amazing to accomplish a feat I never thought I would. I decided to take a full REST DAY - okay I did a lot of walking around, but no workout - the day before the race and I think it was a great idea. I woke up Sunday feeling refreshed and ready to rock! :)  

Thursday, August 1: BRICK Workout (5.1-Mile Bike and 2-Mile Run)

Friday, August 2: 4-Mile Run

Saturday, August 3: REST DAY

Sunday, August 4: Boston Triathlon (Sprint)

 

Monday, August 5: 5-Mile Run and 45-Minute Spin

Tuesday, August 6: Harvard Stadium Stairs (25 sections) and 1,300-Meter Swim Session

Wednesday, August 7: 5-Mile Run and Session with Lindsey (Walk to & from gym, 35 min Stairmaster and 30 min Elliptical)

 

Let the Dopey Challenge training continue! 

Weekly Workout Wind Up (7/25-31/13)

Well in case you didn't know, this was the last week before my first triathlon (Sprint) on Sunday, August 4. So I thought it time to FINALLY try a BRICK workout (which means you do two different types of workouts with minimal time in between). I was actually surprised how strong my legs felt after getting off the bike and heading into my run. This week I also jumped out of my comfort zone trying a couple different workouts, while also extending my #runstreak to 16 days! I have NEVER gone that long before. I think my body is getting tired so I think August 3 may be a complete REST DAY before the tri! We will see.

Overall, I am REALLY proud of how I was able to turn my workouts around in July and really refocus by the end. I am ready to bring that intensity into August when full on Dopey Challenge training goes into effect.

Thursday, July 25: 2-Mile Run

Friday, July 26: 4-Mile Run

Saturday, July 27: Urban RAID 5k

Sunday, July 28: 55-Min Spin and BRICK workout (9.43 mile bike+3.1 mile run)

Monday, July 29: 1-Hour Personal Training Session, 2-Mile Run and Spin

Tuesday, July 30: Harvard Stadium Stairs and 2-Mile Run with the pup

Wednesday, July 31: 1/2-Mile Open-Water Swim and 3-plus Mile Run

GAH bring on the tri! :P