Category Archives: Workout Routines

Beurer 4 in 1 WL90 Wake-up Light Alarm Review

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Beurer 4 in 1 WL90 Wake-up Light Alarm ReviewThe way we start our morning is actually a major influence for the rest of the day. A good read to know more about this is through Wake up Productive – a book that tells more about how to start a good morning and how it affects productivity. And as we speak of a good way to wake up, a good tool for this is the Beurer 4 in 1 WL90 Wake-up Light Alarm. This device serves 4 purposes. With that reason alone, it is already quite a big help on the budget. With the help of this Beurer 4 in 1 WL90 Wake-up Light Alarm Review, find out more about the pros and cons of buying this device and how it can help it making that deady morning routine a little more easier.

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The Beurer WL 90 is the excellent must have for those who find it a big challenge to wake up  in the morning. It features a sunrise stimulating LED light. What does this feature actually do? Read more.

What are the best features of he Beurer Wake Up Light Alarm (Beurer WL90)?

The natural response of the body is to wake up well when there is light outside.  But then, this does not happen all the time, especially when it is winter time or even in cloudy or darks months. As mentioned earlier, this device features a LED light that stimulates or immitates sunrise as well as sunset. As the light gradually brightens, it then naturally allows the body to gradually wake up. On another part, during the sunset mode, the gradual dimming of the light also stimulates a relaxing mode to naturally tell the body to  chill out and get ready for bed time.

Now let’s talk about Beurer WL90‘s other features which makes it an all around morning routine device. First off, is its alarm function. After the simulated sunrise, the user can set an alarm tone with ten wake up melodies to choose from or a favorite radio station. It can save up to 3 alarms. Of course as with other alarm clocks it has a snooze function. An activated snooze function enables the alarm to sound again based on the user-set snooze duration.

The best feature from this device though is its bluetooth capability. This features allows the device to also be a music station for a great playback of the user’s music of choice. In addition to that, the Beurer WL90 is easily managed using its app.  Mood light adjustments and choosing colors (over  colors to choose from) makes this device a fun little play toy not just for adults but also for youngsters.

PROS

  • Versatile, has 4 functions in 1 device
  • Phone App connects seamlessly and trouble free
  • Simulated sunrise with adjustable light intensity
  • Sunset function – Light dims gradually to simulate sunset
  • Wake up with radio, alarm tone or a choice of 10 wake up melodies
  • Optional mood light with 10 possible color settings
  • Stream music from your device to the built in speakers via Bluetooth
  • Time and date shown on display
  • Bluetooth compatible loudspeaker
  • Activation of sunset function
  • Choice of 10 preset mood light settings
  • Direct choice of mood light color
  • Alarm can be switched on/off for each day
  • Adjustment of alarm settings

CONS

  • This device needs the app (user must have a smartphone) inorder to maximize its features
  • The material is plastic but I guess this is also for the purpose of creating somewhat a  scattered or translucent effect on the LED light and does not make the light too sharp and too much on the eyes when waking up

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Beurer 4 in 1 WL90 Wake-up Light Alarm Review  Beurer 4 in 1 WL90 Wake-up Light Alarm Review

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Beurer 4 in 1 Wake-up Light, Mood Light, Reading Lamp, Music Station – Bluetooth Compatible

Garmin Vivoactive with Heart Rate Monitor Review

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Last January of this year, Garmin announced it’s new product Vivoactive during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Seeing from how it looks like, some people may find its appeal boring compared to other Garmin Fitness Watches. Comparing it with a smartwatch like an Apple Watch would also not give good justice. This is because this watch will be a lot more useful to highly athletic individuals. To properly describe the functionality of this watch, it actually works more like a fusion of a fitness watch and an activity tracker plus some more additional features. This device has also embraced the 3rd party app functionality of Connect IQ as well as getting support for golf. Pretty interesting. Let us now more about this device through this Garmin Vivoactive with Heart Rate Monitor Review, shall we?

Click here to check product pricing and to read more user reviews.

Although this device looks really a lot more like a smartwatch, I would not want to classify it simply as one. Keep in mind that most smartwatches in the market aren’t really GPS-enabled. That means, activities like running aren’t much accurately tracked as good as this watch can which is by the way, also water-proof and can be used when swimming.

What are the best features of Garmin Vivoactive HR?

Elevate – which is Garmin’s own technology for measuring the heart rate through the wrist is impressively quite accurate. The sensor for this is located under the watch. This optical sensor then detects the blood pulsing beneath the skin. The heart rate data from vivoactive HR gives the figures on how many calories are burned on activities and calculates the magnitude of your fitness activities, establishing an enhanced acknowldgement of your fitness efforts.

For users that are quite super active – which in this content means does a lot of different sporting activities, this watch would be the perfect activity partner as it covers a whole wider range of activities in one gadget. The list of the sport activities that are the following: Running, pool swimming (no open water option), golf, walking, rowing, paddle board skiing, XC skiing, biking, and indoor activities – run, bike, walk, and row. Sleeping is also tracked but this feature seems to be not too impressive. The automatic sleep tracking does seem to be very good at first but then it plots sleep time and interval the data to the user’s usual sleeping hours which is unrealistic as it is not always possible to sleep at the same time or interval.

One of the features that Garmin almost always outdo most of the time as compared to other products in the market is the battery life. The Vivoactive HR can run for a good 6 days of battery life using all features and occasional use of GPS. More so, it runs at about 14 hours in activity tracking using GPS. This impressive endurance is however accountable to the fact that Vivoactive HR smartwatch has less brighter and quite mediocre resolution screen.

PROS

  • GPS Smartwatch with multiple built-in Sport Apps
  • Measures heart rate from the wrist (thanks to Garmin’s Elevate technology)
  • Tracks floors climbed and has a built-in activity tracker that counts the steps, calories burned and hear rate within the day
  • Follows the progress of the users and monitors sleep quality
  • Long battery life
  • Water resistant up to 50 m (5ATM)
  • Displays smart notifications when connection to your smart phone
  • Options of customizable watch faces  from Connect IQ
  • Full GPS tracking
  • Great metrics for tracking activities

CONS

  • Heart rate measurement tends to pause on high intensity
  • Screen is quite mediocre
  • Because this device has lots of apps and features, it sometimes makes it difficult to navigate through every detail (getting lost into navigating is often – or maybe it just takes time to get used to)

For Garmin to be able to put up all these impressive sports app features in one device just like having many different sport watches in one great product makes Vivosmart HR an ultimate choice for sport enthusiasts. Additional features such as being able to connect to the user’s smart phone and having a heart rate monitor with accurate measurement makes this watch a big head turner in the market.

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Garmin vívoactive HR GPS Smart Watch, Regular fit – Black

Muse Brain Sensing Headband Review

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Holistic wellness is something that one person would want to achieve. Though achieving this can be quite tricky, it is impossible. Along with holistic wellness is also the idea that a healthy body would be great to be matched with a healthy brain. Example, if one wants to increase physical fitness efforts to achieving this would include a gym membership, set off   an exercise habit or get a personal trainer to assist you in attaining your goal. For mental and emotional fitness, technology has indeed a solution for giving a work out for the brain. This device is same as a heart rate monitor for your mind. Muse is a techy device that senses brain signals during a focused-attention exercise similar to how a heart rate monitor detects your heart rate during physical exercise. This measurement provides the user valuable feedback that can be used to train your brain on a daily basis and as time goes will result to improved your focus, attention and composure. Learn more about this product through this Muse Brain Sensing Headband Review.

Click here to check product pricing and to read more user reviews.

How does this device work exactly? The main idea on the concept of Muse originated from electroencephalography (EEG) technology, which measures electrical activity of the brain. Typically, an EEG test needs the sensors attached to your head, these sensors are then connected to a computer via wires. The Muse is wireless and connects to your mobile device via Bluetooth.

 What are the great features and the benefits of this brain sensing headband?

An unfortunate thing about adulthood is that stress and anxiety seemed to come along with it like it is part of the package. It is during these times that moments of quiet meditation or even yoga really helps a lot in telling your brain that amidst all the stress, it has to calm down. What the Muse does is that it magnifies your meditation and yoga exercises to a higher level. This device is a nifty tool to boost your wellness by helping you to train your brain through a daily guided training sessions on a minimum 3 minutes a day. It is technologically engineered to work on a attaining lesser stress on your mind, where in, with the exercises done with this device, you get to somehow shut-off your thoughts through a series of focused-attention exercises in partnership with the Calm app. Through this process it is giving you real-time feedback to help you understand how well you are maintaining your focus. Developing this skill will help you reduce anxiety and stress, focus the mind, boost concentration and productivity, and increase your composure during stressful times.

The device itself is adjustable, lightweight and can snug comfortably to your head. It looks just like those wearable mp3 players on the market, except that the band goes across your forehead and has two arms tucking behind your ears just like a pair of glasses. At the back of each arm is a micro USB slot that is used for charging the device. The battery lasts for up to 5 hours after full charging. Muse has a single button that’s flush to one of the earpieces for turning the device on and a thin strip of light illuminates on the earpiece that tells the user the is already active. Along the forehead band is a thin strip with 7 finely calibrated sensors – 2 on the forehead, 2 behind the ears plus 3 reference sensors that detect and measure the activity of your brain.

PROS

  • Lightweight, comfortable to wear and portable
  • Easy to set-up and use
  • Has lower intrinsic noise and great sensor geometry which makes the sensors more responsive
  • Uses clinical grade EEG
  • Helps improve emotional intelligence, productivity, and motivation
  • Great real-time real-time audio and visual feedback plus long-term tracking to monitor progress
  • Lowers stress level and eventually reduces levels of cortisol, your body’s stress hormone
  • Strengthens the area of the brain related to composure and empathy
  • Guided training sessions are designed to build the skill of focused attention which help manage stress

CONS

  • This device is not medically approved, hence those who have serious issues must seek the help of a professional
  • Limited things to do with the device
  • Sometimes it takes a while to get the sensor attached properly but this is only a very minor issue

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Muse: The Brain Sensing Headband

Best WorkOut Routine: Tony Horton’s P90X3 DVD Workout

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Completing the trilogy of P90X workouts, Tony Horton’s P90X3 DVD Workout is the latest and the ultimate challenge pack with total synergistics that delivers a full body resistance, triggering a fast and powerful change to your body’s components. The key strategy of this workout routine is a daily 30 minute routine that is designed to shred your body, and get you in the finest and best shape of your life in for about 90 (plus) days.

In comparing the first two programs, the P90X and P90X2, these first two included workouts that ranges to 30 to 60 minutes in length which are long workouts. As with many health enthusiasts, time is a big constraint in doing the daily workout. With P90X3, Tony gets rid of the “lack of tim”e excuse in getting away from the workout routines because each workout in the series is only 30 minutes in length.

Those who would want to spend a little more time with their family would really enjoy the 30 minute work out sessions of  Tony Horton’s P90X3 DVD. With this P90X3 Series that has the big difference of workout time compared to its predecessors, it definitely makes a mark not just for those who are still beginning on their fitness routines but also for fitness pros. It is very easy to fit in a slot into the daily routine a 30 minute workout.

Just a heads-up, this work out routine is not easy. It’s hard core and extreme, but definitely a goal that is not impossible to reach. The 30 minute daily work out will motivate you to push harder until you get to the finish line.

Here are the things you get when you purchase the kits. Choose accordingly as to what you think suits best for your daily workout routine!

P90X3 Base Kit

16 Workouts on 8 DVDs
Standard 90 Day Workout Calendar
Nutrition Guide
Fitness Guide
Intro DVD
P90X One on One: On One Leg DVD
Free Online Support

P90X3 Deluxe Kit

16 Workouts on 8 DVDs plus 3 Elite Extreme Workouts on 1 additional DVD
Standard 90 Day Workout Calendar plus the Elite Block Calendar
Nutrition Guide
Fitness Guide
Intro DVD
P90X One on One: On One Leg DVD
Free Online Support
1 Month E & E Tub
3 B-Lines Resistance Bands

P90X3 Ultimate Kit

16 Workouts on 8 DVDs plus 3 Elite Extreme Workouts on 1 additional DVD
Standard 90 Day Workout Calendar plus the Elite Block Calendar
Nutrition Guide
Fitness Guide
Intro DVD
P90X One on One: On One Leg DVD
Free Online Support
1 Month E & E Supplements Tub
3 B-Lines Resistance Bands
P90X Chin up bar
Beachbody Jump Mat

P90X3 Challenge Pack

16 Workouts on 8 DVDs
Standard 90 Day Workout Calendar
Nutrition Guide
Fitness Guide
Intro DVD
P90X One on One: On One Leg DVD
Free Online Support
30 Day Supply of Shakeology
30 Day VIP Team Beachbody Club Membership

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Tony Horton’s P90X3 DVD Workout – Base Kit
Tony Horton’s P90X3 DVD Workout – Deluxe Kit
Tony Horton’s P90X3 DVD Workout – Ultimate Kit

Stalking Henry Cavill and Discovering Superman Secrets

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I am such a stalker! My latest stalking object is none other than the Man of Steel himself: Henry Cavill. Check out his Superman posters here and here. And yes, I was stalking Henry Cavill and discovering Superman secrets while I was at it.

I remember back in the days, our house is located near a comic store where I would occasionally sneak in after class to read comics – back then that store only has limited issues of superman and other marvel heroes comics but I would patiently wait in line just for my turn to read it (we rent them to read and they are not for sale – crazy right?!).  Good thing now we can readily buy them online (Hard Cover and Kindle Edition). Check these out – Superman: The Death and Return of Superman Omnibus and Superman: Earth One Vol. 2. You may also find Kindle editions on the link.

It was really interesting to me as to how Henry Cavill transformed himself after was chosen the to play Superman role in the Man of Steel movie. Overall, my astonishment came from how it was really impressive when he worked so hard to get the perfect body to be Superman. Knowing of Clark Kent’s life in comics, he was such a nerd in glasses and have been bullied a lot in school. Looking at Henry Cavill and the Superman character that he is – Oh my! He really is perfect for it!

So upon stalking, there are tons of interesting things I’ve found out but the one that had really got me struck is his grueling fitness routine that helped him into the superhero shape of The Man of Steel. There has been videos about it all over in Youtube and I wonder perhaps one can make a gym at home to do the routines there! Why not?!

A pair of dumbbells, and perhaps your own home gym! You can even buy a pair of adjustable dumbbell weights for efficient, cost-effective strength training – a power block. Also there is a  Steel Power Bar where you find a combination of the versatility of a power rack with the security of a Smith machine.

Here are a few of Henry Cavill’s work-out routine upon getting the Superman role:

Total Body Workout

2x Clean + 5x Kettlebell Squat @ 70% body weight (One combo every 30 seconds for 5 minutes)
2x Two-hand KB Clean and Squat (One combo every 30 seconds for 5 minutes.)
100 Front Squats (Body-weight, break into sets of 25 if you need to)
3 sets of 15 reps Box Step-up
3 sets of 15 reps Deck Squats
20x Frog Hops + 40m Bear Crawl (Do 4 rounds of this combo, rest 2 minutes between sets)
3 sets 20 reps: Man-Makers (with dumbbells)
3 sets of reps: Sit-Ups

Upper Body Chest / Shoulder Workout

Any Cardio Machine 10 minute (warm up)
10 more minutes with Rowing machine @ easy Pace (warm up)
6 sets of: 10x Bench Press (alternating arm, with kettlebells)
4 sets of: 12x Military Push Press
4 sets of: 12x Arnold Press (The Henry Cavill workout used alternating, one hand dumbbells)
2 sets of: 25x Squat Assisted Push Press
4 sets of: 12x Hammer Curls

One notable thing to appreciate in working out is knowing the beauty of physical strength as you go through hard work and discipline. It takes a lot of perseverance and determination to be able to get into the shape you want. I believe it is a process of self discovery. Always believe that your body will be able to break through on what your mind  had initially thought to be a physical boundary and you will surprised your how body will be able come passed these thoughts have limited.

Check out Superman action figures here.

Superman Man of Steel Movie Masters Superman Action Figure