Happy 2010!  It’s still amazing to me that we’ve finished the first decade of the 21st century.

So, if you’re like millions of people around the world you resolved as the new year came in to get healthier.  And, if you’re trying to get moving and watch what you eat what better way to help you with that then some apps for your BlackBerry to help you along.

Most weight loss experts will tell you (and most people who have successfully taken off weight will agree) that keeping a food journal is a great help in watching your food intake.  Being the geek that I am I have a few requirements for my food journal:  1.  It needs to be “techy cool” 2.  It needs to have a web and blackberry sync 3.  It needs to be easy to use.  I’ve tried some computer based applications, I’ve tried BlackBerry only applications but I want something with both options.  Well, I found one and it’s FREE:  Calorie Counter by FatSecret.  FatSecret has an iGoogle add-on or you can use the website.  It also has apps for the iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, and iPod Touch.  I love this app (and website) for helping me track my food.  Calorie Counter is available for free at the BlackBerry App World.

FatSecret also keeps track of your exercise and calories burned but to help me track my walking, cycling, and running I use Bones in Motion.  It has a website to track your cumulative mileage, etc.  But, the BlackBerry app (also free) uses the GPS capabilities to track your average speed, distance, time spent walking, and the amount of calories it estimates you’ve burned.  It can also give you audible warnings at certain mile markers if you desire.  One cool feature (if you like to go on long excursions) is a tracker online that you can give your family.  It’s password protected so it’s not like anyone can see where you are but if you have the app running your family can track where you are on your walk/run/ride (I will admit that I haven’t used this because I haven’t had a need to have someone know where I am — but it is a cool feature — I wouldn’t mind if my friends who do the Ironman triathlon had this so we could figure out where they are).   Bones in Motion is free and available at BlackBerry App World as BiM Active.

So, here’s to a healthier, happier, and thinner 2010!

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This July I will be doing a 13-day, 200 mile walk across England: from the west coast of Cumbria (and the Lake District) across hill, dale and moor to the Yorkshire coast and North Sea. It is something I made my mind up to do about 18 months ago and is something that I committed to sort of on a long-term whim. I get a few incredulous responses when I share my plans – most people wonder why I would possibly want to schlep up mountainsides in what will probably be typical, drizzly English weather if we are lucky – driving rain if we aren’t! Insane – maybe? But the impulse to do this goes back a long time, and was rekindled in recent years when I was working 16-hour days. Long days in my office made me gain weight and feel like I had literally become chained to my desk and the victim of my own success. Remember the old cliché “be careful what you wish for…”? After a little restructuring and talented help from others, I dug out and started training daily and found I absolutely loved it! Fighting back from the constant lure of the keyboard and get back in touch with the part of me that had nothing to do with technology, clients and deadlines – the anti-geek. It’s the part of you that doesn’t want to be in touch at a moment’s notice. To have the space sometimes to be where people can’t find you, to be beholden to no-one. Somewhere it’s just you, your boots and that giant pile of rocks ahead. Then there’s the wonderful feeling climbing up to a summit and looking down on how little everything is …putting everything back into some kind of manageable perspective.
Oh, and the other challenge here is that there is no tour group. It will just be me, Carla (my good VA hiking buddy) and a set of maps. Directions are not my strong suit. A little push out of my comfort zone, some adequate preparation, and a good set of navigation tools….It’s sounding more likely a business plan than a walk!
I just can’t wait to get going and there is something about the physical and mental challenge of it that keeps me braced and ready for tasks that I take on each day now. The lesson I learnt is about re-establishing balance in my life, and how important it is — whether you cook, garden, hike, run or whatever — to take the energy and passion from one side of your life and use it to recharge the other. More on the hike later too…we are hoping to set up a blog. Happy trails!

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