I loved my bright yellow Walkman back in the ’80s, but haven’t really thought about them since the ipod came out. According to this stellar review, sounds like they’re a contender again!

dianneharvard:

I was recently selected by Klout (a website and mobile app that uses social media analytics to rank its users according to online social influence) to receive one of the coolest “Klout Perks” ever - a Sony Walkman W (special Meb Keflezighi edition).

I must say…It was a pretty great feeling to know I was 1 out of 5,000 people selected to receive this based on my social influence on “active lifestyles”. 

I had the opportunity to go out for a run today and give the headphones a try and I absolutely LOVED them! The Walkman W is light weight, comfortable, has impressive sound quality and was super easy to set up. 

A short 3 minute charge equals 1 hour of playing time, and you can get up to eight hours of uninterrupted play when fully charged. Plus, getting your music onto the Sony Walkman W is as simple as dragging and dropping the files (for both PC and MAC).  Took me a total of 10 minutes to get 1.6 GB of music uploaded and out the door. 

Once I hit the pavement I was super impressed by the sound quality as well as how comfortable the Sony Walkman W fit. It stayed in place the entire run with no shifting at all. 

The volume controls and the shuffle on/off button are located on the left side. The play/pause button and buttons to change the tracks are on the right side. All functions are super accessible, which I LOVE. 

Overall, I was super impressed with this MP3 player and can’t even believe I was lucky enough to be selected to get this for free. 

If you’re a runner, biker, or someone who spends time in the gym (lifting weights, elliptical, rowing, etc) than the Sony Walkman W is totally for you.  There is even a new completely waterproof version for swimmers (it works up to 6ft under water). 

You can purchase the 2GB Sony Walkman W at Sony.com for $59.99 and if you purchase the Meb Keflezighi edition for $10 more you’ll enjoy pre-loaded audio tips by Meb and a Runners booklet with tips on running, nutrition, stretching, strategy and a list of Meb’s favorite motivational running songs. A portion of sales goes to the MEB FOUNDATION in support of Health, Fitness, Education — Balance.

Happy cord-less running everybody:) If you have an specific questions feel free to comment below and let me know, I’m happy to answer them. 

It’s almost New Year’s Resolution time!! The key is to be specific. Don’t just say “I want to workout more.” Instead, say “I’m going to go to the gym Monday, Wednesday, Friday every week.” Here are some general jumping off points for making some healthy, thoughtful resolutions to get 2013 started off right. All you need to do is add the details and make it your own! 

You should try trail running. Seriously. With fall approaching we’ll soon see the oppressive heat of the summer give way to the cool days of September and October. There’s no better way to enjoy this reprieve from the heat, appreciate the amazing colors of the season, and work off the last of the poolside margaritas than by trail running. Plus, it’s a better workout than the treadmill or the street…take a look at this article from Shape Magazine about what you need to do to transition from hard surfaces, to the calorie burning twists and turns of uneven terrain:

I’ve been pretty upset this summer. My hobbies are running and biking. Outdoors. I haven’t had a gym membership in over two years now. That’s not only what I love to do in my spare time, but how I stay happy, healthy, and relatively balanced. So when I tore my ACL in April and was banned from doing these things I got upset. Sure it was fun to watch some TV and lie on the couch while I recovered, but as the days got longer and warmer, lounging got old really fast…

I tried cooking! Watching TV series (Revenge actually was pretty captivating)! Reading O Magazine (which is surprisingly awesome), but nothing left me feeling as stress-free and happy as my old hobbies. I was so sad I couldn’t do what I really wanted to do! But that only made me even more mad at myself for being so narrow minded. There are people in way worse shape than I, and they just figure it out, they don’t sit around and cry about it. It was a vicious cycle. The longer I went without playing outside the sadder I felt and the more mad I got at myself for being sad.

I’ve always believed that while what happens to you may not be a choice, how you react to it is. And I was reacting like a spoiled child. So I decided that even though I may not be able to run outside, maybe just being in the sunlight would help.

We’ve all read the articles about the association between sunlight and mood, but I’d always thought it was more the exercise that boosted my mood than the sunlight. I decided to test it out. I took up my exercise mat where I’d been faithfully doing my knee strengthening exercises twice a day every day in front of the TV, and took it outside across the street on the harbor. There’s a grass strip there where I’m sure people take their dogs to pee, but I ignored that and put my mat there regardless. I breathed in the fresh air and felt the sun on my face and instantly felt better. I definitely got some strange looks as I did my leg lifts, but it was worth it. I didn’t even glare at the joggers as they passed by.

A few posts back I mentioned an all day bike ride through Zion National Park. It was incredible. I left my hotel about 8 am and biked through Springdale into the park, all the way to the far end up a long, winding hill. It was tough and cold, but gorgeous, so well worth it.

Once at the top I locked my bike to a tree, stripped off my bike shorts (don’t worry, I had running pants on underneath), and took off for a riverside trail run. And then just kept repeating the process for the next 8 hours! Ride bike. Lock Bike. Run. Ride bike. Lock bike. Run. It was awesome.

I snacked on nuts and fruit throughout the day, but by the time I got back to the hotel my stomach was trying to eat itself, so I decided to feed it what it wanted: PIZZA. Behold, the “Good For You” pizza from Zion Pizza and Noodle Company:

light sauce, grilled squash & zucchini, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, with feta & asiago cheeses.

It was every bit as good as it looks. And I ate Every. Last. Bite. No joke! I ate this entire pizza :D And then fell asleep for almost 12 hours. It was incredible. I’m not sure which accomplishment I’m more proud of: the marathon bike/hike/run session? Or the prize-winning eating? I think the combination of the two is just the right balance.

 I took one yoga class years ago and was so bored I swore it off forever. Then Groupon entered my life and I started buying all sorts of coupons for things I didn’t need. Luckily though, this one coupon for 5 classes at I.Am.You Yoga Studio came along and has since changed my life. Seriously. Lauren, the instructor, who has an incredible back story you can read here, is warm and friendly, but also tough and bad ass enough to push you to do your best. I sweat more and concentrate harder than I have in a workout in a long, long time (and I just did a marathon in February!).

Not only is the loft awesome in its own right as you can see above, but it’s in the heart of Little Italy so you can get a great slice of Napoletana Pizza right after class if you’re in the mood. It’s a fast paced class set to the dance beats her DJ boyfriend has mixed together so you never get bored. And there’s just the right amount of chanting and meditating to clear your mind, but not freak you out if you’re not into that stuff.

Takeaway: If you think you don’t like yoga, try a class here and you may change your mind. I leave feeling stronger in body and lighter in mind, and who doesn’t need more of that in their life?!