Category: Podcasts

Tracking My Fitness and Nutrition

MapMyRide-MapMyFitness Album Art

Thank you for joining me for the National Podcast Post Month Version of the Health Fitness Beauty Quest Show. My name is Jennifer Navarrete and on today’s episode, I am going to share the two ways you can keep track of my progress.

I am using two iPhone apps for both fitness and nutrition.   The app I have used to track my fitness over the last few years has been MapMyRide. While the ride portion does indeed refer to cycling, it also covers walking, running, gym workouts and everything in between. It really is a robust fitness tracker. It also integrates with other fitness trackers such as FitBit. One of the features I really like is the ability to share my workouts as they happen through their LIVE option. It’s motivating to see friend workout notices pop up on my phone. It certainly makes you want to get out there and get moving.  If you want to keep track of my walks, cycling and workouts go to www.mapmyride.com/profile/epodcaster

The app I am using to track my nutrition is called MyFitnessPal. This was doctor recommended and once I began using it in the early stages of the Health Fitness Beauty Quest in 2013, I knew why. It has many existing food and meal nutrition and calorie info. The app also has a cool little bar code scanner which makes keeping track of my meals easy even on the laziest of days.

One of the bonuses to MyFitnessPal is the NOTE section. I use it to keep track of the nutritional supplements and essential oils I use on a daily basis. To follow my progress go to http://www.myfitnesspal.com/epodcaster

So there you have it. The two essential tools I have used successfully in the past and that I will use again to get my health and fitness back on the path to wellness.

Health Fitness Beauty Quest Restart

NaPodPoMo 2015 Day 1 Show Notes:

Thank you for joining me for the National Podcast Post Month Version of the Health Fitness Beauty Quest Show which for the next 30 days will be more of a daily audio digest.

On today’s episode, I give the background of the Health Fitness Beauty Quest. It all began in September 2013. I was 44 years old at the time. That year, like many before, I was wider and less healthy than the year before. In my family we are long-lived and based on the way I was living things weren’t looking favorable on that front.

I wanted to transform my life into one of a healthy lifestyle, but that was also something I had thought every year. So, I knew I would need accountability. By blogging, podcasting, posting videos and sharing progress on social media I was able to take my size 16 179lbs into a size 8 148lbs in 16 months.

The next stage of my quest was to ride my bicycle across the country starting in San Diego, CA and ending in St. Augustine, FL. A distance of over 3,000 miles. On March 31st 2015 the Health Fitness Beauty Quest Bike Tour began. I was very please to have sponsors and individual donations to support the bike tour. Sponsors like: Team RISE UP! Global, Educating for Success, Tourism Currents, Ivita Botanicals, Ventana Media Group and more.

Many folks know about how the tour was cut short in Deming, NM due to my youngest son ill health. He was part of the Support Team and ,came down will what we thought was, severe altitude sickness. We soon discovered that his headaches and nausea were actually due to a brain tumor. Six months later and I am very happy to report that he is on the mend after receiving treatment.

So, what does all of this have to do with the Health Fitness Beauty Quest? Well from the time we discovered my youngest son’s diagnosis, I have led a life that was the opposite of health and fitness. I went from cycling mountains and traversing deserts to little to no movement at all sitting in the hospital at my son’s bedside. Talk about doing a fitness 180º turn! I also discovered I am what you might call a stress eater. Let me tell you that when life hits you something that life altering, it’s stressful.

I jumped on the scale recently and it turns out I am almost right back where I was in September 2013…..not quite…almost. It is a bit frustrating to see the current state of my health and fitness. Which tells me many things. First of all, I need to get back to what I know works. Cycling, walking, tracking my eating and fitness. I also know I need to share this setback and the state of things in my health and fitness in order to have you hold me accountable.

Which is why NaPodPoMo is a perfect time to restart the Health Fitness Beauty Quest. Tomorrow, I will share some of the strategies I plan on implement which includes allowing you daily access to my nutrition and fitness. What better way to stay on track than to share the good, the bad and the ugly?

They say it takes 30 days to create a new habit or break a bad one. By the time November 30th rolls around, I hope to have done both.

Meeting Bicycle Touring Peeps: Matt and Pam

Earlier this year I came across a site called CrazyGuyOnABike. It is a place where folks from all across the globe can journal their bike tours. Folks tour from coast to coast, border to border and everything in between sharing the story of their bicycle touring adventures. I have been all kinds of inspired from reading the journal entries of cyclists who ride all over the world. Did I mention it is inspiring? Oh, I did? Well, it really is inspiring.

Dinner with Cyclists Matt and Pam who are traveling across the country from California to Florida.

Dinner with Cyclists Matt and Pam who are traveling across the country from California to Florida.

Last week I happened upon a journal for Matt and Pam who are cycling from California to Florida along what is commonly known at the Southern Tier. I began corresponding with them in the hopes of being able to visit with them somewhere along the Central Texas portion of their ride. Luckily everything worked out for us to meet for an early dinner while they were taking a couple of rest days in Comfort, TX. Below is the quick audio interview and a picture from our delicious dinner at PO PO Restaurant.

I really enjoyed spending time with Matt and Pam. I hope they didn’t mind all the interrogating…er..um…questions I had regarding the down and dirty aspects to bike touring that typically don’t make it to the journal entries of CrazyGuyOnABike. Thank you both for your candor, honesty and not balking when I asked the tough questions. I hope to begin my own CrazyGuyOnABike adventure in early April.

So, if Matt and Pam’s journey interests you, if you have ever been on a bike tour or are fired up and ready to join my West Texas Triangle Tour let me hear form you in the comments or via email.

Struggling on a Saturday Morning Run

I am a speaker at an inner circle retreat in Tennessee this weekend. I decided to go for a run to keep up with my triathlon training. To say it was less than stellar would be putting it mildly.


nike run struggle

Triathlon Training: Running


HFBQuest Album ArtOn October 26, 2013 I will be participating in my first ever triathlon. The Martindale Tri is the oldest triathlon in Texas. It is a 7 mile run/16.5 mile bike/5.5 mile kayak. The kayaking vs. an open water swim was what attracted me to this particular race.

Today I began the run portion of my training using the Couch to 5K podcast.

Nike+ First Tri Training Run photo

 

Making the Announcement


On this fall-like morning I road my bike to a neighborhood trail. As I walked in the early morning light, I took the opportunity to recorded this audio post. It seems fitting that this quiet start marks the beginning of what I predict will be a whirlwind of change in my life.