Where to run: San Francisco edition

October 17, 2013 by writeitdownjess

I live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I know this not only because I have eyes, but also because millions upon millions of people converge upon the city by the bay every year. Tony Bennett even left his heart here, so you know it’s got to be a pretty legit place. Tony wouldn’t leave his heart just anywhere.

But San Francisco isn’t just beautiful for living; it’s absolutely awesome for running. Most of the major races make a pit stop here, there are a variety of neighborhoods, parks and trails to run on, and the weather is mild year-round – never too cold, never too warm. It’s no wonder the running community here is robust: SF is practically a runners’ utopia. Forbes even named it one of the 10 Best Cities for Runners in 2012.

I could go on and on, but instead I’ll get to the point: if you ever find yourself visiting this heavenly place and have a hankering to go running, there are a few places to bookmark. Want to know what they are? Read on!

Crissy Field

This beach and park is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. On any given day, you’ll find a mix of dogs and their owners, families setting up blankets and picnics on the sand or grass, and, of course, runners. Lots and lots of runners. The pebbled path here takes you along the water all the way down to Fort Point, which stops right underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. The route is 1.5 miles one way, so it’s a great practice route for 5Ks.

Plus, hello, it’s stunning!

Golden Gate Park

This is the West Coast equivalent of Central Park. With over 1,000 acres, it’s a gorgeous green sanctuary right in the middle of our bustling city. Not only is there a ton of stuff to do in general (I recommend the paddle boats and snack shack at Stow Lake), you could run for miles and miles here while soaking in the beautiful scenery.

Park anywhere, get out, and hit the road. The urban jungle awaits!

You can take it slow too: a leisurely stroll with Bug.

The Valentine’s Day Dash 2012 in Golden Gate Park. Thumbs up!

Golden Gate Bridge

At the very least, if you visit San Francisco, you need to walk across this piece of architectural history. But it’s a great place to run, too. The bridge itself is about 1.7 miles long, and there’s a great lookout on the Marin side of the bridge. Make sure you bundle up if you do this one – it can get blustery up there.

It’s also probably not the best option for those of you who are afraid of heights. That ish is tall.

What’s big and red and pretty all over? The Golden Gate Bridge!

The Embarcadero

This is one of my very, very favorite places to run, the Embarcadero stretches from AT&T Park where the San Francisco Giants play (an insanely beautiful place, though I am an A’s girl) alllllll the way down past Pier 39 – wave hi to the sea lions! – stopping at Pier 45. It’s nice and flat, so it’s not too terribly difficult a run. AT&T Park to Pier 39 and back is right around 3 miles, but you can easily go further to make it a longer run.

Hint: when you reach Pier 39, make a pit stop at Trish’s Mini Donuts. These things are piping hot and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Hint hint: once you turn back and hit the Ferry Building, reward your efforts with Gott’s Roadside, a ridiculously good burger joint with outside seating perfect for people-watching.

The clock tower at the Ferry Building. Oh, and some beautiful sunshine and blue skies.

Running along The Embarcadero during The Giants 5K back in August!

Lyon Street Steps

I’ve never actually run here, but I would be remiss not to include it on this list. Made up of 288 punishing steps, this stairway connects the Pacific Heights and Cow Hollow neighborhoods. This is a runners’ favorite, but I have yet to attempt it. Probably because I’ve heard how hard it is!

Still, the view might be worth it.

Pic source: http://www.sfgate.com/outdoors/article/Lyon-Street-boasts-the-perfect-steps-3794332.php

As you can see, Forbes wasn’t lying, and my list is just the tip of the iceberg. Try dragging your heart with you when you leave here. I guarantee it’ll put up a fight.

Do you have favorite running spots where you live? Tell me about them in the comments!

We’ve got our LaceLocker winner locked down!

October 9, 2013 by writeitdownjess

You would wear them on your Sauconys. Your Brooks. Your Nikes and your Mizunos. And now one lucky reader will get to wear their very own pair of LaceLockers, graciously given to us by Stash Sports! Woot!

Ready to see who the winner is?

Congratulations, Smitha! We’ll email you soon with all the deets to claim your prize.

Stay tuned for our next giveaway, coming soon!

Road Tested: LaceLocker shoelace fasteners

October 3, 2013 by writeitdownjess

Shoelaces and I have a love/hate relationship. Actually, it’s more of a neutral/hate relationship: I don’t pay them any attention when they do what they’re supposed to do. But I hate when they decide to revolt and untie themselves. I am clumsy enough as it is; I don’t need my laces’ help in tripping, okay?

Needless to say, I was pretty stoked when Stash Sporting Goods reached out to us about trying their LaceLocker shoelace fasteners, which are designed to securely store your tied laces so that they don’t come loose or get dirty/wet.

The question was this: was it possible that I could actually get through an entire walk without having to find a safe spot to retie my shoes?

I took to the streets to find out. First, though, I had to get these little contraptions onto my sneaks. They looked a little daunting at first – insert this tab into this place, then fold and fold, etc. As I mentioned in my Fitbit review, I hate reading directions, but there are just four steps to get your laces locked into place so even direction-loathers like myself can deal with it.

Easy as 1, 2, 3, 4!

Ta-dah!

The process was ridiculously quick and easy, which I sincerely appreciate as both a mother and an eternal lazy person. Then! To the streets!

Bottom line is this: my shoelaces didn’t budge. Like, at all. I be-bopped (okay, fine, dragged myself) up and down some gnarly hills and my laces stayed locked. And while I might not use them for every single run, you can bet your sweet booty that I will use them for every single race. I definitely think LaceLocker fasteners are a must-have for every runner on race day, especially for those of you who are looking for your next PR. There’s not a chance you’ll have to stop to retie your laces.

Plus, how adorable is that name? They really ARE little tiny lockers for your laces!

Stash Sports were awesome enough to offer up a pair of LaceLockers to a lucky Scoot reader. To enter, click on the cute Rafflecopter pic below. The giveaway runs through 10/8!

Click the pic to enter!

Disclaimer: I received one pair of LaceLocker fastener for review. All words and opinions are my own. Giveaway prize donated by Stash Sporting Goods.

On Wednesdays we wear…what?!

September 27, 2013 by writeitdownjess

I have to admit, when we implemented “On Wednesdays We Wear Yellow” in support of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Fund’s Million Mile Run, I went to my closet, looked around, and gulped.

Problem numero only: I don’t own yellow clothing. That is to say I own none. Nada. Zilch.

How is this possible? I’m the girl who can talk myself into a new pair of jeans when I have over 40 pairs waiting for me at home (seriously. I counted). I’m the girl who, when it’s been more than a few weeks since I’ve gone to the mall, starts to feel disoriented and a little lost. Westfield is my North Star, my point of orientation. My walk-in closet is packed – packed, people – with clothing and handbags and shoes. Oh, my! Or as Mister Jess would say, oh, brother.

So how is it that I’ve ignored an entire color on the spectrum? Whether purposeful or accidental – the jury is still out on whether yellow actually looks good on me – I am yellow-less. They do not call me mellow yellow.

And though we’ve seen so many of our amazing Scoot readers wear yellow on Wednesdays in support of ALSF, I’ve been feeling kind of like a dud for not contributing. Clothes are my bread and (yellow) butter. How do I remedy this? I asked myself. If I’m not going to wear yellow, what can I do?

The answer was simple, my friends: I can shop. Oh, how I can shop.

So I did just that. I took to the internet and I shopped. More specifically, I window-shopped on Polyvore, an addictive website where you can create “looks” via mood boards, and whipped up four different boards for four of my favorite types of exercise.

Ready? Here we go!

Yoga

Get your om on with a sunny top and yoga mat. Bonus: these adorable TOMs say “Inspire.”

Running

It’s all about the details with this one: yellow laces, yellow headband, neon yellow shirt, and sunshine on your shoulder!

Dance

If you’re inclined to dance in a structured forum instead of in front of the mirror at home, these sweet splashes of color will get you noticed in class.

Training at the Gym

Love fitness, love Glamour (the yellow headline totally counts)!

So, okay, maybe I don’t wear yellow. Maybe it makes me look a little sallow and washed out. I can’t help it that jewel tones are my thing! But now that I’ve created these fun, yellow-inspired looks, I can rest easy that in some way, I have worn yellow.

I’ll go ahead and leave the actual yellow-wearing to the rest of you gorgeous people.

Do you look good in yellow? Tell me about your favorite item of yellow clothing. Or, even better, show us on Instagram @scootadoot!

The good, the bod, and the ugly

September 17, 2013 by writeitdownjess

A couple of months ago, Brooke wrote an awesome post about body issues and self-perception. It was something that I’d been thinking about a lot post-baby, for obvious reasons. This was part of the comment I left on her post:

This is very top of mind for me, for obvious reasons! I have been lamenting my post-baby body for months. I’m softer in a lot of places and my jeans are kind of tight right now, and when I sit down my belly flops over the waistband a bit. I have a nice little handful there where I didn’t before. It’s really hard getting used to a new body on top of getting used to a new human being who is yours forever.

I wish it wasn’t something I thought about so much, though. When I think about my body from a less critical place, I realize that I take it for granted. It has been good to me; it gets me from point A to point B (and C and D and…) every day. It is generally healthy and allows me to pick up my son and cuddle him and follow him around on all of his little crawly adventures. It saw me through the trauma/miracle that is childbirth! It has done nothing up to this point for me to look at it with anything but love and appreciation.

I know that when I’m scowling into my mirror, I am buying in to the media’s perception of what is beautiful or perfect. Hey, no one’s perfect, least of all me, but also the photoshopped-to-death celebrities in magazines. There’s really nothing wrong with a little cellulite or extra cushion. Are you healthy? GOOD. Count your lucky stars! This is the kind of stuff I have to tell myself so I’m not crying about the number on the scale.

Fast forward to last month when I watched a documentary called Miss Representation, which explores how women are portrayed by the media and how that affects us in our everyday life. It was a total eye-opener. Not because I didn’t already know that the media’s representation of women is absolutely skewed, but because I saw so clearly the havoc it’s wreaking on us. According to one of the statistics shared in the documentary, 53% of 13-year-old girls are unhappy with their bodies. That number increases to 78% when they reach 17. Insane, right?

The message that the media is putting out is that we’re only as good as our bodies and/or faces. And we’re listening. What’s worse, we’re believing.

But even as I became more aware of how I was buying into that idea, I still found myself nit-picking at my body. I’m sure my weekly consumption of People and Us Weekly didn’t help. And by didn’t, I mean doesn’t because I cannot and will not quit them.

Every week I noticed there was at least one article about how quickly celebrities were getting their body back after baby, or how Kim Kardashian was holed up in her house and chained to her treadmill so that when she finally made her first post-baby appearance she would be acceptable.

Don’t even get me started on the articles that came out after Kate Middleton gave birth. People were commenting that she had a baby bump one day after delivery.

Um, hello. She looks perfect.

So you get where I’m going with this. I was thinking a lot about my body and my relationship with it. I was aware of how effed up it was to have this constant inner dialogue of what was wrong with me and how I should/could fix myself, and yet I couldn’t stop.

Then a few weeks ago I got sick. It started out as a cold and morphed into a sinus infection, which then turned into bronchitis. I was miserable. As silly as it was, when I got into week two of still feeling totally crappy I started to forget what it felt like to be healthy. I thought to myself, “if I ever get over this (note: I am prone to dramatics), I will learn to love my body.” And, oh how I meant it.

Because when it comes down to it, this body is the only one I’ve got. It allows me to do anything I want and need to do. I’m able to climb the insane hills of San Francisco and chase after Bug on all of his adventures. I’m able to run and dance and full-body laugh. I don’t have to deal with chronic pain. It’s a blessing that most days the worst I can say about my body is that my thighs jiggle. Who gives a shit what some middle-aged white dude sitting in an ad agency office thinks I should look like? I am more than a face and a body.

Does that mean I’ll never lament over my imperfections again? Of course not. But now there will be an asterisk attached to that negative thought to serve as a reminder that I’m healthy and I’m happy. That’s the good stuff. I’ll take the cellulite along with it.

Thumbs up, bod!

How do you feel about the media’s portrayal of women? Does it affect the way you see yourself? Do you know how awesome you are? Let’s chat in the comments!

We Might Be Giants

August 26, 2013 by writeitdownjess

Or at least we were for one day when Mister Jess and I (and Bug, too, by default) ran The Giant Race 5K.

Somehow, despite the fact that the city of San Francisco is obsessed with their baseball team, I’d never heard of this event. But when my darling friend Val mentioned on Facebook that she’d signed up for it, I looked it up, decided it would be the perfect inaugural post-baby race to run, and signed right up!

It’ll be such great motivation to train! I thought. I’m going to be SO READY to run! I told myself.

Fast forward to August 4th and yeah, I hadn’t trained at all. Whoops! Needless to say, I was a little nervous about running 3.1 miles when I hadn’t run even one mile in well over a year. Add on to that the fact that Mister Jess was determined to run the whole thing without stopping and I was getting a little dewy underneath my Scoot A Doot t-shirt.

Sorry, you want me to RUN?

Ain’t no thing, says Mister Jess.

We got to the start line in front of AT&T Park (where the Giants play, of course) about ten minutes to 11am when the race was expected to start. Knowing nothing about this race previously, I was wholly unprepared for just how many people were there.

There were thousands upon thousands of racers dressed up in orange and black, sporting Giants gear, ready to run on behalf of their beloved baseball team and Project Open Hand, a very worthy cause the race was raising money for. We ended up at the back of the crowd. The early bird gets the better spot and all that, which was fine by me due to the whole not training for the race thing. I was happy to start in the caboose.

Nervous smile! BOB cameo!

Because there were so many people, it took us forever to get to the actual start line and once we officially began racing we were barely walking, never mind running.

This is easy! I thought. For about two minutes.

But then people started dispersing and spreading out and, you know, running. Mister Jess looked at me and said, “Ready?”

Apparently it was not a rhetorical question, so run we did.

The course went from AT&T Park down the Embarcadero toward Pier 39 and then looped back to finish at AT&T Park. It’s certainly one of the prettier courses I’ve run, although I think you’d be challenged to find a course in San Francisco that doesn’t have some kind of scenic eye candy. We ran along the bay, past the Bay Bridge and the various piers, bobbing and weaving through the crowd with our BOB and a straight passed out Bug.

I was already feeling pretty fatigued less than a mile in, but Mister Jess was a great running partner, encouraging me to keep running even if I needed to slow my pace. Despite the fact that he hadn’t trained for the race at all, he was running next to me like we were on a walk in the park. Annoying, but forgivable since he was keeping me motivated.

By the time we reached the halfway point, though, I was really feeling it and had to slow to a walk. Disappointing and probably completely in my head, but I was tired, sore and parched. We turned back toward AT&T Park and walked until I got my bearings and breath back. After a few minutes, I was ready to pick up the pace again. The natural competitor in me (buried deep down, but it’s there!) didn’t want my finish time to be too skewed.

Yep, loving life.

It had been so long since I’d run a race that I completely forgot about the rush. You know the rush: when you’re less than a mile from the finish and you’ve got spectators cheering you on, saying things like, “you’re almost there!” The endorphins kick in and suddenly there’s that burst of energy and you’re like, “I’M ALMOST THERE!”

Add on to that the fact that we could hear cheers coming from AT&T Park where people were waiting to welcome us across the finish line and I had a renewed sense of what I like to call Hell Yeah.

Experiencing the rush!

Hell Yeah!

What’s around the river – er, stadium bend?

If you ever want to cross a race finish line on the hallowed ground of a major league baseball field, then The Giant Race is for you. Mister Jess is a big sports buff, so when we got here:

And here:

He was pretty geeked out. And even though I barely know the difference between a touchdown and a home run, I have to admit that it was awesome running onto that field and seeing people cheering for us from the stands. It gave me a tiny taste of what it must be like for the Giants to play there. It was a truly unique experience that I wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere else, and definitely a race moment I will remember forever.

Another thing I’ll remember forever? Getting my first medal!

I’m done!

And I’ve got a medal!

My boys!

After we’d crossed the finish line, grabbed our medals, and took off our time chips, we went to hang out in the grass for a few minutes. Bug was less than impressed with his first experience with grass (pssh, city kid).

Two eyebrows are worth a thousand words.

Hmm. Can I eat this?

After soaking up the atmosphere we packed it up, packed it in, and left the park to feed our hungry bellies. I was nowhere close to PRing, but I finished the race and ran the majority of it, so I had to pat myself on the back for a job well done.

Overall, this was a very well organized, super fun race with a unique finish line experience. As soon as we were done, I turned to Mister Jess and said, “we’re doing this again next year.” If I can’t be a Giant all the time, at least I can every August!

What’s the most unique race course you’ve ever run? When did you get your first medal? Tell me about it in the comments!

A little ‘Chick on Chick’ action – Part 3

August 16, 2013 by writeitdownjess

Ready for the third installment of Chick-on-Chick interviews? Join us as we ask questions and sing “Getting To Know You” – but not at the same time. Missed the first two interviews? Just click here and here to get to know Meri and Bec!

Jess on Brooke

Brooke and I met a few years ago and hit it off right away. We have a ton in common: we are mega girly-girls, huge readers, love to shop, and our adorable boys were born within weeks of each other. Needless to say, it’s probably a good thing that we are on separate coasts or I’d be at her house every day wanting to hang out! She is sweet, funny, has a killer smile and is basically just all-around fabulous.

Want to get to know her better? Of course you do. Read on!

Jess: You’ve got some of the cutest kids in the world. What’s your favorite thing to do with them?

Brooke: Awww, thanks! I think they’re pretty cool too. I love to do art projects with them. We have an art cart that is loaded with paints, pencils, crayons, markers, oil pastels-you name it, we’ve got it. They love to draw and paint, and it’s neat to see what they create when they have free art time. Of course, I organize projects for them too. A friend and I co-hosted “Messy Art Mondays” this summer, and we had a lot of fun with that.

Jess: And what’s your favorite thing to do when you have that oh-so-coveted “me time”?

Brooke: Sleep! Go to yoga (which I get to do this weekend). Read. It’s hard with the baby- he’s still nursing frequently and sleeping on me. We do attachment parenting, so I don’t get a lot of alone time, and if I do, it isn’t a very long amount of time! That’s why hot yoga is difficult to schedule; the class itself is 80 minutes long, plus a 35 minute drive there, and then home, at which point I have to shower because I’m literally drenched.

Jess: Ah yes, I love trying to time activities between nursing sessions and/or naps! It’s the ultimate ticking clock.

Jess: Do you have a favorite tradition from childhood? Is it something you’ve implemented with your own kiddos, or have you made new traditions as a family?

Brooke: My childhood traditions were centered around holidays. We always went to sunrise service on Easter, which we started doing two years ago (before that it was way too hard to make a 6am church service). We watched “A Christmas Story” on Christmas Eve, which we don’t do yet because the kids are a little young. My husband’s family always had an Easter egg hunt, and we do that still, with my in-laws (and we grown-ups hunt for eggs with money in them!).

One of our new traditions is a holiday party the day before Christmas Eve; we have a group of friends and family who come over for tacos and margaritas.

Jess: Christmas Eve would be one of the times you’d find me on your doorstep. Tacos and margaritas are two of my favorite things.

Jess: We’re both big shoppers. It’s one of the first thing we did together when we hung out, and I adore your style! What do you have your eye on these days (so I can add it to my own list)?

Brooke: I love your style! That was before we had talked a lot online, and we clicked right away, over shoes and make-up at Nordstrom. I can’t wait to go back to SF so I can see you again.

I really want these boots: http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/search/28752921.jsp?cm_vc=SEARCH_RESULTS. Anthro has some pretty shoes this season!

Jess: You need to come back soon! My wallet would disagree, but what does it know? I love those boots, by the way. I always think of you when I go to Anthro.

Jess: You can only watch one movie for the rest of your life. What is it?

Brooke: Oh geez, that’s a tough question. Probably Sleepless in Seattle or maybe Clueless or Mean Girls. Those are movies I’ve watched over and over again and they never get old.

Jess: Tell me about your best date ever.

Brooke: Ever?! Hmmm. You know, I dated a very romantic boy in high school who took me for a picnic on the beach. He came up with the idea all on his own, and that was the first time I felt really wooed, you know? Of course, my first date with Josh would have to be labeled the “best ever” since he became my husband and my best friend and the love of my life. We met to hear some live music at a local bar- ten years ago this month, actually.

Jess: Awww. You two are adorable. A beach picnic in high school is pretty romantic, too, especially for high school!

Jess: When it comes to fitness, what’s something you’ve achieved that you’re really proud of?

Brooke: My PR half, definitely. (1:57:52) I hope I have a faster time in me but if not, I know I worked really hard to achieve that time.

Jess: You are a rock star, B!

Jess: This interview wouldn’t be complete without a book-related question. It’s how most of us Scoot chicks met, after all! So, tell me: what’s a book you could read over and over again?

Brooke: Any of the Pigeon books by Mo Willems, haha. I do read those over and over already. Probably Pride and Prejudice. I adore Mr. Darcy!

There you have it, the fabulosity that is Chick Brooke! Did I miss any questions? Anything you want to know for future Chick interviews? If so, let us know in the comments!

Everybody Dance Now

July 27, 2013 by writeitdownjess

Do you have that song stuck in your head? GOOD. It will serve you well today.

Why, you ask? Because today is National Dance Day, aka my favorite day ever! Other than my birthday. And Christmas. And Bug and Mister Jess’s birthdays. And my wedding anniversary.

At any rate, it’s definitely on my top ten list of favorite days ever, but it’s actually only been around for a few years. It was launched in 2010 by the Dizzy Feet Foundation‘s co-president Nigel Lythgoe (also the Big Boss of “So You Think You Can Dance”, another obsession of mine). According to DFF’s website, National Dance Day, which falls on the last Saturday in July, is a “grassroots campaign (that) encourages Americans to embrace dance as a fun and positive way to maintain good health and combat obesity.”

Embrace dance? Yeah, I think I can do that.

As excited as I am about a day devoted entirely to my favorite form of exercise, I have been living National Dance Day nearly every day since I was little. My love for music and dance was fostered from an early age, watching my Aunt Teri’s college dance performances with awe, attending ballet class with my cousin Charity. We even put on shows for our family, captive audience that they were. I adored classic movies like Singin’ in the Rain and White Christmas, where the actors seemed to glide on air. If I could have hopped through the TV screen and danced along with Gene Kelly, I would have.

Prima ballerina in training.

Tiny dancers!

Aunt Teri and I in all our 80s glory, posing for a dance wear ad. Nice legs, Aunt T (she’s the hottie on the left)!

There have been, junior high dances (fun), high school dances (super fun) and college dances (a little too much fun). Nightclub dances and wedding dances. “I have the house to myself, solo dance party, heyyyyy” dances and “the music got a hold of me in the middle of Starbucks, this is awkward” dances. I dance at work. I dance at stoplights. I dance when I run. I dance for Bug and hope that he catches the fever. Trust me when I say that if there is music playing, it takes a lot of self control not to dance.

Even a wedding dress can’t stop my sweet moves.

My Dance Face™.

While I generally hate being sweaty, out of breath, and sore, I don’t consider it a good dance session unless I’m all three when the music stops. If my feet are achy and my throat is scratchy at the end of my sesh, I’m a happy girl.

Now, it wouldn’t be National Dance Day without everyone getting involved, so I asked the other Chicks to send me evidence of them getting their dance on. Enjoy these sweet moves!

Brooke and her running pal, Sara, show us what they’ve got:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5SknjLHEKI]

Meri and Pooks sweatin’ to the beat:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCfa1p4BTqU]

Vic shakin’ it:

Vic dancing up a storm with her friend, Audra.

Smooth moves!

Cam using what her mama gave her:

She’s so excited (to be dancing) and she just can’t hide it!

Bec is an expert chair dancer:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGTZBB-l4Io&w=480&h=360]

A sampling of my sweet style:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdz2b-hmHno]

Are you a dancing machine? What’s your go-to move? How do you plan to celebrate National Dance Day? Talk to me in the comments!

Road Tested: Fitbit One

July 18, 2013 by writeitdownjess

A while back, I was hanging out with my sister-in-law and saw a little gadget clipped to her sweatshirt. Being the gadget-loving girl I am (or maybe I’m just a things-loving girl. Hmm.), I said, “hey, what’s that?”

Her eyes lit up and thus began a five-minute monologue on the greatness that was her Fitbit One. It was a pedometer! It was a calorie-counter! A sleep-tracker!

It was SU-PER GADGET.

Listen, you don’t have to tell me twice. It takes about 0.02 seconds for me to put something on my wish list and this sounded pretty sweet. By the time she said, “you should get one!” I was already plotting my purchase. Way ahead of you, sis. The Amazon iPhone app was made for impulse shoppers like moi.

Thanks to the wonders of Amazon Prime membership, my Fitbit One arrived on my doorstep two days later, looking tiny and adorable in its sleek packaging.

Hello, I love you.

I ripped into it and glanced briefly at the directions before tossing them to the side. I’m what they call an experiential learner, which basically means I hate directions and can often be heard saying, “oh, I didn’t know it did THAT” two months later when I hit a wrong (or oh-so-right) button.

If I miss anything in this review, you know why.

So here’s what I do know it does:

It tracks steps, distance, stairs climbed and calories burned.
Monitors how long and well you sleep.
Wakes you in the morning with a silent buzzy alarm that prevents your bedmate from waking as well. If you’re Mister Jess, all you need for an alarm is your own snores anyway.
Syncs via Bluetooth technology to your computer or mobile device. The dongle (it is seriously called that. I laughed for about eight minutes) sticks right in to the USB slot on your computer or phone.
Your personal account on www.fitbit.com allows you to set goals, log food and weight, and view your progress via a series of charts and graphs.
Is sweat- and rain-proof.
Is rechargeable via a plug-in USB device.
Rewards you with badges when you hit certain milestones or achieve a new goal.
Allows you to export your data to other health websites, like MyFitnessPal, SparkPeople, LoseIt!, and MapMyFITNESS.

I know, right? Kind of awesome.

Now, after using it for the past couple of weeks, I’ve had time to get to know the Fitbit One pretty well. Why? Because it is with me at. All. Times. I am obsessed with this thing. Here’s why:

It motivates me to move.

Not that I have much of a choice in the matter. San Francisco is an extremely walking-friendly city. When I first moved to the city years and years ago, I would take the bus three blocks. This is a true story.

Nowadays, I’m used to the hills and the long city blocks and the walking. All of the walking. And now I have a device that tracks all of that activity. It’s really rewarding to sync my Fitbit at the end of the day and see that I’ve taken 10,000 steps, walked the equivalent of 15 stories, and burned 500 calories. It makes me want to walk even more so that I can beat my previous day’s stats. Instead of taking the bus from Bug’s daycare to work, why not walk and rack up some extra steps? I love that the Fitbit is a motivator to keep scoot a dootin’.

It’s tiny.

The Fitbit fits in my pocket or clips on my clothing. It’s not some clunky, huge thing that takes up space or straps onto my wrist like a miniature computer. I like that it doesn’t detract from my outfit (I am ever vain) and that I don’t feel it on me throughout the day.

The downside of its size is that sometimes I lose track of it. I accidentally left it at home the other morning because it was nestled safely in my pajama pants. So safely that I forgot it was there!

It’s easy to use.

Even if you’re not tech-savvy, this is a super simple device to use. There’s one button on the actual Fitbit that you press to see your stats on its little screen. To sync it to your computer, you just plug in the dongle, download the Fitbit program on your computer, and it does the rest. The dongle finds your Fitbit as long as it’s within 20 feet and slurps up all of your information. It divides your stats by day. No need to press the reset button at the start of each day, which I love.

The information is easy to read.

Once your Fitbit has been synced to your computer or mobile device, you just hop over to your account on www.fitbit.com to see your stats laid out in pretty graphs and boxes. It’s so user-friendly, so easy to read, and really fun to see your activity broken down in various ways.

You’ll get a weekly progress report from Fitbit via email that details things like your most active day, your least active day, and badges you’ve earned. Again, the information is laid out in such an easy to read way. I can soak it up in a matter of seconds and then I’m on my way!

You can also see your lifetime cumulative achievements on www.fitbit.com. My Fitbit has tracked 82,419 steps since I started using it 14 days ago. I feel like a rock star!

An example of what you’ll see on your Fitbit day-at-a-glance page.

My weekly progress report. Go me!

The battery life is lengthy.

I’ve only had to charge my Fitbit once since I got it two weeks ago. iPhone, take notes.

All in all, a very worthy investment!

One thing to note: I’m not entirely sure how accurate the “floors climbed” and “calories burned” stats are. How do you accurately measure floors climbed when I’m not actually climbing stairs? And if I were really burning 1900 calories a day, I wouldn’t have to worry about dropping the pesky 7 pounds that refuse to drop off of me. However, I’m not using the Fitbit as a weight-loss tool so the accuracy (or inaccuracy, who knows!) of the calorie-counting tool doesn’t concern me too much. It is something to consider for those of you who would be using this primarily as a calorie-counting tool. More research might need to be done in this aspect.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to do some laps around the apartment. I’ve got a new badge to earn!

Do you have a Fitbit? Another type of pedometer or calorie-counting gadget? Talk to me in the comments!

BOB’s Your Stroller

June 24, 2013 by writeitdownjess

Actually, BOB’s my stroller now. Or it will be once it makes its way from Chick Meri’s house in New Jersey to mine in California. What started as a conversation with me whining about the cost of jogging strollers and how much I wanted one but dude, expensive, turned into Meri shining up her much-loved but no-longer-used BOB Revolution jogging stroller.

That’s right, people, this beauty is about to become mine all mine for the cost of FREE (plus shipping).

Do you know how stoked I am about this stroller? I am designer-handbag-on-super-sale stoked! I can’t wait to get this bad boy in my greedy little hands and take it for its first spin on the West (Best?) Coast.

As I’ve blogged about ad nauseam, I’ve yet to really get back into the swing of running. Part of it is that I’m tired and out of shape and kind of lazy and someone is stealing all of the hours in my days. But the other part of it is that I’ve got a kiddo at home who I don’t get to see a ton during the week. And with our weekends often filled with laundry and errands and family and tummy time – his and mine – I just haven’t been able to fit running into the picture.

But now that I’ve got a jogging stroller, all of that is about to change. Because now I can take the kiddo with me. Now I can take Mister Jess with me! The couple who runs together actually runs, I’ve found. I know that I’m more motivated to get out there when I have someone poking me in the arm about it. Mister Jess is a great arm-poker.

All of this means I’m officially out of excuses. I have to run now. And I’m super excited about that (who am I?). In fact, I’m already planning some of our dates. We’ll go to Crissy Field:

Maybe run along the Embarcadero (stopping at Gotts Roadside for breakfast sandwiches, of course):

We’ll just generally explore the streets of San Francisco:

Er. Maybe not all the streets.

Regardless, I can’t wait for my new (to me) jogging stroller to get here. It’s had a great life in New Jersey and I hope it’ll have a great one here, too.

Hey, BOB? I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Any stroller aficionados out there want to give me tips on how to get started? I’d love advice, even if it’s just “Strap Bug in and GO, Jess!”

Scootadoot

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