Melisasa

School has started and this means eating out alot more, and having less time to seek out healthier choices. So I thought, maybe it's time I made and brought my own food to school. But eating healthy doesn't mean no sweet or carbs. These are the tips I go by!

• Take everything in moderation (some sweet and carbs are allowed!)


• Always ensure that I have a 70-80% full tummy. Getting too hungry ain't gonna help!


• Eat small meals, more frequently (To gain metabolism)


• No food after 7pm! These are unlikely to be digest and will simply be stored as fats instead. Absolutely NO.

Here are some recipes I found on Pinterest, that I can't wait to try out!

Beef and broccoli rice 



apple toasted sandwich

Chia seed mango popsicle

Blueberry Yoghurt Cupcakes

Blueberry Ginger Coconut Smoothie

Roasted Honey Pear Crostini

Toasted Avocado Sandwich

Grapefruit and Strawberry Popsicles

Blueberry Chia Seeds Pudding

Are these the way to go? Let me know! :D

I've been using my Misfit Flash for almost a week now and it has its ups and downs.



My intention of getting a fitness tracker was to:

• Track my physical activity - and feel proud of how much exercise I actually do


• Track my sleep cycle - and hopefully find out how long I should sleep to wake up happy


• Compare how the amount physical activity my boyfriend and I engage in - and beat his scores!

1. Activity Tracking 

This is the basic feature of every fitness tracker and I'm glad it works pretty seamlessly. My steps/distance travelled is easily transmitted from the tracker to the app, which is then presented in clear and simple data.



That is expected of any fitness tracker. But the great thing about the Misfit Flash, is that I can track a specific activity (press and hold tracker), and later on, edit that activity as swimming/soccer/cycling, etc. The points earned are then adjusted to the actual calories and distance covered by these specific sports. Unfortunately, the flash has limited sports it can track. I use it mostly for Ultimate Frisbee and they don't have this activity, so I marked it as soccer, the most sport closest to it.

However, there are limitations to the tracker's features too. The website indicates that it can be placed on any parts of the body, but I have noticed different results when I wear it on my wrist, as compared to when I wear it hooked on my hips. It's easier to gain points when I wear it on the hips, which makes me wonder how the tracker actually determines a step made. Also, when I wore at my hips and watched TV in the evening, it mistook me to have started my sleep, and started tracking my sleep cycle. I also happened to have more deep sleep when I wore it on my hips.



2. Sleep Tracking 

It's magical how the flash can sense when I fall asleep and when I wake up. It'll indicate exactly what time I woke up, and not consider the remaining time spent rolling in bed. That, I feel, deserves a big round of applause.

But, like I mentioned earlier, it doesn't work quite as well when it's hooked on my hips.

In addition, it does not really highlight my sleep cycle. I can't use the data to formulate a better sleeping routine. It seems I have deeper sleep when I exercise more, but it doesn't tell me what time should I set my alarm to wake up happy. I have no clue how to interpret the data, and thus, it doesn't feel very helpful.

3. Social tools

It's easy to compare once I've added on boyfriend on the network. But I can only compare up to 2 days, and beyond that, nobody can remember who did better. In addition, the profile of each user doesn't show much. I wish I could see exactly what activity the person did to rake up so many points and their exact progress right now. This is something Up Move by Jawbone has, which makes the Misfit Flash, less engaging and the user, less competitive/motivated.



A real bummer is also how, none of my friends have a misfit, and my feed are just filled with random strangers that Misfit has kindly arranged to create a more social experience with the trackers.

4. Functionality 

I don't have much positive reviews on the physical product itself, besides how nice the surface of the Flash feels. Otherwise, the strap that holds the tracker, REALLY sucks. Just like many other reviewers, I had the same problem with how the strap doesn't hold on to the tracker. I just have to press and the device would pop out.

As a result, I have to always wear it to the tightest and perhaps, that was the reason why my strap actually broke.



It's pathetic. Fortunately misfit is kind enough to send a replacement. But, I doubt it'll last, given how my first one broke in less than a month. And if the second strap breaks, there's no way I can get another strap, because it's not sold separately by Misfit.

I'm practically begging for them to come up with a better design. It's just sad to have a wonderful product dragged down by bad accessories design.

In the mean time, I'm using the clip that comes with the device. It fits the device perfectly, and there are no concerns about the tracker falling out. It's a 100 times better than the strap.



In all, I am still satisfied with my Misfit Flash, despite the disadvantages I have listed. If you are keen, I would encourage you to get one right now, for it's on sale (again!) at only USD$29.99. Shipping to Singapore would cost USD$25.



PS: Misfit Shine is on sale as well, and it is very very tempting.

Wearable fitness trackers has really been the hype for 2014 and I have been considering to get myself one. But with the wide variety of choices and new brands turning up each month, it's hard to keep track of which one is really suitable for my lifestyle. So today, I'll be sieving through the more note-worthy models of fitness trackers and eventually, reveal the one I got for myself and my boyfriend this Christmas :D

The considerations I have in mind when shopping for a fitness tracker are mainly, aesthetics, price and functionality.

1. UP Move by Jawbone

For the first fitness tracker that I would like to introduce, it definitely scores high on price and credibility. UP Move by Jawbone is definitely one of the cheapest fitness trackers around, at USD$49.99. It comes in a variety of colours and the clip and straps are interchangeable, to create a different mix of colours. Jawbone is also known for its other fitness tracker, UP 24, and it's UP app highly credible and user friendly. The UP system also tracks sleep cycle in addition to physical activity. This was definitely one of the first few fitness trackers that caught my eyes, and got me seriously considering a purchase.

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2. Misfit Shine & Misfit Flash



Misfit Shine first caught my eye with its aesthetics appeal. It was the first few fitness tracker that was design to blend in with the business suit/fashionista. It was a fitness tracker that was meant to fit with the clothing worn by the masses, not merely the by the sports enthusiast. However, it is a little pricey at USD$99, and this is where Misfit Flash comes it. Like Up Move by Jawbone, it's USD$49.99, but this time, it comes with both the clip and the band. Better yet, both Shine and Flash are waterproof, and can be used to track swimming and other activity in the water. It also automatically detects sleep, unlike Up Move by Jawbone. Afterall, it can get pretty tiring to set the tracker to sleep mode every night before sleeping and when waking up. However, it Misfit Flash isn't as aesthetically appealing as Up Move and this is a deterrence. Reviews have also rated the app to be too simplistic, with much room for improvement.

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3. Fitbit FlexThe Fitbit Flex was another tracker that caught my eye, due to the wider variety of functions it came with. One of the features I was particularly attracted to, is the silent wake alarm, where it gently vibrates to rouse the user from sleep. No more slamming of the alarm and grumpy mornings. It can also track the route taken on runs and present it on the mobile app, a feature missing from the above two trackers. On the downside, it does not come with built in batteries and have to be recharged every 5 days. Also, it came it a little pricey for me at USD$99.

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In summary: 

Ultimately, I got the the Misfit Flash as it was on a christmas promotion and was sold was only USD$25. That was hard to resist. Last I checked, the promotion is over and Onyx Black is out of stock as well. Next Christmas yeah!



PS: I have been using the Misfit flash for about a week now, and will be posting detailed reviews on it soon!