Eric Tapley

Back at the end of July I posted about using a pedometer to track my walking each day. I’ve been doing this since April 10th with the goal of walking at least 10,000 steps per day (about 4.6 miles for me). I had trouble with the first pedometer I purchased, so at the end of July I replaced it with the very slick-looking Sportline Walking Advantage 345.

I had terrible luck with this pedometer. I love the clamshell design but the unit was terribly unreliable. The hinge mechanism broke three times, about once a week, from normal use. I was especially careful of the clip after the first hinge broke, but the plastic mechanism kept twisting and breaking apart, no matter what I did. This final time the hinge hadn’t broken (yet) but the buttons stopped working properly so I couldn’t switch between modes, reset my steps from the previous day or change settings.

Tonight I replaced the pedometer at our local Dick’s Sporting Goods store for the fourth - and final - time. Instead of model 345 I talked the store staff into upgrading my exchange to the Sportline Walking Advantage 360. (It helped that they didn’t have any of the 345s in stock and I wasn’t going to settle for a downgrade, especially after having so much trouble.)

So far I really like this new model. The 360 has some features not on the 340/345, such as:

1. A user-replaceable battery.
2. Seven-day memory to track activity over time.
3. A walk/run mode to operate in different conditions.
4. Separate settings for stride if you’re walking vs. running.
5. The time of day (either 24-hour or 12-hour time).
6. A stronger clip.

Ultimately I just want this to work, and I hope that the stronger clip does the trick.

So, new pedometer, same goals. I hope to have better luck with this one!

On a related note, I’ve been thinking about the Nike+iPod kit and a new pair of shoes. I used to be a runner in high school and college (before I developed Colitis) and I’m really interested in getting back to it. Using the Nike+iPod system to keep track of running seems like a lot of fun and a great way to take advantage of all those tracks I have in iTunes. Cabel Sasser’s post on the subject is a great read on how this tech might make runners out of geeks all over the place.

Product details: Sportline Walking Advantage Model 360: Fitness Pro Pedometer

Kate and I signed up a while ago to be BzzAgents, and as part of the program are evaluating the Playtex VentAire bottle system. They have a whole series of bottles, inserts, and nipples that are designed to reduce the amount of bubbles in a bottle and provide a more natural shape for the nipple.

So far, Sam loves these. (And he’s one whose opinion counts!) I’ve been using the small bottle to feed Sam. He likes to grab the bottle while he’s eating and feel somewhat “in control” and the smaller bottle is a good size for him to manipulate (but I keep my hand on the bottle to actually direct his feeding). Because he’s younger I’m using the Stage 1 (slow flow) nipples which are specifically designed to reduce the flow speed. This is good for younger babies so they don’t choke or spit up because they’re eating too quickly or too much. They also have smaller tummies to hold their food in.

I’m happy that the VentAire system keeps most of the air and air bubbles out of the formula because it helps Sam from becoming too gassy. There is a special ventilation system at the base of the bottle (the end pointed up when the nipple is down in Sam’s mouth). This way any air that enters the bottle to compensate for consumed formula or breast milk comes in trough the space where there already is air, instead of up from the nipple. As a result air doesn’t mix in as bubbles in the formula or breast milk. Cool.

We don’t have a dishwasher to clean the bottles, but they’re easy to take apart and clean by hand. If you buy one and do have a dishwasher you’re in luck, they are dishwasher safe. Just to be careful and keep clean we boil the vent component and nipples for five or six minutes once a week, per the recommendation in the product guide.

So, baby bottles. I think these VentAire bottles from Playtex are really good, and, more importantly, Sam really likes them. I’m glad we were able to test and review these and we’re going to continue using these when we feed Baby Sam.

· Playtex VentAire Bottles

· BzzAgent Program

iClip lite is a great Mac OS X dashboard widget. It works as an extended clipboard to store and retrieve text, URLs, graphics, etc., in a more permanent way. The design is polished and attractive, the functionality is dead useful, and the operation is flawless.

This is an example of great software design. Simple, focused, small and effective at doing one thing really well. It makes working with copied items quick and easy, which is a huge benefit with frequent little edits (which I usually do by saving files with data I’ll need).

Requires Mac OS X 10.4. If you don’t have that, get it.

Check it out: iClip lite.

Since early this year I’ve been walking almost every day to ensure I get some exercise. It’s a good low-key way for me to work my way back to health. My long-term plan, once I’ve rebuilt my strength and lost some weight, is to then get back to hiking, camping, cycling and running.

In addition to the health benefits I’ve found walking to be a great way to explore a new city or town, a good way to get out of a bad mood (especially if something nasty goes on at work), or a way to get out of my regular environment and find a way to think through a problem in a different way. One of my fondest memories is exploring San Francisco a few years ago when I visited by walking around for 8 hours a day.

For me, at least, exercise without measurement makes it difficut to gague progress and keep to a routine. So for the past few months I was using the Walking Advantage Sportline 340 pedometer which I wore all day long and used to track every step I took. I really liked it - small, simple, accurate, and inexpensive. It was not very durable, however, so recently while getting out of the car I slid against my hip and in the process crushed face and clip on the 340.

Kate was nice enough to pick up a more robust replacement for me, the 345 model. It’s a bigger model with a much stronger clip so I don’t think I’ll break this one. It also counts calories once you’ve input your weight, which will be nice since I’m trying to get back in shape and lose some weight.

I’m still looking for a good way to track and report on my daily progress. I’m aiming for a minimum of 10,000 steps per day with a goal of at least 12,000 per day. I’m going to look to see if there’s a Nike+iPod-like system for walkers. (If you know of one, let me know.)

In the meantime I’m back at it now that my poison ivy is healing. I’ll let you know how my progress goes.

And today? 11,442 steps so far.

Walking Advantage Sportline 340		Walking Advantage Sportline 345