I reviewed their site today and didn’t learn too much about the product – at least not much in terms of the information that I was looking for or needed.

The wrist band measures NikeFuel. Obviously a new term that Nike invented. However, they don’t disclose what makes up NikeFuel. Apparently it’s not just calories, because that’s a different data element that is displayed on its 100 white LED display. It also tracks your steps and has support for timing.

Does this sound like a glorified pedometer to you? I think so.

Why? Because it doesn’t measure your heart rate, it doesn’t include GPS and there are tons of activities that I don’t think would register correctly without any of the above. Let’s take for example Spinning (or cycling). If Nike Fuelband is only using a built-in 3 axis accelerometer, will it actually measure work that you’re doing even though your wrist might be idle? Especially in this same instance, when you’re on a stationary bike.

Would I love to wear this during my SH’BAM class? Absolutely! Do I think it would accurately represent my efforts in BodyPump? No.

In fact, how does it go about tracking an accurate calorie output when it doesn’t take into consideration your heart rate? If you take a look at their Product technical specs, it states that the Nike FuelBand isn’t compatible with any heart rate monitoring device. Why didn’t they just upgrade their SportBand which includes compatibility with transmitters?

They created a video promotion that made me cringe. It shared that their Nike FuelBand measures energy output the same for everybody. But the fact is that everyone expends energy differently. It’s almost like false exercise advertisement.

Should you buy this product? Well, that’s up to you. But I wouldn’t. If you’ve read this blog before, you know that one of the things I hold in high esteem – that is closest to my heart (pun intended) – is a heart rate monitor. It’s the best way to learn about your body, your calories, etc.

If you’re new to fitness and want something that looks fancy and gives you a goal in a pretty and visible way, this might be the product for you.  If you’re more than entry-level, I think I’d choose a product that gives you more options and more accurate information.

In their defense, it just launched and maybe they haven’t published all the information yet. However, the site is up and the information was tweeted. So, ready or not… I blogged about it.

Me: I want a cat.
Friend: Eww. I hate cats.
Me: Thanks.

Me: Would you get a cat?
Friend: I don’t do pets.
Me: Why?
Friend: Because, their asses hang out.
Me: I guess I never thought of that.
Friend: Yeah, and then they jump on your bed and put their asses on your pillow.
Me: Eww.
Friend: Still want a cat?
Me: Yes.

Me: Oh, you adopted a cat recently? I am thinking about getting one.
Friend: My cat is the devil.
Me: What?
Friend: See these scratches? This f—ing cat hates me.
Me: OMG. How long have you had the cat?
Friend: 5 months. I contemplated returning him, but he won’t let me pick him up.
Me: That sucks.
Friend: And he throws ups everywhere.
Me: Oh wow.
Friend: …and my sofa is ruined, rugs are jacked…
Me: Oh.
Friend: …I have hair everywhere…
Me: I think I’m late for a meeting…

Me: I want a micro pig.
Friend: That’s a thing?
Me: It’s so cute!
Friend: I want to Google this.
Me: Don’t bother. I’ll send you all of the pictures I’ve already stored on my phone.

 Me: I’ve decided I want a mini pig.
Friend: You want a micro pig?
Me: Yes, all black.
…
Friend: You need a walking license.
Me: OMG, I want to walk him at Stony Point Fashion Park. Everyone will love him.
….
Friend: They carry lots of diseases.
Me: Oh no! You’re killing my micro pig dream.
Friend: They also need a companion.
Me: Oh, he can play with your cat.
Friend: No.

I have yet to make a decision on a pet purchase. However, I have decided that I will wait until my return from Paris this year. Yep, that’s right. I’m going back to Paris for about 3.5 weeks.

Miss your faces,

Stanley

I’ve been away from home and away from easy access to Paris, my MacBook. So first, let me apologize for not posting my normal Les Mills spoilers, life drama and antics. If you follow me on twitter, you may now that I’ve been in my home away from home: Paris, France. 

It’s been almost 3 months. Enough time to get over the tourist vibe and really start to settle into my Parisian stomping grounds. As I contemplated moving, I started to think about what really makes a place feel like home. Is a home really where the heart is?

Yes, in fact, I would agree. At first I didn’t think it was that simple; however, after I shaved down the list of essentials that I needed to make Paris feel like home, I realized those items made up my heart. 

Interested in knowing that made the list?

The flat (or at least a place to call my own)
A Gym
Les Mills
Internet

Ok, so in the end, I think my heart is made up of working out and using social media. But in my defense, social media is my medium by which I connect with my loved ones and the gym is how I quite literally keep my heart healthy and prevent myself from gaining all that weight back. <- Wow that’s a run on sentence. 

Have you ever moved away from your original home? What ended up on your essentials list? Let me know!

FYI: If you’ve never been to Europe, you’ll quickly learn that gyms aren’t as readily available compared to the United States. We have gyms of all types on every corner. Maybe because we are inundated with gyms, it drives the prices down to an affordable amount, because in Europe gym prices are outrageous. Three of the gyms near me in Paris cost approximately 180 USD per month. Uh, what?

Welp, tomorrow I hope on a plane back to the United States to visit. I’ll make a few guest appearances at my old gyms and teach a few Spin and Sh’Bam classes. I can’t wait. 

Until then!

Yours from Paris,

I left Richmond, VA all alone, excited about taking the red-eye, sleeping and waking up in Europe – for the first time ever. I had also put my myth buster hat on and started drinking as soon as I hit the airport, because I wanted to test the effects of altitude against your intoxication.

My flight from RVA to JFK was pretty awesome. It was nighttime and I could definitely feel the 3 whiskey sours I had earlier that hour. I couldn’t wait to buy some drinks before my 7-hour flight from JFK to Paris.

Until.

I arrived at JFK and had no idea how to get from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2. I think I was supposed to take the airport metro, but I totally ended up walking outside with my entire luggage – except my checked bag. This was epic fail number 1.

When I arrived to the Air France counter, they told me that I was on the wait list. I expressed my concern and that I didn’t understand why I would be on any wait list, since I had a ticket in hand.

“Sorry, there was a flight cancelled earlier today (flight 7) and we’ve been trying to book people onto all flights possible. Even people who are rescheduling because of this weekends hurricane.” said the lady that represented Air France.

But.

I had a ticket. I had this ticket for a week and it clearly said that I was supposed to be on that flight. Why would Air France give someone else a seat on a plane that I already had a seat on? Why would they give precedence to other passengers that had already been cancelled when I was scheduled on a flight that was on time? More importantly, why would Air France give seats to employees (jump seats?) before giving seats to customer who paid for seats?

I was moved to a different line where I was supposed to wait and see if my name got called. They called all of 3 names. Then they only address flight number 7 folks. It wasn’t until I begged the lady to help me, that she told me I was rejected from the flight.

What does that mean?

“Sir, it means you have to leave. We don’t have a seat for you.” said the lady with an attitude. I totally get that it must have been a stressful day. So many people trying to leave NY, to avoid the hurricane and it was clearly past their closing time. She was ready to go to Club Kue. I overheard this while I waited to hear if I got a seat on the flight I paid for already.

“But I connected from RIC. I’m not from NY. What am I supposed to do? “ I asked.

“You walk over to that line and they will set you up in a hotel.” she said with her loving attitude. Insert sarcasm font.

This kind red-haired lady helped me. She took my passport and wrote down my information. She walked away to check on something but never gave me back my passport. I started to panic after 20 minutes. I asked the lady who originally helped me, and she went to go look. Oops. The lady forgot about me. “Here is your passport sir.” Yeah, thanks.

Fifty of us waited for a bus that was said to come pick us up. While we waited, all of us attempted to be rescheduled. The airlines in NY were closed on Saturday and Sunday, preventive measures, for the impending Hurricane, named Irene.

“We can get you on a flight to Paris on Thursday” said the gentlemen that represented Air France. “But today is Friday, and um, you are only giving me a hotel for one night.” I was in disbelief.

“We aren’t responsible for the hurricane sir. We aren’t going to pay for your whole stay here. The airport is closing.” he replied.

“I get that. You aren’t responsible for Irene. But you are responsible for over selling my flight and kicking me off the list. And, because of that action, I am now stuck in New York, with an impending epic hurricane, with one day of hotel stay. Oh, and by the way, the city is supposed to evacuate.”  I asserted.

He gave me no reply. Instead, he handed me a number to call for Air France.

I had another battle to fight. My bags were checked in Richmond, and now I wasn’t going to Paris anymore. Where were my bags?

It took the airline 3 hours to find them. No bus ever came to pick us up for the hotel. Groups left in taxis while I was down stairs looking for my bags. No one could tell me which hotel I was supposed to go to anymore. I was stuck again.

That night, I learned that JFK doesn’t have car rental agencies in the departure area of Terminal 2. Instead, you have to hope on a metro a few stations over. With my entire luggage, I chugged over to agency number 1. Finding it was hard, but now that I was there – easy enough! There was a sign in front that said cars were available. 1 hour in line, only to find out, they lied. No cares were available.

2 agencies later I found a car. But wait, they don’t take debt cards.

Only 1 agency left. Thankfully, the man took pity on me and let me use my debt card for a one-way car rental from JFK to RIC. $600 dollars down the drain already. My battery was dying and, well, I never thought to bring a car charger with me on my trip to Paris.

I started my (approximately) 7-hour drive back from JFK to RIC. Paid all of those lovely tolls and drove through some scary rain. I slept off the side of a hotel after I noticed that my eyes were closing on me on the road. After an hours nap, I headed on my way again.

I tried to call my friend and stop by her house in DC, but she wasn’t at home. Figures, my luck wasn’t the best. So I just kept on trucking.

The best part was that I got to RIC and only enjoyed about 1 hour of electricity before Hurricane Irene knocked it out. After being awake for more than 28 hours, I fell asleep on my couch.

I called Air France and the customer service lady was really rude to me. I gave her my flight number and she said she couldn’t help me because the notes in all in French. This confused me, because you’d think that Air France should have the resources available to read or translate from French. She escalated to a supervisor. After 30 minutes of waiting, I asked if she could call me back. “I’m sorry Sir. We don’t do call backs. There are thousands of calls waiting” she replied.

I had to tell her that despite that fact, I needed to hang up after waiting for 30 minutes for them to translate notes from French.

I have yet to receive a response from Air France. I’d like for them to acknowledge they a mistake or at least took an action that inconvenienced many others and me. A day hotel stay was not sufficient. Especially since I couldn’t even take advantage of that day since they couldn’t tell me where to go after I finally got my luggage.

Maybe reimburse my car rental, since you left me abandoned in New York while a hurricane was en route? Maybe give me a voucher for a flight from RIC to Europe? At a bare minimum, you owe me a refund of at least the ticket – at least.

I’m writing them a formal letter today and will attempt to call them again tomorrow. I will keep you on posted on how Air France decides to respond to this situation. I’m in contact, and made friends among the peers that went through the same ordeal, and hope they all are compensated as well.

Stay tuned. I’ll make it to Paris, regardless.

They sold CXWORX as a name that strongly connects with the program. The e-mail said because “…It ‘the works’: the full package of core training. I don’t know. This makes me think of a supreme pizza, with the works.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge fan of the program. I suppose the name change just comes at a time when the brand had already built equity and trust. It feel like we are starting all over again. But better now during release 4, than release 80.

However, I can’t shake the feeling that there is more to the story than Les Mills is willing to share. Some people have speculated that it’s because the name was too close to P90X, by BeachBody. I can definitely see the similarities. In fact, it is the first thing I thought of when I heard the CX30 name. I may have been biased though. I own P90X and have done a lot of the program already. In fact, their AB Ripper X segment is my favorite. I also own Insanity, another program brought to us by BeachBody.

Others have said that it was definitely related to copyright laws. In fact, Les Mills is no stranger to copyright issues. Many people in the US have heard of BodyFlow, but have you heard of BodyBalance? Well, they are the same program, but it is called BodyFlow only in the US.

In conclusion, tons has been happening in the Les Mills world, as it relates to brand. With the latest programs, Sh’Bam and CXWORX, they have broken away from their BodyNAME format. Nonetheless, the program essence remains the same and they still bring the fitness magic that is so needed in the fight against obesity.

See you in CX30, uh, I mean, CXWORX. Changing one core at a time! Especially mine. Ouch.

Release 5 track list:

Warmup: Power – de la Roche
Core Strength 1: Grenade (Cityflash Remix) – Jason Born
Standing Strength 1: Somebody Told Me – White Clouds
Standing Strength 2: Who’s That Chick – East Coast Masif feat. Lisa Perry
Core Strength 2: Rolling In The Deep – Colorbox
Core Strength 3: Sweet Dreams – Beyoncé
Bonus 1 – Warmup: Somebody To Love – Usher
Bonus 2 – Core Strength 1: Smells Like Teen Spirit – Club4Life
Bonus 5 – Core Strength 2: Speechless (Extended Mix) – Pearl

Party All Night (Sleep All Day) – Sean Kingston
Oye (Spanish/ Pablo Flores Remix) – Gloria Estefan
Show Me How You Burlesque – Mariana Riley
Rhythm Is A Dancer – Stardancer II
Blow – Ke$ha
Born This Way – Southern Light
Maniac – Hiroshi Free
On The Floor – Red Beans & Rice
What The Hell – Avril Lavigne
Turn It Up – Ciara feat. Usher
Firework – Amanda Myers
Something’s Got A Hold On Me – Global Nation

Warmup: Higher – Logan S. feat. Mandy Brewer
Squats: Closer To The Edge – Mekon Garden
Chest: Party All Night (Sleep All Day) – Sean Kingston
Back: Written In The Stars (Sunny Dee Remix) – Jason Born
Triceps: Born This Way – Southern Light
Biceps: Livin’ On A Prayer – Altiyan Childs
Lunges: Grenade (Damn-R Mix) – Jason Born
Shoulders: J’Adore Hardcore (Extended Mix) – Scooter
Abdominals: We’ll Be Alright – Travie McCoy
Cooldown: The Crow & The Butterfly – Shinedown
Alternative 5 – Triceps: If We Ever Meet Again (Hans-O-Matik Bigroom Radio Cut) – Pandora BX

First off, their selection of male attire is limited to one booth. Secondly, they weren’t very helpful to me when I was there. I waited a good while before anyone even offered to help me.

That said, I think the concept behind their stores is pretty cool. They market groups that enjoy yoga, running and dancing. I checked it out for their dance aspect, because I enjoy teaching Sh’Bam and BodyJam. However, their dance selection is really only geared towards females.

In conclusion, if you’re a lady, I think you’ll enjoy their store. Otherwise, I’ll pass. I guess it’s back to good old Under Armour.

The urge to tell her it would be okay was persistent, but I resisted. I dislike when people tell others it will be okay during times of distress. It seems like such a canned statement and in this case, I don’t know if it’s true.

“It’s not true. Your dad thinks I’ve cheated on him; I haven’t. He is the only person I’ve ever been with. He is the only person I’ve ever loved. The only person I love. This is the first time I’m going to be alone since I was 16. I’m scared.” she said.

“You’re stronger than you think mom. And I know that it’s not the same, but you are loved.” I said. I hope she knows it’s true. Beloved Mom: You are loved.