Boom Generation Fitness

Mind - body fitness and health strategies for powering thru later years

The blog is aimed at the generation that was born between 1946 and 1964 - the so-called Baby Boomers.

We are now into our middle-age and very interested in staying fit and healthy until well into our senior years.

This blog provides some of the tools to do just that. You can find posts here and lots more by clicking on the links to THINK FIT and THE FITNESS PAPERS (see left side column).

These pages are about any and all matters concerning wellness, mind, body and spirit and, of course, physical exercise of all sorts. A special feature is an emphasis on individuals who can provide examples for us all of a healthy, energetic and positive life.

............WELCOME!

Geoff Quartermaine Bastin

More about who I am on:
http://www.visualcv.com/users/185930-fitnessman/cvs/223748

Monday, December 10, 2007

Fitness Tracking



This looks like a potentially interesting site. I was looking at the BBC World programme "Click" and saw a feature by Kate Russell. Here's what she says (thanks for the quote Kate and BBC):

"Gyminee is a fitness and workout tracking site, which allows users to keep a strict eye on their fitness regime.

The site makes use of a couple of visual interfaces, which report back on the effectiveness of your training regime via a number of graphs and diagrams.

The site is still in beta stage but is accepting free testers. It is necessary to enter some login details to join, but once this is complete you are presented with your own profile page, which is reminiscent of a social networking site.

Enter your objectives, from weight loss to muscle growth and the site creates tracking tools appropriate to your goals.

For example, clicking on the locker room tab provides a graph which tracks the user's progress depending on the data added after a workout.
For info on the sort of training regime that might suit you, the workout section contains a library of different programs. Some of these have frightening titles like Killer Abs - but you know what they say? No pain, no gain.

A nice touch is that some workout programs include instructional videos.
Users can also keep a track of their diet via the nutrition tab, and there is an element of social networking in the gym buddies option. This allows users to try and find workout buddies both real and virtual via the forums
."

The Gyminee "About" blurb says: " Gyminee Corporation was founded in 2007 to meet a targeted need in the health and fitness market. While a few other fitness tracking web applications exist on the Internet, none adequately capture the need for real fitness tracking using a simple interface."

I've signed up and we'll see how useful it is... I keep most of my exercise tracks in notebooks and excel spreadsheets...so maybe this will keep things in one place.. Check out www.gyminee.com

Monday, December 03, 2007

THE ICEMAN COMETH

Eddie Vernon writes from Thailand: On 17 November I competed in the last of a series of five national races for 2007. I came 4th in the race (40 - 49 year olds) and 5th in the series (though I only competed in 2 out of 5 races). The photo of me leaving the start line (I'm the guy in the centre in red, black and white).

One of my motivators is Ned Overend, who is a legendary mountain biker. At 52 years of age, he just landed a sixth place finish in the Iceman Cometh race (with over 2,000 competitors) in which he was racing against top professionals half his age. The Iceman Cometh is a 43.5km (27mile) point-to-point classic in northern lower Michigan.


Ned hit the top at the age of 32 when he won two world mountain bike championships in August 1987; one in France and the other in Mammoth, CA. He won the world cross-country in 1988, and NORBA national champion titles in 1986 and 1989. Ned is known for his uphill climbing ability, both as a mountain biker and a road biker --- which he does to get in shape for mountain biking. He has frequently dominated the Iron Horse Classic in Durango. Although he retired in 1996 at the age of 41, he immediately joined the fledgling XTERRA off-road triathlon circuit and took a couple of their World Championships. I have Ned Overend's book "Mountain Bike Like a Champion" which shares his riding tips and techniques:
http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Bike-Like-Champion-Overend/dp/1579540813 (Check out Eddie Vernon by clicking on the topic in the right column)