AXTRO Fit 2 Review
If you are one of the participants of Season 4 National Steps Challenge, Season 5 has just kicked off with a bang, and one thing I like about HPB is that they gave out trackers for free too all their participants.
Come Season 5 challengers, they will be in for a treat, It is an upgraded version of the AXTRO Fit and the color on the screen is not it’s only best feature.
Read on if you are interested and also to find out how to use it and I pitted it’s accuracy with my Garmin FR25.
AXTRO Fit 2 Outlook
The watch is 1.7cm in width and only weighs 30gm, the size surely downsized from the first model and now you are able to change the watch face from digital to analogue. Your style your life.
Feature 1: Charger and Battery Life
I have to tell you this new and improved version is really amazing, I honestly, had issues with the past model with it’s charging dongle as pulling out the rubber was a mess. For a grown guy to be using full strength to pull and expose the dongle was shameful for me.
The Axtro Fit 2 stills pulls out just that there is no USB there to charge) so don’t bother with it. Luckily this time round they are smart enough to provide a magnetic usb charger that magnetically clips on to your watch.
Downside is, you better not lose it and you have to bring it along if you are going for a 7 day trip, stated on their website. I can’t really tell how long the AXTRO Fit 2 will last but think about it, the screen will only turn on with a flick of the wrist.
I will update you guys after 7 days of usage to see where my battery is at. Charging it up takes only about 1hr45mins, but that was straight from the box.
update: Battery lasted more than 7 days, I would give it about 8 to 9 days depending on usage.
Feature 2: Workout Mode
I love this new feature and it makes me feel that I have a very expensive tech on my wrist. Once you activate the “workout mode” you get to see data such as your
- Heart Rate (HR)
- Steps Taken
- Time
Pro Tip: I am a person that don’t like too much data. All I need is HR to monitor my HR Zone, and Time taken after start. So AXTRO Fit 2 could maybe follow me to my 5k and 10k event.
Using Workout Mode doesn’t end there, when your HR goes above a certain limit, it will prompt you with a buzz. I notice when mine was in the 140 – 150 bpm it stated – MOD, and when I was pushing it a little too hard 151 – 170 bpm it is stated – VIG (vigorous) and it has a reminder tell you to take it easy. I like that, as it sets as a reminder to take it easy. Similar to Garmin’s Alert feature.
Speaking of Alert it also has this reminder to “Get Up and Move” if you are being too sedentary for a while.
I bet most of you guys want to know about the HR accuracy, as this OEM Tracker can’t be that good, well surprise surprise, it is that good, I pitted it with the Garmin FR25 side by side and guess what, it is only off by 1 beat up or down. (picture shown are before I took it out to test)
But remember, to use the AXTRO Fit 2, you need the HPB app which you can download it here for Android devices and Apple devices here
My 2cents Worth
Pro:
- Great light watch and will not weigh your wrist down,
- The workout mode feature was a plus over the previous model
- Battery Life is amazing
Con:
- Too slim for a guys hand. Just my preference for chunky
- The wristband material is not soft enough (but hey for price point can’t complain)
- The screen just turns off to fast, would be better if it was 5 secs instead of 3 secs.
If you want to purchase one of these, it is only going for $19 from AXTRO SPORTS , I do recommend buying it and upgrading it form the previous model cause the “Workout Mode”, make’s it all so worth it.
If you have any questions or would like to know more, do drop me a comment below or Twitter at @isaac976.
or you may contact HPB at stepschallenge@hpb.gov.sg or call them at 1800 567 2020. or even tweet them at @HPBsg
Thank you for reading and as I always say, See you at the finish line and have a great day.
11 steps to stop saying ‘um’ forever
Public speaking is the No. 1 phobia in America, according to The Chapman University Survey on American Fears.
No matter how nervous you are, using filler words like “um” or “so” can kill your credibility.
Whether you’re giving a speech or speaking up in a meeting, there are proven methods to nix these distracting words. Here are 11 tips from the London Speaker Bureau to help you stop saying “um” forever.
(London Speaker Bureau)
Do I Run Long Distance, Slow Pace or Fast Pace, Short Distance ?
When it comes to running there are many question that cloud one judgement, there are many variations to training and most people are clueless regarding their training regime, I am gonna share with you one question that usually most people will ask me whenever they started on running or doing their training and that is “Do I run long and slow or fast and short” ?
The Long Benefits
When I say long, I am talking about 15km and above where runners has a specific name for it which is termed as LSD, short for Long Slow Distance or Long Steady Distance (variations depends on running group).
First, running long distance gives us the benefit of expanding our slow twitch muscle (endurance) which will help control lactic acid build up, Lactic acid is a fuel. Whether it is deliberately produced by the body to burn as such, or whether this is a case of the body making the best of a troublesome byproduct remains up for debate. What is known is that lactic acid (or lactate) is one of many fuel sources, and the subject is definitely more complicated than “lactic acid is bad and causes fatigue.”
Second, it improves your cardiovascular system, strengthens the heart and increases the blood supply in the muscles; it therefore enhances the body’s capacity to deliver oxygen to your muscles.
Third, by running long distance it teaches your body to store energy as glycogen in your muscles. And finally, long slow runs teach the body to run efficiently and it will show after the end of your run if your whole body slumps in your run or your still running strong
The Short of It
Short runs are usually anywhere from 2.4km to 10km, doing short runs at a fast pace is great for your lungs, heart, and metabolism. where I term it as afterburn, your body will be burning fats even after your workout, but the best part of running short and fast is that you are increasing speed and strengthen muscles (think of it as body building for running.
There are two ways to train short runs which maximizes your lung capacity and Vo2Max, it’s called Intervals or Fartlek which I will talk more indepth in another post.
So Which One then ?
So if you’re serious about running, I’d try to include both types of run in your routine, my running schedule goes a little something like this but it varies and changes on the events that I am running (this is for my upcoming Mizuno Ekiden which I don’t need incorporate that many long runs, My advise is to train to your event, if you need to do distance running incorporate more long runs and if you have a short race like 10k or HM, do a good mix of both to balance it out.
Monday – Rest Day
Tuesday – 5k (easy run)
Wednesday – 10k (Tempo/Interval)
Thursday – Cycle or Swim or Gym or Rest
Friday – 10km (easy run)
Saturday – Bike in the AM and Swim in the PM
Sunday – Swim and 10k (Tempo Runs)
Do let me know what kind of runs do you do ?
Today weapon of choice: Mizuno Sayonara 2 by World of Sports VGO
Bangkok best Fried Chicken, Nuff Said
Seldom I dwell into a food review cause I am not super foodie or one that will go out hunting for food after someone mentions about the place or its food, but for this time I will twist my own arm and make this and exceptional case, cause
1. I have not been updating my blog ever since I was hospitalized
2. I am on a mission in the land of smiles “Bangkok” I will have a few staple place to go to and one of them is this place.
This will be my first travelogue and I hope I wont disappoint you guys
Coming in on a Monday weekday sure has it perks, the crowd was minimal and the Airport does not has its usual visitors, so clearing immigration was a breeze. First stop was to get the DTAC simcard and mind you please do not get from another company cause DTAC is giving the best promotion with only Baht $299, its call the travelers Sim, if you decide to buy this later at MBK or some other dodgy phone shop its gonna cost you like baht $400 or which ever price the shop would wanna charge you.
Reaching the hotel around 10am it would be too early to check in, so went to lunch first at one of my favorite place where they serve the best FRIED CHICKEN, oh please don’t even compare KFC to this, the wont even come close. This awesome place serving this piping hot fried chicken is called Polo Fried Chicken at Soi Polo
The restaurant has this no nonsense setting, no high tech equipment, no fancy tables or chairs, This place just wanna serve you some awesome chicken, we ordered the fried Chicken and Lad Moo which is mince pork.
Just posting this picture reminds me of the smell and tenderness this chicken has, it was well marinated, the skin when you sink your teeth into it breaks and crunch with a crackle sound, those small little pieces on top are not garnish but more of some fried bits of garlic and er…. other bits, if you could do ask for more of those bits, DO IT, cause you will never have enough of these little crunchy suckers, sprinkle them to your glutinous rice and you might as well eat it alone. Yes it is that good for me.
You see this two sauce, the one on the left is spicy and the other on the right looks badass with bright glowing red and cut chili but infact that is the sweeter of the lot. What I do with this is that you tear the chicken and you dip it into them sauce, oh I can’t tell you enough how well the spice of those sauce blends with the hot and juicy chicken. I love the spicier one as I love it spicy.
If you have eaten Lad Moo before in Bangkok or some where else, I am not sure if you notice the distinct taste and smell of the pork, Polo cooks this pretty well and the use of herbs and spices is just right. I can’t stop eating this by itself, with every bite it does not over power you with salt like some other restaurant do. Don’t worry about the spiciness as it is not that spicy but only its looks.
A half chicken will set you back at Baht 100 and a full chicken is only at Baht 200 and Lad Moo is priced at Baht 60. What more can you ask, they priced it right and nothing pretentious about this restaurant, but do go before lunch as the lunch crowd in this place is pretty crazy. See the girl as one of the satisfied customer
Here is the address to this awesome place:
Everything Swim Bike and Run and the Occasional Life Encounters 