I sleep better knowing that for 17 cents a night, everything I have saved on my computer is fully backed up. All my Indoor Cycling class music, profiles, playlists, files, pictures…everything. When I see the backup status report below, I know that my three year old Dell laptop can fail tomorrow and I will lose NOTHING!
Makes me happy đ They let you try it for free here.
Originally posted 2009-05-20 06:27:06.
LTF Instructors get a 15% discount – are you taking advantage of this?
I could lease a nice car for what I'm paying Verizon Wireless each month. Service and data plans for daughters; Abby and Carly (two iPhone's), Amy's Droid Razr M and my iPhone run $250.00 a month = $3000.00 a year.
It may not be for you, but that's a serious amount of money to me đ
So my ears perked up this morning when I heard an interview on Fox for a company that said Americans pay something like $50 billion more than they should for cell services. The guest, the founder of savelovegive.com, explained that they have an easy way for you to analyze your monthly bill and compare the different service plans.
I didn't take the time to look, but I'm guessing there are other companies that do something similar. What makes savelovegive.com unique is that you can choose to simply pocket the money you save using their service or contribute it to their chosen charity – The Seven Bar Foundation.
The Seven Bar Foundation, a 501(c)3, is the brand for the empowerment of women. As a social enterprise it fuels microfinance institutions by driving profits with purpose with cause-marketing brand partners. To reach a critical mass with its ladder symbolic message, the Foundation hosts the top couture and luxury lingerie shows in the world â Lingerie New York, London Miami, etc. Together with the Foundationâs alliances we enable women in need to start or grow their own small businesses, breaking the cycle of poverty for their children via microfinance.
We believe that microfinance is an effective tool to combat poverty and empower women because it fosters self-reliance and encourages sustainable development. As loans are repaid to our Microfinance partners, the funds are then reissued to other entrepreneurs. Investments in Seven Bar Foundation will help countless women over the long-term, constantly growing in size and increasing its impact with every woman that the funds reach.
I love anything that empowers people to become productive đ
Using savelovegive.com was free, really easy and took me all of ten minutes to set up. Eight of the ten minutes was consumed by trying to remember which of our four lines was the Primary # and then resetting the forgotten password.
That $102.00 a year could go somewhere better than Verizon. If you choose to spend on on yourself maybe a Spotify premium or ICI/PRO subscription?
You create a user and password at savelovegive.com and then confirm the email they send. The actual tool that analyses your service is called Vera. Enter your cell # and password and Vera goes to work. I was shown four plan options and the potential change in costs. Plan option 1 showed I can save $102.00 a year just by making a simple change to my service.
Now to be fair, Amy watches all our expenses like a hawk (she was a CPA when I first met her), so we were already pretty close to optimal. But the conformation was both comforting and a bit depressing… I was hoping to see some huge, untapped savings we could take advantage of.
If you opt to make the suggest change, savelovegive.com generates an email to send to your carrier this the new plan data. Hit send and hopefully they will respond. It's when your carrier responds that the changes will be made – savelovegive.com doesn't make any changes directly, just shows you which changes to make.
If you're concerned with savelovegive.com having your personal info, I suggest running the test and then you can go back and change your password.
If you try this let other's know your results below.
P.S. savelovegive.com is a great example of a website built using HTML5 – the new hypertech markup language that we were discussing earlier in regards to iPads and how they won't display the Flash audio player that uses the old/current version of HTML.
Originally posted 2013-01-24 08:49:06.
Guest post by Instructor & Studio Owner Pauline Geraci
According the Administration for Community Living (ACL), people 65-plus represented 12.4 percent of the population in the year 2000 but are expected to grow to be 19 percent of the population by 2030.
Letâs face it, we are not getting any younger. As we age, the more important it is for us to stay active. But the older we get, the harder it is activity becomes.
We start developing muscle and joint pains and other issues which we sometimes use as an excuse to become less physically active which in turn makes us more prone to injury and the aging process. What to do?
Indoor cycling meets many of our aging populationâs needs. For starters, it is a great cardiovascular workout. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that healthy adults ages 18-65 years old should participate in aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes, five days per week or vigorous intensity, aerobic activity for a minimum of 20 minutes, three days per week.
An indoor cycling class will keep your heart rate up long enough to provide health benefits. A physical activity that includes continuous cardiovascular activity can help lower your risk of coronary artery disease, can help lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, and can help lower your overall resting heart rate.
As we age, we start to develop balance issues because of inactivity or inner ear problems. Maybe we have fallen once and now are afraid to do activities without relying on a walker or cane. You certainly donât feel comfortable riding a bike outdoors. Indoor cycling eliminates your concerns with balance issues. Indoor cycling removes the element of risk and the fear of falling so you can experience its health benefits. A good cycling class allows you to go at your own pace and push yourself, yet feel safe and comfortable.
Another worry for seniors is finding a cardiovascular workout that is low to no impact. Indoor cycling offers a high intensity low impact workout. Many people who recently have recovered from orthopedic injuries turn to indoor cycling to help them get back on track.
Remember, as with all physical activity you are about to embark on, make sure you get clearance from your doctor. Indoor cycling, when done correctly, provides minimal impact on the hip, knee and ankle joints.
Because of the circular motion of riding a bike, your knees properly flex and extend, while avoiding the high impact pounding of other activities such as running or certain aerobic type classes.
Another issue of aging is age-related sarcopenia. People who are physically inactive can lose as much as 3-5 percent of their muscle mass per decade after age 30. Even if you are active, you still will experience some muscle loss.
A benefit of indoor cycling is increased muscular endurance. This refers to the ability of a muscle to continually and repeatedly exert force over an extended period of time. In an indoor cycling class, you pedal against resistance which increase the endurance of the leg muscles: legs, quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus and even the calf muscles.
Working out these muscles also will help to strengthen the surrounding bones, tendons and ligaments which also help you with balance issues.
In turn, this increased strength means youâll be able to perform your daily activities with greater ease.
Riding outdoors is great but there are safety and weather issues to contend with. You canât make excuses about not working out because of the weather when you ride indoors. Indoor cycling also allows you to be free from concerns such as negligent motorists, narrow road shoulders, going downhill too fast and bike malfunctions (flat tires, loose chains, etc.).
Itâs good to get outdoors and exercise whenever possible, but itâs also important to keep from putting yourself at unnecessary risk, especially at an age when each fall is a little harder to get up from than the last.
The ability to choose your own resistance also makes indoor cycling an ideal fitness class for seniors. On an outdoor ride, your resistance level is dependent on your surrounding terrain. On any given route in Sequim you will find inclines that you are not prepared to handle. You also may not feel challenged during an outdoor ride.
Indoor cycling will definitely challenge you! Indoor bikes come with resistance knobs. This allows you to raise or lower the intensity of the workout to meet your physical restraints and/or fitness goals.
Many people, not just seniors, would like to lose some weight. If your fitness goals include weight and/or fat loss, youâve come to the right place.
According to spinning.com, you can burn anywhere between 400-600 calories per average 45-minute class.
Since it takes 3,500 calories to burn one pound of fat, just 5-8 indoor cycling classes, combined with a healthy diet can help you meet your New Year goals!
Unfortunately, itâs impossible to stop the aging process. But donât let that excuse you from engaging in your favorite activities. Come and enjoy a safe and exhilarating workout experience at indoor cycling classes nearest to you!
Pauline Geraci is owner of Fit4Life Studio, 1245 W. Washington St., Sequim. See www.fit4lifesequim.com.
This article first appeared at www.sequimgazette.com
Originally posted 2015-03-04 16:19:10.
Matrix and the Indoor Cycling Group (ICGÂŽ) debuted their new IC7 Indoor Cycle with power at IHRSA last month. In many respects it's different from any group cycle on the market today. You could go so far as describing a number of their technical innovations as revolutionary – not to mention how everything is wrapped in a very good looking package.
Where do I even start?
There are so many innovations engineered into the IC7, it's difficult to know where to begin… So I'll list off a bunch of the cool features that I feel are important and IMO not just marketing hype. You can download an informative brochure for the IC7 here.
First the basics
The IC7 features a unique two-stage, belt driven drivetrain – a toothed belt so it retains the feel of a chain. Turning away from the friction pads and weighted flywheel on their previous models, the IC7 now spins an aluminum flywheel and utilizes magnetic resistance, controlled by a micro adjusting knob with 100 (yes you read the correctly) individual levels to choose from.
If Q-Factor is important to you, it now appears that the IC7 is now the narrowest on the market @ 155mm – three millimeters narrower than the claimed 158mm of the Blade Ion. Just for fun, I measured my VeloVie road bike, with its top of the line SRAM Red Groupo @ 149mm. FYI – Spring is here and our member's discount on a new VeloVie bicycle is waiting for you here.Â
Fitting the IC7 to various size riders is done with seat/handlebar gas strut assisted raise/lower and both have fore/aft adjustment. Settings are then fixed using over-center cam locks vs. threaded adjustment bolts. If you've been frustrated by the time it takes to screw/tighten down settings when setting up a rider, you'll love how quick and simple these are to use. The handlebars have a very refined/substantial/solid feel to them and include two water bottle holders. The assist from the gas struts (similar to what helps lift the hood or tailgate on your car) had me changing their height easily, even while in the riding position đ
In the quest to accommodate a wide variety of people, the handlebars extent outward as you raise them up (think Keiser M3) and they begin very low. I typically ride any IC with the bars all the way down and I needed to raise them to get comfortably setup on the IC7.
The power console (self-powered = no batteries) provides the expected rider metrics for watts, RPM, distance and HR if you're wearing a chest strap. And the unexpected – a resistance level indication and very cool LED lights that change colors based a participantsâ WattRateÂŽ (power) or heart rate and the training parameters set by the Coach By ColorÂŽ training system. More on the console, the Coach By ColorÂŽ system and how they get those lights to change correctly for each rider coming in a separate post.
One feature not included was a stage or lap button to measure intervals – but it will shortly. Â In a followup email from Bernd PĂÂźrschel – ICG's CEO and lead engineer, Bernd offered that they will be including this function in the near future.
Measured Power Using Optical Sensors
With multiple manufacturers offering power/watts, any comparative discussion between brands nearly always comes down to two simple questions;
The claimed accuracy of the IC7 is +/- 1% which to me is saying the wattage displayed is nearly perfect.
Is that possible?
I had a long conversation with Bernd to understand where his confidence about accuracy and consistency of power come from. I wanted to learn specifically how torque is measured and displayed on the IC7's console. You no doubt understand that power/watts is equal to the twisting force (torque) a rider applies to the pedals… multiplied by the speed (RPM) in which the power is applied. Measuring the RPM side is easy, you just count the number of  revolutions. Measuring the torque is the hard (and expensive) part of any power meter; indoors or out.
The accuracy, Bernd explained, comes from the use of an Optical Torque Sensor that forms the intermediate shaft in the drive train shown here in this photo of an IC7 going through long-term reliability testing.
Pedals turn the large sprocket and the toothed belt turns the intermediate shaft that doubles as the optical torque sensor.
To measure torque, something needs to twist or deflect and then have a sensor in place to measure tiny amounts of twist or deflection. In the bicycle world, strain gauges installed in the; pedals, rear hub, bottom bracket or crankarms are used the measure deflection caused by the rider pushing the pedals, that is resisted by the tire's contact with the ground. The FreeMotion S11.9 uses a strain gauge attached to the left side crankarm and the Blade Ion uses a strain gauge in the arm the holds the brake pad in place.
Instead of using strain gauges to measure torque, the IC7 measures the amount of twist that occurs in the intermediate shaft, using light that passes through a series of little windows on either end of the intermediate shaft. I found this drawing that may help to show what's happening down there.
Measuring your awesome amount of torque using light đ
Here's a very simplistic explanation of how this works:
In its rested state, the little slots in the disks on either end of the shaft line up perfectly. Light shown (fig 150) from one end will pass easily between the slots and out the other side to a sensor (fig 160). Now imagine what would happen if you twisted the shaft – the slots are no longer lined up, right? Using fancy electronics it is possible to measure this twist with incredible precision by sensing changes in the amount of light passing from one site to the other.
Now if you know with certainty what amount of force twists the shaft “X” amount, you have the makings of a very accurate method of measuring torque. Bernd assured me that the intermediate shaft is build using very special (and expensive) German steel, which results the complete system having a margin of claimed error of just +/- 1%. It's important to note that ICG didn't invent using Optical Sensors to measure torque. They've been used for years in precision machines that require a very high degree of accuracy.
Here's a computer simulation showing details of the inner workings.
So how about bike to bike?Â
The fundamental problem I see on our classes where we've introduced power, is a lack of trust from both Instructors and riders in the wattage being displayed. Consistency between cycles is (to me) more important than if they're super accurate. I don't care what I see as my FTP wattage, as long as that level of effort feels the same regardless of which of the Indoor Cycles in our studio I choose to ride. Bernd feels they have that solved through a simple method of calibrating the 100 position resistance control with the magnet holder. It's beyond me to explain how it works in words – hopefully they'll create a video that shows the procedure.
Next up – Coach by ColorÂŽ and how it will help communicate to you (the Instructor), that everyone has heard and understood your intensity cues.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Originally posted 2014-04-08 11:55:44.
I love having a full class of students. But first they need to know my class exists. I'm continuously frustrated with how poorly my own club promotes the Indoor Cycling classes we offer. Based on comments offering similar frustrations, I'm guessing that I'm not the only one.
So why not take a few minutes to do a little self-promotion?
The other day a received a request from an ICI/PRO member to join FourSquare, the social media site where you can check in, so other people know where to find you. Like Yelp, FourSquare acts as a search engine to find where there friends are, in the hope to meet up with them. You can also leave and read reviews there. I hadn't spent any time there so I decided to check it out to see what I could do with it to promote my class. At first I thought that only actual businesses could create a listing. Instead I discovered you can create a listing for anything that is an actual place, even if you don't technically own or manage the facility. I saw listings for specific seat rows at a concert, events in a local park and even a listing for a specific airline flight to Europe – maybe they were interested in who they would be sitting next to for eight hours.
Here's a link for my 5:45 AM Monday morning class that I created in about 5 minutes.
Click to enlarge
It was very easy and here's how you can create your listing (s) – there's no reason not to create a listing for each of your classes.
Now when anyone searches for a Spin class near Minnetonka, MN they will find:
Click to enlarge
If you do try this, let me know what happens.
Originally posted 2011-03-24 04:55:09.