The Southern Thing: Intel SMS Audio BioSport Earbuds + Fitness Goals

For me, it's easy to lose dedication for working out and all things fitness, especially when a vacation or holiday comes into play (cue Christmas and being in Louisiana with all the food). I like to think that's why the new year is always well known for getting back on track, for many things, including fitness. When I start to lose motivation, I set new goals for myself to help give that extra push. I believe in setting realistic goals that I know I can achieve. Making unrealistic goals only sets you up for failure and a decrease in motivation when you realize there's no way to obtain said goals. Progress through baby steps will be a whole lot more rewarding than no progress at all. Say you want to lose 50 pounds for example. We all know how hard it is just to lose 10 pounds, so imagine multiplying that by 5. It's freaking hard. But if you know you only need to lose 10 for each interval of your set time frame, the end goal sounds much more attainable.

With that being said, here are my realistic fitness goals for 2015:

-Workout at least 3 times per week (because less is more and 3 is better than 0).

-Be conscious of what I eat. I'm not saying I'm going to cut "junk" foods out my diet, but I will aim for less and substitute with healthier alternatives.

-Fusing fitness with technology for a smarter workout.

-Engage in more outdoor activities like walking and running.

-Aim to burn at least 500 calories per workout. This has been proven to help me achieve my desired goals before, so I'm going to stick with it.

-Document each workout.

-Maintain my target heart rate during cardio.

When I go to the gym, the less I have to bring, the better. I try to only bring in what I can hold. That typically includes my keys, phone, earbuds, and water bottle. In attempt to maintain one of my goals of documenting workouts, I'll be using the Intel SMS Audio BioSport Earbuds.

The Intel SMS Audio BioSport Earbuds are earbuds with a built in optical sensor that measures your heart rate while producing quality sound. This means that your earbuds will track your progress and best of all, you can ditch the heart rate monitor with the uncomfortable strap (bye bye chest strap), which was my previous go to device. It's much easier to just have everything all in one, and since you won't find me working out without earbuds regardless, it's pretty much a win win situation.

When in the gym, some cardio machines have a heart rate monitor built in, but what about when you're running or doing strength training? There's no way for you to track progress doing all activities unless you have your own monitor. I like to document my workouts during non cardio machine activities and this is the easiest way for me to do so.

Using the Intel SMS Audio BioSport Earbuds is pretty simple. To get the most out of the headphones, I recommend downloading the RunKeeper app (free) for your iOS or Android device. Plug in your headphones, put the slider on the earbuds to "heart rate mode", open the Runkeeper app, go to the app settings and select "connect a device" and choose analog headphones. Allow access to the microphone. Once connected, you will see a red heart rate icon appear on the app start screen and you are ready to go!

You can also use the earbuds to place a call from your device, just simply move the slider to enable phone mode. The earbuds also include an integrated charging system so no batteries or charging is required. They are sweat and water resistant so you don't have to worry about going easy during your workout! I purchased my Intel SMS Audio BioSport Earbuds from Dick's sporting goods. You can find them there or online here for 20% off with code BioSport20. This offer is valid in the U.S only, valid until 1/31/15. Your purchase will also include a free month of the app RunKeeper Elite.