I was in Ozo Coffee Shop in Boulder a couple months ago when I saw this sign in front of some individually wrapped pastries.

So I bought a slice of the gluten-free pumpkin bread.

It was really good!

In fact it was so good I started going out of my way each time I was in Boulder to find some Outrageous Baking products. This Boulder based gluten-free baking company makes Pumpkin Bread (my favorite) Lemon Poppy Seed Bread, Chocolate Zucchini Bread and Cinnamon Coffee Cake.

Now, if you’re a strict Paleo Eater (no grains, no flours) this obviously isn’t for you. Sorry! But if you’re like me (80%-90% Paleo and then enjoy an occasional gluten-free treat) this is a Yummy Healthy Discovery. Read the rest of this entry »

I just returned from the 2012 Consumer Electronic Show (CES) that took place in Las Vegas, Nevada this January.

I first heard about CES on Donny Deutsch’s show, The Big Idea, in 2005. I loved that show. Donny profiled entrepreneurs and their food, tech, recreation, fashion products, aka “Big Ideas” that they created, invented or designed. Every January Donny would always do a special show from CES in Vegas and profile the latest and greatest electronics and gadgets.

Fast forward to 2012 and I was lucky enough to attend CES on my own press pass this year.

As I walked around the massive Las Vegas Convention Center with 150,000 other people (press and exhibitors) from all around the world, I obviously sought out and was most interested in the fitness, health products.

It’s quite a show. We can talk about buffering yourself against convention, travel fatigue later.

But for now, I want to talk about one of the products I received at CES from an Austrian based fitness company called:

Runtastic.

When I downloaded the Runtastic iPhone App I was immediately impressed. This is a very well designed, thought-out fitness app. It goes above and beyond the average app that just monitors pace, miles and elevation.

With Runtastic you can track, log and share:

• Speed
• Miles/time
• Calories burned
• Altitude
• Sunrise and sunset – in case you’re an early morning/late evening outdoor runner, walker.
• Heart rate monitor – which tracks your maximum heart rate and average heart rate.
• Full map – with graphs, detailed stats of the course you took, miles accumulated, your pace, duration and heart rate at any point in your workout.

If you want to get really fancy try recording how you were feeling, what the surface and weather was like and then share your workout log with friends on FaceBook or Twitter. If this doesn’t make workout accountability fun, I don’t know what does!

There are built in interval training workouts, marathon training programs and voice coaching.

I’m still experimenting with mine and learning all its great features and options. It’s not just for running or walking, you can use it during any workout, such as: yoga, biking, basketball, weight lifting to monitor your heart rate and results.

Overall, I’m extremely impressed with this app.

Download the free Runtastic app to your iPhone, Android, Blackberry or Window 7 Phone; then purchase the heart rate monitor through Runtastic and any additional pro upgrades through the app store.The heart rate monitor portion of this device will be available in the U.S. later this year. It’s already widely available in Europe.

Plug the heart rate connecting receiver into the headphone jack of your Smartphone. Then plug your earbuds into the receiver if you want to listen to music.

Attach the heart rate monitor around your chest.

Everything worked great, it was easy to set up and I didn’t encounter any glitches.

Keep an eye out for this Healthy (fitness/tech) Discovery. It is a top notch, well designed investment! I think it’ll be a huge hit in the American fitness market.

Thank You, Runtastic for providing me with this free device to test and review.

Runtastic on FaceBook

Runtastic on Twitter