Fitness Tracker Enhancement: Delete Multiple Exercises

Friday, October 09, 2009

You probably know already that you can delete multiple foods from your Nutrition Tracker. Earlier this week, we added the same functionality to the Fitness Tracker so you can delete multiple strength-training exercises from your plan/tracker. While you've always had the ability to remove a single exercise at a time, this new update will allow members to delete several exercises more easily.

To delete multiple exercises from your workout tracker, go to your Fitness Tracker page. Scroll to the bottom of the page and locate the button that says "Remove Multiple Strength Exercises" (near the right side of the page). Click that button to open a pop-up. Select any/all of the exercises you want to remove today and then click the "Removed Checked Exercises" button. This will remove the exercises you do not want from you plan/tracker for that day.

We hope this new functionality makes tracking and customizing your workouts even easier for you!

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SparkPeople Voted Best Weight-Management Tool!

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Lifehacker.com recently asked readers to nominate and then vote for their favorite weight-management tool. We're happy to report that SparkPeople won by a landslide, beating out FitDay.com, LiveStrong.com, LoseIt! (an iPhone application) and more! (See the final voting results here.)

Thanks to all of our members who nominated and voted for us! Honors like these help us Spread the Spark to even more people.

We promise to keep working hard to keep SparkPeople free and continuously improve the site. Thanks for your support!

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A Special Message from SparkGuy: The Most Important Thing You Can Do to Spread the Spark

Friday, September 25, 2009

Over the years, I have seen how SparkPeople’s special combination of nutrition, fitness and motivation has helped millions of people like you lose weight, get fit and transform their lives. As long as I can remember, I have hoped to make SparkPeople into a book so that it can help even more people reach their goals. And I'm happy to say that my goal of writing a SparkPeople book has finally been accomplished!

The upcoming book is called The Spark. I've been working on it, along with help from your SparkPeople Coaches and members, for the past year and am happy to announce that it will be released in January 2010! This new book takes the SparkPeople program to a whole new level. In fact, most of the content in the book (which includes success stories, motivational strategies, meal plans, new workouts, and the story behind SparkPeople) has never been presented on the website.

Writing the book has been a difficult but exciting adventure. It was harder than I could have expected, but the final book is also better than I could have imagined! At one point, while reviewing a nearly-finished version of the manuscript, I had tears of happiness because I could tell that we had really captured the spirit of SparkPeople in a way we’ve never been able to do on the site. I think you’ll know what I mean when you read the book yourself. You can learn more about the book by visiting www.SparkPeopleBook.com.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’re ready to take your program in a whole new direction, The Spark is for you. If you've struggled with explaining "SparkPeople" to friends or family members, it's for them, too.

By starting SparkPeople.com and keeping it free to the public, I've realized my life's dream of helping millions of people reach their goals, lose weight and lead healthier lives. But so many people still need our help! If The Spark book is a success, it will help spread SparkPeople's message even farther so we can help even more people. Just imagine a world full of people who are as "Sparked" as all of you are!

Preorders for this book start today! By going to www.SparkPeopleBook.com and placing your order for The Spark before it is released, you'll get several free gifts and have the chance to win prizes. But on a personal note, pre-ordering this book may very well be the most important thing you can ever do to help Spread the Spark. A high number of sales—especially in this months before the book is released—can help The Spark get more press coverage, reach the national bestseller lists, and encourage retailers to stock (and promote) the book. We need your help to make that happen so we can reach our mission of helping even more people!

Each book our members buy helps more than you can imagine. Members have often wanted to have SparkPeople featured on Oprah and other major media outlets. We’ve done a lot of research and have learned that a successful, high selling book is probably the #1 way to make this actually happen!

When you preorder The Spark, you’ll receive the following free gifts and bonuses:

• FREE exclusive 10-minute workout video from Coach Nicole's upcoming DVD, The Spark: Fit, Firmed & Fired Up–not available in stores until January!
  
• FREE access to an Online Bonus Book Program that includes new content, recipes and tips not found in the book or on the website.
  
• 2,000 SparkPoints applied directly to your SparkPeople account and
  
• Chances to win prizes each week (The sooner you order, the more chances you'll have to win!)

Preorder your copy today and learn more by visiting www.SparkPeopleBook.com. Please encourage your family, friends (and SparkFriends) to purchase it, too!

It’s the easiest most powerful way to Spark your own life—and do your part to spread the SparkPeople message to the world!

SparkCheers!

SparkGuy

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Member Loses 85 Pounds, Spreads the Spark on FOX, Shares Her Secrets at SparkPeople Convention

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

SparkPeople member Laura (BLAZEGRRL), a Cincinnati native who has lost 85 pounds using SparkPeople, recently helped Spread the Spark by sharing her story with local FOX news. She's one of five members who will share her tips as part of the "Secrets of Success" member panel at Saturday's SparkPeople Convention in Cincinnati, OH.

We think Laura did a great job representing SparkPeople on the local news in our hometown! Please click here to watch the short video and leave a congratulatory comment for Laura to read!

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New Step & Mileage Trackers Plus More Fitness Tracker Enhancements

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Hi everyone!

Our programmers have been working hard to improve the SparkPeople Fitness Tracker. We launched several new updates to the Fitness Tracker today, which you can see and use by selecting the "my Fitness" tab under "My Tools" or by clicking here. Many of these new enhancements were ideas and requests from our members!

Here's a rundown of what's new (and how to use it):

Step Tracker. Many people who use pedometers wanted a quick and easy way to track their steps. This new, optional tracker has to be "turned on" if you want to use it. To add it to your Fitness Tracker, go to my Fitness (your Fitness Tracker). Click the "Change Fitness Goals" button near the top of the page. On that page, click the "Setup" next to the Step Tracker. Set your daily goal, make sure it's checked off (to show up on your tracker) and "Save Your Changes."

Mileage Tracker. Many walkers and runners have requested an easy way to track their mileage. This new tracker is also optional for those who want to use it. You can enter minutes and distance to calculate your pace and also keep track of how far you go over time. To add it to your Fitness Tracker, go to my Fitness (your Fitness Tracker). Click the "Change Fitness Goals" button near the top of the page. On that page, click the "Setup" next to the Mileage Tracker. Set a weekly goal, make sure it's checked off (to show up on your tracker) and "Save Your Changes."

More strength-training options. If you were following SparkPeople's workout plans before, your only option was a full-body workout. Now, you can customize your workouts by choosing from full body, upper body, lower body, or core workouts. To add it to your Fitness Tracker, go to my Fitness (your Fitness Tracker). Click the "Change Fitness Goals" button near the top of the page. On that page, scroll down to Strength Training Setup. Select the top button (that you want SparkPeople to design a workout plan for you), then create your own strength-training schedule using the options below. Be sure to "Save Your Changes" when finished.

"Swap" workouts AND exercises. If you're following SparkPeople's workout plans, you now have the ability to "swap" workouts—just like you can swap foods in your meal plans. When you're ready for a new strength-training workout, simply click the "Swap workout" button near the top/right of your workout that day. If you want to swap a single exercise for another, click on the exercise you don't want to choose another.

Customized Workout Names. If you're creating and following your own strength-training workouts, you can now set up your page with more customization. Now you have the ability to name exercise days to correspond to your fitness plan. To add it to your Fitness Tracker, go to my Fitness (your Fitness Tracker). Click the "Change Fitness Goals" button near the top of the page. On that page, scroll down to the Strength Training Setup. Select the second option (to create and track your own workouts). Next to each day of the week, you can "name" your workout as a reminder. Mondays could be “Back and Biceps Day,” Tuesdays might be “Lower Body" and so on. Click "Save Your Changes" and then your workout "names" will show up on the correct day of the week as a reminder—and for easy tracking.

These updates should make your fitness tracking (and workouts) easier to follow, but like any changes, sometimes it takes some time to get used to. If you have any questions about using this new Fitness Tracking page, please post a message on the Site/Technical Help message boards for help. We hope you enjoy these new upgrades to your free Fitness Tracker!

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