Viva Vivonic (Palm OS)
Written: Nov 28 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good integrated program
Cons: Unique desktop interface
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| jrennard's Full Review: Vivonic Vivonic Fitness Planner |
For those of you who wish to cut to the chase, I would recommend the Vivonic Fitness Planner. I feel the product is best suited for people who are new to working out, people changing their lifestyle, or those who habitually record everything. I wouldn't recommend the program to people who want to monitor nutrition only or exercise only as there are programs better suited for such a single focus. Vivonic is different in that it encourages a combined approach of exercise and nutrition. Collectively, I think you'd be hard pressed to find as complete a product for the money - $49.99. This is not to say the planner is perfect, as I've noted some items at the end, which annoy me.
I should mention that the planner is sold in two varieties. The first is a dedicated electronic device ($199) about the size of a large pager with a built-in pedometer. The second option is for people who own a device that runs the Palm OS. Both varieties include the PC software that allows data synchronization between your device and desktop. Since I did not want to carry another gadget, I opted for the Palm OS version. (Note: On the Vivonic web page, they have a 5-day trial version for the Palm OS.)
For starters, I don't think of the planner as a product, but more of a flexible system. Other products out there can record both nutritional information and info about your workouts. However, this system goes beyond that since it promotes planning and education, both of which, I feel are essential elements. For example, Vivonic provides some excellent reference materials such as the Torson virtual athlete videos. These videos, which run Windows Media Player, display the proper form for a number of exercises ranging from abdominal crunches to machine chest press. Also, a "Facts" section has abstract articles relating to fitness, health, weight loss and nutrition.
When you first start the program, you have the option of using their planning wizard. The wizard helps define your objectives as well as identifying problem areas. In my case, I mentioned in the Medical History panel that I have problems with my knees. As a result, the software flagged exercises with a red exclamation point that might stress my knees. The wizard also allows you to set certain nutritional goals ranging from caloric intake to alcohol consumption. And for those people that think diets should be a series of ratios, you can even set your percentages for fat, carbohydrates, and protein.
Once a plan is set up, you can start recording and monitoring your activities using the "Journal" section. The suggested exercises are already noted on the day's exercise tab. This makes it quite easy to check off or edit these items. If your schedule changes, I've found that you can drag and drop exercises from one day to another. A similar recording process exists for nutrition as you select the foods from an extensive foods database and add them to the meal tabs on the journal. Data can be added either through the desktop software, or by using the electronic device or Palm. A nice feature was that two weeks into my plan, the program suggested I add 5 minutes of cardio exercise to my custom plan.
I should mention that aside from being able to edit a plan at any time, you may also retrieve new plans from the web. Vivonic has provided a page that has plans from some of their partners such as Asimba. It looks like e.Diets will be providing plans as well but I've not seen any progress on that item.
As with most new products, there are shortcomings. I mention these not to discourage people from trying the product, but in the hope, Vivonic will correct these issues. In spite of my list below, I would still recommend the product for most people.
* The template for adding custom foods doesn't follow along with the standard nutritional food label. As example, I couldn't enter in "20%" for the Calcium value. Instead, I have to determine how many Mcg that 20% RDA equates to. Unfortunately, the RDA listings are not provided in the "Facts" section. It would be great if the user could create an input template with the nutrient values they wish to track.
* There doesn't appear to be any way to purge data from the Palm. I would prefer to have an option that allows me to remove data from the Palm after a specified number of days.
* You're unable to edit or delete foods within the standard foods database. As example, I can't edit the standard orange juice entry to reflect my brand's added calcium content. Instead, I have to add a custom food.
* The HotSync conduit only allows synchronization between the desktop and Palm even though there are radio button options for Desktop Overwrite and Handheld Overwrite.
* The PC interface looks like it was created for the web and then ported to Windows. In fact, the program requires a mouse as there are no keyboard shortcuts or tab rotation that would allow navigation to the various pages or data input. The PC desktop also has a fixed window interface which leads the user to rely on the vertical scrollbar especially on the "Journal" page. I would prefer being able to set the window at full screen so I could see more data.
* Create an open standard for plans and foods. As example, a physical therapist or dietician could give me a CSV file etc that I could easily import into the software as a basis for my custom plan.
* Allow the user to select multiple food items and commit them collectively to the "Journal". Currently, I have to add each one, return to the journal page, and add the next item.
* Add some caloric burn rate for the weight lifting and flexibility exercises. It's a tad disheartening for me to go through a whole strength training circuit and not see that value reflected. I would prefer seeing the calories burned value in lieu of the SEAT SETTING.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 49.99
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Epinions.com ID:
jrennard
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Location: Northern California
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
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