I hijacked the blog for this post! haha! - Kara

Did any of you fall off the wagon this weekend?  I actually had a decent weekend-  I cheated Friday evening when I made homemade chocolate chip cookies for the kids in my house (it was worth every point deduction for those 2 cookies), so were the few scoops of cheese dip on Saturday night with my cold beer(s) oops... pizza on Sunday at Mellow Mushroom.

So it's Monday.... day 15 of  our challenge.  Monday is a hard day.  Back into routine.  Back into an early Crossfit, back to work, back to school.  Back to hungry!!!  But like many of you, I think okay back on the wagon...with the my zone diet. But I am so hungry.  On the days I stay diligent, my stomach wakes me up in the middle of the night...hungry.  I wake up in the morning...hungry.  I ate dinner at 6:15 and its 8:15 and guess what? i am hungry.  I have a whole knew appreciation for fasting, a whole new appreciation for those starving homeless children in Uganda that our church supports :), and i have a whole new appreciation for those people that diet and have to watch everything you eat.  You are amazing. This is the first time in my adult life that i have "dieted".   I have been a healthy eater for years (literally since college after gaining 25 pounds my freshman year and therefore, finding my passion for running)..but I didn't "diet"..I exercised and made healthy food choices.   And I loved it.  I still love it.

So now I am full circle.  My love for exercise has turned me into a zone dieter... I am dieting to be fitter and to have better performance at running and CrossFit...  odd...  But I am hungry.  And my performance is still off - I feel weak.  When is this new burst of fat burning energy going to kick in so that I can finally have a decent WOD again?  My clothes are definitely fitting me much looser (proof that zone is working or maybe it is just because I am literally just starving myself :) )but I am ready to see some results in my performance!

Longstreet and Waffle House

Put down the frying pans and head over to either of these places for Breakfast. You can easily follow the Zone at Waffle House or Longstreet. Bring your scale with you, who cares- I would make sure to look a little sweaty and be wearing a jogging suit just so people down think you are too crazy, just saying.

Longstreet has a buffet style breakfast which rocks. You can get eggs, grilled chicken, all types of fruit (Grapes, Strwberries, Melon..etc.). Don't forget you can do unfavorable carbs if you need too - it's not against the rules. 1/4 cup of grits is 1 block. It's funny, I can stay within my Block range at Longstreet no problem but I still feel guilty as hell after eating there...what's that about?

Clay Crocker

Any weight loss?

My wife is getting a little frustrated because she hasn't lost any weight yet. We did a little cheating this weekend but me more so than her. I have currently lost around 6 lbs, sorry ladies I know it's not fair but it's just easier for guys. Looking to hear back from anybody but especially the ladies. Some of you really didn't have very much to lose and are doing this for an increased performance standpoint but post what you can. Just comment to this article or start a new post. No one has posted anything yet besides me. Login with the username: zonechallenge@gmail.com and password:wodkilla.

Let's start talking! I'm proud of everyone but at the same time wondering how many people are secretly plotting my demise for getting all of this started.

Clay Crocker.

Chicken Parmesan - Sorry No pics

Well I would have done a bunch of pictures and provided detailed instructions but my kids were running around like drunken dwarfs last night so this one got thrown together without my camera handy.

Basically I did the same thing with the chicken to start with that I did for the Marsala recipe only I banged the tenderloins out flat with a meat hammer. Be sure and tear off a big piece of Saran Wrap and fold it up several times to make yourself a Shield to put over your chicken before you go all gansta on it with the hammer, this will save you picking the smashed chicken parts off the cabinets after the beatdown!

So brown the very lightly flour (or almond flour) dusted chicken in a little oil/butter in a non-stick pan. When that is browned set it aside, it doesn't have to be completely done cause its going in the oven. Then measure out the appropriate amount of marinara or spaghetti sauce (just Ragu) it's 1 block per half a cup. Put a little sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish, lay in your chicken and pour the rest of the sauce over the top of it. Use however much grated Mozzarella your diet blocks can stand, just a dash of Parm cheese for flavor and bake that thing till the cheese is golden brown.

Pretty fast and super good eatin'. You can do a lot with Ragu in a hurry and it's a good carb. We ate some english peas, a salad, and a cutie orange and we were good to go.


Clay

The 3 point meal made easy!

I know I'm driving you all nuts with this Paleokit thing but I mean it's just so damn perfect. You don't have to cook it, weigh it, measure it, keep it cold....It's the "Forever Lazy" of healthy eating! Best of all they taste good too. There are a few different flavors and my favorite is the Original. It takes a while to get used to all the different flavors of Srawberries, Cranberries, nuts and Jerky all hitting your mouth at the same time but once you process it it's fine.

Order a few to keep around in case of emergency. The small size is a 2 block meal and the large size is a 4 block. If you are a gal doing 3 blocks eat 3/4 of it for lunch and the rest a few hours later for a snack.

I would not recommend the Coconut version...nasty! Use the link below:

 http://stevesoriginal.com/store

Clay Crocker

Eat Your Greens

For those who like Collard Greens and hate to cook them this is GOLD! Usually you have to get a garbage bag size amount of fresh greens, cut some stems, wash them like 1000 times and cook them forever to get your Collard fix, not to mention all the fat back you throw in there to get them to taste good. Love greens, hate cooking them.

I found these and I am going through about 5 cans a week. They are seasoned perfectly and low on sodium. All you got to do is get them hot, takes about 3 minutes and they are ready to go. You can eat a ton of them too, I think 1 cup is right at a 1 block. This can also be helpful if you are at 2 1/2 blocks and  trying to finish out your meal.

The only thing these greens need is a little pepper sauce and they are good to go.

Clay Crocker

From David "The Baller" Ball

Y'all are my AA group for ZONE (I don't how to post to a blog, Master Yoda). Don't worry David, I'll do it for you!

My name is "state your name"...and I blew it today, falling off the wagon.  Had an earlier than usual WOD so skipped the am snack, had a late pm snack that I almost forgot to take (missing the 5 hour mark), and then the Queen made chicken & rice casserole that I couldn't measure or weigh, and I don't even know what this concoction had in it other than cream of mushroom and mayo and onions. 

Guess I met the protein block, but there's no way to know how many carbs it possessed, but it was way over my limit. 
The extra spoonfuls (damn, it was good)...and, the short glass of vino didn't help matters, did it?

So, how many deductions do I take? 1 or 11, the bottom of the form needs a Tech grad to decipher.  Can I buy vowel for going to one of Carrie's classes? - she's tough!

I'll get back on the wagon Friday.  Thanks for listening, I feel better already - db

Complaint time

Alright, I've heard some griping from a few of you guys already, lets get it all out. Use this post to talk about any issues you have encountered so far and we will see if we can work them out.

Starting a healthy eating program is much like starting a new exercise program, it's gonna suck for a little while until you and your body get used to the changes you are throwing at it. Most of us I'm sure are used to eating a lot more sugar than we are at the moment so it would make sense that our bodies need time to acclimate to the fuel change. You will and should feel sluggish for a few weeks, Your workouts will probably suffer a little until this transition occurs. From what I understand it is normal.

If anyone has any food logs that they would like me to take a look at I would be more than happy to do so. Let me know if I can help.

Clay Crocker

Flank Steak

A few years back I couldn't have told you what a Flank Steak was. They didn't serve them in many restaurants nor did I see them in any grocery stores. It is a different cut of steak where the grain runs all in one direction. The trick to eating it is to cut it across the grain when you serve it. It should be sliced cross grain and put on a plate, don't just lay a slab of it out to eat. If prepared and cut correctly it is very tender and one of my favorite ways to eat beef.

The other great thing about Flank Steak is there is no fat to trim. You get everything you pay for unlike rib eyes or strip steaks with a few ounces of fat that go directly in the garbage can you have paid a good $9 a lb for.

Correct way to Grill a Steak:
There is no need to drown any steak in liquid marinade overnight. Many of those marinades have tons of bad salt and preservatives that are unnecessary to bring out any flavor in the steak. What you need to do is to start with a steak at room temperature if possible (not the end of the world if it isn't but make sure it if fully thawed out, if parts of it are still frozen when you begin cooking it the steak will not cook evenly). The steak needs to be dry so pat it so with paper towels if needed. You can use whatever seasoning you like but in my opinion all that is ever needed is good old salt and pepper. Sprinkle each side with Sea Salt (not table salt, sea salt doesn't have the iodide) and ground black pepper. Really work it into the steak good, rub it and beat the heck out of it to get it as deep as you can. The only other thing you need to do to this steak is lightly brush it with CANOLA oil. Never use Olive oil for grilling, it is a low temperature oil and burns very easily, go for Canola (rape seed oil).

Just before you place the steak on the hot grill use an old rag or paper towels dipped in canola oil to wipe the grill racks down...prevents sticking of the meat and in time will almost make a sort of non stick surface on your grill. Throw the steaks on continue to sprinkle your seasoning at intervals as you cook. Every time you flip the steak have a stick of real butter with a little of the paper peeled back so you can rub it over the entire surface of the steak before it gets flipped again, this is what gives those restaurant quality steaks that golden brown color and tastes delicious. Don't worry about the added fat, most of it burns off but you are only going to be eating a few slices anyway (3-5 ounces).

Take the steak off earlier than you think! Almost every rookie griller or WOMAN (sorry ladies) tends to over cook steak on the grill. What happens is after you take a steak off the grill it continues to cook while it is resting. A medium cooked steak will usually transition to well done if left alone for 5-10 minutes sitting on a plate in your kitchen. Beef is safe to eat RARE, I suggest medium rare for any steak, that way when you have your left overs that need to be reheated later you won't turn them into little strips of Michelin's after heating them back up.

Flank steak is the most versatile cut of beef I know of. If you grill a large Flank Steak or two and use a little creativity you will be eating different delicious meals all week.
Slice it up for Salads
Eat with eggs in the morning
Great for Healthy tacos
Beef and Veggie stir fry
Lettuce Wraps
Use an ounce or two for your protein snacks
Add some to homemade vegetable soup for a perfect one course meal
GO CRAZY!

Clay Crocker

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner - Chicken Marsala the Zone way

I just worked my tail off coming up with this so you better try it and I want a full report on it later. I make a killer Chicken Marsala but the way I make it "traditionally" involves tons of butter/cheese/ flour and one of Gods greatest creations the Mashed Potato. I had to come up with a stripped down version of this at the same time tracking everything that went into it to precisely come up with the right amount of blocks for this meal...and it worked out perfectly. When I say I measured everything...I measured everything. Ladies and gentleman I actually measured the weight of a cup of flour for dredging then measure what was left of the flour to see exactly how much ended up on the chicken...22 grams to be exact and it is all accounted for....if you doubt me I will literally fashion a Voodoo doll to your likeness and stick away at it with pins! If you are wondering about the weight of the chicken it changes weight when cooked. I measured it after it was cooked and each piece averaged ~1.5 ounces.

Ingredients:
1 cup of flour (most of which will be tossed later)
1 lb 5 ounces frozen raw chicken tenderloins - should be 10 tenderloins
1 medium size package of sliced mushrooms - not the tiny one but the next one up
1   6 ounce pack of sliced portabella mushrooms
3/4 cup chicken broth - low sodium
3/4 cup Marsala cooking wine
1 3/4 tbl of butter
1/4 cup of grated mozz cheese
a few pinches of Parmesan - not enough to make a difference - simply for flavor
A small bunch of green onions - mostly for garnish, leave them off if you are freaky about counting them I didn't use them but a very small handful of chopped green onions doesn't COUNT!

Lightly Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour and shake off everything that will shake off. Melt one tbl spoon of butter in a large non stick skillet.Lightly brown all pieces of chicken in the butter on both sides then set aside on a plate. This will use every bit of the oil and leave some drippings/stickings in the pan..DON'T wash your pan, that's good stuff.

Melt last 3/4 tbl spoon of butter in a pan and add all of the mushrooms and cook them until they become soft and dark.When the Mushrooms look good throw the chicken back in the pan with them and add the Chicken Broth and Marsala Wine, and a dash of salt and pepper.

Go ahead and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Simmer everything for 10 minutes. When that is done tong out each piece of chicken into the bottom of a small casserole dish. Pour everything left in the pan over the top of the chicken. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of Mozz cheese over the top of it all and finish out with the onions if you want it pretty and a few sprinkles of Parm cheese..not much Parm, not even enough to worry about once you divide this up into five separate meals.Bake the dish at 450 for around 12-15 minutes depending on your oven, just keep a watch on the cheese on top and don't let it burn.

 

Here it where it worked out almost to perfect to believe. If you divide this evenly into 5 meals you get 3 blocks protein, 3 blocks Fat and 1 block Carbs. So take 5 small Tupperware container and place 2 pieces of chicken in each and then use a small soup ladle or big spoon and scoop out even amounts of the sauce into each. If you divide it into 3 meals you get 5 blocks of Pro, 5 blocks of Fat and roughly a little over 1.6 blocks of Carbs, You can make up for that by shorting another of your carb blocks that you will eat with the meal guys. If you want any other variation of blocks then you my friend will have to figure it out yourself!

I made simple asparagus to go with mine by just steam frying it for a few minutes in water only. However when I was done I realized how many things would have been better but Asparagus is what I had so that's what I used. Roasted Winter Squash or Roasted Sweet potatoes would have been killer, I think even Cauliflower would have been good. Any other carb you can think of that would take on a little of the sauce would be fantastic as that is what is so good about this meal....the sauce. So remember a lot of your blocks are in that sauce so lick up every bit of it left on that plate.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did,

Clay Crocker

We are underway!

I think it's gonna be the little things that make us successful at this whole challenge. Recipes are good and all and having someone to tell you exactly what to eat and when would be awesome but half the time I see a generic meal plan for the week at least half of the stuff on it is inedible to me. In my opinion simple is going to be best, keep meals simple with few ingredients and things will be a lot easier to keep track of. Not being a very organized person (like myself) is going to be a super challenge to overcome so I am trying to find anything that will help keep me stay on task. Here are a few things that I have come up with that may take a little stress out of your life for the next few weeks.

Make use of Technology:
Just about everyone has a smart phone...so let it be smart. I will get busy with work and life and forget to eat my snacks or be super late eating my lunch, both of which can derail an otherwise perfect day. Use your phone's calendar app or alarm clock and set it to remind you when it's lunch time/snack time. Do the same thing with water, we need to be getting 1/2 a gallon...that's a lot of water. Have your phone ding you every hour or so and then go down a big glass and be done.

Also there are tons of apps for these phones that can be useful. I found one for the IPhone called IZone. It has tons of foods pre-loaded in it and gives you a block count for each. It works like a calculator in that you can adjust the grams of any food source and it tells you instantly what your blocks will be for that food. There are also good food log apps which allow you to track what you are eating for every meal instead of keeping up with an extra pad and pen all day. Do some searches and find out if there are any apps that may help you achieve your goals but be sure and check the user reviews as there are some crappy apps out there.

Perfect Hydration:
Most of the Juice jugs like apple juice that you buy from the grocery store come in a 64 ounce container. Save one of them and fill it every night before you go to bed so it is cold and ready to go for the next day. Take the guess work out of measuring cups of water and keeping track of how many you've drank. Just be sure and get through that 64 ounce juice jug full of water each day and you can get your extra point.

Cook enough for two:
There aren't many times you will be cooking single serving meals. Make sure and prepare enough at one time to have the next day for a lunch meal. For that matter make a ton of something especially if it's something you like and freeze it if needed. I use one of those food saver vacuum seal machines. They aren't very expensive and you can seal up most anything in one of the bags and freeze it. When I am ready to eat it again I simply boil a big pot of water and toss the bag in the pot and boil till thawed and hot all the way through. The food is surprisingly fresh this way as it doesn't get dried out like reheating things in an oven can do.

Keep it simple:
There is no need to try and rack your brain to come up with totally new and exciting things to eat every meal. Find around 5-6 things you like for each breakfast, lunch and dinner and just eat them on a rotation. I sat down and made lists of possible things to eat. I first started with a Carb/Protein/Fat list. I chose foods that I enjoy and left the ones off that I knew I really didn't like to eat, this is going to be hard enough without trying to choke down plates of broccoli (which I hate) just because I know it's healthy. Then I started 3 meals list one for Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner. I pulled from my 1st lists and made complete meals that fit my block scheme. I only have around 5-7 meals for each which is fine. Lastly I took stock of what I already had at the house and constructed a very definite Menu for the entire week. This way I can make an exact grocery list of what I will need for the next few days. Be precise so you don't waste money at the grocery store. When this week is up I may repeat the same list or if there were a few meals I didn't really enjoy I will try and find substitutes for them. I have chosen Sundays for my experimental days. I will use Sunday afternoon to recipe hunt and see if I can come up with something fun to add to my meal list.

If you simply shop for healthy foods and think you can just shoot from the hip in preparing meals and tracking all this crap you are gonna LOSE! You HAVE to meal plan...plain and simple. Thinking you can come up with this stuff on the fly is the quickest way to end you up waiting in a Wendy's Drive Thru lane...I've been there and done that!

Clay Crocker

Big Breasts

Boneless/skinless chicken breasts available at the grocery store tend to always be to big to cook quickly, at least I have found this to be the case. I always take out the fileting knife, lay them out flat and slice them through the middle from one end to the other essentially butterflying them but I make 2 pieces of out 1 breast.

I cooked a batch of them Monday that I had marinated over night in some sort of organic oil based salad dressing and a little sea salt and pepper. Instead of going to the grill I got a deep frying pan with a lid and started with a few drops of Canola oil, not much because they were covered in dressing anyway and lightly browned both sides before adding some Coconut milk turning the heat down and putting the lid on them to finish cooking them through. The milk kept them from drying out and gave them a nice flavor.

What I should have done is throw some mushrooms and onions in there with them from the beginning and let that caramelize. Anytime you are cooking in a frying pan little pieces of this and that will burn and stick to the pan...that's good stuff. Give that a sprinkle of white wine and it will loosen it all up and add tons of flavor to whatever you are cooking. Then I should have added my Coconut milk and let it finish. Hindsight...

Clay

Steamed Shrimp for an easy Protien

Who doesn't love shrimp? The only thing I like better than shrimp is eating it and not having to cook it. Kroger (and I assume most other grocery stores) sells one particular size of shrimp for $4.99 per lb. That is cheaper than beef and probably cheaper than most good brands of boneless/skinless chicken. At your request Kroger will also steam them for you at no charge while you shop, ask for the cajun seasoning it is good. Shrimp in the Zone is great too because you can have 1 1/2 ounces per block unlike most other meat. Get it steamed take it home and break out the scales.

Dinner idea:
Appropriate amount of steamed shrimp.
Take whatever veggies you have prepped up, onions, peppers, winter squash, shallots, asparagus, mushrooms etc. Drizzle with olive oil and Mrs. Dash and roast them in the oven.
Throw in an apple and the right amount of Pecans to finish out the fat blocks and you're good.

Easy on the Salt

Someone other than me will have to tell you why you need to lay low on the salt...I'm just not that smart but I know too much is a bad thing.
Seasoning meat and vegetables with things like Dales or Soy sauce makes them taste great but the sodium content of those marinades are up there. Get a can of Mrs. Dash, zero salt and it kicks up most anything I have ever tried it on. Salads, veggies, meats and fish can use a little of this stuff and you will stay 100% salt FREE.

Clay

Oh the Frustration

If any of you have started researching this or even starting to eat by the rules you probably have figured out this whole thing is going to be slightly difficult. Trying to stick to a true Paleo/Zone meal every time you eat is going to be near impossible (that would be Zone Portions with only Paleo approved foods). DON'T get frustrated with this. From what I have gathered from the Crossfit Community the portion control of "Zoning" seems to be more important to most of the Athletes than sticking to a strict Paleo diet where the portions are unlimited. Don't beat yourself up after having a sandwich or pasta as long as you stick to the portion size for the meal you will still be in the zone and you will be doing fine....I promise.

Clay Crocker

Dried Apples - Oven Style

Apples are a great food to use in the Zone for meals and snacks. They travel well and keep a long time but I can get bored with just about any food. I love me some cinnamon too so last night I decided to try and make some partially dehydrated cinnamon apples and it turned out not so bad..

I took around 10 apples peeled them then used one of those handheld Corer/slicer tools (couldn't have cost more than $5) and wedged out all of the apples. What you do next is get 2 mixing bowls and fill 1 with water and a few table spoons of lemon juice - this will help keep the apples from browning after they are sliced up. I dipped the apple pieces in the lemon juice and then put them in the other bowl which I used to sprinkle them up with cinnamon. Next I spread the apples out on top of cookie drying racks that I placed on top of cookie sheets to catch any drippings (which there wasn't much if any) and put them in the oven overnight at around 150-175 degrees. I left them in all night while I slept and the results weren't to bad. I think my heat was a little more like 200 so they were drier than I would have liked but still pretty good. They will make great quick snacks and I can keep some with me in the truck in case I have to stop and pickup a protein from some crappy fast food joint....we do what we can.

Clay Crocker

Prep Day

One of the quickest ways to derail this whole challenge isn't your lack of will power to keep you from ordering that large Chic-Filet shake with extra whipped cream but it will be the lack of time you provide yourself with preparing your meals. Eating in the Zone isn't necessarily hard but it is time consuming. You need to maximize any free time that you have be it weekends or a day during the week where you aren't running kids to and from practice or gymnastics. Plan your trip to the grocery store and as soon as you get home start your prep.

I find it very useful to go ahead a "block" out some foods and have them ready to go in your fridge. In those plastic bags in the picture I have portioned out blocks of strawberries, blueberries and watermelon. You can do the same with any kind of nuts, jerky or dry food and then just throw them in the pantry. As soon as I buy a large 1lb bag of beef jerky it immediately gets broken down into small sandwich bags so that it doesn't take me anytime to grab my lunch box and quickly throw together an a la carte zone meal in a HURRY.

Other things that I prep are raw veggies. I will take 5 or so onions, peppers, zucchini..etc  and go ahead and peel and slice them up and throw them in separate container to store in the fridge so it doesn't take me near the time to prepare a stir fry at night or a breakfast casserole for the weekend. The other upside to this is the clean up.

Be creative, get the grill hot and cook some chicken breasts and then break out the scales separate them in YOUR block number servings, zip lock them and have them ready to go. It takes a little while to do this once but you will save a ton of time measuring  and cleaning in the long run.

Clay Crocker

Salad on the GO

 My wife turned me on to a neat idea for preparing salads for when you are going to be on the go. All you will need is a mason jar, the kind used in canning vegetables. First put your salad dressing in the bottom of the jar. Next put your meat such as grilled chicken.Then put a layer of your vegetables (onions, peppers, cucumbers, mushrooms..etc). Lastly put all of your greens on top of all of this and secure the lid.

If you pack your salads this way it will:

1. keep you from having to have a separate container for your dressing.

2. Since the lettuce is on top of all of the other stuff in your salad
you will not have to worry about the "greenery" getting all mushy
and wilted.


When you are ready for your salad just give the jar a good shaking then pour it all on a styro plate and start eating.

Thanks Dana...I knew all that web surfing at night would pay off eventually!

Clay Crocker

Don't Always Over Think Your Meals

Many times I am in a rush to get something packed up to head out of the door to work or possibly a long car ride I must make with nothing between me and my destination except the hundreds of fast food joints littering up the landscape. While it's nice to have a real "meal" that you have spent time cooking with all of your special ingredients sometimes we need something decent in a HURRY..... Hello "Boars Head".

Boars Head makes a nice selection of some of the finest deli meats on the market. I often get a pound of their over Roast Beef. It's not a bunch of pieces-parts all mashed up into a big round ball of beefy like stuff, it's actually a roast of beef. Get it sliced thin and just measure out however many ounces you need for your Zone Meal and viola..protien problem solved.

Quick lunch 3 Block Meal:
3 Ounces of Boars Head Roast Beef
a little bit of horseradish sauce for dipping
1 apple
1 large dill pickle
(the horseradish sauce is simply mayo and horseradish so that should give you all the fat you need for the meal)

The Lara Bar

As far as I have found their are not many bars that would be considered Paleo/Zone approved. Their is a bar on the market called a "Zone Perfect" bar which looks to me to be a slightly more healthy candy bar. The "lara" bar while not packed with protein if perfect for on the go snacks or meals. If you look at the ingredient list on one of these bars you will be suprised to see only around 3-5 ingredients, usually some combination of nuts, dates and berries. They have all you need for carb and fat blocks so just add a little beef jerky and you have a great snack.

1 1/2 block Snack
1/2 of a lara block
1 ounce of jerky (this is not very much so be careful)

Everyone needs a scale

You can't even think about starting this challenge without a kitchen scale. You may pick one up at Bed Bath and Beyond or any such store that sells kitchen equipment. I am sure you can get one for under $20. Nothing fancy is needed, I have been using mine for a few years now and haven't even had to replace the batteries. I will pick a few up from somewhere and have them available for purchase at the gym for whatever they cost to buy.