One Step at a Time
Bite This: It takes approximately 10,000 steps to walk 5 miles.
I have been MIA lately mostly because I time traveled to the 80's for a while, but also because I've been out...walking. I've been increasing my walking recently, mostly because my early birthday present from my dear husband was a Fitbit One. If you haven't heard of a Fitbit, you definitely will. These little devices can make a big impact on your health.
I have mentioned a couple of times that my job consists of helping women lose weight. One of the tools we give them is a pedometer which they use to track the number of steps they take each day. At the end of the day they write that number down and at the end of the week they send that number to me. We tell them to aim for 70,000 steps per week which amounts to approximately 5 miles or 10,000 steps per day. Sounds easy right?
At least that's what I thought until I actually started keeping track...
The first day I owned this device was a weekend day, so getting in as many steps as possible was slightly easier than it is at work. So on the first day I used it, it tracked over 15,000 steps. Piece of cake - well, after a long walk with the dog, a run, cleaning the house, etc. The next day at work, when I glanced down to see how well I am mastering this walking thing, I was disappointed to learn that I had only taken 2,000 steps that day. And it was almost four o'clock. Oops!
My point, and the point of this device, is to try to get you off your ass and get moving! And it works! It makes me think after 30 minutes of sitting that I should really get up and do something if not for my health, then for the sake of breaking my record number of steps in a day.
Recently, there has been a lot research and many news articles about how sitting, and sedentary behavior in general, is almost as bad for you (if not as bad for you) as smoking. This idea has really taken off, so not only is there Fitbit, but many other companies such as Sketchers and Nike have similar products with the same concept.
The cool thing about the Fitbit One (there's also the Fitbit Zip, Fitbit Force, and the Fitbit Flex) is that it tracks many things relating to health besides your activity level, including calories consumed vs calories burned and your sleep efficiency. (Turns out I am not a good sleeper....at all.) These things are important to know about yourself because they make you more aware of your habits. Sleep deficiency is a very common concern and can lead to many health conditions including being overweight.
Having a Fitbit this week has definitely made me more conscious of my sitting time. It's also likely made me much more annoying; "Hey, I've taken 5,000 steps today." "Hey, I've walked up 10 floors today." "Hey, guess what? I earned another badge for making it to 10,000 steps." "Hey, I bet I take more steps than you." "Hey, I bet I am cooler than you."
To continue that annoying-ness and bragging about my walking capabilities, so far my record in the first week happened today - 24,416 steps by 5:30 pm. That was after a 4 mile walk with my dog, a 5 mile run, an hour long hike, and 2 beers. I only did all of that so that I could tell you about it.
Sound bite: If you have a job which makes you sedentary, like mine, take one day this week and make a conscious effort to get up at least one time per hour. If you are constantly on your feet already, great job! Now add in an intense workout and you've got it made.
I have been MIA lately mostly because I time traveled to the 80's for a while, but also because I've been out...walking. I've been increasing my walking recently, mostly because my early birthday present from my dear husband was a Fitbit One. If you haven't heard of a Fitbit, you definitely will. These little devices can make a big impact on your health.
I have mentioned a couple of times that my job consists of helping women lose weight. One of the tools we give them is a pedometer which they use to track the number of steps they take each day. At the end of the day they write that number down and at the end of the week they send that number to me. We tell them to aim for 70,000 steps per week which amounts to approximately 5 miles or 10,000 steps per day. Sounds easy right?
At least that's what I thought until I actually started keeping track...
The first day I owned this device was a weekend day, so getting in as many steps as possible was slightly easier than it is at work. So on the first day I used it, it tracked over 15,000 steps. Piece of cake - well, after a long walk with the dog, a run, cleaning the house, etc. The next day at work, when I glanced down to see how well I am mastering this walking thing, I was disappointed to learn that I had only taken 2,000 steps that day. And it was almost four o'clock. Oops!
My point, and the point of this device, is to try to get you off your ass and get moving! And it works! It makes me think after 30 minutes of sitting that I should really get up and do something if not for my health, then for the sake of breaking my record number of steps in a day.
Recently, there has been a lot research and many news articles about how sitting, and sedentary behavior in general, is almost as bad for you (if not as bad for you) as smoking. This idea has really taken off, so not only is there Fitbit, but many other companies such as Sketchers and Nike have similar products with the same concept.
The cool thing about the Fitbit One (there's also the Fitbit Zip, Fitbit Force, and the Fitbit Flex) is that it tracks many things relating to health besides your activity level, including calories consumed vs calories burned and your sleep efficiency. (Turns out I am not a good sleeper....at all.) These things are important to know about yourself because they make you more aware of your habits. Sleep deficiency is a very common concern and can lead to many health conditions including being overweight.
Having a Fitbit this week has definitely made me more conscious of my sitting time. It's also likely made me much more annoying; "Hey, I've taken 5,000 steps today." "Hey, I've walked up 10 floors today." "Hey, guess what? I earned another badge for making it to 10,000 steps." "Hey, I bet I take more steps than you." "Hey, I bet I am cooler than you."
To continue that annoying-ness and bragging about my walking capabilities, so far my record in the first week happened today - 24,416 steps by 5:30 pm. That was after a 4 mile walk with my dog, a 5 mile run, an hour long hike, and 2 beers. I only did all of that so that I could tell you about it.
Sound bite: If you have a job which makes you sedentary, like mine, take one day this week and make a conscious effort to get up at least one time per hour. If you are constantly on your feet already, great job! Now add in an intense workout and you've got it made.
how does it track your sleep?
ReplyDeleteApparently by wearing the tracker on your non-dominant wrist at night, it measures your sleep quality by tracking how many times you are restless and how many times you wake up. I am guessing it measures this by tracking the movement of your arm. It also measures for how long you were restless and how long you were awake. I am still not convinced this is entirely accurate because I know I was awake from 3:30 am to about 4:30 am this morning and my tracker said I was awake for 7 minutes. Despite that, it still gives you a fairly good picture of the quality of your sleep.
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