My Mommyology

Learning from Motherhood.

Fit (and Healthy), Bit by Bit

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My husband gifted me with a Fitbit Charge HR for my last birthday.

Yay! Happy birthday to me!

Yay! Happy birthday to me!

I’d been curious about the Fitbit for quite sometime, after seeing my fitness-conscious brother and the rest of my family “compete” for the most number of steps on a daily basis.

Initially, I thought the Fitbit was just a sophisticated pedometer.  Now that I have mine, I realize it’s so much more.  And I dare say — I love it!  It’s been over a month since I started wearing it everyday, and now I feel like I can’t do without it.

The features in a nutshell.

The features in a nutshell.

Here’s my take on it.  For one to appreciate the Fitbit (and it’s product variants, like the Charge HR), you’d have to be…. un-fit. 😉 (I mean that in the most harmless way possible! )  It’s really no use to triathletes, or people like my brother who train for capoeira everyday.  But for people like me who’ve been trying to get back in shape for quite sometime, I’d say it’s a helpful tool.

For my opinion, it is this:  The Fitbit Charge HR brings a greater daily awareness to my lifestyle habits, and allows me to set concrete goals towards the change I aim to achieve.

My husband calls it my very own personal trainer, that’s attached to me 24/7 (except when it’s charging for 2 hours, which happens every 3-4 days for me).  Because I’m the type who cannot stand, not meeting a personal goal!

Come the girls’ bedtime, if I see that I’m 2,476 steps away from the daily 10,000, I start to jog up and down our little hallway.  Sam has caught marching up and down while she read RazKids in the room and she couldn’t stop laughing.

I’ve also become more conscious about exercising regularly, which has really been a challenge for me since we moved.  When I exercise, 10,000 steps is easy.  But now I know — I need to move more!  So instead of sitting down outside the Kumon center while the girls are inside, I walk or jog around the neighboring community.  When I can’t exercise, I vacuum the apartment, much to my husband’s surprise (because vacuuming was a task that I dubbed was his).  The apartment feels much cleaner, I get my steps, and everyone wins.

I’m also conscious of how much water I take in — which wasn’t much apparently during my pre-Fitbit days.  And we all know how essential 8 glasses of water is on a daily basis!

The report from my Fitbit Dashboard.

The report from my Fitbit Dashboard.

The other thing I do now is count calories.  In Manila, I honestly found this very tedious, but here — everything has some form of calorie count.  And if it’s not already on the internet, it’s easy to find.  So my Fitbit Charge HR allows me to keep track of the calories I burn, and at the very least, I try not to take in more than that.  It’s great because I’ve not given up on sweets totally, but I’ve learned to eat them more in moderation.  And when I have some calories leftover, I have the occasional glass of wine. 😉

It also keeps track of my heart rate.  I think that’s how it measures how many calories one burns.  I like seeing the difference during the day and over the course of time (given the recorded history).

Another thing:  the Fitbit Charge HR makes me less dependent on my iPhone for three things.  The first is time.  I’d always whip out or carry my iPhone in one hand because I wanted to check the time.  I was never a watch person to begin with.  But with this Fitbit on my wrist, I just tap it thrice to get the time.

The second is its caller ID function.  My husband’s biggest frustration is that I always keep my phone on silent, and I never hear it when he calls.  Because the Fitbit Charge HR syncs with my computer and my phone, it vibrates when someone calls me, and their name pops up on my wrist!  So I don’t need to take my phone off silent mode, and I don’t miss any of my husband’s calls.  Again, a win-win situation.

As you can see, I haven't been getting much sleep lately, and apparently I made up for it last night!

As you can see, I haven’t been getting much sleep lately, and apparently I made up for it last night!

The third is my sleep pattern.  I used to manually record my sleep patterns on the iPhone’s built-in Health App.  I didn’t like it much because it required I remember or estimate the time I went to bed and the time I woke up.  Sometimes though while putting the girls to sleep, I fall asleep myself — and I don’t check the time.  With my Fitbit Charge HR on my wrist, it can tell exactly when I fell asleep, when I woke up, and how many good hours of sleep I got that night.

Seeing how attached I am to my Fitbit, my husband has decided to get one for himself.  And because of that plan, we’ve decided to invest in the Aria weighing scale, another smart product extension by Fitbit.

My favorite weighing scale to date.

My favorite weighing scale to date.

The scale also syncs with the device and the internet, and can calculate one’s BMI and fat percentage.  It can track as many as 8 people’s personal stats.  You just need to input this into the dashboard when you set up.  The scale knows when it’s me, and can sense how far or near I am to my weight loss goal.

I’m also amused by the system of encouragement Fitbit has set in place.  I get alerts on my phone, and helpful tips on the newsletters, and badges when I achieve something!  I haven’t earned a badge in a while, so I am motivated to keep trying (My, I sound like a Girl Scout.  Now I understand how Sam feels about those badges!)

So can I officially call myself a penguin?!

So can I officially call myself a penguin?!

I am happy to report a little bit of progress on the weight loss goals.  I understand it’s slow given that several lifestyle changes still need to be made (and by golly gee, it’s hard!).  But it’s a start… and at least I know I’m on the right track! 😉

Author: mymommyology

I am the mom that I am because of my two wonderful little girls. They teach me everyday.

One Comment

  1. Pingback: My First 10K |

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