Something Has to Change

Last July, I distinctly remember when I got fed up with how I was feeling physically (which was lousy, by the way). While I had to be somewhat forgiving because I had just had a baby in May, my baby weight was barely budging and my energy level was in the toilet. I knew that I had really poor eating habits and I also knew that I had the exercise routine of sloth. I was SOOO sedentary.

So I got my butt over to the gym that we have a free membership to (and have for 2 years…don’t ask me how many times I visited previously…you can probably guess). And I signed up for the Zumba class. Which ROCKED, by the way. I absolutely adored it!

And even though I do NOT enjoy walking or running, I challenged myself to just get started and see what I could accomplish over time. I took it VERY slow, but that worked well for me. I ran (er, walked) 2-3 times each week for 2 months and went from barely being able to run for 30 seconds at a time (sloth, seriously you guys) to being able to run for 2 minutes at a stretch without dying.

For me, that was HUGE!!!! I thought I was genetically programmed to not be able to run at all. Not joking. It is so hard for me for some reason. So it was a major milestone to work up to that point, even though I know for many, that’s where they start when they are “out of shape.”

I’d like to be able to tell you that at this point I can run for 10 minutes without stopping. But here’s the truth: life got really busy in the fall and for a variety of reasons, I didn’t put my health first. It was all too easy to let my trips to the gym slide.

And I’ll just come clean now: I haven’t been to the gym, or to my beloved Zumba class in over 3 months.

Sad face.

Get Back Up

But guess what? Just because I messed up doesn’t mean I don’t have the opportunity to get off my rear end and try again. I can mess up countless times, but what matters more than anything is that I DON’T GIVE UP. EVER.

And if you ever need to put your journey into perspective, check out what this guy did:

I don’t know about you, but that motivates me like crazy!!!

My Fitness Partner

So I’ve been starting slow again, but you’ve got to start somewhere, right? And along with me on the journey to better physical fitness is the Fitbit One. This little device clips onto my pants at the waist and tracks my every move, literally! It keeps up with the number of steps I have taken, the number of flights of stairs I have climbed and the calories I have burned.

But this isn’t just another pedometer, folks. It wirelessly syncs up with my computer when I am near it and keeps detailed records for me online. I can log onto my FitBit dashboard and even record other information, like my current weight. I also think it is really cool that you can enter information about how long you sleep and what you ate and it can keep a more holistic record of what is going on in your life and where you might need to be a bit more intentional (perhaps, for example. you think you are getting 8 hours of sleep each night but you are really only getting 6 1/2). Perhaps you think you are eating a sensible diet but you are actually snacking ALL. DAY. LONG. (totally guilty of that one).

Here’s a screenshot of my dashboard (first thing in the morning before I attached my FitBitOne for the day, so nothing is tracked just yet).

I seriously love this, you guys. I have goals! And there are lots of different goals, instead of just one. So the focus isn’t strictly on calorie intake or calorie burn, nor is it strictly on walking a certain number of steps. It is the whole picture, and that is really helpful. Even if I can’t meet the daily or weekly goal in every area, perhaps I can have success in one or two. Any success is a good thing, indeed!

FitBitOne knows me by name, and even greets me when I pick it up. And it will let me know if I need to get moving. I have found it to truly motivate me, and have suggested family walks based on the fact that my FitBitOne showed how few steps I had actually taken in a day. A walk REALLY helped my numbers, by the way!

It also has shown me that when I get in a cleaning mood at home, I really get a workout. Last weekend, for example, Tim and I hired a babysitter so that we could get some serious housework done uninterrupted. In a span of 3 hours I climbed 23 flights of stairs (we have a 2 story house) and walked 10,000 steps. Boom! That really does make me feel a little more inclined to clean, and that’s a good thing all around!

More than anything else, I’m finding the FitBitOne to really improve my awareness of my activity level. When I can see with my own eyes that I have only moved 20% of the daily recommended amount at the end of the day, then there’s no denying that I need to make some changes to my lifestyle. Simply removing the chocolate from the pantry isn’t going to change too much (although that is probably a good idea to do, as well!). I need to MOVE! Thanks to FitBitOne, I’m moving again.

And this weekend, I’m hiring a babysitter again for a few hours to get some work done. But this time, I’m headed to the gym as part of the important work I need to accomplish.

What about you? Are you struggling to get moving? Do you feel unsure if you are active enough in your day-to-day life? Do you have a fitness routine that is working for you? Anyone else out there rockin’ the FitBitOne? 

I received a complimentary product to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.