I wrote a blog about what I think is one of the first skills to acquire along your health and fitness journey, or any goal for that matter. If you have the time, you can read it HERE.
I feel very strongly that awareness (w/out judgement) is the best skill to have. Without it, we aren’t really aware of the choices, behaviors, or habits we are choosing or not choosing to engage in.
The BEST way to increase our Awareness (w/out judgement) is through Self-Monitoring.
Because as we say in the fitness field, “What gets Measured….Gets Managed!”
I can tell you from my own personal experience that self-monitoring was one of the ways I reached my fat loss goals a couple of years ago. I was tracking my habits I was working on, doing weekly weigh-ins & circumference measurements, progress pics every 6 weeks, and measuring my body fat percentage every 8-10 weeks or so.
So what happened when I reached my goals…..I got LAZY w/ self-monitoring. I wasn’t weighing in or taking my measurements, & I started slipping on my mindful eating habits such as eating slow and to 80% full, etc.
I had some stressful events occur in my personal life over the last year and a half, and I’ve really been putting in some time with my blogging and my online business, which has decreased my activity level, and I’ve gained a few pounds from my leanest weight in 2013….I’d love to think that this is all muscle weight….HA! I wish! But, my jeans have been a little snugger, too. I’ve just been in a little bit of DENIAL, but I’m snapping out of it.
No judgement for me, I’m up a few pounds and it is what it is. I can change it by getting back to self-monitoring. I don’t want to be at my leanest weight like I was in 2013, as it takes a little bit too much restriction than I care to do right meow. But, I plan on focusing on fat loss instead of weight loss, so circumference measurements, progress pics, and fat loss percentage will be the main self-monitoring tools I will be using.
We tend to UNDER ESTIMATE our Caloric Intake and
OVER ESTIMATE our Caloric Expenditure!
So after seeing a few of the clients at the gym, and personal friends talk about the Fitbit Activity Tracker. I decided to take the leap and get one. This way I can be AWARE of and ACTUALLY KNOW how active I’m being from day to day, instead of just guessing.
We all know that a 1 hour workout a day isn’t enough, if we spend the rest of the day sitting at our desk, etc. It’s important to get up and move more in general. Our ancestors were way more active than we are today, logging almost 7-10 miles per day. That’s why I’ve incorporated daily walking on top of my structured exercise and workouts, and it decreases stress 😉
See the Small Product That Made a Huge Difference on My Fitness Journey
I decided to go with the Fitbit Charge Heart Rate…in PURPLE of course!
I love it so far, and I will say that without it, I would be less active. I make it a goal every day to log 10,000 steps, and honestly, you’d be surprised at how many days I have to make myself go out and get extra steps, even when I don’t feel like it.
I’m also enjoying the Fitbit App that comes with it that you can download on your smart phone and computer. It’s all syncable (<—–is that even a word?) through Blue Tooth.
I can track my food and water intake as well. Now, I’m not a big advocate for tracking calories, as a calorie doesn’t equal a calorie or tell you if you are eating healthy foods, but I do love it for seeing the ratios of my macronutrients. I like knowing how much protein, carbs, fiber, and fat I’m getting and what the percentage breaks down to.
Another bonus, it tracks your sleep patterns. It’s really cool to see how many hours you sleep per night, times when you wake up, and how restless you are. We all know sleep is a very important factor in keeping our hormones balanced and stress hormones down. This all plays a roll in our weight and fat loss goals, and for our over all health and well-being.
See if the Fitbit Activity Tracker could be a good tool for you to use to improve your self-monitoring HERE!
This will allow you to see the different models and prices and find out which one is the best for you! I believe that the Fitbit Flex is the most popular.
There are many different models, apps, and brands of activity trackers out there that can be a helpful tool and work just as well as the Fitbit. What ones do you like if you don’t have a Fitbit?
Happy Stepping & Self-Monitoring,
Tommie
P.S. Feel like joining me for a FREE Challenge that starts on 9/7/15 to increase the amount of steps you take per day? Find out more info and get signed up HERE!