Tag: Fitbit

Life Without A Fitbit {Hint: I’m Surviving Juuuuuust Fine}

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Tracking devices can be a really great thing, but, as I’ve mentioned before, they can also be something that cause us to be a little TOO obsessed with numbers and tracking. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure how I would do with the Fitbit. Would I be too obsessed with hitting my numbers? Would I be too obsessed with checking my stats throughout the day? Would I force movement on myself just to hit the 10K even on days when I just wanted to relax on the couch?

Luckily, the Fitbit had the effect on me that I think is the goal of the Fitbit: it opened my eyes to how sedentary we can be on a daily basis and it helped me get in some extra movement- without making me TOO obsessed with getting my steps in. I loved how it tracked my sleep, I loved how I could track my movement (especially on non-workout days and when traveling) and I loved how I could track my workouts in the workout log. In other words, I became kind of attached to my Fitbit, so when it died on me about a month ago, I have to say I was pretty bummed out.

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How was I going to know how much movement I was getting in? How could I see my stats from day to day and week to week? How could I know how well (or not well) I was sleeping?

Crazy, right?
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7 Ways To Increase Your FitBit Steps {and general daily movement}

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Good morning! Can you believe we are getting pounded with MORE SNOW today? While up in Vermont over the weekend, RM and I were talking about how much better the snow is when you don’t live in the city. I love winter and love snow but living in the city and having to deal with parking and snow removal has literally made me want to move away! With that said, please make sure to stay warm and dry this week- and be careful shoveling! If you need workouts to do, but can’t get to a gym, I’ve got lots on my “At Home/ No Equipment Necessary” page, as well as the Kitchen Chair Workout I posted last week.

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A few weeks ago, I wrote a post talking about tracking devices and asked you guys what you thought of them. Do they make us crazy? Are they good for motivation? Is there a time and place to use these devices? I really loved reading all of your comments regarding this topic, and since it seems as though there are a number of you who thought they are helpful and a good way to hold you accountable, I thought I’d share some tips for how I try to get my daily steps in.

I’ve always thought of myself as an active person; I’m always thinking about ways I can move more and never get really find myself sitting for hours on end. I just enjoy moving, but I have to admit that there are days where it’s hard for me to meet my 10K steps goal… especially if I don’t work out. Even though I’ve been pretty good about not obsessing over my Fitbit and my steps, it’s still fun for me to try and think of ways I can get more steps, ultimately leading me to be more active. And, the beauty of these tips/ideas is that even if you don’t wear a Fitbit, they can still help you get more movement in, which is never a bad thing 😉 I know some of these are common sense things, but sometimes life, shortcuts and laziness get in the way and we forget about little things that can add up and make a big difference.

Park far from the door

This tip has been around for ages, but that’s because it’s a good one! I’ve realized that if I park at the back of the parking lot, I easily get in at least 500 more steps than if I parked in the first spot.

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All about the numbers: Are tracking devices driving us crazy?!

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Has anyone else noticed how much we are encouraged to track EVERYTHING lately?

– We’ve got heart rate monitors to track our beats per minute during exercise, which correlates to total calorie burn

– We’ve got running watches to track our distance, pace, calories, etc.

– We’ve got apps galore! Ones to track our runs, our workouts, to provide us with workouts, to track our food intake and calories

– We’ve got devices to track our steps

…. the list goes on, right?! I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I have or have had/used most of these. I was slightly addicted to my heart rate monitor while it worked- I loved seeing how high my heart rate would get and how many calories I burned in my workouts. Even worse? I loved sharing those high calorie burning workouts on Instagram!

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I’m Back!

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Well hello, there! Remember me? I used to write a blog fairly consistently…. 😉 I have to say, not blogging at all last week was exactly what I needed. It was so nice to detach myself a bit from social media and taking pictures and things like that. And, now I have so many posts I want to write- luckily I’m off from work this week and will hopefully have time to get them drafted.

How were your holidays? Anything fun planned for New Years Eve? Anyone else off all week? I’ve never had a “staycation”, but so far, I’m totally digging it! Let’s recap over the past week- lots of celebrations between RM’s birthday and Christmas!

To celebrate RM’s actual birthday (I threw him his surprise party a few days earlier), I took him to Eastern Standard, which is one of our favorite places. We snagged two seats at the bar and ordered up some drinks. Not only was it his birthday, but it was also the start of my very long “staycation”.

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We had a delicious meal of a pork dish, steak frites, bone marrow and oysters. Finished off with some birthday bread pudding and we pretty much rolled ourselves out of the restaurant 😉

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We woke up on Christmas Eve and both had a bunch of things to do- he was picking up his new car (so funny we both got new cars right around the same time!) and I had to get my new watch fixed and pack for Maine. I listened to Christmas music the whole way and totally got  in the mood- match that with some bubbly and a Christmas apron and I was full on festive!

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Every Christmas Eve we throw a little party- we make homemade pizza’s, dad makes his tourtiere, people bring lots of food and we drink plenty of bubbly. I didn’t take any photos except for food and one of me- classic- but we had a good crowd!

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Christmas morning we awoke to crappy, rainy weather, but we made the best of it.

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My parents got me some fun things like new rain boots, sweaters, hair products, a Veggetti and some other random things. My sister got me a sick Reebok jump rope, Kate Spade earrings and a 3 month Birch Box subscription- have any of you done that? Roberto totally spoiled me and got me a Michael Kors watch, a Fitbit, perfume and slippers- incredibly thoughtful!

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On Friday, I hit up the gym and did Athena’s Chimney Workout followed by some supersets (will post them for you later!) before calling it a day. Athena- LOVED the workout! Post gym, I picked up RM at the train station and we did a few things before heading to my parents. We exchanged gifts (he got an LL Bean flannel! and he got my parents an Olive Tree adoption- more on that later) and had a delicious Cornish hen dinner.

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We headed back to MA on Saturday and RM and I did some returns in the city, lunch at Granary Tavern and a quiet night in with reading and a movie. Our book club book this month is Unbroken- have you heard of it or read it? I’m not a fan of anything army or military related (I know- sounds crazy, but it scares me), but so far, I’m totally hooked on the book!

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I was able to spend all Sunday at my apartment puttering, putting things away, cleaning and relaxing- it was wonderful! After an unseasonably warm run, RM and I went to Santarpios for dinner. He’s starting the Whole 30 diet/detox on January 1, so we are really living it up until then. I’m planning on doing that diet about 80% of the time.. we’ll see how it goes!

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Andddd phew! If you made it, thank you. I had so many pictures to share! I will be announcing the Happy, Healthy, Fit challenge winners tomorrow- thanks to all of you who participated!! Also on the dock this week is a recap of 2014, looking forward to 2015 and maybe even a workout? I’ve got about 3 or 4 workouts lined up for you 🙂

Questions for you: How were your holidays? What was the best part? Have you read Unbroken? Are you on vacation this week? What are your New Years Eve plans?