Flexing with Fitbit

On my weekend in the city I purchased a new Fitbit Flex. I did have a Fitbit Zip but that died a long time ago. At first I thought it was simply a battery issue, however it seemed like it was an issue with the zip device itself. So I have been without a Fitbit or other device to help me in getting fit and slinky.

I was using my phone but due to having iPhone 4s the battery is not lasting and you can do one thing and it powers down, regardless if I have 70% battery power! I will get a new phone one day but have to wait currently. So imagine my excitement when I replaced my much loved Fitbit Zip with my new bright coloured (Yes it is pink!) Fitbit Flex.

The Flex is great. It is just like a bracelet or more like a watch band. You forget you are wearing it. It is much better than the Zip. The Zip I had to clip onto my bra, top of my t-shirt or put in my pocket. I was lucky that I never washed it and of course had to check that it was not in any clothes before I did the wash.

What does the Flex do?

• Syncs to the Fitbit app by WiFi, either on your desktop computer or via your phone or tablet
• Count your steps
• Calories burned
• Distance traveled
• Hours slept
• Quality of your sleep
• You can add in your food and water consumed and much more

You can change the colour of the band for the Fitbit and make it more you. The Flex came with two bands, one bigger and one smaller. Surprisingly I fit into the smaller one and according to hubby I am the same as the twins. Have very skinny wrists. At least my wrists are skinny…. now for the rest of me!

I am still figuring all the Fitbit Flex out and it is still new. I am still learning about the alarms and the sleep modes…. I have yet to set up the alarm but need to figure out if I am doing something wrong. I might be as Sunday my Flex was in sleep mode for half the day and I had no idea what the dots were telling me. If your Flex has 2 dots on the left and 2 dots on the right that flash either side and keep doing so. You are in sleep mode. Double tap to get out of sleep mode. It should vibrate and show the dots to let you know you are no longer in sleep mode.

 

Yesterday I made it to just over 10,000 steps so that was a great achievement and today I have reached, 13, 676 steps so far. No wonder I am sitting here wanting to go to bed. I am so tired and all I have been doing is housework today.

I have done a record amount of laundry and it was helped with the fact it is hot and extremely windy. The washing has dried in no time and then I was off to do another load. Non stop all day! (It did help that the kids went to vacation care today! I was able to get a few things done)

 

Why 10,000 steps?

“The Japanese first started using the 10,000 steps a day number, as part of a marketing campaign! (to help sell pedometers).  Since that initial campaign however, medical authorities around the world have agreed that 10,000 is a healthy number to aim for. The American Heart Association uses the 10,000 steps metric as a guideline to follow for improving health and decreasing risk of heart disease, the number one killer of men and women in America.” (http://blog.fitbit.com/the-magic-of-10000-steps/)

I like the idea of showing how much exercise you have done doing tasks around the house. As you can see by my 13,676 steps today with just doing housework I have moved a fair bit today!  I was going to go for a walk but it is very windy and of course I then blessed with hay fever so thought staying home would make more sense. I did more around the house, and still managed to do some exercise. So a win all round.

How Do You Add More Exercise to Your Day?

After kids it is hard to exercise or do things you used to. Interruptions and not having childcare sometimes makes you time next to impossible.

These are some things that I did when the twins were babies:

• I managed to walk most places while they were in the pram. (Can’t now due to no pram and kids too big – I could take them with me, however to do this I would have to walk slow and I hate that so would rather wait to go for a walk on my own)
• I would book them into care while I went for a swim/aqua aerobics or went to the gym
• I did stretching with them, and a bit of yoga.
• I played with them in the garden and in parks. Running around helps us all.
• Dancing to music with the twins in the living room. We all still do this and of course this burns calories and is fun
• Move more when you do simple chores, like walking around the house.
• Stand up when you fold the clothes

I know it is hard to get going, but even a small amount of exercise can change your mood and make your day better. Little steps help to get started. It doesn’t matter how much you do, just as long as you can keep it up and don’t hurt yourself in one session. There is nothing worse than over doing it and then hurting yourself. As a mother and the primary care taker of the kids I cannot afford to hurt myself so I need to go a little step at a time.

I have been guilty of doing too much too soon so I know what that is like also. It is not fun and at the time I felt very silly that I did it. Now I just take my time and do things slowly.

Do you have a Fitbit? What type do you have? Do you love yours as much as I love my new flex?

What is your greatest tip that you would love to share? Let us know.

Note: This is not a sponsored post for Fitbit Flex. I just love it and had to share. It is making me want to do more and I thought it might be something my lovely readers are interested in as well. Keeping fit and healthy is something that I am interested in.