Fitbit Week Two

I finished my second week of fitbit. So far I like my little tracker. It definitely keeps me moving. The software that goes with it could be better. Not impressed with the iPhone app and since there is none for the ipad, this is the one I use. So far I have walked at least ten miles a day according to my tracker...for today I have logged 12.41 miles. It is a fun little tool and could be your most used piece of exercise equipment.

Buy good walking shoes if you are going to try this. Think of the surfaces you will walk on. A really good pair of running shoes might be your best bet. Change shoes each day or even within a day to give your body some variety. Remember for inflammation ibuprofen is your friend...use it and keep moving... Sometimes the worst thing you can do for pain is to sit.

Fitbit one week later

I have been religiously using my fitbit zip and I love it. It is a great motivator for staying active. I never realized how much sitting I did before fitbit. It is definitely worth the cost. Fitbit will have you logging your food and adding in more steps before you know it.

Drawbacks include that there are some activities that he tracker does not track well.. These you need to manually enter. Something like weightlifting and possibly spinning might be some of these.

If you get nothing else out of fitbit it will help you to determine why you are not losing weight. Most likely you are not as active as you think... And therefore not burning a lot of calories. I remember reading that the average person burns 2000 calories a day. Ummmmm not with our current life style. I think it is much a much less than that. Wear a fit bit for a day and get it to the 2000 calories. If you are a medium sized woman(120-150) that involves a lot of steps.

For my size I have to walk about 25000 steps to get to my fitbit calorie burn target.

 

Fitbit

I have been researching these wearable fitness devices. The fitbit seemed like the best for the money. It is a nice incentive to be more active. The fitbit can sync with your iPhone, ipad or pc. With the initial pairing if you have problems pairing with your apple devices try using your PC. I had to reboot my Computer after installing the fitbit software on my pc. The device then paired just fine. After the initial pairing the fitbit synced fine with my apple devices.

So far I love it. Will update as to my successes with it.

Exercise Progress

About 2 months ago, at the end of November.  I decided to totally commit to exercise.  At least a half hour of cardio a day 5 times a week along with weight training 3 times a week.    So far this has gone very well.

When I started with the Cardio I could only do 3.8 mph walking on the treadmill.  My body seemed to have a tough time with this.  I had to take it slow since my muscles just were not used to it.  I had some major muscle pain.  I am happy to say that in two months I am up over 4.3 mph with a little jogging thrown in every so often.   I try to get in 45 minutes of Cardio whenever possible.    I hope to eventually do more and more running.. this will depend on my knees and how they handle it.

I am thrilled.  My legs are far more solid than I thought they would be after 2 months.  I find that with this pace with a little running thrown in I can get that great exercise spirit lift.   This is also known as the runners high.

 Now my weight loss is not as impressive but I am trying to be patient about that.   I have fallen in love with Cardio again... and I hate to miss it.    The treadmill is by far my favorite way to do this.  On some days I end up having to use the elliptical machine and this is not nearly as much fun.. a great workout though.  I think I tend to go a little too hard on the elliptical..

If you are trying a new cardio routine give it a good two months.   I bet you will see the difference too.
Good exercise music makes a HUGE difference.   I also like doing it at home.. that way I can sing to the music and get as silly and fun as I want.

Weight Loss Music

Great music to listen to when I am working out can make a real difference to me.  I like as fast of a beat as possible.. it really helps me to increase my pace and get my heart beat up even faster.  I have found some great songs on iTunes.  While these might not be the best classic music.  Trying to keep up to the beat with these tunes definitely helps me to go faster and keep up the pace and burn calories more.

SuperStar by Toybox
Glad You Came(Workout Mix) by Julian Marshall
Bouncing Off the Ceiling(Upside Down) by A*Teens
Call Me Maybe(Workout Mix) by Paulette
What Doesn't Kill You(Stronger) Workout Mix by Starlet
Single Ladies( Put a ring on it) by Beyonce - I like the Glee version the best but it is un-released.
Barbie Girl by Aqua

These will give you over 20 minutes of hard core Cardio. I am hoping to get these up to 45.
I fill in the rest of  my time with Brittany, 9-5, Queen, Ace of Base.

So for about 10$ you can get over 20 minutes of cardio that is fun and reuse it over and over.

This really works... and go ahead sing to the music... it really helps.

Simple Low Calorie Snacking Solution.

I notice when I try to improve my eating habits.. I can get incredibly hungry.    Snacking when you are at home all day is a really tough habit to break.   One simple solution I have come up with is when my first snack attack of the day hits I take out an entire bunch of celery and fill the sink with water.  I separate the celery and put it in the water and leave it.   When ever a snack attack hits I grab a stalk or two or three.   This really helps curb those hunger pains.   If I can remember I also try to drink a glass of water with the celery.    Since I am a salt lover I always have some of my favorite flavored salt to add to the celery.

Also I try to put tons of lettuce on my sandwiches and in my tortillas.   This is also filling.   Yes I still miss M&Ms, candy bars and potato chips... but this helps me to feel not quite so deprived.

Getting Back On Track

With Thanksgiving and Christmas season here and gone, some would say this is a bad time to get back on track if you have let your eating plan slide.  I think it is the perfect time.  Cut out desserts, sweets, and chips and add in exercise.  In just 45 minutes on the treadmill you can easily burn 250 plus calories and speed up your metabolism.   I think a treadmill is a great investment to make.  Look at it as liposuction that keeps working.   Start Slow.. maybe 3.6 or 3.7  mph and work up to at least a 4.0 mph walk.  In less than one month you will see results.  For me the muscle that seems to changes the quickest is my heart.  I feel like I can push it so much faster heartwise... but the rest of my muscles are a lot slower.   I have to be careful or my knees start to hurt if I add on too much too quickly.  I try ibuprofen for knee pain.. it really helps.   Fast music makes a big difference too.   There is an ipod nano that is just 50$.  You can come up with some great really fast music to help keep you motivated.

I am really looking forward to running again.  I find the fast walking is easier on a treadmill rather than outside but I love to run outside.   The weather here is perfect running weather.  The holidays are a perfect time to exercise in New Mexico.   Try it and you will have a happier holiday time.