Health Adventure: Is a fitbit a good tool for weight loss and health management?

Hi Adventurers!

Remember how I was trying out a FitBIt to see what all the fuss was around that on the health front? I was curious to see if it is a good tool for people looking to lose weight or manage their health. As a wellness coach, I take in as many ideas about healthy living as I can so that I can share all possible options with my clients.

I’ve been trying it out for about a month, and it’s much harder than I thought it would beat 10,000 steps a day! 10,000 is the general goal that FitBit starts everyone out with...it is about 5 miles a day, which incorporates the CDC’s recommendation that everyone get 30 minutes of moderate exercise a week.

I thought it would be way easier! Hats off to those who make it to 10,000 on the daily...especially with a desk job. Even with running 3.5 miles one morning, then sitting at my desk all day, I still didn't make it there. Conversely, weekend days when I would be out and about, I would beat that easily. When we were camping one weekend I made a whopping 34,484 steps! But the average day sitting at a desk was a struggle...even with running most mornings.  

For tracking actual activity, a model that takes your heart rate might be better...mine doesn't track heart rate, so I don’t get any steps for biking or yoga.You can add in exercise, but it doesn't really know how hard I’m working. For example, it just says you burn 140 calories for an hour of yoga, but I teach an intense yoga class, which (I hope!) burns more calories than that. Wearing the fitbit makes me feel like I need to check it all the time.

To sum up my feelings on the matter, I think that a Fitbit can be a great tool for weight loss, particularly for type A people. My sister loves to track and chart things and work towards goals, so having that daily count of steps is something she enjoys and she enjoys upping her goals. For myself, admittedly a more type B personality, it is interesting to track, but may make some folks anxious and get them to feeling as if they’re not meeting their overall fitness goals. I would recommend that it not be the only thing a person tries if trying to lose weight or get healthier, but as part of a toolkit, it would be a great addition!

A wellness coach would be another great addition to that toolkit whether you’re trying to lose weight or gain energy, or just have a healthier lifestyle. Click here to set up a one on one Discovery Session with me: 45 mins on the phone, talking about your health goals and coming up with at least one “Aha” to start you on the right direction...all for absolutely free!

To your health,

Emily