• The Fitbit Makes Me Move

    May 5, 2013 / 3 Comments

    So the first full month of Fitbit tracking has ended. How did I do? Not bad, but I think it’s important to note where I started.

    I activated my Fitbit on March 9. At the time, these were my stats:

    Walked: 1,200 steps per day
    Consumed: 1,931 calories per day
    Burned: 2,005 calories per day

    This would explain why my weight rarely fluctuates. I burn only a little more than I eat, and I live a very sedentary life.

    My goal for April: Move more and sleep 7 hours a day.

    Tracking my progress on the Fitbit definitely made me feel more accountable, which in turn forced me to increase my activity levels and decrease my serving sizes. By the end of the month, these were my stats:

    Walked: 2,515 steps a day
    Consumed: 1,575 calories per day
    Burned: 2,399 calories per day
    Lost: 2 lbs.

    As for the sleep goal, well, the results were less than stellar. In March, I averaged about 5.5 hours of sleep a day (damn you, sunlight). In April, I raised that up to 6.24 hours a day. Not quite the 7 hours I was going for, but I guess it’s a start.

    My goal for May: Move more and sleep 7 hours a day.

    Wish me luck.

  • I’m Not Fat. I’m Sleep-Deprived!

    April 7, 2013 / 2 Comments

    At the moment, I am in debt. Sleep debt. And I am not alone.

    According to the National Sleep Foundation, humans should get between “seven and nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health and safety.” When we don’t get enough sleep, we accumulate sleep debt.

    On average, Americans sleep 6.9 hours a night — 6.8 hours during the week and 7.4 hours on the weekends, Scientific American reports. Which means most of us are losing more than two full weeks of slumber every year.

    Sleep deprivation has been linked to “negative mood and behavior, decreased productivity, and safety issues in the home, on the job, and on the road,” the National Sleep Foundation reports. Scientists have also found a relationship between the quantity of one’s sleep and many health problems.

    In a landmark study, researchers at the University of Chicago had a group of student volunteers sleep 4 hours a night for 6 consecutive nights. The result?

    The volunteers developed higher blood pressure and higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and they produced only half the usual number of antibodies to a flu vaccine. The sleep-deprived students also showed signs of insulin resistance — a condition that is the precursor of type 2 diabetes and metabolic slowdown.

    Reading about this study made me want to go out and buy a T-shirt bearing the message: I’m Not Fat. I’m Sleep-Deprived!

    While all of these changes were reversed when the students made up the hours of sleep that they had lost, who has the time to play catch up? And how do you do it?

    Dr. Lawrence J. Epstein, regional medical director of the Harvard-affiliated Sleep Health Centers, offers the following advice:

    Settle short-term debt. If you missed 10 hours of sleep over the course of a week, add three to four extra sleep hours on the weekend and an extra hour or two per night the following week until you have repaid the debt fully.

    Address a long-term debt. Plan a vacation with a light schedule and few obligations. Then, turn off the alarm clock and just sleep every night until you awake naturally.

    Avoid backsliding into a new debt cycle. Once you’ve determined how much sleep you really need, factor it into your daily schedule. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day — at the very least, on weekdays.

    Last month, I picked up a Fitbit One. This awesome little device measures my steps, notes the flights of stairs I climb, counts the calories I burn and generally encourages me to be less sedentary. The Fitbit also measures my sleep habits: how long it takes for me to fall asleep, how many times I wake up and how long I’m actually unconscious.

    In general, I strive to be above average in all things, but when it comes to getting quality sleep, I am not doing well. In fact, I am in serious sleep debt.

    My alarm is set for 7 p.m. My sleep target is 7 hours. Using the data collected by my Fitbit, the Sleep Debt website says that I am currently 15 hours in debt. Why? Because, on average, I only sleep 5 1/2 hours a night. To completely clear this debt, I’d have to sleep for 22 hours.

    This is not good.

    So, my goal for April is to change this trend and get out of debt. I’m going to sleep more, and the sleep I experience will be restful.

    Hopefully.

  • Healthiness: A work in progress

    March 17, 2013 / No Comments

    Bottled WaterMy New Year’s resolution for 2013 was to make changes in my life that would increase healthiness. Most people make a similar resolution at the start of the year and then promptly forget about it. I have been known to fall into this category.

    This time, however, I had a plan. First I was going to spend the month of January testing my willpower by trying to exercise on a regular basis. I put away the Christmas tree and set up the treadmill. I dug out the Wii Fit, cleaned off my yoga mat and left reminders on my phone. I even rediscovered a decent pair of sneakers and vowed to actually wear them.

    Result = Very very bad. I worked out once the whole month. Bored to tears, I was unable to do it again.

    In February, I picked up the book “Drop Dead Healthy” by A.J. Jacobs. If you haven’t read it yet, you should because it’s excellent.

    Basically, Jacobs spent two years trying all sorts of diet, fitness and alternative health treatments. He adopted new habits, cleaned out the toxins in his home, ran a triathlon, set up a standing desk and visited many doctors. In the end, Jacobs encountered a lot of conflicting research, yet still managed to find things he could do every day that would make him healthier.

    I have spent much of March doing the same.

    First, I picked up a Fitbit. This tiny gadget tracks your steps, the amount of stairs you climb, how far you walk, how many calories you burn and the quality of your sleep. Sync your stats wirelessly with your phone, and you can also track your progress over time, keep a food journal, watch your weight, earn badges for achievements and record your thoughts.

    Unlike countless pedometers I’ve purchased over the years, which either broke or disappeared in the wash, the Fitbit was surprisingly effective. In the past week, I’ve started drinking more water. I’ve been eating off small plates and shrinking the size of my portions. And I’ve been taking opportunities to move when in the past I would have avoided them.

    So far this month, I’ve managed to do at least three workouts each week. And yesterday, I earned two badges, one for walking at least 5,000 steps in a single day (technically you’re supposed to do twice that; I’m working up to it) and one for climbing 10 flights of stairs. Was I happy with my progress? Sure. Did I enjoy the effort? Hardly. In fact, this was my latest Fitbit journal entry:

    Walked too far, due to a miscommunication with my husband. Grumbled the entire way, so although I got the steps, I wasn’t enjoying myself one bit. Headachy. Legs hurt. Being active blows.

    I still think people who enjoy exercise are fucking insane. And I know I’ll never join their crazy cult. But I plan to keep trying new ways to be healthy. Just because I’ve written my obit doesn’t mean I’m ready to see it published.

    As for April, my plan is to focus on lowering my stress level. Wish me luck.