Getting Fit with the Fitbit

Helen is a cancer survivor and a Pilates Place client. She came into my studio just after her surgery to remove a triple negative tumor in her left breast, and continued to come to my studio twice a week for her Pilates sessions during her chemo and radiation treatments. I was inspired by her courage and dedication to her sessions, even showing up for sessions on days when most individuals would chose to remain in bed. She consciously made decisions about her nutrition and after her radiation treatments, vowed to drop 10 lbs and incorporated the help of her Fitbit to motivate her further.

The Fitbit is a wireless activity tracker that monitors your all-day activity to provide you with real-time feedback on steps, distance, calories burned, and stairs climbed to encourage you to walk more and be more active. Fitbit monitors, among other things, how many steps you take in a day. It has been recommended that individuals take 10,000 steps per day to help insure a healthy heart.

In six weeks time, I watched Helen log in her food and monitor her calories, commit to 10,000 steps a day for a healthy heart (chemo can affect the health of the heart), and slim down 8 lbs. Her transformation was impressive and her resolve admirable, so I ordered my Fitbit.

I thought I was surely taking 10,000 steps a day for my heart health in my studio. After all, I don’t sit at a desk all day; I’m on my feet, often times 10 hours a day. Was I surprised to discover that on my most active teaching days, I was only accounting for 5,000 steps. So, I began walking, and I’m walking 10,000 steps a day in addition to teaching barre classes, taking barre classes, doing yoga, and of course teaching and doing my Pilates practice.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, I want to be mindful of that little miracle ticker that keeps me upright. Good news, Fitbit isn’t expensive, you can download the app to your mobile phone and track your activity during your day, and you can utilize as much of what it has to offer as you want to. I appreciate how this small device has brought large awareness to my life so that I can make another positive change to enhance it. When I find things that work for me, I want to share them with all of you.

You can find your Fitbit at many stores locally, including Target, on Amazon and at Fitbit.com.

-Julee