You must have heard of a Fitbit?

Basically…

They’re activity trackers that monitor how many steps you walk each day, and how well you sleep, they also come with additional health monitoring tools, like calorie tracking, etc …

If you’re trying to improve fitness or lose weight (most people are aiming to do both!) then there are 3 things you need to focus on…

#1 Diet

By eating better quality foods and trying to create a calorie deficit…so that your body burns stored energy.

#2 Exercise

Specific sessions focused on increasing heart rate, and building muscle. It could be weights, running, swimming, or team sports like football, tennis, cricket, etc.

#3 Increase NEAT output

Not many people are aware of NEAT. Basically it stands for ‘Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis’ – That’s a really fancy way of saying ‘how much energy you expend during typical daily activities’. Things like walking up and down stairs, walking to work, to the toilet, lifting pots and pans, carrying kids, gardening, etc

Focussing on exercise and nutrition will do wonders, but so too can moving more during the day.

That’s why I’m a HUGE fan of Fitbits because they encourage you to be more mindful of how many steps you are doing….

For example had I not had a Fitbit I wouldn’t have done the following this past month…

#1 Walked an extra 700 steps on Monday (after 8 PT sessions!) I did this because if I walked an extra 700 steps I’d hit 10,000 steps – my daily goal. Without a tracker I’d have just parked my butt on the sofa instead!

#2 Fitbits track sleep time i.e how many times you are restless throughout the night and how many times you wake up. Wearing a Fitbit has made me prioritise my sleep more which has therefore made me have more energy, which has lead to better daily performance, and improved workouts.

#3 I reckon I’ve walked an extra 2,000 steps per day for the last month (60,000 steps!) because every hour during the day my Fitbit buzzes/vibrates to remind me to get up and move. 60,000 steps is about 6 hrs of walking – or put another way around  1,800 calories burnt. 

In short I’m a BIG fan of activity trackers and would recommend them to anyone.

If you found this post useful please leave your comment below 🙂

Also, what are your thoughts on activity trackers?

Do you have one and does it help you stay on track?

Thanks for reading,

Nick 🙂