My new Fitbit

About a month ago, my employer offered a pedometer called a Fitbit to anyone who wanted one as part of a fitness program.    It is a nice little perk.   Fitbit offers a few models (wristband,  clip on) and mine tracks steps,  distance walked,  stairs climbed and estimated daily calories burned.    Like anything technical these days,  it includes a IPhone app that syncs to the Fitbit and then updates a website so you can track your progress.   It even emails you "stickers" when you hit milestones.   It is a nice little package

The daily step goal Fitbit is encouraging is 10,000.  According to the Fitbit website  "10,000 steps a day is a rough equivalent to the Surgeon General’s recommendation to accumulate 30 minutes of activity most days of the week. "   For me, this  means that sometime during the day, in order to hit 10,000 steps,  I need to get in a 2.5 mile (4.1km) walk in in addition to the regular steps  that I take during the day and on top of my Yoga practice.   10,500 steps is about 5 miles (8km) for me.   

A study tracked the steps of 1,136 adults around the United States who wore pedometers for two days in 2003. The results were compared to similar pedometer studies in Switzerland, Australia and Japan. The data collected showed that Americans, on average, took 5,117 steps a day, compared to the averages in western Australia (9,695 steps), Switzerland (9,650 steps) and Japan (7,168 steps).  It also tells you how sedentary we are as a nation.  We need some motivation. 

The people that I know who have gotten a Fitbit seem to be really motivated by the feedback that is provides.   I have walked about my home trying to get the last 500 steps to hit 10,000 for the day.  

I have always used long walks (2-4 miles) to supplement my Yoga practice.  It is easy now that the weather is nice but during the winter,  it is hard to get out after work in the dark to take long walks.   This is good motivation to keep it going during the winter. 

It is nice to see my company encouraging fitness  and there is a sense that this has motivated a lot of people where I work.   So, if you are looking for a little encouragement,  I suggest trying this out.

Namaste