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Got the "high cholesterol" and blood sugar levels high enough to be diagnosed as Diabetes results from the doc yesterday. At 35, she says I'm still young enough to turn it around without meds by eating better and getting more active. Yep...I've known that I "should" have done this years ago, but always made excuse after excuse for myself, and now it's time to quit that...(I see what Dad has gone through because of the diabetes, and the pain my uncle endured before he kicked the bucket because he didn't take care of himself, and that ain't gonna be me!).
It occurred to me that I'm doing quite a bit of walking around at work, grocery shopping, etc, and my phone has a fitness tracker built in, but I don't always have my phone on me. Especially while at work (I'm one of those weird people that can easily go days without my phone and be perfectly OK :P). In my previous attempts at getting more active, I found that I really enjoyed working up to, and doing, jogging laps around the mountains by the house, but that was another time I wasn't wild about having my phone with me either in case I took a fall and landed on that absurdly expensive thing :P
So I've been thinking about getting something like one of the Samsung Gear watches or other smart watch, maybe something like a Fit Bit, or similar. I've read the reviews on several, but they always seem to be a "we just took it out of the box, and it's awesome!!" for every single one of them, but haven't found much on long term reviews either...like how happy are people with them 6 months or a year down the road...
I've had my fitbit one for a couple years now. It still works great and I still like it. I like that it syncs with My Fitness Pal, too, which makes it easier if you are counting calories or otherwise tracking your food.
My two cents: just start eating better and getting more active. Then worry about gadgets that make it more interesting and fun.
This ^^^
I have never been a fan of gadgets like fitbits and the like. For one, those things can be horribly inaccurate in terms of trying to track cals consumed and/or cals burned. It may sometimes get you in the ballpark, but its not accurate enough IMO to really make a difference.
Secondly, its more important to start eating better. Eliminate sugars, breads, processed foods etc. from your diet and you really wont need to pay such super strict attention to number of calories you take in/burn. Its kind of a "cant see the forest because of all the trees" type thing. People tend to be so super laser like focused on calories, that they neglect to focus on where those calories come from and how it plays into an overall proper eating program. Kinda like "oh, its okay to eat this Burger King burger as long as I stay under my caloric intake for the day" and this is horribly horribly wrong bad to do. This is why learning how to eat healthier (not just "better") is super important.
Thirdly, the cost for many of those devices is just ridiculous - $90.00 to $150.00 is absurd. Almost everyone in the world has a cell phone, so take advantage of many of the FREE or low cost (as in $2.00 - $5.00) apps you can download that do the same thing(s) as a fitbit type device, usually BETTER.
Finally, I just cannot emphasize enough how important it is the educate yourselves on proper nutrition. This will last you much longer than a fitness gadget, and you'll really start to realize that as you get smarter, you wont have any need for such devices.
Dont waste money on buying those things. Learn proper nutrition, learn how to apply it in your daily lives, and exercise daily.
Thirdly, the cost for many of those devices is just ridiculous - $90.00 to $150.00 is absurd. Almost everyone in the world has a cell phone, so take advantage of many of the FREE or low cost (as in $2.00 - $5.00) apps you can download that do the same thing(s) as a fitbit type device, usually BETTER.
Just out of curiosity, how are these apps going to work better on a phone that's potentially miles away from me?
I have never been a fan of gadgets like fitbits and the like. For one, those things can be horribly inaccurate in terms of trying to track cals consumed and/or cals burned. It may sometimes get you in the ballpark, but its not accurate enough IMO to really make a difference.
Secondly, its more important to start eating better. Eliminate sugars, breads, processed foods etc. from your diet and you really wont need to pay such super strict attention to number of calories you take in/burn. Its kind of a "cant see the forest because of all the trees" type thing. People tend to be so super laser like focused on calories, that they neglect to focus on where those calories come from and how it plays into an overall proper eating program. Kinda like "oh, its okay to eat this Burger King burger as long as I stay under my caloric intake for the day" and this is horribly horribly wrong bad to do. This is why learning how to eat healthier (not just "better") is super important.
Thirdly, the cost for many of those devices is just ridiculous - $90.00 to $150.00 is absurd. Almost everyone in the world has a cell phone, so take advantage of many of the FREE or low cost (as in $2.00 - $5.00) apps you can download that do the same thing(s) as a fitbit type device, usually BETTER.
Finally, I just cannot emphasize enough how important it is the educate yourselves on proper nutrition. This will last you much longer than a fitness gadget, and you'll really start to realize that as you get smarter, you wont have any need for such devices.
Dont waste money on buying those things. Learn proper nutrition, learn how to apply it in your daily lives, and exercise daily.
Personally, I like my fitbit. It holds me accountable and I don't always have my phone with me but I do always have my fit bit on.
Just out of curiosity, how are these apps going to work better on a phone that's potentially miles away from me?
How is that possible? Most everyone I know has their phone with them during their runs/workouts. Only time they dont is during actual races.
I do my daily runs here in my city and EVERYONE has their phones with them. When going out with running groups, EVERYONE has their phone. Going to the gym? Same thing, EVERYONE is with their phone. They are not talking on the phone, but they have it with ear buds and music and/or workout apps tracking what they do.
Could this possibly be just a Los Angeles thing where most everyone who exercises/runs have their phones with them? Possibly. But I rarely if ever see anyone out and about on my usual runs or gym visits without their phone. Only time is during crossfit workouts at crossfit gyms. Other than that, people have their phones with them not "miles away".
My Apple Watch just arrived today so I'm excited to try it out and use some of the fitness features. I already use a Withings scale that tracks body weight, body fat percentage, etc. Plus I have a blood pressure monitor as well and they both sync to my phone!
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