Tech Talk

I am not a terribly techie person. In fact I have fought it tooth and nail. I love the internet and social media but anything that makes it easier not so much. I turn into a befuddled 80 year old. I decided to take the leap though and catch up with everyone else and get an iphone. Oh dear lord how I love it. I did not think I could love anything more then my ipad but I was wrong.

A big reason I got the iphone is I really wanted to get the Nike Fuel Band. I have worn pedometers off and on but find them annoying. If they're on your waist they can pop off and break. That's what happened to my last one. I really like bracelets and that's what the fuel band is essentially. A bracelet, that tracks your steps, fuel points, calories and steps. I LOVE it. It's not perfect, but it's been a nice tool in helping raise my awareness of what my actual daily activity is. It's really easy in NY to think you are SUPER active. We're not really, I mean walking to the subway and then to work isn't exactly a arduous physical task.

I went to California this weekend and Friday when my flight was delayed instead of just hunkering down and reading I walked around the airport to get closer to my fuel points and up my steps. I have been pleasantly surprised by my daily mileage. I pay less attention to the calories because it does not take into consideration your heart rate. Also because the band is on your wrist activities/exercises like weight training, or cycling are not going to get you many points or calories and we know they do both.

What I am also loving about the iphone and the fuel band is that they sync together. I can send Stephanie my nutritionist my end of the day snapshot. I have been SUPER hungry lately and this gives her a little glimpse into my activity to better assess what I might need. It has also been educational for me to see different results and patterns. Some of the days I just kept myself more active to meet my goals 3,000 fuel points and 10,000 steps I burned more calories and covered more distance the days I was like oh I have a workout scheduled I got this. It's made me take public transportation more, take the stairs more often, walk to more places, and be more active at night. I usually make dinner, putter around for a second or two and then flop on the couch, days when I have been 100 points shy of my goal I got up and put away laundry, loaded the dishwasher. Just in general I have found it's help me be more active and productive. For example tonight, I need to get my favorite moisturizer from Trader Joe's I was like might as well walk to the gym tonight pick up the lotion at TJ's and then go work out, it'll help boost your points rather then just waiting until the weekend.

It's been almost two weeks so we'll see how it continues, but I am a 5 year old. I like that the little green man does a dance for me when I get my points. I like being able to see the stats and what I've been up to. It's really satisfying to see that choosing to walk from an appointment to the gym instead of hopping on the subway got me an extra half a mile. I think if you consider yourself active, which I do, and exercise regularly it's very easy to fall into a trap of thinking you do more then you do or less. It's been refreshing to see that with awareness there is not a huge discrepancy in my days with or without a workout.

It's not the cheapest toy and depending on what you might want from a tracking device it might not work for you but I am digging it. My nutritionist was worried it might make me obsessive or dip into some unhealthy behavior but so far I have found it has not. Sunday I laid on a beach in Malibu and while I thought bummer my points streak will be upset by today I certainly did not sweat it. Sometimes you just got to lay on a beach and chill and not keep moving for points.

I have been thinking a lot about dieting and intuitive eating and the differences between the two and how I can modify my own behaviors to move closer to intuitive eating. I read a comment on another blog and someone put it really wisely when they said with intuitive eating the behavior is the reward not the weight loss. This lil band has helped me feel closer to that way of thinking. Even though I like the numbers I see, the rewards have been I am sleeping better because I am more active, and I feel more aware and conscious of my decision making but not from a I will lose weight. 3000 fuel points does not equal a loss on the scale but being more active is healthier for me and my body likes it. It helps me be able to connect more to my body and what it responds to and digs. It occurred to me recently when I walked to the gym instead of rushing how often I rush around just going from one thing to another, constantly thinking about checking things off my list. If I do not live in a mindfully way why would I be able to eat that way? Knowing my activity level has helped me be more mindful. Not what I expected from the tech side of things.

This is Tuesday's activity. 

Would you sweat some fuel band points looking at this?

The band itself. It's like I am a cyborg being tracked and I dig it.