I have had my Fitbit Charge for 9 months now and it has made me well aware of my activity levels daily. As for the Fitbit itself I have had it replaced twice because the rubber has peeled away from the actual watch. In terms of design the Fitbit Charge it could use some improvement.
With obesity levels starting to hit record highs my first point of reference is the Australian National Physical Activity Guidelines to educate yourself just how much exercises you should be doing for general health benefits.
My goal was to take 10,000 steps a day, which has been shown in a study that 10,000 steps will make you healthier and thinner.
For 4 months straight I took 10,000 steps every single day, but after getting home from a travel adventure my work load really restricted me in reaching my daily goal and I fell short quite a few times.
Monitoring the results and statistics I noticed a few common themes. From these observations I have compiled 5 reasons why you should get outside and get more active.
1. The More Steps I Took The Better I Felt
It didn’t take long to work out that the days where I was taking 20,000-30,000 steps I remembered exactly what I did on those days because I was so active and enjoying myself. It usually involved a long night of dancing with friends, going for a long walk, playing sport or exploring new places. Looking back on the stats I can pinpoint exact days and have fond memories of the days where I was quite active. On the other foot I can look at days where I took between 2,000-5,000 steps and remember exactly went wrong that day or why I wasn’t able to be as active as I would have liked. Comparing the two I can say the days I was more active I was genuinely happier on those days. There is some scientific explanation behind it as well with physical activity releasing dopamine the body’s natural feel good chemicals.
2. The Health Benefits
You get some great health benefits by taking at least 10,000 steps a day. However only 19% of adults ever reach this feat on a daily basis I notice the first few months I was getting hot spots on my feet, my legs were feeling quite heavy and sometimes my legs were yelling at me saying “no more!”. This phase passed after approximately 2 months after my body adapted to the new stresses I was placing on it and walking become part of my daily routine.
3. Clearing Your Head
Usually when I walked it was first thing in the morning or directly after work. They both had their different pros and cons. Walking in the morning meant I had to get up earlier but it was always a fantastic way to start my day on a positive note and usually carried me through the working day. After work I was usually fatigued by the time I was due to go for a walk but the pro was it was the time I needed to clear my head most and just reflect on the day’s events.
After clearing your head I start to problem solve and plan for future projects and plans and it really helps me to just stay on top of everything.
4. Personal Development
Walking became almost a daily learning time for me for the walks where I would take my iPod. I became obsessed with podcasts and I still am. I have listened to well over 500 podcasts on business and personal development and it really motivates you in different ways and helps you see things from different perspectives.
Not only are you becoming more motivated, more times than not you are listening to the exact step-by-step goals someone who is already successful took to get where they are now.
Walking provided this great opportunity to multi-task (yes males can multi-task much to the disbelief of some people) I was able to get in my physical activity for the day as well as learning at the same time. It was a perfect combination and one I highly recommend.
5. Gets You Off The Couch And Out Of The House
In a world filled with technology that keeps us all connected it is nice to escape outdoors for a while with no phone and no other forms of technology (other than possibly an iPod). Committing to walking on a daily basis gets you off the couch and moving which can be the difference between taking 2,000 steps a day or 10,000 steps a day just that simple changing of committing to walking and being able to monitor it. You might think you are happier just sitting on the couch… but are you really?
How many steps are you averaging daily? Comment below and let me know!
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