It’s a well-known fact that sitting down all day is bad for you. My day job is exactly that, and when I concentrate on a task I can sit in front of my computer for a very long time. I drive to work, so the distance I walk each day is pretty much between the car park and the library building. I tend to eat at the lunch room because I want to get back to my desk as soon as I finished eating, I’m a very slow eater, it’s impossible for me to walk outside, find a spot, eat, and walk back within 30 minutes. Very bad…
Age is probably catching up, I often get sore neck, shoulders, and back. I participated in the Global Corporate Challenge once, but failed miserably. I joined the gym at work, I made the pilate class every week for a couple of months, then I dropped out because my instructor went on leave and I didn’t like her replacement, I haven’t been back since.
About a week ago I bought myself a Fitbit flex since everybody is raving about it, I’ve got to admit I was skeptical at first of this little device. Is it just a hype? Does the sleep tracking function actually work? Is it going to keep me motivated in the long run? Is it comfortable to wear 24/7? Anyway, I thought I’ve tried everything, I might as well try this one. Umm… it’s cheaper than my gym membership that I’m still paying.
I’m happy to report that although I couldn’t reach my goal of 10,000 steps most weekdays, it’s easier on the weekend with the grocery shopping, dog walking, and house stalking activities. I like my Fitbit because all I need to do is walk and it does the rest, every time I open the iPhone app it syncs with my Flex, and when I reach the 10k steps goal it vibrates, it’s good feeling. Last week I parked at the farthest bay in the car park, I took the stairs instead of lift, I went for a walk around the campus in the afternoon. That’s not enough to reach my daily goal but a lot better than not moving at all, so it does remind me to keep moving, and being a data geek, I like having data about myself to play with.
I’m thinking of other things I can do this week to meet my goal during the week. Perhaps I should park at the student car park instead of the staff car park, go for a walk around the campus in the morning as well as afternoon, I also want to go back to the gym, hopefully at least once a week after work. Will see how I go this week!
//icecjan/ 