Upping my fitness game with the fitbit Charge. #EveryStepCounts @fitbit
30 Mar 2015
Over the past 18 months, I have been on a journey to better my health. It has been a tough journey, as I had really let my health suffer since my late teens. Because of this, and I decided to document my journey.
My “ah-ha” moment wasn’t so ah-ha
I knew I was overweight. I didn’t need an “ah-ha” moment to figure that out. What I did have was a “what the hell are you doing” moment. I had vices. I was drinking an excessive amount of soda pop, eating salted snacks, and eating way too much white bread. Now this may not have been as bad as smoking, drinking, or doing drugs to some, but it was causing me damage, both mentally and physically.
I was also not getting enough exercise. I would come home from work, at a job where I sat all day, and go straight to the couch and watch TV… after I grabbed a salty snack.
Get up. Go to work without breakfast. Work all day in a seated position. Go home. Eat snacks. Lounge on my couch watching tv. Eat dinner. Go to bed. Sleep. Repeat.
That was my daily routine.
I, and my routine, needed change.
Change
I stopped drinking soda pop. It’s been 18 months since I have had any type of soda pop, and I do not miss it one bit. I drastically reduced the amount of salty snacks and bread I was eating. I joined a gym and hired a personal trainer. I had set the foundation to turn my health around.
I started to lose weight, my energy levels increased, and I no longer lazed around the house. I started eating healthy. I have eliminated processed sugar, processed foods, white bread and all salty snacks from my diet. I cook my meals with natural ingredients. I measure my portions, to ensure I am only eating what I should. I drink lots of water. I eat lots of fruits and vegetables. I didn’t go vegetarian, but I have reduced the amount of red meat I eat.
I had food under control. I had weight training under control. I had cardio well on it’s way. But I needed to do more cardio to help with my endurance and heart health.
Enter the Fitbit Charge
The folks at TELUS offered to help with my health journey by giving me a fitbit Charge to test and review. So far, it is exceeding my expectations, and is much more intuitive than my Nike FuelBand.
Making every step count with my Fitbit
I’ve heard the critics. A fitbit, or any pedometer for that matter, will not make you lose weight. I know that. But I am not using it to lose weight. I am using it to reach goals that I set for myself, and hold me accountable.
With fitbit, I can view how many steps I have done, how far I have gone, how many flights of stairs I have climbed, how many calories I have burned, and how many minutes I have been active. I can also set goals, see my progress and analyze trends using the Fitbit dashboard on the fitbit app.
The app for iOS is pretty awesome, in that I can keep it open while on the treadmill, and watch my activity as I am doing it.
The fitbit Charge wirelessly syncs to your smartphone, so that it downloads your activity. But that’s not all the sync feature does. The fitbit Charge has caller ID, and vibrates when a call is coming in. For all those times you forget to take your phone off silent… PROBLEM SOLVED!
The TELUS Learning Centre and Health Tech Trainers
Through it’s learning centres, TELUS offers a service that allows you to make an appointment with a specialist, and learn how to get the most out of your wearable tech devices.
Health Tech Trainers will assist you in selecting the right wearable tech for your needs, teach you how to use it, and show you how it connects with your smartphone. Basically, you are getting 1:1 counsel by an expert in the product you are interested in. How cool is that? For us men… no reading the manuals!
In short, TELUS really cares about your health.
I will be booking my appointment with a Health Tech Trainer by visiting my local TELUS store, but you can also book a session online.
Eat. Sleep. Conquer. Repeat.
This saying is WWE wrestling related, which is one of the only tv shows I watch regularly. “Eat Sleep Conquer Repeat” is a saying that Brock Lesnar has on his T-shirt. To me, it is more than just a catch phrase. It is my new mantra.
Join me on my #NewBDK journey
It has been 18 months, and I have accomplished a lot over that time. I feel good, I am looking better, and now, I am upping my fitness game with the Fitbit Charge.
If you are looking at getting a fitbit Charge, or any of the fitbit products, they are available online, or at in-store at any TELUS location.
Cheers,
Big Daddy
Disclaimer: TELUS provided me with a Fitbit Charge for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
If you would like me to review your service, product, or travel destination, please send me an email at craig@bigdaddykreativ.ca or find me on “the twitter” at @BigDaddyKreativ
Craig Silva
Craig is a husband, father, team leader, travel and food writer, senior youth group coordinator, designer, brander, community builder, volunteer, and social media strategist. He likes to travel, go camping, go on road trips, watch movies, build stuff, operate the grill, and sing with his band. Craig is a member of the North American Travel Journalists Association and Travel Media Association of Canada. If you are a PR agency or brand and would like Craig to review a travel destination, vehicle, restaurant, product or service, please send him an email.
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I have a fitbit but I wondered – how do you get yours to recognize your work on the treadmill? Do you have to swing your arms while you are working out? Due to balance issues I have to hold onto the bar at all times and I find that it barely records any of my treadmill activity which is frustrating. Any ideas???
[…] the past month, Craig and I have been using the new FitBit Charge to track our steps and fitness activities as part […]