I may have mentioned that I’m now the reluctant wearer of a Fitbit™. I am getting used to it. It will record and track my steps, my heart rate, the number of flights of stairs I’ve walked, how much exercise and my sleep patterns too! I had to set step goals. I started with 6000 steps a day. I killed it. During geocaching I logged 13,310 steps and the next day I managed 9,244 steps. So I increased my goal to 7000 steps. The first day of my new goal I forgot to put the Fitbit™ on after my shower. I’m pretty sure that with my cross campus hike I put at least 6000 steps in. Adding the 1,719 steps I’d accrued since coming home I marked it a win. Still I feel like I self-sabotaged. My “wellness coach” addressed my concern about my stress level. She suggested doing a meditation. I will need to work up from 5 minutes to 30 minutes a day. It is really hard to empty my mind. I have so many plates to spin that checking out for 5 minutes scares me. However I have managed to meditate for 5 minutes clearing my mind and becoming an empty vessel. I think it might be a little dangerous for me. My heart rate drops to 54 – 56 bpm. I suppose since my normal resting heart rate is only 65 bpm that might not be a serious decrease. At least I’m hoping. I had another goal of walking for 30 minutes twice a week. So far I haven’t managed to achieve that goal. I’m blaming the rain and my high heels.
Procrastination
Weight loss bugaboo
Step up step out walk
A Different Perspective 
My fitbit-style wearable has become little more than a wristwatch recently. 🙂 Good intentions by themselves rarely produce good results . . . at least in my life. I did find it fun when I wore it hiking in the Smoky Mountains earlier in the year — I think the goal is ten flights of stairs a day, and it kept buzzing with the message, “goal x 2, goal x 5, goal x 12 . . . I think that day it got up to goal x 30! 😀
LikeLike
It is helping me be aware of my activity level so that is helpful. I’m not sure how it calculates a flight of stairs. Sometimes it records 2 flights when I go down and come up the basement stairs but only records one flight after going up and down from the second floor… It is a mystery.
LikeLike
Fitbits are all the rage these days, and with that rage, the cost goes up. On the other note you mentioned, taking time to meditate will help you spin your many plates more effectively, from my own experience.
LikeLike
Sparky had wanted one a year ago but they were $250 but now they are at Kohl’s for $149 – I think the price has gone down… at least for the base models. Meditation is not as easy as some would have you believe. I am hoping that I can carve out a few minutes tomorrow morning.
LikeLike
Walking, I’d fail wouldn’t be worth the fit bit and i doubt you can wear them in the pool. Besides if I couldn’t remember how to turn the heat on in the car I doubt I could set the thing. But good luck to you.
LikeLike
Supposedly you can wear it in the shower but I take it off. It does track other exercise including running. So I bet it would record swimming – if it could handle the chlorination.
LikeLike
what kind of sleep pattern?
I have resisted the fad, probably because I don’t want to know how many (few) steps I take per day. Maybe I’ll get one as a present.
LikeLike
It records my awake times, REM, light sleep and deep sleep. It also averages for the week and contrasts that to the average for my age/gender. Very interesting stuff!
LikeLike
With all those steps, do you really need to walk for 30 minutes as well? Meditation is good, though — the clearing of the mind allows for more concentrated thought!
LikeLike
Yes I am supposed to do the walk for 30 minutes of “sustained” exercise twice a week! As for the meditation I’m not very good at it – 5 minutes is about all I can handle before I start to fall asleep!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha — it 5 minutes of meditation puts you to sleep, perhaps it’s meeting its purpose of relaxing you!
LikeLike
Val — what have you done to USC tonight? Also, have you heard from saintvi recently — haven’t seen her on WP or Xanga, and I don’t want to lose track –hope she’d ok!
LikeLike
Ha! I guess the Irish were on a roll! Saintvi and I did Wine & Canvas on Friday night. Sunday Sparky and I are traveling to see her and we are going to pick apples… She is fine but has been taking a break from social media – she’d probably appreciate some snail mail.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thatnks — my life has been so whacky for the last couple of months that I’ve not sent any snail mail except to pay bills! I’ll try to get something off to her soon! Please say hi — and have great fun picking apples!
LikeLike
I can’t afford a fitbit but I think I do enough steps every day. 😉
Prayer for me helps all.
Hope you reach your goal..I think starting with steps, etc is a great way to get started. You will succeed.
LikeLike
Prayer works too. And I always figured that prayer was about the same thing but it turns out that meditation is like not talking and only listening during prayer. I’m doing well with everything except the walking twice a week.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s great.
LikeLike
I’m re-posting Saturday morning – with the rest of the story… and an explanation!
LikeLike
I am too independent to get a Fitbit. 😛 Sounds like you are liking it. Blessings.
LikeLike
I am tolerating it. It is kind of interesting to see how few/many steps I am really taking. It also reminds me to get up and walk around.
LikeLike