The Many Benefits of Using a Fitbit

Okay, so first off let me start by saying this is not a sponsored post at all.  Although I would love to work with Fitbit someday, this post is completely my own making and I'm writing it because I am THAT obsessed with my Fitbit and how it is keeping my ass in check with fitness and diet! 

So I have the Fitbit Charge HR which tells me my heartrate, it tracks my food, monitors my sleep, and like any fitbit it shows me my calorie burn and my steps.   But there are so many awesome reasons to purchase and use a Fitbit.  

[1] You learn how to burn calories.

Did you know that you burn calories while you sleep? That's right! You really burn them anytime your heart rate rises because you're doing any kind of activity, really.  It's pretty awesome to see just how many calories get burned over the course of a day and it helps motivate you to keep going.

[2] You can monitor calorie intake the correct way.

So I hear a lot of people say "Oh, I can only have 1,200 calories a day in food".  When I ask how that's going they always say that they go way over.   I ask them how they track the calories and most of them just track it by logging what they eat.   But the thing I love about my Fitbit is that it actually has plan options for losing weight.  For the one I'm on it has me on a 1,000 calorie deficit plan. Which means I need to be in a deficit of 1,000 calories per day after all is sad and done.  But what's really great is that the calories that I can still take in each day adjust as I burn calories or am physically active.  Because realistically, if you work out and burn 500 calories, you need to refuel your body, not deprive it.  The other awesome thing is that it motivates me to move more so I burn more calories. When I see that I have a very limited amount of calories to intake for the day and I realize I didn't even eat dinner, I know I need to move so I can burn calories and see the available calories go up.  

[3] You learn how much sleep you get and what you need.

I love that my Fitbit tracks my sleep and then it shows me on a little diagram how restless I was, how many times I woke up, and how many hours of restful sleep I actually got.  Eventually, when you have days that you feel horrible and groggy you can see how much sleep you got and that's how you can tell the amount of sleep that is ideal for you.  For me, it seems that 7 hours is the best.   

[4] It's good to know your heart rate.

So there are different heart rates that give you the best calorie burn to get rid of fat.  You can find how to calculate it here.  Whenever I'm working out I can check what my current heartrate is and that's always great to see because I know that my hard work is paying off.  Also, I always thought that I had to run or do something super fast, but when I started taking long brisk walks I realized my heartrate was still in the calorie burn zone so it really helps you learn a lot about fitness and your own body.

[5] Friendly competition brings out the best in everyone.

So when I first got my Fitbit I saw that I could add friends and join challenges with them to see who can get the most steps in a day, week, or weekend.  That seemed lame to me, until I actually started doing it.  And let me tell you that after a few challenges you will come to realize that the whole point is not to beat others but to give yourself a great reason to keep moving.  In fact, it's automatic.  Your brain sees that you are falling behind and it's like magic.  I jump up and think "I can't be in 4th place, I better take the dog for a walk".    I have challenges every week now with my friends and it's so funny how easy it is to get my ass up from watching TV and start roaming around the house just to get more steps, which makes me burn more calories, which makes me healthier in the long run.

If you have a Fitbit and you want to become friends with me please search for my email using Ellenr886@gmail.com.  I would love to have challenges with you!

 

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