Wednesday 29 June 2016

Fitbit Flex - Review

I thought I'd do a review of my Fitbit Flex; I've had a fair few people ask me "is it worth the money?" and "what benefits do you get from it?" - all will be answered to the best I can. If I miss something out, just comment and I'll answer!!

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What is a Fitbit?
A Fitbit is an activity tracker that tracks predominantly your steps and distance you have travelled. It also includes how many calories you have burned and how many minutes you are active for.

There are several different types of Fitbit's varying to prices - which suit different needs.

(To see which one best suits you, go to the Fitbit website here and find out!)

I have a Fitbit Flex, I originally bought mine with a pink band but decided to get a cute floral one on eBay - I'll touch on that later!

What compelled me to buy one?
Peer pressure if I'm honest. A lot of people at my previous job had them, and with all the running around I was doing a lot of people said I should get one. I was amazed when I did, I was walking more then 6 miles a day, and that's without doing any additional exercise. I was hitting 15,000 steps regularly and became slightly obsessed with getting the 20,000 step badge at one point. 

Has it had a benefit?
Definitely; its made me more aware of how much I move and if I'm moving enough. If I'm having a lazy day at home I always try to at least do 4,000 steps a day to try and keep my step count up as much as I can. It definitely helps with my weight loss as well with the app as it tells me how much weight I've lost since a certain date. There is also a food tracking and water intake logs on the app too, its definitely helpful for people who like to keep a good track and record of everything.
One of the key features which helps me, is the sleep tracking; I'm a terrible sleeper, and sometimes I don't realise how restless I really am, which explains why I'm always so tired sometimes! It definitely helps give me a good insight to what I'm doing when I'm not aware.

How does it work?
The Fitbit Flex is a wristband that goes on your non-dominant arm, inside the wristband is a little widget that wirelessly syncs to your phone using Bluetooth. If you tap it then 5 little dots will appear. My step goal is 10,000 so each dot represents 2,000 steps I've done - once you hit 10,000 all 5 dots will show and your widget will vibrate once you've hit the goal! It's really as simple that, you can check your exact progress of steps on the app.

How accurate is the Fitbit? 
I'll be honest, unless you move your arms the exact same amount as you move your legs then your fine. The reason I opted for the flex is because I do tend to wear a lot of dresses so the Zip or the One didn't really appeal to me at the time. I noticed this particularly when I was pushing my brothers wheelchair - I did an hour of wheelchair football (which is a lot of running!!) and my fitbit said I had done 4 steps... I don't really believe that. I have looked at purchasing a clip for when I wear jeans and skirts for my Flex as it may give me a more accurate idea of how many steps I had actually done. However, it is pretty accurate considering it is on your arm, so long as you aren't lifting anything!

Pros & Cons?
Pro's are that it makes you more aware of your daily activity and what you are really doing. You can change the wrist bands to cool designs, which are available from Amazon for relatively cheap prices. Its a handy little device, and I tend to forget I even have it on me. Has a really good charge life, normally lasts me a good 4 days before I need to recharge. I also love the food logging and water intake - particularly as I have a bad habit of not drinking enough water!
Cons for me is the accuracy as mentioned above. It does sort of bug me a little. It isn't as such an issue for me, but I'd also like to have a Fitbit I can wear whilst swimming as the Fitbit flex is recomennded not to get wet - so I feel like I lose some of my active minutes when not wearing this for swimming.

I'd like to upgrade to another Fibit at some point towards the end of this year as I would like to have the flights climbed segment as well as I do tend to use stairs a lot - I'm not overly fussed on the Heart monitor Fitbits though! We'll see!

I hope this was helpful for those debating or contemplating a fitbit!

You can Purchase a Flex or view some of the other Fitbit's Available on the Fitbit Website

Fitbit - Flex £79.99

However, I bought mine from...

Wednesday 15 June 2016

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Okay, I wanted to discuss about changes - particularly body changes.

If you follow me over on my Instagram then a week or so ago you may have seen a post where I posted a picture of my current tummy area; and how I've noticed changes over the last year. Over on my personal Facebook I also posted a comparison of my body from August last year (roughly the same weight I am now, as I gained back weight and now losing again) with the same picture.

Let me apologise for my just got out of bed look on the right....
Left is August 2015 at around 15 stone 11.
Right is June 2016 at 15 stone 12.
I definitely feel and somewhat look like I'm back to this shape, if not a little smaller round the waist this time. I also feel proud to say I've been corset training free for a year and a half now (no more tightlacing, phew!). I'm currently without a tape measure so I'm unable to see if my waist is smaller or not or if it just looks smaller to me.

So, what have I done this time round different to weight loss last time? Last time was purely just running/cardio exercises to burn as much fat as possible - this time round I'm lifting weights and really working on lots of strength exercises as well as my cardio. I'd say I've got a much healthier balance this time round. I'm also a pescetarian/vegetarian this time and have noticed I've got 'less' bloating in the stomach area. I have however, gone on the contraceptive pill and a side effect is bloating - so keeping a very close eye on this, and for weight gain.

I've also noticed that my belly button is... well less like a line. My tummy was creased at my belly button when I was 25/30lbs heavier so that was definitely a visual victory and encouragement to carry on - the sit-ups and crunches must be working!

A non-scale victory out of this all, is my confidence. Despite all the drama I've had from August to now I'm still feeling more and more confident (I'm even wearing more lower rise underwear - I only own 2 pairs of high waisted knickers for THAT time of the month!)

Have you done a comparison of how your body has changed? You don't have to be losing weight but it can be super interesting to see how your body changes over the years and as you grow up!

What is a non-scale victory for you? - To me these can be just as, if not more important then a scale victory!