Hello, Beauties🌸 This week’s post is My Fifth Anniversary Fitbit Journey.
Five years ago, when I was 58, my health goal was to age gracefully. I sought a way to encourage myself to be more active every day. My journey started by using a pedometer. The pharmaceutical company I work for, AstraZeneca, gave out inexpensive step devices at health facilities. The measuring gadget made sense to encourage people and me to be more health conscious.
I thought a simple, inexpensive pedometer would be all I needed to achieve my fitness goals. Like all midlifers, I want to be heart-healthy, keep my blood pressure intact, have low cholesterol, and reduce the risk of diabetes. I kept losing the doggone thing or forgetting to put it in a secure place on my clothes. Then, one of my pedometers fell in the toilet (I was using the free ones from AstraZeneca ). Oops!
When I discovered the Fitbit Activity Tracker, I knew that would be my way to stay active with 10,000 steps and be mindful of my eating habits.
I never asked the question, Who decided 10,000 steps away? From my online sources, I learned the idea of walking at least 10,000 steps a day for health goes back decades to a Japanese marketing campaign promoting pedometers. The average American walks 3,000 to 4,00 steps a day. That’s my baseline, too.
According to I-Min Lee of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, “The original basis of the number, not scientifically determined.”
Ms. Lee, I’m curious to know how many steps you must take daily to maintain good health and live a long life.
She and her colleagues designed a study that included about 17,000 older women. The average age was. The women agreed to clip on wearable devices to track their daily activities.
It turns out that women who walk about 4,000 steps per day have a boost in longevity compared with women who walk fewer steps.
Kathleen Janz, who studies how physical activity influences health at the University of Iowa, helped shape the Federal exercise recommendation of 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise. That recommendation includes all kinds of daily movement, not just steps.
I fell off my step schedule most of 2018 and after my gall bladder surgery earlier this year. The excellent summer weather and longer days of sunlight will help me get back on track. I have the Alta HR Fitbit Tracker, which measures heart rate and tracks any physical activity.
As I get back on track with my Fitbit journey, I remind you and myself of the benefits of brisk walking:
Reduce Risk of Common Health Problems:
Heart Disease
Obesity
Diabetes
High Blood Pressure
Depression
The best news is a report from my internist that my A1C (Diabetes risk) is low. She proactively put me on high blood pressure medication over ten years ago when my numbers started creeping. I’m still on the same low dose of hypertension meds with no new prescriptions except for the supplements I take.
Everyone can reap the benefits of moving more. Some activities are better than no movement. Don’t lead a sedentary lifestyle. It will catch up with you. And me if I don’t get back on track.
How do you not lead a sedentary lifestyle? Do share in the comments section.
As always, thank you for reading. Have a fabulous week.
