KEEP MOVING!!
You’ve probably been told you need to stay active.
The average adult sits for 6.4 hours each day, and adults age 65 and over tend to sit even longer. Sitting too long increases your risk for a variety of ailments and even premature death, but physical activity can lessen, or even eliminate, that risk. To do so, you need at least five hours of physical activity a week.
If you need some motivation to help you get up and moving, how about trying a fitness tracker? You’ve probably heard about the Fitbit and Apple Watch, but there are a variety of options out there to fit every need and budget.
From low tech options, up to all the bells and whistles:
Pedometer – This option won’t require any help from your friends or family to get going. You simply strap a pedometer on your belt and get going. The information is basic, but it is simple to use, and you can grab one for under $5 in some places.
Smartphone – Many smartphones have a handy, no-charge extra feature that will track your activity. On an iPhone there is an icon with a red heart that says “Health”, but your Android phone likely has an option too. It will track walking and running distance, flights of stairs climbed, steps taken, and there is even a place for medical ID information where you can list your age, weight, height, medical conditions, medications, and emergency contacts.
Smartphone apps – Many of these apps are free and easy to download. Give MyFitnessPal a try. It can help you map a walk, run, or bicycle ride. If you get bored with one app, just try another one.
Fitbit Charge 3 – This little gem shows up on many tech lists for 2019. It’s not cheap, at a cost of $120 or so, but these little watches will connect to your phone, tablet, or computer and track your steps and heart rate. It is water resistant and has a seven-day battery life. You can set goals for your active minutes, sleep information, and calories burned. Fitbit has other options available, so check out their store for more options.
Apple Watch – This has numerous features that go beyond fitness features but will set you back about $400. This watch will monitor your heart rate and workout details, will let you set goals and a target pace, and tell you when you’ve reached those goals.
Tips for using your fitness tracker
Before you go out and buy a fitness tracker, here are a few tips to take into consideration:
Keep in mind that you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to help you stay active. If you are just starting to get active, don’t set your goal at the recommended 10,000 steps that you may have heard of. Instead, try a beginning goal of 3,000 steps per day. Each week try to increase that by 10 percent. You need to stay motivated, not limping toward your couch every day. JUST KEEP MOVING!
