Taking some time for myself

After the last post, I realized how little time I actually spend just on me. I give all my time an energy, mostly, to my husband and stepson, and then my friends and family. But I really never take any time or effort for myself other than what I spend on my phone.

That needs to change.

You know I've been wearing my fitbit since the first of the month, and now that I have a few weeks of data, it's really interesting to see my patterns. First of all, I work at a desk job in front of a computer writing most of the day, so my little pie chart of activity is mostly "sedentary". I'm trying to remind myself to get up more often during the day, even if it is just to take a lap around the office, or go job in place in the bathroom where no one can see me.

Second, I sleep really poorly. Well, I knew that already, but now I have hard data! Admittedly, the geek in me just loves to log on every morning first thing to see my pretty statistics, but it has brought to my attention that while I'm in bed for 9-10 hours a night, I actually sleep closer to 5. No wonder I'm always tired when I get up! I'm hoping being more active will have an impact on this, too.

Third, I can eat good all day long, doing the right things, and not too much. But as soon as I walk in the front door at night, all bets are off. I usually get home ravenous, and I don't tend to track my evening meals until the next morning, and that needs to change. If I have to go to my computer or phone and write it down every time I eat at night the same way I do during the day, I think I'll be a bit less inclined to munch my way through the evening.

As I gather more data and statistics on myself and my habits, I'll continue to update here. I'm debating paying for fitbit's premium package to get access to even MORE beautiful data, but for now, I'm still trying to establish my baselines. I find it incredibly appropriate and amusing that it is technology, in the end, that is really starting to allow me to change ingrained habits and attitudes I've had all my life. The siren song of data and technology - I can't resist.

Fitbit Update

Well, it's been a few days now, and so far, I'm really liking the fitbit, a lot. Having the little flower that grows and shrinks as I move around or sit is surprisingly motivating. Unfortunately, I have a desk job that requires me to be in front of a computer in the middle of an open floor all day, so getting more active is challenging, but I'm trying to get up and move around more, and even pace a bit while making my (healthy) lunch in the afternoon. It's still just a start, but we all have to start somewhere, right?

Getting Fit

This is the resolution for just about everyone, every year, isn't it? Get healthier, loose weight, etc. And it's mine again this year, but the difference is that I'm using geeky tools to try and help me get there.

I've been using sparkpeople.com to track, off and on, what I eat. There's a wealth of information there, and I love the site, but staying motivated to keep it up has been an issue for me. Last night, I bought a brand new Fitbit. This is basically like a pedometer on steroids, that tracks everything from your steps to estimating calories burned, to tracking your sleep patterns. In short, it is the geek's pedometer! I have been wanting one for a while, and I'm really excited that I finally got one. I have it on now, and over the next few weeks, I plan to cross-track on both sparkpeople and the fitbit site.

I'll post updates here as I go on how I like it, how it works, and how close I'm sticking to my goals of doing 5-10 minutes per day of some kind of exercise, along with trying to get up and walk around more in general. Here's hoping for a healthier 2011!