Sometimes life throws your health and fitness goals a curve ball. I had hoped to spend this past week working on increasing my vigorous activity minutes. Instead, by Thursday I was sick. By Friday late afternoon, I was sick enough to brave urgent care! I left three hours later with a prescription for high powered antibiotics to fight strep throat. I spent the entire weekend in bed. Instead of increasing my physical activity I think I barely moved enough for the CORE armband to realize I was in fact still alive.
That said, I feel this is an excellent week to discuss the sleep data feature of the BodyMedia FIT. Being ill, I haven't slept well in days. My tonsils are swollen and I'm congested therefore my sleep efficiency was not great! As you can see below, I didn't have a very restful night AND I took a nap that day while my youngest slept. I could show you a picture from a better night's sleep but where's the fun in that! 
The black areas show when I was actually asleep. The lighter gray areas show when I am lying down but not asleep. Those light gray areas occur when I wake up fully, roll over, etc. The even lighter shade that you can see slightly after 1:00 a.m. is when I got up out of bed for aspirin. The longer segments of light gray time were when I was tossing and turning A LOT trying to go back to sleep.
Most days my sleep efficiency is higher. When healthy it is usually over 80% with even some days over 90% sleep efficiency. I do notice that the more I exercise, the better I sleep! I hope to feel much better in another day or so in order to get back on track with exercise.
All that said, I did lose 1.2 pounds this week and am back down to 189.8 pounds. I have lost 4.2 pounds total since the beginning of the challenge. My hopes of seeing 180 (and reaching my 100 pound milestone) no longer seems likely but I'm giving it all I've got and hope to make better strides in the next three weeks of this challenge.
BodyMedia FIT automatically tracks the calories burned during your daily activities — from pumping iron to using an iron — and monitors the quality of your sleep, an important factor in weight loss. Add in the easy-to-use food log and you have the information you need to improve your weight loss.
The 3 part system includes:
1. An Armband that automatically captures data
2. An optional Display device or free downloadable mobile apps that give you up-to-the-minute readings throughout the day
3. An online Activity Manager* that analyzes raw data, allows you to log food and presents info in an easy-to-understand way (*subscription required)
I encourage you to take the BodyMedia FITness challenge with me! You can purchase an armband through EmpowHER. You can learn the truth about the lifestyle choices you make throughout the day and how they affect your health.
Disclosure: Device and accompanying online Activity Manager subscription was provided by BodyMedia via EmpowHER. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of BodyMedia or EmpowHER.