There is no way around it - last week was not a stellar week in terms of working out, sleeping or logging my meals into the food journal.
I didn't have to post that picture with my stats. I could have fudged the numbers and said, "I had a great week and it's all because of this little gizmo around my arm," but that's not the truth. No matter how fancy a piece of equipment is it can't replace your motivation or your will to stick with a plan. It can't keep your job from becoming really busy or your hips and shins from hurting. Sometimes life simply gets in the way.
The BodyMedia FIT armband did its job by logging in my calories, activity levels and sleep each and every day. I was one who fell short of doing my job. There's no point in beating myself up over lost sleep or a missed opportunity to work out. Looking on the bright side, the data generated from wearing the BodyMedia Fit armband last week is pretty eye opening:
I averaged less than six hours of sleep a night. Less than six! No wonder I am always tired - and let's be honest a little cranky from time to time too. This week, I must make a concerted effort to get my butt into bed earlier!
Reaching my goal of 2800 calories burned each day is a tall order. It's going to take more effort on my part to make that happen. When I start back to tri training next month, that number won't be as hard to reach. "Only" training for a half-marathon doesn't burn the same amount of calories.
Recognizing that I'm not burning the same amount of calories now that I did last summer is reminder that I cannot eat whatever I want. There is definitely a limit I need to observe. I think many athletes - especially women - fall into this trap. "I just ran 5 miles, so that means I can eat whatever I want for the rest of the day!" Actually, no you can't. You can enjoy that one cookie or cupcake, but you can't eat a dozen. Everything in moderation.
The point of this six week challenge is to make me more aware of how my daily decisions impact my overall health and well-being. Keeping all of this in mind, I intend to focus on getting as close to eight hours (or more) of sleep each night. It makes no difference how many workouts are planned because if I'm tired I won't do them. I am also going to keep my daily dates with my foam roller. As I wrote yesterday, I'm a mess from the waist down. Hips, back, shins and calves are all hurt. And lastly, I'm going to keep a watchful eye on the calories going in and coming out. Hopefully, my week 2 stats will be a little rosier than week 1!
About the BodyMedia FIT armband:
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:
(*subscription required)
I'll be updating my progress with the BodyMedia FIT armband each Tuesday here on my blog and at EmpowHER , so I hope you'll stick with me during this six week challenge. I encourage you to check out the BodyMedia FIT system for yourself and take the challenge with me!