Here we are at week 3 of the EmpowHER BodyMedia FITness challenge - hard to believe we're at the half-way point! I must admit, I was a little apprehensive about analyzing my data for last week. I'm dealing with several over-use injuries (shin splits, piriformis syndrome, lower back pain and cranky hips); the Spectathlete and I moved into a new house over the weekend; and adding insult to injury, a sports-medicine doc officially benched me from any weight bearing exercises for the next four weeks (more on this tomorrow). Maintaining any semblance of a training schedule pretty much flew right out the window. For obvious reasons, I was totally nervous about my stats for the week.
Color me surprised when I saw the following summary of my week:
What does all of this mean?
I did a much better job of logging my food last week. I made it easier on myself by going back to MyFitnessPal, and then I simply transferred the daily total into the online BodyMedia Activity Manager. Throughout the week, I was much more aware of the food going in my mouth, and I was making healthier food choices because of it. The result of these efforts was staying under my "Calories Consumed" goal as well as surpassing my daily "Calorie Deficit." I even came super-close to hitting my daily burn of 2500 calories.
With a laundry list of sports-related ailments, my ability to log in all of my half-marathon training miles was severely hindered. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to hit my daily calorie burns or my physical activity goals without running 25 miles for the week. Thankfully, I was wrong. Who knew that spending the weekend moving could burn so many calories? I wish my "vigorous" activity level (yellow on the graph) had been higher, but I'm not going to complain when I averaged nearly two hours of vigorous and moderate (brown on the graph) activity per day.
My sleep continues to be a problem. How do people find time to sleep eight hours a night when they work full-time and have a time-consuming sport as a hobby? One of these weeks I will crack this nut, but until then I will try and be happy with the fact that when I do sleep I am somewhat efficent (see graph).
What's on tap for next week?
Now that our move is behind us and I'm slowly accepting the doc's advice about my injuries (more on this tomorrow), I'm going to focus on getting back on my training schedule. There will be lots of swimming and cycling and perhaps my first attempt pool running (Shin splits - Boo!). I haven't yet stepped on the scale since I started this challenge a few weeks ago because I've been nervous about what it might say considering my workouts have been interrupted by injuries. Maybe this will be be the week I conquer that fear as well? Stay tuned.
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:
An Armband that automatically captures data.
An optional Display device or free downloadable mobile apps that give you up-to-the-minute readings throughout the day.
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'll be updating my progress with the BodyMedia FIT armband each Tuesday on my blog and here 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!
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.