My BodyBugg

(Here is the armband. You can also get a digital display that is also a watch, or can just be clipped on your belt.)

I've been hearing a lot of talk about the BodyBugg. What is it? It's a device that helps you track the total about of calories you burned in a course of a day to within 90% accuracy. It also tracks the number of steps you take and the amount of moderate activity you do in a day. The Bodybugg comes with a free 6 month subscription to a program to also track your meals. The goal of the program is to help you track and get progress and get you the weight loss results you want.

This product is highly recommend by people like Chalean Johnson, and numerous coaches and coachees!

So, I heard about it for awhile and was like, do I really need that? I mean, I workout everyday, I eat right,... I don't need it? It's not really cheap, so I was like I use Fitday.com (a free website) to track my meals and I have a heart rate monitor to track my calories. Why get this little device?

Well, I decided I wasn't really reaching the goal I wanted. So, I decided I would take a chance and just get one. Heck, I'm a Beachbody Coach, my weekly checks can cover the cost of my new toy, so why not!

My first week of having it, I was on a boat, sailing. So, I decided not to really use it. Why, because it comes with an armband you HAVE to wear. And, honesty, I didn't want a goofy tan line around my arm. But, I did wear it for a bit and figured out how much I burned as I walked around town all day! I thought, wow, this is pretty cool!

See, I set my Bodybugg up with the following daily goals!

1. Take 10,000 steps a day.

2. Do a min. of 2 hours of moderate activity a day.

3. Burn a min. of 2200 calories a day.

I figured 10,000 steps is what I always here about, I guess the American Heart Association or someone came up with that number. I figured that would be an easy goal, and I could hit that no problem.

The moderate activity, I set for 2 hours because I know I workout hard for an hour a day, but I have a desk job during the day, so, 2 hours I thought would be easy to hit with my other daily activities. I figured, I'd have to adjust that once I "figured it out" from wearing my Bodybugg.

And finally, I picked 2200 calories. The Bodybugg program helped me choose this number based on the information it requested when I set it up. My goal is to lose about 5 lbs. If I burn 2200 cal. and I track my meals and eat 1700 calories, that is a 500 cal. deficit a day. That would be a week to lose 1 pound. I can live with that.

So, Monday was my first day of wearing the BodyBugg. I have worn it everyday this week. Yup, the band on the arm got a lot of questions. But, most people know I'm a fitness freak, so leave me be. I even think a few people are going to get one to help them reach their goals!

Here is what I learned. If you sit at a desk all day, hitting 10,000 steps is not that easy! On most days, from 6:30-5 pm, I only walk about 4000-5000 steps. And, some days, if I do a resistance workout in the morning, (at 5 am) that number may only go up to 5500!

I have also learned that the 2200 calories a day is a lot! I really need to do stuff to get that amount in.

I have also been tracking a lot of my meals on Fitday and this program to see where I'm at.

Here is what I learned! Cardio workout days and a good resistance workout in the morning, really kick start my day! My calorie burn is up, my steps are up! But, I need to make little adjustments in my routines! Like, I park further from the building to walk a little more. My dog is getting an extra 5 minutes at least on all his walks! I also look at my watch and at 9 pm, have stepped on my elliptical to help push me past my goals!

There are many days this week, where I was around 2000 calories burned and only around 8000 steps taken. There have been a few days this week where my diet was way out of whack and there were days were it was spot on!

But, once you plug your band in to the program and you have tracked your meals and it says, that your goal is a 500 calorie deficit and I see my results for the day or an increase in calories or that I may have an equal calorie in to my calorie out, so a 0 deficit for the day. I now know why my goals are not being reached.

This is a new toy, but it has definitely shown me a lot. I know if I can continue to use my Bodybugg it will help me reach my goals. If nothing else it really makes me push harder during the day to do just a little more. Meaning, the little things, like taking the stairs and not the elevator! Plus, if I see at 8 pm that I only burned 1700 calories, and I have a quite night planned, I know I sure won't be grabbing a snack!

You can get your Bodybugg (or learn more) at www.BodyBugg.com. I also found it slightly cheaper at www.24hourfitness.com.

As I keep using this system, I'll send out updates on if its working our not. But, remember, knowing the calories you burned is only half the battle! You also need to really pay attention to the calories you consume to get the best results!

Keep Pushing Play!

Heather

Email: HeatherB@BeachbodyCoach.com

Website: www.TheFitnessSpot.net

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