Attorney Michael de Broglio on: South Africa, Law, Politics, Attorneys, Sport, Photography, Technology, Gadgets, Media, Crime, Road Accidents Fund,
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There can be no doubt that step counters, and various fitness trackers are the latest trend people are buying into. Large numbers of people have recently either got the Up-band, by Jawbone, which is what I use, or the FitBit Band. Discovery members are using the FitBit Band and that has obviously propelled that band to some success in South Africa, although internationally, the Up-band has received better reviews. Most of these devices, as I have covered on my blog before, count the number of steps you take during the day, as well as monitor your sleep and breaks your sleep down into how much of your sleep was sound, solid sleep where you did not move around much and how much of it was lighter sleep. They are particularly useful in tracking what you are doing and illustrating to you where you are falling short and I find it very motivational as well.
What has surprised me though is how popular they have become in the last two months or so, with my accountant wearing one, my IT specialist wearing one and at least two other attorneys that I chat to all having obtained them in the last two months or so. My accountant seems to walk further than anybody else, averaging about 14,000 steps a day when I last spoke to him, whereas I struggle to get to my target of 10,000 steps a day. I have been averaging about 55,000 steps a week and if anything, falling shorter on my sleep in the last two weeks. 55,000 Steps a week, while missing my target, is actually a very decent amount of steps. If you find that you are relatively sedentary at work, and then when you go home largely confining yourself to say cooking dinner and then watching TV, you will struggle to get past about 2,500 steps in a day. So to get to 10,000 steps does require an effort – such as going for a walk in the early hours of the morning, which is hard in winter, or in the evening. I have calculated that I take about 120 steps a minute when I am walking, so for me it would be about 85 minutes of walking a day which, when combined with the pressures of work and sometimes the bigger problem, which is lack of motivation, is far more difficult than one thinks.
It is reassuring to see though that the overall trend in recent years is towards increasing fitness and trying to ascertain and limit the damage done by a poor diet and there is more and more scientific material being published on these topics every week.
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Thursday 24-Apr-14
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Comments
Catherine said:
on Monday 28-Apr-14 02:43 PM
It is more a question of curiosity more that anything else. A person knows whether they are fit or not but to what level is then when this gadget may come into play. I do jog every morning so the amount of steps I cover on a daily basis is between 9000 to 10000.
Cindy said:
on Friday 25-Apr-14 04:49 PM
I think this is a cool device, for some one else. I surely would like to know how many steps I take a day, I think that would be interesting. But I also think that to buy that device would be a waste of money.
Sheena said:
on Friday 25-Apr-14 04:48 PM
I would find it interesting to know how many steps I take per day. Think this device can keep you motivated.
Sinead said:
on Friday 25-Apr-14 02:44 PM
If you are unfit, you already know it... If you are tired, then sleep... You don't need a device to tell you to walk more and sleep less or whatever the case is.
It would be interesting to know how many steps one takes everyday, but I think it really is a waste of money.
Lourien said:
on Friday 25-Apr-14 11:33 AM
If you're looking to lose weight, increase your physical activity, or simply improve your overall health, a personal activity tracker can help you reach your goal. Seeing how much activity you do, day-by-day and week-by-week, could motivate you to start taking the stairs or walking an extra lap around the block. At the very least, it will make you more mindful of your activity level, which is a huge first step to getting fit.
Jade said:
on Thursday 24-Apr-14 05:07 PM
This isn't anything new. Step counters have been around for a while, but as with everything, the fitness industry has fads as well.
I think for some people, getting fit and staying active is easy. Perhaps this is because of the way they were brought up, or the way they are motivated, or the amounts of energy levels they have. Any tool that motivates people to get up and be healthier is not a bad thing. Everyone is different, and thus it follows that different things work for some people.
Aren't we lucky that we live in a society where there are so many choices?
Safia said:
on Thursday 24-Apr-14 03:07 PM
I think this device is very useful because it will make you disciplined about your sleep( you will go to bed earlier) and it will make you walk more for the day, if you did not reach your target of 10000 steps.at the end you will be fitter, slimmer and fresh looking due to more sleep and more walking. this device will put you off watching tv because you will notice how you do not gain any steps and how you waste your sleep time while staring at the screen.
Sorea said:
on Thursday 24-Apr-14 02:52 PM
At the end of the day you, yourself, have to put effort in if you believe you need to eat a little healthier or if you need to move more. No amount of gadgetry will be able to motivate you if you do not want to be.
Anna said:
on Thursday 24-Apr-14 02:28 PM
I still use my trusty pedometer. I love to walk and run. Over the long weekend I walked in excess of 50km and as I run 21,1km half marathons every second weekend, I'm confident I'd rival your accountant with the number of steps I walk every day/week. Healthy living is the ONLY way to live. I must confess that if I had a Fit Bit band I'd be competing with my step count to out do myself on a daily or a weekly basis...probably better not to acquire one!!
lizanne said:
on Thursday 24-Apr-14 01:30 PM
I think it is a nice to have to see how your body is physically and so to say, mentally doing. Having said that, I do agree with Juliet that it is a waste of money and time as you would know when you did not have enough sleep and it will most definitely not give you all the energy that you need.
Angelique said:
on Thursday 24-Apr-14 01:29 PM
I agree - waste of money but trends make inventors rich :). I would definitely only buy it as like many people I would be curious to see how many steps I take and my sleeping pattern but I think after a month I would be over it. I have seen alot of people trying this out. Any one know what something like that costs?
Monique said:
on Thursday 24-Apr-14 01:28 PM
I looked at buying the fitbit! I have heard awesome things about it. There is something similar to the fitbit that tracks the deepness that you sleep. I find that pretty interesting. Im obsessed with fitness and eating healthy, so something like this sounds like a good buy to me.
Bianca R said:
on Thursday 24-Apr-14 01:25 PM
I must say that I find this extremely interesting and would be keen in monitoring my own steps etc. I do agree to a certain extent that it is a money making scheme but then again, what these days, isn't just a money making scheme. I think that if you have the means and can spend the money, why not? It is at the end of the day encouraging people to be fitter and move more! Life will never move if you aren't moving forward....
Kaylee said:
on Thursday 24-Apr-14 01:25 PM
Sounds interesting, I am not sure whether I would make the 10 000 steps a day, but I am pretty active. It would definitely tell me I don't sleep enough. Does it have a calorie counter as well? It would be beneficial to show how many calories you were burning while taking all those steps.
david said:
on Thursday 24-Apr-14 01:18 PM
whatever next... i have a stopwatch... although i'd be curious to know how many steps i take per day. i have a young daughter, and her favourite position is in one of those baby holder/holster type things that go over your shoulders and around your back. if you stand still she complains, so i move a lot...
Melissa said:
on Thursday 24-Apr-14 01:18 PM
What a waste of money!!!!!
Bianca Els said:
on Thursday 24-Apr-14 10:37 AM
I completely agree with Juliet!!! Waste of time, energy and money.
Juliet said:
on Thursday 24-Apr-14 10:08 AM
I really don't know how anyone has time to worry about this. You can tell when you haven't had enough sleep because you are tired and you can tell you didn't take enough steps because you are overweight. There are only 24 hours in a day and I think you need to really think about what you dedicate your energy and thoughts to because if I personally sat worrying about how many steps I took and how much sleep I didn't have, then that 20 minutes of thought would take away from 20 minutes of work, or other things which I find far more important. This sounds like another gimmick for people who have money to spare.
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
