Activity Tracker Accuracy: How Important Is It?

FullSizeRenderIn January of 2014, I purchased a Jawbone UP24. It was a bit of a splurge; $150 for one of the more advanced activity trackers on the market at the time. Fast forward to almost a year and a half later and after one replacement band, I’ve already moved on to the more petite Jawbone UP Move.

Why did I decide to switch? Well first of all, I could already tell that my replacement band was on its way out. The button at the tip was already compressed far into the band and it would occasionally have a tough time syncing.

Only a few days into its usage and I think it’s already won me over.

One thing I have noticed about it though is that it seems to record a lot more steps than the UP24 band. Does this mean my Jawbone had been recording less activity than what I was actually doing?

It poses the question of activity tracker accuracy: when it comes to steps, does accuracy even matter? Or is it more about trend data?

Here is an example: let’s say you took 8,032 steps one day, 6,533 the next day, and then 9,378 steps the third day.

I think it’s more important to note that there was a decrease from day one to day two (negative change), but then there was a significant improvement on the third day (positive change).

So rather than mull over whether or not a trip to the bathroom is 30 steps or 40 steps, I think it’s more important to note the change in how many trips you take one day over another day. Thoughts?

Blank Canvas

core_values“If you had to write a bio about yourself, what would it say?” my therapist asked me one day.

I didn’t know. I couldn’t come up with anything that I could recite with conviction. And even what I did come up with didn’t satisfy or sound interesting to me. It didn’t sound like who I thought I was as a person.

I feel like I’ve had a breakthrough. That was my problem: I have no direction. It’s as if I’ve just been living day to day: working, eating, sleeping, paying bills, rinse and repeat. That’s not really a life lived. It’s a mere existence.

Something in my head clicked on that day. Whatever passions I have are shallow, material and fleeting (food, sex, alcohol, and shopping). I spent a majority of my 20s thinking I knew who I was and what I wanted, but then all of that changed. Now I needed to find out who I was.

There are a handful of things I know to be true about myself:

  1. First and foremost, I will always be honest with myself and with those that I love and trust. This will never change. Even if the truth hurts sometimes, I know I am strong enough to take it and dish it out.
  2. Second, I don’t want to live my life in fear. Fear plays tricks on our minds, makes us think we are incapable of what we are truly capable of. I don’t want to give into it.
  3. Third, I will always seek to understand first, judge second. Everyone struggles with their own battles. I am not the only one.

Other than that, I am a blank canvas. This is my journey of self-discovery.

 

Run #91: Remembering Why I Run

About 13 more miles to go until my next goal.
About 13 more miles to go until my next goal.

So with the last several weeks being so hectic at work, I haven’t been devoting as much time to exercising as I was before. There are only so many late night runs a person can endure before giving up completely.

I’ve broken past my weight loss plateau, but just barely. And last week, I kinda overindulged at Ra Sushi with my friend Caroline, had lunch at Bread Zepplin with Briana (MMM… BREAD), and ate BBQ with my mom for 4th of July dinner because, well, meat.

The other day, one of my coworkers said to me, “Girl, you’ve lost SO much weight. You’re a skinny mini! When I saw you walking towards me, I was like ‘Daaamn…'”

I laughed. “Really?”

“Yeah, you’re looking really good.”

That boosted my confidence. I’m feeling really comfortable in my body these days. Although I am not a size 12, I’m fine with knowing that I’ll get there eventually, and in the meantime I can still enjoy my body at any size.

Hi Dad, It’s Me, Kristine.

IMG_7750It’s Father’s Day so to remember my dad, I want to tell a story about him. A few years ago, my mom was browsing the paper one Sunday morning when she came across a diamond ring that was on sale. “Oh look at this diamond ring,” she said to my dad. “It’s nice isn’t it?”

“Do you want it?” he asked. “Maybe we should get it.”

Before she knew it, they were going to the store to buy the diamond ring. She wondered why he was so eager to spend a lot of money on an extravagant purchase. She found out later that he had bought a very expensive semi-automatic rifle and needed something to cushion the blow. Don’t ask for permission, ask for forgiveness was his motto. That’s just one of the countless stories we tell when we remember him.

Happy Father’s Day, Daddy. I miss you so much.

1 2 3, 1 2 3, Drink.

Party girls don’t get hurt
Can’t feel anything, when will I learn
I push it down, push it down

I discovered Sia’s album “1000 Forms of Fear” and I swear, she is my spirit animal. I’ve declared it as The Official Soundtrack of My Life for the Last 3 years.

I’m walking a fine line between coping and escaping these days. Actually I’ve been walking that line for a while now, some days I’ll feel like I’ve got things under control, other days I’ll feel like I’m losing it.

In order to keep my free time from being entirely composed of boozing and sexing, I’m prioritizing my healthier habits like working out, painting, writing, and meditating.

I finished my first painting two weeks ago and I’ve started a second one. I’ve modified my workout routine to 4 days a week. Day 1 is 30 minutes, day 2 is 45 minutes, and day 3 and 4 are an hour long. I seem to respond well to making plans and changing routines.

But nevertheless I’m staying occupied, trying to keep my calendar filled with different activities and projects, partly out of necessity and partly out of fear. Fear of what may happen if I were to stop or slow down. Fear of what would be there, waiting for me.