Ready for a Fitbit?

You have probably heard about the Fitbit by now, but maybe you are like me – wondering what the real benefit is – and if it’s really necessary to turn to technology to improve your health.

The answer for many might simply be “no.” You certainly do not need technology to help you improve your health. But for Fosston native Jill Burggraf and many others, wearing a Fitbit is a positive step toward building a healthier lifestyle.

Fitbits are created by Fitbit Inc., a California company that recently filed an IPO with the New York Stock Exchange. Since its 2007 launch, the company has become well known for its products – personal wearable devices that measure data such as the number of steps walked, quality of sleep, and other personal metrics. The company claims that their users take 43 percent more steps with Fitbit.

Wearing a Fitbit is reported to help wearers increase the number of
steps they take each day by 43 percent.

Jill Burggraf owns the Charge HR model, which monitors her heartbeat and graphs her sleeping patterns. She credits her Fitbit with increasing health awareness throughout the day. “I find myself thinking that I need more steps in my day,” she said. “I also find satisfaction when it vibrates, telling me that I have reached my goal.”

Jill’s employer connects her and other employees to an integrated Fitbit program called “Virgin Pulse Health Miles,” designed to improve employee health. Employees earn points by tracking steps walked, as well as earning cash incentives.

The Fitbit company believes people are more likely to reach goals if encouraged to have fun, smile, and feel empowered along the way. Jill affirms the “fun” aspect of the Fitbit, which has a social component. “I am ‘friends’ with other Fitbit wearers, including family members,” Jill says. “In good fun, we are able to cheer each other on and hold each other accountable.”

Dr. Charles Winjum is also a Fitbit wearer. “Our bodies are meant to move,” Winjum says. “We should all look for simple ways to get up and stay up. I wear a Fitbit just so I can keep track of my steps.”

If you buy a Fitbit, you will find that it does a lot more than just track steps. Through integrated smart phone apps, you can log the food you eat, various activities, water intake, weight, and fitness goals throughout the day, even while offline.

The Fitbit company has also created a free website that can be used with or without the Fitbit Tracker. If you would like to try it before you buy the device, you can create an account by going to Fitbit.com. Using the free account, you can log your food intake, activities, weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and glucose levels. You can also set daily and weekly goals for steps, calories burned and consumed, and distance walked.

Do you have a Fitbit? How are you using it? Please share your Fitbit stories in the comments below.

HealthyU is being brought to you by SHIP, Polk County Public Health, the City of Fosston, Essentia Health, and several other private partners. Launched in 2008 as part of Minnesota’s bipartisan health reform effort, SHIP works to help Minnesotans live longer, healthier lives while building healthy, vital communities. SHIP encourages healthy eating, active living, and avoiding commercial tobacco by working with schools, communities, workplaces, and healthcare to make healthy choices easier.

What is “MyPlate?”

The new "MyPlate" infographic.

Combine all the choices and the wide variety of foods that are available today with all of the widely varying ideas on what constitutes a healthy diet and you have a good recipe for confusion.

                   

Opinions from researchers and respected health authorities have told us that eggs, red meat, and dairy will lead to heart attack. We were told to eat more grains and little to no fat. Then a diet comes out telling us not to worry about eating fat – eat all you want, but stay away from carbohydrates. Scores of best-selling books have been written on these and many related topics. In 2012, the weight loss industry in the United States – diet books, diet drugs, and weight loss surgeries – totaled $20 billion.

What is the average person supposed to think? We know that diet is an important component of our health, but how do we know what to eat? What kind of diet is the most beneficial?

Many of us grew up with the classic food pyramid, originally developed and promoted by the United States Department of Agriculture. The classic food pyramid recommended:

·         6-11 servings of bread, cereal rice, and/or pasta;

·         3-5 servings of vegetables;

·         2-4 servings of fruits;

·         2-3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dry beans, and nuts;

·         2-3 servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese; and

·         Fats, oils, and sweets used sparingly.

In 2005, the USDA retired the old food pyramid and introduced what it was promoting as a healthier pyramid, which reduced the amount of carbohydrates, among other things. Fast forward to 2011, and now, we have an entirely new model called “My Plate.”

Introduced by First Lady Michelle Obama and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, MyPlate is a new generation icon intended to prompt consumers to think about building a healthy plate at meal times, and to seek more information to help them do that by going to ChooseMyPlate.gov.

Compared to the old food pyramid, MyPlate does seem simpler, focusing on five food groups that are building blocks for a healthy diet: fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy. The recommendations are simple:

·         Focus on fruits.

·         Vary your veggies.

·         Make at least half your grains whole.

·         Go lean with protein.

·         Get your calcium-rich foods.

Everything in moderation, my grandmother used to say. For detailed information on MyPlate, go to the USDA website: choosemyplate.gov.

Have a healthy eating idea to share? Post it in the comment box below. We'd love to hear it!

HealthyU is being brought to you by SHIP, Polk County Public Health, the City of Fosston, Essentia Health, and several other private partners. Launched in 2008 as part of Minnesota’s bipartisan health reform effort, SHIP works to help Minnesotans live longer, healthier lives while building healthy, vital communities. SHIP encourages healthy eating, active living, and avoiding commercial tobacco by working with schools, communities, workplaces, and healthcare to make healthy choices easier.