One Small Gadget That is a GAME CHANGER...
Movement is Medicine.
Whether your goal is weight loss, building muscle, improving health markers (like blood pressure & cholesterol) or you just want to feel better overall - YOU NEED TO MOVE MORE.
An active lifestyle is a healthy lifestyle.
Move more, sit less.
Living a sedentary lifestyle is one of the absolute worst things you can do for your health. It increases your risk of all-cause mortality (dying early), cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and pretty much every other negative health outcome there is. Not to mention, it often goes hand-in-hand with being overweight and out of shape.
Step Your Way To Weight Loss & Better Health
Fitness Trackers are small, simple gadgets that are a powerful tool for weight loss and keeping us healthy. They provide you with data about your activity and step count, accountability to more movement and the dopamine hit of watching those numbers increase throughout the day.
Alright, that's my sales pitch. If you don't have one already, buy a fitness tracker. The Apple Watch, Fitbit and Garmin are all good choices - do your research, read through reviews and find one that fits your budget.
Buying AND USING a fitness tracker is one of the best investments you can make for creating and maintaining a healthier lifestyle.
Activity & Step Goals
Most of these devices will allow you to setup specific step and activity goals - and I suggest you do so. Daily step count and hourly movement/activity are the two to focus on.
Wear your activity tracker for 5 days without making any changes in your habits/activity - just to get a baseline for where you are at - this is eye-opening for a lot of people.
| Step Goal Range (Steps per Day) | Level of Activity |
|---|---|
| Less than 5,000 | Sedentary |
| 5,000 - 7,499 | Lightly Active |
| 7,500 - 9,999 | Moderately Active |
| 10,000 - 12,499 | Active |
| 12,500 and above | Highly Active |
My suggestion is that everyone should be aiming to fall into the "active" category - 10,000 to 12,499 steps per day. You don't have to start there - but it probably wouldn't kill ya. This level of daily activity will get you/keep you lean, improve health markers, boost your mental health and help you live longer.
Tips To Get More Steps In
Quick story. I've been doing 20,000+ steps/day for the last week leading up to writing this newsletter - just to show it's possible for all the busy guys out there who love to make excuses. Commit to your step goal and hit it every day.
- Neighborhood walks with the family and dog
- Get to stepping when you're talking on the phone
- Buy an under desk treadmill if you do a lot of computer work
- Walk between sets during your workout
- Get steps in during your breaks at work or school
Another really effective strategy is organizing friendly competition. Start a group chat with a few buddies and challenge each other.
START TODAY
More movement is something EVERYONE can do. And you can start today, right now. Living an active lifestyle will make a huge difference in how you feel, look and move. I hope that y'all have a great week - get to steppin!