Best thing I did was get an Apple Watch

lowededwookie

First of all I need to clarify that this is not a product endorsement. The reason behind the statement is that for me getting accurate information is key and accurate information can only come from a variety of data. Apple Watch does that and so does Fitbit, Samsung, etc. The reason for Apple Watch specifically is largely down to the ecosystem I run.

That being said though when I was working in IT my Fitbit Flex was great. It worked well for what I was doing because I was largely sedentary although reasonably active because I wasn't a desk jockey but the guy onsite so I moved around a lot. However just over a year ago I took voluntary redundancy in order to keep the company I worked for afloat and that signalled a job change. The job I took up was postal worker riding a motorcycle for doing deliveries.

Straightaway the Fitbit Flex sucked because it was acting as a glorified pedometer but when you don't make many steps it kind of doesn't work so I needed something different. A tax refund saw me get enough to purchase an Apple Watch and the Series 3 had JUST been released so I bought it and I do not regret it at all.

First my movements went through the roof. I figured I was doing more movement than what Fitbit was registering (it would have been nice to have a Series 2 last year to see what I was really doing in IT). Then I tried registering my day as an open workout and I started to get a far more accurate idea of what I was burning. You see, as a postal worker you're working a lot of muscles including legs and any movement of muscle is going to be burning calories. But the fact that my day was being recorded with heart rate and everything meant the information I'm now getting is much more rounded.

Sure my day isn't strenuous but it's all working to reduce the fat I built up in IT. Now we're entering summer and it looks like we'll actually get one this year (last year sucked badly with very little sunny days) it looks like I'll become more active and thus finally - hopefully - start to get my weight down and reduce my puku and get healthier.

I started to seriously think about myself last year when my wife got pregnant with our first child. Like many parents in my situation I want to get fitter so that I can survive him and be there for him longer. I'm wanting to take up jogging but I'll start on the treadmill and build up stamina before I go out in public. I do take my boy for long walks although at the moment not daily but that will come when the sun does.

And behind it all is the motivation provided not just by my son but the information a little computer on my wrist gives me daily.