In the know: how accurate is your activity tracker

On May 24th, an article was released in the Journal of Personalized Medicine in which a group of scientits from Stanford University wanted to answer this exact question.  They tested seven different wearable bands that monitor both heart rate and energy expenditure (calories burned).


The seven pieces of equipment were the Apple Watch, Basis Peak, Fitbit Surge, Microsoft Band, Mio Alpha 2, PulseOn and the Samsung Gear S2.  To verify accuracy for heart rate, they compared them with a medical-grade electrocardiograph. The calories used was estimated with an instrument for measuring the oxygen and carbon dioxide in breath -- a good proxy for metabolism and energy expenditure.


Results:  For heart rate, all the devices were withing a 5% margin.  This is good since heart rate is measured directley and uses a simple formula for everyone.  If you wear one of these devices for this purpose, you can share this information with your doctor with confidence.


For the calories burned, results are not so good.  The most accurate one was off by 27%.  The worst one was off by 93%.  They believe the reason for the wide discrepency is that the manufacturers use their own algorithm to figure out calorie expenditures.  Unlike the heart rate formula, they are not one size fits all.  There are multiple factors that vary by individual, for example fitness level, weight, height, age to name a few.  So if you are using this to see how much sweets you can have, I would recommend to just have a sensible meal of a protein source, a couple of vegetables, and a bit of healthy fats. 




Journal Reference:

1. Anna Shcherbina, C. Mattsson, Daryl Waggott, Heidi Salisbury, Jeffrey Christle, Trevor Hastie, Matthew Wheeler, Euan Ashley. Accuracy in Wrist-Worn, Sensor-Based Measurements of Heart Rate and Energy Expenditure in a Diverse Cohort. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 2017; 7 (2): 3 DOI: 10.3390/jpm7020003

How to be SMART to achieve your goals

As we approach the end of May and move into June, I am beginning to look at setting some goals for my business for the next few months.  This gave me the idea to share with you the process that I am using to help you too.  This is for any type of goals you may be chasing.


The steps to challenge yourself to achieve your goals are: SMART.


Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Timely


Specific means to be as specific as you can in your end goal.  For example,  instead of saying "I want to loose weight" (too vague and general), say "I want to loose 10 lbs of fat".  Be as specific as can be.  Instead of "I want to start a business", say "I want to start a computer repair business".


Measurable means breaking your final goal into smaller steps that can be measured.  A good example is breaking down the 10 lb fat loss goal down to 1.5 - 2 lb loss per week.  They are small, yet you can see your progress towards your final goal.


Attainable means setting goals that can be reached with a little effort.  Obviously, the goal "becoming a millionaire" is not achievable in a month.  "Earning $8,000 per month" is more easily achievable.


Relevant means asking relevant to your situation.  Let's say your goal was to get a college degree in four years.  Is this realistic?  Have others done this?  Will your lifestyle  allow you you to meet this goal?"  If you're a single parent, it may be possible...if not, you may need to adjust your goal to say get it done in five or six years instead of four.


Timely means giving yourself deadlines to meet your goals.  The person wanting to loose 10 lbs could have a deadline of 12 weeks.  The future business owner could say they want to start their business in three months.  Perhaps you are being sent on a business trip to Germany and you decide to learn some German in three weeks.

Know how to turn the tables to see a better body composition

I have heard some people use the terms "weight loss" and "fat loss" interchangeably.  They are not the same.  One is total weight loss.  This is not just fat loss but also includes water and muscle loss.  The other is just fat loss.  Fat loss is good.  Total weight loss not so much.  I came acorss this infographic and thought I'd share it.  A couple facts that were left off that I'd like to add:  1.  Muscle is more compact than fat.  2.  Muscle is more active, therefore, it burns more calories than fat (which is not active).


I appologize for not being able to add the infographic directly to the post.  When I did, the information was too small to read.  I'm still learning how to do some of this stuff.




Weight loss v Fat loss Infographic


Let me know if you have any questions.


9 Ways To Improve Your Health

I have heard and have read a lot of people say they don't like to workout.  They don't like to lift weights.  They don't like to run.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Not all forms of exercise or physical activity are for everyone.  As a teen, I hated mowing the lawn.  Now as an adult, I don't mind it so much.  There are still other things that I would rather do with my time, but I realize that it is something that needs to be done. 


To be healthy, you don't have to do what everyone else is doing.  You don't like to lift weights...then don't.  You don't want to run a marathon...then don't.  The point is to do things that you enjoy so that you can do them for life and not just the few months that you're going to hate trying to get healthy.  If you hate it, chances are you will give up on your efforts and say it isn't for you.


The human body is an amazing piece of machinery.  You can walk, run, jump, hop, throw, swim, climb, crawl, roll and many other things.  Here is a small list if things one can do to get healthier:


1.  Lift Weights - This is one of the first things that comes to mind when you talk about exercising.  Some of the benefits are: builds stong bones, helps improve muscle tone and strenght, helps with loosing fat.


2.  Running - This is another item that comes to mind.  Some benefits are:  good for your heart, good for your lungs, and it helps to build endurance.


3.  Swimming - Not only is this a good form of cardio, but it is also a good life skill to have.  Like running, it is good for the heart, lungs and helps to build enduance.


4.  Play any sport - Sports are great because you run, jump, shoot, throw, change directions on a dime.  This is great, especially if you have a sedentary job.  There is also a social aspect to this as well.


5.  Play with the kids/grandkids - They will get you running around, jumping and just moving around.  I once told my son I was stepping on his shadow.  He then ran to get me "off" his shadow and then he turned around and was stepping on my shaddow and I did the same thing.  it's about having fun.


8.  Wall/Rock climbing - I've enjoyed doing this.  It is different than eveything else on this list, it also works on your muscles defferntly than do weights. 


9.  Walking - a good form of exercise that requires no equipment.  Some people go the the mall before the stores open just to walk around before the crowds get there.  This is also a great place to start if you have never been physically active and have no endurance.


This is by no means exhaustive.  There are so many more that I have left off this list.  The point is not to do what eveyone is doing.  I have a cousin that likes to do triathalons, I have no interest in doing them.  The point is to do what you enjoy and keep your body moving.  My whole life I have heard the saying "Use it, or loose it" applied to a lot of different things.  It definatly applies to being physially active (flexibility, endurance, strength).  Good thing is, you can always improve from where your at today.


Let me know what you think.  What type of activities do you enjoy doing?  Please share if you like this post.