I use fitbit and it is great to make sure you are moving and tracking your total calories. It does not track macros though, so you would still need another program...unless the new upgraded models have changed this??

If you have an Android phone: I have a Garmin Vivofit and I really like it because it pairs with my fitness pal and that helps to track some of the other things, such as weight and macros.

I'm madly in love with my Fitbit Charge HR. It helps me keep my heart rate in check. I have it sync to My Fitness Pal so I can keep track of my nutritional info as well as exercise. Congrats on Italy, Alexandra!

Also, I have found that 30 minutes of Pilates before I walk/jog stretches everything nicely and my ITB/peroneal problems are all but gone. Yay!

Thank you for all of the feedback. I think it's going to be a good investment for me. I use My Fitness Pal, but I would like something that helps me keep track of my heart rate.

A little something on "The Benefits of Exercise Go Way Beyond the Muscles"

Interesting email from WebMed in my inbox this afternoon: quick quote: Exercise and Fat

Laurie J. Goodyear, PhD, is a senior investigator at Joslin Diabetes Center and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. She is studying the effect of exercise on fat, specifically the layer of white fat that sits just under the skin.

Most people know that exercise burns fat. It’s the reason most people hit the treadmill in the first place.

But fat isn’t just a place we park extra calories. “The tissue has a lot of other properties,” she says.

“Exercise really makes fat healthier and helps it burn more energy.”

Specifically, she says, exercise shrinks the size of individual fat cells, and the cells develop more energy-producing parts called mitochondria.

That means that fat tissue is burning more calories, even at rest, Goodyear says.

In one experiment, she took white fat from exercise-trained mice and transplanted it into inactive mice. Nine days later, those mice had better blood sugar control and their bodies responded better to insulin than mice that got fat from other inactive mice. What’s more, transplanted fat from exercised mice completely reversed the negative effects of eating a high-fat diet.

“What we’ve realized is that fat isn’t simply storage,” she says. “We see about 4,000 genes in fat tissue change with exercise. It’s not just that fat cells get smaller.”


Here's the link to the whole article: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercis...lin-fat?page=1

Liana

Liana, thanks for this information! Could you possibly check the link again? It was having trouble opening it. Thanks!

Here's the main page: It's on the front presently, not sure how long it will be featured but you should be able to do a search for it if the link below isn't working well for you. It did work for another poster...
http://www.webmd.com/
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercis...se-insulin-fat

Liana I still really, really like that article thank you.
I have a strong genetic diabetes history and don’t have it myself only due to diligent lifestyle efforts. It’s always knocking on the back door, I just don’t answer it and I use my health practices as a deadbolt.

Liana, thank you! I was able to get on later and it was a great article.

Put me in the LOVE IT camp.

It holds a charge great (i find I only need to recharge mine every 2-3 weeks). It's very motivating. You can have "friends" who you compete with or motivate with. Even if you are a lone walker, the FitBit server will email you with encouraging words and motivation. I never would have walked as much as I did without it.

I think it is a definite must for me. I will grab mine ASAP. Thanks for the feedback, it makes it a lot easier to spend the extra dollars.

I had mine long enough to see what I was averaging and after that it seemed pointless so I returned it.

Simpl great to see you

Me too, I love my Fitbit! I have a Charge that I got at Thanksgiving. It's made me more aware of how much I'm walking, even if I don't walk more than usual. For me it's a good reminder to do more walking, take the stairs, etc.

Wow! This is uh.mazing. Thank you, Liana!