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To Track: Or Not To Track

6/2/2016

2 Comments

 
To Track or Not To Track: That Is the Question

Six weeks ago a coaching client asked me my opinion of the various tracking devices on the market.    On the spot I answered:  “hmmm…I really haven’t considered them much since my philosophy is the opposite of math for weight loss.”  The talk I have been giving recently is entitled “It’s not just math: how calories in minus calories out is not the entire equation for sustainable weight loss”.   My kneejerk reaction was that tracking exercise (or fitness, or steps or movement) was antithetical to the basis of my coaching practice.  I saw this as a way to obsess about calories and stay in diet mentality.
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Then I decided to look at it from another angle.  Within days it was all I could think about.

Before spending money investing on a gadget I decided to investigate free options and see if:  1) I liked using one; 2) what it would do for me; and 3) whether I actually would feel any differently.  A friend told me about a free Android app called “S Health”.  I downloaded it and started the experiment.   

The first thing I did was select my goal:  “be more active” with 45 active minutes per day.  For trackers I selected “steps” with 10,000 steps per day as my goal.

When I started in late April I was sitting and working on the computer for long hours. My trackers accurately reflected this. I was a bit stunned at how truly inert I was at the beginning of the experiment.   I learned that to reach 10,000 steps I typically needed at least 100 active minutes per day. 

As the weeks went by I found that I looked at my tracker throughout the day and started finding ways to add extra walks and opportunities for fitness.  Getting to 10,000 steps takes me two long walks or one fitness class and one walk.  Walking my geriatric collie, Lassie, does not help as she can only go around the block!  I learned that I am indeed motivated by receiving positive messages from my app telling me that I have met my goal (gold star mentality).  There have been times that I have been at 9900 steps and I have jogged in place to make that 10,000 number. 

Was it obsessive?  I don’t think so.  I would say that it was encouraging and kind of fun.  While my coaching practice does not look at exercise as a feature of calorie burning, I do believe that movement and fitness are an integral part of health, wellness and embodiment.  For me, the tracker seems to be a positive tool that I will continue to play with for now.


2 Comments
Nadia
6/13/2016 12:03:00 pm

I love this post - it feels so hopeful and even inspiring. I'm not always convinced tracking what I eat all the time or what I do for exercise doesn't make me neurotic and obsessive about tracking, but reading this I feel so much more hopeful that it could help. It's also a great add for something like the fitbit tracker - I'm actually simultaneously on amazon perusing exercise trackers now.

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Coach Neshama link
6/13/2016 02:45:58 pm

Thanks Nadia. I appreciate your taking the time to read the blog and for your thoughts. I'm interesting in moving to a fitbit next. I like the idea of having one that can be worn as a watch.

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    Neshama Mousseau, MSW
    Certified Mindful Eating & Wellness Coach

    My passion is to help people find and embrace their true vibrant selves. My coaching practice combines training in the extraordinary fields of dynamic eating psychology and mind body nutrition with my 27 years as a clinical social worker.

    I love sharing people’s journeys and consider myself to be a partner and guide to my clients. I work with the majority of my clients via Skype and telephone and am amazed at how effective it is to connect in this way.

    I believe that people can find their “true home” in their bodies without starvation or brutal exercise. I will help you get off the diet merry-go-round; learn to experience food and movement as nourishing and pleasurable; and find peace and joy in your life. 

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​I fully recommend Coach Neshama. She is warm and compassionate but perhaps even more than that, she holds s space for you that is accepting, inclusive and safe. I have always felt comfortable speaking with Neshama about very personal things. She devotes her time during your session entirely to you. She is focused completely on you with the intension of getting you to the place you want to be. I am a better person for the time I have spent with Neshama and I recommend her unconditionally.