My New Year Resolution – Wearable Tech to the Rescue?

New year, new resolution we say but a major part of mine has been on “auto carry over” since 2004. That was the year I became conscious of the need to take my health & fitness seriously. The reasons for the consciousness have however evolved over the years from mundane desires for 8 packs to the need to burn body fats, stay healthy and maintain a sharp mind.

Let’s face it, fitness can be daunting – being disciplined enough to follow a strict regime amidst other demands of our fast paced world isn’t as fun as many would like. Beyond discipline, a few of the popular means of staying fit can be boring – running alone in the park or around your neighborhood aren’t the most interesting use of time for so many of us.

However, I realized that I get excited about team sports because of their social nature and if given the chance, I’ll play football, lawn tennis, squash or badminton everyday. The determinants of whether I do sports are however controlled by a few variables out of my control i.e. venues, who to play with, my current location (am I home or on the road) and in certain cases, cost. I decided these barriers wouldn’t get in my way and founded Truppr (www.truppr.com) – a social tool that helps sport lovers organize and find teammates for their favorite sports. Truppr is currently in Alpha and slated to launch formally in March 2014. I’ll write about it in a separate post (in the meantime, give it a go – use it to organize your favorite sports).

After all said and done, this is 2014 and I am desperate to keep my weight below 90 from 111kg . I needed to find the motivation to exercise up to 3-5 times a week and that’s where I once again turned to technology. The regime is not the goal but a means of achieving my desired state of health – I figured I’d stay put with the regime if I were able to monitor my progress on a daily basis. Perhaps not the weight loss but a change in life style as a result of the regime. The Nike Fuel Band seems to be one incredible device that may just rescue my New Year resolution. The FuelBand is “an activity tracker that is worn on the wrist as part of quantified self movement. The band allows its wearers to track their physical activity, steps taken daily, and amount of calories burned. The information from the wristband is integrated into a Nike+ online community and phone app, allowing wearers to set their own fitness goals, monitor their progression, and compare themselves to others”.

Integrating a fitness regime into my life style is one massive advantage of the Fuel Band in my opinion. It is no longer a 3-5 day affair but strands of efforts I make on a daily basis that contributes to moving me towards my goal. My options are now limitless – walk to work, dance to my favorite Nigerian songs, play football, run in the park and Wii Tennis. I have had my Fuel Band for 22 days amassing a total of 107,592 Nike Fuel with an average of 4,800 Fuel per day from a combination of activities. Here below are some of my activities, time taken and Nike Fuel earned.

This may just be another “long thing” but time will tell. I have lost 5kg to the last 22 days burning an average of 1564 calories per day (33, 408 for the entire period) – with minor changes in diet and lifestyle.

Follow me as I share my journey and experience with the Fuel Band on a monthly basis. However, don’t wait till it is too late before finding your own regime and motivation. It is the biggest gift you can give yourself.

25. January 2014 by 'Bosun Tijani
Categories: Uncategorized | 2 comments