How Data Helped Get Me in Shape

It all started with an epic fail on the Atkins diet. Millions of people have used the Atkins diet to lose weight quickly. Unfortunately, I was not one of them. In the first two weeks on Atkins, I immediately lost 10 pounds?gone, like a wisp of smoke. Over six months I stayed true to the no-carb formula. But my problems started when I realized I was compensating for the lack of carbohydrates in my diet by eating too many snacks such as peanuts and pickles, which have low carbs, and by eating too much meat and cheese.

There has to be a better way. At 6 foot 2 and 240 pounds, I'm not rotund, but I'm also not at my ideal weight. My job as a tech journalist means I sit all day long, so I've had some trouble keeping fit over long periods of time. But my job also gave me an idea: to combine my interest in technology and an almost insatiable desire to gather data on almost everything I do with my desire to get healthy. So I set a three-week goal to lose 10 pounds, work out every day, and track my progress with the latest fitness gadgets. Could data help me get in shape?

FitBit to the Rescue

In the last ten years of testing gadgets, I've rarely found a device that worked as effectively as the FitBit Ultra ($99). The small clip, which is about the size of your pinky finger, attaches to a belt buckle, pants pocket, backpack, or purse. The FitBit tracks your steps taken, stairs you climb during the day, calories burned, and total miles traveled. The most important feature, though, is that you can connect the device to a USB receiver and post the daily stats to Facebook and your own FitBit tracking site. You receive "badges" by email when you hit certain milestones, such as climbing 50 stairs in a day or walking 15,000 steps.

The FitBit worked well for me for two reasons. First, I arranged to have a few friends hold me accountable to my fitness plan: to lose 10 more pounds, and to end up taking at least 15,000 steps per day?triple the pathetic national average of 5000. My friends saw my daily stats on Facebook and either encouraged me or chastised me as needed. (My friend Tim, who meets with me every week over breakfast, was tracking my initial progress and told me to step up my game. He also noticed I was stuffing myself with eggs and sausage, which didn't help my case.)

The second reason is that the device is so easy to use. You don't have to extend any effort to wear it, charge it, or send the data to FitBit.com since this occurs automatically. On FitBit.com, you can view historical data on your daily fitness or see stats for the week and month. I'm a glutton for statistical analysis. (As a car tester, my two favorite vehicles of the past year were the Chevy Volt and the Lexus CT200h because both cars do an excellent job of providing energy-saving stats.)

With good historical data, I could adjust my plans after even the first few days. For instance, when I wasn't hitting the 15,000 steps per day goal, I made three key decisions. In the first week, I started taking daily walks, and that brought me up to about 8000 steps per day. In the second week. I decided to start playing basketball every day?now I was over 12,000 steps. In the last week, I decided to go to a trade show where I knew I would be walking all day long, and climbing stairs constantly. The last week I was hitting 30,000 steps per day.

I also tracked my progress with a gadget called the Striiv. This device also costs $99, clips to your belt or keyring, and tracks your steps per day and calories burned. However, the Striiv has one unique feature: As you achieve milestones during the week, such as 60,000 steps, Striiv works with a charity to donate a vaccine or the daily water supply for a child in India and Southeast Asia. It means some added motivation for working out.

Nevertheless, I ended up using the FitBit Ultra more, for a simple reason: It's easier to charge. You just pop it onto a USB receiver. Plus, it is a bit more innocuous. No one even noticed I was wearing the FitBit clip during the entire three weeks of testing it.

Wireless Sensors

The FitBit Ultra is handy for counting steps and stairs, but it did not allow me to see my actual GPS location data. So, while I knew I was taking 30,000 steps, I did not have a record of where I'd gone. So I also used Nike Plus during my three-week fitness odyssey.

I had previously used the Nike Plus system with my iPhone and a pair of Nike shoes, but one of my major gripes was having to bring the iPhone along during a run?one fall onto a gravel road could spell disaster. But now Nike has a new system called the SportWatch GPS ($199). It collects data from the sensor in your shoe and uploads it to the Nike Plus site, all without the smartphone.

The watch looks stylish enough, but my favorite feature is the fold-out USB prong. When you connect the watch to your computer, you upload your run data and charge the device at the same time. Since it grew cold outside and I was playing a lot of basketball, I didn't have time for too many long-distance runs. But when I did track my runs, the Nike Plus system worked extremely well because I could set goals, like running 3 miles, and then upload the stats to Facebook and Twitter for my friends to see.

I also tested a similar system: the new Adidas miCoach. This chip inserts into the sole of your Adidas shoes (they must support the sensor) in the same spot as the Nike Plus sensor. Then you use the miCoach app to track your run location, miles, and calories burned. What's great about these tracking systems is that you can compare your runs to those of other users in your area. Both the Adidas and Nike sensors use the Garmin ANT protocol, which is a reliable wireless network. With the miCoach system, I had no problems getting the sensor to connect over Bluetooth to my iPhone 4.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/technology/how-data-helped-get-me-in-shape?src=rss

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