The Best Buy Jawbone UP: It’s Keeping Track

Since I left Menards the amount of movement I have on a daily basis has plummeted. At one point, I tracked the amount of walking I did every day I worked. Each day that I worked I walked approximately 10,000-11,000 steps a day. I also didn’t eat as much. I typically didn’t have lunch, but had a granola bar on those working days.

I knew that since moving and getting my work from home job my activity had completely tanked. I didn’t realize how much until the first day I wore my Jawbone UP wristband! That was the most depressing affirmation of how little I’ve been doing that I’ve ever seen.

When I received the Jawbone UP in the mail I was really interested in the technology. I had watched the video on how it worked and that’s why I wanted to review it! Let me first tell you about what interested me about it. I liked that it came in a variety of colors. You put the wristband on, turn it on and it tracks everything you do. UP is a system that takes a holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle. You will seriously be amazed at everything it will do.

The wristband tracks your movement and sleep in the background. You can’t tell at all that it’s tracking anything as it sits on your arm. You have to be intentional about your life to keep good track of your health and your activity. The nice thing about using the Jawbone UP is that you can personalize it as much or as little as you need. So far I’m not tracking my eating habits and I have no doubt it would be beneficial if I did. Problem is, I know my lack of activity and eating more isn’t working together to make me any healthier.

I really need to take to heart the message of Jawbone UP:

“Live Better. Start Now. Jawbone UP. Track your sleep activity, steps, calorie intake and more with the Jawbone UP wrist sensor and free mobile app. UP gives you meaningful, personalized insights so you can make lasting improvements to your everyday life.”

I think combining keeping track of my calorie intake and steps I take daily, it will help me get back on track with being healthy! Ugh, something I’ve sorely missed since December!

Now, setting up my UP was pretty easy. I had to charge mine when it got to me because it wasn’t turning on. I connected it to my laptop an it charged pretty quickly. While it charged I downloaded the app to my phone. One part that had me confused was where I was supposed to plug my wristband in. I actually kept pulling on the wrong end! The end with the long strip of silver was the part to pull off to plug it in to the phone or charge it.

The next step was to plug it into my phone and set up my account. I put in all of my stats and away I went. I wore my bracelet when I woke up and plugged it in at the end of the day to update my information. The app displays your data, lets you add things like meals and mood, and delivers insights that keep you moving forward.

Once I started seeing how inactive I was by the numbers, I realized something honestly needed to change. Fred and I started walking the track when his kids play soccer. We found that when we walk at least the entire time they practiced, we got upwards of half the steps I used to get with working 6 hrs. If we can do this at least twice a week, I’ll be a happy camper and on the path to getting back into my old routine. I would love to work my way up to four days a week, that would be the best for me!

I really feel like I need to make a plan and the Jawbone UP will be my assistant as I try to get back into the habit I had for 6 yrs! I’m hoping that at my next check in with the Jawbone UP I’ll have even better news and numbers to share!