#Diatia 1: Know what you're doing.

Lately I was given a Fitbit watch.  It’s a lot more than a pedometer, that’s a thing for counting your steps.  The data’s fascinating, especially if you’re a bit sad and interested in stats.  The magic number is 10k steps, which is easy to reach if you’re being reasonably active.  I’ve only failed once, that day I shared in the driving of nearly 500 miles, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.  Ten thousand steps means you’re being generally active, but you can get there without pushing yourself.  The other thing the watch constantly monitors is your heart rate.  It gives you zone minutes, that’s when you’ve raised your heart rate into certain zones of BPM, beats per minute, (Fat Burn 105-126, Cardio 127-155, Peak 156+).  To get here you are really pushing yourself, for a point of contrast, my average BPM at rest is 59.  I’m pretty regular with my steps, they’re usually around 11-12k, but the zone minutes are nowhere near as consistent.  You could be in the zone the whole time for a brisk 3000 step walk, on a steep incline, but walking 10k steps on the flat haven’t given you a single minute.  It’s also interesting what actually raises your heart rate, lifting weights does a bit, but not much.  Weights are important for strengthening muscle and bone, but they aren’t cardio.  The watch has taught me that it’s important to know what you’re doing, not what you think you’re doing.