When it comes to self-care, exercise, nutrition, sleep, and stress management are major components. Self-care can sometimes be challenging to quantify and keep track of, though. I’ve found over the years that fitness trackers are great tools for ensuring that my self-care efforts are at the level I want them to be. For instance, my current tracker keeps a record of steps taken. Heart rate is also tracked, which then gives me a good idea of my resting heart rate as well as the zones entered for fat burning, etc. during exercise. It also gives me a really good reference for my sleep habits, from duration and time spent in different phases (light, deep, REM, awake), to snoring (lol), restlessness, and other things. There is a Menstrual Health Tracker as well. Food and water intake can be logged into a related subscription app, allowing me to tweak calorie consumption and hydration levels as needed. Additionally, the tracker provides access to what’s going on with my heart rate during periods of stress, which can prompt me to employ relaxation techniques like deep breathing. It’s really quite amazing to watch my heart rate drop when I take deep breaths and consciously attempt to relax my body. It’s great evidence that these techniques really work! Plus, the app I use keeps a record of the tracked information so that I can view long-term trends. On the tech side, it has GPS and an ECG app, text/call/app notifications, Alexa and Google Assistant, to name a few. There’s so many great things to say about these gadgets.
If you’re in the market for a fitness tracker to accompany you on your self-care journey, I can recommend the Fitbit Sense because it’s the model I’ve had for about 1.5 years. It’s a great-quality product, and the Fitbit app is simple to access and use (free for six months with purchase of new Fitbit, then around $12-13 CDN per month). Also, I haven’t noticed any decline in the ability of the battery to hold a charge. And for anyone who’s interested, you can purchase a variety of bands and screen covers for it in different colours, materials, and styles. Fitness trackers can be as stylish as you want them to be.
In my experience, having a fitness tracker really opened my eyes to so many positives (and negatives that needed improvement) with regard to my self-care. I can’t imagine not having one. You can view them here: https://amzn.to/3yKFZEB (copy and paste link into browser to access details).
If a fitness tracker isn’t of interest to you, consider using online trackers or good, old-fashioned pen and paper to keep track of managing your self-care.
Until next time,
Heather ~Natural Clarity Coaching~ naturalclaritycoaching.com na********************@***il.com Natural Clarity Coaching on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Twitter
