Increase Active Minutes to Lose Pandemic Pounds

Battle of the Bulge

I am learning how to use my Fit Bit activity tracker more. I lost quite a few of the pounds I gained during remote working. The solution was learning more about Active Minutes on my fitness gadget and then increasing these minutes rather than steps.

These days, I observe fat shrinkage, muscle strengthening, and mental wellness as I lose my extra “pandemic pounds.” I have only focused on one change — meeting the daily “Active Minutes” suggestion in my activity tracker device. I know it’s called an Activity Tracker, but I only ever used it to monitor my daily/weekly steps.

My Relationship with Exercise

Exercising is not my daily priority or passion. I’m a reluctant exerciser. It is a duty for me to protect my future self. I'm only in my fabulous fifties, and when I am old, I want to be mobile and reduce the plethora of health issues linked with carrying around extra pounds. I usually check the number of daily steps, my heart rate when I exercise, and the time until my exercise finishes on my tracker. I also observe you do not generally see overweight people in their 70s or 80S walking in the park. I guess they didn’t make it due to health issues.

Remote Work and Weight Gain

I’m pretty sure this is a shared experience. Like many remote workers, my health suffered from sitting long hours in a chair. I went to see a doctor about all my aches and pains, and the doctor said to me:

“Sitting in a chair all day is like sitting in a wheelchair — it has the same effect on your body over time.”

My muscles ached, and I felt stiff every time I stood up. The chair seemed to block circulation in my legs, and I lost my muscle tone.

I would still exercise each day using an online class in the evenings. The level of activity was never equal to my job at work. I would be standing and walking around, commuting, generating steps or calorie losses via incidental activity, and doing a HIIT class 4 — 5 times a week.

The Scales

I rarely weighed myself in the past — as long as my clothes fitted. I used to weigh in about twice a year. My weight has always been around 132 — 138 pounds for over 30 years. My scales have had a great deal of use since I couldn’t fit into my pants, and on my wedding day, my dress didn’t fit — so I had to change outfits at the last minute.

Eating Habits

Many people say it is not just exercising; nutrition is the key to successful weight loss.

Let’s reflect on nutrition. I try and eat relatively healthily. My portion sizes fit a bread plate so as not to overeat. My stomach tells me reasonably quickly when I’m full.

I eat mainly veggies and meat, occasionally bananas, nuts, and my food portions are smaller than average. I don’t often eat sugar, only the occasional ice cream or chocolate bar. A chocolate bar can last a couple of days as I break off one chunk at a time. I love coffee, and I don’t drink enough water. I have no cravings for cake or muffins — so that helps. I especially love dairy — cheese, milk, and eggs, and I forgot that I’m not too fond of fish and seafood — the smell makes me nauseous. Fortunately, I do not have food intolerances — as far as I know.

Supplements

To substitute for the nutrition in seafood, I take Sea Buckthorn oil capsules with Omega 3, 5, and 7. I take a Calcium /Vit K supplement for bones and joints. Occasionally, I take Vit C instead of citrus fruits or drinks. If I remember, I take a pro-biotic.

Intermittent Fasting

Sometimes, I forget to eat and never feel hungry until about noon. I understand this is now an intentional practice called intermittent fasting. When my friend was explaining what intermittent fasting was, she stopped and said, “ It’s what you do. Naturally, you go without food for 15 hours.” I guess I eat to live rather than live to eat. I see my body as a car. I watch the tank and think, “ I guess I should fill up my fuel tank and eat something soon.”

Tech — Fitness Trackers

So there has been no change in my food habits, but I lost a little over 4 pounds during my holidays.

On my activity tracker, I noticed the number of steps dramatically increased from 2000 — 3000 a remote workday to a range of 6000 — 7000 on my holiday. When my Summer holiday came, my steps increased naturally, walking and swimming most days.

Success Tracking Active Minutes

I suddenly noticed the number of active minutes on my Fit Bit calculated daily and weekly. I’m not sure if the feature was always in my fitness tracker. Is this a new feature, or was I just not active?

Yesterday I completed 7051 steps and 35 “active minutes.” The app is educational and describes active minutes as “.. periods of moderate activity done for 10 minutes or more”. The active minutes are heart-pumping activities. I aim for over 5000 steps a day and tick the box on active minutes for four weeks.

I have suddenly lost another 6 pounds over four weeks via my deliberate intention of increasing my active minutes.

Walk — Jog — Move

I joined a gym and downloaded music to motivate myself. I walk or jog for 30 minutes on the running machine. The first track, I walk at a pace of about 5.5, the second track has a great beat, so I try and jog through the song. I then recover for the next track and maybe push up the incline for a bit. When I’m bored, I try and jog a bit again to wake up my legs. My haphazard approach for 30 minutes adds about 4000 steps to my tracker and lights up my “active minutes.” Job done.

Swim

After my walk/jog, I usually swim, or if I feel lazy, I get a takeaway from my favorite coffee shop. I can’t swim freestyle as my technique is poor, and I choke on the water, so I prefer breaststroke. I only do 15 laps of a 25-meter pool, but it makes me feel limber and relaxed. It is very dull counting laps, and I’m investigating underwater headphones to listen to books, podcasts, or music.

Jillian Michale’s App Workouts

I still do my video strength/cardio workouts 3- 4 times a week. I downloaded the Jillian Michaels app, and I am currently doing the Ripped in 30 programs. I don’t do it every day as I think my muscles may need recovery time. So I will probably be ripped in maybe 90 days? 🤣 Anyway, I am seeing better results in muscle tone doing her programs every second day.

Many people can’t stand her programs, but they see results. You can always turn down her voice and follow with your music. I show up, do the exercises, and count the minutes to the end of the video.

Persist with Active Minutes

It’s not a pleasant experience deliberately exercising, but necessary. When you read or speak to your doctor about the health implications of extra weight and the wear and tear on joints over time, I think it is best to lose those extra pounds.

You will feel stronger physically, lighter in your step, and mentally and emotionally more balanced. You can save money without having to buy larger size pants!

Persist adding active minutes each day. Move at a higher heart rate, don’t just count steps. It made a huge difference to reduce my size and weight to my pre-COVID self. I work on being my best self in my feisty fifties!

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Briddy is an Australian writer enjoying freedom in her Feisty Fifties. If you enjoyed her writing — sign up for her email list so new stories go direct to your mailbox. She looks forward to connecting with other writers and readers around the world through Medium. Twitter handle is @BriddyBrigid.