It’s Not about the Nail, or the Fitness Trackers or the Workouts. . . .

The fitness tracker craze seems to be everywhere.  I love that more folks are looking to be aware of moving more and keeping track of their daily steps.  I’ve written about the various new tracking devices here.  I decided to go with a Polar Loop and have really been  pleased.  I have been putting off writing a follow up post on the Polar Loop only because I wanted to make sure I had it all figured out and had worked out any bugs.  Stay tuned for that one . . . 
Today’s post relating to the newest fitness gadgets is based on a conversation I had with a friend the other day.  She proudly showed  me her bright pink FitBit and we compared notes.  I mentioned how The Husband and I compare steps at the end of the day and how sometimes we just have to take the dogs for that extra walk to get more steps in.  We laughed that she did the same thing!  She then mentioned some friends that had started wearing trackers in an effort to lose weight.  Well . . . .
That’s a whole other thing folks.   As I told my Body Sculpt class the other day, it’s not about the nail.  Huh?  What does that mean?  Just bear with me on this one. 

The Husband recently showed me the YouTube video, It’s Not about the Nail.  I laugh every single time I see this video!  Apparently, I’m late to the game as most of you have likely seen it.  If not, here it is.  

Losing weight can be a tricky thing – if that is your goal.  You  can up your exercise.  You can walk more.  You can lift more weights.  You can wear a fitness tracker and keep track of your movement every single day for days and days.  And you still might not lose weight.  Frustrating, right?  It’s because it’s just not about the exercise and keeping track of the exercise.  IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FOOD.  It’s what you put into  your body that will bring about a change in your weight and your body.  Of course the activity and exercise helps!  You want to burn calories – optimally you want to burn more calories than you consume if your goal is to lose weight.  That’s where the food comes in.  How often have you heard the quote, “You can’t out train a bad diet“.  Thousands of times.  Just go on Instagram or Pinterest and you will see it on any fitness site or board.  Unfortunately, because it’s true.  We can definitely counterbalance what we eat with exercise, but if losing weight is truly the goal, no amount of exercise or wearing fitness trackers will really make a change in body weight.  The combination has to be a change in the diet combined with the exercise.  
See, it’s just not about the nail.  It’s about the food in combination with the exercise and movement and keeping track of it all.  There truly was a point there!

This is a good reminder for me.  I often tend to write about things I also need help with.  I came home from our beach vacation with that dreaded 3 – 5 extra pounds.  I’ve played around with losing it, but haven’t given it that serious push.  (Meaning I haven’t completely tightened up my eating.  I’m still in a bit of summertime mode)  It’s all about to come to an end, so I’m thinking my slack eating rules will also get back on schedule, along with everything else when school begins.  Sigh.   I know what to do, it’s just a matter of actually doing it.  If losing a few or more pounds is the goal, let’s just remember “it’s not about the nail”.  Keep moving, keep exercising, continue keeping track of your steps, but mainly,  keep track of your diet.  

Do you wear a fitness tracker?  Which one?  Have you noticed any changes?  Have you seen this YouTube video?  Do you laugh as hard as I do when you see it??   Can you believe summer is winding down?

Have a GREAT day!