Counting steps and calories are two activities that have been hot in the fitness world over the last few years or so. I know people have been counting calories way longer but the step trackers have only become popular in the last 5-7 years. Technology has evolved so much, where keeping track of these are so easy.
How do you feel about counting calories or counting steps?
Personally, I think that counting calories is tedious to actually do it right. To be exact, you have to weigh and measure your food if you cook at home. If you eat out a lot, it has to be at restaurants that are routinely added to the tracking apps, so this mostly includes chains or franchises where their nutritional information is easily accessible. I try to support locally, privately owned restaurants when I go out, so counting calories is much more difficult. It can be a lot of work to count calories and until you become a pro, the results can dramatically vary if you are just estimating portions. For some people, it can become an obsession which isn’t good for your mental health. I’ve tried it for a few months and I liked it for the purpose that it helped me gain awareness of portions to calories ratio. Now I can better eyeball a serving than I could before. Other than that, the tediousness of it wasn’t worth the effort for me. I think it is a great tool for somebody who is not very aware of food portions and it’s a great starting point to become mindful of your intake.
I feel the same way about tracking my steps. At first, I was like, “this is so cool” and I challenged myself to reach my goal each day. This became an obsession where I became super disappointed in myself if I had a long day at work and couldn’t reach my goal for the day. It turned into a negative device for me, mentally. I’m glad that I used it for the time being because it tuned me into the amount of physical activity that I should be getting. I’m the type of person who gets really down on myself if I don’t achieve something. I’m active and I work out and I enjoy it most days! I don’t need that type of negative talk if I’m missing steps on some days. So, not so much for me but I know many people love it. What are your thoughts?
Goodnight xo
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