Review: Fitbit Zip Activity Tracking Device

Are you looking to increase your physical activity levels, but don’t know where to start? The Fitbit Zip is a wireless activity tracker that can help you gain a better understanding of your current activity and provide the support you need to become more active. 

The Fitbit Zip can track steps, distance, and burned calories. It will then sync those stats to your computer and smartphone. The device is fairly small and discreet; it can be clipped on your waistband or kept in your pocket. The Fitbit Zip is primarily an activity tracking device, but the app and website have additional tracking capabilities. In addition to exercise, you can track your water intake, weight, and food right on the app. This information doesn’t appear on your device, but it’s easily accessible on your smartphone. The website and app also includes graphs that help you visualize your progress over time. 

The app and website include several motivational and social tools. You can add friends, which allows you to see their activity and cheer each other on. There is also a group feature, letting you compete against other Fitbit users. Another helpful feature is goal setting. Fitbit automatically sets personalized activity goals (such as steps or distance) for each user. If you have a specific goal in mind, you can easily edit your goal on the site. As you make progress toward your goals, you earn badges on your dashboard. 

To view your data on the Fitbit Zip device, all you need to do is tap it. Each time you tap, the display rotates among different views: number of steps walked, calories burned, time, and distance traveled. There is also a cute cartoon face display that changes expressions based on your activity level throughout the day. 

Pros: The device is small and it’s easy to wear every day. The display is really simple and provides just the right amount of information that you need to stay motivated to increase your activity. Many other websites and apps easily connect with Fitbit devices. For example, you can track your food in apps like Lose It! or MyFitness Pal and then your daily calorie allowance will be automatically modified based on your Fitbit activity. You can also connect Fitbit Zip with your Withings scale to monitor your weight progress. 

Cons:Because the Fitbit Zip is so discreet, you might forget to remove it from your clothes before throwing it in the wash! Also, while the Fitbit device and app have simple user interfaces, the website can become a little overwhelming to navigate. You may also find the Fibit to be a little on pricy—while the Fitbit app (available for iOS and Android devices) is free, the Fitbit Zip device costs $59.99. 

Overall consensus: The Fitbit Zip is a great little device for tracking basic activity levels. The app does a great job at helping you create small, realistic activity goals and provides useful tools and messaging to help keep you moving forward. 

If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, reach out to your Wellness Coach for assistance with finding the right wellness resources for you!

WOW –Workout of the Week: Mason Twists

This week’s workout is Mason Twists. Mason Twists are a great core exercise because they work your obliques and center abdominal muscles. Here’s how to do them:

·         Start out sitting on the floor with your knees bent so that you can place your feet flat on the ground. (You may want to use a yoga mat or towel for extra padding.)

·         Lean back so that your body is in a 45-degree angle, or until you start to feel your abdominal muscles tighten, while keeping your back straight. Raise your feet up until your lower legs are parallel to the floor.

·         Balancing your weight on your glutes, bend your elbows and clasp your hands together in front of your chest.

·         Twist your torso to the right side and try to bring your hands as close as you can to the floor. Move only your upper body while keeping your abdominals engaged throughout the motion.

·         Finally, twist over to the left side and bring your hands toward the floor. Avoid using momentum – be sure to control the motion. To complete one set, continue twisting from the right to the left side.

·         Try doing 2 sets of 30 twists (15 on each side).

For added difficulty, hold some weight (like a medicine ball or light dumbbell) in your hands while twisting. Try adding 10-15 Mason Twists to your sets each day this week! 

We hope you’ll try Mason Twists over the weekend and then build them into your daily routine Monday through Friday of the coming week.  

Want more fitness ideas?  If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, reach out to your Wellness Coach for more healthy ideas to get—and stay—fit. And remember, talk to your doctor before beginning any new fitness regimen.

Ask a Health Advocate: How can quitting tobacco help my heart?

What is the leading cause of death of smokers aged 35 or older?  If you answered lung cancer, you’d be wrong.  Heart disease claims more smokers’ lives every year than lung cancer.  

Cigarette smoking is the main preventable cause of death and illness in the U.S.

To reduce your risk of heart disease and other health conditions, it’s important to quit tobacco as well as aim to reduce your exposure to secondhand smoke.

Smoking harms your heart

The chemicals in tobacco smoke hurt your heart and blood vessels in many ways.  Here are a few examples:

·     Stresses your heart. Smoking raises your blood pressure and heart rate, making your heart work harder than normal.  Over time, this stress can weaken your heart, making it less able to pump blood to other parts of the body. This increases risk of heart disease, including heart attacks.

·     Thickens your blood. Smoking makes your blood thicker, making it more difficult for your blood to carry oxygen. It can also increase your chance of forming blood clots that block blood flow to your heart and brain. Over time, thick blood can damage blood vessel walls, increasing your risk of heart attack or stroke.

·     Increase fatty deposits. Smoking lowers your HDL cholesterol (sometimes called "good" cholesterol) and raises your LDL cholesterol (sometimes called "bad" cholesterol). Smoking also increases your triglyceride level. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood. Over time, these fats narrow the arteries and block normal blood flow to the heart and brain, which may cause a heart attack or stroke. 

How you can reduce your heart disease risk

Quitting smoking reduces your heart disease risk immediately, and your risk continues to decrease over time.

·     Your risk is cut in half 1 year after quitting. If you have not developed heart disease within 15 years of quitting, your risk is nearly the same as the risk in someone who has never smoked.

·     Deaths from heart disease are reduced by one-third in people who quit smoking compared with people who continue smoking. Repeat heart attacks are reduced by about the same amount.

·     Lower risk of sudden cardiac death, second heart attacks, and death from other chronic diseases for those who already have heart disease

·     Your risk of atherosclerosis and blood clots declines over time after you quit smoking. Atherosclerosis is a condition where plaque builds up in the arteries, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.

Quitting tobacco isn’t easy, but it can be done with the right resources and support. In fact, there are more former smokers – nearly 50 million -- than current smokers in the U.S.  Are you ready to put out that last cigarette? If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, call your Wellness Coach and ask how you can quit. If you are not a Health Advocate member, we encourage you to check out the free tobacco cessation resources available on smokefree.gov. 

Have a question for a Health Advocate? Email nhess@healthadvocate.com, and your question may be the topic of an upcoming “Ask a Health Advocate” column!

Seasonal depression got you down? Your Employee Assistance Program can help

For those who suffer from it, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as seasonal depression, often occurs at the same time every year. With seasonal depression, you may notice symptoms starting in the fall and lasting into the winter months, leaving you feeling drained and moody. In most cases, symptoms of seasonal depression seem to alleviate during the sunnier days of spring and summer. However, some people report having the opposite pattern of symptoms, where the depression actually begins in the spring or summer.

What causes seasonal affective disorder?

The cause of SAD remains unknown, but the Mayo Clinic suggests that a few factors may be responsible:

·         Your biological clock (circadian rhythm). The reduced level of sunlight during fall and winter may disrupt your body's internal clock, which lets you know when you should sleep or be awake. This disruption of your circadian rhythm may lead to feelings of depression.

·         Serotonin levels. A drop in serotonin, a chemical in the brain that affects mood, might play a role in seasonal affective disorder. Reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin that may trigger depression.

·         Melatonin levels. The change in season can disrupt the balance of the natural hormone melatonin, which plays a role in sleep patterns and mood.

But there is good news for those suffering from SAD: Your Employee Assistance Program is available to help you!

How EAP can help

Employee Assistance Programs, or EAPs, are benefit programs offered by many employers to help their employees deal with personal problems that might impact work performance, health and well-being. EAPs are intended to help when someone is struggling with an emotional hardship, like seasonal depression, and can provide short-term counseling as well as referral services.

EAP counselors can usually address the following:

·         Stress, depression, anxiety

·         Marital issues, relationships, family/parenting issues

·         Work conflicts

·         Anger, grief, loss of a loved one

·         Drug and alcohol abuse

Another great thing about EAP programs is that they are generally provided at no cost to you. Your employer usually takes on the cost of these programs, offering them as a free benefit to help employees. If you’re worried about privacy, don’t be—the EAP counselors will keep your conversations confidential, and they won’t share the information with your employer.

If you are a Health Advocate member with access to our EAP+Work/Life service, lean on us for assistance issues like mental illness, stress-related illness, substance abuse, work-related problems, family-related problems and more. Additionally, our EAP+Work/Life service can make referrals for long-term care, such as counseling, when appropriate. Our EAP+Work/Life service can help you handle your personal issues so that you can be happier, less stressed, and more productive.

Additional resources for help

If you or someone you know is suffering from seasonal depression, but don’t have access to an Employee Assistance Program, there are many other resources available. The following websites are full of information and resources to help you:

Mayo Clinic:

Seasonal Affective Disorder: Lifestyle and home remedies

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Treatment Works: Get Help for Depression and Anxiety

National Institute of Mental Health:

Prevention Education

National Institute of Mental Health:

Women and Mental Health

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

The NAMI Information Helpline