Experience with using Fitbit to monitor exercise and sleep

@mayofeb2020 This is the first time I've seen all these messages about Fit Bit. I'm so happy to have come across them. I don't have anything approaching a Fit Bit but have been feeling the need to keep track of my exercise (not enough!) which I get some of on my Apple phone. Would love more food / diet info, also the sleep into, Most of the messages here are not really recent. If anyone feels like making recommendations, I'd be interested!

Hi! If you don't have or want a Fitbit, you can track food pretty easily with an app called MyNetDiary. It's free.
Cheers, Theresa

@barbb. If you are only tracking steps/miles you walk, your Apple phone probably have those features. I use Google Fit bc I have an Android phone. As far as tracking sleep, I take my fitbit results with a grain of salt. People can get too stressed out with the numbers and it defeats the purpose.. . If I get up feeling rested, that's the important part. I still wear it knowing that it may not always be 100% correct. My friend has both the Fitbit Versa and the Oura Ring fitness tracker, and the numbers don't match at all....

Thanks for the tip! I look forward to checking it out!

@nannette It looks like I'm coming late to this thread. Is there any chance you could get an opinion from your doctor friend about whether exercise - walking could be helpful for bronchiectasis?

For the past 10 days I've been recording what I eat on Fitbit Select 3 via desktop and like the feedback. I blew my limit on Friday with ribs, corn, potato, salad, and cheesecake from Chilli's. It was great but the graph shows how bad it was and that I need to not do that too often.

@barbb Well, my doctor friend is the one who told me to exercise because it would keep my lungs in shape and there is no doubt that probably anyone would recommend it (of course only if you're able). And I think she's absolutely right. At my last CT scan which was the first one in two years I had no progression so I can't ask for much more than that. My guess is that exercise is a big part of it. I also nebulize 7% saline and have been on no antibiotics for three years. I exercise six days a week, take one day off and try to at least 30 minutes of cardio a day, whether it's a BRISK power walk or slow jog or a mix of both. Hope that answers your question. Nan

@nannette, It sounds as if you have found the secret to your better health. I will soon return to my exercises sent to me from our local Y. They sent these to me every few days when the Y was closed. I won't go back to the Y and find these exercises for older folks (like me) are great and easy to do at home. This was through the Silver Sneakers program from my insurance, Blue Medicare Advantage PPO. I am recovering from eyelid surgery and am anxious to get back to these exercises. Hooray for you doing 30 minutes of cardio a day! It will take some time for me to get to that point, but you surely are an inspiration! @joybringer1

@joybringer1 @nannette Thanks to Nanette for the motivation and to Joy for more motivation! 🙂

Barb - I have MAC, asthma and Bronchiectasis, and regular walking for the past 2 years has increased my lung capacity, my ability to walk, and my general health. When I started, I could walk about one block at a time. Now I can walk for at least an hour, and even jog a block or two as well as play with my grandsons, even climbing through snow. So yes, walking helps!
I still get out of breath, but regular use of my inhalers and saline news keeps me going. Your results may vary, and I invite others to chime in too. And I get some puny days too, but I adjust my level of activity as needed.
Sue