fitness trackers
Do you wear a fitness tracker every day? I’ve worn a Fitbit since 2013. Initially I wore it attached to my clothes, later moving to a device worn on my wrist. When I first became interested in monitoring how many steps I did in a day the common idea was to aim for 10 000 steps. As a junior primary school teacher I usually did between 7 000 and 8 000 steps on work days then easily reached 10 000 steps racing home, getting dinner ready to cook when I got home from the dog park and then all the other jobs in the evening.
So I gradually aimed for 11 000 then 12 000 then added an extra 1 000 every year until I was getting over 15 000 a day. When I moved to a wrist tracker I realised cardio and fat burning zones and calorie burn were more important to me. Then I kept reading blogs and many articles comparing the accuracy of wearing the tracker on your ankle instead of your wrist. The tracker doesn’t record movement effectively if your arm doesn’t move. Some people recorded an increase 0f 20% to 30% more steps and related information strapping their tracker to their ankle.
Intrigued, I attached my tracker to my ankle. I recorded about 15% greater scores in several areas so was a convert! Many bloggers give up wearing their tracker on their ankle despite the increased numbers because the length of the band is intended for a wrist not an ankle so it can feel tight. Mine fits comfortably but mindful of a few stories of trackers falling off I have looped a rubber band around the tracker buckle and my ankle. Unattractive!
Fitbit does not recommend wearing your tracker on your ankle. It will not record other metrics accurately. If your goal is to monitor your performance measuring all the other indicators available, Fitbit suggests a chest band, commonly seen on elite athletes. Then you need to read your numbers on a phone or a second tracker on your wrist. If you have your tracker on your ankle it is very cumbersome to read your numbers. I gave up and looked on my phone.
I’d really like to know if you’ve tried wearing your tracker around your ankle. I’ve read heart beat is not as easily measured but that’s fine. I’ve ordered a clip for my tracker as it looks funny on my ankle and I’ve really enjoyed wearing my old watch again. Also, it looks like I am wearing an electronic police tracking device! The tracker clip arrives tomorrow so I’ll do some comparison walks and workouts.
salmon
We try to eat fish at least twice a week and sometimes more often. Usually it’s salmon. Generally we oven roast it in lemon or lime juice and maple syrup. Regular readers will know I have been a fan of Nagi Maehashi’s online site recipetineats for some time. I bought her book RECIPE TIN EATS DINNER and was interested in trying a new way to cook salmon.
Part of the appeal of this cookbook is you probably have the ingredients in the fridge or pantry already. This was the case with THE ASIAN GLAZED SALMON which I made a few days ago. There was an enticing photograph of the finished product. Once you’ve marinated the salmon this recipe is quick, easy and delicious. The salmon tasted wonderful and will now be part of the regular dinner routine. The book shows the salmon served with rice, I served the it with mashed potato and asparagus. Always trying to add more vegetables.
Sticky, richly flavoured salmon with mashed potato and asparagus. Of course, the salmon should be served with rice but not this time. No chopsticks this time, either.
I am always trying to increase the variety of fruit and vegetables we eat, so the second time I cooked ASIAN GLAZED SALMON this week I served it with Chinese cabbage, roasted potatoes, beans and peas. (Chinese cabbage is cooked quickly in ginger, soy sauce and vinegar with chili and garlic and tastes much better than it sounds. Surprisingly delicious.)
Marinating the salmon, our new favourite recipe for fish.
Each recipe has a Q Code on the page. Scan this and watch Nagi prepare the recipe. How clever is that?
christmas cakes
Do you make Christmas cakes? Our family are great fans but I know lots of people don’t like fruit cake. We put a mix of dried fruits to macerate in port in October. The jars are turned daily to ensure the fruit is moist and delicious. I’ll make the cakes soon. I used to make, roll out then carefully place a marzipan layer on the cake. I’d finish by covering the marzipan with pure white icing and Christmas themed decorations.
Nobody wants to eat the icing now so I press cherries and blanched almonds in to the top of the cake in a pattern before the tins go into the oven.
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world remembrance day for road traffic victims
Every year more than one million people die from traffic accidents.
www.worlddayof remembrance.org/