The Fourth of July was practically made for Fitbit users. Ok, maybe it’s better known for grilling, swimming, and that whole independence thing, but if there’s one day to make sure you hit your main goal, it’s this one. That’s because Fitbit Inspire Family, Charge 3, Versa Family, Ionic, and Ace 2 can all celebrate with fireworks. So get in the spirit: Set your main goal to steps and then choose a number that will challenge you—maybe add 1776 to your standard daily count? Below are 10 fun strategies to help you get there. The Safest—and Healthiest!—Ways to Set Off Fireworks Get up a half ho ..read more

Have you ever thought of going to the gym, realized you don’t have much time, and just skipped working out completely for the day? It’s so easy to fall into the “all or nothing” mindset with workouts, which is why the latest trend of microdosing activity throughout the day is a good thing. In a nutshell, microdosing exercise, also called doing incidental physical activity, means accomplishing your exercise goals in short little bursts from morning to night. Emphasis on the word short. “The government’s physical activity guidelines used to say you should accumulate exercise in bouts that we ..read more

These days, it seems like more and more workouts claim to be especially good at burning fat. On the surface, that probably sounds pretty good! After all, while the main goal of working out should be improving your overall health and feeling great, many people certainly don’t mind the impact it can have on body composition. But just because something is labeled as being a “fat burner” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to whittle your middle—or that burning fat should be your goal at all.    What Does It Mean to Burn Fat? To make sense of all of this, you first need to understand that yo ..read more

You’re all set to exercise, so you walk out your front door, go on a three-mile run, then quickly shower and get on with your day. Does this sound familiar? If you’re the kind of person who tends to focus on the actual workout and never really bother to warm up before or cool down after, you may want to rethink your approach. That’s because regularly doing pre- and post-workout routines is key to feeling your best and avoiding injury. First Things First: The Importance of Warming Up “Warming up prepares your body for the work you’re about to do,” says Jeffrey Prichard, a performance spe ..read more

It’s one of those statements you’ve probably heard time and time again: The best time to exercise is in the morning. It makes sense: You get it done before your day gets too busy or other obligations arise. But while a.m. workouts might be best for some people, others just can’t get themselves to hop out of bed bright and early and squeeze in a trip to the gym before work. For them, a nighttime sweat session might be more appealing. And despite the commonly-held belief that late workouts can leave exercisers feeling too amped to rest, it seems p.m. activity doesn’t necessarily equate to distur ..read more

Chances are, you made some sort of resolution to get fit this year, and you may even have gotten a new Fitbit tracker or smart watch to stay focused on your goal. But if your plan was simply to try to walk every day, you’re probably starting to find yourself getting bored right about now. Here’s the good news: You’ve already done the hard work of starting a habit. “Perhaps the most important thing you can do to establish an exercise habit is to structure your day in such a way that you make exercise a priority,” says Fitbit Ambassador and personal trainer Blake Raymond. “You might have to ..read more

Americans are working longer hours than ever, but sleeping less.  According to a study that analyzed data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), work has been exchange for sleep. Out of the 124,000 people surveyed, those who slept six hours or less worked over an hour and a half more on weekdays and nearly two hours more on weekends and holidays. Work was the main activity that was subbed in, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise. In a world where we’re inundated with non-stop smartphones buzzing and encouraged to be plugged in at all hours of the day, it’s not surprising that many of us ..read more