it’s been a month since i started using the up system by jawbone, which means it’s time for me to share an update about how it’s been working out. i have to admit that i was a little skeptical about how a simple little bracelet could really do anything for me. i mean, it’s essentially a really fancy pedometer, right? well, yes and no. it records your steps during the day and your sleep at night. but the interesting part is what happens once the data is collected in the up app (which, by the way, you can use to record your information even if you don’t have a bracelet).

when i first put it on, i was a little concerned that it would somehow make me feel bad. i didn’t really know how much i walked in a day or if my activity was up to snuff. and i have a baby and, you know, a life. sometimes these things are out of our control, and the last thing you need to hear is a little voice in your head telling you that you aren’t good enough. but much to my surprise, it’s actually an incredibly helpful tool. instead of telling me that i needed to reach some unachievable goal in order to be healthy, it began recording my activity and smartly creating incremental goals to help me inch towards higher goals. i wasn’t getting enough sleep at night, so it would give me a mini challenge now and again, providing me with a suggested bed time that might help me get the sleep i need to function during the day. it even provides tips and tricks to help you get a better night’s sleep, and links to relevant studies about sleep. i was skeptical that these tiny suggestions would really have an impact, but after a month, i’m actually getting better sleep! for the first time since i started using it, i’ve been reaching 100% (or more!) of my goal.

and even more interesting than that: over time, the data gets smarter. the app started to look for a correlation between how much sleep i get at night and how active i am during the day. and wouldn’t you be surprised to know that since i’ve been getting more sleep, i’ve been way more active during the day? no, i haven’t suddenly become a marathon runner, but i am very surprised to say that a funky little bracelet and a smart little app have actually been helping me to make some pretty positive lifestyle changes. so while my one-month challenge is over, i won’t be giving up on up any time soon.

see all of my posts featuring up here.

this post is sponsored by jawbone. thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!

just last week, we celebrated adam’s eight month birthday. i seriously can’t believe how quickly these past eight months have flown by. i’ve mostly been focusing my energy on taking care of this little guy and adjusting to our new life here in redlands, but i would be lying if i said that i never thought about myself. i don’t know if i ever talked about it on my blog, but seeing my body right after adam was born really threw me for a loop. this kid was not small. he clocked in at 9lbs. 14oz., and that unplanned c-section was no joke. needless to say, it was difficult coming to terms with the fact that i was never going to go back to my pre-baby body, and that it would probably take a long time for my body to recover after everything it had been through.

i mean, that little guy grew to massive proportions inside of me over the course of nine months, he stretched my body to the limits and smashed all of my internal organs. then one day he was born, and i literally ballooned up into this giant pufferfish while my body adjusted to the drop in hormones while recovering from major surgery. then two weeks later, i hopped onto the scale at my doctor’s office to discover that i had literally dropped 35 pounds, leaving me with all of this strange, loose skin, and a scar that severed my abdominal muscles in half.

fortunately, i had more pressing things to worry about. like, you know, my precious little bundle of joy. so like any person trying to keep their sanity post baby, i did my best to be kind to myself. instead of dieting, i focused on taking my vitamins and eating healthy so that i could breastfeed my baby and provide him and myself with the best nutrients possible. and instead of going to the gym, i focused on holding my baby in my arms and rocking him to sleep, and taking him on long walks around the neighborhood.

and now it’s eight months later. i said goodbye to the baby weight months ago, but it’s not like i was a fitness model before i got pregnant. shoot, i had an office job and i wasn’t getting nearly enough exercise. if anything, i feel myself getting stronger than i was before. and i’m more motivated than ever to be as healthy as i can be so i can run around and chase after my little dude who’s frighteningly close to taking his first steps. so when jawbone asked if i’d be interested in partnering with them to try out their UP system, i was definitely on board. i just got my bracelet in the mail last week and have been wearing it for a couple of days. it’s been recording my sleep at night and my activity during the day, while providing me with realistic goals for both. turns out, taking care of a baby is actually a pretty good workout in itself! i’m still getting to know how it all works, but i’m going to be sharing a few updates here and there, and will be reporting back in a month to tell you how it’s working out for me.

wearing:
chambray boatneck shirt courtesy of eileen fisher
asos farleigh mom jeans
coach bucket bag courtesy of twice
sven clogs
giantlion for of a kind aquamarine ring
rose gold pinch cuff courtesy of nashelle designs
runwell watch courtesy of shinola

this post is sponsored by jawbone. thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!