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IT Engineers and Health
Introduction
This article is about my recent status and the first smart band I ever owned. I've never been good at wearing wristwatches, so I'm struggling to get used to it, but I'm putting up with it for the sake of my health. I think I'll get used to it eventually. You might wonder what programmers have to do with health, but it's precisely because we are programmers that we should pay attention to our daily health.
COVID-19 and Health
It has been almost a year and a half since news about the new coronavirus first broke on December 31, 2019. It hasn't subsided yet; in fact, new variants have appeared, and we are in a situation that requires even greater vigilance. Remote work has increased, and I've ended up staying home all day during the daytime.
I used to get light exercise every day through commuting without even realizing it, and now I feel that it was actually good exercise.
Nowadays, my only opportunity for exercise while working from home is going to a nearby supermarket for shopping. There's no way I wouldn't gain weight like this.
I Started Running
I have originally suffered from a chronic back problem. Ever since I injured my lower back in a school club activity as a high school student, it starts to hurt whenever winter comes, and I've lived my life trying to manage it by building muscle. However, due to recent remote work, my physical activity has decreased significantly. Of course, the muscles in my back have also weakened.
Around mid-November 2020, I felt that I was literally "going to die" at this rate. I decided to take the plunge and start running.
Back when I was in high school and when I first became a member of society, I used to run at night a few times a month, but decades have passed since then. There was no way I could run properly. I started with walking first.
The distance was about 6km. I started with an amount that would make me sweat lightly. From there, I gradually started running. I have been running every day without a break. Since I started running almost without a break from the end of November, I have been running for about 150 days. The reason I said "almost" is because of rainy days; on days with heavy rain, I would walk 6km with an umbrella.
Recently, my physical strength has returned to the point where I can run 7km to 8km at a pace of about 5 and a half minutes per km.
That said, I'm still slow, so I'm going to try to increase my pace a bit more.
Around November last year, I had gained 5kg more than usual due to working from home, but my weight has returned to normal. In fact, I ended up losing a total of 10kg, going below my original weight. (In terms of BMI, I was originally at a standard weight.)
mi band 6 features
Once I started running, I began to take an interest in what others on Twitter were doing for their runs. It seems everyone wears a smartwatch with GPS functionality and shares their screens from an app. Originally, I was using Google Fit, but the GPS on the Android device itself that Google Fit uses by default isn't very accurate; even if I ran 7km, it would often measure it as 5km, which frequently lowered my motivation.
So, I bought a smart band.
I considered various options, but since it was my first smart band, I didn't want to buy an expensive one and end up failing, so I bought a Xiaomi Mi Band 6. The price is about 5,000 yen.
*Strictly speaking, the Mi Band 6 does not have built-in GPS; it just has a high frequency of data collection from the connected smartphone.
Of course, it can measure steps, as well as workouts like running and walking. Below is a workout from when I wore it and ran for 5 days.
You can also see your activity level with a mysterious index value called PAI.
Heart rate,
and stress measurement are also possible.
Blood oxygen saturation levels too.
Furthermore, it can also measure sleep status.
It can also link with Google Fit. Looking at it in Google Fit, you can see your sleep time and even your sleep levels.
Two hours of sleep is just silly, isn't it?
It's a great era when you can buy this for just a few thousand yen. Of course, you can see smartphone notifications, and you can even use it as a playback remote for music apps.
If I ever want a better smartwatch, I might buy an expensive one next time.
To stay healthy
I originally started running to resolve my chronic back problem, but now running has become such a daily routine that I feel uncomfortable if I don't run every day.
I have no intention of becoming a serious runner, but I keep running because I want to:
- Have fun
- Be efficient
- And keep it cheap
I just want to maintain my health. I considered a gym, but since I'm at home during the day, I want to breathe the outside air if possible, so I continue to run exclusively outdoors. Anyway, I'm enjoying running right now, and I think I'll keep running until I get bored with it.
Conclusion
I've written about my recent running habits. I'm sure everyone has their own way of doing things, and my way is just one example. I know that gyms are more efficient. However, it's a danger signal to not do any exercise while working from home. Your body might be getting completely out of shape. Why not regain your health and have fun through running?
Discussion