…No, not my literal jawbone as in the one in my head.

A few weeks ago I shared with y’all how I’m sort of on a “get it together, Molly… you gotta get yourself in shape and healthy” -journey. Fitness is not my strong suit. I try… I really do. But it’s just never been a strength of mine. I was given the opportunity to partner with the folks at Jawbone to try out their new #UP24 fitness band and I knew it had come at the right time… because I’ve just been feeling sorry for myself rather than actually DOING ANYTHING about how I look and feel.

Well, I wanted to give you guys an update on what I thought of the band (so far), any particular strides (pun intended) I’ve made on getting more active and being healthier, etc. etc.

And, in case you didn’t read my previous post – in short, the Jawbone #UP24 band is a fitness band that tracks your sleep patterns, steps, and you can even track food / meals, movement (for example, if you run on the treadmill or ride a bike or something like that), etc. Also, side note, EVEN if you don’t have an #UP24 band, you can download the UP app (totally free!) and log your movement, sleep, and food that way, too!

I will say, first off, that I have become SUPER competitive with myself because of this band. I originally set my daily steps goal for 7,000 steps a day (even though 10K is recommended, I wanted to be realistic). However, I kept hitting my goal and so I upped my goal to 8,000 steps a day. I’ve been hitting that pretty consistently and even exceeding it and getting over 10K steps a day a lot of days!

And, when I do well one day, I want to do better the next day. I’ve been doing little things like parking further away from the store so I can see how many extra steps I get… I’ve been taking the stairs instead of the elevator to add more steps. Just little things here or there have REALLY added up and given me extra movement throughout the day.

The tough one for me has been sleep. I have NOT been getting good sleep over the last few months and I just don’t function well when I am not well rested. SO, I set my goal for eight FULL hours of sleep. Consistently I was NOT reaching that goal and I knew that I needed to make some changes. So, I’ve been really diligent about shutting down my computer and work and trying to be in bed by 10 or 1030 at the latest each night. This is still really hard, but over the last few weeks, my sleep has been getting better and I’ve been getting almost eight hours a night… I’ve even met and exceeded my goals a few times! And it has made a WORLD of difference!

Now, I wanted to share (and SHOW) how I’ve been SUPER committed to wearing the band every single day and not taking it off (except to shower or bathe). Here’s how I’ve worn the band…

I wore it to the Transform the Night masquerade ball… oh yes, I wore it to a BLACK TIE event. I disguised it with fancy arm bling. 🙂 Can you see it? 🙂 I am so glad I wore it that night, because I danced all night and got over 11,000 steps for the day!!

I wore it to a friend’s wedding… it may be tough to see in these pictures (also, these are admittedly NOT the most flattering photos of me… but do what ya gotta do)… just see the band on my right arm. (Photo on the right is me doing the train… photo credit to Paige Overturf Photography)

And then, if you’ve been following me on Instagram throughout the month of October, I’ve been sharing daily outfits and you can see the band in each daily look…

I wore it to another wedding last weekend, too! 

So yeah, I haven’t taken it off. And to be 100% honest, I don’t know when or IF I will ever stop using this band now. I LOVE how it has made me accountable for my activity… it’s made me HYPER aware of how little (or how much) I am moving throughout the day, it’s encouraging me to just be healthier and more conscious about my choices.

Also, and I don’t know that I can attribute it 100% to this, but since I started using the band, moving more, eating healthier, etc. I have lost almost 10 pounds! I still have a LONG way to go, but I already am starting to feel better and I really feel a shift happening in my health.

So, yeah, I guess you could say I am a HUGE fan. If you are interested in checking out Jawbone, you can order a #UP24 band here… but don’t forget, the app is free and you don’t need a band to log your movement, food, etc.!

Now, what about you? Are you making any changes in your lifestyle to get healthier? Have you tried a fitness band like Jawbone before? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

*Thank you SO much to Jawbone for partnering with me on this journey. I realize that sounds totally cheesy and cliche, but I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity to try this band out and I am now a fan for life! Thank YOU, readers, for supporting the brands that help support this blog and my family… and me!!