Hi, I am Dollie Gary, from Rochelle Park. I am a housewife as well as a nutrition specialist by profession. I love to spend free time reading articles about health and fitness.
In this week’s episode of Fit in Focus, co-hosts Eric Friedman and Andrea Holing spoke with Tony Farnesh, lead research scientist at Fitbit, about all things heart health. Tony shares his background, what led him to Fitbit, and his role on the team today. He also breaks down exactly how Fitbit measures your heart rate on the wrist—including all the machinery at work from the sensor on the device to the number you see on your wrist.
Eric, Andrea, and Tony also discuss the newly launched Fitbit Heart Study—its first large-scale, virtual study to validate the use of its wearable technology to identify episodes of irregular heart rhythm suggestive of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Why AFib? Not only is AFib the most common form of heart rhythm irregularity, but Fitbit technology is well-positioned to identify it.
You can listen to this week’s episode on Google Play, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. And make sure to subscribe to not miss an episode.
It is important to note that the Fitbit Heart Study is a clinical trial. The software being trialed is not approved by the US FDA or any other regulatory body. Participation in this trial involves some risk which is explained in the study information. Visitwww.fitbit.com/heart-studyfor more info, including how to sign up.
Working from home presents a unique set of challenges. You may have been a total newbie to this new normal, making it tough to navigate the distractions that come up and maintain focus. These issues are natural and to be expected in this unprecedented time, so give yourself space to experiment and adapt to your new work environment. Here are some tips from a Fitbit health coach to help keep you laser-focused, feeling great, and fend off burnout.
Refuel regularly with real food. Your circadian rhythm naturally takes a dip in the midafternoon, and if you are without the extra stimulation of coworkers and the energy of office life, it’s easy to really feel that afternoon slump. Irregular meals and eating too many processed carbs or sugary foods can lead to unstable blood glucose levels and exacerbate your post-lunch energy crash. And new research suggests eating just one fatty meal can affect your concentration.
So, fuel your body and your brain by eating regular balanced meals and snacks that are rich in protein, healthy carbohydrates, and a small amount of healthy fats.
Have a dedicated workspace. During this unique time, you may still be working from home without a real home office. Although it may be tempting to simply roll over in bed and grab your laptop, it’s not doing your body any favors.
Creating a dedicated workspace can help you avoid neck and back pain, as well as minimize distractions. If you don’t have an extra room to use as an office, no problem, create a workspace at your dining table, or maybe set up a desk in an unused corner. Moving to your workspace when you’re getting started for the day can help keep you focused and avoid the temptation to watch TV, take a midday nap, or tackle that pile of laundry.
Keep a schedule. You may find you’re working longer hours since being stuck at home. The lines between work life and personal life may have become blurred, which can lead to the feeling you should be constantly working or thinking about work, even outside of your normal nine to five. Setting boundaries is important and will allow you to focus on work when you need to, be present with your family, and get rest and relaxation after you clock out.
Stay hydrated. Do you forget to drink water while you’re working? Researchers have found that even minor dehydration can impair your memory and cognitive function. Fatigue and brain fog are common symptoms of dehydration. So, try to ensure you’re consuming the recommended 64 ounces of water a day. Set up a silent alarm on your Fitbit device to remind you to hydrate often. You can also log your water intake right in the Fitbit app or on your device to make sure you’re drinking enough.
Opt for fresh air instead of an extra cup of coffee. Loading up on multiple cups of coffee can be tempting when you’re trying to stay focused, but too much caffeine can lead to a big energy crash later in the day. Instead of reaching for that extra cup, take a break and step outside if you can. Getting fresh air and exposing yourself to sunlight can give you a boost to power you through the rest of your day. If you can’t go outside, simply opening a window and taking a few deep breaths may give you the extra energy to refocus your mind.
Take regular breaks. While you may feel tempted to stay chained to your desk, taking regular breaks can help to boost your productivity and keep your energy levels up. Use your Fitbit device’s reminders to move to make sure you’re getting up and taking 250 steps each hour as a surefire way to keep moving throughout the day.
Beaches, parks, tennis courts, and community pools are beginning to reopen across the nation, as states relax their social distancing requirements. You may be eager to venture out for a scenic hike or enjoy a round of golf, but you may also have concerns about reducing your risk to COVID-19, when people in the community may still have it.
If you live in a state where the number of COVID-19 cases is declining, you may feel braver about visiting the beach or tennis court for outdoor exercise. “Given that the virus doesn’t survive as long in outdoor environments and because air dissipates more readily outdoors, the overall risk is likely lower,” says Mark Kortepeter, MD, MPH, professor of epidemiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and author of Inside the Hot Zone. “The best way to reduce risk is to try and avoid touching frequently touched surfaces and periodically washing your hands or using hand sanitizer.”
Before you leave home, here’s what you should consider:
Be cautious in parking lots. Driving to your destination? Be wary of socializing in parking lots, if you plan to meet a friend. “They may lapse into their pre-COVID casualness,” Schaffner says. “I know about a beach on the East Coast and a hiking trail in Oregon that had to be closed by the local health authorities because although things were fine on the trail and on the beach, they couldn’t control the congregation of people in the parking lot.”
If you park in a busy lot, wear a mask and head to your destination quickly.
Prepare for busy beach days. Beforehand, decide how comfortable you feel about being close to strangers. This can help you choose whether to stay or go if the crowd swells. “Usually at the beach or in a park, families or friends tend to cluster in smaller groups together, usually some distance away from each other,” Kortepeter says. “If you find others are getting too close for you to feel comfortable, whether closer than 6 feet or even farther away, feel free to move.”
Think beyond the swimming pool. When you visit an outdoor pool, consider the interactions that you may have with others when lounging in a chair, using the restroom, or buying a drink at the snack bar. “It’s not what happens in the pool, it’s what happens around the pool,” Schaffner says.
If it feels too crowded, consider leaving and returning on a different day at an earlier or later hour.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing masks around other people, but they advise against wearing them in swimming pools. “If a mask gets wet, it will be harder to breathe through and will also lose its effectiveness,” Kortepeter says.
Breathe more easily while hiking quiet trails. Finding a hiking trail that’s a little less busy may help you unwind. It’s probably a good idea to bring your mask along with you, even if you’re only passing the occasional hiker. “If you are concerned someone passing by is too close [and don’t already have your mask on], you can put it on briefly as you see them approaching. Keep in mind, though, that when you put on or take off your mask, you risk contaminating susceptible areas of your face if your hands are contaminated.”
Stay vigilant while playing golf. Before and after playing golf, bypass the bar, indoor restaurant, and locker room for safety. “Play your round, and then go home—take your shower when you get home,” Schaffner says.
Feel comfortable about playing tennis. Singles tennis matches are perfectly socially distanced, so you don’t need to wear a mask while playing. Touching shared tennis balls is a low-risk activity that shouldn’t spread COVID-19. “Probably more important would be to minimize opportunities to touch your face,” Kortepeter says. “Consider wearing sweatbands on your head or wrists so that you are not inclined to touch your face because of sweating.”
Public bathrooms are fine. Because you’ll only spend a couple of minutes inside of a beach, park, or pool restroom, it’s a low-risk activity. “I think that’s very similar to a supermarket; you’re just close to other people in a transient fashion,” Schaffner says.
Wear your mask, and if there’s a line, stand 6 feet behind the person in front of you. When you’re through, wash your hands well with soap and water.
Enjoy outdoor dining. Frequenting an outdoor snack bar at the park, beach, or pool should be relatively low-risk. “In the outdoor environment, I am less concerned about the distance between tables, as people at other tables are not interacting directly face-to-face with you,” Kortepeter says. “Higher-risk in that setting [is] if you have to stand in line with others when purchasing your food.”
Consider eating earlier or later so that the outdoor tables aren’t crowded. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before eating, especially if you handled money.
Around the world more and more people are going contactless for countless reasons, but mainly because it’s convenient, secure, and much more hygienic. Here at Fitbit, we agreed—that’s why Fitbit Pay exists, so that you can wear a device that also holds your wallet. No phone, no cards, no hassle.
Why switch to Fitbit Pay?
The benefits of switching to contactless payments are many—whether you’re grabbing a coffee to-go or picking up flowers from the farmer’s market, Fitbit Pay is the most convenient and easy-to-use form of payment.* Simply hold your device by a contactless payment terminal and authorize your purchase with the push of a button. It’s that simple!
Fitbit Pay uses an industry-standard tokenization platform to ensure your card information is never revealed or shared with merchants or with Fitbit. More perks? Anytime you make a purchase with Fitbit Pay, you’ll earn the same rewards, points, miles, or other benefits you get by using your physical credit or debit card.
How does Fitbit Pay work?
With Fitbit Pay, you can link your credit and debit cards to certain Fitbit devices, including the Fitbit Charge 4, Fitbit Ionic, Fitbit Versa 2, Fitbit Versa Special Edition, and Charge 3 Special Edition, then start making contactless payments right from your device. Fitbit Pay is available in 45 countries and nearly 500 issuers. To check if your card works with Fitbit Pay,click here to see participating banks.
How do I set up Fitbit Pay?
To start, link at least one credit or debit card from your bank to the Wallet section of the Fitbit app. With your device nearby, tap the Today tab in the app, and tap your profile picture. Tap your device image, then tap the Wallet tile. Follow the on-screen instructions to link a payment card.
In some cases, your bank may require additional verification. Please note that if you’re setting up Fitbit Pay for the first time, you may be prompted to set a four-digit code for your device. You also need passcode protection enabled for your phone.
After you add your card, follow the on-screen instructions to turn on notifications for your phone (if you haven’t already done so) to complete the setup.
Want to add more than one card? We’ve got you covered. You can add up to six cards to the Wallet (5 cards for Charge 3 and Charge 4), and choose which card to set as the default payment option on your device.
Where can I use Fitbit Pay?
You can use Fitbit Pay at grocery stores, pharmacies, take-out restaurants, or wherever you see the contactless payments symbol. You can even use it to ride select transit systems.
Join hundreds of thousands of other Fitbit users in going contactless today with Fitbit Pay.
*Fitbit Pay works with certain major credit and debit cards from top banks and card issuers around the world. See availability atfitbit.com/fitbit-pay/banks.
Have you ever wondered exactly what resting heart rate is? Or why you have such vivid dreams? Or how Fitbit builds an algorithm? To help answer those questions and many more, Fitbit is launching its first-ever podcast—Fit in Focus.
Hosted by Eric Friedman, Fitbit co-founder and CTO, and Andrea Holing from the Fitbit communications team, Fit in Focus will bring together experts and industry leaders to have insightful conversations on everything from heart health to fitness to sleep. You’ll also hear from the people behind Fitbit—from Research to Design to Marketing—as they share more about some of our greatest innovations, like our 24/7 heart rate tracking and Fitbit Flow.
The first episode launches on June 30 and will be available on YouTube, Google Play, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Check out the trailer for Fit in Focus on YouTube here and make sure to tune in next week!
At Fitbit, getting creative with exercises is one of our favorite things to do. Just in case you missed it, we partnered with leading at-home fitness company, obé fitness, to bring you fun and engaging workouts right to your living room! If you’re looking to get in one more sweat session this week, finish strong with these two happy hour workouts and if you are looking for more, find everything from family-friendly workouts to 10-minute Express sessions focusing on a different body part each week from obé, right now in Fitbit Premium.
Happy hour meets obé workout session
If you’re looking to crush a fun workout at the end of your day and just need an excuse to dust off your wine bottles, look no further than Alex’s Wine Bottle Workout:
Deadlift and wide arm row (alternating): 3 sets of 15 reps
Bicep curl and wide arm biceps curl (alternating): 3 sets of 15 reps
Narrow arm row and back fly: 3 sets of 15 reps
Squat and shoulder press: 3 sets of 15 reps
Earn your happy hour bevvy with Walter’s Happy Hour HIIT workout. Grab your favorite drink ingredients and get sweating to this combo:
Cut Calf raise: As you cut ingredients
Squat Pulse and pour: As you pour ingredients
Jack & Shake: As you shake ingredients Squat and sip: As you sip your cocktail
As cities and regions around the world loosen lockdown conditions, Fitbit users are stepping more but activity is not yet back to pre-pandemic levels. By early June, Fitbit users were moving far more than they did in April when restrictions were more strict. Still, activity was not back to 2019 levels—perhaps an indication that personal mobility won’t fully return to ‘normal’ until people feel safer.
The same trend is evident internationally, with increases in steps since mid-May among Fitbit users in cities such as London, Tokyo, Madrid, Berlin, and Seoul.
Harder to Maintain Health Gains
In May, we looked at the impact of the changing routines due to COVID-19 on our sleep and found that Fitbit users, on average, were sleeping 20 minutes more per night in April from a year earlier. In April, we also noted that resting heart rates were also improving—which means they declined—across the US amid the first weeks of shelter-in-place orders. The data also showed that, while step counts declined, active minutes increased for 42 percent of Fitbit users. This indicated that while we were stepping less, likely due to the lack of commuting and other daily activities, we were engaging in more vigorous and intentional activity, which is important for heart health.
Now, as restrictions lift, and our lives begin to return to our previous routines and patterns, some of those gains are slipping away. Broadly speaking, resting heart rates are increasing and sleep duration has started to diminish, the latest data from more than 4 million Fitbit users shows.
Keeping the Momentum Going
As we noted in earlier blog posts, lower resting heart rates and more sleep are important factors in your overall health. With lockdowns in full swing in March and April, Fitbit data showed that we made important health gains even if we stepped less, by sleeping more and increasing our active minutes. As we adjust to our new routines post-lockdown, some users are holding on to healthy gains better than others into June in terms of:
Resting heart rates. Resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute when you are still and at rest. This metric can be an important indicator of your fitness level and overall heart health. Resting heart rates are going back to seasonal norms for most groups, since hitting their healthiest level around late April.
Men and women 65 years and older are doing better at holding onto resting heart rate gains made earlier in the lockdown periods, as are men ages 50 to 64. On the other end of the spectrum, men ages 18 to 29 posted less healthy resting heart rates in early June than they did the same time last year.
Steps. Women ages 50 to 64 took more steps in mid-June than they did a year ago. They were the only group to surpass last year’s activity levels. For the same time period, men in the same age group were almost back to last year’s activity level.
One group of users doesn’t seem to be bouncing back in the same way—younger Fitbit users continue to have lower activity levels. In terms of steps in June, both younger women and men remained below last year’s step activity level. Both groups had, however, increased activity from early April.
Active minutes. Most age groups are back to seasonal normals for active minutes—which denote more vigorous activity—or are even doing more active minutes than before the pandemic.
Overall, women are doing slightly better here, too. Women ages 30 to 49, for instance, put in an average of four more active minutes per day in early June than they did last year at the same time.
Sleep duration. The length of our sleep peaked in late March and early April for most people, and especially for younger people and women. Sleep times are now decreasing and moving slightly toward normal, although they’re still higher than seasonal norms for all age groups and genders. This might be another good habit that people have grown to love and can retain, given that commutes remain limited.
Cities Getting Back to Normal at Different Paces
Some cities suffered bigger drops in mobility. New York, an epicenter of the pandemic, experienced a 22.5 percent drop in mobility in April from normal levels. In May, activity was 14 percent down from normal levels.
Younger people in New York sustained the biggest activity drops, down 34 percent in April and 24 percent in May from normal levels.
Paris also saw big swings, with step counts off normal levels by 25 percent in April and 10 percent in May.
The changes were less stark in San Francisco. Mobility was 17 percent off normal levels in April and 11 percent in May. Meanwhile, in Cork, Ireland, average step counts barely budged, off less than 4 percent in both April and May.
Getting Good Habits to Stick
Even if we’re losing some good habits as restrictions lift, it’s not too late to keep the ones that enhanced our health while sheltering in place—or restart ones that we might be loosening up on as we shift back to our previous routines.
Many of us improved our bedtime consistency during lockdown. As routines shift, try to maintain a consistent bedtime routine. It’s good for your health and can help you fall asleep faster, which can be really helpful, especially during stressful times. For tips on this, read more here.
We know it can be hard to find time to stay active now that life is picking back up. Fitbit is offering a 90 day free trial of Fitbit Premium, with over and 150+ workouts of different lengths and activities from fitness brands like barre3, Daily Burn, POPSUGAR, and Yoga Studio by Gaiam, to help you stay active on your schedule.
Healthy habits start to stick after just two weeks, but a rock-solid habit takes about 10 weeks to fully develop, and 66 days is the point at which your new healthy habit should be fully formed. To help yourself make a new habit stick: set realistic and tangible goals, be consistent, and be patient.
Source: Based on aggregated and anonymous Fitbit user data from June 1-7, 2020
The next time you head out for a hike or walk, amp up the benefits by turning your trek into a meditation. On top of the physical activity and energy boost, you may also experience additional mental health perks. Studies suggest that being outdoors may help decrease anxiety and depression, increase feelings of well-being, and bring a sense of restoration. Research also links meditation with thesesamebenefits. So why not combine the two into a moving meditation?
“There are many different ways to meditate,” explains Yael Shy, author of What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond and senior director of MindfulNYU. “Movement meditation is any effort to stay present and in the moment as you are experiencing it while moving.”
Yoga can be considered movement meditation, she says. You can also turn any walk, bike ride, or other activity into a meditative practice. Here are three ways to do so with your next hike.
Focus on your feet. “Pay full attention, as much as you can, to each step as you take it—where your foot is going, the elevation change, what’s around your foot,” Shy says. You may also wish to slow down, especially at the start of your hike or walk, and notice the movement of your muscles as you take each step. For this type of moving meditation, the destination often matters less than the overall experience.
Sense your senses. For a sensory-rich hike or walk, open your attention to what you are seeing, hearing, smelling, and perhaps even touching and tasting. Take notice of the movements of your body, your heart beating, and how the air feels on your skin. Let these things come into and out of your awareness, Shy says. You don’t have to focus on all of this at once; instead, find what feels best to you and what helps to bring your mind away from any distracting thoughts so you can be fully present during your hike.
Add an element of gratitude. With every step or breath, note something you are grateful for, Shy suggests. This could be your body, your breath pumping through you, the trees in front of you—anything! With this practice, you’ll not only enjoy great views and sweat, but you’ll also have a long appreciation list by the end of your hike.
“The common thread through all of these hiking meditations is that you are not just lost in the random thinking the mind likes to do,” Shy explains. “Thoughts will happen. But try over and over again to bring your attention back to this moment and what you’re experiencing. That’s what makes it meditative.”
You’ll likely find that any of these practices will help you actually experience and enjoy your hike, rather than spending the entire time thinking about when you’ll reach your destination, or getting there and realizing you weren’t truly paying attention and missed out on everything.
To guide you on your moving meditation, join Fitbit Premium to try these tracks:
Walk to Decompress from Ten Percent Happier
A Mindful Walking Exercise from Aura
A Brief Mindful Walking Meditation for Aura
Find them in the Mindfulness section of the Discover tab.
Want to stop tracking every morsel that you ingest, set aside all the rules you’ve memorized about what to eat or avoid, and develop a healthy, sustainable relationship with food? Intuitive eating, a non-diet approach to nutrition, may help you learn to interact positively with food while maintaining a healthy weight, without stress or food guilt. The key is becoming attuned to your body’s hunger and satiation signals, rather than eating on a set schedule or following a specific diet.
“We are all born intuitive eaters—babies and young children will typically eat when they are hungry and stop eating when they are full,” says Vandana Sheth, RDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and a California-based registered dietitian nutritionist who specializes in intuitive eating. “As we get older, we go through experiences of food rules, restrictions, distractions, and gradually may get away from paying attention to our body’s signals.”
Should you consider this non-diet approach to eating? Here’s what to expect:
How to eat intuitively
Many adults eat just because it’s mealtime, they’ve met a friend for coffee, someone baked their favorite dessert, or they’re bored, tired, or upset. They may continue eating after they’re full because they don’t recognize feelings of fullness, they’re accustomed to finishing everything on their plate, they don’t want to rudely leave homemade food unfinished, or they’re enjoying something that they normally don’t allow themselves to have.
With intuitive eating, you only eat when you’re hungry, and you stop when you’re satisfied. You can eat any food any time of the day: No foods are considered better or worse than others, even those you’d previously considered “bad.”
“Eating intuitively is definitely different than the typical diet strategies that we often use,” says Natalie Keirns, an intuitive eating researcher and clinical psychology doctoral candidate at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. “Because of that, it could be difficult to adjust or adapt to and require a bit of a recalibration of how we think about food.”
An adjustment period
If you’re having trouble recognizing your hunger and satiation signals or you’re plagued by deeply ingrained feelings of food guilt, it may take a while to embrace intuitive eating.
“When we have avoided/banned specific foods from our diets for a long time and you suddenly are open to it, there may be a period where you overindulge,” Sheth says. “The long-term deprivation is what often leads to uncontrollable cravings and guilt that goes with overeating. [But] once you make peace with food, knowing that you can have it anytime, you will be able to truly listen to your body’s signals for hunger, satiety, and satisfaction.”
You’ll learn to recognize the difference between hunger and cravings. “If you are only hungry for one specific food, that might be a craving,” Keirns says. “Also, cravings tend to rise and fall over a relatively short period, so if you’re experiencing a craving, try distracting yourself for 10 to 15 minutes and see whether that food is still on your mind.”
You’ll also learn to incorporate joyful movement (enjoyable regular physical activity) into your lifestyle and get better at coming up with kinder ways to manage your emotions and side-step non-hungry eating.
Benefits
Research has shown that traditional dieting may be harmful, and it’s often ineffective. But intuitive eating is not a diet, and recognizing your internal cues for hunger and fullness may be a better option. Research has shown that intuitive eating is associated with a more positive body image, greater body appreciation, and higher self-esteem.
“My work has found that higher levels of intuitive eating are most strongly associated with more positive body image in those with a BMI in the normal range,” says Keirns, an author of the body-image study. “I have found that eating intuitively is typically associated with lower BMI levels, [and] my research suggests that individuals who eat intuitively may be less likely to develop overweight or obesity and may be more likely to feel good about their bodies.”
Other research has shown that people who practice intuitive eating are more likely to maintain a stable weight, as opposed to gaining, losing, or weight-cycling.
“This finding likely does not include individuals who transfer from a restrictive approach to intuitive eating,” says study author Tracy Tylka, PhD, professor of psychology at the Ohio State University in Columbus and Marion. “For the general person, we cannot predict whether their weight will increase, decrease, or stay the same when they transition to intuitive eating. It depends on a lot of biological, psychological, and environmental factors.”
Caveats
Intuitive eating is a healthy mind-body approach to nutrition, and it may help you to change your relationship with food. Some people may lose weight by eating intuitively, but it’s not intended as a weight-loss method. “Intuitive eating is not a weight-focused approach,” Tylka says. “Benefits of transitioning to intuitive eating are for well-being rather than weight change/maintenance/loss.”
“People who are obese may experience dysregulated hunger and satiety signals, which may make intuitive eating difficult,” Keirns says. But with practice, the more you learn to stop, breathe, slow down, and listen to your body, the easier it will get.
In the Fitbit app tap Discover, and under the Guided Programs tap the Eat Healthy filter at the top, and you’ll find the Mindful Eating program. It’s a seven-day program in which you get daily audio guidance from a mindful eating coach, and learn how to eat intuitively one meal and one bite at a time. If you need further assistance, consider meeting with a registered dietitian who’strained and certifiedin intuitive eating.
There’s compelling new evidence that if 80% of people wore a mask, cases of COVID-19 would drop dramatically, and universal mask-wearing could be a huge tool in our global fight against the pandemic. But what exactly do masks do, and why does mask protocol seem so confusing?
For that, we need to back up to March, says Jeff Pothof, MD, Chief Quality and Safety Officer at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin. In the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, health experts did not want people to wear masks. “PPE was in short supply,” says Pothof. “I don’t think anyone wanted there to be a run on masks when we thought there wasn’t much benefit.” On top of that, says Pothof, there was real reason to believe that people who wore masks actually touch their faces more frequently.
As the weeks wore on, and researchers learned more about COVID-19, it became apparent that masks could be highly useful to prevent spread. “We knew there was asymptomatic transmission, but we didn’t think it was a super-likely way for people to get infected,” says Pothof. “We thought people who were symptomatic would be shedding much more virus than people who were asymptomatic.” As it turned out, studies showed there’s actually a pretty large population of people with COVID-19 who have no symptoms at all and can transmit the virus. “So, that got us worried,” he said.
Finally, additional research showed that you don’t need to cough and sneeze to transmit COVID-19. “Those events generate a lot of droplets, but they’re not super-common,” he explains of how experts originally thought the virus spread. “Even sick people aren’t constantly coughing and sneezing. But they had a study that said even talking could generate droplets with enough force to infect people.”
This is when the guidance on mask-wearing changed, and experts now suggest we all wear masks in public spaces. “We still had the risk of healthy people potentially infecting themselves, but we had what was thought to be was a large cohort of people who would have COVID-19 with no symptoms at all who, even just talking in close proximity to other people, could infect others,” says Pothof.
Here’s what you need to know about wearing your face mask or covering:
Will a mask prevent me from getting sick? While there is probably minimal benefit, and a healthy person wearing a mask is better than not wearing a mask at all, it’s not an effective tool to prevent infection. “These loop masks are not so tight-fitting and fit-tested,” says Pothof. “If you blow hard, you can feel the air come around the side of those masks. The same thing, if you breathe in, there’s air coming around the side of the masks that can contaminate you.”
Their primary benefit is to prevent asymptomatic people from transmitting the virus to others. With the fabric or cloth so close to your face, you are emitting fewer droplets into the air. “If you wear one of those masks and start breathing, you start to sense moisture in the mask,” says Pothof. “That is your mask catching those droplets. If you were infected with COVID-19, that is where the virus is. And the virus has a much harder time getting out of that mask when it is on your face.”
What kind of mask should I wear? Masks that doctors wear as personal protective equipment (PPE), like N95 masks, should still be reserved for healthcare workers. Beyond that, you have options. Materials like silk, or other fabrics with large pores where air can easily pass through, will likely be less effective protection.
“I think most people are probably comfortable with the idea that any kind of double-layered mask that’s available whether it’s sewn or made out of a paper product, is probably providing enough protection, even if it’s not perfect protection, in the environments where they are wearing them—trying to stay socially distant, not in someone’s face,” says Pothof.
At this moment, there is no universal standard for what type of fabric to use. “With time, if this becomes something we think about with every respiratory season, I bet there will be people who do testing on all these different fabrics and try to tell us which perform better than others,” says Pothof. “But a lot of that information is not out there yet.” That said, something is definitely better than nothing, so wear any face covering you can—even if it’s a repurposed bandana.
When should I wear my mask? Pothof says there seems to be a lot of confusion about when exactly masks should be worn. “When I’m out in the community, I see all kinds of things. I see people alone in their cars wearing a mask,” he says. Remember, your mask is mostly there to protect others. So if you are near others, you should be wearing your mask. “You want to wear a mask when you are out in public and there’s a chance or high likelihood that you are going to get six feet or closer to another individual for a prolonged time,” Pothof says. “Grocery stores are great examples. There’s a reasonable chance you’ll be closer than six feet to another person. A lot of businesses are like that.”
“Am I going to leave my house and be near others or have the potential to be near to others? That’s when we should wear a mask.”
Remember, by wearing a mask, you are helping others. Pothof says he’s seeing some people have the attitude that they’re tough, and don’t need a mask—which is the wrong attitude to have. He likens it to the use of seatbelts in the 1980s, where people initially weren’t super-receptive to the idea that these devices were great, protective equipment that could make our population safer. “I think we need to quickly normalize this idea that we wear masks, not because we are weak or there’s something wrong with us, but because we care about other people and we don’t want to make other people sick,” says Pothof. “It’s just something that we need to do to show that we’re all in this together and we’re going to beat it.”
Note to reader: Our world is going through unprecedented challenges and changes. As we collectively navigate COVID-19 and the fight against racism, we believe it is important to stay well and take care of ourselves. We will continue sharing tips, tools, and resources to help our community do that. Read more about our response to racial injusticehere.
With some gyms, pools, and recreation fields still closed, running is one of the only viable workout options right now. But the good news is, it’s still an option, and even if you’re new, you don’t need much to get going. You don’t need other people. You don’t need special equipment. All you need is some supportive workout gear, and either some wide-open space or a treadmill. What’s more, you don’t need to watch a video or look for any instruction at all if you don’t want to—left foot, right foot, repeat. That’s it.
Yet while you don’t need much to get started, it can be helpful to have a little guidance or a helping hand. Especially once you move past running around your block, it can be a little tricky to know what to do next. Do you just keep trying to run farther? Do you try to do the same block faster? Both? Something else entirely?
Running has seriously caught on in the past few decades, so there is plenty of guidance out there. You can choose from any number of books, journals, and articles. The trouble sometimes arises from having to wade through all of the information out there and know what is right for you. That’s where Fitbit comes in.
Know how far you are going
The original Fitbit tracker was a simple clip-on device that tracked steps taken, distance traveled, and calories burned. Today, nearly a decade later, Fitbit trackers are much more advanced, with GPS, heart rate tracking, and personalized reminders, while Fitbit smartwatches can store music playlists and provide on-screen workouts. Beyond making running more tolerable, these features can also help you set fitness goals and achieve them. Want to run one mile faster? Set it and get it. Want to improve your endurance and complete a virtual 5K? That’s another option.
Follow a workout plan
Fitbit Premium has two 3-week running programs to help you safely ramp up your intensity, whether you want to go from walking to running or want to get a little bit faster. Beginner Running takes you step-by-step to help you kick off and keep up a regular running routine, frequently alternating between walking and running within a single session. And for those who feel comfortable jogging for 30 minutes, the Run Training program helps you pick up your pace.
Stay accountable by joining a community
There’s also the Fitbit Community. Even if these days you’re training “virtually” all alone, Fitbit Community helps you touch base with other Fitbit users to spur one another along towards health (and running!) goals and exchange information, advice, and anecdotes. The forums are a great place to find a Challenge buddy or get ideas for new workouts, and of course, you can troubleshoot any obstacles that pop up, as well.
The bottom line is that if you’re feeling sluggish, frustrated, or lonely, a run—no matter how short or long or fast or slow—might be just what the doctor ordered. And, while you are likely running by yourself right now, you don’t have to attempt this on your own. The support is there. Take it.
Credited with helping to lower blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and weight, plants are powerful medicine. But sometimes finding creative ways to eat enough of them can be a challenge—especially if you’ve been a life-long carnivore or you cook for one.
Not sure where to begin? “You don’t have to eat piles of steamed broccoli or cauliflower to get the veggies you need,” says New York City-based nutritionist Amy Gorin MS, RDN. “Instead, start small by substituting plants into your favorite meat-based dishes. Done right, you won’t even miss the meat.”
Here are some meat to plant substitutes to get you started:
Craving tacos? Try walnuts or pecans. “Finely chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, provide a crumbly texture and richness akin to ground meat,” says Jackie Newgent, R.D.N., author of The Clean & Simple Diabetes Cookbook. Another plus? “Recent research suggests nuts’ triple whammy of healthful fats, plant protein, and fiber may reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.”
How to make it: Finely grind walnuts or pecans in a food processor. Mix with sautéed chopped onions and garlic. Season to taste with soy sauce, oregano, cumin, chili powder, and fresh cilantro. Serve in warm tortillas with shredded cabbage, diced tomatoes, and avocado.
Craving sloppy joes? Try mushrooms. Meat’s complex, savory flavor—known as umami—is only found in a small handful of foods. Turns out, mushrooms are one of them. While all mushrooms are big on meaty umami taste, darker varieties like shiitakes, creminis, and portabellas pack the most punch.
How to make it: Swap in one pound of finely chopped mushrooms (Newgent is a big fan of creminis) per pound of ground meat in your favorite sloppy joe recipe. Sauté mushrooms in olive oil until browned and the mushrooms have released all of their liquid. For an extra kick add minced jalapeno. Serve on toasted whole-wheat burger buns.
Craving Bolognese sauce? Try lentils. “The first time I had lentils in pasta was in Italy and I’ve been obsessed with the combination ever since,” says Gorin. Like ground beef, earthy lentils are an excellent source of filling protein (16 grams per cooked cup!). Plus, their 14 grams of fiber per cup makes them even more satisfying.
How to make it: If you have a favorite Bolognese recipe, simply substitute 1 cup cooked brown or green lentils per cup of cooked ground beef. If not, try this recipe instead. Not quite ready to take the plunge entirely? Try a 50/50 combo of ground beef and cooked lentils.
Craving hot dogs? Try roasted carrots. Whether they’re beef, turkey, chicken, or veggie, processed franks are crammed with sodium and preservatives. Why not whip up your own dog instead? “Carrots can be easily formed into the shape of a hot dog using a vegetable peeler,” says Newgent. “And when roasted with the right mix of seasonings they provide the perfect bite, taste, and color.”
How to make it: Brush carrots with a mixture of ketchup, olive oil, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Roast in a 350°F oven until tender, for about an hour. Serve on toasted hot dog buns with caramelized onions.
Craving chicken parm? Try cauliflower. Truly delicious chicken parm requires a frying pan full of oil. Not so much for cauliflower. “Cauliflower is extremely versatile,” says Gorin. “When baked, it becomes crispy on the outside yet tender and meaty on the inside.” The result? Way less oil, fat, and calories than your typical parm.
How to make it: Slice a head of cauliflower lengthwise through the center. Cut each half into 1-inch thick cutlets. Spray each cutlet with cooking spray. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Roast in a 425°F (220°C) oven for 40 minutes, flipping halfway. Top with tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Note to reader: Our world is going through unprecedented challenges and changes. As we collectively navigate COVID-19 and the fight against racism, we believe it is important to stay well and take care of ourselves. We will continue sharing tips, tools, and resources to help our community do that. Read more about our response to racial injusticehere.
At Fitbit, we know there is much more to do in the fight against racism and injustice. To give our employees time and space to help drive positive change, Fitbit is making Juneteenth an official company holiday.
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is an annual American holiday that celebrates the ending of slavery in the United States. It is important to know that while Juneteenth is a symbolic date celebrating the end of slavery, it is not the date all enslaved people in the United States were freed. In reality, it was the day Union Army Major General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and told enslaved Texans of their emancipation, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation came in 1863.
Fast forward to today, when more people than ever are learning about and celebrating this important day in history. Juneteenth commemorates Black American freedom and achievement while promoting knowledge and appreciation of Black American history and culture.
Read on for some ideas on how you can use the time to make positive change.
How can I celebrate Juneteenth and support the Black community?
Participate in local Juneteenth events, commemorations, celebrations, or other activities focused on addressing racial and social injustice
Educate yourself and others by doing a reading or hosting an event or gathering—while adhering to current local guidelines around COVID-19 and social distancing
Listen to podcasts like NPR’s Code Switch, The New York Times’ 1619 and Still Processing, Pod Save the People with DeRay (from Crooked Media), and more
Decorate and display signs and banners at home; encourage your neighbors to join in
Strive to debunk racial stereotypes wherever you can—whether by sharing on social media, with relatives or in your neighborhood, at your workplace, or all of the above
Support Black liberation work being done in your town or city in whatever way you can. Donating, signing petitions, educating, and advocating are some great places to start.
Donate to memorial funds for Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbury, Tony McDade, and others
For more ideas on how to respectfully celebrate Juneteenth—especially if you never have before—visit the official site. Learn more about some of Fitbit’s new initiatives around improving inclusivity, diversity, representation, and the Black Lives Matter movement here.
Note to reader: Our world is going through unprecedented challenges and changes. As we collectively navigate COVID-19 and the fight against racism, we believe it is important to stay well and take care of ourselves. We will continue sharing tips, tools, and resources to help our community do that. Read more about our response to racial injustice here.
During these challenging times, when emotions tend to run high and change from moment to moment, a little compassion can go a long way. Not only can this kind of kindness benefit your interactions with others, but it may also help you manage any distress you feel. Really.
A practice called self-compassion has been shown to help reduce anxiety and depression, boostoptimism, and even benefit your health. Put simply, self-compassion is “treating yourself with the same compassion, kindness, care, and support you would show to someone you care about,” explains. Kristin Neff, PhD, associate professor of educational psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.
Self-compassion has three components that work together: kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. Each of these runs on a spectrum from positive to negative, says Chelsey Holden, PhD, program coordinator and an assistant professor of school counseling in the School of Child and Family Sciences at the University of Southern Mississippi:
Positive Self Behavior
Negative Self Behavior
We can choose to offer kindness to ourselves.
We can choose to judge ourselves.
We can choose to remember that we are part of a common humanity, which means to remember that all people struggle and know what it is like to hurt.
We can choose to isolate and think that no one else could understand.
We can choose to mindfully recognize our experiences and what we can learn from them.
We can choose to over-identify with those emotions and let them take over.
So how can kindness toward yourself help your mental health, particularly right now?
When we feel anxious, our sympathetic nervous system kicks in, and as our body goes into fight-or-flight mode, our levels of cortisol and adrenaline increase. Self-compassion, on the other hand, tips the scales in favor of the parasympathetic nervous system and taps into our mammalian care system, Neff explains. This leads to an increase in oxytocin, a hormone that makes us feel safe, secure, and cared for. Self-compassion also decreases cortisol and increases heart rate variability. “This signals you are flexible and ready to respond” to any perceived threat, Neff explains.
Self-compassion may also help if you’ve been feeling down, as research shows it may help depressive symptoms and rumination. “Depression is linked to being self-critical,” Neff says. But the mindfulness aspect of self-compassion may help you “step outside” of yourself and gain a clearer perspective rather than getting lost in negative thinking, while the connection aspect can help you see you’re not the only one in your situation. Combine that with self-kindness, and you may be able to overcome that critical, repetitive judge in your head.
Both of these benefits apply to those diagnosed with anxiety and depression, as well as those experiencing everyday stressors, Neff adds.
Additionally, self-compassion may shift your mood. “When we feel threatened, we tend to focus on the negative to help us survive. We don’t even take in the positive because it’s not a threat,” Neff explains. “Because self-compassion reduces that negativity bias, we feel safer, and that allows us to be able to focus on positive things.” In turn, this may lead to more optimism, hope, and happiness.
But it’s not only our mental health that benefits from self-compassion. Neff says it may also lead to a better-functioning immune system, and research suggests it can help you stick to health-promoting behaviors, meaning you may take a walk rather than console yourself with a package of Oreos.
In the current climate, self-compassion can be a way to help validate your emotions, identify what you most need to support your emotional and physical health in the moment, and feel less isolated, Neff says. “When faced with a difficult time, we do better if the voice in our head is kind, warm, and encouraging,” she adds.
An easy way to practice self-compassion is to think about what you would say to a friend in your situation, as well as how you would say it. Try using the same tone and language to speak to yourself or write a letter to yourself.
It may help to think about the three aspects of self-compassion. For example, acknowledge that you are not the only one who feels the way you do or who is struggling with your challenges. Validate any emotions you feel, such as disappointment, fear, or anger, and then find a positive action you can take in the moment (like FaceTiming with a friend) or tomorrow (like limiting time on social media).
Note to reader: Our world is going through unprecedented challenges and changes. As we collectively navigate COVID-19 and the fight against racism, we believe it is important to stay well and take care of ourselves. We will continue sharing tips, tools, and resources to help our community do that. Read more about our response to racial injusticehere.
During stressful times, regular physical activity may help to boost your mental and physical health. If you add at least one walk to your daily to-do list, you may find it easier to cope with the ways that life has changed recently. “It’s important to prioritize fitness during uncertain times, because it allows you to maintain part of your normal schedule [and] can serve as personal accountability,” says Greg Justice, a personal trainer and owner of AYC Health & Fitness in Kansas City.
Here’s how regular physical activity may positively impact your life:
It may help you live longer. A regular walking habit may lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, dementia, and certain cancers, and it may have a protective effect on your immune system, all of which may help you avoid chronic disease and health complications. New research has shown that people who logged 8,000 steps per day had a 51 percent lower risk of being impacted by life-threatening illnesses and conditions than those who walked 4,000 steps per day, and people who walked 12,000 steps a day had a 65 percent lower risk than those with only 4,000 steps.
If you can’t get outside during the pandemic, don’t give up on your fitness goals; walking indoors at a pace that works for you may have long-term benefits as well. “If you are able to get out and walk within the context of [current local safety] guidelines, then taking a walk can indeed be an important way to stay moving,” says Matthews. “You also accumulate a lot of steps from doing yard work, gardening, or chores around the house.”
It boosts your mood. Exercising releases helpful hormones and slows the release of stress hormones, which may make you feel better during and after physical activity. “The brain releases endorphins, also known as feel-good chemicals, throughout the body when you exercise,” says Justice. “This helps to reduce anxiety and depression.”
If you’re stressed or anxious, you may not feel motivated to go for a walk, but choosing to exercise can counteract those negative feelings. “Even a little bit of exercise in your day can go a long way,” says Noam Dinovitz, LCSW, a Philadelphia-based mental health therapist. “I often tell my clients that even one lap around the neighborhood is better than zero. If you find after your one lap that it’s just not doing it for you, then you’re not obligated to keep going. I’ve found more times than not that once you get out the door, the hardest part is behind you.”
Making the effort to get moving can also have mood-boosting benefits when you’re stuck inside. “Plug in some music and walk around your home,” says Dinovitz. “Even going up and down a set of stairs can help you get the same mental-health benefits of going for a walk.”
It helps you meet goals. Some people strive to reach a certain number of steps per day or move for 30 minutes daily. Prioritizing goals like these during a time when many things seem uncertain may help to give you a sense of power and control over your life.
Though step counts have declined worldwide during COVID-19, you can still make the decision to lace up your sneakers. “Achieving any type of personal goal can be the small, much-needed victory in your day or week that helps you pull through,” says Dinovitz. “Beat your run time. Get that extra push-up. One more sit-up. Anything that facilitates a sense of accomplishment and success can really boost morale.”
It inspires hope. Taking the time to notice the simple things that you see along your walk may prompt you to smile and feel more positive Keep an eye out for things such as flowers blooming, the days getting longer, the temperature slowly rising, or children writing inspiring chalk messages along sidewalks.
Note to reader: Our world is going through unprecedented challenges and changes. As we collectively navigate COVID-19 and the fight against racism, we believe it is important to stay well and take care of ourselves. We will continue sharing tips, tools, and resources to help our community do that. Read more about our response to racial injustice here.
COVID-19 is causing a lot of change, stress, and anxiety. And for many, the pandemic plus other events, and all of the challenging emotions and experience, can lead to an increase in conflict with partners, children, and loved ones. If you’ve been finding yourself more prone to arguing with your partner or snapping at your children, it’s okay—you’re not alone.
“It is totally normal and common for people to find they’re more irritable and prone to fighting when stressed,” says licensed clinical mental health counselor Katie Lear. “This is especially true right now, when we are being bombarded with information about COVID-19 and the effects it is having on health, the economy, and our daily lives.”
But as we navigate today’s uncertain terrain, how can you find ways to better manage stress with the people you love, and find a sense of peace for yourself? Keep reading to find out.
Let’s say you and your partner are both WFH
If you and your partner have both been working from home since the COVID-19 pandemic started, the excess of sudden and unexpected together time could be putting a strain on your relationship. “It’s healthy to have . . . both couple time and individual time while in a relationship,” says Dr. Paul Puri, co-founder of online mental health community OOTify. “With everyone being forced to work from home, there’s simply less space to have your individual time.”
If you find yourself at odds with your partner more than usual, it could just be that you feel like they’re invading your space or your “me” time—and vice versa. That’s why, no matter what your home and work set up looks like, it’s important to create boundaries and find a way to get some space from your partner. “Finding a way to have space daily is paramount,” says Puri.
Ideally, you and your partner would work in different areas of the home. But if that’s not possible, creating space could be something as simple as popping in headphones while you work or going for a solo walk during your lunch break.
In addition to creating boundaries around space, it’s also important to create boundaries around your time. If you and your partner aren’t respecting each other’s work hours or are letting work impede on your personal life and together time (like at-home date nights), it could lead to conflict. “Try to keep boundaries in place around time: if possible, don’t allow your workday to creep out past the 9-5, if that’s your typical schedule, and make sure your partner knows exactly when you will and won’t be available to avoid miscommunication,” says Lear.
Even if you’re both working hard to respect the other person, tensions are still running high with everything going on—so it’s important to make an extra effort to communicate your feelings and talk things through with your partner. “Make extra efforts at communication,” says Puri. “Being cooped up together just means that [conflict] may get amplified. So it’s important to communicate about what you’re feeling and thinking.”
When the kids are at home instead of school
If you have children, chances are that both you and your kids are accustomed to the structure and schedule of the school week. But with many schools around the country closed and now on summer break, that structure is no longer there—and it’s been tough on parents and children alike.
“Kids are out of sync with their normal routines, which can lead to increased anxiety, clinging, tantrums, and other stressful behavior,” says Lear. “Parents are suddenly tasked with being on call for their kids 24/7, often while trying to hold down a full-time job and also learn how to homeschool.”
There’s no denying that this situation is challenging. But keeping a routine can be a gamechanger in keeping conflict at bay—both for yourself and for your little ones. “Try to keep a consistent routine for your kids at home,” says Lear. “You don’t need an elaborate, minute-by-minute routine with a rotating series of daily science projects, but set times for sleeping, meals, school work, and playtime with a parent can go a long way in helping a child to regulate their feelings and behavior.”
If you’re stressed about returning to work
With stay-at-home restrictions being lifted across the country, many people are now heading back to work. And for some, the thought of going back to work at the office can feel stressful—and the more edgy or stressed you feel, the harder it can be to keep the peace with your loved ones.
If you want to manage your stress about going back to work (and better manage conflict as a result), it’s important to remember that anxious feelings are not facts. “It’s important to remember that just because we have a thought does not necessarily make it true,” says Louis. “Often, when we are anxious, we anticipate the worst possible outcome, without acknowledging that this worst possible outcome may not even happen. We’re essentially putting ourselves through the very troubling emotions that this outcome would induce, without it actually happening.”
If you’re feeling fearful or worried about going back to work, Lear recommends “letting your decisions be guided by facts and data—not by news reports, social media posts, or even rumors from well-intentioned friends.” It can also be helpful to focus on what you can control—and the steps you can take to keep yourself safe as you transition back into your office or place of work. “Remind yourself of the proactive steps you can take in order to stay safe: wearing PPE, for example, or showering upon returning home,” says Lear.
Managing stress overall
The less stressed or overwhelmed you feel, the better you’re going to be able to navigate conflict and keep the peace—which is why taking care of yourself has never been more important. “Pay attention to your needs, especially your body’s needs, and take care of them,” says Puri. “Eat healthy food. Get sleep. Exercise. Connect with other people to the degree that you can. Relax in whatever way you can.”
If you’re looking for a concrete practice to help you better manage stress, try meditation. “Meditation can be so helpful during times like this, when we find ourselves stuck in a difficult situation that we don’t have much control over,” says Lear. “A regular mindfulness practice can improve our mood, increase our sense of gratitude, and even help with physical health problems such as chronic pain.”
To help you find your rhythm, try Fitbit’s on-device guided breathing experience called Relax. Exclusively available on Fitbit Charge 3, Versa Series, and Inspire HR, Relax helps you find moments of calm with a personalized guided breathing session based on your heart rate.
As people around the world continue to come together to protest and demand an end to racial injustices, I wanted to take a moment to share how Fitbit is responding and standing with the Black community.
There is no excuse for the systemic racism that took the lives of George Floyd and many others before him. I’m heartbroken by these senseless murders. These events have led to many honest conversations with our Black employees, listening to their feelings and reactions to the recent events, and learning how we can better support them and the Black community.
But the work is not theirs to do. It’s ours. And Fitbit is committed to being part of that change. Not just with words, but with meaningful actions both within our company and within our community.
For the past 13 years, inclusivity has not only been a key pillar in our mission to make the world healthier, it’s been a part of our company culture. That’s not enough. So internally, we are investing more in creating a diverse workforce by focusing on inclusion, and increasing Black talent recruitment outreach and mentorship programs. Across the company—from marketing and product to research and development—we are taking steps that ensure we are better reaching, representing and hearing the needs of all people of color.
We will also start driving research projects that address health conditions that disproportionately affect Black people specifically, including COVID-19. We’ll use our global platform to highlight Black health and fitness leaders, elevating their voices and representing the diversity of our users. And we’ll continue to support organizations that uplift and protect Black people, including donations to organizations, as well as renewed involvement with programs that encourage Black entrepreneurship and engagement in tech.
I know it’s not enough, but I’m hopeful that our continued commitment will help to create a long overdue change that helps Black people to feel safe, to have equality, and to live happy, healthier lives.
Lastly, to those of you who are fighting for change, to those hurting, to our employees and especially to the Black community: You are not alone. We stand with you.
Over the last few months, communities have come together to find solutions to the challenges driven by COVID-19. At Fitbit, we felt a strong sense of responsibility to support our community in the fight against COVID-19. So, when our co-founders challenged the team to find ways to leverage our existing expertise in advanced sensor technology, robotics, signal processing, supply chain logistics, hardware design, and more, and put them toward building solutions that could make a meaningful difference, a small team dove in on a secret project to help save lives.
After seeing an urgent need for ventilators around the globe, we saw an opportunity to respond based on our expertise. Enter Fitbit Flow, a high-quality, easy-to-use, and low-cost automatic resuscitator that is designed for emergency ventilation. It was inspired by the MIT E-Vent Design Toolbox and designed by Fitbit engineers and researchers, with valuable input from clinicians caring for COVID-19 patients from Oregon Health and Science Hospital and the MassGeneralBrigham Center for COVID Innovation on the needs of practitioners and, in particular, toward our still-evolving understanding of the needs of patients with COVID-19.
“COVID-19 has challenged all of us to push the boundaries of innovation and creativity, and use everything at our disposal to more rapidly develop products that support patients and the healthcare systems caring for them,” says James Park, co-founder and CEO of Fitbit. “We saw an opportunity to rally our expertise in advanced sensor development, manufacturing, and our global supply chain to address the critical and ongoing need for emergency ventilators and help make a difference in the fight against this global virus.”
We talked to two of the researchers on this project, Director of Research, Electrical Engineering Pete Richards and Senior Staff Research Scientist Dr. Tony Faranesh, to find out how the device works, why it’s important, and why the research team at Fitbit was well-positioned to create a device like this.
Development and testing
One of the jobs of the research team is to build things from beginning to end, including trying out new sensors and their functions, collecting the data, and understanding it. So when they took on the new challenge of developing an emergency ventilator, “it worked out pretty well to take some of the other things we’re familiar with and iterate quickly,” says Pete.
During development and testing, Fitbit consulted with doctors and clinicians from MassGeneralBrigham Center for COVID Innovation, as well as Drs. David Sheridan, Laura Chess, and Matthew Hansen, all in emergency medicine caring for COVID-19 patients at Oregon Health & Science University. San Francisco-based ICU physician Dr. Chris Tyler also provided a lot of helpful feedback around what capabilities would be essential and how a device like this fits into the bigger picture of current medical care for COVID-19 patients at hospitals.
With this crucial clinical feedback, the team at Fitbit was able to create a prototype based on a conventional manual resuscitator bag that paramedics use to manually resuscitate someone. Then, Fitbit Creative Director of Industrial Design Brian Paschke led the design team execution, and Technical Director Jeffrey Borra the manufacturing effort.
The intention is to be able to use Fitbit Flow to support someone who needs mechanical ventilation when a commercial ventilator isn’t available. “We know from some conversations that physicians are already trying to work out the ethics in deciding who gets the ventilator and who doesn’t, due to shortage of supply,” says Tony. “The goal here is to support life in the event that one’s not available until one might become available.”
The design
According to the American Thoracic Society, a ventilator (also known as a mechanical ventilator, respirator, or breathing machine), is a life support treatment that helps people breathe when they can’t breathe on their own. The machine gets oxygen into the lungs and the body and helps to get rid of carbon dioxide through the lungs.
Fitbit Flow builds on standard resuscitator bags, like those used by paramedics, with sophisticated instruments, sensors, and alarms that work together to support patient monitoring and automated compressions with controlled delivery of volume or pressure.
Its form is intended to inspire confidence. Built from laser cut aluminum, it is designed to be intuitive and simple to use, potentially helping to reduce the strain on highly specialized staff who are typically needed to operate a commercial ventilator.
Plus, its hardware includes a clear viewing window for doctors to observe the automated pumping from a distance, and it can be used on a tabletop or with a stand for mobility. The stand is modular, with the ability to adapt to fit various size O2 tanks. The team continues to investigate opportunities to further improve the usability and capabilities of Fitbit Flow, including a plug-and-play, high-resolution add-on display, for viewing the system’s status and pressure/flow waveforms.
Creating a device that will help save lives—while working remotely
The biggest challenge in building the device was, of course, that most of the work had to be done remotely, as the team was, for the most part, under shelter-in-place lockdown just like the rest of us.
“It was an incredible team effort,” says Tony. “Commercial ventilators are incredibly sophisticated, nuanced machines. Based on limited information, the team had to build what they thought the most viable product was going to be that would be useful and helpful. People had to work around the clock, in isolation and just as individuals, to make decisions quickly, and still work together in these special circumstances. I’m proud of how quickly that came together.”
Fitbit has received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA for use during the COVID-19 pandemic in situations where all of the available, conventional ventilators are not available. It aims to leverage the company’s vast infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities that currently produce millions of Fitbit devices per year to produce large volumes of these emergency devices quickly.
