Ever wondered how many steps you actually do take in day? Or, how many hours of sleep you get each night? What about the amount of calories you consume at every meal? I often wonder that. For the most part, and without any regulation, I think I live a pretty healthy lifestyle. At least I make every effort to buy local, all natural, preservative free and organic products for my family, and eat clean. I work out 4-5 times a week, and try to be in bed and asleep before 11pm. OK, so the sleep part could definitely use some work, but I’ve always been a late night sleeper and early riser, it’s a bad pattern to break. My reality just got a major slap in the face these last few weeks. I was sent the UP band by Jawbone to try out and share the review with my readers. Here’s what I discovered about myself:

1. I do not get enough sleep each night.

2. I consume too much sugar and saturated fats

3. Writing is my passion, but it makes me idle.

This sleek looking band complements your style in any color. It also is a revolutionary fitness genius. This one little band can do so much, and no one, including you, really knows that it is there. The wristband tracks your movement and sleep in the background. It also blends in with your accessories, and people who do notice it, ask right away or they already know what it is and think you are cool for having one. Here’s what I found super cool about the Jawbone UP:

1. The app displays your data, lets you add things like meals and mood, and delivers insights that keep you moving forward.

2. I can connect health and fitness apps I already use like RunKeeper and MyFitnessPal

3. It makes me accountable to myself and my friends whom I can invite to be on my team.

The UP band doesn’t ever have to come off your wrist, except for every 10 days to fully charge it again, or to sync it to your phone to update your steps and sleep. Let me tell you how easy it is to use this techy gadget.

1. Download the UP by Jawbone app to your smart phone.

2. Utilize the different mode options (Sleep, Calibrate, Active) by pushing the little square button to track your daily activities.

3. Sync it to your phone to update your log in the UP app.

Crazy simple, right? And, because it is this simple to use, I really enjoyed using it.

Meal Tracking: The app allows you to scan UPC codes off of foods you eat, and registers all the info and keeps it in the “My Library” section. This allows you to easily find foods and beverages that you consume on a regular basis without having to enter the info every time. Keeping track of everything I put into my body really made me think about the next meals I wanted to eat. Before, I would assume because I was making healthy food choices that I could eat whatever and whenever I wanted. Seeing how these choices affected my caloric intake for the day, and how that is related to the amount of calories I should be taking in and burning in order to lose some of this extra weight, was eye opening for me. Approaching my 40s and having a female history of heart attacks in my family, these are things I need to be more aware of and practice every day. Results: Though I didn’t have a huge overhaul in what I was eating, I did take notice in the amounts I was consuming. Also, I would look for items higher in unsaturated fats vs. saturated fats, as well as identifying items that have less sugar. I am much more present to what I am putting into my mouth each day.

Activity Tracking: As I mentioned, heart attacks are common for the women in my family, so being active is a non-negotiable for me. Since January of 2013, I have been making the conscience effort to work out 60 minutes a day, 4-5 days a week. Not only does it make me feel better to sweat at least one time a day, it gives me the extra energy I need to keep up with this crazy bunch of little people in my family! On the other side of that, I am a writer, which means I am at my desk quite a bit any given day of the week. When I first registered my UP band, it asks what my fitness goals are. Once calculated, the UP band helped me identify how many steps I need to move, how many hours of sleep I need to have each night and how many calories I should be consuming each day. It was really interesting to see the difference in steps on the days I had to sit at my computer vs the days I was out and about running errands and picking up the kids. We are talking a difference of thousands. An average day for me with a 60 minute workout generally yielded over 10,000 steps. A day without a work out, closer to 6,000. My average to beat is 7,500. So, I wasn’t as active as I thought I was being on a regular basis. Results: Increased my daily workouts to include an additional 30-45 minutes with a bike ride or additional time at the gym. I also have started to make the conscience effort to take the stairs, park further, and go inside to get my kids vs drop off line at school on the days where I can’t fit in the extra minutes because of time spent at the computer.

Sleep Tracking: Any given night there is no less than one child in our bed, and one that wakes up in the middle of the night forcing either my husband or I to make the long, sleepy trek up the stairs to retrieve said child. Of course, we finally have the older two sleeping through the night in their own beds, but now dealing with twin toddlers who do not sleep consistently throughout the night. The average person needs no less than 8 hours of sleep, but it also depends on your own body type and needs as well. My sleep goal, according to UP, is 7.5 hours each night. Since I’ve been tracking my sleep through UP, I’ve met that goal twice. Sad, I know. The cool thing about the sleep tracking is that UP really does track your sleep. It determines how long it takes to fall asleep, records the hours of light sleep and deep sleep and takes notice of how many times you wake up during those hours. I love knowing this information. I don’t know why as you would think it would only depress me. Overall, I believe it is knowing the hours of deep sleep and total hours of sleep that I am getting, giving me an answer at that magical 3pm time when I start to lose steam and wonder why. Results: Unfortunately, not much has changed for me in this area. When I can, I try to get in bed by 9pm, and also sneak in a cat nap if possible. Up also tracks cat naps and will wake you up based on the amount of time your body needs to feel caught up.

Final thoughts on UP by Jawbone is everyone should own something like this. UP is a system that takes a holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle. Having a gadget like UP allows you to take control over your own body, placing accountability and knowledge back into your hands. I never thought I needed anything like Weight Watchers or any other type of support group because I thought I could do it just fine on my own. With that being said, I’m still not much of a support group type of person, I like to do things on my own, but still achieve the same results. I like how UP is very user friendly, communicates with the fitness and health apps I am already using, allows me to create my own team with other friends who have an UP band, and forces me to see how my choices and actions are affecting my health throughout the day. I can do all of that in the comfort of my own home or on my phone, at my own pace, and with my own chosen support group. “Live Better. Start Now. Jawbone UP. Track your sleep activity, steps, calorie intake and more with the Jawbone UP wrist sensor and free mobile app. UP gives you meaningful, personalized insights so you can make lasting improvements to your everyday life.” Up by Jawbone can be purchased at BestBuy.com.

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free