Even if your fridge doesn’t look dirty, chances are it’s harboring a lot of grime. According to the NSF, the veggie bin is one of the germiest places in the house. And the meat compartment isn’t far behind. 

Why is the fridge such a hotbed for bacteria? “Your refrigerator is one of the most frequently used appliances in the kitchen,” says Laura M. Ali, MS, RDN, a nutrition consultant and culinary nutritionist in Pittsburgh, PA. “It’s likely opened and closed multiple times daily by multiple people, which can mean germy hands on the door handle as well as on the food inside.” Factor in spills, leaks, and spoiled perishables and, well, you get the picture. 

But purging germs isn’t the only reason to give your fridge a cleanse. A clean, organized fridge makes cooking less stressful and can help reduce food waste. And it doesn’t have to be a major project, either. 

If you’d like a sparkling clean fridge with minimal effort, this guide can get you started.

Break it down. In a perfect world, we’d all have clean, shiny refrigerators. But really, who has time? Apparently, not many of us. Research reveals half of people only get around to the task two to four times a year. By comparison, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends cleaning this appliance weekly. If that’s never going to happen, there is a better way. “When you don’t have time to devote to cleaning your entire fridge at once, break it into sections and do a little at a time,” says Ali. “Then, when you have a chance, tackle another section and repeat until the refrigerator is clean and organized.”

Get the right gear. Before diving in, you’ll want to have the correct supplies on hand. Although spritzing shelves with disinfectant might seem like a good strategy, food safety experts recommend sponging everything down with soap and water to avoid contaminating food. (Now’s also the perfect time to toss your germy old sponge and replace it with a pristine new one.) And don’t forget to grab a couple of clean dishcloths or a roll of paper towels to dry everything off. 

Think top to bottom. With all those shelves, drawers, and compartments, it can be tricky to know where to start. Ali recommends working vertically. “Start with the top shelf, unload it, and wipe the shelf and sides down,” she says. “Sort through the items you want to keep and what needs to go, then put the keepers back into the fridge.” If you notice any dribbles or drips on jars or bottles, give them a good wipe too.

Next up are drawers and door compartments. While it’s perfectly okay to sponge these down, it’s nice to remove them and give them a good scrub in the sink if you have a little extra time. Once everything is fresh and clean, dry it all off and pop an open box of baking soda on the top shelf to absorb odors. Then, wipe down the door handle, and you’re done! 

Prevention is everything. A little organization can do wonders for maintaining all your hard work. “To simplify cleaning in the future, invest in some clear plastic refrigerator bins to store yogurt, condiments, or other small items that tend to get lost,” says Ali. “It’s a lot easier to pull out a bin, empty it, and clean it than to clear out an entire shelf.” Clear bins also make it way easier to see what you have. Of course, there will be some items that don’t fit. Arrange these on shelves by size, stashing taller items in the back and smaller ones up front for better visibility.

While any time is a good time to spruce up a shelf or two, Ali is a big fan of tackling the job right before grocery shopping. That way, you can take stock of what you have, toss anything that’s spoiled or no longer needed, and replace any items that are running low. But if you’re super short on time, focus on the crisper. “Since this is where my fresh produce is stored, I want to make sure it’s clean, germ-free, and that nothing has spoiled,” says Ali. And who doesn’t have time for that?

The post The Complete Guide to Cleaning Out Your Fridge appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

Loving your Sense 2 or Versa 4? Good news, we’ve got even more in store for you with exciting, helpful features coming to our newest smartwatches from Google. Starting today, you can access Google Wallet and coming soon, Google Maps.¹ ²

As we continue to combine Fitbit’s expertise in health and fitness with the helpfulness of Google, these new additions to Sense 2 and Versa 4 will help you go through your day with ease by making payments seamless around the globe and getting turn-by-turn directions all on your wrist.³ 

Keep reading to learn more about the exciting update for new tools that can help you live a healthier, more active, and more productive life. 

Make payments seamless with Google Wallet

Beginning to roll out today, Google Wallet will join Fitbit Pay as a new payment option for Sense 2 and Versa 4 users, allowing you even more opportunities to go about your day hands-free. With just a tilt of your wrist, you can make speedy, secure, and contactless purchases without needing to pull out or bring your wallet.

Access your stored credit or debit cards with Google Wallet on Sense 2 and Versa 4 to pay for purchases everywhere Google Pay or contactless payments are accepted. With Google Pay, your real card information is never shared. You will be prompted to unlock your device with a pin once daily or whenever you put your watch on, which will prevent others from making purchases if your device is ever lost or stolen.  

Simply tap the Google Wallet icon from the Fitbit app to set up your Google Wallet or to add credit or debit cards to your Wallet.²

Get turn-by-turn directions with Google Maps

What’s more convenient than getting real-time directions without pulling out your phone when you’re running late? Nothing, which is why for the first time we’ve brought Google Maps right to your wrist. The interactive on-screen view and turn-by-turn directions on your smartwatch will easily guide you to wherever you’re headed.

Whether you’re on a walk exploring a new city, want to take the fastest route to tonight’s holiday dinner, or just need reassurance that you’re headed in the right direction to your yoga class, Google Maps gives you reliable, real-time navigation so that you can explore your world more confidently.

To start Google Maps (coming soon to your Sense 2 or Versa 4), make sure Bluetooth is on and the Fitbit app is open on your phone. Then open Google Maps on your phone, enter your destination, and press start, turn-by-turn directions will automatically begin on your smartwatch. At the end of your navigation, you’ll see a summary of your stats that includes steps, Active Zone Minutes, heart rate, and more during your route.⁵

Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 are available now for US $299.95 and $229.95, respectively.⁴ Head to Fitbit.com, Google Store, or select global retailers to get yours today.

¹ Coming soon.

² Participating bank coverage varies by region. Open loop transit supported only.

³ Data rates may apply. Google apps are not available in all countries or languages. See here for availability details.

⁴ MSRP.

⁵ Google Maps will not work while exercising and the exercise app will not work while Google Maps is in use.

The post Travel With Ease With Google Maps and Make Payments Seamless With Google Wallet on Sense 2 and Versa 4 appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

Roman Siromakha is a doer—when he isn’t teaching fitness classes, training a client, or taking photos, he’s cycling, playing beach volleyball, or taking his pup for a walk around Brooklyn. Roman moved to New York City from Ukraine at age 11 with his single mother who hoped for a better future there for her and her son. Roman says his mother is the person who taught him to always strive to be better and he credits Fitbit as one of the tools he uses to do exactly that.

Roman sought out Fitbit because he wanted to track his energy, and optimize his workouts and recovery. He explains, “Without data, you’re going by feel. You have a double shot espresso and you’re like, ‘I am ready to do anything.’ And then your body is like, ‘Uh, slow down, you slept four hours last night. You might not want to do that to yourself.’” 

Despite living in the city that never sleeps, Roman prioritizes his sleep above all else. He explains, “Sleep is when we recover, when we grow.” Within moments of waking up, he checks his Sleep Score to get insight into how he slept the night before. The score is based on heart rate, time spent awake, and restless, in addition to sleep stages, helping Roman to get a sense for trends in his sleep patterns. 

Next up, he checks his Daily Readiness Score—a score based on activity, sleep, and heart rate variability. “I build my day around those numbers,” he says when talking about deciding how hard to train every day. He’s a firm believer that recovery is as important as training, so if his score is on the lower side he’ll take a rest day, something that is admittedly hard for him to do. And on days when his Readiness Score is high (30 or above), he’ll go for a harder workout or a longer bike ride. He loves to bike outside of the city, crossing bridges to discover new parks, neighborhoods, and trails.

Cycling is so much more than exercise for Roman. “I go for a bike ride, come back and I can see things better, I can understand things, I can think more clearly.” He says that when he’s cycling he feels most creative. Coupled with the insights from his Fitbit Charge 5, Roman can tune in with himself more closely, coach clients more compassionately, and capture more magic moments on his bike and through his lens. 

The post See How Cyclist and Photographer Roman Siromakha Uses His Fitbit to Fuel His Fitness and Creativity appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

RECIPE BY LEANDRA ROUSE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAM EMMONS

A savory galette is a great addition to any holiday table. Not only is the dish impressive yet surprisingly easy to make. And who doesn’t like pie for dinner? 

Acorn squash main dishes are trending this holiday season for good reason: They add brightness to the table. Combining the sweetness of the squash and caramelized onions with juicy tanginess of the cherry tomatoes and creamy goat cheese gives a burst of flavor and color as temperatures cool. 

A galette is a rustic pie crust that can serve as an easy catchall recipe to turn just about any seasonal fruits or vegetables  into a filling meal or dessert. In this recipe we feature acorn squash, caramelized onions, and goat cheese. This combo pairs nicely with holiday flavors and squash is a vegetable people often plenty of. Other favorite winter toppings are patty pan squash, slow roasted tomatoes, or leeks and kale. And of course, plums, apples, and pears make for a great sweet galette. 

This crust is uncomplicated, using whole wheat and olive oil. It is wholesome and nutty, but still rich and flaky. When making a galette the crust is your first chance to infuse flavor into the dish. This version is simple and dairy-free, but you could build on the flavor and texture with additions such as cornmeal, dried herbs, or parmesan cheese. Plus, pre-roasting the squash gives the vegetables time to develop a deep rich sweetness.

INGREDIENTS: 

Parchment paper or silicone baking mat

For the crust:

1 cup (120g) whole-wheat flour

3/4 cup (95g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 1/2 teaspoons (7 g)  salt

1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil

1/3 cup (80ml) water

2 teaspoons (10 ml) red wine vinegar, divided

For the filling: 

1 acorn squash (approximately 1 lbs or 450 g), peeled, sliced into half moons 

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

1 teaspoon (5 g)  kosher (coarse) salt (divided during preparation)

1 teaspoon (5 g) fresh ground pepper (divided during preparation)

1 medium Vidalia (sweet) onion, sliced into rings

½ teaspoon (3 ml)  balsamic vinegar 

8 cherry tomatoes, halved 

1 tablespoon (15 g) Dijon mustard

6 tablespoons (85 g) of goat cheese

3 sprigs thyme, fresh    

INSTRUCTIONS: 

For the pie crust: Whisk the  flour and salt in a large bowl, add the olive oil and mix gently with a fork until crumbly. Slowly add the  water until it just combines to make a soft dough ball. Add the water in small amounts, you may not need all of it. Don’t over handle the dough as this will make it tough. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap (food wrap) and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. 

For the filling: Next preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Peel, deseed, and slice the acorn squash into ½ moons. Add to a large baking sheet with one tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper. Roast the squash for approximately 20 minutes, or until they can be pierced with a fork and are beginning to brown. Because they will bake again with the galette, it is better if they are firm   than overly soft. 

While the squash is roasting, heat the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil in a pan. Add the sliced onion to pan and cook over low heat. Cook slowly, making sure the onions do not stick to the pan. Continue, until the onions are a rich brown color, approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Sprinkle with salt about 10 minutes into the cooking process. (One trick to keeping the onions from drying out as they cook is to add a little water to the pan as needed.) At the end of the cooking process, add the balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan and bring out some additional flavor to the onions.

For the galette: Once the dough is firm and the cooked ingredients are ready, preheat the oven to 400F (200C), and set racks in the middle position. Create a workspace on the counter by tearing a piece of parchment paper (greaseproof paper) the size of a baking sheet (oven tray). Place it on the counter and lightly dust with flour.

Unwrap the dough and place it on the paper. Sprinkle the dough with flour and roll into a round about 12 inches (30cm) wide. Transfer the paper with the rolled-out dough on it to a rimmed baking sheet (oven tray). 

First spread Dijon mustard evenly onto the dough, leaving a 1 ½ inch (4cm) border. Spoon the caramelized onions evenly over the mustard. Lay the squash half moons evenly over the onions. Drop small spoonfuls of goat cheese around the squash, and finally top it all with cherry tomatoes and a few thyme sprigs. Gently fold the edges of the dough over the filling, pleating it about every 2 inches (5cm).

Bake until the crust is firm and golden-brown, about 30 minutes. Let the galette cool for at least 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with the reserved thyme and serve warm, cut into wedges.

Makes 6 servings.

NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING): 

Calories 330

Protein 7 g

Total fat 19 g

Saturated fat 4 g

Cholesterol 5 mg

Carbs 34 g

Fiber 4 g

Total sugars 4 g

Added sugars 0 g

Sodium 1000 mg

The post Holiday Recipe: Acorn Squash Galette with Goat Cheese appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

What do babies, cats, and dogs have in common? They all love a big stretch after a deep snooze. Many people would agree that there are few things that feel better than stretching your body first thing in the morning. 

Whether you notice it or not, stretching is likely already a part of your wake-up routine and sometimes you may even do it subconsciously. This is called pandiculation, which is our bodies’ natural and automatic response to prolonged muscle contraction and is the act of involuntarily stretching and yawning when waking up or being sedentary for a long time.

“If you have ever seen a dog or baby stretch and yawn after a nap (and felt the urge to say “oooh big stretch”), you have seen pandiculation firsthand,” says Michelle Ditto, training development manager at Pure Barre. “The act of pandiculating is incredibly important to essentially ‘wake up’ the sensorimotor system prior to more voluntary movements, such as stumbling from your bed to the bathroom first thing.”

Below we dive deeper into pandiculation and the benefits of morning stretches. We’ve even got you covered on some simple stretches to get you started.

Why is it important to stretch in the morning? 

Pandiculation essentially occurs as “the automatic response we have to prevent too much tension in the muscles, which is important to maintain things like proper posture and breathing patterns,” says Ditto.

But what about voluntary stretching? Both pandiculation and voluntary, routine, and specific stretches for particular joints and muscles are crucial to overall mobility and health. Stretching is one way that your body keeps your fascia—or the connective tissue that surrounds your muscles, organs, and blood vessels—supple, flexible, and full of oxygen.

Furthermore, stretching increases blood flow to wake up sleepy limbs, preparing your body for all the activities of your day. Plus, many of us often end up sitting in front of a screen for long periods and stretching can provide some “lotion by way of motion.”

Whether involuntary or voluntary, stretching can reduce chronic back pain, increase range of motion, and decrease the risk of injury during exercise. Studies have even shown that stretching can decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, induce feelings of calm, and release endorphins. 

“Taking moments throughout the day, and particularly upon waking, to focus purely on being in your body, in the moment, can have a domino effect on the rest of your day, and can act as a precursor to finding other opportunities throughout your day to move as well,” says Ditto. 

Simple stretches to try

After a night’s sleep, it’s normal to wake up with a certain degree of tightness as your body has been relatively static for hours, so a morning stretch can be like oil for your muscles and joints. 

“Before you even leave your bed, consider how you can add various stretches and movements, meeting your body where it’s at in that moment,” says Ditto. “Your bed can cushion you, support you, and ease you into the physicality your day demands.”

We asked Ditto to share some of her favorite stretches–keep reading to learn how to try them out yourself. 

Stretch #1. The “Good Morning Stretch”—extend your arms overhead, legs long on your bed.  Take a giant breath in through your nose, shrug your shoulders up, expand through the ribcage, reach through the tips of your fingers and toes. Exhale through your mouth and aim to fully release—shoulders shrugged away from ears, abdominal wall relaxed, ribcage connected, feet relaxed. Repeat as desired!

Want to go a step further? Consider your wrists and ankles, too. There are so many little muscles in our hands and feet that we often don’t think about! Remember, if you do any amount of typing, walking, standing, or cooking, these muscles are engaged consistently throughout the day. Give them  some love and attention in your stretches. Roll your wrists and ankles out as you expand. Hear a crack or two (or 12)? It’s totally normal. 

Stretch #2. You can do this one on your mattress! Flip over to your frontside body, hands under your shoulders. On an inhale, gently press up, keeping a soft bend in your elbows, neck in line with the rest of your spine (avoid “crunching” your neck by looking up, especially if this is a place you tend to feel tension upon waking). Exhale and slowly lower. Repeat as needed to feel long and strong through your frontside body. 

Stretch #3. Take a seat on the edge of your bed, feet over the side (if you have something to plant your feet on, like the lip of your bed frame, go for it).  Sit up in a tall, proud posture. Reach your right arm across your body, left hand to the outside of the arm, avoiding the elbow, drop your right shoulder out of your ear—hold for a breath. Reach your right arm up, bend your elbow, and reach between your shoulder blades, light touch to the upper arm with the left hand, then hold for a breath. Repeat with the left arm.

Place your hands by your sides, gently gaze up (avoid crunching the neck—aim to feel long through the spine), then gaze down, chin towards chest (avoid rounding the upper back). Repeat as needed. 

Look forward, reach your right arm up, then reach for your opposite left ear (like your arm is draped over your head), Apply gentle pressure as you tilt your head to the side, right ear toward right shoulder. Roll your left shoulder down and back, then hold for a breath. Slowly look down toward your right knee. Come back to center and repeat with the left arm. 

Look forward, clasp your hands behind your back, palms together, roll your shoulders down and back as you lift your arms up, proud chest. Hold for a breath. 

Stretch #4. Bend your knees, feet flat on your mattress, hip width apart. Cross your right ankle over your left knee. Thread your hands underneath your left thigh. Gently pull your legs towards you, keeping your right hip open, feet flexed. Hold for a few breaths, focusing on keeping your lower back and shoulders released into the mattress. Come back to neutral, both feet on the mattress, and repeat on the left side.

Stretch #5. Extend your legs straight up to the ceiling, flex your feet. If it is available to you, grab behind your calves or thighs, and slowly pull your legs toward you. Aim to keep your lower back on your bed. Hold for two deep breaths. Bend your knees outside your ribcage (think knees toward your armpits). If it is available to you, hook two fingers around your big toes, or grab for the edges of your feet for a bit deeper stretch. Again, focus on keeping your back on the bed, shoulders released out of your ears. You can even add a bit of a rock from side to side.

The post What is Pandiculation and Why You Should Always Stretch in The Morning appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

Earlier this year, Fitbit published a story I wrote about my Charge 5 tracker and how it helped me identify heart issues I never knew I had. I was compelled to write again when I heard that Fitbit is offering a big discount for veterans this November: I’m a veteran myself, and I hope my experience with Fitbit will resonate with other vets and motivate them to take advantage of this opportunity. Fitbit helped me, and I want it to help you.

First, a little about my service—I grew up learning the importance of serving through my father. He served in the US Army as a paratrooper during World War II, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and was in Germany at the end of the war. After the US Air Force was founded in 1947, he became a fighter pilot; eventually, he enjoyed a long career as a pilot for United Airlines. 

With the support of my amazing wife, Kim, I joined the Army on Veteran’s Day in 1980. I went to basic training in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and advanced training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. I began my military career in counterintelligence at Fort Ord, California, and, after studying German at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, I was assigned as a counterintelligence agent in Germany. 

While there, my duties included conducting investigations pertaining to personnel security; Subversion and Espionage Directed Against the Army (SAEDA); communications security; and actual or suspected acts of terrorism. I finished my military career in the Operations Security Section of the 9th Division headquarters at Fort Lewis, Washington.  

Throughout my military service, I supported Army units within my areas of responsibility by providing intelligence and operations security, and coordinated with federal, state, and local law enforcement and intelligence agencies. That gave me an opportunity to meet, work with, and witness the unwavering commitment and esprit de corps of so many veterans and public servants. I am proud to have served with such dedicated people and to have followed in my father’s footsteps. 

After the Army, I had a demanding, 25-year law enforcement career—one which I could not have done as well without taking care of my health. I stayed fit and ate well, and after retirement in 2013, I continued to stay active with weight training, biking, rowing, and regular walks with my wife and our dogs. So you can imagine my surprise when one night last December, my Fitbit indicated that my heart was in a state of atrial fibrillation! 

Not only that, my subsequent doctor’s visit revealed that I’d had a heart defect since birth, and that I had a thoracic aortic aneurysm. You can read more about that here, but needless to say, I was shocked. Thank goodness for the ECG feature on my Fitbit; otherwise, I’d not have known to see the cardiologist for tests and treatment. My wife insists that I always wear my Fitbit now, and we both rest a little easier knowing that our devices (she wears one, too!) also monitor for irregular heart rhythms when we’re sleeping. 

We also use our Fitbit devices for day-to-day health and wellness. We love the Sleep Score breakdowns to understand our sleep patterns; we look at our Stress Scores (admittedly, my anxiety has increased after these issues with my heart, so I like to monitor it); and I’ve become reliant on my Daily Readiness Score to help me know when I should take it easy and when I can go all-out with my workouts. Most importantly, the Health Metrics dashboard helps me track any issues I may have that are associated with my diagnosed heart conditions. Fitbit is a true health companion, and since I don’t see my doctor every day, we feel better knowing that we can see important health data 24/7. 

And that’s really why I’m writing again. I want other veterans to know that a health and wellness tool like this really does help! Whether it’s a situation like mine, where it alerted me to serious heart conditions I didn’t know I had, or for those veterans who may be struggling with emotional and mental health issues—a Fitbit device can help you set and focus on physical activities that help you cope with stress or help you set and manage goals around sleep, stress management, heart health, and overall well-being. It’s so important! Throughout my career, I have witnessed death and debilitating injuries in many ways—some as a result of stress and mental health issues. I believe any tool to help prevent those losses and help those struggling is a benefit to all of us, and a Fitbit device can be one of those essential tools.

So from one vet to another: take advantage of this great deal that Fitbit is offering you. Get one for yourself, and get one for someone you love (you can get two using the Veteran’s Day 35 percent off discount). My Fitbit device made sure that I got much-needed medical attention, which means I can hopefully continue to live a long, healthy life with Kim and our family. I believe that Fitbit can deliver on their mission to help make everyone in the world healthier, and I want that to include as many veterans as possible. I hope that means you!

Interested in supporting veterans like Don? Join us for the DAV 5K, a walk, roll, run, and ride that thanks those who served and raises awareness of the issues ill and injured veterans face every day. You can participate in person in Cincinnati on Saturday, November 5, or join virtually from anywhere, starting from November 5 through Wednesday, November 30. 

The DAV is a nonprofit organization, supported by the Fitbit Veterans ERG, whose mission is to empower veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. They help ensure that veterans and their families can access the full range of benefits available to them; fight for the interests of America’s injured heroes on Capitol Hill; and educate the public about the great sacrifices and needs of vets transitioning back to civilian life. 

In addition to our sponsorship of the DAV 5K, Fitbit is offering a Veteran’s Day workout coached by First Sergeant and certified fitness, strength, and conditioning group trainer Diamond Ott, available for free in the Fitbit app and on YouTube (also from November 5 through 30). 

Lastly, remember that now through November 25, you can purchase up to two Fitbit devices at special discounted prices for veterans, active military, and spouses. Verify your eligibility to get your devices today.

The post Veteran Don Morrell Shares His Life Saving Experience with Fitbit, Plus Details on the DAV 5K for Vets appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

Two years ago, we made the announcement that Fitbit was acquired by Google. 

Since then, some things have changed a little bit. You may have already noticed “by Google” popping up on packaging or on our latest TV campaign. We also rolled out new products and new experiences, including some exciting Google-specific features.

There are some things that haven’t changed. Like our mission to help everyone be healthier, which has been our motivation since Day 1. Our focus on bringing you the data, inspiration, and guidance you need to be more active, sleep better and manage stress. And our commitment to protecting your health information and keeping you in control of your data.

Now that our expertise in health and fitness is backed by Google’s innovation in AI, software, and hardware, we know there will be change in the future. Change that will make Fitbit the best it can be, to help you—and our entire community—become your best, too. 

There’s more to come. And we’re so excited about the future we’re building together. For now, here’s the latest: 

A Fitbit that’s even more helpful. 

At Google, it’s not about making things just to make them. It’s about making things that truly help. So, we’ve doubled down on our focus to deliver things that we believe will empower you to achieve your health and fitness goals. That means products that are easier to use, experiences that are more personalized, and features that are more motivating. It means casting Fitbit app workouts onto your Chromecast-enabled TV, where you can see your progress on the big screen. And it means that soon you’ll be able to get directions on your watch with Google Maps or swipe your wrist at stores to check out with Google Pay.* 

A Fitbit that reaches even more people. 

Since the beginning, we’ve been on a journey to democratize health and fitness—to make it more accessible and approachable to everyone. That accessibility is even more real with Google. 

As we move into the future, Fitbit will be available on more devices, including connected home devices, TVs, and phones. So no matter where you are, Fitbit is in reach. And because accessibility is also about affordability, one of our key focus areas is continuing to develop high-quality wearables that cost less—like Inspire 3, which we launched in August. 

A Fitbit that does even more for your health.  

As we develop our future products and services, we’re approaching things differently, adapting and evolving to ensure we’re delivering real health outcomes for millions—even billions—of people. 

We’re continuing to drive research around new sensors and experiences, and are using Google’s work on artificial intelligence and leading technologies to develop more advanced features that can help with serious health conditions. In May we rolled out Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications that can help detect early signs of aFib, and more than two million people have already enrolled in the feature.** And now that we’re combining our machine learning with Google’s, we’re able to do even more—like delivering Fitbit’s most accurate heart rate tracking yet on the new Pixel Watch.

For these reasons and more, Fitbit and Google are better together. And we’re just scratching the surface of the health and wellness experiences we can bring to the world. Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or joining us for the first time: thank you. We’re honored to be on the journey with you. 

*Google Maps and Google Wallet coming soon. Phone must be nearby to use Google Maps. Google wallet bank availability varies by region.

**Only available in select countries and with select Fitbit products; not intended for use by people under 22 years old or with known atrial fibrillation.

The post Fitbit—now, by Google. appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

Exercise does lots of great things for your body. But it’s not always kind to your skin. And we’re not just talking about pore-clogging sweat or bacne. Even if your gym looks clean and shiny, it’s probably crawling with microbes that can lead to infections, rashes, foot fungus, and more. 

So, we talked with dermatologists to learn their top tricks for healthy, radiant, gym-proof skin. Here’s what they want you to know.

Your gym is a giant petri dish

Why is the gym so germy? “Bacteria thrive in warm, moist places making the gym the perfect environment for bacteria,” says Michael Horn, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Chicago, IL. “Studies show that 70 percent of bacteria on fitness center equipment could potentially harm humans.” 

The locker room and shower are obvious offenders. But the workout area is equally problematic. From treadmill and elliptical handles to CrossFit boxes, gym-based microbes are so widespread that one recent study of 16 fitness centers found that 38 percent of surfaces swabbed contained S. Aureus, the bacterium responsible for staph infections. And nearly 12 percent harbored antibiotic-resistant MRSA. 

Skin SOS

Wiping down exercise equipment with a sanitizing wipe can go a long way in guarding against bacteria and fungi. But don’t stop there. These are the biggest gym-based skin hazards to look out for, plus tips to prevent them.

Your outfit. Skin troubles often start before you set foot in the gym, beginning with your workout clothes. “Many gym goers wear tank tops or cut off shirts which expose more skin to [bacteria-covered] surfaces in the gym,” says Dustin Portela, DO, a dermatologist with Treasure Valley Dermatology in Boise, ID. “You’ll be better protected if you wear a shirt with sleeves and shorts that are just a bit longer.” 

And if you’re thinking of wearing the same outfit to run errands afterward? “Wearing sweaty clothes post work out won’t kill you, but it can wreak havoc on skin,” says Horn. “Oil and dirt can become trapped in wet fabric and may lead to clogged pores and bacne, plus bacteria in there can cause itchy rashes like folliculitis.”

Loose hair. “When you’re working out, sweat and dirt can get transferred from your hair onto your face,” says Horn. “So, it’s a good idea to keep hair out of your face by styling it into a bun or rocking a dry and clean sweatband.” Also, go easy on the hairspray, which can migrate onto your skin and mix with sweat during exercise, leading to clogged pores, irritation, and breakouts. 

Your towel. As convenient as towel service may be, you might be better off without it. “The so-called “clean” towels at the gym may be delivered by the same transport as the soiled ones,” says Horn. “It’s wiser to bring a towel from home to cover mats and exercise balls while you use them.” There’s another nice thing about using your own towel, he says. You can mark the side that you usually lay on the equipment with a “D” for dirty with a Sharpie. That way, you’ll always know which side is safe to keep in contact with your skin and which side to avoid.

Supplements. Adding a scoop of protein powder to a shake or smoothie may be great for building muscle but not for your complexion. That’s because protein supplements, particularly whey protein, can act like androgens, hormones that may trigger acne, says Portela.

The locker room. At one point or another, 70 percent of us will contract athlete’s foot. Wearing flip-flops in the locker room and shower is an excellent first line of defense. Horn also recommends clipping your toenails short to prevent fungi from getting trapped in the crevices. He’s also a fan of draping a towel over the locker room bench to protect from any microbes that may have taken up residence there. 

Your gym bag. When you’re done working out, it can be tempting to pop your used gym clothes into your gym bag to wear again next time around. Not so fast, says Portela. Even if you didn’t sweat much—or your outfit is made from anti-stink material—it’s likely picked up a lot of bacteria. Instead, place dirty clothes into a plastic bag before putting them in your gym bag, so they don’t coat it with germs. Then, toss them in the wash when you get home and pack a nice clean outfit for next time.

Delayed showering. The sooner you can shower after your workout, the better, says Portela. Ideally, he recommends using body wash and a clean towel. But if you don’t have time? “Pick up some acne cleansing wipes with a low percentage of salicylic or glycolic acid to help remove excess sweat and oil from your skin, as well as to neutralize harmful bacteria and fungus,” he says. 

Finally, don’t forget to moisturize. “Skipping this essential step can unknowingly dehydrate your skin, causing oil glands to overcompensate by producing an oversupply of oil,” says Horn. “Use a moisturizer that’s been produced for your specific skin type and condition immediately after cleansing for the best results.” Then enjoy the glow!

The post Gym-Proof Your Skin appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

RECIPE BY LEANDRA ROUSE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAM EMMONS 

The secret to making great okra is to roast it until fragrant and a golden brown. This recipe does that and has a sweet nutty topper that makes it a fantastic side dish for any holiday table. 

Okra is a nutritional powerhouse with high levels of vitamins K, folate, and potassium as well as antioxidants and fiber to nourish your body. Okra is cherished in the flavorful cuisines of West Africa, Ethiopia, South Asia and the American South and chefs have been increasingly introducing it into restaurant menus. Wow your guests with the great flavor of this delicious roasted vegetable served here as a side with scallions, dates and pecans. 

Okra is also known as Lady Fingers, is from the mallow family, is a green seed pod with a slightly fuzzy exterior. It is best eaten cooked, where its fuzzy, prickly texture transforms into silken custard in consistency.  It is very simple to prepare, just slice the tops and tips off and cook, careful not to overcook. 

This gem of a recipe, our testers loved the sweet and salty combination so much they devoured a double batch in one sitting. This dish will definitely be showing up on our holiday table this year. 

INGREDIENTS: 

1 lbs okra, ends and stems removed

2 tablespoons olive oil 

½  teaspoon kosher salt 

2 bunches scallions, trimmed and finely chopped 

4 Medjool dates, pits removed and thinly sliced into strips

¼ cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the okra thoroughly, pat dry, and trim off the ends and stems. Add the okra to a baking sheet and drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil and half teaspoon salt. Toss to coat, and then arrange them on a sheet so that they don’t overlap. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes—the okra should be tender and deeply golden brown but not falling apart.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping. In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining olive oil over a medium heat. Add the chopped scallions, a pinch of salt, and cook to soften, about one to two minutes. Add the sliced dates and chopped pecans and cook to warm through, another one to two minutes more.

When the okra have finished roasting, arrange them on a plate and ladle the date topping over top. 

Makes 6 servings.

NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING): 

Calories 110

Protein 2 g

Total fat 8 g

Saturated fat 1 g

Cholesterol 0 mg

Carbs 10 g

Fiber 3 g

Total sugars 7 g 

Added sugars 0 g 

Sodium 170 mg

The post Healthy Recipe: Roasted Okra with Scallions, Dates, and Pecans appeared first on Fitbit Blog.

Fitbit is always looking for ways to help users sleep better. You may already be aware of some ways your Fitbit can help you get a better night’s rest, especially if you regularly check your Sleep Score, but did you know that we’ve dialed even deeper into sleep insights to help you understand your sleep health in a whole new way? 

The personalized Sleep Profile with Fitbit Premium goes beyond nightly tracking to analyze your sleep over a month-long period. It consists of three components: your monthly sleep analysis based on 10 key sleep metrics, education and guidance, and your Sleep Animal. Curious about how Fitbit researchers went about creating this important new feature? Keep reading to learn more—direct from the source.

We chatted with Karla Gleichauf, a research scientist on the Consumer Health Research Team, which leverages Fitbit biometric data to help users sleep better. Her recent work includes studies on population trends in sleep and health outcomes, in addition to inventing and developing the Sleep Profile. As a Fitbitter with nearly 7 years under her belt, Karla has worked in several research areas including physical activity, diabetes, and now sleep. Prior to Fitbit, Karla got a PhD from Stanford in Environmental Fluid Mechanics, working on boats in coastal environments and modeling their flows. Karla has gone from working with sensors in the water to sensors on the wrist.

Where did the idea for Sleep Profile come from?

KARLA: We wanted to help users learn about their sleeping patterns and understand how they could sleep better. This meant developing an experience that assessed users’ sleep health with their Fitbit data. Healthy sleep is not the absence of sleep problems but instead, it promotes physical and mental well-being, and is associated with positive health outcomes. 

If we could measure users’ sleep health, we also had the opportunity to see if there were distinct sleeper types, a question that is an active area of research in sleep science. We thought that telling a user about their sleeper type would be a fun, approachable, and nonjudgmental way to learn about their sleep. It would also provide a benchmark of people who sleep like them. With Sleep Profile, we’re able to provide scientific rigor packaged in a delightful way, to provide insight and guidance to users.

Why is Fitbit well positioned to take on this challenge?

Fitbit has been pioneering sleep tracking since 2009, including metrics like Sleep Score to help users get a more granular look at their overall sleep, and incorporating tips for how to become more rested and recharged. Using a Fitbit to track sleep has key advantages, even over a sleep lab. For one thing, you can see a holistic view of sleep metrics dating as far back as you’d like. Thanks to Fitbit’s history, and the prevalence of devices, we set about analyzing 22 billion hours of sleep data.

What were some challenges the team faced?

There is no phenotyping in literature that is inclusive of data we capture at Fitbit. Aside from familiar sleep patterns—like night owls and morning larks—there aren’t universally accepted healthy sleeping patterns that we could reference, so we turned to the data to see if we could find distinct patterns.This was a cross functional effort with people from Google and Fitbit’s data visualization, Product, Design, User Research (UXR), Clinical, and Research & Development teams. 

How did the team set about characterizing sleep?

Fitbit researchers initially engineered thousands of features inspired by academic research and observations made with Fitbit’s largest longitudinal sleep dataset available. For example, we developed several metrics describing a user’s difficulty falling asleep, such as a user’s probability of a wake event in the first hour of sleep, and the time it takes them to reach “sound” sleep, inspired by sleep literature’s latency to persistent sleep. We also developed features characterizing sleep architecture, such as average sleep cycle length and how long it takes you to get to various stages of sleep. 

We then reduced the features down to the most important using unsupervised machine learning and statistical techniques. We experimented with dividing the population into subpopulations, discovering that there were 6 sleeper type clusters. We then investigated what characteristics were most related to each sleep cluster, and worked with sleep experts in house (sleep neurologist, clinicians, and researchers) and in academia (such as Dr. Michael Grandner and Dr. Allison Siebern, as well as Dr. Logan Schneider) to define which metrics were most important to getting better sleep. We ultimately landed on 10 longitudinal sleep features in the “Monthly Sleep Analysis.”

Five of these metrics are entirely new to Fitbit, which describe users’ sleep habits (sleep schedule variability, days with naps), sleep maintenance (nights with long awakenings, sleep stability), and sleep onset (time before sound sleep).

What did the team discover?

We were surprised to find that a higher occurrence of short awakenings, which are 30 seconds or longer, were associated with better health and fitness, such as lower BMI, lower RHR, and higher active minutes. We discovered that awakenings three minutes or longer was the threshold for when health outcomes began to turn more negative. In addition, we found that there are 6 distinct sleeper types. The most common sleeper type, the Giraffe, tends to not get a lot of sleep but sleep solidly when they do. The least common sleeper type, Dolphin, typically goes to bed at variable times, they sometimes have long awakenings, and they take naps more often than most.  

How did you turn the learnings into sleep animals?

Once we identified the sleeper types, we had to decide: what is the appropriate metaphor? How do we convey metaphors in a culturally sensitive way in a globally available product? We tested animals versus other options and decided that animals were the most relatable. Then, we had to figure out which animals to use. Our UXR team spoke to academics and experts in spokescharacters, animism, totemism, and animal sleep patterns. 

Did you know?

The animal with the highest proportion of women is the Tortoise, who tends to fall asleep more slowly and get a reasonable amount of sleep overall.
The sleep animal with the oldest users is the Hedgehog, who typically gets lower amounts of deep and REM sleep. The Hedgehog also has the highest proportion of men.
The most common sleeper type is the Giraffe, who tends to not get a lot of sleep but sleep solidly when they do.
The least common sleeper type is the Dolphin, who typically goes to bed at variable times; they sometimes have long awakenings, and they take naps more often than most.  

What can users do with this information?

Users may learn how to sleep better from their Sleep Profile. Your Sleep Animal highlights overall trends in your sleep and can help you understand how you sleep relative to others. Your Monthly Sleep Analysis assesses the 10 dimensions of your sleep health and shows you areas of sleep that you’ve been doing well and areas you could improve.

For instance, last month my Sleep Animal was a Giraffe because I tended to go to bed late, get less sleep than most users, but did not have much time spent awake. My Monthly Sleep Analysis showed that my “Sleep Start Time” and “Sleep Schedule Variability” were higher than the ideal range, highlighting that these were the areas I could improve.

Fitbit continues to innovate in sleep tracking. From research, design and beyond, we see sleep as one part of a broader set of health and wellness patterns. The amount or timing of exercise affects sleep, nutrition interacts with sleep quality, long-term changes to daily habits can affect key sleep metrics, and Fitbit helps bring all those areas together to help our users live their best lives.

The post How Fitbit Developed the Sleep Profile Experience appeared first on Fitbit Blog.