When people decide to make a lifestyle change of getting in better shape, one of the hardest things is the other 23 hours when you're not exercising. We tend to ruin the hard work we put in from our workouts by not consuming the right amounts of food throughout that day, and cancelling the efficiency of the exercises.

Finally, there is something out there that can help keep us on track. The only way to change our body composition, is to have either less calories consumed than you are burning if you're trying to lose body fat, or have more calories consumed of you're trying to gain muscle. For years, we have been in the dark when it came to knowing how many calories we were truly expending throughout the day. Now, thanks to the Bodybugg, that has all changed. We now can track your calories 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is the most accurate device on the market, and has helped countless people change their lives and make fitness a way of life.

The concept is simple. You are watching your calories consumed with the bodybugg armband. The armband connects to your computer to show how your calorie burn is going. You log in the calories that you have eaten, and compare them to see if you are on track to reaching your goals. Depending on your goals, you can see if the activities throughout the day were sufficient to reaching your goals. At the same time, you can also see if the foods you consumed were on target with the activities of your day. Every day, you're playing a game to see how well you can hit your targets. By doing this, you'll start to form habits of increasing your daily activity, and be in more control when it comes to portion control.

The bodybugg doesn't just monitor calories. It also keeps track of your steps and activity levels throughout the day. This way you can know what were good activity choices versus bad ones. You can have goals set for trying to hit a certain amount of steps or certain amount of time for being active.

The difference of using a bodybugg or not is like driving with or without a gas gauge or speedometer. Without it, it's a guessing game of whether or not you're on track with your fitness goals. With it (as long as you're honest about your food intake), you'll know if you're on your way to reaching your goals. One of the most frustrating things about trying to make changes regarding fitness, is not seeing results after trying to do so for a long period of time. You'll know right away if things are working towards your goals.

This data collecting device isn't just for fat loss. Jerod has actually had athletes use them to see if they were getting enough calories when they were training with high intensity. Endurance athletes, such as marathon runners, must consume more calories during intensive workouts or runs, so their bodies don't use their muscle for fuel. Having the Bodybugg helps make that possible by letting them know how many calories they can consume.

There is also a display device that you can get that gives you up to the minute data of what info your bodybugg is collecting. This is a great tool for people that aren't in front of computers very often, or for people that just like to be informed more quickly. You can wear it as a watch or you can clip it on your arm band or other article of clothing.

When you get a Bodybugg, you get to have a personal trainer help you stay on track by getting you set up and monitoring your progress throughout your program. You can visit your trainer every two weeks to check your progress and to have any of your fitness questions answered. At 24 Hour Fitness, the entire training staff is certified Bodybugg coaches and are available to take care of you.

The Bodybugg won't change your body for you. It will make you more aware of what is happening with your body when it comes to fitness. It's all about making lifestyle changes that turn into habits. Using the bodybugg will help make that happen faster, and by developing habits, make those changes stick.

For any questions regarding the Bodybugg, you can reach Jerod at 24 Hour fitness, 244-9532.