Written December 3, 2024
Hello Dear Readers,
Nashville is so cold. Last night, we were cursed with a light dusting of snow. Now, I am confident that winter has come to Nashville. While it hasn’t been quite cold enough for long enough for the ground to keep much snow, it certainly has been cold enough the past two days. Tomorrow’s forecasted temperature is much warmer than today’s, making tomorrow’s run more pleasant. Luckily, I don’t expect the snow to complicate my intended run tomorrow, but I’ll have to make that final judgment immediately before my run.
Today, I am trying out my new health/fitness monitoring device. It arrived yesterday, and I spent some time today charging and configuring it to suit my needs. After I got a brain stroke and broke my kidneys, my nephrologist told me to monitor my blood pressure. I am taking medications to control my blood pressure, so my doctor needs to know how well I am doing.
Initially, we used the old-style blood pressure machine several times daily and logged the results in a notebook. Several years ago, my wife suggested using a watch. I started running. My wife had used a Fitbit for over a decade. Unfortunately, her FitBit did not track her blood pressure, so I purchased a watch that could do it. Whenever I get a new watch to replace the old one, my doctor checks how accurately the blood pressure is measured. The watch is entirely accurate. However, my last watch started failing to track my steps. This time, I wanted to try a ring.
It is a ring to track my vitals, just like the watch. Instead of a watch, this one is a ring and promises a much more robust battery. So far, I like it better than my watch, although it doesn’t have a display. Since I rarely have my phone, that’s not much of an issue, and I can still wear my watch using it as a basic watch.
I also suggested my wife get a ring, but she still has a Fitbit. She likes to see the time. One thing she wants to do is be on her phone only some of the time. She says a smartphone is a kind of destruction for her.
So far, I am happy with the ring.