Staying Active All Day

Many think of exercising as going to the gym, running after work, or playing a sport. Now there's new research that highlights the benefits of physical activity throughout the day instead of getting it all at once.  And a new device is helping people accomplish that.

After a long day at work Sandy Dewald enjoys relaxing and reading a book.

"I'm not really big into exercising," Dewald said.

But because she has a desk job, Dewald knows she should get more physical activity. That's why she's trying out a new monitor, the WeightWatchers ActiveLink.

"I'm hoping it will give me motivation to move more, show me where I was today and where I should be tomorrow," Dewald said.

For the first eight days you use ActiveLink, the monitor measures how much physical activity you get. It then sets a goal for you.

"It keeps track of everything you do. I can wear it swimming or doing pilates. Whatever activity I'm doing I can wear it and get credit for that at the end of the day," Weight Watchers Pam Boyum said.

One of ActiveLink's features is that not only can you see how much physical activity you get in one day, but every hour.

"This pushes you to be active throughout the day because at the end of the day, you get a full hour-by-hour graph of your activity, and you're going to see the times of the day where you're in front of the screen sitting where it's kind of a flat line," Boyum said.

That's why Dewald says the monitor is not only helping her fit a walk into her day, but stay more active throughout the entire day.

"Especially at work where, instead of calling someone down the row, I'll get up and walk down there or I'll walk across the building to someone's office to talk to them rather than sending them an email," Dewald said.

You could say the old way of communication is making a comeback thanks to the new monitor.

To get ActiveLink you must have an active Weight Watchers subscription.