FitBit

Meet my new best friend!

It's a FitBit. Back in early January my friend Pat the Former Blogger spoke about getting one and said that the company she works for was getting them at a nearly 50 percent discount for any employee who wanted one. Furthermore, out of an amazingly magnanimous spirit, her company would get them for friends and family at the same discount. I signed up on the spot.

When it arrived a week or so later, I clipped it on and started walking right away. Then in two or three days, my world collapsed and I withdrew from everything, putting the FitBit away.

A few weeks ago, my life being in order once again, I rejoined Weight Watchers and became reacquainted with my little friend. I clip her on when I get dressed in the morning and unclip her when I go to bed. In between, she counts every step that I take, every flight that I climb, every mile that I walk, and estimates the number of calories I have burned. She would log my sleep if I wanted her to. She syncs to my computer, where at the FitBit website, I have a progress page that shows my cumulative and average steps and assorted other information. I have friends who have FitBits, and we have agreed to share our steps, so each day that I look at the page, I'll see how many steps my friends have taken in the past week. The computer synching is simple -- if I'm within 20 feet of my laptop, they'll connect effortlessly. Each Tuesday and Friday night when I go to bed, I plug her into a dongle affixed to the laptop to recharge her battery. She's working so hard, she really needs it!

The goal is to log at least 10,000 steps per day. While I have done that a couple of times in the past several weeks, I'm not there on a daily basis yet. So I reset my goal to 7000 steps per day and when I was doing that easily, I upped it to 8000. At the end of this week, it is going up to 8500. It feels good to be walking regularly once again. Sometimes I go up to the cinder track at the high school and log laps there. Other days I stride through the neighborhood. On days when the weather insists, I use the treadmill.

Do you have a FitBit? I'd love to be friends with you on my dashboard page . . . .


Comments

Janet O. said…
Looks like a really cool little device, Nancy. I used a regular pedometer once, but it was not the best quality, I think. Seemed to stall many times. I need to find something more like this.
Thanks for introducing us. : )
Quiltdivajulie said…
Our older son uses one - he has been quite impressed with it.
antique quilter said…
I have been looking for a new one the last couple I have had have broken. glad to know you like this one. highly recommend it???
Kathie
Barbara Anne said…
This is a new gizmo to me but I remember having a more primitive one when I was a child. I loved that it kept track of how many steps I took but it was a big mystery to me then!

I'll have to look into this. Thanks for the info!

Hugs!
Belva said…
I love my fitbit. It has really inspired me (and my husband) to walk more. I was up to 10k+ steps per day until last week when I had thyroid surgery. I had to get back out walking the day after my surgery to keep my numbers up. :).
Lori said…
That sounds like a great piece of technology! I love a little accountability partner that doesn't yell or talk back:)
Bobbi said…
You got me into wearing mine and keeping it synced. I find myself looking daily at my charts now, and telling myself to do better. Thanks for being a good influence. Now get me motivated to go back to WW's. Just not ready for the deprivation I feel . . . although I know that's largely (haha) in my head.
howdidIgethere said…
Feeling left out since I (stupidly) didn't take Ms. Pat up on her generous offer... Typical attitude I don't need no stinkin' [fill in the blank] -- I can do this BY MYSELF. Then, of course, I don't....

/kvetching
Pat said…
It's funny that your FitBit is a female. I tend to clip mine to my bra, so I've named him George. As stupid as it sounds, I am not as push myself to walk if
I have forgotten to put that little nudge, George, where he belongs in the morning. I also find that having friends in a "group" on the FitBit website also spurs me on. Before you know it, some of C.O.W.s will be HEIFERs (Highly Energized Incented Females Exercising Regularly).