March Madness

My husband and I recently got the Fitbit, that $100 watch I wear to remind me to park further away from the entrance at Taco Bell.

The Fitbit, for those who might not be familiar, is an activity tracker, wireless-enabled wearable device that measures data such as the number of steps walked, quality of sleep and other personal metrics. In other words, it’s a tiny machine that tells you how lazy you’ve been.

This is it:

With Spring fast approaching and the long, cold, lonely winter almost behind us, I thought I’d set some goals. I put on my new bracelet, set my daily aspirations for 10,000 steps, synced it with my iPhone and I was on my way!

I recorded my first week and thought I’d share my results with you:

Day 1: Up and down the stairs five times before 7:30am. Who would have thought my forgetful nature would work in my favor, physically? By noon, I’d hit 4k steps, all without leaving the house. Hit the gym and I ended the day well over my goal.

14,000 steps. Boo Ya!

Day 2: The thing about starting off so strong is there is no place to go but down. I forgot nothing today, and as a result, climbed the steps only once before the kids left for school. And truth be told, I hate the gym. It’s why I got a Fitbit for Pete’s sake. If I enjoyed going to that hellish place where the appropriate attire includes form-fitting spandex, I wouldn’t have had to spend the money on this ugly watch.

6,540 steps. Whatever.

Day 3: Well, on the upside, I’m beating my husband, who claims he can’t reach his daily goal because of “work”. I told him there’s got to be a way to take steps in the car on his way to New Jersey. He does have 2.5 hours in the car to kill (traffic). He’s just not putting enough thought into this. I went to the mailbox three times today. Nearly reached my goal.

8,413 steps

Day 4: The snow is finally melting! I enjoyed the spectacle from my kitchen window. Do you know how many steps I take back and forth to the fridge? A lot. Husband, who worked from home today, managed to take only 700 steps by six pm. I didn’t think it was possible to walk that little. “I’m a veal.” he said.

8,020 steps

Day 5: Major discovery today! Hula hooping adds steps to the Fitbit! Problem solved.

10,963 steps! Woot!

Day 6: Starting to get sick of the highs and lows that accompany this tiny torturous machine. One day I’m up, the next, I’m down. It’s like my own personal manic-depressive bracelet. Still, I continue to out-step the husband, who claims it’s cheaper to buy this device than to pay someone to stand behind him and knock food off his plate.

7,522 steps (forgot to hula)

Day 7: One full week wearing this slightly uncomfortable and not very attractive piece of rubber. Overall, I think I did okay. I may not have surpassed my goal every day, but I am more cognizant of where I park when shopping. That’s a plus.

10,003 steps. Yeah!

So, after one week, do I think this thing is working? Probably not. But it’s not the fault of the manufacturer. It’s definitely user-error. I don’t monitor my food intake and I don’t wear it to bed, where the watch actually tells you how many times you wake up during the night. I’m not sure why this is necessary. My body pretty much keeps me apprised of how little I sleep. The yawning is a dead giveaway.

However, I’ll keep on truckin’ and now that the weather is warming up and the snow is finally melting, I’ll be able to move a bit more. Get outside. Get some fresh air. Take some steps to a newer, fitter me.

If nothing else, the hula hoop is back in rotation.

Happy (almost) Spring!

~Kim

I’d love to hear from you. What are your thoughts on the Fitbit?