My new best friend
Here I am again on my treadmill, but this time there’s a difference. Not only do I have my computer, I’m also sporting a fitbit. What, you ask, is that? It’s a wireless activity and sleep tracker. Right now it’s clipped to my T-shirt, logging my activity. If I press the little button, I see the number of steps, distance, flights of stairs, calories burned and a little flower that grows higher the more active I’ve been.
At night it fits into a soft wrist pouch and tracks my sleeping quality. I press and hold the button to set the stop watch when I’m ready for bed. In the morning I stop the time and then synch my fitbit with my computer. The display shows how long it took me to fall asleep and how often and how long I spent awake that night.
When I enter what I’ve eaten throughout the day, either on the computer or using the free iPhone app, the display shows how many more calories I can consume to still be on target for the goals I set up initially.
For the moment, my daily goals are 10,000 steps, 5 km, 10 flights of stairs. I’m pleased to say that in the week I’ve had my fitbit, I’ve managed to make almost all of my goals – except the day I spent 6 hours in the car!
It’s a great motivational device. If I’m tempted to have an extra helping at dinner, knowing that I have to track all my food and drink may make me think twice. Now, instead of sitting during the TV commercials, I’ve been more active: putting on the laundry, folding clothes, getting a drink of water. So far I’m a pound down in a week. I love that I’m tracking my activity and calories burned throughout the day, not just while I’m on the treadmill and blogging.