I received a Fitbit Force for Christmas, and that puts me in a club with all of the other Fitbit people out there who are trying to unlock Achievement: My Pants Aren’t Too Tight. (When I got my nose pierced, I suddenly noticed every single person with a nose hole. Lately I’m focusing in on just how many people have tiny tattoos on their arms. Soon, my awareness of black plastic bracelets on non-dominant wrists will increase. Always be aware of your surroundings.)
After wearing the bracelet for a little over 24 hours, I’ve learned the following things:
1. The stairs in our home are one inch shorter than the required measurement for the Fitbit to register them as stairs. As a result, I’m now exaggerating my stair trips in order for them to count. In other words, I should probably take some sort of circus class to learn how to fall down stairs appropriately because carrying a basket of towels while marching down the stairs like a clown is not going to end well.
2. I’m even pokier than I thought. The average me takes less than 2,000 steps on an average day. I’m glad the Fitbit doesn’t send little “Get off your butt, Pokey!” messages to me throughout the day, but maybe that’s exactly what I need. (I have no idea what my needs are anymore.) I’m finding that although the Fitbit is embarrassing me into wanting to walk around more, it is not influencing my food choices at all. Here’s hoping the next model is able to shoot a little serotonin directly into my veins when I’m about to tube some Ritz crackers for no good reason. (Similarly, I’ve also considered how nice it would be if the Fitbit shocked me just enough to disable my arm for an hour when I seem to be using that arm as a vehicle to get too many cookies up to my face.)
3. I’m actually sleeping much better than I thought I was sleeping. I’m one of those people who wakes up every single hour during the night. Because of that, I tend to complain a lot about not sleeping well. Last night the Fitbit registered every single time I woke up (12 times total), but STILL rated my sleep at 97%. (I was in bed for seven hours and thirty minutes. I slept for seven hours and ten minutes. 97% is a fairly strong A. I’m failing on the exercise side of Fitbit, but sleep? I AM THE CHAMPION OF SLEEP. I challenge you to sleep as well as me. (I have no secrets: Lately I’ve been sleeping with a warm lavender-scented hippo on my left shoulder. I believe she might be my Land of Nod ace in the hole. Warm lavender shoulder hippo!))
4. This morning I actually logged a food on the Fitbit app. Instant coffee! (Don’t make talk about why I’m drinking instant coffee. You already think I’m a weirdo, and I don’t feel like shooting hairspray into that fire.) In other words, I now have movement goals (which I will fail until the weather warms up a bit), sleep goals (I rule the world), and food goals (I’m starting to hate myself). Faster, better, stronger, awake-ier, panache-ier on stairs, et cetera.
Once again, I’m starting to wonder if I’m becoming a caricature of myself. The Fitbit doesn’t measure that.
I’ve taken 98 steps today, and it’s 8:12 in the morning. ‘ ‘ ‘text/javascript’>
Woo FitBit! I actually wear mine on my dominant hand because my non-dominant is where my watch goes (I have the Flex & it doesn’t tell time).
I haven’t been wearing mine much the last week b/c I take around 2000 steps a day when I’m not at work & I don’t need to track my lazy sitting on the couch and knitting habits. :)
Welcome to the club! (I also always thought I didn’t sleep well, but apparently I sleep fine once I get to sleep. Sometimes it just takes me forever to get to the land of nod).
I got one too! I call bull&$@t on the sleep stats because it’s telling me I’ve achieve d 98% sleep. Ha! And if you tell it that you knit, your steps will go down…. Th knitting motion is fooling it….
I’ve been secretly coveting a Fitbit, but I worry, because I have issues with the numbers 8 and 6. I will be taking steps all over the place so that I’m never stuck with them. Maybe I can number obsess my way to physical health, though.
I too have been coveting a fitbit. And btw I *only* drink instant coffee… starbucks via in the veranda blend… it’s the bomb diggity! No judgment here!
I don’t have a Fitbit, nor did I know about it. (yes, I live under a rock) Sounds interesting.
I DO have the cadillac of treadmills, though, which is going into full swing these days! I don’t really care how far I walk, I’m more concerned with the fact that I am getting exercise on a daily basis.
Consistency.
My FitBit was a Christmas present to myself this year. Like you, I normally take <2,000 steps/day. Trying to improve that. Our stairs may be a bit steeper than FB's standard; I don't think I go up/down as much as it says.
There is another website, MyFitnessPal.com, where you can log your food intake and sync it with the FitBit. Take a look — might be easier than on the FitBit site.
I gave my dad a Fitbit for Christmas, and now I want one too! Keep us updated on how you like it — and can I just say your writing has been so sharp and engaging — it’s a great way to start the day (along with a cup of instant coffee!)
The friends we stayed with in OK all have fitbits. Their daughter was pacing the kitchen at 11:00PM one night, trying to stay ahead of her dad. I’m sure the FitBit will keep you motivated.
Love my fitbit – I have one that clips to my bra or rides about in my pocket.
Wait until you find yourself dancing in the kitchen to get that 10,000th step.
No? Just me, then?
@Pharmgirl, I find myself jogging in place, doing the stairs a la step aerobics, and dancing in the kitchen! Love it. Angela, are you accepting fitbit friends?
now I want one too…
“I don’t feel like shooting hairspray into that fire.”
My official favourite line of 2014 so far.