I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I like this simple arm band. My mom and husband also have one and they compete all the way until bedtime on who gets the most steps for that day. I have NEVER seen either of them walk or move so much in my life. They were both active people to begin with but it has easily doubled their daily workout routines. Randall, a software architect, stares at a computer all day or sits in and out of meetings, sapping his ability to get up and move. This subtle competition with my mom, a teacher who walks all day, reminds him to get up earlier or run after work.
For someone who runs and walks all day long, here is what I like:
- My alarm goes off at 5:30 am. Usually it is my phone playing an energizing song and I hear my husband groan as I leap out of bed. (Yes, I am a morning person.) The Flex vibrates softly on my wrist, and I even have it scheduled to not wake me on Wednesdays, my one day off. Randall says he loves the silent alarm as I can now climb out of bed with stealth.
- I'm exhausted at night. I thought that was par for the course with marathon training. I didn't realize that I run 10 miles in the morning and then walk another 10 throughout my day with my boys. I NEVER sit down. This provides me a great tool to monitor my movement and at times helps me relax.
- I knew I burned 600-1,400 calories by running every day but I didn't realize there were days that I burned over 4,000 calories total. There is no way I am eating enough to refill the tank. Tracking how much I burn, reminds me to snack more often.
- The Flex tracks my sleep, letting me know how long it takes to fall asleep, how often I was restless, when I awoke, and exactly how long I slept. This is insanely useful after a hard workout. When I push too hard during speed work, that night I pay the price in my sleep and the Flex tells me just how badly.
 |
| This was a great night of sleep. |
 |
| Not such a great night. Not sure how it calculates sleep efficiency because I was up a lot. |
- Finally, it vibrates when I accomplish my step or mile goal for the day. I know I am healthy and active, but for some reason it is so satisfying when the thing buzzes!
Some of the things I don't care for:
- It is really comfortable, but it gets caught on long shirts or on the sheets at night and that's really annoying. Running with it on the arm that holds my dogs' leash is also really uncomfortable.
- While it is water proof, I prefer to take it off before I shower because it leaks water on my wrist for 30 minutes afterwards.
- My Android phone is too old to sync directly to the Fitbit. Therefore, I have to check my steps, calories, miles, etc... on the computer and I have to be within 20 feet of my computer for my stats to upload.
- It doesn't work for biking or swimming, it is designed for walking, running, and cross training only.
The Fitbit is useful for people wanting to move more and track their progress. However, it is also very helpful to those who need to track their calories and movement for other reasons. Some days, I do too much and don't eat enough. I feel tired and defeated and now I know why. It serves as a good reminder to look out for my health and training throughout my day and not just when my trainers are hitting the road. Oh, and I can't wait to see what numbers I rack up during the Colfax Marathon in several weeks. Beat that step count, Mom and Randall! ;)
~Roadburner
No comments:
Post a Comment