It’s a new year and once again, I, like so many others, am starting 2015 with the resolve to get into the best shape of my life. My sorry excuse that my extra poundage is the result of birthing three babies is way past its expiration date: my youngest turns 16 next week.
This year will be different, however, because I have a new fitness friend. Fitbit is a device that tracks steps and more, such as calories consumed and sleep, but I’m fine with just the basics. I decide to keep track of myself keeping track, at least for the first few days.
Day 1: I don’t set up my Fitbit until late in the day because I dread it. I still have a bit of the techno-phobe in me so I fear it will be complicated and time-consuming.
My fears are unfounded. The setup is intuitive. It’s easy to download the app to my iPhone. My worries about where I will keep it also turn out to be for nothing. I hook it onto my watch, and it’s secure.
It’s Sunday and I’m in weekend lacrosse mom mode. Will runs around and I cheer. Sadly, you do not get credit for yelling or even clapping; the Fitbit is designed only to measure steps.
I finish my first day with 5,777 steps for 2.33 miles, and 1,534 calories burned, far short of the targeted 10,000 daily steps they recommend. It boggles my mind when I think of how many miles and active minutes Will would log on a lacrosse tournament day, when he would play at least four games. I resolve to have him take a guest stint with my Fitbit to find out. I also wonder what would happen if I hooked it to Brady’s collar. Would I get double the step credit with a four-legged creature?
Day 2: I am now conscious of every step I take. As soon as I wake up, I check my Fitbit and it reads zero. I am skeptical about its accuracy, so I count my steps to the coffee maker to make sure I get credit for each one. While my steps are not counted in real time, the device does catch up quickly and, I concede, accurately.
Bill is fascinated by my Fitbit, and he declares he wants one too. Sure, I say, feeling strangely competitive. This competitive spirit, I understand, is very natural. Fitbit has a buddy feature so you can sync up with friends, compare your progress, and egg each other on, turning peer pressure into a positive.
I finish day 2 with 11,648 steps, well over the recommended 10,000, and feel great.
Day 3: My step device is my new best friend. It tells me I’ve lost .2 pounds. I feel virtuous, and then realize it’s probably because I have not set up the “Calories Eaten” tab so my Fitbit presumes I’ve eaten nothing over the last three days. Then I wonder why it hasn’t dropped even more weight. Maybe it’s not such a great friend after all.
I predict it will be hard to reach 10,000 steps because I expect to be at my desk for most of the day. I’m right. I achieve only 7,563 steps and register only two active minutes. And my weight is back where it started.
Day 4: Fitbit is changing my routine. I encounter an elevator and start to push the button. Then I look for the stairs and choose to take them instead. I guess I’m hooked.
But once again, at the end of the day I am only at 8,839 steps. I wonder what I might do to close the gap before going to bed. I actually walk downstairs to put in a load of laundry and bring another one up. I go back down to bring in drinks from the garage, put some dishes away, and let the dogs out back. By the time I finish puttering around, I’ve passed that coveted 10,000 step mark.
Day 5: I already see a pattern. My lower step days will be those when I drive and write. I’ll have to be inventive about putting more steps into those days. I ponder a standup desk. The body burns more calories standing than sitting, and I could march in place while I work.
Day 6: This morning I forget to wear my Fitbit but realize it only after I have taken many steps. This upsets me more than it probably should have and highlights a Fitbit flaw: you cannot manually input missed steps. A friend who swims points out that she gets no credit for time in the water.
It is another busy writing day so at day’s end, I have only 8,410 steps and only three active minutes, all below the recommendations. So far I am a bit of a Fitbit failure, but I know where I am missing the mark. Since knowledge is the first step towards making positive change, I am optimistic that I will succeed.
Day 7: I end my week on a high note with 14,894 steps, more than six miles, and 2,163 calories burned. The key to the day’s high mileage: I walk the dogs instead of having Bill do it. A simple walk around the neighborhood nets me more than 4,000 steps. This is just the motivation I need to follow my resolve to walk the dogs more: more steps for them, more steps for me.
Conclusions:
The Fitbit is unobtrusive and user friendly. I like it.
I have become more aware of my movements across my day.
I consciously try to create opportunities to take more steps.
Though no couch potato before, I have increased my activity level.
I feel like I have a new wellness ally and I am optimistic about my fitness future.
This is a good way to start the new year.
