Counting steps. Now who came up with that idea? When all my friends started getting pedometer trackers on their wrists, I thought it was literally the biggest waste of money. I can go to the gym, get a good work out and know that I was doing my body justice. I find myself to be a pretty active person, but I finally broke down and got myself a pedometer. I have been wearing a Fitbit Flex for about a week now, so if you are considering a Fitbit these are the top 5 changes you will experience.
1) Number Obsession
When you run on a treadmill or use an elliptical, one of the best parts is seeing that “calories burned” number skyrocket. As your minutes go down, your calories and distance go up. Wearing a Fitbit is like experiencing that in every movement you make.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator up to your third floor McKinley class. Tap tap, how many steps did I just make?
Walk to Tenleytown instead of taking the shuttle. Tap tap, how many steps do I have now?
Only 300 more steps until I hit 10,000. Let me walk around my floor a few times. Buzz. Yes I made it!
2) Competitiveness
The weirdest part about wearing a Fitbit is, I am not a particularly competitive person. Sports aren’t really my thing, and usually exercise for myself. For some reason, tracking my numbers and hitting my daily goal is incredibly rewarding and allows for me to have a healthy competition with myself.
If competition is your thing, the app allows for you to “friend” people and watch their weekly numbers go. You can also “cheer” or “taunt” your friends, encouraging a little friendly competition of who can rack up the most steps. Many work sites and universities have even implemented padometer challenges for their students and employees
3) Acceptance to The Club
That girl who sits next to you in your economics class also has a Fitbit on? Instant conversation starter. I can’t even begin to list how many people will randomly start up a conversation with me to discuss our Fitbit habits. In fact, you will find yourself noticing how common they are and strike up conversations with strangers as well.
You know that someone wearing a Fitbit is a health conscience person, and that it’s safe to comment on the color of their band or how often they tap to check their steps for the day. Now that you’re part of the club, it’s like almost everybody has one!
4) Awareness
It’s unrealistic to guarantee a trip to the gym every single day. Since wearing a Fit Bit, I have been incredibly aware of how little I move on days I don’t go make the effort to work out.You move in between classes, from the library to TDR and then to your nighttime meetings.
You may feel like you’re getting an adequate amount of activity, but the reality is you’re not. A Fit Bit’s goal is usually about 10,000 steps or 5 miles, which really puts in perspective the 4,000 steps I could rack up on a day I skipped my workout. On days I don’t make it to the gym, I put in extra effort to take the stairs or walk around my room a couple times to keep moving.
5) Healthfulness
Besides being more aware of my physical activity, the Fitbit also helps track my eating, drinking and sleeping. The Fitbit makes me more health conscience through out the day by tracking how many calories I burn just by moving, and I can compare it to how many I consume.
The tracker helps me drink more water, and eat enough food based on my level of activity. It also tracks my sleep schedule, so I can aim for a specific amount of sleep a night to be the healthiest that I can be. Some of the higher ends models even track your heart rate, which can help when working out to reach your potential.
So even if exercise isn’t your thing, maybe a Fitbit can jump-start a healthier, more active life style for you. So go out, rack up those steps, and get fit.