I am not a natural athlete. However, I do want to be more fit and make working out/exercising a part of my routine. The big problem is I let other tasks take priority over my workouts. I am good at making excuses.
To show myself how much exercise I am getting, and to motivate myself to do more, I got a FitBit (http://www.fitbit.com/), a little device that I wear. It's like a super pedometer. It tracks my steps taken, my total mileage traveled on foot (walk, jog, run), calories burned, floors climbed (stairs). Through the fitbit web site, I have my personal dashboard where I can see the data from the fitbit (it uploads wirelessly) in various forms (daily, weekly, monthly) as well as providing me a place to log in my food intake, other workouts (biking, elliptical, swimming), and write in a journal. The fitbit can even track sleep patterns!
I was a little doubtful how useful this device would be, but in the last 17 days I have had it, I have been impressed and surprised. I like seeing what I have done (or not done), how much I really walk at school (not as much as I thought), and how many stairs I walk (more than I thought). When I mowed the lawn today, I got to see how many steps I took (over 7,200).
The Fitbit site sends me "badges" when I achieve milestones like my first 10,000 step day, walking the equivalent of 10 floors of stairs in one day. It took me 15 days to walk/jog 50 miles (yes, I got a "badge"). That is something I never would have tracked on my own.
If you need a little nudge to get moving, or want to track your progress easily, check out the Fitbit.
The Fitbit sounds like an awesome little device! It is definietly something that I wouldn't mind looking into.
ReplyDeleteThat is very interesting I am going to check that out.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds super cool. I think if I had something like this it would motivate me to do more!! I might have to get one.. But what is the cost?
ReplyDeleteIt costs around $95. That may seem like a lot, but there is the web support (syncs your data and produces reports, logs for your food and other activities, a journal). It's a cool device. I am still loving it!
Delete