I’ve been needing some incentive or something fun to get myself exercising. The past few weeks I’ve had a million of excuses like the weather is too cold, it’s snowing, my hip hurts (from that one time at Zumba), I hate exercising indoors, the lady at the gym obviously didn’t want me there with her nasty stares, etc. etc. Since the weather is so back and forth right now in Indiana, I needed something to get me going again!
Some of my fellow Shaklee-180 had been talking about the Fitbit. I finally decided I was going to join the Fitbit cult and I had some Amazon bucks saved up to help out with my purchase. I read the reviews on Amazon first before ordering and 964 5 star reviews can’t be wrong, right?
The Fitbit tracks steps, distance, calories burned, and stairs climbed as well as monitoring how long and how well you sleep. You can set goals, view progress, and earn badges. I love it because it’s small enough to fit right inside my bra without me even thinking about it being there! Plus, it syncs wirelessly with your computer or your smart phone when the Fitbit is within range.
The first day I wore the Fitbit, I was at the office. Oh my, I didn’t realize how sedentary I was at the office. This made me realize I need to get up and walking around every once in awhile. Taking out the trash was never so much fun as when you see the number of steps count increase! I set my goal at 10,000 steps per day. I haven’t quite made it there yet but I’m pretty sure I will make it there today as I am to 7,300 already at almost 3 p.m.
You can also set goals on the number of floors you wish to climb. I have it at the default of 10. Today, instead of dreading going up and down the stairs to the kids rooms, I’m wanting to get my goal of 10 so I do it with delight! ;)
The FREE app for your iPhone also has a food plan component but I still like to use MyFitnessPal for tracking calories. You can sync your Fitbit activity with the MyFitnessPal app, which is super cool. You have to make sure to follow the steps to do so and enter in the time of any additional exercise. This will allow your Fitbit activity to adjust automatically with MyFitnessPal.
As many of you know, getting enough sleep is an important component to lose weight as your body needs to recharge. I know I lack in this area so it’s cool to be able to monitor it through the Fitbit sleep tracker. I was afraid wearing the wrist band would disturb me but I don’t even notice it is there. I didn’t realize how many times I was waking up in the middle of the night or at least moving around.
I’m a numbers and stats geek so I love to see exactly how I’m doing with activity with Fitbit! I’m also finding it very accurate as far as mileage and such! I’ve been using this for a few days now and I can see a change in my pattern of activity just from these few days. It would be so interesting to use this on when visiting a theme park.
>Do you use a activity tracking device like a pedometer or a Fitbit? What are your thoughts? Does it get you to be more aware of your activity level?
Read more about my fitness and weight loss journey as well as specific posts with the Shaklee-180 program.
Got one for my hubby and he loves it! He is a health freak and numbers motivate him to go further. They give out badges (via email) for milestones and are so much fun!
Thanks so much for sharing this review. I am having lots of health issues & have found myself currently being monitored for seizures & have realized this is the last step for me. I have had it. Just told my husband that it is time for a lot of new changes for myself & being a lover of all things ‘techy’ this would help me so beautifully. I have already sent him the info so he’s very aware this is on my wish list when I am out of this hospital. lol, again, thanks for the review & good luck to you!
I am wondering if this device would pick up night time seizure activity. My 11 year old has epilepsy and we would like to have some way of detecting good nights versus ones where she is having epileptic activity all night. Anyone with epilepsy have experience with this? Just curious.
Concerned Mom.
We bought a Fitbit Flex for our daughter who is the same age as yours and was recently diagnosed with epilepsy. She complains a little about having to wear it, but we want to gather all the info that we can to understand what is happening while she sleeps. So far, it has detected “steps” of moderate intensity during the night. On the graph they show up like spikes. From what I’ve read it may not be a reliable measure of sleep quality for children, but what it does tell me is if she’s got strong enough movement to register as “steps.” Wishing your daughter well.
You might want to look into that embrace tracker that’s supposed to be coming out this summer (not made by fitbit, though.) It’s supposed to measure skin conductance (as this raises significantly before and during a seizure,) so you can more accurately gauge whether or not a seizure is actually occurring. It can also be set to wake you up if one happens. With a fitbit, the only thing you’re going to be able to track is nighttime movement. For me (I have epilepsy,) mine has often tracked between 200-400 extra steps at night. It can be an indication of nocturnal seizures, but at the same time, it can also be a sign of restlessness, nightmares, a sleep disorder or even a half-asleep run to the bathroom at 3am. All it can really tell you is that you are moving enough during sleep to register steps.
Thank you for this. I was at Best Buy today trying to use up a freebie $5 gift card they emailed me and I seen a whole bunch of snazzy looking pedometers. I’m not sure I’m in for a hundred bucks, but I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for a deal on one or another. I’m really interested in the sleep part. I’m a numbers kinda girl too. I need stats! But this looks awesome!
Danielle – this is so much more than a pedometer. (I’ve only had my Fitbit since Jan, but I’m already a cult member LOL). Yes, it tracks your steps – far more accurately it seems than the Omron pedometer I had before which was HUGE compared to this. But it also tracks how many flights of stairs you walk (it even counts a hill I walk as stairs), translates your steps into miles automatically, and calories burned (based on the weight you entered). It also gives you a cute little flower indicator showing your activity level – the more you move, the longer the flower stem grows. You can even wear a soft wristband at night and place the Fitbit in it to have it track your sleep patterns – how fast you fall asleep, how many times you wake up (it uses movement). All this in a tiny little package. I also like how the clip is rubber so it doesn’t slide off my pants pocket like plain plastic does (you can also just have in your pocket or clipped to your bra). Ok, I’m done expounding it’s values :)
I used the silent alarm this morning! WOKE me up without waking up everyone else! :)
I’ve had my FitBit since summer & I’ve been using it as an educational tool…educate myself how well I sleep, eat & move. It’s been very enlightening & I just love it. My brother used it as a weight loss tool & lost 60+ pounds. The weather here has finally warmed up, the snow’s finally gone & we are going out to burn calories. :-)
Awesome! I’m loving it too even though I haven’t had it nearly as long as you have! If I could lose 60 lbs, I would be extremely happy! I’d settle for just 40! :)