Mark Twain

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do ...
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Monday, July 8, 2013

FitBit Flex

I have a new pedometer as of the middle of June.  My daughter gifted me a FitBit Flex for Mother's Day.

FitBit Flex
Photo Credit: http://www.fastcodesign.com
Long time readers know that I have struggled with maintaining a walking program.  Walking is my preferred form of exercise.  There is nothing like slipping out the door for a quick (or long) walk with my iPod playing my current audio book or just enjoying a beautiful morning when the weather is inviting.  It beats gathering my stuff for a trip to a gym, getting in the car and driving, parking, waiting for time on equipment, etc. etc. etc.  But my success at keeping to a walking program has been spotty.

So walking it is.

It is helpful for me to have a quantitative measure of how active I am.  It keeps me honest.  It pushes me to do better.  My tool for doing that has always been a pedometer.  And I have had a bunch of them.

My new favorite pedometer is the Fit Bit Flex - for a lot of reasons.

  • The model is worn on the wrist. It only comes off to be charged.
  • It tracks just about everything, but steps are my interest.  There is, however,  no face with numbers - just a small line of 5 lights.  I don't miss seeing the numbers at all.  If I am curious, I just open my phone, hit the App Icon, the device syncs automatically - and there is my total.  In fact, I think I prefer not having those numbers staring at me on the device.  It takes the pressure off for achieving a certain number ... but keeps me moving all the same.
  • When I reach my goal - for me it is 10,000 steps - the lights flash and the band vibrates.  Pretty cool, as well.
  • The device is meant to sync to your computer or Smart Phone.  This can happen automatically when within a certain range of your computer or phone, or you can manually sync when you log on to your phone or computer.  This feature is pretty awesome.
  • Step totals do not roll of memory after 7 days like many pedometers.  The totals are out there when you want to see them.
  • The battery must be recharged every 6 to 7 days.
  • The device is water proof - apparently you can even shower with it.
  • It can also be set to track the quality of your sleep - a very cool feature.
  • Because it syncs to a free website, you can have "friends" and can easily see how they are doing.  You can even send messages back and forth.
  • And it appears to be very accurate.
There are many features I haven't even touched on - more features I use - but I will say this is the best pedometer that I have ever used.  It's a winner. 

So, if any of you great folks are already FitBit users and are looking for a new "friend" to help inspire you to walk, please let me know.  





6 comments:

Terra said...

That sounds like a neat little device.

Michelle said...

I just put my pedometer on today for the first time in a long time; I need some accountability and motivation, too!

Una said...

That sounds useful. I don't like pedometers that attach to a waistband. I'm going to look into this one. Thanks for the tip.

Linda said...

Love the whole idea of this tracker - lots of interesting info too. Hmmmmm.

Paula said...

Sounds cool!

happyone said...

That looks really cool and it would be really hard to lose. I'm still liking my strivv but when I need a new one, this sounds like the way to go.
Now that things have slowed with moving I will be able to blog more regularly again.
I've been missing knitting. Please tell everyone I said hi. : )