Things I Have Learned From Owning a FitBit

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fitbitSpring is here! (Even if Mother Natures doesn’t know it yet!) Spring means warmer weather, more hours with sunlight, and blooming flowers. This is a great time to be outside before the oppressive heat and humidity of summer sets in. It’s great weather for long walks, hikes and all types of outdoor activities.  

Two springs ago I decided to get a FitBit. I thought it was a great way to see just how much I was doing physically on a daily basis. Two years later, I have learned a lot more than just my daily step count. In case you are undecided as to whether a FitBit is right for you, here is a breakdown of all the things I’ve learned from owning one.

1. Green Is My Favorite Color

When you have a FitBit you set goals for yourself through the app. When you hit your goal, the particular goal turns from blue to green. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing that green color pop up. If I hit all my goals for the day my FitBit will actually ‘say’ “Wow that’s a lot of green!” I do walk up a flight of stairs for no reason whatsoever just to hit my goal and see that pop of green show up. I will not admit how many “laps” I’ve done around my family room in order to hit my step goal. (Hint: It’s too many to count!)

FitBit

2. The Guilt Is Real

Your FitBit will vibrate if you haven’t moved more than 250 steps that hour. It’s FitBit’s gentle way of saying, “Put down the cupcake and go do something!” Regardless of what you’re doing, you WILL get up and walk until you hit that 250 step goal (even if its just to get ice cream to go with that cupcake). The guilt of not getting up after you’ve been reminded to be active is too great of a burden to bear!

3. “Friendly” Competitions Are Not Friendly At All

Like Facebook, you have FitBit friends. Sometimes these friends will invite you to a challenge. The challenge can last one day, the weekend, or the entire work week. The “Work Week Challenge” can get serious! The first day everyone is being polite. By polite I mean they are sizing you up. They are seeing approximately how many steps everyone gets in one day so they know how much they have to step it up the rest of the four days.  

People also begin to realize that if you completely close out of the app and don’t sync no one else will know how many steps you’ve accrued. So you think you’re in the lead, you’re proud of yourself for being so active and then BOOM! Someone syncs at the end of the day and you are now 15,000 steps behind! So what do you do the next day? The same thing the new leader did to you yesterday, and before you know it, no one syncs, you have no idea how ahead or behind you are, and you end up spending your night walking in circles around your house for good measure.

4. You Don’t Own It – It Owns You

By now you’ve realized that once you put that FitBit on your wrist your life is no longer yours. Your life is dictated by this silly little contraption that was supposed to be a tool to help you stay active. Sure you could take it off and just live your life the way you were before your FitBit, but then all your goals would stay blue, you’d be wrecked with guilt over not hitting your hourly step goal and your friends would beat you on your friendly competition.

What have you learned from owning a FitBit?

 

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