Have you guys heard of Fit Bit? I hadn’t until this time last year, when A and I started doing a bit of research about activity trackers. Working out of our 1200 sq ft. apartment, A worried that his days were too sedentary. Enter, Fit Bit. And to save you the suspense, it basically told A he had the daily activity of a large rock, Stonehenge style.
So, what is Fit Bit?
Put simple, Fit Bit is a pedometer on steroids. Not only does it the track number of steps, it sets challenges and reports back on other notable stats like number of stairs climbed, activity dispersion throughout the day, calories burned, and distance traveled. It can be hooked up to nutrition tracking sites like My Fitness Pal or Lose It, if you so desire, to take full advantage of the calories consumed vs. calories burned breakdown, tapping into any weight loss/gain goals you may be pursing on those platforms. Lastly, and this was the big seller, Fit Bit works around the clock, providing sleep cycle monitoring and analysis. The transparency of the data is incredible compared to similar options out there (ex. Weight Watcher’s Active Link) that don’t provide half the features and opaque reporting.
Did all of that read like an advertisement for Fit Bit? I promise you, this post is not sponsored. But, that’s how great Fit Bit has been for A. He’s had it a full year now and raves daily about the transparency and awareness of movement that it has brought to his life. Fitness has become more of a present mindset than ever before and he’s tapping into a lifestyle change that I’m excited to be joining in on. ‘Cause guess what friends? I took the plunge and dropped this bad boy into my virtual cart last week!
Fit Bit recently released two new models that offer the same feature set but in different styles. The One, shown above, is what I chose. It clips onto clothing or a lanyard, while the Flex, below, is a bracelet similar to Nike’s Fuel Band.
Both models are awesome, and I can see the practicality in either one. But, ultimately I went for the clip on model as I like that it can be moved around or easily concealed depending on activity level and what I’m wearing. For example, while at work, I will clip to the inside of my bra (center spot between the cups), but while running I have the option to attach to my clothing or zip inside the pocket in my pants that sits tight against my lower back. This versatility seems extremely useful, especially for women since we have varying fits of clothing based on what we’re doing. Plus, the point of Fit Bit for me is to wear it 24/7, and knowing myself, I’d sacrifice fitness tracking for fashion when it came down to it if I had the bracelet. But, to each his own. If the bracelet’s your jam, then that is awesome-sauce.
In addition to significantly increasing my activity, part of why I finally decided to splurge on Fit Bit was the the launch of a new feature: sleep cycle monitoring and waking. The One and Flex both provide a vibrating wake feature that gently wakes, such that you’ll rise alert and fresh. Dude, I NEED THIS. The breakdown of alert mornings vs. mornings where my alarm sounds and I’m mid-dream, groggy, and confused is a pretty depressing statistic.
So, long story short, Fit Bit’s about to change my life. Since getting into running I’ve been itching for more data and connection with my body’s movement. I’ll still track my runs via Map My Run for specific running data on splits, pace, and distance, but the overall picture of my day-to-day activity will be much more clear and present. I am capital ”J” jazzed to hop on the Fit Bit train.
Do you have one? Enticed? Mine comes this week and I’ve been a total 5 year old checking the mail every day, pouting when it’s not there. When Fit Bit arrives, I’ll share my daily activity and challenges over on @eileenragan via instragram and twitter as well as a review of how I’m liking the device.
All photos courtesy of Fit Bit.
