My Fitbit

It's a new year, which means new resolutions for many people.  Me included.  I did so well a couple of years back and lost a lot of weight, but recently I've been struggling to find the motivation to try to eat healty and move more.  Because of this, I've gained some of my weight back.  Not good.

A big part of my problem was not wanting to exercise.  I know the foods I should and should not eat, but I really do not like exercising that much and I wanted to find something to help me with that.

To help me move more, I have gotten a new toy.  Well, it's not really a toy, but it sure has been fun over the last two weeks.

(NOTE: this is not a paid endorcement, Fitbit has not heard of me - I just think it's really cool)

It's my Fitbit!  (Shown next to my phone to give you an idea of how small it is.  And that's a cat hair, not a scratch on my phone.)



I found out about Fitbit from my brother, David.  He gave one to my mom for Christmas and I know that she's enjoyed it too.

It's a little pedometer, but it's also so much more. It gives me positive reinforcement throughout the day as to how active I am.  It even talks to me!

(Please ignore my bruised thumb, I banged it back in November and the bruise has been slowly moving towards the tip of my nail as my fingernail grows, which has been kinda fun to watch.)




This is just one example of the messages it will give me if I pick it up. 

I wear it on my waistband all day long, and it tracks my activities throughout the day.

There is a free website where you can log your food, activities, vital statistics (measurements, blood pressure, etc).  If you buy the Fitbit, then it automatically syncs up and you can see your progress in real time. 

Mom and I have become "friends" on the Fitbit website and we can check in each other and see who's ahead of who in terms of daily steps taken, etc.  (I'm ahead!)

Here's a snapshot of my activity today from the website.  I did a bunch of laundry, which meant going up and down our stairs.  I'd love to say that I normally have this many floors climbed, but this is an unusual day.   


I've set goals for myself and it helps me keep on track.

Another neat feature is that you can wear the Fitbit at night on a wrist band and it will monitor your sleep.  This was alarming at first because I found that I wasn't sleeping well at all. 



The pink color above is the times that I am awake.  The blue color is actual sleep time. 

We tried having Rominal sleep in a different bed just to rule out him waking me up.   It didn't seem to make much of a difference, I still didn't sleep well.

Rominal was pleased to hear that he could come back to our bed.  I was too, I missed him. 

Here's another night's record. 



What I'm finding now is that I am beginning to be able to improve my sleeping patterns, either that or I've just been super sleepy and I'm sleeping better.

This is from a recent night.



I'm getting better at sleeping!  Way cool!

I've had the Fitbit for almost two weeks now and I've lost about 4 pounds so far.  I've set my goals to lose slowly, so 4 pounds is great for me. 

I just think this is super cool and I thought I would share it with you. 

Looks like I'd better go do more laundry - I want to see how many flights of stairs I can do today!