For my birthday, my parents and sister surprised me with a gift - a new Fitbit Blaze. And it's now my new obsession.
Not quite your Apple smart watch, but smarter than your average pedometer, my new Fitbit Blaze has refreshed my motivation to exercise and move more every day. It's also provided me with an insight into myself that I never realised I could get. The things you learn when you've got yourself a Fitbitb is actually quite astonishing if I say so myself...
You learn how fascinating it is just to walk
Suddenly walking is less a method of transportation and more a new game of 'how many steps was that worth'. I'm even more willing to do more errands and get out of my seat more often just to see how many steps it's worth, as long as it's getting me to my 10,000 steps.
You learn how easy it is to check your progress
I'm more interested in checking my Fitbit first before I check my phone. Just a quick few taps on the touchscreen just to see how I'm doing, then I give myself a mental pat on the back for having clocked up more than a thousand steps.
You learn how hard it is to achieve 10,000 steps before midnight
In the few days I've had my Fitbit, I have spent many nights just walking around my house at 11pm, trying my fastest to get to 10,000 steps (without cheating and shaking my wrist - because it doesn't work like that). Running on the spot is quite effective, as is bouncing - but that gets very tiring after a few minutes.
You learn how much you sit on your butt at a desk job
I knew I sat down a lot but when there are graphs, scales and numbers to prove it - it's very confronting. And it's worse when Fitbit's app shows you your 'active minutes' vs your 'stationary period'. It is always timing you, so you know for sure that you did sit on your butt from 12.45pm till 5pm. I clearly need to get away from the desk more often...
You learn how much worse you are moving about on the weekend
I'll be honest - the past two Saturdays I spent more time eating than I did moving. And it shows. So unless you're active the entire weekend, it's actually much harder to remember to move about on those lazy Saturdays and Sundays. So, stop being lazy.
You learn you become part of a club of Fitbit users.
Not necessarily from connecting with all your friends on a Fitbit counter (I don't actually have anyone added yet...) but as soon as someone notices your Fitbit, it becomes a topic of discussion. How many steps have you done? How often do you go and exercise? What's your average daily step count? I've found acceptance from people who want to know if I have taken 10,000 steps.
You learn how everything can be monitored.
I can log every snooze I take, every drink I make. Every bite I break, every beat I take, Fitbit's app is watching you. And noticing how many times you are restless during the night (for me last night, it was 11 times.)
You learn how you better work your butt off to prove you deserve this Fitbit
Like a half-marathon to complete or a goal weight to reach - this Fitbit is a new place to set goals and achieve them. But in a better way - these daily goals feel way more achievable, even though 10,000 steps can be a real struggle to get to.
Here's to being fit for summer before summer even starts - thanks to my new Fitbit!
