(Re)joining the Fitbit world

A few years ago, way back in a mythical time when I was actually doing quite a bit of exercise (well, for me) and, perhaps even more surprisingly, actually starting to enjoy it (I know, right?!), I ventured into the wonderful world of fitness trackers – specifically, in my case, a small black-and-plum-coloured Fitbit Ultra.

When I clipped this tiny little device onto my person and wore it wherever I went, it magically told me how many steps I’d taken each day, how far I’d walked, how many flights of stairs I’d climbed, and even how long and how well I’d slept. Fascinating stuff! I loved my Fitbit Ultra, my only real frustration being how easy it was for me to forget to unclip it from my clothes and thereby accidentally run it through the washing machine (which very nearly happened a couple of times), or to have it fall off without my noticing and be lost forever. (In fact, I DID lose it at one point, and was devastated, but Fitbit very kindly sent a replacement to me and I was back up and running – er, walking – in no time.)

For awhile, anyway.

Fast forward (because it’s really not a particularly interesting story) past my ongoing paranoia about losing my Fitbit Ultra a second time, to starting to slack off on exercise, to quitting using my Fitbit Ultra altogether, to trying to motivate myself to get back into exercising, to buying a new Fitbit Force, to returning the Fitbit Force when it was recalled, and finally, to today… where I am the proud (and hopeful!) owner and wearer of a brand new black-banded Fitbit Charge.

My new Fitbit Charge!

I’ve only had it for a couple of days so far, but it’s terrific. Because the Charge is a bracelet style (rather than clip-on) it’s a whole lot harder to lose (or wash!) – plus since it doubles as a watch, and even notifies me when someone is calling my smartphone, it’s all kinds of helpful rolled up into one little device.

My main reason for wearing my Fitbit Charge isn’t because I’m planning to dive head-first into a major exercise program – but rather as inspiration and motivation to simply move more. Those of you who spend a lot of time sitting at an office desk – particularly when working from home, as I do – will understand just how challenging it is to get up, get moving, and get enough exercise each day. I’m hoping the stats from my Fitbit Charge will give me that extra push to beat my previous day’s step and stair count, and gradually help me move towards better overall fitness.

So off I go!

(P.S. – If you’re a Fitbit wearer as well, I’d love to connect with you for motivation and encouragement! I invite you to check out my Fitbit profile, and feel free to add me to your friends list if you so desire.)

Do you use a fitness tracker of any kind? Is it helpful to you?
Please share!