Fitbit Challenge

I've posted about my Fitbit before. It's the activity tracker you wear on your wrist. It's a neat little item. I have the cheap one-- all it tracks is distance walked. You can get high-end models that show your heart rate, time, and maybe you can even find a few that wash the dishes for you...just kidding....they'll have robots for that. Be patient, they're coming. 

One of the great things about the Fitbit is that you can join the Fitbit community and link your progress with your friends...mine are linked with my email contacts and Facebook friends. 

Sure, it can be embarrassing. Note how I am way under my friend's step counts? That's a reminder that those skinny bitches cheat fine ladies work harder than I do. Sure, the competitive soul in me wants to win at all costs, maybe attach my band to the ceiling fan or wrap it around my dog's paw and set a hamster loose in the house.... 

But I fight that dark side. The truth is, this sort of feedback is black and white proof  that I am chunky because of my own habits, not because God cursed me with a slow metabolism. I'm a writer and half of everything I do is done sitting on my derriere. But if I want to stay healthy and be able to climb steps better than a 90-year-old with asthma, I have to move more.

It's also a reminder to me that I need to worry less about the numbers on the scale going down, and worry more about these numbers going up. I need to challenge myself. 

How about you? Are you challenging yourself or just shaking a fist at the scale? 

*Oh, and if you are shaking a fist at the scale, do it with your Fitbit clad  hand.  ;)

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Fitbit Tip

As a writer, I spend a lot of time in a chair. Seriously, hours can pass without any movement.

That's an aweseome way to get books written, but it's also an awesome way to develop a broad butt and a heart attack.

To prod myself into movement, I got a Fitbit for Christmas.

Today's post was going to be about using the Fitbit to help shed holiday pounds, but yesterday, my Fitbit died. Less than a few weeks old, it wouldn't hold a charge at all. I tried the reset and several different chargers.

I called customer support and James, the tech, tried to help me jump start my fitness helper, but nothing worked.

He asked me if I was using a block wall charger. I said I had. He said that was my problem. Some of the chargers aren't UL approved and can surge, frying the tiny little battery inside the tracker.

He kindly told me the optimal way to charge the Fitbit is hooked up to the computer.

If I want to use a wall charger, look for this icon:



Avoid the cheap knock offs without the UL code. They might fry small electronics.

Now, I have a new Fitbit on its way, and I will take much better care of it and maybe become a bit fitter Liz.