Fitbit Confessions

Last week I shared with a group of H3 guests the love I have for my newly acquired Fitbit. Little did I know that in doing so I would open the floodgates to all sorts of humorous, Fitbit confessions. It seems that many Fitbit owners have an affection for this sleek little device not unlike that of a cherished pet -- myself included. In fact, one guest told me the first thing her Fitbit says to her in the morning is “Let’s go for a walk,” which reminds me a lot of my dog Lucky. I’m not sure what my Fitbit says to me first thing in the morning, because I can’t actually read until I’ve had a cup of coffee, but the fact that it does talk to me is one of my favorite things about the little sucker. And to echo the whole pet sentiment, my children named my Fitbit “Bitty.”
As Fitbit stories were bandied about, I quickly realized that many of the H3 guests have a Fitbit competitive streak. It seems that some H3 guests are rather quick to keep people informed of their step-status throughout the day, which creates a healthy rivalry. It’s been fun to learn how they’ve tried to “one-up” each other with their step standings. For instance, I loved hearing about the guest who put the Fitbit on her dog in order to out-step her roommate. Another guest used her evening out with the gals to “pump up the volume” on her step sums only to learn, with great dismay, that the Fitbit resets itself at midnight. The dramatic reenactment was priceless. I pictured her simultaneously shaking her “groove thing” and checking her Fitbit, only to see it reset right before her eyes on the dance floor at midnight -- and my belly-laughing ensued.
There was one common thread woven through all the Fitbit stories…it really does make you move more. Like the guest who shared that he walks in place while brushing his teeth wearing his Fitbit and little else, or another guest who admits carrying her clean laundry up the stairs piece by piece so as to increase her stair-climbing status.
Since I hadn’t used the Fitbit to track my sleep (for fear the results would worry me, thus causing insomnia), I was interested to hear what others had to say about that aspect of the Fitbit. What I learned is that the Fitbit measures your sleep cycle by sensing your movements throughout the night. One guest told me however, that the Fitbit does not respond well to nocturnal “thrashers.” Apparently, if you have “the jimmy legs,” as Kramer from Seinfeld describes them, the Fitbit has a difficult time accurately measuring your sleep cycle. This was good for me to know. You see, my eight-year-old often crawls into my bed in the middle of the night, leaving a quarter of an inch between the two of us, and kicks me in her seizure-like slumber until dawn. If, after one of those nights, my Fitbit reminded me of my unhealthy sleep-cycle, there is a good chance Bitty would meet an untimely demise.
So back to my favorite part about Bitty… “You Rock,” and “You’re Cool” are things I would never hear if not for my Fitbit. The fun little affirmations always make me smile, which alone justifies its expense. All-in-all, I would say it was a great investment. It has me moving more, which in turn makes me feel better about myself—two wonderful improvements.
Let’s keep the Fitbit stories going. I’d love to hear your fun Fitbit comments or a Fitbit goal you may be working on. What’s your all-time best Fitbit step-status? Perhaps we can come up with an H3 Fitbit challenge. I will discuss that with the powers that be and get back to you. Until then…”You Rock!”