By: Nicole Nichols, SparkPeople Blogger
10/17/2012 6:00 AM   :  101 comments   :  32,119 Views

See More: fitness, running, walking, stuff we love, product review,

While I don't consider myself a "gadgets" person (I don't even have a single fitness app on my iPhone), there are a few gadgets I've loved over the years, such as my Garmin Forerunner, which is still going strong after many, many miles and half marathons.  But I'm also a big fan of the Fitbit, which I started using a couple of years ago.
 
The Fitbit tracks some basic daily activity: how many steps you take, how far you've walked (in miles), how many flights of stairs you've climbed, your estimated calorie burn based on these stats, and how restful your sleep was (if you wear it overnight).
 
Compared to the Fitbit, which seems like a glorified pedometer, my GPS-enabled Garmin, which also has a heart rate monitor, real-time (and very precise) speed and distance tracking, pacing features and more seems like a sure winner. What would a runner like me—someone who is already active and motivated to stay that way—really get out of a Fitbit anyway?
 
Plenty. Truth is, I adore my Fitbit. I wear it daily, clipping it to my waistband the second I get out of bed. I check my step stats dozens of times throughout the day. And I use it more often than my Garmin since I only run a few days per week for a few total hours. I actually use my Fitbit even while using my Garmin (and every hour that I'm not using it). Here's why. 
 
It Motivates Me to Get Active
I can't explain it, but wearing the Fitbit motivates me to move more! I love seeing my stats, my all-time best records, and the days that I break them. It is a little reminder that I think about throughout the day and it motivates me to make a more active choice. Since wearing the Fitbit, I do try to reach at least 10,000 steps a day. But I don't even stop there. Some days I've reached 50,000 steps.
 
It wasn't like this in the beginning. When I first put it on, I was shocked at how "inactive" I was each day—even though I exercise pretty much every day. On a day off from exercise, I can accumulate less than 2,000 steps easily. Even on days that I would run or work out, I'd rarely reach the minimum of 10,000 steps a day, which really surprised me. But since wearing the Fitbit, even my "less active" days have become more active. I get up more at work. I walk around the house doing things instead of lounging. I walk the dog more. I even exercise a little more. I think of it as my daily reminder to move, and it truly works as a motivator. This is so important for weight loss and overall health. As studies show, even people who exercise are putting their health at risk by being sedentary for so many hours in the day.
 
It's Cute and Portable and Noninvasive
I love my Garmin watch, but it's clunky and gets in the way. But the Fitbit is perfect for all-day use. It's so tiny that I don't even notice I'm wearing it. You can put it in a pocket, clip it to your clothing, clip it to your bra—almost anywhere. In addition to being small, it's discreet. Only very rarely have I ever worn an outfit that I can't find a place to "secretly" clip my Fitbit. I think the design is sharp, too—clean and simple.
 
It Syncs with SparkPeople.com        
I hope you are as excited as I am about our recent announcement. SparkPeople has partnered with Fitbit and now all of your Fitbit data (which loads wirelessly to an account at Fitbit.com) can easily be connected to SparkPeople so you can track all your steps, distance and more right on your SparkPeople fitness tracker. This has made fitness tracking even easier for me since it just uploads and I don't have to do anything extra. Gotta love that! (Bonus: If you purchase any Fitbit using SparkPeople's affiliate link, SparkPeople can earn a percentage of the sales, which is a great way to help Spread the Spark.)
 
It's Just Plain Fun
The Fitbit is fun! I love that is "greets" me with little messages and encourages me with various "You can do it" phrases across the screen throughout the day. As you accumulate your steps, a digital flower "grows" until you've reached your daily goal, which is a nice visual of your progress. And when you reach new milestones, you get little trophies (called badges) and congratulatory messages sent to your inbox. All of these things just add to the motivation factor if you ask me.
 
I find myself checking in with my Fitbit multiple times per day and always trying to reach new milestones. This would have never happened had I not started using the Fitbit. And this is what an active lifestyle is all about.
 
How Well Does the Fitbit Work?
Now, I can't speak much about how accurate the Fitbit is or isn't. A lot of times it seems a little off for me, like when I run 10 miles in half-marathon training (which should be 20,000 steps) and it shows me as several thousand steps shy of that. And I do think the calories burned estimates might be a little high. Like many gadgets, it's not perfect. But that doesn't detract from its usefulness, in my opinion, and its benefits aren't about precision in the tracking or the data. It's simply a fun and useful tool for just about anyone who is motivated by numbers like these.
 
Gadgets may come and go, but I'll keep using my Fitbit into the foreseeable future. I think it has something to offer exercisers of just about every fitness level.
 
Have you tried the Fitbit? What do you like about it? What is your favorite fitness gadget?

Images sourced from Fitbit.com.

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