Fitbit & Keeping Score With Yourself

   Hello friends! Hope all of you are doing well! I could sit up here on the running podium and tell you that life is awesome and my training is going perfectly. But, that would be a complete lie. The last two weeks have been pretty rough. This chest cold just will not die. Even more frustrating is the fact that for the most part, I'm doing everything possible to make myself better. I'm sleeping as long as I can stand it, sucking down fluids like a fish and doing my best to stay away from bad foods or alcohol. I've even restricted myself to indoor treadmill runs until I feel better. So freaking boring! I'm managing to get the majority of my training in the books. But, usually wind up hacking up a lung at the end as a price. I'm growing really tired of the dreary winter weather too. It looked good for the holidays. But, enough already! Bring on the sunshine already!

   

   So, here I am, sick, bored on treadmill runs and getting my full share of seasonal affective disorder. What's keeping me going? What's the big secret? Motivation. You can get it from many different sources. Some are better than others. I'm going to tell you about one that's worked extremely well for me. Keeping score with myself.

   

   January has come and gone and this is the time of year that separates the weekend warriors from the individuals who are sick of starting over all the time and are ready to make healthy changes in their lives. Most people in this country have the best intentions on New Year’s day. They vow to stop drinking too much, stop smoking, get in shape and work off all of their extra weight. Gyms from the west to east coast see an increase in membership, fitness stores have closeout sales on last year’s equipment and it seems like everyone is out there walking and running in your neighborhood.

   

   Many years ago when I first started I read and listened to anything that I could get my hands on related to running. One article I read said something that’s stuck with me for the last 12 years, whatever is tracked or recorded is usually changed for the better. The article was mainly referring to tracking running distances as a way to improve your endurance and prevent injury. I thought that it was such a great concept that right then and there, I started keeping my own computer based Excel running log. That silly little log has become somewhat of a Holy Grail for me over the years. It’s survived accidental erases, computer crashes, several moves and even lasted through the first few chaotic sleep deprived years of raising my son.

   

   Now a days, if you Google “running log” you’ll find numerous companies that offer online versions with cloud storage or downloadable programs for various prices. The biggest fad right now in the tech fitness arena are wireless fitness trackers. It seems like I wasn't the only one thinking about tracking fitness goals. There are many different options to choose from that track everything and anything that you could imagine.

   

   On April 15, 2012 I purchased my very first fitness tracker from a company called Fitbit. Fitbit is a small company based out of San Francisco, California that started selling wireless trackers in 2008. Their products range from $60-130 US dollars depending on available features. I’ve discussed this company and some of their products before. Recently I’ve had some friends ask me about their products and have had yet another great experience with their customer service. So I’ve decided to put together a brief overview of what they have to offer. It’s worth noting that I’m not being paid or sponsored in any way by the company. I just think that their focus on customer service and products are that good. They may just help you change from that typical weekend warrior to the kind of healthy and fit person that you've always wanted to become by keeping score with yourself. Who wants to settle for typical?

   

   Most of their trackers have an incredible little sensor called a three-dimensional accelerometer inside. Very similar to what you’d find inside a Nintendo Wii remote if you smashed it into tiny bits. With this sensor their trackers can track movement and elevation climbed. With that data the trackers calculate calories burned. They’re very similar to a traditional pedometer. But, one that’s been injected with a combination of nitro and steroids! There’s even a sleep tracking function that allows you to track the time it takes to fall asleep, sleep quality and duration. Scary huh?

   

   All of their trackers sync wirelessly with the company’s free online program affectionately called your “dashboard”. I really like that concept. Your body is a type of machine after all! It’s available online and in the iTunes and Android markets as an app for your smart devices. Upon buying one of their trackers you activate it by creating a free Fitbit account on their website. Your dashboard is extremely easy to use and safely stores the tracker’s collected data as well as your personal physical data including age, height and weight. It has a very extensive food database where you can enter different foods that you eat throughout your day. The database is quite broad and unless it’s something straight out of grandma’s kitchen, you’d be hard pressed to find something that’s not already included. Using your tracker activity the program uses your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate (or the amount of calories your body would require to survive if all you did that day was lay in bed) calculated from your personal data to determine how many calories you can consume for a single day. Using their food database in conjunction with their trackers will school you hardcore on portion control, how to make better food selections and the value of physical activity. The program tracks your data using eye popping, easy to read graphs. You can even create custom graphs to track such things as blood pressure, glucose and cigarettes smoked. Most programs similar to this can be found online for a one-time cost or monthly fee. Not for free and definitely not with a tracker to boot!

   

   Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, the program has a social media side too. There’s a whole online community of Fitbit users. Within your dashboard you can message, motivate and compete with your friends and family. For certain personal achievements you earn badges. I know that this sounds a bit hokey. Speaking from experience, small things like a little recognition can go a long way towards reaching your fitness goals. You can even post your achievements through other social media outlets.

   

   One of the best features that I like about the dashboard is that it integrates with other fitness related programs and apps. If you use Endomondo to track your runs, bang, they transfer to your dashboard. If you use My Fitness Pal to track your diet, bang, it transfers your meals. If you use fitness based reward apps like Earndit, bang, they transfer your activity. At last look, 36 different programs and applications are compatible with the dashboard. Refreshing to see a company that realizes that athletes use different platforms to track progress. Not only their own product.

   

   Before I go into the different types of products they offer I’d like to talk about the biggest reason that this company is amazing. Remember that old sales motto, “The customer’s ALWAYS right.” When’s the last time that you experienced customer service like that? If you’re like me, probably not often, if ever. This company follows this motto. Through the years I’ve had minor issues with some of their products. Each time I had a problem that had something to do with an accessory like a broken belt clip, it was replaced no questions asked. If I had a problem with a software issue, their techs either responded quickly with a solution or replaced the entire tracker, no questions asked. I even put my tracker through the wash one time. Hey, I’m not perfect! I contacted them and they replaced it, no questions asked. Recently, my wireless scale, also made by them, stopped taking body fat readings. I’ve owned the scale for almost a year and up until the end of last year it was working flawlessly. I contacted their customer support. They quickly responded and gave me some possible fixes to try to get it working again. Nothing worked and they offered to replace it with the returned scale, original box and receipt. I’m horrible with keeping boxes or receipts. I had neither. They quickly sent me a replacement scale free of charge. Just amazing! Who does that anymore?

   

   So, now that you've heard a little about the company lets talk about their products. The cheapest tracker they sell is called the Zip. My eight year old son owns one and loves it. It tracks steps, distance in miles and calories burned. It's powered by a watch style battery and comes with a removable soft plastic belt clip. It'll sync wirelessly with your smart devices when the app is installed and a computer with a USB sensor.   

PROS: Cheap. Easy to use. Water Resistant. Offered in different colors. Don't have to worry about battery recharging.

CONS: Doesn't have the more advanced features and can be easily forgotten on clothing.

  

    Next up we have the tracker I currently own called the One. It tracks steps, floors climbed, distance in miles and calories burned. It can also track sleep quality and has a customizable vibration timed alarm. It's powered by a rechargeable battery and comes with a removable soft plastic belt clip. It'll also sync wirelessly with your smart devices when the app is installed and a computer with a USB sensor.

PROS: Water resistant and has most of the offered features.

CONS: Only offered in two different colors and  can be easily forgotten on clothing.

    Next is the cheapest of their wrist trackers called the Flex. It tracks steps, distance in miles, calories burned and active minutes. It can also track sleep quality and has a customizable vibration timed alarm. It's powered by a rechargeable battery and comes with a removable soft wristband. It'll also sync wirelessly with your smart devices when the app is installed and a computer with a USB sensor.

PROS: More water resistant. Even shower proof. But not recommended to be worn when swimming. Can be worn until it needs charging and therefore is less likely to be misplaced. Offered in different colors.

CONS: Uses LED lights to show progress. Doesn't have a display. Clasping mechanism can sometimes open unexpectedly.

   Next we have their latest and most expensive wrist tracker called the Force. My wife owns one. It tracks steps, floors climbed, distance in miles, calories burned. It can also track sleep quality and has a customizable vibration timed alarm. It's powered by a rechargeable battery and comes encased inside a soft plastic wristband. It'll also sync wirelessly with your smart devices when the app is installed and a computer with a USB sensor.

PROS: Water resistant. Has all of the available offered features. Has a display. Eventually will also have to ability to display caller ID's when linked to a smart phone. Can be worn until it needs charging and therefore is less likely to be misplaced.

CONS: Clasping mechanism can sometimes open unexpectedly. Only offered in two colors.

  Lastly, it's worth talking about their wireless scale called the Aria. It syncs with your smart phone app and computer using your wi-fi network. It measures weight and body fat for up to eight programmable users. It sends your data to your dashboard without lifting a finger.

PROS: Stylish. Conveniently sends data over your wi-fi network.

CONS: Pricey when compared to scales that take the same measurements but don't use wi-fi.  

  

 There you have it.  These cool little gadgets won't do the work for you. But, they'll give you some much needed motivation and help you to keep score with yourself. They may even make you realize that being active is actually fun. Being a healthy person doesn't happen over night. It takes time. It ebbs and flows. Even Olympic athletes aren't in peak condition all of the time. Like I've said before, it's not about the end product, whether it be a race, a certain weight or waist size. Those things are great. But, it's the journey itself that will have the most meaning for you in the end. The struggles and small victories are what you'll remember the most.

   

   This company is after all, a company. They have a product that they want to sell to you. But, my experiences with the products themselves and the people in the company has shown me that they also want to make people the best that they could be. One step, one floor, one mile and one calorie at a time. Good things come to those who work their asses off. Fitbit is doing that and you can too.

   

   As always my friends, put some miles into your life and check out Fitbit. While keeping score with yourself, you may just win!