FitBit to be Tied - May 27, 207
“You know,” said my hubs Laurence, “You’re either going to lose it or it’s going to fall into the toilet.”
You know from the title of my column that hubs was referring to my FitBit-to-be.
I have wanted a FitBit for some time but could not come up with a reason to buy one and could come up with many reasons not to. I exercise anyway, and they aren’t cheap – plus there are the reasons above that my hubs came up with.
But two things happened. My daughter Anna got one and encouraged me to get one. And they went on sale at Best Buy. How could I not? (In case you are wondering what a FitBit is, it’s a wearable fitness tracker – most commonly worn like a watch. Remember those?)
Off to Best Buy. Turns out there are at least eight different models of FitBits. “What is it you want in a FitBit?” asked the eager, fountain-of-FitBit knowledge customer associate. Remembering Laur’s concern, “I want one I can find if I lose it, and one that is waterproof.”
The sales associate could not help with me with the “losing” part – but the waterproof aspect, that called for a FitBit Flex 2. And they only had one left in my size and colour – black and small. (I expect there were more in the back. I just wanted to feel special.)
The cashier wanted to know if I wanted to buy a 2-year warranty. I said “yes” because my nickname is “Wreck-It Ralph.” Laur said to himself – and I can read his thoughts – “Ok, but no more than two years because you’ll have lost it by then.”
We got home and I opened up the FitBit and looked at the directions. I just assumed I could start wearing it like a watch. But that’s old technology. This new-fangled stuff has to be charged and linked electronically and I did not know what else.
I facebook messaged my daughter. She told me to come to her shop during her lunch break. I arrived with my FitBit and my computer and my cell phone and the look of utter incredulity. No worries, Anna started setting it up with me. The number of things this half-inch bit of technology can help you monitor is unbelievable. Exercise, sleep, food, water, and…and…and... I wish it had a GPS tracking device, but that model would have cost a hundred dollars more. And it would not be water-proof.
Finally, Anna had it up and running. Actually, it was up to me to do the running. I asked Anna if I could just drive it around in the van and get “steps” that way. “Mom!” she exclaimed.
Off for a walk. On my first day (Tuesday) I got 2 lights out of five – 4,000 of my 10,000 goal. That would be an “E” if it was a paper being marked. Gah!
No worries. Wednesday, we were going for a 70-km cycle. Surely that had to be worth something. I started my Wednesday with my usual 5 km jog walk. It gave me two lights for that. When we were about to head out on our bikes, I tied it to my running shoe so that it got the maximum amount of movement. I was determined to show my new overlord that I was no ordinary serf.
And that would have been a smart idea had we not tried to cycle down a road that consisted of two muddy “rut-lanes.” I can’t say as we weren’t warned. There was a sign posted that said, “Danger! Clay Road.” Laur got pitched off his bike a few times. Me, being the more cautious one, I walked my bike through the muddiest parts, forgetting I had a FitBit tied to my shoes.
You think you know how this story is about to go. That the FitBit got sucked into the mud or that it got suffocated and died. In fact, it hung on for dear life and cleaned up quite nicely. Not only that, it gave me my highly desired 5 out of 5 lights. Ha! Guess who’s boss now!?
Today, “Fitty” and I are going to try swimming in a chlorinated swimming pool. I expect it will survive the water. But the chlorine? I expect that like my hair, the FitBit band will change from its original colour to some 50 shades of grey and blonde. Ah well, if I then lose it, it should be easy to identify at GoodLife’s lost and found.
You know from the title of my column that hubs was referring to my FitBit-to-be.
I have wanted a FitBit for some time but could not come up with a reason to buy one and could come up with many reasons not to. I exercise anyway, and they aren’t cheap – plus there are the reasons above that my hubs came up with.
But two things happened. My daughter Anna got one and encouraged me to get one. And they went on sale at Best Buy. How could I not? (In case you are wondering what a FitBit is, it’s a wearable fitness tracker – most commonly worn like a watch. Remember those?)
Off to Best Buy. Turns out there are at least eight different models of FitBits. “What is it you want in a FitBit?” asked the eager, fountain-of-FitBit knowledge customer associate. Remembering Laur’s concern, “I want one I can find if I lose it, and one that is waterproof.”
The sales associate could not help with me with the “losing” part – but the waterproof aspect, that called for a FitBit Flex 2. And they only had one left in my size and colour – black and small. (I expect there were more in the back. I just wanted to feel special.)
The cashier wanted to know if I wanted to buy a 2-year warranty. I said “yes” because my nickname is “Wreck-It Ralph.” Laur said to himself – and I can read his thoughts – “Ok, but no more than two years because you’ll have lost it by then.”
We got home and I opened up the FitBit and looked at the directions. I just assumed I could start wearing it like a watch. But that’s old technology. This new-fangled stuff has to be charged and linked electronically and I did not know what else.
I facebook messaged my daughter. She told me to come to her shop during her lunch break. I arrived with my FitBit and my computer and my cell phone and the look of utter incredulity. No worries, Anna started setting it up with me. The number of things this half-inch bit of technology can help you monitor is unbelievable. Exercise, sleep, food, water, and…and…and... I wish it had a GPS tracking device, but that model would have cost a hundred dollars more. And it would not be water-proof.
Finally, Anna had it up and running. Actually, it was up to me to do the running. I asked Anna if I could just drive it around in the van and get “steps” that way. “Mom!” she exclaimed.
Off for a walk. On my first day (Tuesday) I got 2 lights out of five – 4,000 of my 10,000 goal. That would be an “E” if it was a paper being marked. Gah!
No worries. Wednesday, we were going for a 70-km cycle. Surely that had to be worth something. I started my Wednesday with my usual 5 km jog walk. It gave me two lights for that. When we were about to head out on our bikes, I tied it to my running shoe so that it got the maximum amount of movement. I was determined to show my new overlord that I was no ordinary serf.
And that would have been a smart idea had we not tried to cycle down a road that consisted of two muddy “rut-lanes.” I can’t say as we weren’t warned. There was a sign posted that said, “Danger! Clay Road.” Laur got pitched off his bike a few times. Me, being the more cautious one, I walked my bike through the muddiest parts, forgetting I had a FitBit tied to my shoes.
You think you know how this story is about to go. That the FitBit got sucked into the mud or that it got suffocated and died. In fact, it hung on for dear life and cleaned up quite nicely. Not only that, it gave me my highly desired 5 out of 5 lights. Ha! Guess who’s boss now!?
Today, “Fitty” and I are going to try swimming in a chlorinated swimming pool. I expect it will survive the water. But the chlorine? I expect that like my hair, the FitBit band will change from its original colour to some 50 shades of grey and blonde. Ah well, if I then lose it, it should be easy to identify at GoodLife’s lost and found.